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

Devotional 5-24-12

Pentecost--Breath of God
 

Lectionary Readings:Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b; Romans 8: 22-27; John 15:26-27 & 16: 4-15.
"When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force--no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them." (Acts 2:1-4 from The Message)

One of my favorite choral works is "Elijah" by Mendelssohn. It contains many special passages, but one that inspires me is a tenor aria with the lyrics: "If with all your hearts ye truly seek me, ye shall ever surely find me. Thus saith our God." God promises to be available, to be approachable, to never leave us comfortless. His very breath gives us life. His word creates anew all living things. He asks that we seek Him and wait for His presence to fill us.

That was the instruction to the disciples--to wait in the upper room for the promise of a baptism of the Holy Spirit. No one in that room knew how or when the spirit would be made known. Luke describes the scene as a wind that came without warning--filling the entire building. Then each individual was filled with the fire of the spirit which ignited their very souls. The "fire" ignited the birth of the church--the spread of the "good news to the world."

As "modern" Christians. we are not very effective in the art of waiting. We live in the instant gratification era--cell phones, I-pads, Instant messages, Insta-grams, etc. Waiting, according to Paul, should be like the pangs of pregnancy where the waiting increases our longing for delivery. The longer we wait, the higher our expectations are for a joyful result. But do we approach the Holy Spirit with this high level of expectation? Do we seek the challenge of a creating God who will mold us and re-fire us? Do we just take it for granted that the Holy Spirit is somewhere 'out there' and never seek a true baptism of its power in our lives? What would happen if we became seekers of the Holy Spirit?

There is a song by Michael W. Smith : (hear him sing this by doing a "you-tube" search)
This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm, I'm lost without you.

Are we desperate for this wind which is the breath of God? The Hebrew word is ruach which can mean "air in motion", "breath", "life" and also "spirit". The Greek word used in the Acts scripture is pneuma. Translated into English,pnuema means "a current of air", "breath", a "breeze" or "spirit". As an adult we normally breathe 12-20 times each minute. Our brain takes care of sending signals that cause the diaphragm and rib muscles to contract to create an inhalation. We don't have to think about it. We are dependent on the exchange of air during the act of breathing for our very life. If there is a problem with the breathing process, we become desperate for air.

God is waiting for us to seek His breath. The Holy Spirit is our promise of relationship with Him. Let us take on the task of waiting for the Spirit to fill us. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." (Psalm 150)

Jeff Taylor wrote this prayer and although I don't have his permission, I include it as our prayer for this day:

Dear God, by the Power of Your Holy Spirit, create us anew. Give us the breath to sing your praises and the faith to soar with you. Give us power to discern what you call us to be and to do. Come Holy Spirit, come! Amen.

Chyrl Budd

Devotional 5-18-12

A Day of Miracles

John 6:1-13

The crowd was thick.
Anticipation was heavy in the air,
Carried on the heat of the day,
And on the wings of the flies.
Something was about to happen.

Philip stood next to Andrew,
His eyes squinted against the sun.
"He wants us to feed all of these people."
They looked out over the crowd.
A sea of faces.
Expectant and hungry.
Hungry for bread.
Hungry for the Bread of life.
He looked at the coins in his hand,
And said, almost to himself.
"He asks the impossible,
We do not have enough."
Philip left to speak with Judas,
Still shaking his head.

Andrew stood at the edge of the crowd,
Feeling the weight of scarcity.
A small boy, who had been standing nearby,
Came to him, and tugged on his robe.
He held up his basket, grungy and dirty.
He said, "I have this.
Will it be enough?
You can have it all."
Setting it down at Andrew's feet,
He looked up.
He was missing teeth,
But his smile was complete.
Andrew smiled back,
Patted the boy on the shoulder,
And thanked him,
For his food,
And for his generous spirit.

After the boy ran off to rejoin the crowd,
Andrew picked up the basket.
He always took everything to Jesus --
People, questions, fears.
He supposed this was no different,
Although he felt like a fool.
Shaking his head as he argued with himself,
He carried the basket to where Jesus sat.
"A boy gave me this.
Five loaves, two fish,
I know it's not nearly enough."

Jesus smiled at Andrew,
And told him to have everyone sit down.
They shared the field,
They shared in thanksgiving.
They shared the food.
They all were part of a miracle.

When everyone had been fed,
Jesus had one more transformation to perform.
He sent his disciples into the crowd,
So that they could be changed.
So that their small faith, their attitude of scarcity,
Could be enlarged by witnessing abundance.
What had been small, had been changed to excess.
What had been the generosity of a boy,
What had once been the seed of love,
Had born the fruit of a miracle.
Where the disciples had seen the impossible,
Jesus had shown them more than enough.

It had been a day of many miracles.

Kim Matthews

Devotional 5-11-12

I have been thinking about Mark Conner's devotion about being tricked. (Read it here.) I think I am a good person. I do things everyday to try and make a difference to others. Yet I know I fall short as I am only hunan. I had never thought about Jesus being tricked as he walked through those palms and recieved those joyous shouts on Palm Sunday. He knew what was lying ahead for Him. Did the people around him? I guess not. They thought that He was on his journey to be glorified. Do I not think that being a good person and doing good things and having people think that I am great will glorify me? Honestly, I do, but is only when I hear about the difference that I have made as a result of my deeds that I feel good about what I have done. I like to call it a double blessing. If I have made a difference in some way and heard how it has made a difference, I expierence a double blessing. The goodness I have done comes back to me and that is when I really feel good about -- what I have done.It is contagious. The more I do, the better I feel and the better I feel, the more I want to do good things.

Jesus walking on those palms set the example for me to experince the double blessings everyday in my life. Granted He had to die for us to figure this out. He allows us to walk on palms everyday and to glorify ourselves through his example. The good feeling is just waiting for you if you are willing to walk on the palms with Him.

Jean Ramsey