Devotional 6-22-12

Thank You, Jesus

 On April first, 2009, I was involved in an automobile accident. It was on Fifth Street hill and three cars were involved. I was very frightened. I could not breathe and I thought the car was on fire. I thought that I saw smoke, not knowing that air bags are filled with powder. I hyperventilated, drawing the powder into my lungs. I heard myself screaming, "Get me out of here!" A nurse, who was on her way home, stopped, opened my door and released my safety belt. She calmed me down as she called 911. The ambulance put me in a neck brace, placed me on the gurney, and off we went to the hospital. My knee had soft tissue damage, and I was bruised. But, it was not over yet. I fell a few days later, knocked myself unconscious, and had a brain bleed. In addition to that, I had a reaction to the pain medicine and ended back in the ER.

All of this caused me to be very apprehensive about driving, especially getting on the interstate at Fifth Street where the accident happened. For over six weeks, I would take the long way, not the interstate. Finally, I made the attempt. When I made it, I started saying out loud, "Thank You, Jesus." I used to tell my students, “If you do something a least 12 times, it will become a habit and you will not have to think about it, it will just happen." On this statement, I have proved myself wrong. It has been three years and I still say, "Thank you, Jesus" and I think about it each and every time. It has become part of me, not a habit.

God has been so good to me. I have had several health problems but somehow, I always come through it. Do we take time in our lives to see that God is always there to get us through it? It might be as simple as successfully getting on the interstate or it could be opening your eyes after a major heart attack. We worry about what will happen instead of being appreciative of what has happened. He will see us through whatever happens. This reminds me of a poem that I read:

God
didn't promise
days without pain,
laughter without
sorrow or sun
without rain.
But God did
promise strength
for the day,
comfort for the
tears and a light
for the way.
And for all who believe in His
kingdom of love,
He answers their faith
With peace from above.

Thank You, Jesus

Carolee Brown

Devotional 6-14-12

Read Psalm 92

On Friday June 7, 2012 we participated in the “Relay for Life” Cancer fundraiser, at the Barboursville Park around the lake. We had never attended this before although we had supported the “Relay for Life” many times over the years during our employment at St. Mary’s MC.

On this Friday night we were there to support our sister in Christ, Elicia Bias, in her fight of cancer, along with her “Pac Man Team”. Elicia started out last year with ovarian cancer, she had surgery and treatment and was cancer free for 3 months, but it is back and she must fight on. She just went to the doctor at Ohio State and found that she must go through more chemo. She is a very upbeat person who shows her love for Christ. She knows she is in His hands and the Lord will take care of her as He has before.

The first lap around the lake was the survivor’s lap. There were survivors of all ages: young, teens, middle age, older people, those on crutches, in wheel chairs, and being carried by their parents. You could tell that they all had a bond with the Lord and that He was with each of them as they go through their lives. They were all there to help raise money to find a cure for cancer and to support each other.

Later that night there were luminaries, which were purchased in memory or honor of someone with cancer, by friends or family members. They were placed all around the lake. When they were lit, it was a humbling experience to see all of them, knowing they represent people who were courageous in their fight for life. They are not suffering now, and were looking down in awe, knowing that God is with everyone; and that He will be there for all of us in whatever circumstance we have, just for the asking.

Psalm 92 12-14
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon,
planted in the house of the Lord
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age
They will stay fresh and green
Proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him”.

The psalmist saw believers as upright, strong and unmoved by the winds of circumstance. Those who place their faith firmly in God can have this strength and vitality.

God is for everyone, not just the young. As we grow older, believers can remain fruitful. There are many faithful older people who continue to have a fresh outlook and can teach from a life time experience of serving God. Ask an older person to tell you about their experiences with the Lord and challenge you to new heights of spiritual growth.
We all need to keep the faith, like all of those fighting cancer, in whatever path we are led down, knowing we are God’s people and that He will be there with us through it all.

Dear Lord,
Continue to be with all your people on the paths you have opened for us to follow. We know you have a reason for everything and everyone. Help us to keep the faith in you and live our lives like you want us to. Open our hearts that you can come in and support all of your people where you know where we need you. Thank you for all you do for us and all that you will do in us in the future.
Amen

Melanie Herr

Devotional 6-8-12

Read 2^nd Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Lay Witness Missions are built around the testimonies given by the missioners who usually come from different places and sometimes a variety of denominations.  In coming to be part of a mission they give of their time and of themselves.  Their prime function is to tell the local congregation what God has done in their lives and of the grace of God given to them in Christ Jesus.

This was the approach of the apostle Paul in his missionary work and in his letters to the churches.  He shared his faith in Jesus, the risen Lord, with all who would listen to him.  Paul had already visited the Corinthians and shared his faith with them, and now, in his letter, he urges them to do the same so that the abounding grace of God is shared by more and more.  The apostle spoke out about the resurrection of Jesus, and he assured his readers that the God who raised the Lord Jesus to life will with Jesus raise us too.

As the apostle called upon the Corinthians to speak out about their faith, we are called to do the same.  It is a faith in the risen Lord who gives new life to all who believe in him.  We who follow Jesus have been given that new life.  Our calling is to speak out about the risen Lord and to live as people who have been raised to life in Jesus.  We do so not only to win the victory of eternal life but so that other people may hear and enjoy new life in Jesus.

MY PRAYER

Lord God, I thank you for the gift of new life in Jesus.  Give me the love and courage to share that gift through my actions and words, so that I may be raised to life with you.  Amen.

Yours In Christ Jesus;

Jim Perry

Devotional 6-1-12

Lectionary Reading: Isaiah6:1-8

I, even I, am he who blots your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25

Irretrievably Gone

High on a sun-drenched ledge, you lean back and feel the breeze softly cooling your skin. With a deep contented breath of mountain air, you survey the lovely over-the-treetops view.

A small stone, just the right size for throwing, sits just within arm's reach. You lazily pick it up and watch transfixed, as your fist sends it sailing over the edge, down, down, to disappear far below. You do not see it reach the ground.

Think about God's forgiveness and how he assures us that he separates us far from our sinful deeds once we have confessed them, "As far as the east is from the west"----so far we cannot imagine retrieving them, any more than you can imagine retrieving that disappearing stone you just cast off the mountain.

The concept of forgiveness is all about casting off. In the original language, the idea of yielding up and casting off is central.

Your past sins need never become your identity. You are what you become from this moment forward. Satan, the Accuser, will try to tell you that your sins are not really gone; that their shadow will always hang over you. His lies can be very convincing, because we feel bad about the wrong things we have done and find it hard, sometimes, to believe God could really cast them away so far that they are forgotten! But don't allow doubts and self-destructive suggestions to invade your mind. If God says you are truly forgiven, then you are.

Remind yourself of the permanence of his forgiveness. In your mind's eye, return to that cliff whenever you are tempted to hold on to past sins. Pick up a stone, wind up, and hurl it as far as you can throw it into the thick, distant treetops. Is there any way you could find it after that? Why would you ever want to try?

Dear Lord, how wonderful it feels to know I am forgiven.

Mountain Prayers: A Vacation for Your Soul
Honor Books 2007

Kay Lewis