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I have had my ups and downs since then, and my fair share of failures. All of us are far from perfect. I still do things that I wish I did not do. But I have been determined to try and follow the Lord with all my heart and be fully committed to him.

To be ‘fully committed’ with ‘all your heart’ means 100% commitment. It means seeking to do what the Lord calls you to do. It means rooting out anything that is bad – ruthlessly tearing down the high places and getting rid of the other gods in the midst of life.

The Lord is looking for those whose ‘hearts are fully committed’ to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). The psalmist prayed, ‘Give me an undivided heart’ (Psalm 86:11). The expression ‘all your heart’ appears many times throughout the Bible. For example, you are to do the following things ‘with all your heart’:

Love the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Matthew 22:36–38)
Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5)
Obey the Lord (Psalm 119:34,69; 1 Chronicles 29:19)
Praise the Lord (Psalm 111:1; 138:1)
Work for the Lord (Nehemiah 4:6; Colossians 3:23).

This is how to enjoy life and life in all its fullness (John 10:10). It’s a life of love, trust, gratitude, joy and meaningful work. In the passages for today we see why and how we should live wholeheartedly.

     The vision of Hope Lutheran is to FLOW in the grace of Christ Jesus through: Faith, Love, ​Outreach and
Worship.
​     With these four ideals and commands of Christ we go forth to further the Kingdom of God.

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With the recent events in our nation and the lingering COVID-19 concerns, one would think it quite difficult to find much joy at all, but our joy is in the Lord.

Joy is found in prayer, as therein, lies our hope. In the 4 weeks of Advent, we light one candle each week: 1 for peace, 1 for joy, 1 for hope, and 1 for love. The greatest of these is love, and God is the embodiment of each one.

But, this isn’t just for Advent, peace, joy, hope, and love can surely surround us daily, if we merely practice it ourselves. I am not going to tread into the waters of politics here, and any political comments will be immediately deleted.

I will state; however, that hatred only begets hatred and violence only begets violence, and I stand in firm agreement that justice need be served for those committing these heinous acts.

If we want peace, joy, love, and hope to abound, then we need to practice it ourselves and share it willingly and sincerely with each other regardless of nationality, race, or creed.

​I pray for peace, joy, love, and hope over each of you, my brothers and sisters, and over our country. The peace of God be always with you.
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https://youtu.be/wRFNg-Eyt_0?fbclid=IwAR2GPiUNYXxK9A337Atf6_O0s_7WRNlrV9yGHq7O3j_1w55W9sS54GcogtY