An “oxymoron” is a word or expression that contradicts itself. In the 1400s, the word “priority” came into the English language. It meant the very first and most important thing and was singular. It wasn’t until the 1900s that people began to pluralize this word and speak of “priorities.” Rather than having one priority or…
Prayer Seed: Dear Abba, Please show me what I need to change in my life so that I can show Your love to the people around me. Thank you for giving me the strength and wisdom that I need to walk in love today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dear Abba, God, and Lord of all, thank you for revealing to me Your readiness to be generous. This is who you are. Help me to see your grace and abundance and blessing in everything today. Amen!
We are all aware of the pervasive bombardment of us all with rapidly changing stimulation. The images and sounds that constantly invade our personal space have some people worried that it causes us to be unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time. During my teacher education and periodically…
It has been said that, “Most people would be happy to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity.” Unknown It’s true that we are called to follow God’s plans, but most of us have our own ideas about how that plan should be administered. We don’t like to be told what to do or…
Some people seem to be able to spot four-leaf clovers much more quickly than others. Are they just lucky or just better at seeing differences in patterns within the clover patch? Does their ability to find four-leaf clovers bring them luck or do the good things that happen after their discoveries just get credited to…
When we talk about evangelism, it usually involves what to say and how to get people to listen to our faith stories. We want to convince them to want the wonderful Christian life we are experiencing. We want to tell all about how God’s love has impacted our lives, how Jesus died on the cross…
A pastor was interviewing three prospective new members for her church. She asked several questions in order to understand their reasons for wanting to join the church. When she was satisfied that they were sincere in their professions of faith, she went on to make some notes concerning how they each might want to be…
The day of Epiphany is celebrated in most churches as a day to commemorate the visit of the Magi (wise men) to the Christ child. It represents the realization that the long-awaited birth of the Messiah had occurred. It is considered the manifestation of the divine in the world, in the form of a human…
John Wesley is one of the founders of what came to be called the “Methodist” denomination. People erroneously thought Wesley’s followers were using a “method” to gain salvation rather than making a commitment to simply accept salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross. Wesley actually believed that it is not only essential for us to…