Hello Friends & Church Family,

I pray that things are going well with you and all the things that each of us are involved with are going just as well. In my daily devotion, I recently read an article that inspired me. It is titled "Loving People." I would like to share it with our Church Body. It goes like this:

Loving People is only a vague concept, unless we do these five things:

1.  People are sometimes insecure - give them confidence. Beneath their facade lie memories of a painful past and anxiety over what's coming their way next. Tell them God says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb.13:5). When nothing else works, God's Word does.

2.  People need to feel special - compliment them. Do it when they least expect it, and it's clear you seek nothing in return. Mary Kay Ash said, "Everyone has an invisible sign hanging around their neck saying, 'Make me feel important!'" Notice how often God's Word tells us how much He loves us, how special we are, and His plans for us.

3.  People are looking for a better tomorrow - give them hope. Let them know that when you put God in the center of your life, your future can be better than your past. "As long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper." (2 Chronicles 26:5).

4.  People need to be understood - listen to them. The trouble is, this takes more time than we're willing to give. It doesn't work to hand out advice and just move on. Before people can be "fixed," they must feel understood.

5.  People need role models - be one. Paul told the Corinthians, "You follow me as I follow Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1). Too often we are unaware of the example we set and the impression we are making. Like it or not, what you do - and don't do - influences others. When you leave this world, what you leave behind is your influence.

I remember the words Jeanne Mayo once said, "People will remember you by how you made them feel about themselves." At first I thought of all the things I would say in return to that comment. Then she challenged us to think of people in our own lives and I found she was right. I pray that we continue to be a Church that loves Christ with all of our hearts and lifts people up all around us. Lord, help us to believe in people more than they believe in themselves.

Amen,

Pastor Josh Richardson