TRUE CHRISTIAN FAITH -- THE LUTHERAN FAITH -- EMPOWERS YOU, ENCOURAGES YOU, EMBOLDENS YOU AND EQUIPS YOU TO WALK THROUGH ANYTHING, IN JESUS' NAME

TRUE CHRISTIAN FAITH -- THE LUTHERAN FAITH -- EMPOWERS YOU, ENCOURAGES YOU, EMBOLDENS YOU AND EQUIPS YOU TO WALK THROUGH ANYTHING, IN JESUS' NAME. YES, FOLKS, THE LUTHERAN FAITH DOES NOT CARE THE LEAST ABOUT YOUR WEAKNESSES NOR YOUR SINS -- BECAUSE CHRIST ALREADY TOOK CARE OF THAT ON THE CROSS TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO AND LIBERATED YOU FROM YOUR SINS, SO YOU DON'T NEED TO DWELL ON THEM ANYMORE OR "CONFESS" THEM ANYMORE -- JUST LET THEM GO AND LEAVE THEM AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE ALREADY FORGIVEN BY THE POWER OF THE CROSS AND JESUS' BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS ON THE CROSS -- RATHER, PEOPLE, THE LUTHERAN FAITH FOCUSES UPON YOUR STRENGTHS, YOUR NON-TANGIBLE GIFTS AND TALENTS AND YOUR BLESSINGS, ALL GIVEN TO YOU BY GOD OUR ALMIGHTY CREATOR IN HEAVEN ABOVE.   THE LUTHERAN FAITH ENCOURAGES YOU TO FOCUS UPON YOUR BLESSINGS AND MAKE YOUR OWN ACCOUNTING OF YOUR BLESSINGS -- NOT YOUR SINS --  BECAUSE THE GRATITUDE THAT YOU EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS UNLEASHES A POWERFUL HEALING AND REDEMPTIVE FORCE THAT RESTORES YOU AND RESTORES YOUR SENSE OF PURPOSE AND GIVES YOUR LIFE MEANING.   WE HAVE SO MANY, MANY BLESSINGS AS AMERICANS AND SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BLESSINGS ARE OUR FREEDOMS AND OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES AND OUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND FREEDOM OF FAITH, WHICH WERE ALL FOUGHT HARD FOR BY PREVIOUS GENERATIONS OF AMERICANS.   WE HAVE ALSO EACH BEEN GIVEN SPECIFIC AND UNIQUE TALENTS AND GIFTS  THAT MAKE US  EACH WHO WE UNIQUELY ARE AND GIVE OUR LIFES PURPOSE AND ARE ALL GIVEN TO US BY OUR HEAVENLY CREATOR WHEN WE ARE FORMED INSIDE OUR MOM'S WOMB AND NURTURED BY TEACHERS AS WE GROW-UP.  WHEN YOU START ACCOUNTING FOR YOUR BLESSINGS AND TALENTS AND GIFTS, AS YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO WITHIN THE LUTHERAN FAITH,  AND GIVING THANKS TO YOUR CREATOR AND THE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY PARENTS AND TEACHERS, WHO NURTURED AND DEVELOPED THOSE BLESSINGS/GIFTS/TALENTS IN YOU,  YOU BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE A PROFOUND SENSE OF GRATITUDE FOR YOUR LIFE THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU AND BEGIN TO FEEL THE COMPULSION TO HELP OTHERS IN NEED THROUGH THE USE OF THOSE BLESSINGS, GIFTS AND TALENTS -- WHICH IS THE REASON THAT GOD GAVE YOU THE BLESSINGS IN THE FIRST PLACE, TO BE OF SERVICE TO OTHER PEOPLE IN NEED.   CURRENTLY, WE LIVE IN AN AMERICAN CULTURE THAT TOO OFTEN SEEMS TO BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO "HELP THEMSELVES" OR WHAT IS CALLED AMERICAN SELF-DETERMINISM; HOWEVER, THAT IS NOT WHAT OUR ALMIGHTY HEAVENLY FATHER AND OUR ALMIGHTY HEAVENLY MOTHER WANT US TO BELIEVE OR DO -- THEY DO NOT WANT US TO LEAVE PEOPLE STRANDED WITHOUT ASSISTANCE NOR WITHOUT COMPASSION NOR WITHOUT LOVING CARE.   IN FACT, TO ABANDON OR DESERT OR IGNORE PEOPLE IN NEED, IS SEEN BY LORD JESUS AND BY GOD ALMIGHTY AS A HUMUNGOUS SIN AGAINST GOD.   HOWEVER, GOD OUR ALMIGHTY HEAVENLY FATHER AND MOTHER AND LORD JESUS WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU OR IGNORE YOU, EVEN WHEN THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE DO, AND THEY DISTRIBUTE JUSTICE AGAINST THOSE WHO HAVE HURT YOU OR NEGLECTED YOU WHEN YOU ARE ABANDONED AND IGNORED.   WHAT WE ARE SAYING FOLKS, HERE, AGAIN, IS THAT AMERICAN SELF-DETERMINISM IS A HUMUNGOUS SIN AGAINST GOD ALMIGHTY AND GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT WE TEACH AND PRACTICE IN THE TRUE LUTHERAN FAITH ABOUT USING YOUR BLESSINGS, TALENTS AND GIFTS TO REACH OUT AND SERVE OTHERS IN NEED AND TO ENCOURAGE AND EQUIP OTHERS AND TO EMPOWER OTHERS, THROUGH KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY,  TO REACH THEIR  TRUE AND UTMOST POTENTIALS OF THEIR BLESSINGS/GIFTS/TALENTS AND LIVE LIFES OF PURPOSE AND MEANING, IN JESUS' NAME.  AS SUCH AND IN ADDITION, THE TRUE LUTHERAN FAITH EQUIPS YOU TO WALK THROUGH ANYTHING THAT YOU EXPERIENCE -- NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT -- BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE BLESSED AND GIFTED AND A DAUGHTER/SON OF GOD AND THAT GOD ALMIGHTY AND  LORD JESUS ARE WALKING WITH YOU, AND LOVE YOU DEEPLY AND CARE FOR YOU DEEPLY AND HAVE YOUR BACK, AS THEIR PRECIOUS CHILD.   SO ENDS OUR SERMON ON THIS HOLY DAY OF SUNDAY, AUGUST 30th, 2020.  IN JESUS' HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, ALL-POWERFUL, LOVING AND COMPASSIONATE NAME. LOVE ALWAYS, DR. DIANE K. OLSON AND DR. JESUS C. NIELSEN