last phrase is literally translated, “we are his” (Psalm 100:4). Jesus himself said, “I know my sheep, and my sheep know me” (John 10:14). Yep, you. You who are sitting at your kitchen table, sipping coffee, holding the Hastings Journal in your hands, perusing its contents. You belong to the Lord, and you matter to Him.

You see, the Lord is keenly interested in your life. He is interested in your thoughts, your actions, and the people you surround yourself with. He wants you to live life to the fullest, to enjoy a life in the Spirit, filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control (Galatians 5:22). He wants you to belong to a community where Love is present, joy resides, and peace flows out like a river, nurturing all in its path. Where you flourish and your gifts and talents are recognized and appreciated. That’s our deepest desire in life, no matter how old we are or where we find ourselves, right? To be valued, to be loved, and belong.

A life in Christ offers this, you know. And that… is some really Good News. #chooseJesus Written by Laura Stierman, Director of Evangelization at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church As a newbie to Hastings, I’ve wandered the downtown a bit and driven the streets around town, trying to figure out where I belong. I look at storefronts, menus, and neighborhoods and wonder, “What are the folks like there? Would they take me in? Be a friend? Would I feel welcome there?” These aren’t questions we ponder just when we arrive in a new town, they are the questions we ask in any new situation, and our age isn’t a factor; my five-year old wondered the same thing on her first day of kindergarten as my eighty-five-year-old Dad on his first day in his new space. These are questions of identity, of meaning, and of purpose. We all want to feel as though we belong somewhere, that our lives are important, and that our work has value to someone.

It does and you do. You belong to a God who loves you beyond all telling and who watches over you whether you realize it or not. The prophet Jeremiah tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” The Psalmist sings, “Know that the LORD is God—he made us; we belong to him”; the Hebrew original of the