Pathways Church Blog

Temptation and Evil – now those are some big words with big meaning. How do we understand temptation? How do we understand evil? How do we understand the desires that are at war inside of us? This almost seems too big a concept for us to tackle in one morning – but we’re gonna try! James 1:13-18 gives us a picture of this battle taking place both inside of us and in the world around us. One thing that James is extremely sure of…don’t blame God for the temptation and subsequent consequences of pursuing it.

Last weekend, we took a look at the “Big Picture” of the life of James, the brother of Jesus. It could not have been easy to grow up in the shadow of the PERFECT older brother. If you missed last weekend, make sure that you check out the podcast. (Sorry for the audio quality this week, one cord in the wrong hole makes a big difference.) This weekend, James is going to ask us to take a look at the “Big Picture” of life as we walk through trials and experience doubts. We’ll be reading from James 1:1-12, which is well known for it’s scripture that tells us to “consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Reading this passage is often followed by the eye roll and deep breath while mumbling, “Whatever.” Can this be real? Can we live life with a view of difficulty that embraces it with joy? James, who lived a life of severe difficulty, seems to believe that it can be done. Let’s dive in this weekend and learn from the brother of Jesus.

“All I am or can be, I owe to my mother.” – Abraham Lincoln

There’s no denying the influence of a mother on someone’s life. Whether it’s your own, or your best friend’s mother that is your “surrogate mom”, we all have been marked in one way or another by “that” special woman.
At Pathways, we value our mothers deeply. This Sunday, we want to do a couple of extra things for the women that will be present at our weekend gathering.

• We want to provide an opportunity for you to have a family photo taken. We will take your family photo, print it, and have it available for you to pick up next Sunday morning. So guys/sons/daughters/husbands, if momma wants a family picture, make her day and just say ‘yes’. We got the rest covered.
• Moms, we have a special gift that we would love to give to you to show you how much we appreciate you. Come early so you don’t miss out!
• The message this Sunday will be directed toward mothers. Guys, don’t check out on me now, it will apply to you too.

GUYS/SONS/DAUGHTERS: Bring your mom to Pathways this Sunday.
HUSBANDS: Bring your wife to Pathways this Sunday. Whether she’s a mother or not, she still deserves to be honored.
MOMS: Come to Pathways this Sunday (and bring your mother if you can).