A Summer Prayer for Grace God of gentle rains and warm sun, God who created me for growth, beauty and wisdom; too often I get stuck, grow impatient or fail to embrace the gifts you have given me. God of freedom, of liberation, of binding ropes being cut; too often I fail to see the […]
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The Adventure Continues… Yesterday our day was marked by two major events. One was the time we spend with a woman I met on my first trip to Haiti in 2011, Denise DeLafleur. She is typical of many of the people we’ve met and certainly the reason I return. She has a deep power faith […]
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Eternal and ever present God, we open ourselves to you in the spirit of reverent prayer. We pray for your guiding spirit as we have gathered to send these, your disciples, on a new and exciting journey. Your love has redeemed them, Your message has inspired them and your Holy Spirit has called them from […]
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So how is it that we can spend our entire lives in the church…working for Christ…serving the church…going to meetings…reaching out to hurting people…worshiping and joining in prayer with other Christians…and not be madly in love with God? As Rev. McShane writes, “We miss it…we skim right over the first, the most important, […]
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I awoke this morning to the dragon’s hot breath on my face. I was disoriented, not quite knowing where I was. I struggled to open one eye. Then another. And there he was. A dragon. A very big dragon. With three heads. Sitting in my bedroom, like so many mornings before, he was waiting. His heads swerved […]
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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Prayer of Confession: Merciful God, although You made all people in your image, we confess that we live with deep divisions. Although you sent Jesus to be savior of the world, we confess that we treat him as our own servant to meet our needs of purpose, power and pride. Although you are One and […]
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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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[gigya width="410" height="311" src="http://assets.myflashfetish.com/swf/mp3/mixpod.swf?myid=84850141&path=2011/08/19" quality="high" flashvars="mycolor=222222&mycolor2=77ADD1&mycolor3=FFFFFF&autoplay=false&rand=0&f=4&vol=100&pat=0&grad=false" salign="TL" wmode="window" ] Create a playlist at MixPod.com Related posts: Steve’s Playlist Timothy Keller Lectures 2 Timothy Keller Lectures IV Timothy Keller Lectures 3
READ MORE »Will you Walk with Me If you have learned to walk A little more sure-footedly than I, Be patient with my stumbling then And know that only as I do my best and try That I may attain the goal For which we both are striving. If through experience, your soul has gained heights […]
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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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Beginning Friday morning at 8:00 am, members and friends of the First United Methodist Church Family will come together to fast and pray for all those who suffer and die from hunger and hunger related diseases. We do this as an act of submission, trusting God to work within us a passion to do all […]
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Opening Statements: The prayers of God’s people in the Bible were offered at all hours, in every season and in every circumstance of human life. These prayers bear witness to the reality that a life of faith is built upon a heart of prayer. WHY PRAY? 1. We pray because we recognize that there […]
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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We reach out to people and welcome them into the church We have a direct responsibility for people of the “world” around our church, the community in which we study, work, shop, play, and so forth. In this world are people with many hurts, doubts, and questions. There are some who are new in the […]
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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 »“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, […]
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It’s easy to think that God’s not listening–especially when you’ve been praying for “one special request” longer than you can remember. When the nights seem endless and the days a struggle of uncertainty, you look to the heaven for some sign of direction, hope, and protection. What can we do when we’re waiting for an […]
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Lectio Divina Reading: Matthew 12:9-13 Jesus left there and went into their synagogue, where there was a man with a crippled hand. They were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they asked him, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?” Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it […]
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Lectio Divina Read John 13:1-5; 23 What would go through your mind, your heart, and your soul if you were able to reclining at the table with Jesus like John? Your head resting gently on His chest, feeling each breath, listening to the beat of His heart, feeling the closeness and His acceptance? How would your […]
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For the next 30 days I will be taking the Lectio Divina Challenge. Praying through and listening to God through the Scriptures. I hope you will look for updates and begin a dialog about the Scriptures. Luke 8:4-15 (NIV) While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, […]
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We talk alot about church growth, about motivation of the frozen chosen, and living as faithful discipleship in the post-modern world. All good questions to be sure, but I have come to believe that the questions behind all other questions is “why are we here?” It seems simple enough really. Surely everyone knows why they are […]
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Who doesn’t want to be blessed and have God’s favor? Those who received the blessing of the Lord in the Bible seemed to have amazing lives and were able to touch other’s as a result. Where will we be if we just ask God every now and then for His blessing? I’m not talking about […]
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Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me […]
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The Prayer of Jabez Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Bruce Wilkinson (Multnomah, 2000) This simple little book caused quite a stir a few years ago. Anything popular does. Is it theologically based or driven by a desire to manipulate God into responding to a formula we say like a mantra? Well, like all […]
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Dr. Steve Gedon