Hope is much more than wishful thinking or having a “Polly Anna” attitude about everything. Hope is certainly realistic about the problems and pitfalls of life, but it isn’t overwhelmed by them. Hope has a healing quality about it that suffers pain like everyone else, but has a confidence that the day always follows the […]
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Sojourn: To dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a temporary resident or as a stranger, not considering the place as a permanent habitation; to delay; to tarry. I believe we all have a deep ache in our hearts to change lives and make a lasting, positive difference, to leave our […]
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HOPE: to cherish a desire with anticipation, to expect with confidence, trust Read: Luke 1:16-38 NIV Immanuel – God with us. The Presence of God in our world radically changes the nature of how we see and live each day. The Light of Christ shows us the world as it is and brings us the HOPE […]
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What is FAITH? Simple Definitions Quiz Match the words Faith, Hope, & Trust to their corresponding definition. (1) Once, all villagers decided to pray for rain, on the day of prayer all people gather and only one boy came with an umbrella — That’s called _______ (2) Example of feeling of a one year old […]
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In Part 1 of our series, Faith that Works, we described the essential elements that distinguishes faith from belief. Belief is a mental activity that agrees with something, but does not necessarily act on it. Belief is essentially passive in nature. Faith, however, is active and risks life and limb out of a deep sense of trust […]
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Faith has two elements: 1) being convinced of the truth, being certain of reality, having evidence of unseen things, and 2) then acting upon those truths to achieve a certain outcome. “There are things, say in learning to swim or to climb, which look dangerous and aren’t. Your instructor tells you it’s safe. You have […]
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“At that time Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” Matthew 11:25-26 When we get past all the frenzy of the Christmas experience, what’s left with the nagging […]
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We all have them, family members that cling desperately to the family tree you’re just positive dropped from a high branch at one time or another. We all have those crazy uncles, aunts or cousins that we just don’t talk about much, but you know they’re part of your gene pool. And if you can’t […]
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We must never loose sight of the fact that God engaged Mary and Joseph in a life story they did not fully understand, after all who could understand what God was up to when He decides to use an unwed teenage girl to give birth out of wedlock. It is nothing less than… Scandalous! I’m […]
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Our expectations are critical in giving us goals and standards for which to strive. Yet we can also be blinded by our expectations too! Each Year we prepare for Christmas with a flurry of activity, partly due to fear, guilt and competition to have the best dinner party, find the best gift or have the […]
READ MORE »The Deer’s Cry by Shaun Davey and Rita Connolly I arise today through the strength of heaven Light of sun, radiance of moon Splendor of fire, speed of lightning Swiftness of wind, depth of the sea Stability of earth, firmness of rock I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me God’s eye to look […]
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Week of September 11, 2011 On September 11, 2001 we experienced evil on a scale never imagined. Thousands died, 10s of thousands more were left to grieve over the loss of a parent, child, spouse or friend. This Sunday we remember the 9/11 Tragedy and rededicate ourselves to confront evil in our world with truth, […]
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For Them – Every Child deserves a chance to experience, explore and embrace God’s love in and among God’s people. When children see real life men and women living as disciples, they are encouraged to learn about God’s dream for their lives too. They deserve to have a place where people give generously of the time, talents and […]
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July 17, 2011 We drastically underestimate the power of sin. Sin, by its nature, hides itself. It crouches at your door; it always looks smaller than it is. Your sins are not done with you when you think you are done with them. But there is hope in the gospel. Why do we […]
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Week of July 10, 2011 Sin is more than just an action to be avoided, it is a power that is released in our lives that continues to enslave and choke the life out of us. In this passage from Number, God’s people are addicted to the pleasures of Egypt even though they hate the […]
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Celebrating Worship Imagine a young couple going to a 5-star restaurant. It is a restaurant without Styrofoam hamburger shells, chicken nuggets or soda fountains. This is a five star restaurant, the kind that makes a suit and tie for guys and dresses for ladies seem natural and appropriate. The couple enters and are greeted by […]
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Staff Parish Relations Team Communicate between the church staff and the church body on personnel issues and ministry focus. Make recommendations to Church Council on regarding staffing needs Confer with, consult, and counsel the pastor and staff on matters pertaining to the effective use of gifts, skills, and time to fulfill the mission and ministry […]
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Leadership Development Team The charge conference elects members for the committee on nominations and leadership development (formerly the nominating committee or committee on lay leadership). This committee or team serves throughout the year to guide the church council or alternative structure on matters regarding the leadership of the congregation (other than employed […]
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First United Methodist Church Leadership Values Christ Centered: Leads a Spiritually Surrendered Life We serve others as a reflection of how Jesus served and gave his life for us. Our first priority is to be spiritually centered in order to mentor other on our team into a deeper relationship with Jesus. Our personal goal […]
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Our church has a large screen in the front of the santuary for visual support of the worship experience. Now I realize that for some the screen is a nuisance and for others a sign of the decline of true worship. But for a new generation, images are more apart of their vocabulary than the […]
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As our soul grows in the love of God and journeys ever close into His Presence, our heart’s capacities also grow and expand to see the world as it could be: “Thou shalt enlarge my heart” (Ps. 119:32 KJV). Each year following Annual Conference I like to take time to sit in the Sanctuary […]
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The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way. (J. R. R. Tolkien) The Sacred Romance calls to us every moment of our lives. It […]
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Are you a grateful person? Can you list the 10 things you will miss the most when you die? “Gratitude changes the way we start the day, spend the day, and look back at the day. It defines us as people who value our relationship with God and those He’s placed around us.” – Nancy Leigh […]
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see Luke 22:14-34 the Cross became for the early church a symbol of hope, life and transformation. Yet it was to those outside the church a symbol of death, humiliation, and condemnation, certainly nothing to rally behind. So what made the Cross so powerfula symbol that people would change their lives because of it. Will […]
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And they lived happily ever after. Stop for just a moment, and let it be true. They lived happily ever after. These may be the most beautiful and haunting words in the entire library of mankind. Why does the end of a great story leave us with a lump in our throats and an ache […]
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THE POWER OF C-H-A-N-G-E Part 1 – Connect I’ve always heard that religion is about reformation. But Christianity is about transformation. Those two things are not the same. The former is about what a person can do to make self-improvements – Ladder People. The latter is about a person totally yielding to the Person of […]
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THE POWER OF C-H-A-N-G-E Part 1 – Connect Part 2 – Help Others I’ve always heard that religion is about reformation. But Christianity is about transformation. Those two things are not the same. The former is about what a person can do to make self-improvements – Ladder People. The latter is about a person totally […]
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Audio Podcast available here Based on Luke 16:19-31 Worship 04.17.11 Myths 6 Hell 2 Blessing of the Palms What is hell, then? It is God actively giving us up to what we have freely chosen-to go our own way, be our own “the master of our fate, the captain of our soul,” to get […]
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April 10, 2011 Worship 04.10.11 Myths 5 Hell Sermon Audio Related posts: Sermon Slides: The Importance of Hell Baptism: Beyond Words Love Forgives – Sermon Slides Breaking Free: The Addiction of Sin
READ MORE »March 11, 2011 As you have heard by now, Japan has experienced a devastating tsunami that was the result of an 8.9 magnitude offshore quake. The tsunami came ashore with a tidal surge as high as 23 feet, destroying virtually everything in its path. The number of dead and missing will likely reach into the […]
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Sermon Notes for July 25, 2010, see www.sermon.net/First_Church Igniting a Passion for Christ and His Church n Prayer plows the Hard Ground of a contented Parched – a crisis leave us dry, barren and alone. Weed-infested – the pace of life grows things we never intended Fallow – without use, we can forget that our […]
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Igniting a Passion for Christ and His Church n Is the Great Fish God’s Punishment or Grace? Punishment – God causes pain to keep us in line and on task. Gift – God uses pain to reveal our deepest need and His Presence n In the Belly of a Whale Jonah finds Immanuel “Where can […]
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It is all for him! “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus […]
READ MORE »A thousand questions is a wonderful Journey to find the heart of God. Related posts: Should Churches do Commercials? 7 Questions Every Church Must Answer Haiti Mission Society Video PandaMania 2011
READ MORE »It’s not about you! “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, …everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” Colossians 1:16 (Msg) “It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s life is in his power.” Job 12:10 (TEV) You were made for God, not vice versa, […]
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>> I’m reposting this article in order to help any reader who happens upon it. [Orginial by Rebecca Hagelin] You would think that teenagers growing up in the most prosperous society in history would be abundantly joyful. Even in these economic days of woe, teenagers spend an estimated 200 billion dollars a year on trinkets, toys, music […]
READ MORE »I think we all love a good story about an underdog that has been discounted and ridculed, only to rise above and be far more than anyone ever thought. These are the stories that leave us speechless and crying out for more. They are little glimpses of light that not everthing is as it appears. […]
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I’ve had this thought rolling around in my head lately and I thought I would share it with my friends in the hopes that you could help me work through the details. In the story of the Prodigal Son which I’m sure you know very well as found in Luke 15, we follow the experiences of […]
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Living with critics is never an easy thing but we all have them. Imagine after a major event you received 100 comments and 98 of them were very positive, what do you think would capture your attention the most? Probably the 2 negative comments. We alway give much more attention to negative critics than to the postive […]
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Recently, thanks to the help of Facebook, I’ve reconnected with some high school friends that I’d lost track of during my college days over 20 years ago. Even thought in some cases the names have changed and for an instant I had forgotten who they were, their faces gave them away. In every case it was always the smile […]
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Life is a story, not a task, not a script, not a competition, but a love story GOD God is the author of life’s story. The greatest commandment of all is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. The best, most enduring joy is found in Him. He is our greatest […]
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Lectio Divina Isaiah 43:15-21 I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: […]
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Dr. Steve Gedon