Dear Jesus

In preparing for today’s message, I began like I do any other time, which is to agree to do the message having no idea what I’m going to talk about, look at the lectionary, then pray, and pray hard that something will come to me or a scroll will fall out of the sky and land magically on my desk. So far the scroll hasn’t happened, but here’s hoping that today’s message brings a little hope and peace to us. Today’s lectionary actually talks about Prayers of the People. I act

Are you Thankful

Making a list of all the things we should be thankful for could prove valuable for the times in our lives when the going is tough, when we have troubles, problems and heartaches. Pulling that list out and reviewing those blessings might help us keep the times when we have troubles in perspective. It can be easy to become ungrateful and unthankful and that endangers our spirituality. Sometimes it seems that the more we are blessed, the more we become ungrateful. The more we

Going for the Gold

     As we look at today's scripture readings, 1 Corinthians 9:24-28 and 2 Timothy 4:7-8. the focus is on running the race to get to the ultimate prize with both passages being writtne by Paul. If you have participated in some type of competition you know that you weren't able to just wake up in the morning and go and compete without having spent time learning the rules, training for the competition and learning about proper form and technique. It also may take unsuccessf

Peace and Joy

      Romans 5:1, states that we have peace with God, and that peace comes through having a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. When we trust in Him, invite him into our hearts, that’s when we are justified in the eyes of God. Habakkuk 1:13. That God’s eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and he cannot tolerate wrong. We cannot approach God the Father, without having Jesus as our Savior. In John 14:6 Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and life; no man can come to the

Lambs and Wolves

Luke 10: 1-11 and 16-20 Provides the recipe so to speak of how growth and expansion are possible.

#1 Pray – Pray and pray fervently. My study Bible states that “Christian service has no unemployment”.  Bishop Trimble always said that “The Great Commission has no expiration date”. Jesus encouraged his disciples not just to do the work but to first pray for workers. He told them “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send out worker

Independence Day

As we celebrate our nations independence let us be grateful and give thanks for the men and women who have fought for our country and gave of themselves so that we all can enjoy the freedoms that we have. One of the most important freedoms we have is the freedom to freely practice the religion of our choice.

American liberty is a blessing from God. Because of our freedom we are able to express our faith and our beliefs and are able to share this faith freely with others. P

The Power of Friendship

What do you think of when you hear the word "friend"? Or who do you think of when you hear the word friend? One hopes that everyone has someone that they can call a friend, someone that will show you love, compassion, kindness, empathy, understanding, humor and honesty. Proverbs 27:9 states, "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. Another way to say this is "A sweet friendship refreshes the soul". 

Prodigal Son – Love Lavishly - Sanctifying Grace/Love Perfected

Luke 15:11-32 is the scripture for this week, the story of the son. Prodigal has two meanings - spending money or resources freely and recklessly; being wastefully extravagant or it can also mean having, giving or loving something on a lavish scale. Sanctifying grace imparts the purifying process that enables Christians to become more Christlike. This process is called sanctification. Methodists associate sanctifying grace with God’s unconditional love that empowers the lo

Who Me? Are you sure God?

One of the things I struggle most with is the unknown. Have I said I'm a Planner? Because yes, I'm a planner. I like to know the answers, know what's coming so I can prepare. I know God will be with me, but when things feel like they are spiraling out of control and I don't know which way to go or what to do, I can't tell you how many times I have said, "You know God, I would be much better if you just gave me your plan so I know where things are going to land. I'd really

Simple Acts of Kindness

Remember that sometimes the most simple acts of kindness may mean the world to someone. There are God stories happening every day. While I was getting ready today I heard this story: …Kids on the last day of school were instructed to write a few kind words about the person in front of them. The boy took them with him in a plastic bag to Vietnam where he was killed. After finding this note in his belongings, his father carried them with him until he passed away in 2010. His

Memorial Sunday

Memorial Day is a day for reflection, a day to remember the ultimate sacrifice that members of our armed forces have made in fighting for our country. We honor those that gave their lives that we may be free. It is a day in which we honor others who have given their life in public service as well such as fire fighters and police officers. Join us at the Geneseo Cemetery on May 26th at 10:30 for a brief service honoring those that have gone before us. 

Following God's Plan

Last Sunday we celebrated our graduating high school seniors. Mark Twin once said "The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why” The scripture was from Jeremiah 29:10-14. "For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me

The Ninety and the Nine

Most everyone knows the parableof the shepherd and the lost sheep. To paraphrase Matthew 18:12, a shepherd had 100 sheep. One evening he realized that one of his sheep had wandered away from the fold. The shepherd was so concerned about that one; he left the niney-nine to go find the one that had wandered off. Often sheep are raised in areas in which the terrain is very rugged. Shepherds use a shepherd's crook to help rescue sheep that have fallen into ravines and crevices

Forgiveness

“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” Luke 23:34.  This is considered a powerful expression of Jesus’ compassion and forgiveness, even in the midst of his suffering, asking for mercy for those who were in involved in his crucifixion. 

All that Jesus was put through, the betrayal by his followers, the trial, the physical suffering, and he asks the Father to forgive his transgressors. Besides being a powerful example of what we should do, what else can we lear

What is Maundy Thursday?

The word Maundy is derived from the Latin word for “command.” The “Maundy” in “Maundy Thursday” refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, that they should love and serve one another.   Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, and we remember this act by taking communion  see Luke 22:19-20. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an act of humility and service, thereby setting an example that we should love and serve one another in humil