U Matters - 18 November 2021 | U Matters

U Matters - 18 November 2021

by Rev Dr Michele Bland on November 18, 2021

U MATTERS

This week, we finish our three-week sermon series - Grateful. Not only is being grateful Biblical, being grateful has many benefits. Author Melody Beattie stated, "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Being grateful takes us outside ourselves, our circumstances, and our challenges and enables us to gather perspective. God is the provider of all things - “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” Psalm 24:1–2 According to the Apostle Paul, it is God’s will for us to be grateful – “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 We have so much to be grateful for.

November has been an incredible month in so many ways and I am very grateful. I give thanks for the 32 men and the 47 women who went on retreats to Lantau respectively, for baptism classes, baptisms, answered prayer, and seeing new people connect both online and in person.

The month of November is Stewardship Month - a month where we give thanks to God for His provision and intentionally consider our pledged amount of giving for the coming year. If you have not received a letter in the mail, please let our admin team know.

Grateful, Pastor Michele

About the Author

Rev Dr Michele Bland

Pastor Michele came to Hong Kong in 1996 with her husband Glenn. Pastor Michele holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a Masters of Divinity, a Masters in Theology and a Masters in Psychology. Michele was ordained with the Canadian Baptist Convention, has advance standing in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), and before coming to Asia she was a youth pastor.

Pastor Michele was appointed Associate Pastor at Union Church in 2012 and became Senior Pastor in 2020. She is a trained Stephen Leader and has trained over 20 members of our congregation to become Stephen Ministers. During her time in Hong Kong, Pastor Michele served on the pastoral staff at another international church for over a decade and has worked in private practice. She has taught in hospitals in China, as well as seminaries in Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Pastor Michele has two university-aged children. Highlights have included working on a kibbutz in Israel, traveling to far off destinations and hanging out with her family. She loves good coffee and conversation.