I want to invite you to take a journey with me during this Lenten season. It is a Journey to Hope and we will embark each Sunday during Lent in a sermon series called ReThink Church.  We will journey with
Jesus to the cross and find that hope can be found even while encountering some of life’s most difficult circumstances.  It is important that we understand that faith is relevant and can order our lives as we face challenges and setbacks. On this journey our hope is to learn that our church experience can lead us into an intimate relationship with Jesus and with others who walk with us each day. By addressing real life circumstances along the way (i.e., relationships, self-esteem, work, temptation, money problems, suffering and death), those on the journey learn how faith in Christ is relevant to everyday life and how
having a faith community can make all the difference.

Each Sunday we will raise some probing questions such as;  

Who is on this journey with you? How can people encourage or discourage you when the going gets tough? This segment tackles the importance of being involved in faith friendships and learning to lean on Christ as the ultimate Friend. 
 
 Identity and self-esteem can make or break the journey. Do you base your identity on who people say you are, or who you know God created you to be? Finding a firm foundation in who you are called to be will help you overcome obstacles. 

We all rely on work to meet the financial needs incurred in our journey, but how can work  itself be realized as a joyful destination? The disciples gave up all of their things to live out their passion for Christ. Many of us give up all of our passions to have things. How can we find a balance? 

When we get tired along the way, it is tempting to stop or turn around. To go the distance, we must learn to refuel. Prayer (personal and communal) is one means to build strength as Christ  illustrates even in His most difficult times. 
 
Money is a means of exchange for something that we want. Any journey requires purchases along the     way.  Do you have a healthy relationship with money? In other words, do you have money, or does money have you? We will encounter scriptures that illustrate both (The Rich Young Ruler & The Widow’s Mite) and focus on Christ’s response. 
                 
The Journey begins on February 26th at Antioch United Methodist Church in Gainesville, Georgia. Services at Antioch UMC begin at 11 a.m. ea I hope you will plan to join us for each adventure.

See you Sunday,
Randy