Devotional 6-24-16

The following devotion is not of my thoughts and words but  of my belief.
From Mountain Prayers - A Vacation for Your Soul,  Honor Books.

( Imagine you are at a cabin in our beautiful and contentment mountains of West Virginia.)

"True Contentment"

 

As night closes in, you step onto the deck of your cabin and gaze at the brilliant sliver of moon.  Darkness surrounds you.  Stars, like shimmering crystals, light up the sky.  A cool breeze flowing down from the mountain kisses your hair and skin.  The world once again is peaceful and quiet--content.

What a contrast to things back home---everyone pushing for bigger, better, and more.  But as you examine the vast canopy above your head, you realize a simple truth; real beauty, real value, real life, is often covered up by city lights.  The never ending advertisements urging you to buy this and eat that.  The constant pressure to be like those around you, to provide for your children the things others are providing.  The push to achieve more, make more, gain a higher position.  These are all loud and unnaturally bright, keeping your eyes from seeing the stars sparkling overhead.

  

Fortunately, the place has given you the opportunity to consider what you really have, what you really want, who you really are.  It has succeeded in screening out the noise and the distractions so that you can see 

clearly.

You will never be happy chasing after the things of this world.  God has placed a desire for eternal things in your heart and it will always be there deep inside, waiting to be discovered when the distractions have  been removed.  As you leave this wonderful place and travel back to your home in the city, don't forget the lesson you learned tonight.  The temporary, materialistic things of this world are only amusements. They cannot bring you true and lasting happiness.  They cannot bring you contentment.  Only God can do that.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, even here I close my eyes in prayer. I can see the precious things you have provided for me--love, courage, peace, family, friends, and most of  all, personal relationship with you.   When the things of this world begin to press in on me, demanding my attention, give me a nudge and I'll return to this quiet place where I know the meaning of contentment.  Amen
 

Kay Lewis

Devotional 6-10-16

CARING AND SERVING

In John 13:4-5 are found these words:  “So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron.  Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.” (The Message)

In the New International Version and many other versions it says he wrapped a towel around his waist, but I like the image from the Message of an apron.  Aprons were a common piece of apparel for my grandmother and she was a wonderful example of a caring servant.  She never took her apron off while she was at home unless she entertained company in the ‘front’ room. Her aprons served as splash collectors, pot holders, egg carriers and wash cloths. She dried our tears with a tissue she always kept in the pocket and let us borrow an apron to “help” knead the bread dough. I never saw her use it to wash or dry feet but I might have been away that day.

Her kind of service was quiet and loving.  She wasn’t boastful or attention seeking.  She fed her neighbors with the bounty from my grandfather’s garden, worked tirelessly on many church projects and served as a caregiver to many in the community who lacked other resources. And she passed on this gentle steady approach of serving others to all of her 9 grandchildren and countless others.

I recently (although I’ve been told it’s been around for a while) read a story of how an ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. About half the class met him at the library to receive their assignments. The professor divided the students into three groups of five each.

He gave the first group envelopes telling them to proceed immediately across campus to Stewart Hall. He told them that they had 15 minutes and if they didn't arrive on time, it would affect their grade. A minute or two later, he handed out envelopes to five others. They were also to go over to Stewart Hall, but they had 45 minutes. The third group had three hours to get to Stewart Hall.

The students weren't aware of it, but the professor had arranged for three drama students to meet them along the way. Close to the beginning of their walk, one of the drama students had his hands on his head and was moaning aloud as if in great pain. About half way to Stewart Hall, on the steps of the chapel, the seminary students passed a man who was lying face down as if unconscious. Finally, on the steps of Stewart Hall, the third drama student was acting out a seizure.

In the first group of students, those who had only 15 minutes to get across campus, no one stopped to help. In the second group, two students stopped to help. In the last group, the one that had three hours for their assignment, all of the students stopped to help at least one person. The professor had clearly shown these seminarians that “hurry” gets in the way of caring.

I don’t know how many extra points were given for participation or if the final exam was on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but this story certainly shows us that our daily life sometimes gets in the way of our calling to be a servant.  Sometimes our busy schedules keep us from noticing when someone needs a hand-up.

So I challenge you to find a way to don your aprons and be on the lookout for ways to care for others.  Sometimes it might be a random act of kindness – like allowing someone to go ahead of you in line or picking up an item that someone has dropped.  Or other times it might be some activity that you plan ahead of time, like serving at the Food Pantry or Common Grounds. Maybe you are called to “Pay it Forward” in some way or to send a card or make a phone call.  Listen for the call to service and God will bless the care you have shared.

Dear God of the lonely, the poor and the needy, we are sorry when we have let busyness get in the way of our service to you.  Please forgive us for our failings and guide us to reset our priorities to include your plan for our days.  Help us to put on our aprons to care for your children whoever they may be. AMEN.

Chyrl Budd

Devotional 6-2-16

Please read Psalm 146:3-8

Oh, what great friends we have! Have you ever thought about your friends? How many true friends can you have? There are the friends or classmates you had when you were in elementary school clear through high school. Some were closer to you than others, many memories were shared during those years. After high school graduation most everyone went their separate ways; to college, to vocational schools, and so on. Many got married, some to high school sweet hearts, had families, divorced, and worked at their vocations for 30 plus years, then retirement. A long with all those years there are health issues and sometimes loss of a spouse, a parent, or a child, which is difficult to cope with.

Growing up in a small town in southern Ohio, this was what our life was like. Most classmates left Gallipolis to further our careers but we left our hearts there. My graduation class of 1967 at Gallia Academy High School was the typical class as described above.

Two years ago after Caryl had retired and moved back to Athens, Ohio where Sonja already lived. Shortly after, two other classmates discovered they had breast cancer, a day a part and had surgery the same week. Caryl and Sonja wanted to “do something” to comfort them. So they invited those in our class to come to a Blanket making party to make the felt cut and tie blankets to give to classmates and to the cancer center at Holzer Hospital, in Gallipolis.

These blankets have been given to classmates, family, friends and cancer patients to show the Love, Hope and Comfort to the recipient. It is a reminder that they are not alone because everyone has special friend, Jesus Christ. God is the hope and the help of the needy, Jesus affirms his concern for the poor and afflicted. He does not separate the social and spiritual needs of people but attends to both. While God is the hope of the needy, we are his instrument to help here on earth.

We have been meeting once a month for over 2 years and have 12-15 members who make the blankets. Other classmates send love donations to keep this project funded.

This past April, ten of the blanket ladies went on a trip to Arizona to visit a classmate and to meet a wonderful new friend who we made a blanket for that had breast cancer and lost her husband right after she was diagnosed. We had a wonderful time and came back closer friends than before the trip. We are a close knit class who is very supportive of this project and our friendships. We are all looking forward to our 50^th class reunion in 2017!

We are all friends who share the Love and Concern for others through the “Best Friend” anyone could have, Jesus—we will never be alone because He will always be with us!

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for all you do for us, show us the way to show others who Jesus really is, someone who loves us and will always be there for us. Help us to continue to love and keep Jesus as our friend by showing others his love. What a friend we have in Jesus!

Amen
Melanie Herr