Colossians 2:6-7 -- So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,and overflowing with thankfulness.
Every morning that I can, after getting out of bed, I get a little fruit juice, and go to a place I have set up to read the devotional, "The Upper Room". This includes Bible scripture and then a story and prayer someone has written.
I enjoy this quiet time and pray for the rest of my day to please the Lord. By doing so, I feel I am doing as Jesus wants me to do. He is helping me through my day. I am also learning and renewing my faith in Jesus Christ.
What a glorious feeling to be rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith I was taught as a child and overflowing with thankfulness.
Let's pray: Our gracious heavenly Father, bless me as I take my quiet time to strengthen my faith in you and Christ Jesus. I am overflowing with thankfulness at being with you. Amen
Kay Lewis
Friday, July 26, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Devotional 7-19-13
In Luke 10:38-42, Martha has opened her home to Jesus. She is scurrying around making preparations for the visit. Her sister Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to what He has to say. Exasperated Martha asks Jesus to intervene and tell Mary to help her. Jesus answers, ”Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it won’t be taken away from her.” (NIV)
Pressures, demands on our time, tasks to be finished, appointments to be kept; everyone wants a piece of our time. Yet, Jesus is telling Martha that Mary has made the better choice. Relationships are important--with God, our families, our friends, and even strangers that we meet. Time is a precious commodity, but it doesn’t always take a lot of time to show someone you care and that they are important to you. My daughter and my grandson (almost 21 and no longer living at home) both work at Amazon. Their paths usually cross as he is coming to work and she is on her lunch break. He never fails to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her he loves her. When his friends give him a hard time, he said, “Hey, it only takes a minute, and it makes her day. When was the last time you hugged your Mom?” A minute out of his day and she feels loved and appreciated. A minute out of your day to smile at a stranger or say hello, and maybe offer a helping hand. A little act of kindness that can brighten someones day.
Of course the more time and effort you put into a relationship the closer you feel to that person. My mother-in-law recently passed away. We all would have liked one more hug--one more conversation with her. But, it really made me appreciate the long chats we used to have, the stories of her life she told me and that she allowed me to know her not only as a mother-in-law, but also as a person.
The more you open yourself up and honestly share your life, your dreams, your failures and your joys the closer you feel. It is the same with God with one big difference. There is no reason to fear His reaction or His rejection. He already knows and loves you and accepts you. But, in the telling you become closer to God. In the quiet listening after you finish you often come to new insights, a new peace and a closer relationship with God.
It is all too easy to get distracted by life, work, chores and worries. But relationships are not to be taken for granted. They need to be nurtured. Take care of your relationship with God, your family, and your friends. Don’t take them for granted. Schedule the time if you have to, but make them the priority that they deserve to be.
Margaret Williams
Pressures, demands on our time, tasks to be finished, appointments to be kept; everyone wants a piece of our time. Yet, Jesus is telling Martha that Mary has made the better choice. Relationships are important--with God, our families, our friends, and even strangers that we meet. Time is a precious commodity, but it doesn’t always take a lot of time to show someone you care and that they are important to you. My daughter and my grandson (almost 21 and no longer living at home) both work at Amazon. Their paths usually cross as he is coming to work and she is on her lunch break. He never fails to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her he loves her. When his friends give him a hard time, he said, “Hey, it only takes a minute, and it makes her day. When was the last time you hugged your Mom?” A minute out of his day and she feels loved and appreciated. A minute out of your day to smile at a stranger or say hello, and maybe offer a helping hand. A little act of kindness that can brighten someones day.
Of course the more time and effort you put into a relationship the closer you feel to that person. My mother-in-law recently passed away. We all would have liked one more hug--one more conversation with her. But, it really made me appreciate the long chats we used to have, the stories of her life she told me and that she allowed me to know her not only as a mother-in-law, but also as a person.
The more you open yourself up and honestly share your life, your dreams, your failures and your joys the closer you feel. It is the same with God with one big difference. There is no reason to fear His reaction or His rejection. He already knows and loves you and accepts you. But, in the telling you become closer to God. In the quiet listening after you finish you often come to new insights, a new peace and a closer relationship with God.
It is all too easy to get distracted by life, work, chores and worries. But relationships are not to be taken for granted. They need to be nurtured. Take care of your relationship with God, your family, and your friends. Don’t take them for granted. Schedule the time if you have to, but make them the priority that they deserve to be.
Margaret Williams
Friday, July 12, 2013
Devotional 7-12-13
Others
Psalm 82:1-4, Luke 10:25-37
The two readings above are from this week’s lectionary; their overall theme is helping others. And the passage from Luke is one we are all familiar with, the “Good Samaritan”.
When have we helped “others”? Has it been outside the walls of the church? Have we walked past someone in need? These questions are not to point a finger at inactivity but to make us think about how we should reach out to those in need.
Helping “others” may be as simple as making a monetary gift to an organization like UMCOR but why not go a step further and be part of a recovery team following a disaster, like flooding. Why not come down to JM on Thursday evenings and help serve food and even lend a listening ear to our neighbors attending Common Grounds? Trust me, you will be blessed. How about checking on your own neighbors during a prolonged electrical outage? Are they cool, do they need something from the store?
When you see someone that may need help and your gut feeling or inner voice says, stop and help, do you listen? I recently observed some young people doing just this on US Route 60 near Barboursville. (I had stopped at a traffic light to make a turn, and I observed what was unfolding). See, there is a gentleman who has everything he owns stacked high on a cart that he pulls behind a bicycle as he travels around the Route 60 and Barboursville area. Well, apparently the cart had gotten stuck, and he was trying to free it. (This I learned later) The young people had stopped to help him, when everyone else just passed by. Remember the Good Samaritan, stepping out of his comfort zone.
God has charged each of us to do “give justice to and rescue the weak”. Micah 6:8 “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.”
Pray;
God of justice, your word is light and truth. Let your face shine on us to restore us, that we may walk in your way, seeking justice and doing good. Amen. 1
1: from Revised Common Lectionary
The two readings above are from this week’s lectionary; their overall theme is helping others. And the passage from Luke is one we are all familiar with, the “Good Samaritan”.
When have we helped “others”? Has it been outside the walls of the church? Have we walked past someone in need? These questions are not to point a finger at inactivity but to make us think about how we should reach out to those in need.
Helping “others” may be as simple as making a monetary gift to an organization like UMCOR but why not go a step further and be part of a recovery team following a disaster, like flooding. Why not come down to JM on Thursday evenings and help serve food and even lend a listening ear to our neighbors attending Common Grounds? Trust me, you will be blessed. How about checking on your own neighbors during a prolonged electrical outage? Are they cool, do they need something from the store?
When you see someone that may need help and your gut feeling or inner voice says, stop and help, do you listen? I recently observed some young people doing just this on US Route 60 near Barboursville. (I had stopped at a traffic light to make a turn, and I observed what was unfolding). See, there is a gentleman who has everything he owns stacked high on a cart that he pulls behind a bicycle as he travels around the Route 60 and Barboursville area. Well, apparently the cart had gotten stuck, and he was trying to free it. (This I learned later) The young people had stopped to help him, when everyone else just passed by. Remember the Good Samaritan, stepping out of his comfort zone.
God has charged each of us to do “give justice to and rescue the weak”. Micah 6:8 “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.”
Pray;
God of justice, your word is light and truth. Let your face shine on us to restore us, that we may walk in your way, seeking justice and doing good. Amen. 1
1: from Revised Common Lectionary
Fred Herr
Friday, July 5, 2013
Devotional 7-7-13
Feeling Insignificant – in a Good Way
Recently the congregation of Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church was blessed with a visit from a former pastor, David Johnson. I always look forward to David’s sermons because he takes me down memory lane, reviews the lessons I was taught as a child, and then reminds me that I am breaking God’s heart with my disobedience. What really amazes me is that he makes me laugh and cry all the while. He has a way of making me feel insignificant – in a good way.
David shared a story about a hiking trip he took through the Appalachian Mountains when he was a young man. I will not go into detail because I will probably get it wrong, and besides, it will not be as funny as when he told it. As he described the trip, we could imagine the endless trees, heavy backpacks, and blistered feet. Just when I was thinking, “I’m glad I wasn’t there,” he continued his story. After he had put down the backpack and doctored his feet, he stepped away from the group into a clearing. He drew in his breath as he surveyed the vista before him. He said that at that moment he felt – insignificant – in a good way. As he admired all that God had created, he knew that he was a small part of the universe. Insignificant, yes. Worthless, no. The God who shaped the Appalachian Mountains was the same God who imagined, loved, and guided David Johnson.
As I listened to his story, I searched my recollections for a time when I felt particularly unimportant. Those of you who know me know that I have never been accused of suffering from low self esteem, so this was no easy task. Then I remembered. I was twelve years old, traveling to Boise, Idaho, on the train. As I watched the sun set over the Rocky Mountains, I remember thinking to myself that the beauty I beheld at that moment was no accident. And I felt insignificant – in a good way. The God who had created all that I surveyed was the same God who had taken a moment to imagine, love, and guide me.
I’m not saying that the twelve-year-old Becky Wright suddenly became the perfect child. There wasn’t a sunset long enough for that. But somewhere in my mind I tucked away the realization that I was part of something big, and that, maybe even more than my parents, kept me going back to church to learn more about that God.
Have you had a similar experience? It may not have included sunsets in the Rockies, hiking trips in the Appalachians, or a cruise on one of the vast oceans. It simply would have been a time when you knew God was there, and you were lucky to be there, too, no matter how insignificant it made you feel.
Please sing the following hymn as a devotional prayer.
“How Great Thou Art” by Stuart Hine p.77 in The United Methodist Hymnal
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Becky Warren
Friday, June 28, 2013
Devotional 6-27-13
Born Free!
Lectionary Readings for the Week: 2 Kings: 1-2 & 6-14; Psalm 77: 1-2 & 11-20; Galatians 5:1 & 13-25; and Luke 9: 51-62. "It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. that's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out--in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?" Galatians 5: 13-15
This week's passage from Paul's letter to the Galatians provides several instructions on how to live a God-like life. God has given us freedom to choose our life style. In verse 23, Paul invites us to take on the fruits of the Spirit: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as behaviors that signify that we are allowing God to guide our actions. The key to accomplishing this God-filled life seems to hinge on relying on God for guidance in all our choices and living out the commandment to love one another. When we choose to love, our actions and behaviors become more God-like.
At first reading, the freedom idea seems great. "You can choose any behavior or activity you desire." But then Paul shares the "rest of the story". "Be prepared: if you choose to live without God--you will have a life filled with all manner of negative emotions and heartache." In verses 19-21, Paul warns of results that occur when we try to get our own way all the time and that if we continue to use our freedom to live only as we choose, we will not inherit God's kingdom. God gives us freedom and with the freedom to choose, we must understand that there will be dire consequences when we choose to ignore the commandment to love one another.
I don't know about you, but my daily walk usually starts out with all good intentions for making wise use of my freedom of choice, but when I examine it at the end of the day, I am highly disappointed and I'm sure God is also. Loving my neighbor is easy enough for my friends and family, but what did I do for those not in my "inner circle"? It has been said that what we spend the most time and money on are the things that we value the most. My lack of regard for following God's will for my life shows up in my checkbook and debit card receipts. God is asking me to examine my DAILY choices.
Freedom is not easy. Freedom is not to be ignored or taken for granted, either. And it seems that the more we struggle with our personal freedoms and when and how we should be protecting other's freedoms, we begin to see how living a God-like life requires a greater effort on our part. We live in a very "connected" world. But are we connected to God and have we listened for His voice of guidance? Are we connected to the needs of those in our backyards? Have we noticed those around us who are not free to make their own choices because of poverty, infirmity or the prison of a lifetime of poor choices? What is God calling us to do with these observations? How can we "love our neighbor" a little better each day?
Paul says in verses 25 and 26: "Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. that means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original." (The Message)
Dear Gracious and Loving God, you have provided all the tools to guide our behaviors and you call us daily to listen to your guidance. We thank you for the bounty of love that you shower on us without reserve and the freedom to choose our path. We are heartily sorry for all our missed choices to serve one another in love. Please forgive our negligence and selfishness. Help us to make better choices each day that serve to increase our connectedness to you and to ALL our neighbors. AMEN.
This week's passage from Paul's letter to the Galatians provides several instructions on how to live a God-like life. God has given us freedom to choose our life style. In verse 23, Paul invites us to take on the fruits of the Spirit: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as behaviors that signify that we are allowing God to guide our actions. The key to accomplishing this God-filled life seems to hinge on relying on God for guidance in all our choices and living out the commandment to love one another. When we choose to love, our actions and behaviors become more God-like.
At first reading, the freedom idea seems great. "You can choose any behavior or activity you desire." But then Paul shares the "rest of the story". "Be prepared: if you choose to live without God--you will have a life filled with all manner of negative emotions and heartache." In verses 19-21, Paul warns of results that occur when we try to get our own way all the time and that if we continue to use our freedom to live only as we choose, we will not inherit God's kingdom. God gives us freedom and with the freedom to choose, we must understand that there will be dire consequences when we choose to ignore the commandment to love one another.
I don't know about you, but my daily walk usually starts out with all good intentions for making wise use of my freedom of choice, but when I examine it at the end of the day, I am highly disappointed and I'm sure God is also. Loving my neighbor is easy enough for my friends and family, but what did I do for those not in my "inner circle"? It has been said that what we spend the most time and money on are the things that we value the most. My lack of regard for following God's will for my life shows up in my checkbook and debit card receipts. God is asking me to examine my DAILY choices.
Freedom is not easy. Freedom is not to be ignored or taken for granted, either. And it seems that the more we struggle with our personal freedoms and when and how we should be protecting other's freedoms, we begin to see how living a God-like life requires a greater effort on our part. We live in a very "connected" world. But are we connected to God and have we listened for His voice of guidance? Are we connected to the needs of those in our backyards? Have we noticed those around us who are not free to make their own choices because of poverty, infirmity or the prison of a lifetime of poor choices? What is God calling us to do with these observations? How can we "love our neighbor" a little better each day?
Paul says in verses 25 and 26: "Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. that means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original." (The Message)
Dear Gracious and Loving God, you have provided all the tools to guide our behaviors and you call us daily to listen to your guidance. We thank you for the bounty of love that you shower on us without reserve and the freedom to choose our path. We are heartily sorry for all our missed choices to serve one another in love. Please forgive our negligence and selfishness. Help us to make better choices each day that serve to increase our connectedness to you and to ALL our neighbors. AMEN.
Chyrl Budd
Monday, June 24, 2013
Devotional 6-23-13
A Prophet Loses His Nerve
I Kings, chapter 18 and 19
The lectionary texts in recent weeks have followed the life of Isaiah. In one story, Elijah quite boldly, and derisively, challenged the prophets of Ba’al to a contest on Mount Carmel. Let the true God send fire to consume a sacrifice. The prophets of Ba’al cried out to their idol to no avail. “Call him louder!” Isaiah mocked. When their prayers failed, Isaiah modestly called to the one true God to send fire for the sacrifice. Fire came; and it consumed not only the bull offered for sacrifice but also the wood and stones of the altar as well as the moat Isaiah placed around the altar to flood the sacrifice. Isaiah then supervised a general slaughter of the prophets of Ba’al.
King Ahab learned of this and told his wife, Queen Jezebel. Jezebel, quite displeased with this news, threatened Isaiah with a painful, torturous death which, frankly, frightened the bejezebel out of Isaiah.
Isaiah discerned the voice of God telling him to go to God’s mountain, Mt. Horeb. He went, but rather than standing boldly on the mountain, Elijah hid in a cave. He listened for the voice of God which he did not find in the wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire. Rather, the voice of God spoke through a still, small voice. While God can choose however God wants to speak, in this case, it was in a “sheer silence” as some translations put it. “What are you doing here?” God asked him. Twice.
Eventually, Elijah emerged from the cave to stand on the mountain and receive his next marching orders from God.
Many readers of this text focus on the “still small voice” that spoke to Elijah. While it is important to listen for God to speak in whatever form God chooses, from the dramatic to the subtle, this text is more about God pursuing a prophet who had become frightened and who lost his prophetic courage.
Pastors and laity alike are called to serve God and to be in ministry. There are times when we can stand boldly with Elijah and speak for God. There are other times when peer pressure, criticism, desire to get along, or social fear get in the way and we feel weak or timid, perhaps embarrassed, to speak the word from God to an unreceptive audience or to a hostile world. Battle scars can make us weary for the work of God.
The lectionary texts in recent weeks have followed the life of Isaiah. In one story, Elijah quite boldly, and derisively, challenged the prophets of Ba’al to a contest on Mount Carmel. Let the true God send fire to consume a sacrifice. The prophets of Ba’al cried out to their idol to no avail. “Call him louder!” Isaiah mocked. When their prayers failed, Isaiah modestly called to the one true God to send fire for the sacrifice. Fire came; and it consumed not only the bull offered for sacrifice but also the wood and stones of the altar as well as the moat Isaiah placed around the altar to flood the sacrifice. Isaiah then supervised a general slaughter of the prophets of Ba’al.
King Ahab learned of this and told his wife, Queen Jezebel. Jezebel, quite displeased with this news, threatened Isaiah with a painful, torturous death which, frankly, frightened the bejezebel out of Isaiah.
Isaiah discerned the voice of God telling him to go to God’s mountain, Mt. Horeb. He went, but rather than standing boldly on the mountain, Elijah hid in a cave. He listened for the voice of God which he did not find in the wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire. Rather, the voice of God spoke through a still, small voice. While God can choose however God wants to speak, in this case, it was in a “sheer silence” as some translations put it. “What are you doing here?” God asked him. Twice.
Eventually, Elijah emerged from the cave to stand on the mountain and receive his next marching orders from God.
Many readers of this text focus on the “still small voice” that spoke to Elijah. While it is important to listen for God to speak in whatever form God chooses, from the dramatic to the subtle, this text is more about God pursuing a prophet who had become frightened and who lost his prophetic courage.
Pastors and laity alike are called to serve God and to be in ministry. There are times when we can stand boldly with Elijah and speak for God. There are other times when peer pressure, criticism, desire to get along, or social fear get in the way and we feel weak or timid, perhaps embarrassed, to speak the word from God to an unreceptive audience or to a hostile world. Battle scars can make us weary for the work of God.
Even so, this text reminds us that God still pursues us, as the Lord pursued Isaiah into the cave, with a claim on us and an embrace that can give us the nerve – the courage – the guts, if you will – to be bold in our faith.
In the church, we draw strength to serve God in the world outside. And in the church, others look to us for strength for their daily ministries. Let us faithfully and boldly emerge from Isaiah’s cave; and let us also be the support others need to stand firmly for the Lord.
Dear God, you gave your prophets difficult tasks and you gave them strength. When they faltered in sin, you chided them. When they stumbled with fear, you gave them new courage. Forgive us when we fail you and one another, and strengthen us for our daily walk with you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Rev. Jack Lipphardt
Friday, June 14, 2013
Devotional 6-14-13
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 Fr I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ --Matthew 25:34-36
A + B = X
A. In Alice Hoffman's book The Third Angel, a country doctor tells his daughter that when he makes house calls he usually encounters The Angel of Life, The Angel of Death, or The Third Angel. The first two are obvious but the third one needed an explanation. When one helps a Third Angel, one becomes a better person. In my Koinonia Sunday School Class, Theo Tippett was our Third Angel. By loving and caring for Theo during her fight with cancer, we all became better people and a more cohesive, purposeful class.
B. My friend Marv Jones taught our Koinonia Class on May 19. In the course of his lesson, he told us that in college he was not always the best money manager and more than once went hungry due to lack of funds. "I know what it's like to be hungry," he said. Therefore, when someone asks him for food, he'll give it to them. Not handing them money, but physically going to the nearest restaurant and buying them a meal.
X. My birthday was three days later. I had a good morning with my co-workers treating me to gifts and the parents of my students (thanks to a couple of well-placed signs) stopping by to wish me a happy day. As I left work I was feeling pretty loved. I stopped at Speedway on the way home. Since it was my birthday I got 200 extra Speedy Points! As I got out of my car and started the process of pumping gas, a young woman came up to me and asked if I could help her. She said she had not eaten in a while and was hungry. (Marv's words were ringing in my head). She said, "You can watch me eat if you want to." Translation: "I am not going to use your money to buy drugs." I told her to go inside and pick out some food and I would pay for it after I finished at the gas pump. When I went inside she'd selected a pizza. "This is big enough, I can have some now and save some for later." I told her to pick out a drink too. As I paid for it (and got my 200 points), she thanked me and hugged me. As I walked back to my car, it dawned on me that I had been sent a Third Angel for my birthday, and that was the best gift of the day.
Anita Gardner Farrell
Today, June 14, is my son Marty's 27th birthday. He was born the day before Fathers' Day. When my Dad came to the hospital to see us, I said, "Your Fathers' Day gift is on my dining room table." He nodded toward the baby and said, "That's gift enough." That's a nice memory. Happy Fathers' Day to all the dads reading this.
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