Time.....

I had a couple of clergy friends come to Centerville on Monday for a vist. They came for a couple of different reasons; the most important of which was so they could spend some time getting to know the new place I'm living in and the church I am newly appointed to. By the way, they both approve of the town of Centerville and of Centerville UMC! I'm delighted that my friends would choose to take the time out of their busy schedules and make the trip from "up north" to share time with me. We also got some sermon planning done on Monday, but in retrospect, that was the "bonus points" that came from their visit. The most important thing was their concrete way of saying by their presence here in Centerville that, "These relationships are important to me and because of that importance, I'm willing to invest my time and energy."

Time is a valuable resource in our lives; a resource we have choices about. Certainly many of us have parts of our days and time chosen for us; we need to spend a certain amount of time at our jobs, eating, sleeping, exercising, resting and doing other kinds of self care activities, but after we take care of the necessities of living, we often have choices about the ways we spend out time. The question then becomes, how are we going to spend our time? In ways that our uplifting, purposeful, and relationship oriented or in ways that might not be as helpful to our own lives and the lives of the people around us?

We are disciples of Christ; called to live out our joy and gratitude for the great blessings of the gift of the gospel in ways that show our thanks and appreciation to God. We show our gratitude in many ways; by attending worship, by our daily devotionals and prayer time, by our work and giving in mission, and by our willingness to be a good neighbor. Our time becomes an important consideration when we choose ways of expressing our graditude to God.

The ways we choose to use our time reflect our dedication and love for God. How are you spending your time today?

1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

In what ways are we showing to God our gratitude for the gift of time?

Faith for Tough Times

Late Summer Sermon Series

Faith for Tough Times – The Message of the Prophet Jeremiah

We’re living in the midst of challenging times. Uncertainty and conflict are pervasive in our world and in our personal lives. In our late summer sermon series, we’ll study and reflect on the book of Jeremiah, written in the midst of economic strife, social division, and personal struggles.

Jeremiah, one of the three major prophets in the Bible, prophesied from 626 to 586 B.C. Called as a young man to speak prophetic words to the people of Judah, he warned of impending judgment at the hands of the Babylonians if the people did not repent. Rather than repenting, they considered him a traitor. Many came to hate Jeremiah. Some plotted to kill him. He was even arrested and thrown in prison.

After Jerusalem was destroyed, the people remembered Jeremiah’s words of hope; those words sustained them during their exile in Babylon. Join us as we explore how Jeremiah’s life and words might help us to develop a faith for tough times and to live with hope for the future

 August 7, 2011                                A Fire Shut Up in My Bones

                                                                Jeremiah 1:4-9; 20:7-9

August 14, 2011                              Following Worthless Idols

                                                               Jeremiah 2; 10:22

August 21, 2011                             We Are Never Too Far Gone

                                                             Jeremiah 3:12-13; 7:5-7

August 28, 2011                           Hope When it All Seems Hopeless

                                                            Jeremiah 29:1; 11-14

I pray you can join us as we study and hear the message of hope from the Biblical book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 20:7-10

You pushed me into this, God, and I let you do it.
   You were too much for me.
And now I'm a public joke.
   They all poke fun at me.
Every time I open my mouth
   I'm shouting, "Murder!" or "Rape!"
And all I get for my God-warnings
   are insults and contempt.
But if I say, "Forget it!
   No more God-Messages from me!"
The words are fire in my belly,
   a burning in my bones.
I'm worn out trying to hold it in.
   I can't do it any longer!

Grandchildren

My daughter Sarah snapped this picture of my granddaughter Violet the other day as she was playing with her rubber ducky and watching a little bit of tv. Being a mother to Elizabeth and Sarah continues to be one of the greatest joys of my life; but I have to admit, there is something incredibly special about having a granddaughter. Not only is it a  joy to watch God's incredible creation of Violet Elizabeth grow, develop, learn, and relate to others, I also count it all joy to watch my daughter Sarah grow into motherhood with  all of its responsibility, sleepless nights, fun, satisfaction, and pure love and selflessness.

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
(Mark 10:13-16 ESV)