Acton UMC Lenten Reader

February 25, 2009 - Ash Wednesday

2009-02-25T00:00:00.002-06:00

Luke 18:9-14
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Today is Ash Wednesday. It represents the beginning of Lent, which is the Forty Days before Easter (Excluding Sundays). Even though there is no mention of Ash Wednesday or even of Lent in the Bible, the early church in about the 7th century looked back to the time of the Prophets who urged a time of mourning about our sinful nature. The Psalmists lament in Psalm 51 how messed up life can become and how self centered we can be. The early church used 40 days as a reminder of the time Jesus fasted in the desert to make himself whole for the task that was before him and depending on God to give him strength.

Early penitents were sprinkled with ashes, wore sackcloth, and required to remain apart from the rest of the community until they were reconciled with God on Maundy Thursday. The most obvious mark of celebrating Ash Wednesday is the blessing and application of ashes to the foreheads of those who participate as a sign of penance. Traditionally, this is accompanied by “Remember you are dust and will return to dust," but today “Turn from sin and live the gospel” or something similar is often used.

Charlie Brown in the PEANUTS series tells us that the wages of sin is “Aaaughh,” and he is correct. We are sinful creatures in need of redemption and the failure to do brings debilitating consequences to our spiritual and sometimes literal life. Prayer, fasting and abstinence has a cleansing effect and can bring us closer to God. Ash Wednesday and Lent is the great opportunity to deliberately sacrifice something of value to us; a bad habit, something we overindulge and the like to be like Jesus for 40 days to make our lives more whole. To be aware of our shortcomings and ask and receive forgiveness; become closer to God in Christ and live a new life.

One of the things I do when life is closing in on me and I know I am not doing what God would have me do is to pick a quite time and look in the mirror. This is not vanity but a raw self introspection and if I don’t like who is looking back at me, I know it is past time for me to get real about my life and situation and give up some things and in the words of Alcoholics Anonymous- “Let Go and Let God.” This begins, yet again, on Ash Wednesday. Turn from sin and live gospel!

Don Kelley

February 26, 2009

2009-02-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 1:29-34

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Also read: Ps. 37:1-18; Deut. 7:6-11; Titus 1:1-16

Today is my birthday; it is also the second day of Lent. Lent is supposed to be a time of examination of our life, especially our spiritual life. Recently, I talked in a sermon about the “prevenient grace” of God, the grace that comes before us—God’s grace moving and working, even when we don’t see grace at work. In retrospect I can see how grace was at work, even when I didn’t realize it.

I suppose I could say I have had several “conversion experiences.” As a young boy I felt moved one day to walk down the aisle and make a profession of faith in Christ. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I felt like God loved me and wanted me to be His. So I went down. As a teenager I had a somewhat similar experience, so I went down the aisle again.

After becoming inactive in the church in my young adult years, my wife and I looked at each other one Sunday morning as our daughter went down the street to meet a friend and catch a bus to a church. “We can do better than this,” we said to each other. So we started attending a Methodist church, pastored by a pastor in the service club to which I belonged.

Even though we had another daughter, our marriage did not last. Yet my faith was getting stronger and stronger as I began to attend to spiritual practices on a regular basis. The whole story is much too long to tell; but life did not get easier. I lost my job, was responsible for my two daughters, I had taken on all the debt my wife and I had incurred.

But there was something different happening to me spiritually. As I continued to read my Bible, as I continued to attend worship on a regular basis, as I began to pray more and more, there was a peace within that I had not experienced before. There was cause for much concern, but somehow I knew things were going to be all right.

Eventually, I met a lady to whom I am still married after nearly 29 years. I believe God called me to a life of fulltime Christian service many years ago, and I still have that call upon my life. Life is much better than it was. Still there are hard things from time to time; but Love sustains me.

It is amazing how the selected Scriptures for today coordinate with my story. Titus 1:16 says, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds…” I’ve been there and done that with my life. As God wooed me closer I heard a call, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you…because the Lord loves you.” (Deut.7:6,8) I, along with John the Baptist, can say, “I have seen and have borne witness that this (Jesus) is the Son of God.” (Jn.1:34) And the psalmist writes, “Trust in the Lord, and do good. . . Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him…” (Ps.37:3,4,5,7)

May each of us have a blessed Lenten season as we remember we are a holy people, as we bear witness to our Savior, as we trust, take delight, commit, and be still before the Lord.

George Sutton

February 27, 2009

2009-02-14T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 1:35-42

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

What is your goal? What are you after? These are questions we have asked ourselves or are currently asking. In the Book of John, two of John the Baptist’s disciples follow Jesus, Who asks: “What do you seek?” (John 1:38). They don’t answer Him directly; they call Jesus “Rabbi” (“Teacher”) and want to know where He is staying. It seems as though all they know for sure is that they want to be near Jesus. They appear to intuitively know that they have much to learn from Him.
Jesus did not rebuke them for not answering Him directly. He simply invited them to join Him (John 1:39). When we draw near to God, God draws near to us (James 4:8). The result is that we turn away from worldly desires and strive “to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12).

Dear God: Just as David called to You in Psalm 35:22, “Do not be far from me.” Help me draw near to You daily, and I know that You will draw near to me. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for Your guidance and love. As I turn more fully toward You, help me to be more Christ-like each day. Amen.

Kathy Spradlin

February 28, 2009

2009-02-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

Ps. 69:5

You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you

My sister and I visited Austin often when we were young. Finding entertainment in our budget was a challenge. Even though I was twelve, at the pool I told the lifeguard I was eleven to get in free.
My problems were further complicated at church. To be in the youth department, I had to be thirteen. It seemed only fair to me that if I smudged the truth to go swimming, I should at least smudge the truth to go to church.
These small lies worked for me until the church youth retreat. I left the cabin, heading for the dining room, when I saw the lifeguard from the city pool. Heat flooded my face.
“What’s he doing here?” I said to my sister. She rushed into the dining hall while I hid in the trees. Shame burned my throat. Darkness crept across camp as singing and laughter floated through the night. Suddenly I understood the separation of sin. Liars didn’t belong in the church youth group. I was a liar.
“Peggy,” the Lifeguard said and sat down on the log beside me. “What’s the problem, kid?”
“I…I lied to you.”
“That’s not good.” He tugged on my ponytail. “But the bible says, If we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin.
“I’m sorry,” I cried. “I promise, I’ll pay.”
“Then it’s forgotten.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Let’s eat.”
“But …I lied to the preacher. I’m too young to be here.”
“Well, let’s go in and tell the pastor. I know he’ll forgive you too.”

Learning to confess is a powerful lesson. Learning to run to God quickly and ask for forgiveness when we sin keeps us in close relationship with God. Left un-confessed, sin can plunge us into deep water.

God ,help us when sin pulls us into deep water. Thank you for forgiving us and carrying us to the safe shore of relationship. Show us our folly, and help us confess. We thank You that Your truth will set us free.

Peggy Freeman

March 1, 2009

2009-02-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 63:1-8
“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

When I read this scripture “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you” jumped out at me. Have you ever wondered how many words you say in a day? On average we speak 16,000 words everyday, that’s about 5,840,000 a year!! I started thinking how many of my over 5 million words spoken every year glorify God. This doesn’t just include words spoken while singing in worship, or in Sunday school. There are many ways we can use our words to glorify God. Encouraging a friend, thanking someone, telling your family you love them, asking someone how their week was. Be more mindful of your words today. Before you talk, ask yourself if you are glorifying God and building up His Kingdom with the words you are about to say.

God, help me to be more mindful of my words. Help me to only say words that are going to further Your Kingdom. With your help I can glorify you with all the words I speak. Amen

Kathy Anderson

March 2, 2009

2009-02-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hebrews 2:11-18

11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Our Sunday School Class has been reading and discussing the book "The Shack" (if you haven't read it I highly recommend it) and I have been so blessed by our conversations on the nature of God and His (or Her!) relationship to us. The fact that God came TO us by becoming ONE of us is almost too big of a concept for me to get my mind around. Think what that means. The God of the universe was born a helpless baby, lived in poverty, grew up facing the same kind of difficulties all kids face, put up with siblings, learned a trade, had friends and family, just lived the life we live. He must have experienced hunger and tiredness and laughter and (oh I can imagine) frustration of living among His fellow human beings..."brothers" the God of everything called US. And yet, He tells us that we give Him joy. His love for us continues to shine through the thousands of years since he was physically among us. Wow. Sometimes when I sit very still, I catch a glimpse of the eternity I will have (not earned, but given to me nonetheless) with the Papa who is "especially fond" of me. Those brief glimpses are what keeps me striving to live this life worthy of the brotherhood of Jesus Christ.

Rebecca Lucas

March 3, 2009

2009-02-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 2:13-22

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

To the casual reader of the Bible, it might seem that when Jesus “cleansed the temple”, he was stepping “out of character.” He preached patience, love, forgiveness, etc. Here we see him angry - “enraged”, seemingly out of control. Let us consider what he saw here.

Jewish law required that animals brought to the temple for sacrifice must be unblemished, “perfect”. The temple priests were to examine each animal and determine if it was acceptable. It had become the practice of the temple priests to find something wrong with each animal brought in. They would buy the “unacceptable” animal and sell the worshiper one of their “acceptable” ones. Of course the unacceptable animal was sold back to some other worshiper.

The money changers changed the “coin of the realm” to temple money - making a nice profit in the exchange.

All of this “business” was what Jesus saw going on in the temple courtyard. No wonder he was so outraged. The temple was the place one was supposed to go to commune with God. As he said, my house is to be a “house of prayer”.

But wait - before we begin to pass our judgment on those in the temple courts doing their “crooked business”, we might ought to examine another thing. The apostle Paul wrote: “Know ye not that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit”. So - we need to clean up our own lives before we judge others.

Do you suppose that Jesus is as disappointed with our “unclean temple” as he was with the temple at Jerusalem!

Howard Hayre

March 4, 2009

2009-02-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 2:23-3:15

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

John 2:23 - Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. KJV

Oh, it is easy enough to believe in God and have boundless faith if every prayer is answered yes. Or, if we had been eyewitnesses to Jesus himself raising the dead and healing the leper. Sure we could easily believe. But we did not see Jesus and many of us have prayed desperately on our knees for our loved ones with NO being the answer.

My two sisters, Patsy and Nan, both died of cancer. Patsy was 51 and Nan was 42. They loved their Lord and served him all their days. Their churches, their families, their friends all stormed the very gates of heaven with prayers for their healing. They died - our answer was no.

Do I have an answer for this? Of course not. Far wiser folk than I have long pondered why good people suffer and die a hard death. And there were those well-intentioned people who tried to tell us, oh if you only have faith enough, your prayers would be answered. Nope, sorry, I don’t buy that. Sometimes the answer is no, and we don’t get to understand it.

When Patsy and Nan died, barely three years apart, I had a choice to make. Be angry and blame God and question his goodness and love. Or, say to God: I trust you and I love you, no matter what. Faith untested is faith unproven. We may never have a personal miracle, but underneath us are always the everlasting arms of God. I choose to love and trust God and He has always brought me comfort and strength. THAT is the miracle we can all claim!

Prayer: "Jesus, you said you would never leave us comfortless and would be with us to the end of the world. Help us trust your promises when our faith falters and hope fails."

Mary Juneau

March 5, 2009

2009-02-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 50:7-15 (the Message)

"Are you listening, dear people? I'm getting ready to speak;
Israel, I'm about ready to bring you to trial.
This is God, your God,
speaking to you.
I don't find fault with your acts of worship,
the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.
But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
or more and more goats from your herds?
Every creature in the forest is mine,
the wild animals on all the mountains.
I know every mountain bird by name;
the scampering field mice are my friends.
If I get hungry, do you think I'd tell you?
All creation and its bounty are mine.
Do you think I feast on venison?
or drink draughts of goats' blood?
Spread for me a banquet of praise,
serve High God a feast of kept promises,
And call for help when you're in trouble—
I'll help you, and you'll honor me."

Visible in the rear view mirror of life is the faint shadow of my forty year journey through the wilderness. As an infant, my parents wrapped me in cloth woven with strands of their grief, frustrations, and shame. Falling from a bridge, my paternal grandfather died at the age of forty-nine. Of necessity, dad left grade school to help care for the farm and his seven brothers and sisters. Mother, one of twelve children, suffered abuse from her alcoholic father. My parents did their best to give each of their children the gift of childhood they never knew. Our family was rooted in the church, but not God. To me, God lived in the church and was never around when I needed Him. My life became shrouded in my parents’ pain. Forty years I wandered without God; tasting, never satisfied, seeking, never finding. In His time, God called me. His voice echoed through my emptiness and I answered. Faithful to His promise, He brought me out from the darkness of the world and into the light of Christ. Reborn of the Spirit, God wrapped me in cloth woven with strands of His love, truth, and righteousness, and I am home.

Lord, thank you for your voice that calls us in from the dark and brings us into the light of true love and understanding. How humbling and beautiful it is to know that your grace exceeds our sin, and that our greatest desert is merely a sandbox filled with toys of our own choosing. As promised, the one who orders his way aright, I shall show the salvation of God. For all who step out of their sandbox, you are there to welcome them home. What a great God you are!

Bonnie McClurg

March 6, 2009

2009-02-07T23:24:00.000-06:00

"He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30

This statement from John the Baptist is so challenging to me. John is speaking to his followers after they have told him that everyone is starting to go to Jesus for baptism (v. 26).

Picture it in your mind. John the Baptist stands with his disciples who admire him and follow him. He has obviously developed some sort of reputation as a prophet, and he has prophesied the coming of the Messiah. He seems to be the perfect example of a follower of God.

Yet, with this statement, "He must become greater, I must become less," John says that I must still let go of more of myself in order for Christ to become greater.

This is convicting for me. So often I think that I need to become greater with God. "Oh, great God, look at all the wonderful things we're doing. Look how many people we're helping."

Yet, with God's gentle nudging and sometimes harsh rebuking, I am reminded that nope, this journey to the cross is all about more of God and less of me.

We are called to release and follow, and this season of Lent is the perfect time to be reminded of that. What do you need to let go of today so that God can become greater and you can become less?

Father, show us how we can decrease so that you can increase. You must become greater; we must become less.

Mary Kathryn Nader

March 7, 2009

2009-02-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 55:1 (the Message)

“Open your ears, God, to my prayer; don’t pretend you don’t hear me knocking. Come close and whisper your answer. I really need you.”

It happened so suddenly and without any warning. My husband came home and told us that he lost his job. We had two teenagers and a typical suburban lifestyle: house, mortgage, cars, jobs, sports, and church. The company car disappeared with the job. We could handle everything but the mortgage on my paycheck.

Our family talked about what might happen next: selling our home, renting an apartment; no money for school or “extras;” supporting Dad in his job search; and staying involved in church. We held fast to God’s promise to care for us; that He is with us throughout our lives, no matter what happens. Our church family surrounded us with loving care as we struggled. We had choices to make but we had a Lord who blessed us through our church.

Loving God, help us to put our trust in you and to know that you are “in charge,” that you are always there when we need you. Help us to love and serve you each day regardless of what may be happening to us in our world. Amen.

Louise Swain

March 8, 2009

2009-02-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 1: 1-10
1:1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

I remember a lot of my childhood in church. My mom went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. In grade school, I memorized my favorite hymns and loved Sunday school. I thought I was related to most of the people in the church, because we were around them all the time. The Holy Spirit was at work. My mom talked about absolute faith and miracles through faithful prayer. I have always believed that the Holy Spirit was just a prayer away. When I was in high school, I would go to my empty church and sit at the altar and pray. I would ask God to give me a sign or angel to tell me my purpose in life. I remember a rainy day the year before I went to college. I sat in my parents’ garage praying for guidance and answers. What was my call? What was God’s plan for me? It never came. I spent most of my college years lost. I couldn’t find a church home where I felt spiritually fulfilled. Professors put works of Western Civilization and Philosophy in front of me that confused me even more. Life took the driver’s seat, and I put spiritual growth on the back burner. A year ago, I found myself asking for God’s direction again. It was then that I realized that perhaps I was listening for the wrong voice. Maybe God had been speaking to me all along through his disciples. When I began to open my ears to the voices around me at Acton United Methodist Church, God was speaking loud and clear. Looking back I realize that God was speaking to me all along, I just wasn’t listening. I have a long way to go to being the kind of disciple that God intends for me to be, but at least I’m on the right path.

Lord, I am broken. I come humbled before you. So often I don’t feel worthy of your Grace because my discipleship often falls short. A third of my life has passed me by, and what have I accomplished? You have given your Son to die on the Cross for my sins. How do I ever repay you? Lord, thank you for the multitude of chances you have blessed me with. Thank you for the family you have given me, and the love you constantly surround me with. I am so much more fortunate than so many others in the world. I have a roof over my head, food at my table, and yet I still fall short. God, I pray for strength to live by your word, patience to step back in confrontation, and the wisdom to walk the path that draws closer to you each day. Thank you for your Grace. Without it I would be lost. Just as you spoke through Jeremiah, I hear your voice through my church. In your Holy name I pray – Amen.

Todd Hall

March 9, 2009

2009-02-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 4:27-42

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

It seems impossible today that I could have had any apprehension or any anxiety. More than forty years ago, the principal of my school came to me and told me that a new program of instruction was opening in our school system and he wanted me to apply for one of those teaching positions. This new program was reading improvement designed for helping underachieving students catch up with their peers.

That part seemed easy enough, especially since we spent the summer on college campus studying and making preparations. What I had not expected was my assignment to an elementary school where only children of another race attended. Why was I apprehensive? Why was I anxious? My growing up years were spent in a place where everyone looked like me, and I perceived others to be somehow different and I wouldn’t know what to do or how to act.

As the Samaritans welcomed Jesus, who didn’t look or act like them, to their village where “he stayed with them…”, my students welcomed me and took me in to what would be the most wonderful and rewarding experience of my teaching career.

I now see that God’s plan for us often takes us into places that we would not have chosen on our own and into experiences that enrich and define our lives.

Prayer: Father of us all, we pray for understanding of the value of every human being and love for each other.

Bobbie Brownlee

March 10, 2009

2009-02-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 4:43-54 (New International Version)

43After the two days he left for Galilee. 44(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.
46Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
48"Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."
49The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
50Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."
53Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.
54This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

Go ahead, call me two-faithed (no, I am not speaking with a lisp); because somewhere along my faith journey, I learned to transform my Galilean faith into a Royal Official faith.

In John 4:48, Jesus challenges the faith of the Galileans, who were only interested in seeing Him perform more miracles. In contrast, verse 50 finds Jesus turning His attention to a faith-filled Royal Official, to whom He simply says, “You may go. Your son will live.” No fireworks or fanfare; no signs or wonders. The official took Jesus at His word and returned home to find his son very much alive.

When I came back to the Lord as a young adult, I had a bona fide conversion experience. I felt God’s touch and heard His voice and I believed! After that, God continued to guide and reveal Himself to me in lovely and mysterious ways as I eagerly gobbled up the path of discipleship. I had the faith of a miracle-loving Galilean.

In time, I noticed these supernatural leadings becoming less frequent even as my faith grew deeper. But shouldn’t a closer walk result in even more signs and wonders?

Not necessarily. See, God doesn’t want us to get caught up in the distractions of signs and miracles. That’s idol worship. He wants our focus on Him alone as the source of new life – like the faith of the Royal Official. So instead of anxiously awaiting signs and leadings before we make life’s tough decisions, God wants us to use His gift of free will, the wisdom we develop through experience, and the faith to trust the promises in His word.

PRAYER: Lord, please help us to take You at Your word and believe in Your promises instead of being distracted by the desire for miracles and signs. Grant us the wisdom to seek You in all things, and to trust you with our whole lives. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.

Barbara Robertson

March 11, 2009

2009-02-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

Ps. 119:73-96

73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
because I have hoped in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 Let your steadfast love comfort me
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
for your law is my delight.
78 Let the insolent be put to shame,
because they have wronged me with falsehood;
as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
79 Let those who fear you turn to me,
that they may know your testimonies.
80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
that I may not be put to shame!

81 My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
82 My eyes long for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure?
When will you judge those who persecute me?
85 The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to your law.
86 All your commandments are sure;
they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
87 They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

89 Forever, O Lord, your word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 By your appointment they stand this day,
for all things are your servants.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
94 I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I consider your testimonies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

After rereading the scripture for Mar 11, I was reminded of a student in Calculus I at a college in St. Louis. As the instructor, I could see the efforts of this student, both in the classroom and in his office help visits with me. However, he made 30 on test I, redoubled his efforts and made 50 on test II and 65 on test III. By averaging 4 tests and a comprehensive final, there was no way for him to earn a C. I talked to him because I had seen his resolve and dedication to improve academically. I told him that if he improved on test IV and the final, he would receive the grade he made on the final. He made 75 on test IV and 85 on the final. He earned his B.

God offers us chances for spiritual growth if we aren’t self-satisfied and try to better ourselves spiritually. Failure is not the end of the road. God’s kindness leads us to repentance. As with my student who acknowledged his shortcomings and worked to correct them, acknowledgement of our shortcomings leads to true repentance and to spiritual healing and growth.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us acknowledge our shortcomings and do the spiritual work to move us closer to You. You are our Creator and we belong to You. Amen.

Margaret Gessley

March 12, 2009

2009-02-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 70
70:1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
2 Let them be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
3 Let them turn back because of their shame
who say, “Aha, Aha!”

4 May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!

Last summer there was an urgent plea for an adult male to go on the Junior High Mission trip. Without a male volunteer, the youth would not get to go. So, I told the Youth Pastor, Kevin, that I would go.

My wife’s mouth dropped. “Dickey Freeman with junior high youth in South Texas in July? No way.”

But I knew the Lord wanted me to go.

The week before the trip, my old friend, the kidney stone, attacked. I was in pain from Sunday afternoon to Thursday morning, barely able to walk much less pack and get my work done around the house. Then Friday I woke up without pain. Kidney stones usually move around on me for a better position to send a barrage of pain until I can finally pass them. But my wife had been praying and the kids from our church wouldn’t be able to attend unless I went; so I packed my bags and headed to Houston.

Our mission was to do much-needed repairs for some families in that area. Our client lived in Texas City. The group was divided and I had a crew of new kids, 6 twelve and thirteen year-olds and two young adult men who didn’t have experience in construction. Our task was to build a new 12X14 foot deck with a ramp, tear down and put up new kitchen cabinets, remodel the bathroom and replace the flooring in both bath and kitchen in four days.

When we drove up to the site I looked at the stack of supplies delivered to our site. The only thing that came to mind at seeing that mountain of work was the Country Western song,” Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

I thought we would share our faith with the family, but our client was an amazing, beautiful soul who raised our spirits with each smile. It was difficult working around all of her children, grandchildren and extended family that she had taken in to raise. I think there was over twelve in all. At first the children shied away from us, but by the end of the week they were so mixed in we just became one big family.

We worked non-stop except to laugh and eat lunch with the family, sing, laugh and play most of the night and wake-up early to do it again the next day. On the last day I wasn’t sure we would make it. But my teenage crew pulled through, even the one that said, “I don’t really like to work.” A twelve year old girl even put together a huge porch swing all by herself. I screwed in the last screw as our time was up. The miracle wasn’t that we finished an amazing task. It wasn’t the fact these kids did amazing work. Nor was it the fact an old man didn’t collapse in the middle of the week. The miracle was the relationships that we developed.

I sat in church on Sunday morning energized by the working of our Lord. I looked at Kevin, and the kids, knowing that they too understood the awe I felt. Then in the middle of George’s sermon the pain hit. I broke out in a sweat and shortly after church and passed a kidney stone about the size of a matchstick head. The pain wasn’t too bad. Nothing could erase the joy of the week I had experienced. I’m hoping to go again.

Thank you, Lord, for taking the wheel. Help us let go. To call on your name, to seek You and then may we always rejoice and be glad in what You do for us.

Dickey Freeman

March 13, 2009

2009-01-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 73

1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.

18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

The world is in turmoil. There is genocide in Darfur. Most of Africa is ruled by dictators and war lords. Hamas is raining rockets down on Israel. Terrorists are blowing up shopping centers, busses, and trains throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In our own country, the greedy have created havoc with our economy. Everywhere you look we seem to reward bad behavior. The bad guys get stronger and richer and more powerful. But Psalm 73 tells us it was that way in early Israel also.

But if we seek God’s strength and God’s guidance, we shall receive God’s reward, which is much greater than any reward the world can bestow. God is a just God. He will punish those that deserve it and reward those that love Him and trust in His guidance.

As with the oil speculators, who lost money when the price of oil fell, and the bankers and mortgage companies whose businesses collapsed from the weight of bad debt, the evil dictators and war lords will be destroyed by the very people they seek to destroy. For in the end, good shall triumph over evil.

Dear God, we honor You and praise You. We pray that You will guide us along Your path of righteousness, that we may be worthy of Your love. Protect us from the evil ways of this world, that we may triumph with You in the next. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Steve Boggs

March 14, 2009

2009-01-30T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 12:26

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

The small bathroom smelled of urine and human waste. The hard tile floor cut into my knees. I slung the jeans I had just pulled off the thin, braced legs and grumbled out loud. "Just what am I doing in a place like this?"
I had turned down this job assignment two years before and now, it was this job in the school for the severe and profoundly mentally challenged or no job.
"I wanted to serve You, God. Write songs and stories."
I took the soiled underwear off my nine-year-old charge. Most of my three weeks with Matt was spent trying to get him to go to the bathroom on the potty, put a block in a can, or at least give eye contact. It was useless. He wouldn't.
To get him to look me in the eye was impossible. His eyes seemed to be the only thing he was able to control. He had no verbal skills, little motor control. He looked away or squeezed his eyes shut, anything but give eye contact.
I dropped the underwear on my dress. "Oh, Matt, look what you've done." I screamed.
He gave his soundless laugh and smiled a grin made toothless from the many falls his wobbly legs took. Most days that smile would have melted my heart, but not today. My patience broke.
"God, I hate this."
The small room grew still. I felt Matt's stare. I glanced up and met his stare. He looked far past my eyes into my soul. In the quietness of the moment, God’s words touched my heart.
"I didn't ask you to write songs or stories. I said if you do anything unto the least of these, you've done it unto Me."
Then Matt looked away.
In the quiet moments of the year that followed, Matt taught me so many things. I do get to write stories now. My stories and books have received honors, even one presented by our former First Lady, Laura Bush. But that day on the bathroom floor when Matt looked into my soul, God truly brought me honor.

God, thank you for opening our ears, for teaching us the miracle of serving others, the joy of seeing You in the souls of others. Help us to serve and submit to being served.

Peggy Freeman

March 15, 2009

2009-01-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

Philippians 3:10-17
¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
¹²Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
¹⁷Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Take My Life and Let it Be

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be they royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee.

Frances R. Havergal, 1873

March 16, 2009

2009-01-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 7:14-24

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Only two years after seminary my husband received a call from a large church in a city in Northwestern Ohio. We were a bit surprised since we were young and inexperienced. We made the trip to meet with their Search Committee. During the day, there was ample time for questions and answers as we were chauffeured around city. This tour revealed many unattractive scenes – a blighted downtown area, an oil refinery belching green, black and yellow smoke from its various stacks, gray skies filled with pollution and nothing but flat land. We were only there to meet and get acquainted, or so we thought.
After Norman delivered a sermon for the congregation that evening, we were ready to go back to the motel to reflect on the day’s events. They, however, on the spot, extended the call to us to become their pastoral family. Perhaps it was shock and inexperience that caused us to say YES . Once back at the motel and alone, we looked at each other in disbelief. “What have we done?” Sadly, it hadn’t dawned on us to ask, “What has God done?”
During the next twelve years, the ugliness we first perceived was transformed into beauty. The church building was filled with the genuine love of people seeking God’s will. Even the refinery served a positive role in the city. But the greatest beauty revealed to us was that we had only presented ourselves and God had done the rest. What a valuable lesson to learn at that early stage of our ministry. The teaching and preaching was not really ours but was from Him who had sent us.
During this sacred and powerful season of Lent, as we seek to draw closer to God, hold on to these words. “My teaching is not mine, but His who sent Me.” Seek to live your life that it may be so.

Prayer: Loving God, guide us that we may always seek to do Your will. Amen

Janet Hagley

March 17, 2009

2009-01-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

Romans 4:13

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes with faith.

Psalm 78:1

O my people , hear my teaching, listen to the words of my mouth.

As early as I can remember my parents and grandparents taught me the Love of God and to always have Faith in Him. I cannot say my parents were perfect, because they weren’t, they had faults and sinned just as we all do in various ways. But most importantly, they had been Baptized and had accepted Christ as their Savoir. This does not give us permission to sin, but only, “that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We cannot be born a Christian, we must learn to Love and Obey God. Once we have done this, and been Baptized accepting Christ as our Savior, we are a Christian. My parents and grandparents instilled this thought in me at home and by taking me to Church and Sunday School.

God decreed statutes, commanding our forefathers to teach their children these statutes and that their children would also do the same, even those yet to be born. In today’s time, with all the problems that are so prevalent throughout the world, it is extremely important as parents and grandparents that we instill Faith in God’s Love showing Obedience to Him to our children and to all the children of God by example.

Prayer: Holy Father, always be there giving us the strength to teach Your word to the children You have given to us so that we might serve You as You have commanded. AMEN

Cecil Blankenship

March 18, 2009

2009-01-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 81

1 Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.

4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph
when he went out over the land of Egypt.
I hear a language I had not known:
6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

In Psalm 81, the psalmist is reminding us of God's faithfulness, power and desire for God's people to feast on the joy of God's presence. Over the last few years I have learned some valuable lessons in remembering the Story that is our faith. I have learned the importance of knowing what God has done for us, from the grace that was shown to Adam and Eve, to the covenants made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is important to remember God's faithfulness to Moses and the people as they left captivity in Egypt and wandered in the desert. And, we remember God's intense love and passion for God's people, even when they turn to idols. We remember that God condescended to us in the form of Jesus the Christ, who died so that we might live, who taught us the way to servanthood and showed us the importance of loving our neighbors as ourselves. Remembering these things are important because they remind us of who God is and who we are as God's creation and love. We remember that God's intentions are for good, not to harm us. God wants us to feast on the "finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock." This is something to rejoice about.

When we tell the story we are led to worship, like the psalmist calls us to, and we remember the truth and faithfulness of God. When we forget the story, we pursue those idols that are false, and we forget that it is not money or earthly relevance that saves us. Our cars, boats or houses are not faithful to us. It was not Pharoah who delivered Israel from Egypt, it was not their hard work, it was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who wanted to lead them into the land flowing with milk and honey.

Lord, help us to remember that you are our faithful God, who delights in us feasting at Your table. We boldly pray for You to expose any idols among us, and for you to remind us of Your story of salvation for Your people.

Joseph Nader

March 19, 2009

2009-01-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 6:6-9

6 I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. 8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.

For several years my husband, Dickey, and I have understood all too well the soul in anguish. In trying to protect our grandchild from abuse, we are truly worn out from weeping. Our doctors, friends and ministers offer words of encouragement. Yet there aren’t always quick answers. Our circumstance says God has turned His back on our cries for help.
One day after church someone handed me a package. Inside was a shawl, knitted in various hues of beige and green. To most people it was just a wrap to break the chill, but to me it was a message from God. A note attached to the shawl explained that prayers for me and my family had been said with each stitch.
Like the Psalmist, my couch is drenched with tears and I continue to see no proof of God’s intervention, but now I wrap the Word around me just as I do the prayer shawl. “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.”
We are no longer hopeless. The body of Christ is praying for us. We are not alone. We have all of you.

Father, we praise You for You are the unchanging God. Thank you for a church family that truly cares. Thank you for hearing our cry for mercy. You are the great I am and nothing can change that, not even our own discouragement.

Peggy Freeman

March 20, 2009

2009-01-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 88

1 O Lord, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah

8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.

Lenten scripture isn’t always comfortable. The soulful laments connect us to the dark nights of our own souls, when we feel God’s face has been hidden from us. The pain of the psalmist reminds us of our own pain, which we would much like to forget or ignore. But alas, there the lament psalms are . . . calling us into our pain or the remembrance of our pain . . . neither being where we would like to go. Though I might not be as honest as the psalmist, I also remember times when I have been left with no life choice but to be vulnerable to God, offering up my own troubled soul for healing. The blessed gift of remembrance . . . remembrance of dark days long past upon which the sun slowly rose. . . is an opportunity to offer God my greatest thanksgiving, even perhaps thank God for the pain I have endured because it was the pathway to the blessed life I know today. Although today my soul is not in darkness, I remember well those painful seasons of my life and I come before God with praise and even with thanksgiving for them because I now see them as the pathway to my wholeness. I also come to the psalm knowing full well that it is likely I will again experience times in my life when I feel rejected, angry and trapped by the pain of life. My prayer is that I will trust God and cry for help, being certain of God’s great faithfulness because I have known it before.

Merciful God, turn your ear to us as we pray. Transform our darkness, heal our pain, and rejoice with us when our darkness is transformed to light and we know you as our redeemer. Amen.

Dawne McAlpin

March 21, 2009

2009-01-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 87 (edition, The Message)

1-3 He founded Zion on the Holy Mountain— and oh, how GOD loves his home!
Loves it far better than all
the homes of Jacob put together!
God's hometown—oh!
everyone there is talking about you!

4 I name them off, those among whom I'm famous:
Egypt and Babylon,
also Philistia,
even Tyre, along with Cush.
Word's getting around; they point them out:
"This one was born again here!"

5 The word's getting out on Zion:
"Men and women, right and left,
get born again in her!"

6 GOD registers their names in his book:
"This one, this one, and this one—
born again, right here."

7 Singers and dancers give credit to Zion:
"All my springs are in you!"

The city of God……Jerusalem…Zion …the city that God loved better than all the other cities. The psalmist tells us an amazing thing…that even those who were born elsewhere could still claim Zion as their hometown if they loved God. They were more than honorary citizens; they were official citizens! The song writer goes on to say that the singers and dancers found their source, their springs of living water in the City of God.

O Lord, where is my Jerusalem? Where is my Zion? Is it in Acton, in Fort Worth? Is it in Washington DC or Bethlehem or the state of Israel? Where is my City of God?
I want to be a citizen of that place! I want my roots to run so deep under the City of God that I am nourished forever, so that I can survive times of drought and pestilence, through the bad choices I make and through my sins of omission. I want to be so rooted in the City of God that even March winds or the winds of disappointment or grief can’t shake me. I want my singing to come from a deep well of faith and of knowledge that I am a beloved citizen of that City.
Perhaps it is found in your Word, O Lord. Perhaps I can find your City in study, in service, in prayer, in worship, in community wherever that might be. Perhaps your Holy Spirit can whoosh me there in fanciful, unimaginable ways.
Keep me dancing, Lord, and singing with the joy that comes from your perfect nourishment. May I never stray from the springs bubbling deep under the City of God. May I spend my life in official citizenship of the state of mind called the City of God.

Suzanne Cate

March 22, 2009

2009-01-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

Titus 2:7-15

⁷Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, ⁸and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. ⁹ Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹²training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
¹⁵Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

I want a principle within of watchful, godly fear,
a sensibility of sin, a pain to feel it near.
I want the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire,
to catch the wandering of my will, and quench the kindling fire.

From thee that I no more may stray, no more thy goodness grieve,
grant me the filial awe, I pray, the tender conscience give.
Quick as the apple of an eye, O God, my conscience make;
awake my soul when sin is nigh, and keep it still awake.

Almighty God of truth and love, to me thy power impart;
the mountain from my soul remove, the hardness from my heart.
O may the least omission pain my reawakened soul,
and drive me to that blood again, which makes the wounded whole.

Charles Wesley, 1749

March 23, 2009

2009-01-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve asked,
“Is it I? Is it I?”
Then with a kiss placed on the Master’s face
betrayed Him – a sentence to die.

In the garden dark and drear,
Jesus knelt and prayed in agony.
The disciples slept and Jesus cried,
“Why could you not watch with me?”

Up that hill our Savior trod.
They spat and mocked and – CRUCIFIED!
Broken and with aching heart,
Forgive them, Lord” our Savior cried.

We betray our Savior, our Lord and our King
When pleasures that money can buy
Come first in our lives. And then we ask,
“Lord, is it I? Is it I?”

Our Savior’s heart must be breaking still
When He asks us our brother to keep.
But we go each day in our own careless way.
“Could you not watch with me?”

We crucify our Savior anew
When we hate and selfishly live.
But our Lord looks down with His infinite love,
And kindly says, “Father, forgive.”

Janet Hagley

March 24, 2009

2009-01-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 17:19-27

19 Thus said the Lord to me: “Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. 22 And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.
24 “‘But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever. 26 And people shall come from the cities of Judah and the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.’”

Mary Kathryn and I have been discovering the importance of Jeremiah's words about the reason for sabbath keeping in verse 21, "Take care for the sake of your lives." I recently heard a mentor of mine say that our call to keep sabbath, to set aside time and rest, is a subversive way of finding the time and stamina we need to get everything done. The world tells us that we need to utilize every moment that we have to get things done. Time is a commodity to be managed, in the world, and so it sounds absurd to take a break and rest when we have so much to get done.

We have become slaves to time and work, and Mary Kathryn and I have found that it is pulling at the threads of our family and our happiness. So, about five months ago we started setting aside one day a week for sabbath keeping and it has changed our perspective in a huge way. We have struggled our way into learning that the words of my mentor are true, "resting from vocation restores identity." You see, without rest our work begins to define us and we are quickly identified by what we do and not by who we are. Sabbath reminds us that our true identity lies in being beloved children of God.

It hasn't been easy to carve out that time every week. There have been many weeks where Sabbath is over and we know that we have neglected to truly rest. But we are learning the difference between what is restful and what is chaotic in our lives, and we are seeking those things that work to re-create us. If we don't, I'm afraid our lives are in danger of being overtaken by work and worry.

"Take care for the sake of your lives."

Joseph Nader

March 25, 2009

2009-01-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 6:11

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

I am blessed by God, even from the first day of my life. On my birth certificate it is written that I was born dead, then overwritten with alive. I had never looked at my birth certificate until I joined the Air Force. It has taken some years for this to sink in. What makes that day very special is that I was born at home, no one except the doctor to make me live, only God. In those days the only procedure was for the doctor to administer a slap on my bottom to make me start breathing. That did not work, because he turned his attention to the paperwork. First and foremost I have been born again twice. Once on my birthday and the second time when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I understand that life is a gift from God, just as the raising of Christ from the dead was a gift to all people. Each day, in fact 23,582 days, as of today has been a gift that I did not have to receive. Because each day is a gift I believe God has a job for me to do today and every day. My task is to listen, hear, and do whatever God is asking me to do, today. Ok, now this is weird. I just looked at the word ‘asking’, it is two words ‘as’ and “king’. God as King, wants me to do something for Him who gave me Jesus and who gives me life everyday.

Dan Loomis

March 26, 2009

2009-01-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 6: 41-51

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Our world is so very busy! It feels sometimes as though the life is slowly being squeezed out of Time, creating a breathless, flat mentality that carries us through our days. My mind is constantly sidetracked from the splendor of God by astoundingly trivial things. Who has time to sit and ponder religion when there is homework to be done?! The amazing sacrifice of Jesus can be pushed to the back of the mind by looming relationship problems, a very unsatisfied mother pontificating the virtues of a clean room, or the pressure of being "perfect" that seems to be taking over our society. And yet, when I stop to think, to really think about Jesus, I am overtaken with an awesome joy.
Jesus faced it all. His simple message of unconditional love was constantly shot down with skepticism and the grumbling of those set in the old ways. Sometimes, I find myself grumbling. How many of us have been so frustrated with the unpredictable circumstances of life that we throw our hands in the air and cry out "What good are you to me now, Jesus? I know you love me! I know you're up there somewhere watching over me! But right now, in this moment, that doesn't change the fact that I'm suffering." Sometimes, we forget what Jesus meant when he said "I am the bread of life." It's easy to be consumed with hunger and want nothing more than a satisfying snack. But Jesus is not the type of bread one eats greedily, and then forgets about until the next pangs of hunger. Jesus sacrificed himself so that we, these easily distracted, unworthy children, might have eternal life. One bite, and the hunger is eradicated forevermore. Our spiritual cravings to belong, to feel loved and fulfilled, have already been met, ever since the day the Son of God sacrificed himself for our sins. He did it not because we're unworthy sinners a muck with corruption, but because we are imperfect children who make mistakes, but are beloved all the same.

I invite you to take a moment of prayer. Wherever you are, pause and consider the magnitude of Jesus. Let his presence enfold you with all of its awesome power.
Father, we understand that life cannot always be "perfect." Our grumblings and complaints stem from the pressure of a world filled with doubt. Ease our suffering, Lord. Help us to realize that you are always, always with us, and that the bread of your salvation will never run out. Help us to share your love with others, to spread your message to those who are starving. Lord, open our hearts to the fact that "perfect" is not a slim body, or a nice pair of clothes, but a humble carpenter with callouses on the hands that shaped us. You are the bread of life, Jesus. Bon apetite. Amen.

Katy Lucas

March 27, 2009

2009-01-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

Romans 8:31-39

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Growing up, I knew my parents believed in God. They would bow their heads during prayer, attend Church periodically and talk about the real reason for Christmas. For most of my life, that is how I acknowledged the presence of the Lord as well. I considered myself a Christian. I believed in God. I believed in the power of prayer. I believed God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. I sometimes went to church with friends. But I could tell something was missing. I have always felt a call to worship the Lord, but I never grabbed a hold of that calling until a couple of years ago when my oldest daughter was born. She went into fetal distress during labor and I found myself in the operating room, having an emergency cesarean. My husband came in and sat down beside me. I just looked at him and said, “Pray for us”. He held my hand, bowed his head and I closed my eyes. I heard her cry and it was then that I knew God was with us and had answered our prayers. On that day, I felt closer to Him than I ever had before. This past year, our Sunday school class studied the Book of John. It was an amazing experience. God sent His only Son to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and give us eternal life! It still takes my breath away every time I think about that.

Father God, thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for never giving up on me and for always being there. You have never left me and you knew long before I did that I am yours. Thank you for listening and answering my prayers. Most of all, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, the true bread of life. Amen.

DeAnn K Hall

March 28, 2009

2009-01-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalms 33:1 Sing joyfully to the Lord
Psalms 33:5 The earth is full of His unfailing love.
Psalms 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.

2008 was an eventful year for myself and our family. We had many mountains to climb; at times obstacles were overwhelming and often life changing.
One morning before I arose-I lie in bed listening to the birds sing outside the window. They were so happy and content-their songs were beautiful melodies--slowly I could feel a peace and God’s presence come over me. It made me smile.
Why do I worry so, I thought? The birds aren’t worrying. God has always told us-we are his precious children--Trust In Him--God is with us through heartaches and joys. He climbs the mountains with us and stays in the deepest valleys while we are there. His is an unfailing love…we can never fall completely; God is walking with us to hold us up-we need only to release our worries like the birds and sing joyfully to the Lord.
We need to be thankful that we have a loving Father who gave his only son, Jesus Christ, that we might have life eternal. His love endures forever. God didn’t promise a perfect life--we will have trials but remember God gave us the Holy Spirit to be ever present. Alleluia and Amen.

Prayer: Thank you, Father for your unfailing love-- for holding me up and letting me feel your unfailing presence in my life. Amen

Linda Blankenship

March 29, 2009

2009-01-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 4:1-7
¹I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² patience, with all humility and gentleness, with bearing with one another in love, ³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The Church's One Foundation

The church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ our Lord;
we are his new creation
by water and the Word;
from heaven he came and sought us
that we might ever be
his living servant people,
by his own death set free.

Called forth from every nation,
yet one o'er all the earth;
our charter of salvation:
one Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name professing
and at one table fed,
to one hope always pressing,
by Christ's own Spirit led.

Though with a scornful wonder
the world sees us oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder,
by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping;
their cry goes up, "How long?"
But soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.

Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of our war,
we wait the consummation
of peace forevermore;
till with the vision glorious
our longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious
shall be the church at rest.

We now on earth have union
with God the Three in One,
and share through faith communion
with those whose rest is won.
Oh, happy ones, and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee.

Samuel J. Stone, 1866
(adapted by Laurence Hull Stookey, 1983)

March 30, 2009

2009-01-14T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 118

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”

5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”

17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Most of us are familiar with this verse because of the hymn “This Is the Day”. We are so lucky as Christians to know that every day in our lives is a new start in this earthly world. Our Lord has forgiven our sins, and every day we can begin anew.

Who cannot see the wonders of our world? I am still awed by sunsets, clouds, majestic mountains, crystal clear streams, the mighty waves of the ocean, the smile on a child’s face. Take some time and drive to a local state park. Then sit quietly and take in the majesty of our Lord’s world. Open your Bible and let God’s words flow over you. Even amid all of the world’s troubles, wars, and strife, God is with us and surrounds us.

Dear Lord, this truly is the day that You have made. Please help us to
rejoice and be glad in it. You are our hope and salvation. Help us to
be strong and focus on what is important in our lives---Your love and our
love for others. Amen

Linda Boggs

March 31, 2009

2009-01-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Watching over something can be quite a task. I guess it depends on exactly what you have been put in charge of watching over. Once, my husband asked me to water the plants while he was away on work. I did, and they didn't die in the short time I looked over them, this was a pretty easy thing to watch over. I only had to remember my task and I was able to accomplish it quickly. I didn't have to stay up at night, or really think about it much.

However, I have been put in charge of other things as well. Children, for example, are a little harder to watch over. Depending on the age, it requires a lot of attention, patience, and love.

Just think for a second, what exactly must God think as he "watches over us." I imagine sometimes He is filled with joy, and other times He is saddened by what he sees. But He doesn't stop watching over us. Like a child trying our patience, we wouldn't just leave them alone to fend for themselves. Our attitudes and our actions, probably aren't the best things to "watch over," but it says the LORD will watch over our coming and going, both now and forevermore.

This passage speaks unconditional love to me. It says to me that my Lord will never leave me, He watches over me without slumber.
Without sleeping? That seems quite important.

Could we be that important, and loved?

Let us watch over each other with kind words and helping hands, and give God joy as he watches over us.

Amy Klemer

April 1, 2009

2009-01-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 10:1-18 (New International Version)

1"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

My father died of cancer eight years ago after months of unimaginable suffering. Watching him go through this terrible struggle raised a lot of faith questions for our family about how a loving God could let a human endure such cruelty for so long.

But through it all as we desperately prayed for hope, help and answers, we five siblings all received encouragement through scriptures, dreams, and epiphanies; and when we compared notes, we realized that at each new phase of Dad’s struggle, and with each new question we asked, we were being lovingly guided and comforted by strikingly similar revelations.

We were hearing the voice of our Shepherd, Who was making us to lie down in green pastures and restoring our souls, even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. At the same time, in ways none of us could comprehend, He was preparing my father to lay down his old life in order to receive his new life in Christ.
Dad was a fighter to the end. He tried to control the course of his life, and even tried to control the course of his death. But he was only able to come into his rest after finally surrendering his will to the Good Shepherd in the loving presence of his wife and children as we spoke God’s truth and peace to him. (The details of the story are so moving that I documented the entire journey; I am happy to share that manuscript with anyone who might find comfort in the reading of it.)

So often I hear people say, “I wish I could hear God’s voice.” My answer is, “You DO! You just don’t realize it!” Seek the Good Shepherd; you will find Him (He’s waiting for you even now!). Then listen, watch, trust, and obey. He will make His presence known; and He will never leave you or forsake you – even in the valley of the shadow.

Prayer: Loving God, I know you love me and are always nearby. Please help me learn to hear and come to know Your voice, that I may never be afraid in any circumstance. In the name of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, amen.

Barb Robertson

April 2, 2009

2009-01-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 131

¹O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
²But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
³ O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.

Quiet. Prayer. Meditation.

When are we supposed to be quiet and when are we not supposed to be quiet? I often wonder about this. (Especially since I work with youth) I thought of Psalm 46:10 (be still and know that I am God) when I read Psalm 131.

So when and how can we be calm?

How about a golf analogy? I enjoy playing golf and it is a great game to play. I enjoy golfing because it offers so many things I enjoy: being active, being outdoors, and being in fellowship with others. At some points while playing golf I MUST be quiet, which is sometimes difficult for me. So how do I know when to be quiet on the golf course? Answer: practice, knowing the rules, and being told to be quiet on the course when I was growing up. I enjoy the fellowship that golf provides but I also enjoy the quiet moments. Just standing there and being still and quiet when someone is about to swing or when I am about to swing is a great feeling. It really gives me perspective. When I am still, quiet, and calm I am able to take in everything that is going on around me. I guess that is why I love golf: it encompasses so many things I enjoy, including quiet moments.

My prayer for you is that at least once today you stop what you are doing, look around, and be silent. You will be amazed how calm you feel. Be still and know that HE is GOD.

Kevin Anderson

April 3, 2009

2009-01-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

Taken from Matthew 26:56 - Matthew 28

Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
To the high priests and scribes, God’s own Son was led.
They spat on Him, mocked Him and struck Him you see.
While Peter denied Him – not one time, but three!
Then from the lone courtyard, poor Peter crept –
Went out in the darkness and bitterly wept.

As morning dawned Judas came to the place.
“Jesus being condemned, I simply can’t face!
I’ve sinned! Take my silver,” said he.
He departed and hanged himself on a tree.
Though charges ‘gainst Jesus should have been denied,
The shouts continued, “Let Him be crucified!”

Agonizingly slow up the hill He was led.
Crucified Him on the cross – put a sign above His head.
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews??
“If you’re God’s Son, come down, spread the news.”
About the ninth hour, there came a final plea.
Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

BUT – by the dawning of the third day
An angel came down and rolled the stone away.
Jesus had risen! He was no longer dead!
Jesus is alive, and this is what he said.
“Go and make disciples of each one, rich or poor.
And lo, I will be with you now and ever more.”

Janet Hagley

April 4, 2009

2009-01-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 12:44-50

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

My friend is a former narcotics officer in Houston. He has been stabbed twice, shot once by a fellow officer by accident, and ran over numerous times by a vehicle. He decided to get out of the police force when he was working undercover and had a thirteen year-old sell him drugs because his elderly grandparents thought they could get away with it by using a minor. He told me he had never been more disappointed in humanity than while he was a police officer. During part of his initial training he was required to be a jailer in a prison, and he would sit and visit at length with the worst criminals incarcerated. When he asked them about their chances of going to heaven, they replied that as long as they asked for God’s forgiveness before they were executed or died, then they would be forgiven. He has been troubled since that those same criminals might share in eternal life with him, and he asked me what I thought. I told him that I didn’t know the answer, but from what I had studied about God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice for all of us, that it might very well be the case. I told him it wasn’t our place to decide. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice as part of God’s new covenant and no matter how great or small the sin, God’s grace has been extended to all of us. For that we should all be thankful.

Lenten Prayer: Lord, thank you for your Covenant to us. No matter what walls we are confined by, it is your gift that frees us from the shackles of the world. Forgive us for our selfishness that we may remember the holes in your hands, your pierced flesh, and your final acts of love. Ultimate Grace without bounds encompass us with your love and warm us with the Comforter which you have extended to All. Today we rejoice and sing songs of praise that can be heard in the heavens at your throne. You are the Bread of Life that feeds us. Almighty God, we are humbled by your love. Amen.

Todd Hall

April 5, 2009 - Palm Sunday

2009-01-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

John 15:9-17
⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
¹² "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

All Glory, Laud, and Honor

All glory, laud, and honor,
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou are the King of Israel,
thou David's royal Son,
who in the Lord's name comest,
the King and Blessed One.

The company of angels
are praising thee on high,
and we with all creation
in chorus make reply.

The people of the Hebrews
with palms before thee went;
our prayer and praise and anthems
before thee we present.

To thee, before thy passion,
they sang their hymns of praise;
to thee, now high exalted,
our melody we raise.

Thou didst accept their praises;
accept the prayers we bring,
who in all good delightest,
thou good and gracious King.

All glory, laud, and honor,
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

Theodulph of Orleans, 8th-9th Century

April 6, 2009

2009-01-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 12: 1-16

1 Righteous are you, O Lord,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
2 You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
and far from their heart.
3 But you, O Lord, know me;
you see me, and test my heart toward you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter.
4 How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
For the evil of those who dwell in it
the beasts and the birds are swept away,
because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”

5 “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you are so trusting,
what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?
6 For even your brothers and the house of your father,
even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.”

7 “I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my soul
into the hands of her enemies.
8 My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Is my heritage to me like a hyena's lair?
Are the birds of prey against her all around?
Go, assemble all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it a desolation;
desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
but no man lays it to heart.
12 Upon all the bare heights in the desert
destroyers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no flesh has peace.
13 They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their harvests
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”

14 Thus says the Lord concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people.

Jeremiah's complaint is one that we all hear too often from people we know and those we don't know. This type of complaint has always been one of my pet peeves. To me it sounds like a person voicing these sentiments feel that they are not receiving what they should be getting and they deserve so much more by comparison to others.

Surely, it's not that I've never felt or voiced these same types of feelings on occasion. But, I try to live by the creed that I am responsible for my own actions and don't deserve anything more or less based on comparison to others. God has a plan for everyone and I hope I can stay focused on his plan for me and not feel superior or inferior to others by personal judgment.

My children have grown up hearing me say," There will always be someone smarter, richer or prettier than you and there will always be someone not as smart, pretty or rich as you, so never feel superior over those with less and never feel inferior around those with more. Rather, just be your personal best and be happy with who you are.

Lord, let me listen and follow your plan for me. Help me stay focused on your will and not compare myself to others. It's not my right to question your will or judge others. I pray that I can live an authentic life and find favor in your sight not just from my outward actions but from the love and faith that is in my heart.

Nan Riefler

April 7, 2009

2009-01-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Philippians 3: 13-14

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead--I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Today April 7th is my father’s birthday. He will be 92 years old. In December 2008 he had two heart attacks and lived through them; to be able to go back to his home.
He had to have physical therapy to gain strength back in his arms and legs. He would march like a solider all around the therapy room swinging his arms--determined--focused. He told us (his family) I pray to God each day to help me be able to go home. He never looked back. He pushed ahead. No why me? No self pity.
He knows his life line is limited and fragile. He says he is ready when God calls for him. He is thankful for his day he lives. But right now he is pressing on toward the greatest goal.
I am reminded of the song: “ Trust and Obey for there’s no other way but to trust and obey in Jesus”
We all need to remember to press on toward the goal-to win the prize for which God has called us---Eternal life with Him.

Prayer: Dear God,
Help us to remember to be thankful for each day of our lives. Pray for the elderly in our congregation. They have had many experiences in their lives and can be such a good example for us. Help us all to focus on the heavenly reward. Amen

Linda Blankenship

April 8, 2009

2009-01-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

"Your certification does NOT meet DoDDS standards; you must take 6 graduate classes, do a year's internship and ..." my principal's recitation continued. Six weeks earlier I had quit my job in Texas, sold our house and cars, given away most of our furnishings, and travelled 6,000+ miles to work at a school on a US Navy base in Japan. Fighting against panic, I held on to the truth I knew. God had miraculously opened many doors for us: smoothly getting me out of my teaching contract mid-year and quickly selling our house and cars, thus fulfilling my lifelong dream. Surely He would sustain us now.
Headquarters said to have my graduate professor certify that courses taken 27 years ago, with a different title, equaled their required classes. How could I find a professor from 1972? I called Texas Tech - during their Christmas break - and explained my dilemma. The new Department Head was clueless, but Dr. Bridges had just walked in, perhaps he could help. Hallelujah!! Julian and I had worked together on statewide issues until he retired in 1990. Immediately a letter from TTU flew to Washington verifying my certification and we spent 8 exciting years in Japan.

Prayer: Thank you Gracious Lord, in the midst of our worst disaster, you are there, ready to take control, to strengthen us and to bring your victory in our circumstances.

Paulette Mauer

April 9, 2009 - Maundy Thursday

2009-01-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 20:7-11

7 O Lord, you have deceived me,
and I was deceived;
you are stronger than I,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10 For I hear many whispering.
Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
say all my close friends,
watching for my fall.
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we can overcome him
and take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble;
they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.

Have you ever felt serving the Lord is not always easy? Of course, we all feel that way at some point in our spiritual journey. One man who understands that the Walk with God is full of trials and tribulations is the Prophet Jeremiah. Through the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord told the people of Judah that they had forsaken him, and judgment was eminent.

Because the Judahites refused to repent, God’s plan was for the Babylonians in the North to take over their land. God’s judgment would fall on Judah because she had broken His covenant, and Jeremiah was chosen as the bearer of bad news. For many years, Jeremiah had been prophesying the future fall of Judah and the reasons for which that fall would occur, but over time his words fell on deaf ears. Moreover, people began to ridicule and violently protest Jeremiah’s prophecy as he mentions in a prayer to the Lord here:

“I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side! Report him! Let’s Report him! All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, ‘Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.” (20:10)

As I fumbled around this morning trying to decide which passage to write about, I grabbed an old pencil out of the jar at random, and on this pencil the quote, “Serve the Lord with Gladness,” was written. It was at that point I knew what I needed to write about. Many of us do things within the church and throughout our daily lives that we feel are necessary to serve God. To be a good Christian takes so much effort that sometimes it can feel like work. When you go out today, think about the daily things you do for God, and most importantly when you go out and do them, be sure to “Serve the Lord with Gladness.”

Brady Overstreet

April 10, 2009 - Good Friday

2009-01-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

Based on Matthew 26:-36-46; Mark 14:- 32-42; and Luke 22:- 39-46.

MY PSALM

by Suzanne Walshe-Cooley

O my LORD, why do I feel so alone?
Please do not abandon me
As I know the pain in my heart and soul
From past hurts.

Please watch over me.
Wrap Your loving arms around me
so I can get through the
Physical pain and mental anguish.

Deep in my soul,
I know You are near me.
You have promised me solace
Because of Your love and
The gift of Your Son - JESUS.

I was inspired to write a personal psalm when I attended a seminar and heard Dr. Craven speak in July, 2008. She presented an enlightening series of speeches on the Psalms. Dr. Craven stated, that the Psalms are divided into three parts. (1) First the pain and anguish of that individual who is praying, lists their ailments; (2) The individual pleads for protection and healing; (3) the individual acknowledges that God will heal his ills because He has promised remedy.

The past year and a half have been a trying time for me. On December 21, 2007 my kidney specialist advised me that I was close to Renal Failure and would have to go on dialysis and be approved for a Kidney Transplant. So for most of 2008, I went through the processes to start dialysis with several surgeries and being approved for a transplant at Baylor in Fort Worth. There were agonizing decisions that had to be made as to what dialysis process would work best for me. My family chose to be involved in these decisions. It was and still is difficult for them, even though I had told them that someday I would have to go on dialysis, it was still a shock that the time had come - for them and me. "You looked so healthy, working full time and participating in sports and social activities - You did not appear to be ill." How could this be! Were the doctors looking at the right file?

Life has settled in a repetitive schedule, now. Dialysis is a priority - first on the agenda - Monday - Wednesday - Friday.
All, other items - church, work, appointments and activities are fitted in to the time that is left.

~ So, Life Goes On! ~

Suzanne Walshe-Cooley

April 11, 2009 - Holy Saturday

2009-01-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 27
You, Lord, are the light that keeps me safe. I am not afraid of anyone.
You protect me, and I have no fears.
Brutal people may attack and try to kill me, but they will stumble.
Fierce enemies may attack, but they will fall.
Armies may surround me, but I won’t be afraid;
War may break out, but I will trust you.

I ask only one thing, Lord:
Let me live in your house every day of my life –
to see how wonderful you are and to pray in your temple.

In times of trouble, you will protect me.
You will hide me in your tent and keep me safe on top of a mighty rock.
You will let me defeat all of my enemies.
Then I will celebrate, as I enter your tent with animal sacrifices and songs of praise.

Please listen when I pray! Have pity. Answer my prayer.
My heart tells me to pray.
I am eager to see your face, so don’t hide from me.
I am your servant, and you have helped me.
Don’t turn from me in anger.
You alone keep me safe. Don’t reject or desert me.
Even if father and mother should desert me, you will take care of me.

Teach me to follow, Lord, and lead me on the right path because of my enemies.
Don’t let them do to me what they want.
People tell lies about me and make terrible threats, but I know I will live to see how kind you are.

Trust the Lord! Be brave and strong and trust the Lord!

It is difficult to imagine what this “Holy Saturday” might have been like for the original friends of Jesus. We come to this day with egg hunts and shopping for Easter clothes and preparations for family dinners because we know “the rest of the story.” We know that Easter Sunday follows Good Friday and Holy Saturday . . . we know that resurrection follows the empty tomb. We know that new life follows death and that even death cannot defeat the love of God. But those early companions of Jesus knew none of that on this day. . . they only knew that the trust they had in God had not protected their loved one from the ravages of death. . . they knew that the hope they had that the world could change had been hung on a cross. We don’t know what troubles the Psalmist faced when he wrote Psalm 27, but we do know he longed for life in the safety of God’s love much as the disciples must have on this day long ago, and that he turned to God in the midst of his fear. Those words comfort us on this day between death and resurrection . . . for that is, after all, where we live. We too live in these days that are the “already and the not yet.” Our lives are literally lived somewhere between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Jesus has already been raised from the dead, but we have not yet seen the fullness of life God has promised us. Our trust, however, comes because we have read the last page of the novel even when we haven’t completed all the chapters. We know that even on the darkest days, God does not hide God’s face from us . . . God does not ever reject or desert us . . . God’s love is the light that keeps us safe because we live on this side of the resurrection. And so our response, even in these days between death and resurrection is to trust . . . trust in the God who we know in the resurrection. Live in the strength that comes not from our own understanding, but from our confidence in the power that we trust will move the rock away from the tombs of our lives as well. Trust the Lord! Be brave and be strong in this day between death and resurrection and trust the Lord!

Dawne McAlpin

April 12, 2009 - Easter Sunday

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Mark 16:1-8

¹After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James bought some spices to put on Jesus' body. ²Very early on Sunday morning, just as the sun was coming up, they went to the tomb. ³On their way, they were asking one another, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance for us?" ⁴But when they looked, they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. And it was a huge stone!
⁵The women went into the tomb, and on the right side they saw a young man in a white robe sitting there. They were alarmed.
⁶The man said, "Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was nailed to a cross. God has raised him to life, and he isn't here. You can see the place where they put his body. ⁷Now go and tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that he will go ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you."
⁸When the women ran from the tomb, they were confused and shaking all over. They were too afraid to tell anyone what had happened.

Easter is a great day of celebration in our Christian faith. It is a time for rejoicing and praising God for what has been done for us through Jesus Christ. But would we be rejoicing if we had not been in a darker, sadder, empty state?

Not everyone goes through extremely dark times, but many of us have. Not all of us have had extreme sorrow, but many have. Not everyone lives an empty life. But I contend that because of grace, God’s love extended to us without us warranting it, we can have meaning and purpose and “new life,” to which the New Testament refers.

I remember a time when I was living in darkness. Oh sure, I was having a good time, but it was pretty pointless, and was not headed anywhere constructive. Fortunately, I believe because of people’s prayers, God’s hand was upon me protecting me, and possibly guiding me to more safe than dangerous places. Who knows?

But there came a time when I was desperately low. I had nowhere to turn but to God. And that felt like a huge gamble, because after all, I hadn’t lived an exemplary life for several years. But something happened as I was taught about God’s “amazing grace”—the fact that God loves us in spite of what we have done. It was as if I could see with different eyes—spiritual eyes. And yes, God definitely was at work in my life, and in the lives of others. Amazing!—to me at the time.

Luke writes about the two on the road to Emmaus that a “stranger” drew near to them and walked with them. They didn’t recognize him, but it was Jesus. Later, as he blessed the bread and broke it, the text says, “their eyes were opened and they recognized him…” What a blessing when our eyes are opened! We see things differently; we can live life differently when we know the Risen Christ is with us. It is like living a new life! May we open our eyes and look for the places where Jesus is walking with us, and working around us, and be strengthened and comforted. May we live in the newness of life that God offers us through Christ.

PRAYER
God of us all, Thank you for Jesus and for his life-giving work in our behalf. Thank you for eyes to see, and ears to hear, and tongues to praise you. In Jesus name, Amen.

George Sutton

Welcome

2008-12-23T20:55:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 2009 Lenten Reader for Acton United Methodist Church. Starting on Ash Wednesday, February 25, we will have daily posts with a Scripture reading followed by a personal reflection from one of our members. This is just one attempt for our congregation to practice community as we read Scripture together and share our stories of what God has done, is doing and will do in the future. We are excited to see what God has for us this Lenten season.

Enjoy.