MLK Day 2017!

Honoring Martin Luther King, January 15, 1929-April 8, 1968

 MLK Day

It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me,

But it can keep him from lynching me,

And I think that’s pretty important.

Martin Luther King

            There are many quotes from the great Martin Luther King and when I researched them I picked the one above because I had not heard it before. It does not make a great philosophical statement, there is not a spiritual or social justice meaning; it is a simple truth. Living and having the right to pursue freedom always needs to be protected.

            Other quotes by MLK have deeper meaning, spiritually, and are more often used. Below are the ones that seems to be in the media:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.
"Strength to Love," Martin Luther King, Jr.

One that I personally like is:

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

And as Christians we need to demonstrate that we have the faith, we need to take the first step.

Thought for the Day: This is the day the Lord has made and He made it for all humankind. We need to remember and promote equality, always.

Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, today we do not pray for forgiveness of the past discrimination and separatist social acts of our forefathers. We need to accept them and move forward. Today we pray for the guidance and will to contribute to peace and acceptance through Jesus love.

Confidence

Confidence

 “For you are my hope;

O Lord God, you are my trust…

And the source of my confidence.”

(Psalm 71:5)

                Folks, we are starting a New Year and for once I did not make any New Year’s resolutions. That means I have decided to accept my faults!  In the past mine involved weight and fitness and statistically that made me average. My 70 year exercise program worked well in 2016 and neither seemed necessary for 2017!

            The Psalmist above gives us a strong message for the New Year and clearly demonstrates that through our faith we can find confidence and trust. The newspapers, the TV journalists and media all want to sell us on negativity. They are after ratings and for whatever reason they think focusing on the negative is the way to sell their time. That is not a good service to the world. Ok, we do read the news but we also need to read the good news of Jesus to balance the books. His good news can overcome all the news media’s negativity.

                This Psalmist also said:

“But as for me I will always have hope”

(Psalm 72-14)

and

“You will increase my honor

And comfort me once again”

(Psalm 71-21)

                You can see that the good news needs to be our resolution for the next year. Through the good news of Jesus Christ we will all have a better life and live in a better world.

Thought for Today: Happy New Year to all. It will be as we grow in confidence and trust in those around us. It will be when we share the good news to those around us and it will be as we grow together in our faith.

Prayer for Today:  Dear Lord and Father, we are at the beginning of a New Year and are faced with the opportunities that present themselves each January. As always we want to do better in every way. This year we pray that we can discover the spiritual maturity and growth to be better at being a disciple and worker for you. We pray that we may find a clear vision of what we can do for you.

Amen

Happy New Year 2017

Happy New Year 2017

"Not that I have already obtained all this,
or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. “
(Phillipiens3:12-14; NIV)

        Happy New Year. For the next few weeks the athletic clubs will be filled with "New Years resolutionists". Diet programs will come and go, self improvement books will be purchased or at least the dust will be blown from last year’s cover! Does that sound familiar? Yes, we all have had a few resolutions fall by the wayside.         I do not know if Paul wrote the above on New Year’s Eve but it is appropriate. Many of us have new goals today: weight, fitness, financial goals etc. Paul is asking us to look at our spiritual goals. "...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” Hold that thought as you proceed through the New Year

.

Thought for Today: Let us look ahead rather than behind. Let us look ahead at the opportunities in our lives. This year let us practice Christian ethics and life style in all phases of our lives and by all means share our faith with others.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father as this New Year begins please hear our prayer for serenity:

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference."

Hear this for all the worlds people so that your love and peace may dominate this New Year.
Amen

Gifts

Gifts

  "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,
in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Just as each of us has one body with many members,
And these members do not all have the same function,
so in Christ we who are many form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts,
according to the grace given us."
(Romans 12:3-6)

            Christmas has past and we all were caught up in the materialism of it all at some level. The advertising, the gift giving, the holiday cards all tend to lead us away from the real meaning of it all. God’s gifts to us.

            I often write about the about the gifts that Paul listed later in this passage. Paul’s letter has a very special meaning and when reading further through verse 9, God's many gifts to us are listed. It is important to understand God's gifts to us and recognize which of gifts we were given. We need to understand where we fit in God's world and how to apply His gifts in our lives. These are the gifts that really matter- They are not advertised on TV or in the newspaper. They are given to us by Him to use. Each of us need to think about our gifts and how we will use them in the New Year.

Thought for Today: As we approach the New Year, let us think about who we are and what gifts God has given us. Let us learn to use these gifts to make our lives and the lives of others better.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, at this time of the year, self-improvement always seems to be an objective. Each year I focus on "my improvement" and sometimes do not recognize the tasks you may have set forth for me. I pray that this will be the year that "my improvement" is accomplished by recognizing your gifts to me and finding a way to do your work with them.

Amen

Joy to the World!

Joy to the World

“Joy to the World, the Lord has come"

        There are a lot of one liners that can be taken from Christmas carols. The opening of "Joy to the World" says it all to me. It summarizes our Christian lives; lives of joy through the forgiveness of our faith and our Christian peers. Let us all feel the joy of the season, the love for each other and keep our faith strong throughout the season.

With blessings, have a great Christmas Eve.

Universal Hope

Universal Hope

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

 There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.”

(Psalm 19v1-4)

The holiday season is a time of hope. The Psalmist notes that there is one clear message from the heavens, one God with one message in all tongues to all peoples. Clearly, this encourages us to believe that there is hope for universal understanding and someday world peace.

We live in an often troubled world. This year there have been natural disasters, terrorism, attacks in schools, layoffs and all sorts of ungodly events. They capture the headlines. Certainly there many who question God’s role in all of this.We need to remember that “The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  The press and news media report on other issues. It is up to each of us to focus on the message. With our example, we can infect the world with faith, peace and hope.

             John F. Kennedy said it this way, "One person can make a difference and every person must try."

Thought for Today: OK, there will be bad news this week. We will hear it, see it and sometimes feel it. This week we need to overcome it with the faith and hope of the Lord. This week let us show others our hope for future generations.

Prayer for the Season: Dear Lord, this is the time of year when all faiths celebrate you. We celebrate your presence in different ways with the common thread of love and peace. We pray for the guidance to share our faith so that we may sow a seed in your name.

Blue Christmas 2016

Blue Christmas

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,

for in you my soul takes refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

until the disaster has passed.”

(Psalm 57:1)

            This week Christian Churches lit the third candle on their Advent Wreath, the candle of Joy. Also on most Church Calendars in a Wednesday service for those who are not experiencing Christmas Joy! In our Church we call it a service of Light and Hope; many others call it a Blue Christmas service, (Thanks Elvis!)

            It is important to accept the Joy of the season. Great carols that bring back the memories of Christmas past, the thoughts of children and their excitement and the festive lights that seem to be everywhere. As Christians we also need to consider those experiencing sadness. A Blue Christmas,

            Amongst our Good News group, my group of Christian Friends on Facebook and those who read our blog there are too many to count.  Some have a terminal illness, many are experiencing their first Christmas with an empty place at the table and at least one cannot get home to see her ailing mom.

            As Christians we need to pray about our friends in need, recognize their presence and maybe even spend some time with them in prayer. We are the light and can be the light of the season-A Christmas Light!

Thought for Today: Let us take note of our own sad feelings over the holidays. Let us recognize that they exist. Rather than mask them with joy, let us pray about them, and turn them over to God so we can enjoy the celebration of Christ’s birth.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father today we have special prayers for the holidays. We pray that the reminder of your presence brings trust and love to the world. We pray for people who have lost loved ones and are spending their first Christmas with an empty place at the table. We give thanks for the role that you play in our lives and the help you give us. Thank you for being available for us each and every day.

Amen