Blog & Pastor Letters

All in the Family

by Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS  |  12/29/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

At first glance, we can often find the image of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the Christ Child intimidating — who are we to aspire to that level of discipleship? How could we ever hope to conform ourselves to that mold? Sometimes, it can even be painful — perhaps we hail from a broken family or struggle with a broken relationship within our family, or perhaps we long to be a mother or a father ourselves and that state in life has eluded us.

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Carrying the Person of Jesus

by Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS  |  12/22/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

When Elizabeth was visited by Mary, her joy was overwhelming. Elizabeth recognized that Mary was carrying inside her the Messiah. She was honored to receive Mary, not just because of who Mary was herself, but also because of the One she had inside her.

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Be a Better Steward

by Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS  |  12/15/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

I wish I were a better steward. I would like to think I am a pretty generous person, and I do work hard to cultivate the characteristics of a good Everyday Steward in my life. However, stewardship is about more than giving. It is also about prudence and wise planning. It is about storing up grain for the lean years and making sure there is enough oil to light your lamps when the power goes out.

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Recognize God In Your Ordinary Moments

by Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS  |  12/08/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

God’s Personal Assistants

If you have ever planned a large-scale event, whether it’s a musical performance or a religious conference, you may have dealt with someone’s personal assistant. Possibly this person would be a representative of the keynote speaker or the master of ceremonies for the local bishop; perhaps it’s even the staffer of a local politician or the lackey of a well-known musical act.

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Advent Preparations

by Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS  |  12/01/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

Waiting is not always so easy. If you lack patience, like me, you probably want whatever is going to happen to just happen already. I remember waiting on the births of my children. There was the time I sat with my dying father in the hospital. One year, we waited to see if our oldest child got into the college of his choice, or any college at all, which seemed quite nerve-wracking.

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