These are the things you must insist on and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching…Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.

1 Timothy 4:11-13,15

You know the old joke, right?

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

“Practice, practice, practice.”

This won’t be a long post, because it’s time to remind you of a very simple point.

What’s the best way to improve your putting game? Does just thinking about your form help? Does imagining being on the green change anything? How about running into your local golf pro and apologizing for not putting in the time to improve? Will that iron out the kinks?

Visualization is certainly a good tool for achieving great success at any number of things, but there is no substitute for getting out there and swinging your club. Practice won’t make perfect, but it’s the way we get better at anything. If you want to learn a language? You’ve got to practice it. If you want to get better at an instrument–practice is the key. If you want to work on better eating–you’ve got to put it into practice, again and again over time.

Now for an idea that won’t surprise anyone who’s read this far:

Your faith is a practice.

The more you practice faith, the stronger it can become. And the stronger it becomes, the better it serves you, both when times are hard and when things are going well. I can’t do this for you. No one else can. You’re the only one who can set this time aside. And I want that for you. I believe it makes everything else in life richer and more rewarding.

I understand, there’s a pandemic. It’s not easy to put ourselves out there sometimes. Some are not able, for whatever reason, to allow themselves to come to in-person worship in the sanctuary. For that reason, we are continuing to offer live streaming worship via Facebook. But for those who can attend? You need your God connection, and your church family needs you.

Join us for worship at 10 am on Sunday, either in person with a mask in the sanctuary, or online wherever you care to stream it. We look forward to seeing you at practice at Pilgrim Church again!