“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46 is one of my favorite Psalms. It starts off with the wonderful verse, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.” God is our refuge. The definition of refuge is “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, …
From Worship Experiences
You Intended to Harm Me
In Genesis 50:20, Joseph responds to his brothers who had beat him, sold him into slavery, and told his father he was dead. His brothers are worried because Joseph is now a man of power and they fear he will take revenge on him. But Joseph responds to them, “You intended to harm me but …
Aldersgate United Methodist Church
Yesterday Tom and I attended Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Shelby, North Carolina. We had intended to return to King’s Mountain, but as we talked about it during the week, we realized that neither of us had enjoyed the experience at King’s Mountain very much. So I spent one evening researching United Methodist Churches in …
Central United Methodist Church
This morning Tom and I visited Central United Methodist Church located in Kings Mountain North Carolina. We attended the 8:45 service which is the “contemporary” service held in the Family Life Center. We got there about 10 minutes early and we were the only ones walking in to the church. That made us a little …
Follow a Star
Yesterday at Linworth UMC we got to hear Rev. Gene Folden preach. Linworth has three pastors, and they all preach regularly, but Rev. Folden is my favorite. He preached about the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), because it was Epiphany Sunday, and how they left everything to follow a star. There have been times, since Tom and …
Anna’s Story
Yesterday at Linworth UMC, the young Associate Pastor Matt Yoder, preached on “Anna’s Story.” Anna is one of those peripheral people in the Christmas story. She appears in the story when Mary and Joseph take the baby Jesus to the Temple to be dedicated. Anna is part of the symmetry of Luke’s gospel. Luke’s Christmas …
Rough Places Smooth
From Isaiah 45:2-3 (NAS): “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.” Tom and I have been in some rough places in the last year. There have been some rough roads …
Be the Light
Jesus is the light of the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 Yesterday Tom and I attended worship at Linworth United Methodist Church in Columbus. This is the church closest to John and Jackie’s house and it is a wonderful church. Yesterday there were 600 …
A Church Family
Yesterday morning Tom and I were able to worship at Peachblow United Methodist Church. It was the first time since August that we have been able to worship in the morning and it was the first time in a long time that we were able to take communion. We worshiped at Peachblow in July and …
Humility
Recently I read a chapter on humility in my morning devotional. I have been reading the book, “Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups,” edited by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith. Each chapter includes excerpts from the writings of Christians through the centuries. The chapter on humility by Jeremy Taylor really convicted me, …