A couple weeks ago, I shared a brief "testimony" in the sermon and I caught the sight of many a tissue dabbing an eye and hands wiping a tear. Why? Because our hearts are hungry for God to encounter us, to manifest God's holy presence and to make God's will real on earth as it is in heaven.... testimony is an invitation for God to "do it again"...  the following article is from the current edition of the journal, Reformed Worship The Use of Testimony as a Thick Worship Practice By  Sam Hamstra, Jr. August 16, 2018 When we gather each week, we participate through thick and thin practices. We benefit from both and both play important parts in the liturgy. But given a choice between the two, choose thick. As Christ-followers, we worship the Lord through thick and thin. We worship the Lord in good times and bad, with plenty and with little, after victory and after defeat, during storms and while basking in the sun. We also worship the Lord thro

A "transition dynamic" during the time between pastors is a simple one that we all know and practice - telling stories that celebrate our history.   I've heard many of you tell me stories of faith formed in this congregation, stories about life in Wyoming when you were young and stories about the impact of the Presbyterian Church of Wyoming on the community itself.  I overhear stories every Sunday as you gather for worship or share in fellowship times. These stories build a sense of community in the church. The stories bond us to one another as we hear common themes, celebrations and yes, even confused grief at the departure of a pastor.  United Church of Christ minister and author, Lillian  Daniel, believes that the church can be renewed by sharing our faith stories, our stories of life with God, as “testimony”.  But the church must be a safe community for testimony this to emerge, she calls it a “household of the heart” (Telling it Like It Is, Alban, 2006).  Stories