Coming Up Sunday, April 11

On Sunday, we begin our new "Faith Smart" sermon series, which approaches living out our faith through the lens of the Holiday Inn Express "Stay Smart" ad campaign of recent years. My question: If staying at a Holiday Inn Express can make you smarter, what can being a Christian make you?

This week, we begin with a funny commercial about a potential meltdown in a nuclear reactor.

In some ways, this is a farce. On the other hand, read Acts 3, in which Peter, fresh off his breakout sermon on Pentecost, miraculously heals a man while traveling to the Temple. He cannot give the beggar what he asks for -- money -- but instead he can heal him.

As people of faith, we are often frustrated when we see needs all around us that we cannot meet. We feel powerless. But what if we looked at the world with confidence that there were specific things we could do for people in need? What if we took charge in specific ways, following our talents and passions, without worrying about what others think?