This last Sunday was our final Sunday worshiping with the Asbury United Methodist Church in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. We enjoyed the church and the service very much. Music director Bert Sesler led most of the services and we will always remember his distinctive organ playing. Even though the congregation was small, it was faithful. Today I …
From Worship Experiences
Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God
I mentioned before that I have been reading “My Utmost for His Highest” for my morning devotions. At one point I got curious about the author, Oswald Chambers, and looked him up on Wikipedia. From that I found that he died from appendicitis when he was only 43 years old. In fact, he didn’t write …
Holes in our Armor
During the summer, Tom and I visited Fort Ligonier twice. Both times we went, I spent some time with one particular exhibit in the museum. It is the coat and vest of a British ship captain who was shot in a battle. The bullet passed through his vest, through the back of the jacket, and …
Justice and Liberty for All
When you were a kid did you say the Pledge of Allegiance every day at the beginning of school? I don’t say it much any more, and I recently read it and thought about the words. “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it …
Disillusioned: Loving When Others Are Real
I recently read a Christian author’s thoughts on how God is disillusioned with us. This was a startling opinion because the definition of disillusioned is “disappointed in someone or something that one discovers to be less good than one had believed.” But this author went on to say that God doesn’t have any illusions about …
Therefore, We Will Not Fear
What are you afraid of? Tom and I were reading the traditional list of things people are afraid of. The number one fear: public speaking. Neither one of us has this fear, but I have plenty of others. I am afraid of heights. I didn’t used to be, but now I get these urges to …
Weightlifter or 90 Pound Weakling?
As I was reading my devotions this morning, I thought about the ways we have to work our spiritual muscles. If we want to be strong in Christ, we have to practice our spiritual workout. So, if we are growing in Christ, we are building our spiritual muscles. Maybe we even look like a really …
Saints and Sinners: Why Aren’t You a Saint Yet?
In my morning devotionals recently, Oswald Chambers asked the questions, “Why aren’t you a saint yet?” I just laughed the first time I read it, but I’ve come back to it several times since then. Despite the Wesleyan emphasis on going on to perfection, most of the people I meet in churches are not saints. …
Stretched in God’s Hands
I am a person who likes routine. Routine helps me feel like I am in control, even when events are spinning chaotically around me. I could be called a person of regular habits. Some of my routines are such ingrained habits that I occasionally forget that I have done them. Living life on the road …
Leap Tall Buildings with a Single Bound
When I was a kid, I watched Superman reruns on television. I always remember the beginning: “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound!” Of course, as children, my friends and I tried to be Superman. We would tie a towel around our shoulders …