Romans 12 vs 1-8
Psalm 51 vs 10-12


Spiritual and physical renewal starts with our minds….and it all starts with learning – being present! 2 ears 1 mouth! Listen and God will renew your mind and spirit!
God can give us new minds, and thus transform our nature – our actions.

A few verses of scripture underline this fact:
Romans 12: 2
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

2 Corinthians 5: 17, 18
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: [a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Ephesians 4: 22-24
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

God gives us creative minds (which gives us the ability to change our minds)

Sometimes you can get “sermon block” / “writers block”

Back in grade school, your writing teacher probably told you a hundred times, “Outline, outline, outline!”
That was famed American author Mark Twain’s strategy too: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – church direction here today. We had a great meeting on loneliness – break it into small pieces.

You have to start allowing God to change your mindset by breaking your spiritual life down into manageable tasks.

How many of us might have brought a problem with us to church this morning?
You should see me exhale when I walk through this door, with peace! Just like during the week, the alarm goes off and the race begins. I encourage you that when you get here to lay all of your problems aside, and like the new year, approach it with an open mind.

In Matthew 17: 20 -”If you have faith, nothing will be impossible to you.”
If you pray and worship with conviction a new energy may be released and you may find solutions to your problems. In this new year, may God give us serene minds so the peace that passeth all understanding may be ours. The word serene makes us think of a lake high in the mountains, a rocking chair on the front porch. These are pictures of serenity. God can give us a mind like that.

It is here we learn about the mind of Christ –
-We learn how much more blessed it is to give than to receive
– We learn that he who loses his life shall find it.
– Out of pain and suffering good may come

The charitable mind may be given to you and me, and in this new year, these are the things that can happen in our minds.
They can be renewed
They can be made more creative
They can be given serenity
They can become more Christlike

And most of all let’s live in humility and know that there is so much more than just us!