Jesus referenced the command in the Old Testament, “You shall love the LORD, your God, with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your strength” Deuteronomy 6:5, when He taught which of the commandments were the greatest (Matthew 22:37-40).

Loving God with every part of us, and loving others, is fundamental to the Christian life, identity, and claim. Our faith and mission hang on these two commandments. The challenging part of this call to love is that we are not called to love God from our comfort-zone. Some of us are more comfortable in the heart space, praising and adoring God. Some may lean toward the mind, pondering the mysteries and wonders of the Divine. Others may enjoy loving God with all their strength, preferring to express their love through action. Yet, the commandment does not allow us to get away with staying in our comfort-zone. It calls us to be stretched and give God both our strengths and weaknesses. It is in this, wholeness of love, that we love God with our entire souls, our whole selves. Jesus says the second commandment is similar – we must give this same pure love to one another.

As the Pastor of Upper Room Student Ministries, my prayer and mission are to shepherd our youth toward that very deep well of loving and being loved by God.

At Upper Room, we have methods in place (Upper Room Rhythm) to help order the patterns of our lives to guide our love for God, love for others, becoming more like Jesus, and raising the next generation of leaders in the Church.

Something NEW! As part of the Upper Room Rhythm, we are introducing a midweek student worship experience - Adoration. We will meet in the Faith Chapel 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every Wednesday night.

Please continue to keep our students in your daily prayers and love on our youth every chance you get! We have volunteer opportunities, as well as fundraisers throughout the year to sponsor students toward experiences like summer camp, mission trips, as well as church and leadership conferences.

Feel free to reach out with any ideas or questions at jray@fmconroe.org.

In Christ,

Joshua Ray
Student Pastor
First Methodist Conroe