Revitalize Your Church

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson. Sometimes, we are tempted to let the hurts of the past direct our lives today. Certain moments have a way of defining us. the accident the death the divorce the argument the illness the failure Painful experiences come in broken shards with jagged edges that cut deep and pierce the heart. If we hold our hurts close, clutching them tightly in our grasp, we will never move beyond the pain. Sometimes, it's more "comfortable" to hang on to old hurts than to risk releasing them. Maybe doing so means letting go of our very identity. But faith calls us to release the past -- to begin the long journey of healing. Looking the other direction . . . towards the future . .trouble is a brewing! Every person has problems coming down the pike. Why are we so surprised when trouble knocks at the door? It's normal! Hardship is just a part of the package of ...

O God, not like a stagnant pool with tepid depths, let my life be, But like a stream, undaunted, cool, that plunges toward the sea. O God, not like a sodden log, now dead, though once a stately tree, but pushing high above the bog still upward yearning, let life be! -- J. Gordon Howard

While reading some church history lately, I came across this observation regarding the early Methodists: The reason why the early Methodists got on so was, that while other Christians were waiting for something to turn up, they turned it up themselves.