Revitalize Your Church

Give us your Spirit, Lord. Grant us a peaceful day, — when evening comes we will praise you with joy and purity of heart. Give us your Spirit, Lord. Let your splendor rest upon us today, — direct the work of our hands. Give us your Spirit, Lord. May your face shine upon us and keep us in peace, — may your strong arm protect us. Give us your Spirit, Lord. Look kindly on all who put their trust in our prayers, — fill them with every bodily and spiritual grace. Give us your Spirit, Lord. Amen From Monday Prayer for Monday in Ordinary Time

Excuses are a dime a dozen. You can come up with all kinds of them to explain why you haven't been your best. You can blame the boss. You can blame the environment. You can blame your family. You can blame the clock (I just don't have time.) You can blame the situation. If you're looking for a way to weasel out of something you should be doing, you'll find it. The human mind has the uncanny ability to rationalize anything. The bottom line, however, is that if you continue making excuses for mediocrity, you will never realize your true, God-given, potential. It does no good to dream about what you are going to accomplish tomorrow if you're unwilling to pay the price today. Inspiration without commitment vanishes at the first hint of difficulty. A vision without careful planning is only a daydream. An idea isn't worth much unless it is accompanied by shoe leather. Refuse to cave into "somewhere over the rainbow" thinking. Your "shi...

Just an ugly old stump -- that's all it was -- and old stumps carry no hopes or dreams. Only maps and memory rings of thirsty days, hard toil, and weary longings embedded to the core. Just an ugly old stump -- a dwarfed reminder -- of what once was. . . and all that might have been. If only. If only. But old stumps carry no hopes or dreams -- Only scarred rememberings. . . of lightening strikes and howling wind, of squirrels and hammer heads, of children's summer play, All these now faded away To just an ugly old stump -- useless for humans, but to to sit to rest to think And hurried humans hardly take the time to do such things. Just an ugly old stump -- that's all it was -- and old stumps carry no hopes or dreams. Or do they? Look again. Could it be? A tiny sprout of green? What could this possibly mean? "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse" Isa. 11:1 "Hope springs eternal in the human breast. . ." Alexa...

Another year is dawning!   Dear Father, let it be,  in working or in waiting, another year with thee; another year of leaning upon thy loving breast, another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest. Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace; another year of gladness in the shining of thy face; another year of progress, another year of praise, another year of proving thy presence all the days. Another year of service, of witness for thy love; another year of training for holier work above. Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be on earth, or else in heaven, another year for thee. -- Frances Ridley Havergal Music Here

Here we stand at the threshold of the New Year. 2019 will soon be passed and packed away, living only in the attic of memories.   Looking ahead to 2020, I can guarantee one thing: a lot of living will go into it. How will it turn out? Only God knows. This chapter may be drama. Perhaps it will be romance. Action adventure. Comedy. Tragedy. Mystery. Next December, upon reflection, you will be able to describe the events of 2020 – but not now. The best you can do is take a deep breath, throw your shoulders back, trust God, and march right in.  Although you can't predict the happenings of the upcoming months, God can – and He will be with you as you travel from mountaintop to valley.   Nobody knows what tomorrow holds, but we do know Who holds tomorrow. Sometimes, in lonely moments, it feels as if we are alone, but God has promised never to leave you or forsake you – even in the darkest hours. An anonymous writer captured this idea with these inspiring words: I...

Season’s Greetings to all of our special loved ones. We are grateful for God’s many blessings throughout 2019, which was quite an eventful year for our family: Adam and Alexandra were married, Andy was born, Lily came through a health scare, Luke was ordained, Luke & Emily moved, and Cathy’s parents (Phil & Madelyn Crail) celebrated 60 years of marriage. Mark continues to teach at Southern Wesleyan University, and served the last part of the year as interim pastor of Welcome Wesleyan Church. He is continuing to work on his doctorate in Tranformational Preaching at Wesley Seminary.  Cathy is involved in many projects at home and in the community. She and Hannah continue to play (viola and violin) for University Strings. Hannah lives at home and is currently a sophomore at Southern Wesleyan University, majoring in Early Childhood and Family Studies. She is doing an excellent job with her studies, and also works at The Growing Place Daycare Center. She was privi...