Vision 2017: from Good to Great “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great [churches], principally because we have good [churches]. Few people attain great lives, […]
We are the risk takers, the change makers, the Adventurers of life! Welcome to 2017! By now you should know we are on a great adventure as Christians. This means we do not shy away from challenges, we do not hunker down in fear or play the blame game. We are called, we choose, and […]
We’ve all seen these kind of yard signs pop up from time to time proudly proclaiming the arrival of a new child. Parents and grandparents overcome with joy make a bold public display so the world knows that love has arrived making this house into a home. Christmas is just like this, or at least […]
It seems to me there’s been a noticeable shift these days toward individualism, the pursuit of personal fulfillment and pleasure at the expense of community and religious participation. It feels like we’re becoming more isolated, more narcissistic and more dependent on technology for our social communities. As a result we’re seeing a decline in most […]
We are now into the third week after the flood and we still have people here at the church working each day to provide long term housing, supplies and food to those affected and in many cases devastated by the flood. Betsy Martin and Linette Gedon have been here each day making calls and coordinating […]
I think it is important to capture, and where appropriate celebrate, the state of the flood relief effort as of Monday, July 20, 2015. Almost immediately following the flood on Sunday evening July 12, WV UM Disaster Response Team called me to make plans for the delivery of flood buckets and emergency supplies to the […]
Today will be my first Sunday at Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church. I have very mixed feelings as I step in the Sanctuary for the first time. I have one goal for today, not to throw-up on the nice Sanctuary carpet! I have feelings of great anticipation and excitement at the opportunity to work with […]
In the movie Gladiator, the dying emperor Marcus Aurelius, asks Maximus, Marcus: “Why are we here?” Maximus: “For the glory of Rome” Marcus: “What is Rome, Maximus?” Maximus: “I have seen much of the world, and it is cold, and dark. Rome is the light.” Marcus: “Yet you have never been there!” Maximus believed in […]
A Vision – to inspire youth to know and trust God in all aspects of life, and to develop leaders who combine faith with creativity and action. (You cannot depend on your eyes when your faith is out of focus.) A Voice – to building confidence to accept, develop and share who they are and […]
“Jesus called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:2-3 4:1 These are pretty strong words that don’t get a lot of attention in a hyper-competitive and success-driven culture. Yet it may be […]
This is a must read by David Brooks The Moral Bucket List It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues. The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral — […]
“Becoming a Christian is a lot like moving to a new country; only it is more profound, because it gives us a new perspective on every culture, every worldview, and every field of work. In the long run, the gospel helps us see everything in a new light, but it takes time to grasp and […]
Happy People BY ORLANDO FEBRUARY 13, 2012 There are many ways for people to be unhappy, but happy people have common characteristics. That’s why a good way to be happy is to learn the common characteristics of happy people and apply them. Here I’d like to share what I learned with you. Without further ado, here […]
Loving God, I look at my life and feel lost. I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me of the place to which it leads. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think […]
Here is a brief update on the adventures of our intrepid explorers in a Haitian world of living, faith and friendship. Yesterday, Thursday 2.26.15, we woke refreshed. Everyone seemed so exhausted from our trip to DBR that we slept with a good solid breeze most of the night, fewer mosquitoes (but still some), and less than […]
Well I’ve been off the grid for the last several days. We’ve been out of cell service and definitely out of internet service. I didn’t write Monday evening because for some reason power is very sketchy during the evening and there is nothing more frustrating that writing a post and watch it disappear with a […]
My apologies for getting this out so late, but I tried to send THREE times yesterday and each time just prior to sending the power went out so I gave up until today. Here what I had intended to send yesterday. Well the adventure continues. Yesterday, 2.21.15, we visited Joseph and Martine’s home which is […]
Here is a brief update and the journey and the adventure that is our spiritual walk in Haiti. Last night, while under the star, Heather asked if there was a Scripture verse I could think of that spoke of the stars and of God’s majesty. I remembered and thank God He brought it to mind, […]
Today is our first day and the purpose is to find our way, get acclimated to the temperature and get some rest. Last night was horrible. It rained initially, so we brought our beds from the roof under a porch, When we thought it had passed we moved back to the roof. We were wrong. […]
“The Bible seeks to catch our lives up in a grand adventure, a great saga of God’s dealing with humanity – a saga begun in God’s journey with Israel, continued in the surprising call of God even unto Gentiles. The church is the product of that story.” – William Willimon, Shaped by the Bible The […]
10 SIGNS YOU ARE a Chair Two Christians Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In chapter 4 there is a list of the 10 signs you might be lukewarm (half hearted about being Christian). Lukewarm people attend church regularly, because that’s what good Christians do. Lukewarm people give money to charity and church…as […]
We all want to leave a legacy, to do something that will make a significant difference. We all want to know that the time we spent on this plant, the reason for our existence meant something to somebody. We want to leave a legacy. There are three things every legacy speaks to. (1) What is […]
Every one of us will leave a legacy behind when we die. So the question is not “Will I leave a legacy?” But rather, “What kind of legacy will I leave?” Psalm 1 is consider by many to be the gatekeeper or the entry into the psalms in both wisdom and theology. Wisdom comes from […]
Every one of us will leave a legacy behind when we die. So the question is not “Will I leave a legacy?” But rather, “What kind of legacy will I leave?” In his letter to the new pastor, Timothy, Paul shares his experiences and his wisdom as he mentors Timothy in his calling. Read 1 […]
Because there is a little bit of Scrooge in all of us. Christmas Past – You fear too much Are you becoming more the person you wanted to be, more the person God wanted you to be and the kind of person Christmas offers. Is there still a little bit of Bah Humbug in your […]
There is a little bit of Scrooge in all of us. GENEROSITY is the best cure for a Heart-cold It must flow OUTWARDLY: “I will bless you and you will be a blessing to others.” Gen 12 When we bless others, we feel God’s presence flow It must flow FAITHFULLY: Give us today our daily bread. Matthew […]
Every one of us will leave a legacy behind when we die. So the question is not “Will I leave a legacy?” But rather, “What kind of legacy will I leave?” In his letter to the new believers in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul reveals three characteristics that produce a long lasting spiritual legacy: faith, hope […]
When we think about the purpose of Christmas we often fall back on classic hymns, but they can often be misleading. Consider “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” God rest ye merry, gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day To save us all from Satan’s power When we were gone […]
Sermon Slides: Christmas Eve Service 12.24.14 Charles Dickens published this classic work on December 19, 1848 and it quickly became a best seller. The message is timeless and the journey from miser to benefactor is one every person on earth must travel. This Christmas Eve, we consider the story of the birth of Christ learn how […]
I believe more people are afraid of the reality of grace than not. Grace, as defined in the Bible, is confrontational and deeply troubling. It demands a response and says this is the right way to live and to be human. In the face of grace all our delusions, well crafted excuses and alternative realities […]
For many years now I’ve wanted to send you a Christmas gift to celebrate your life, for all the times you’ve watched over me and for the all ways you’ve inspired me, but there always seemed to be something that got in the way, and as you already know I’m the […]
Jesus has had without a doubt the greatest influence on world history, social structure, political structures, national boundaries and our understanding of human existence than any other person in history. We still study his teaching, dissect and parse his words, mine his parables and seek to look through the lens of spirituality he reveal as […]
O God of my heart, when I look back on all that I have been given, create in me a grateful heart; when I have food enough, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work to engage my hands and mind, help me to remember those seeking opportunities; When I have […]
We all go through difficult times in our lives, times when we feel like no body else understands what we’re going through or what we need. We hide behind smiles and tailored suites and dresses secure in our misery of loneliness. If only someone understood, if only someone could share the burden, if only someone […]
The value of any belief, virtue or goal in life is directly proportional to the amount you are willing to risk to achieve it, the obstacles you will face to make it come true and the time that must sacrificed to grow into it. In a world of quick fixes and sound bits, values and virtues […]
I had this discussion with my daughter the other day, is it really possible to be a Christian, believing and serving God, and an Economic Atheist, trusting and serving yourself as your own god of money? I say emphatically, “YES.” I think it happens in church and faith community all the times. There are simply […]
The men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:33 There they are, […]
There comes a moment in everyone’s life when we feel our back’s up against the wall, something has got to be done and God seems silent. We pray, we plead, we promise and we prostrate ourselves in the hopes that God will take away the pressure. The History of the Bible is filled with such […]
When God appears to Moses and to the Hebrews, it is a far cry from what they had expected as it usually is with us as well. We look for God to take care of our problems, solve the predicament we’ve gotten ourselves into, forgive every selfish decision, overlook every grievance and in general bless […]
We all go through seasons of dryness when the joy and excitement of new life seem to be a distant memory. Actually we feel like God has abandoned us and life as we know it has come to an end. If you’ve never felt that way, hang on because it is a basic human experience. […]
We don’t know much about the life of Moses, but we do know it was a life marked by change, disappointment, spectacular challenges and unimaginable encounters with God that would require courage and humility. Yet each of us will go through a season of change and time of become someone different. What can we learn […]
Prayer for the Parents and Students of the Leap Ahead Learning Center Lord, I thank you for the gift of these children and the exciting opportunities they will have this year to grow, learn and make new friends. We hold each of these children as a special gift and a sacred trust from You […]
My Mission: To make a difference in this world in light of the next. People often give me a rather curious look when they hear my story about changing careers from being a research chemist to spend my life teaching and preaching about God’s love and grace. After all, where does faith fit in […]
Moses, the great Old Testament Leader, was also deeply wounded by issues of rejection, abandonment and isolation. We can learn to face our own pain and suffering with courage because we know that God did not abandon Moses but worked through his life to build a relationship that is deeply personal and healing. Sermon Notes 08.24.14 […]
Waiting on God: How to Trust in God’s Timing Have you ever been in a situation when you have been waiting on God? Maybe you have been waiting for healing, for a new home, a job, or some other kind of change that you desperately need. We’re all at some time or another in a season […]
We each need our own Aldersgate Experience in which the presence, power and purpose of God are made real and personal. For John Wesley and for his brother Charles, that moment would be the convergence of Failure, Faith and Grace all coming together in one inexplicable moment of spiritual transformation. On May 24, 1738, John […]
Each day we are bombarded with all kinds of advertisements, enticements to be more, have more and look more successful than we feel. In our rush to do everything we’ve got scheduled, to enjoy all that we have amassed and build all that we have in mind to build, we look past a certain group […]
We live in a hyper-competitive world where celebrity and champions are singled out at the highest achievement of success. This means, of course, that 99% of the world’s population are not successful and struggling to reach the top. Is this really the way life was meant to be, struggle all your life, accumulate all you can, […]
“While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.” ― Groucho Marx “If I could just win the lottery, then all my problems would be over!” Have you ever heard someone make a wish like that? I know I have. Money is usually elevated to a god-like status […]
“The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart.”― John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life Jesus says, “To what can I […]
We as a people are defined by what we believe, what we profess and what we act upon. In the United States “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” I would take almost two centuries for us to figure out what that really meant. When we consider what it […]
Holy Communion (or the Lord’s Supper) is a mystery too deep for words. Its meaning and impact will vary for each of us depending upon circumstances in our lives and growing faith in Christ. But three essential meanings are caught up in this proclamation in our Communion service: “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ […]
The change in the attitudes and actions of the early disciples was evident to everyone who saw and heard them. Some where fishermen who now spoke with a passion and authority few had seen before. Some were peasants who were now willing to give all that they had to the poor even to the point […]
“I was in Prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:36 The slogan of Kairos: Changing Hearts, Transforming Lives, Impacting the World is the essence of what Kairos does. CHANGING HEARTS During the initial Kairos weekend, Kairos volunteers serve as God’s instrument through which His love, grace and mercy are expressed to the participants/guests in a […]
“Christian faith is not blind faith. It is the wakeful expectation of God, which touches all the senses. The early Christians prayed standing up, looking up, with arms outstretched and eyes wide open, ready to walk or to leap forward. Their prayer posture reflects tense expectation not quiet heart searching. “We do not watch just […]
Let’s go forward by faith. Faith that my little bit is precious, unique and necessary. Faith that God will do miracles with small offerings, like mine. Faith that God called us by name, sent us by design and waits only for pure obedience. we are not successful by what we accomplish, but the depth of […]
Have you ever felt lost? I don’t just mean confused, disappointed, or frustrated, I mean desperately searching for a way when you’ve lost your way. Your heart is racing, there are sleepless nights and you feel you’ve reached a dead end. This way of existing, of course, leads to more stress, which leads to more […]
As Jesus led the disciple out of Jerusalem, they pointed out to him the magnificent buildings of their history, faith and hope that one day the Jewish people would rise to power again. Jesus all but dashes that vision by telling them that in the not so distant future, every stone, every hand carved pillar, […]
Imagine standing before a judge in court about to be sentenced for your crimes or for a debt you owe. In the back of the court room stand your wife and children who are dependent upon you for their survival shivering in fear for the life they must now endure. Your sentence will profoundly affect […]
Each parable Jesus uses is meant to illuminate some spiritual principle or value unique to the Kingdom of God that we don’t really understand very well by getting us to engage in a story that we do understand and perhaps have even lived. Parables usually begin by saying something like, “The Kingdom of God is […]
The Purpose of the Parables “Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (v. 17). – Matthew 13:12–17 What is the purpose of parables? Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:12–15 that He speaks in parables […]
In 1799, fifty years before the California gold rush, gold was discovered in North Carolina. At Stanfield in Cabbarus county a 12 year old boy found a nugget weighing 17 pounds. His father, John Reed, not knowing what it was, used it as a doorstop. In 1802 he took it to a market in Fayetteville. […]
We celebrate Easter each year because it is our defining moment, it is the light in a dark world, it is the courage we need in a harsh world and it the promise of victory when confronted with pain and hurt. We, as Easter People, have a distinct advantage over the rest of world. It’s […]
2014 Garage Sale Handout Each year we collect our excess, our unwanted trinkets and our overpriced treasures and offer them to be sold for God’s Kingdom and for God’s Glory. This year we raised over $4,700 to touch our community, our nation and our world with the love and Grace of Jesus Christ. Let’s join […]
At some point in our lives we must all make choice either by intention or by default. Sometimes that choice is intentional based on sound reasoning and careful, even prayerful, consideration of the results and the costs associated with a particular path. Other times we abdicate our choices to time and chance and simply accept […]
Imagine a young man running up to you desperate to ask a question before you turned to your next appointment and the opportunity was lost. Out of breath, he captures your attention and greets with traditional politeness, “Good sir, what should I do with my life?” I suppose Jesus could have answered the obvious question […]
In part I of this series we looked at the styles and reasons Jesus asked people seemingly simple questions. They were questions that drew the listener into a deeper conversation about their life, what they were doing and where it would ultimately lead. In John 5 Jesus asks a man paralyzed for 38 years, “Do […]
This started out as an exciting day even though it was to be our last full day in Haiti. We had lots of plans. The main event was to take the boys to a beach for a little play time. How we would get there, where we would go, and how we would get back […]
Jesus constantly challenged his followers as well as the authorities that always seemed to be hovering around to think differently about the world and their place in it. We are no exception. Jesus’ words challenge us, invite us, and prod us to move in new directions. As we embark on this journey through Lent, we […]
There’s always more stories to tell. At the risk of boring you with mountains of details which may or may not have significance to you, I will try and summarize as the days events the best I can recall. There is a church in a place called Fon Chwal (deep horse) which is about 45 […]
I suppose one of the unintended outcomes from any mission experience no matter how well or how poorly it is organized is how it moves you beyond your comfort zone and into the Kingdom as Jesus described it. Beyond the boundaries of the ordinary, you are challenged get to know other people, learn to adapt […]
Sometimes I wonder as I post these pictures and tells these stories whether I am making the mistake of telling them in such a way that makes the reader feel like this is some sort of vacation, a grand adventure like going from one exciting roller coaster ride to another while leaving out all the […]
I have mentioned that in previous trips we encountered a woman of unusual vision, spirituality and conviction. Denise Saint Fleur has had a powerful impact on us in previous years and especially on the team last year. [Check out last years post] So Naturally we were eager to reconnect with her, see what had become […]
Dear Reader and fellow Mission-travellers, I apologize for not keeping you, our readers and supporters, up to date on the journey on which you sent us, but it was not for lack of trying. The internet connection (3G through Natcom) was not working for reasons known only to God and the Haitian communication team. Although […]
March 13th, 2014 at 12:00 pm EST (we will be returning home tomorrow and should arrive in Columbus by 10:30 pm) “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Martin Luther King, Jr. (1) Pray because God has heard your prayers and is already doing amazing things! […]
Will You Pray with Us Today? March 11th, 2014 at 12:00 pm EST (1) Pray because God has stirred your heart and desires to share something with you. (2) Pray because you know there are forces aligned against us that do now want this mission to succeed. Trust that our prayers will be effective, powerful […]
Do all the good you can Reflecting the image of Christ in our actions, attitude, and relationships. Doing what He did as our gift to God. By all the means you can In worship, in prayer, in giving, in serving, with time, compassion and gratitude. In all the ways you can By building something or […]
“Sympathy is no substitute for action” David Livingstone I opened the cards people sent to us and I received the following Quote: “You have to leave the city of your comfort and Go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself” – Alan Alda I […]
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” Mahatma Gandhi I personally thought that was a pretty impressive quote to start this trip. I consider you, the reader as an integral part of our ‘small body of determined spirits…” We would certainly not be […]
Pray With Us Today! March 7th, 2014 at 12:00 pm EST (1) Pray because God has laid it upon your heart. (2) Pray because we need your help, your support and your encouragement for problems, dangers and challenges yet unseen. (3) Pray because you are the key to making a real lasting difference! (consider Daniel […]
To Know Him better… Well, it’s early in the week, long before you will actually get this email, and I’m sitting at my desk and there’s snow on the ground. My mind is naturally drifting toward Haiti and the packing that still needs to be done and the details that need to be ironed out. […]
Every church I’ve ever known has been plagued by division, complaining and factions that tug and pull at the heart and soul of the Gospel often leaving it in tatters. People outside the church who are looking for something to believe in see what is happening and believe the Gospel of Jesus, a […]
Does Membership really matter? We live in an age of skepticism and individualism. So naturally we are skeptical of the Church and see little if any reason to sacrifice our individual freedoms by placing ourselves under the authority of a church, imperfect and flawed as it is. So is it really necessary? ABSOLUTELY. When you […]
Do you feel blessed, grateful, joyful and happy? Probably not. We live in a competitive world where we see each gift as a stepping stone to the next higher achievement. We want more and we’re never really quite satisfied with where we are and yet never quite arrive at where we want to go. We […]
What is your reason for being bored and or boring? And of course why do people get bored in the first place? “When people are bored, it is primarily with their own selves that they are bored.” (Eric Hoffer) What if you made your Life a Daily Adventure? I’ve heard people say that if certain […]
I thought all my problems would be solved when I became a Christian. But in many ways they have increased. Maybe they didn’t tell me, maybe I didn’t read the fine print, maybe I didn’t want to know. Cost? Pain? Sacrifice? Surrender? These elements don’t fit into the American way of life of avoiding discomfort […]
Everyone needs to belong to someone, somewhere that gives each day a reason. Without belonging or connecting to others in deep meaning relationships, we become lonely, isolated and depressed. This depressions destroys our health, saps our energy and makes a mockery of our hopes and dreams. When God created Heaven and Earth, He looked at […]
W. C. Fields once said, “I never want to belong to any organization that would have someone like me for a member!” W. C. Fields is known for his bar room humor and his disarming charm as an irrepressible drunk. His humor was based on his ability to say out loud what most people were […]
It was a cold Sunday morning when we gather for worship last Sunday. We gathered to thank God for the blessings of a warm homes, the ability to gather freely and desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Our focus last Sunday was on Putting First Things First in our lives. One of […]
Would you describe yourself as a Dog Person or a Cat person? A Dog person looks at life and says, “you feed me, you care for me, you play with me and make me feel loved… YOU must be God.” A Cat person looks at life and says, “you feed me, you care for me, […]
Psychologists tell us that there are 3 major “wants” in life. The first “want” is to want comfort – to want food when we are hungry, to want something to drink when we are thirsty, to want a cool place when we are too hot, to want shelter from the storm. We want to be […]
Guest Pastor, Rev. Meredith Grudger-Raines shared a message of hope everyone should hear. Enjoy. Sermon Audio:Meredith Grudger Raines 1.5.14E Meredith Grudger Raines 1.5.14L Related posts: 3 Most Important Spiritual Questions Just how far? Is Evangelism Important? 7 Questions Every Church Must Answer
Each year it’s the same. We say good bye to the previous year by celebrating the fact that we survived another one, and we look apprehensively to the coming year with unknown troubles, unexpected joys and opportunities to become more than we currently are. Life moves faster and faster and we feel we’re falling […]
We all have our favorite Christmas movies, the ones we watch year after year – movies that bring friends and families together, that inspire us, and that make us laugh. And sometimes, they remind us of what Christmas is all about – the timeless story of hope and joy and love – the birth of […]
None of us get through life without a few detours. They come at times we don’t expect, they challenge us to say the course and they force us to realize that control is partly an illusion. Opportunity comes with so many different faces that we often don’t recognize it. That’s probably […]
God interrupts the monotony that is our day to day life and offer a new challenging way of life. Appointments to be kept. Tight schedules to maintain. Routines established. That’s how most of us try to live our lives. But what happens when life is interrupted with something totally unexpected? What happens when God steps […]
A Life set on Autopilot is bound to crash and burn sooner or later. Many children are set on a path early in their lives – graduate from high school, go to college, graduate from college, fall in love, get married, buy a house, have children, retire, have grandchildren, die. It’s the American Dream. Yet […]
“To be inspired is great, but to inspire is an honor.” Stacey T. Hunt As we approach the Christmas gift, we must wrestle with the impact that God’s gift has had or will have on our lives. Jacob did not expect anyone on the mountain that night, but the unexpected showed up. Jacob wrestled with the […]
To say that Mary’s life was interrupted when the Angel came and spoke with her, revealed God’s plan and her purpose in it is a understatement. Mary’s plans of marriage, family and domestic home life was put on hold and God revealed to Mary that she was more than even she knew. She had found […]
Appointments to be kept. Tight schedules to maintain. Routines established. Projects to be completed… The list goes on and one. That’s how most of us try to live our lives in a seemingly endless cycle of doing stuff so we can buy more stuff, so people can envy our stuff. But what happens when life […]