Journey of Shawn Peoples' Walk in Grace!

      Today, my Twitter and Face book have been bombarded by those celebrating and those protesting the Supreme Court of the United States' decision to give those of same sex orientation the rights to marry.  As someone who has a few friends who see this as a positive and as a leader of a few that see it as a negative, I am divided in my emotions. Let me very clear that I do not believe that this ruling changes God's Word or redefines what God has already defined. However, my mix of emotions comes from a hurting for those who got what they wanted and a hurting for those who will now fear because of this decision.           Yes, this changes how our country will write laws for people of differing sexual orientations. Yes, this will put pressure on the churches to accept and perform marriages that they do not believe are Biblically backed. Yes, this will once again put the church at odds with the culture (at least those who stand and believe what God has said on this). But as D

    One of the most refreshing things the Lord is doing in my life right now is His work of incredible Grace. This Grace is never earned and is given abundantly by God and I am constantly overwhelmed at God's work toward me and in me. There are days where I absolutely blow it, yet, He still uses me and cleans me up. I don't know why He loves me so much since there is nothing I have done to deserve any of His love. It is simply because He wants to love me that He gives me Grace.     Paul, the Apostle, wrote a peculiar statement in a letter to one of his young apprentices. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul makes this statement: "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." (1 Timothy 1:15 NASB)      Paul declares himself to be the worst of everyone who has ever offended God. What did he do, well he harassed and had imprisoned those who were followers of Christ

On this journey, I have had this one nagging question when it comes to pastoring my church and my family. Do I really believe what I am preaching and teaching?  Do I really think what I am saying is applicable to my life also or am I just passing along truth? Many of you know that grace is continuing to change the way I think about and approach God. Many of you also know that I recently (7 months ago) was given the position of Senior Pastor at Faith Lakeside Community Church in McMurray, PA. Several times during these last months I have heard this question nagging at me. The problem I found was this question always came at a time when I was struggling through an issue our church was in the middle of or about to face. It has revealed how controlling I act and think. It has also reveal my beliefs about what I have been taught and currently teaching. What am I currently teaching (thank you for asking because the seg-way to the next statement was a little hard for me to come up with)? I