Members and Friends of Austin Mennonite Church I pray you are refreshed as Spring brings pleasing colors and fragrances to us from the divine Creative Spirit. Life comes to us with unanticipated adventures and discoveries. We recognize very soon in our experience that we are being carried from the past through the present into the future. Whether we consent to or resist this gradual process, we know we cannot escape it. Whenever we acknowledge this dynamic of ever-changing circumstances, we begin to feel less anxiety and distress and more trust and confidence in the process that is unfolding. We grow and learn; we gain insight and understanding. Yet we never become absolutely certain of where this process is leading us. In his sermon on the mountain, Jesus calls his disciples to engage life intentionally in a way that will keep them refreshed and involved. He cautions them to not let apparently overpowering incidents prevent them from influencing how their stories will be composed. These thoughts will compose the sermon for this next Sunday, 'Personal abuse and self-sacrifice,' from Matthew 5:38-42. May it go well with you. Sincerely, Garland Robertson ...always hold firmly to the thought that each one of us can do something to bring some portion of misery to an end