Thinking Forward

     Over the past week I have been thinking a lot about the future. Not in a long-term or apocalyptic kind of way, just some thoughts about where we are going in the church and what kinds of things we ought to be doing in the coming year.

     I have been having these thoughts for a variety of reasons. First, we have been preparing the church’s Annual Report, and doing some looking back and looking forward. Second, we had what I thought was an excellent planning meeting with the session last Sunday as we looked at our mission statement and made plans for the year ahead. Look for some of those plans coming to fruition in the next few months.

     When most of us thing about starting a New Year we think about how we would like to improve our lives or our selves. Exercise equipment goes on sale and Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig run special sign-up programs. Some people sign up for classes or purchase audio books to improve themselves during the time they spend alone in the car.

     When I think about how I would like to improve, the category of “spiritual” is at least somewhere on my radar. What that means changes from year to year, but it is usually there. Some years I think of important books on theology I need to read, sometimes I feel the need to work on my prayer life or Bible study. Just like our physical muscles, our spiritual muscles need a workout in order to remain strong.

     I am proud of the variety of opportunities we have at FPCSS to flex our spiritual muscles. We have heavy-lifting Bible study on Sunday nights at 6:30. We just started a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Exodus that will take most of the year, so this is a great opportunity to get started. We read and discuss and dig deep to understand and fill our minds and hearts with God’s Word.

     For the long run, there is a good cardio workout available in Sunday School. That is an ongoing program, week in and week out, year after year, that produces results over the long haul. If you are not involved, there are classes for a variety of ages and interests. In the parlor, the Pairs and Spares class meets and studies a traditional Presbyterian produced curriculum of a variety of Bible passages. The Library class downstairs is working their way through the Bible and are presently in the New Testament. The Saints and Ain’ts class is participating in the Lifetree Café curriculum and studying contemporary topics from stem cell research to keeping the love alive in your relationship. So there really is something for everyone.

     I am also excited about a fairly intensive boot camp training experience that is sponsored by Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery, and is called Cursillo. Cursillo is a Spanish word that means “short course,” and the weekend is a short course in Christianity. It helps answer the question, What does it mean to be a Christian, and How can I grow in my faith? There are details in this month’s newsletter, and some of our own members will be participating in the event.

     So, if you are looking for a way to turn up the heat in your spiritual life this year, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Pick one and go for it!