Together

Thoughts for the Day May 30, 2020

I’m learning to appreciate God more and more in difficult days. As we meander  our way through rough terrain with God, we gain confidence from our knowledge that together we can handle anything. This knowledge comes from our relationship with Him, the promises from His word, and past experiences coping with hard times.  I challenge you to look back at your life and remember how He was there with you during trying days.  In remembering those times, our faith  is strengthened. As we study and learn His word, our trust is increased and made stronger. 

         “For in him we live and move and have our being”  (Acts 17:28a).

Have a blessed day in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

In the Face of Fear

Thoughts for the Day, May 28, 2020

In the Face of Fear

One  summer morning some ten years ago or so, I was sweeping the kitchen floor as I often began the day. Steve had already left for work and all the kids were still asleep. The children had a habit of lining their shoes in a row at the bottom of the stairs. That morning there were at least four pairs side by side and as I moved them to sweep, a SNAKE eased its way out from behind them and slithered across the floor. Fear entered every fiber of my being—I hate snakes! I just stood there in a state of shock thinking how did this snake get in the house and worse than that,  how do I get it out?  My choices were limited. I could leave  the room and get my oldest son but I would risk the possibility of the creepy reptile crawling under the refrigerator, losing him and never being able to sleep again, or I could find a tool of some sort in the kitchen and put an end to it. I convinced myself that I would have to muster up the courage to kill it. It took all the nerve I had as I told myself repeatedly… “you can do it.” I grabbed a long-handled spatula and a knife and using the metal end of the spatula held its head down, closed my eyes and chopped him into little pieces. 

Fear consumed me for the rest of the day. What if it has babies? What if it has parents? What if a whole family is hidden in one of the closets? What if they were gathering and growing there?  What if I step on one in the middle of the night? The “what ifs” began to take me over. That is how fear works and the “what ifs” can consume you. Maybe your fear is not snakes. Maybe your fear relates to financial struggles, sickness, a wayward child, or the uncertainty of life right now. What if God allows such fearful obstacles to cross our paths to give us a chance to grow more faithful and trust him in times of trouble? After all, He put the Red Sea and a dry desert in the path of the Israelites so they would learn to trust Him in the face of fear. What if God wants us to do the same…trust Him in the face of fear?

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah  41:10).

Changing Criticism Into Prayer

Thoughts for the Day May 26, 2020

Good morning,

There is no question that there is plenty to complain about in these trying days: our leadership, empty grocery  store shelves, conflicting  news reports and more. But fault finding just breeds more negativity. When we begin to fall into this trap, let’s ask God to alert us to  turn every criticism into a prayer of intercession for the person or problem of concern. Let’s pray for our leaders to seek  and follow godly counsel,  for the manufacturers and retailers to have access and increase,  and  for the media to research and share accurate reporting. Let’s ask God to turn our criticism into prayer. This will not only help us stop when we start being critical, it turns negative thoughts into positive action. May we pray like the Psalmist, “Have mercy upon us, O Lord…for we are exceedingly filled with contempt” (Psalm 123:3). May we also remember the words of Mother Teresa, “I am learning that ‘God’s gift of Himself’ squeezes most of the contempt and criticism out of my heart.” Let us pray for God to turn our habit of criticism into a habit of praying . Have a blessed day!

Patience

https://youtu.be/4L4MzpXFoz8

Good morning,

Practicing patience is a challenge especially in these uncertain days where we are receiving mixed messages and conflicting information. We might feel unable to continue to wait, but we have access to all the patience we need in Christ. We can trust the Spirit to give us the strength to bear our circumstances and enable us to use this time to grow in our intimacy with the Lord.  You  will find the link to today’s message above.  May God’s steadfast love keep you from harm and lead you into Christ’s service this week.

Blessings,

Pastor Michele 

Protected, Loved, and Empowered

Thoughts for the Day, May  23, 2020

Every now and then we need to be reminded that we are protected, loved, and empowered by the One who brought the Universe into existence:

For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
    but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other. Isa. 45:18

He is our protector in times of need:

You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance. Ps. 32:6

And His love for us—is forever:

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
    which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
    so the Lord surrounds his people
    both now and forevermore. Ps. 125:1-3

With all of this in mind,  we must ask whom and what shall we fear? Have a blessed day!

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Friendships

Thoughts for the Day, May 22, 2020

1 Samuel 18 1. After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. 3. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

In giving us a picture of what it means to be a close friend, Jonathan often spoke of his appreciation for David. Even though placed in the awkward position  of having to go between his father, Saul and his friend, David, Jonathan never backed off from his pledge of friendship. He made a verbal covenant with David, promising to be his close companion for life. 

The toughest part about the coronavirus is that is put all of our church activities to a screeching halt. Friendships are precious and are built during times of togetherness: studying  God’s word over coffee during Sunday school, laughing together at lunch after Wednesday prayer service, sharing  recipes after enjoying a bowl of cobbler on Wednesday night during Bible study,   joking next to a frying pan filled with bacon before the men’s breakfast, celebrating birthdays during a ladies luncheon,  or watching the children sing and dance during VBS. 

Once you don’t have these times you realize how  very special they really are. We often see these times as part of our daily routine until we no longer have them. The next time you reflect on how much  you enjoy your  church friend’s company, or how much you miss them when they’re not around, or how much you respect and appreciate that friend—tell them—it may mean the world to them. 

Love is...

Thoughts for the Day May 21, 2020

Good morning,

What do we really mean when we say “love.” The Jews  in Jesus day had hundreds of laws and when asked which of these is the most important Jesus summed it  up in  Matthew 22:36-40:

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Yet I wonder how often we really consider the meaning of the word “love.” Do we really take this commandment to heart? Last night I decided to read the Biblical definition, slowly, pondering each word:

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.(1 Corinthians 13:4-8). 

As I read through it I began to apply the names of people in my life and ask myself if I am really living out the true definition of love into the lives of those around me. It was a painful eye opener yet it was as if love began to take on a fresh and deeper meaning for me.  And then I remembered that “…the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebrew 12:4a). God has a unique way of speaking to us through His living Word—a way of touching our hearts—let’s listen as He speaks today. Have a blessed day!

Transformed

 Thoughts for the Day May 19, 2020

When I was a little girl, I would find index cards all over the house with short Bible verses on them. I would open the desk drawer and find a verse,  or I would go in the bathroom and find another  one taped to the bathroom mirror. Mother had little 3 X 5 cards randomly placed throughout our home with God’s word in every corner we turned. 

 Most  of us agree that God’s written word can be life-changing. 

The image of  a butterfly emerging from its cocoon is a picture that  expresses that idea. It is hard to visualize a mere caterpillar potentially being transformed into a gorgeous butterfly, yet it is what happens when God’s word begins to change our mind and ways. Romans 12:2 reminds us of this:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (ESV).

It is a beautiful  thing that happens when God’s word renews us…He changes us  from inside out. His word enables us to recognize what He wants for us, and respond to it. Unlike the culture around us, God brings the best out of us  developing  well-formed maturity in us. We are in uncertain times and God’s word can lead and direct us to make good and sound decisions—let’s ask God to enable it to root in our minds and lead us to make choices we are incapable of making without God. Today I encourage each of you to memorize His word so that it will be so ingrained in your thinking that you will not be led astray, but rather to continue to be transformed in His likeness. Have a blessed and wonderful day as God continues to renew your thinking. 

Working out of Discouragement

Good morning,

Today’s initial question is “how are you doing?” Many of us quickly respond…”I’m hanging in there.” With our current circumstances and uncertain future, many of us are finding ourselves a bit discouraged. Discouragement is nothing new. Many of the great Bible characters became discouraged. Today, we will look at the life of Elijah who heard Jezebel was searching for him to take his life and we will see some of the ways he worked his way out of discouragement. Discouragement blinds our eyes to God’s mercy and makes us perceive only the negative.  May we see hope in God’s word as we look at the life of Elijah. You will find today’s message by clicking on the link provided. Have a blessed day!

https://youtu.be/1YenCqa34xM

Fix Your Eyes on Him

Thoughts for the Day, May 16, 2020

It seems that if we gaze too long at our circumstances, we get dizzy and confused. Instead…

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews 12: 2.

Let’s make God our focal point as we move through our day. In an effort to maintain balance, a spinning ballerina must keep returning her eyes to a given point.  As our world seems to be in a swirling motion, we too must  consistently return our focus to our Lord. Today, let’s keep our eyes on Him.

Have a blessed day!

He Understands

Thoughts for the Day, May 13, 2020

Psalm 139:1-4 New International Version (NIV)

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.

God calls you to come to Him for understanding, after all He knows you better than you know yourself.   This beautiful Psalm is a reminder of  God’s  presence in your every move. When no one else seems to understand you,  simply rely on Him—the one who made you “…and knew you before you were born …(Jeremiah 1:5)  You don’t  have to fear  going to Him, because He views you through eyes of grace. Rejoice in the One who understands you entirely and loves you thoroughly.  Today as you talk with Him ponder these thoughts and let His love penetrate your being.  Have a blessed day!

Increasing

Thoughts for the Day

 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5–8 ESV). 

God is always encouraging increase in our walk. This passage is a reminder that God’s bar is always raised above human’s expectations. But he doesn’t leave us abandoned in our walk. He is beside us preparing us on our sanctification journey. No matter how high the bar is, He is there to help us reach it. Living for God is not the task of running to a destination, but walking with him while He patiently guides us  along the way. Today let’s step back and try to recognize the areas of life in which God is encouraging us to raise up to His expectations.  Have a blessed and wonderful day!

Source of Restoration

Thoughts for the Day, May 11, 2020

In Luke 8: 42-48 we hear a story of a woman who is desperate. She had suffered for an extended length of time in need of physical healing. And while she lived years spending all of her time and money going to doctors, she found no relief until she touched the garment of Jesus: 

“As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. ⁴³ And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians,  she could not be healed by anyone. ⁴⁴ She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. ⁴⁵ And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Petersaid, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” ⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” ⁴⁷ And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Notice that when this lady touched Jesus, he felt the power go out of him. Have you ever prayed for someone and in the midst of your prayers you feel the Holy Spirit take over. You know that you are incapable of the words coming out of your mouth—it is the power of God being released.

Many people in our world today are in need of  some form of healing. They are hurting in various areas. Many are  in desperate need of mental, spiritual, financial or physical healing. Our current pandemic and its worry has only added to their pain. When they share their stories of hurt with you, stop and pray with them. You can be the vessel God uses to release His love, compassion and healing presence in their time of need. May we be a source of restoration for those in hardship. Have a blessed day!

Live Prepared

Good Morning, Happy Mother’s Day and thanks for joining in our time of worship together. Today we will look at a wonderful example of preparedness in Proverbs 31.  The idea of “being prepared” seems to surface in our daily lives especially when crisis comes our way.  In the natural course of daily living, we often find ourselves in situations for which we are totally unprepared. Being prepared is a theme that is repeated throughout the Bible. May God be with us in  our efforts to live a life of preparation.  May we embrace the promises of God and let His spirit prepare us moment by moment to be children of the light.  Have a wonderful day!  You may click the link below for today’s message.

https://youtu.be/nmpJ2FO1gtw

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Preview YouTube video May 10 MD

May 10 MD

God turns scarcity into abundance.

 Thoughts for the Day May 8, 2020 

I love to learn about the  faith of some of our ancestors in the Bible. One of my favorite stories comes from the book of I Kings where we see extreme faith on behalf of a nameless widow. Prior to this passage we find Elijah announcing a long drought (3 years). God initially directs him to go eastward and hide by the Wadi Cherith east of the Jordan.  There he was fed bread and meat by the ravens and he drank from the wadi. But after a while the wadi dried up. God then directs him to Zarephath in the center of Baal worship, where He will command  a widow to feed Elijah:

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ⁹ “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” ¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

¹² “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

¹⁵ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. (I Kings 17: 8-16).

The widow in the story utters that she has nothing. She has admitted death’s victory. Still she is asked to give.  With faith she follows God’s lead and God turns scarcity into abundance. May we learn from her brave faith to step out and listen to God’s call no matter how difficult it may be. Have a blessed day!

Laughter is Good Medicine!

Thoughts for the Day May 6, 2020

My dad is very sick and we are sad that he likely has little time with us, yet laughter in the middle of dark days seems to help take some of the anguish away. Yesterday we talked with him about old times and a few chuckles through it all seemed to take away some of the throbbing pain we were all feeling deep down. 

 I wholeheartedly believe the words from Proverbs that tell us “A Cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries the bones”  (Proverbs 17:22). We find that laughter can help lighten the load. I imagine it rises to heavenly places. I believe that God rejoices when we trust Him enough to enjoy life and laugh. 

Aren’t we blessed that God  is with us in good times and bad. We sure don’t want to miss the joy of His Presence by trying to carry the weight of  the world on our shoulders. Today, let’s lean on Him and  learn to laugh more freely! Have a blessed day!

Only One Thing Is Needed

Thoughts for the Day May 5, 2020

Today, relax in God’s healing presence. As we spend time with God, our thoughts often tend to jump ahead to today’s plans and problems. Let’s try to be mindful and stay focused on Him for refreshment and renewal. Let His presence soak into you, as you center your thoughts solely on Him. Thus, He will equip you to face whatever lies ahead. This sacrifice of time pleases Him and strengthens us.

Let’s not withhold our time together with our Lord. Let’s try to resist the demands of tasks waiting to be done.  May our thoughts embrace His everlasting love. You have chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from you. (Luke 10: 42).

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” Luke 10:41-42.

Content

Thoughts for the Day May 1, 2020

Paul sits in a dark prison cell and writes, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). How amazing is that—content in jail? The BLB version says it like this. “…I have learned to be content in that which I am.” 

This reminds me of a story I once read  about a king who went to his garden on morning, only to find everything  withered and dying. He asked the oak tree that stood near the gate what the trouble was. The oak tree said it was tired of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like a pine tree. The pine was troubled because it could not bear grapes like the grapevine. The grapevine was determined to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and produce fruit as large as peaches. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac. 

And so it went throughout the garden. Yet coming to a violet, the king found its face as bright and happy as ever and said, “Well violet, I’m glad to find one brave little flower in the midst of this discouragement. You don’t seem to be the least disheartened.” The violet responded, “No, I’m  not. I know I’m small, yet I thought if you wanted an oak or a pine or a peach tree or even a lilac, you would have planted one. Since  I knew you wanted a violet, I’m determined to be the best little violet I can be.” 

Whoever we  are in life  and wherever we find ourselves in this walk we are called to do as Paul and be content.  God has made each of us for a special purpose and has planted us right where he wants us for this time in history.  Let’s not disappoint our King, instead let’s be like the little violet and be the best we can be in the midst of today’s discouragement!

Have a blessed day!