Shalom!

Or should I say Sholom? During the season of Lent some members of the Church, their friends, and I have been meeting at Sholom park here in Ocala, Fl. This park is a welcomed place of peace and tranquility amid the hustle and bustle of life. Today was a much needed day for us as we discussed the process of hope. We were encouraged from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Christians at Rome. Paul wrote to them that Christians should rejoice in their sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope, and hope doesn't disappoint because God's Spirit pours love into our hearts, (my paraphrase of Romans 5:1-6).
We began our study a few weeks ago as the season of Lent began by immersing ourselves in Jesus' story so you can imagine how tough life gets as you enter into the last week of His life. We have all experienced suffering/trials, or are in the middle of one now, or soon will be. So as you study the scriptures you begin to see that the human condition hasn't changed and we still need God, we still need a savior, we still need to develop our character after the life and teachings of Christ.
Praise God for the life and work of Christ! Praise God for His gift of salvation! Praise God for His Spirit that pours love into our hearts, guides the Church, and gives us HOPE--HOPE that will see us through and offer encouragement to a lost and dying world.

God's Shalom,
Brian