Mar
31
What a Pain
By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off
Now if anyone has caused pain, . . . you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 2 Corinthians 2:5,7-8
Paul knew of where he spoke. When first confronted with the followers of Jesus, he persecuted and stoned them. Paul inflicted a great deal of pain until he was converted on that dusty road into Damascus. Christ forgave him and because of that, Paul became so very instrumental in not only the spread of the Truth, but in writing it down for those he met on up through the centuries to us today. Martin Luther was converted over a thousand years later after reading Paul’s letter to the Romans. And he was just one of countless millions who have found Christ through Paul’s letters.
Mar
30
Wipe your Feet
By Julie B Cosgrove | 1 Comment
One of the things our church does each year during Holy Week is to wash feet the way Jesus washed the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. The pastor and the elders wait at the altar with towels and tubs of water for anyone who wants to come forward. Feet can be stinky and are quite honestly not the prettiest part of our body. We can know someone for years and never see their feet. This ceremony can make you feel rather exposed, like being undressed. Perhaps you have participated in this ceremony as a washer or wash-ee. It’s a very humbling event.
Mar
30
There Is a Light
By Jan Ross | Comments Off
The Lord is all we need! Of course, most of us know that and we’ve heard it over and over and over again, but sometimes a scripture just “hits” us and suddenly we find application for it in our lives.
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” (Micah 7:8)
When we are down, whether physically or emotionally or even spiritually, the Lord is there to shed light on our path and show us the way out.
Mar
29
Down in my heart
By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Psalm 51:6
The heart. It is the center, the core. I lived most of my life “deep in the heart of Texas”. As a child at camp I sang that I had the love of Jesus down in my heart. We talk about the heart of the matter. If someone is charitable, they have a good heart. If something tragic happens, it breaks our heart. If I don’t want to do something , it is because my heart just isn’t in it. And I love to eat artichoke hearts – the tender part protectively buried beneath the outer armor of bristles and spiked leaves.
Mar
29
Body Builders
By Jan Ross | Comments Off
Comfort one another. Edify one another. Love one another. This is our commission among the brethren according to 1Thessalonians 5:11:
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”
A simple word of encouragement, a pat on the shoulder, a hug, a smile, a kind word—all of these will comfort fellow believers and edify the Body of Christ.
Are you a part of building up or tearing down the brethren? Do you talk behind the back of fellow believers or do you look them in the eye and tell them how blessed you are to know them?
Mar
26
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” . . . Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.” Mark 10: 35 & 38
You’ve gotta laugh, right? I did. Perhaps because there have been times I have been just like the sons of Zebedee. “Lord, I’ve been good. I have served You. I have tithed. I have prayed for others and read my Bible. Now – give me my desires.” But over the years, I have learned that God’s blessings are not based on merit. Otherwise, how would any of us ever be worthy enough?
Mar
25
Rich Rendering
By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:19
In the USA we are so blessed. Compared to much of the rest of the world, we are abundantly rich. The entrepreneurial streak is almost bred in us. The American dream is something we all try to achieve, but for so many others on this planet it is too far out of reach to even fathom trying. We shop for 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath homes with granite counter tops., walk in closets and three car garages, while many people’s whole house in other countries could fit inside a one car garage.
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