II Corinthians 5:16
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.

William Cowper (pronounced 'koo-per') was born on November 15, 1731 in Great Berkhamstead, England. He had a shy and somewhat sad childhood and was never able to fully outgrow his tendency towards depression. He later moved to the small village of Olney where he met a former ship's captain who was responsible for transporting thousands of slaves from Africa. John Newton was so ashamed of this practice he gave up the sea and eventually wrote one of our most famous hymns, Amazing Grace.

Hundreds of hymns would be written because of the friendship formed between these two men, including Cowper's O for a Closer Walk With God

O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

Christian ministry is more than doing good. Ministry is an act of service performed either consciously or unconsciously in the name of Christ. Ministry is Jesus Christ expressing his life through us. It is born, therefore, not in activity, but in solitude, where through the Spirit we experience the power of life from within. No one becomes a "minister." Rather in trust we so open ourselves to the Spirit that Jesus Christ can express his ministry through us....To know this intimacy we have only to let go. Instead of relying on our own initiative, where we are in control, we discover that we are participating in what God has already initiated within us. - From Ministry and Solitude by James C. Fenhagen

Suffering is increasing in the world today. People are hungry for something more beautiful, for something greater than people round about can give. There is a great hunger for God in the world today. Everywhere there is much suffering, but there is also great hunger for God and love for each other. - From A Gift for God by Mother Teresa

When we think about the daily mana we think we need, we are reminded to think in terms OTHER than of our physical needs.

Our Sunday evening chapel service begins again on Sunday! Come join us at 5:00 in the chapel.

Exodus 16:4
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not."

Of course the people of Israel did NOT follow the instructions and attempted to gather in MORE than they needed. hmmm trying to acquire more than was needed... Good thing we don't have THAT problem! Be grateful for what you have and know that God will continue to provide what is needed! A hard lesson to learn, but taught repeatedly in the Bible.

Didn't Summer just arrive yesterday? Why does it seem as if it is already approaching the end?

We are the agents of the Creative Spirit in this world. Real advance in the spiritual life, then means accepting this vocation with all it involves. Not merely turning over the pages of an engineering magazine and enjoying the pictures, but putting on overalls and getting on with the job. The real spiritual life must be horizontal as well as vertical; spread more and more as well as aspire more and more. - From The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith

Not bad... Don't just read the Bible looking at the pictures, but get into life itself and do the work we are called to do!

Have a blessed week!

Revelation 21:1-3
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;"

We already know the end of the story! Death and crisis and sadness and sickness and confusion all take their turns harrassing us from chapter to chapter of our lives, but the end of the story has already been determined, and it is a good one!

Movie night here at Central UMC on Friday night! And we hope to

See you on Sunday!

Lord, we do not hope in ourselves, our technology, our governments, our laws, our tenacity, our courage, or our will, though these things are all necessary to conquer hunger and provide justice. We hope in you. Amen - From Visions of a World Hungry by Thomas G. Pettepiece

Psalm 44:1

We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old.

We can reflect on what our parents and grandparents have told us and this is usually a good thing. Ask them where and when God has been particularly active in their lives!

We can also reflect on what we will be telling those who come after us. What stories of God's deeds will you share with others as they start their own spiritual journeys?

Have a great week! Start it with a prayer.

I'm in and out of the church today and will be picking up my lovely bride to go see Harry Potter and the Mid-East Oil Crisis, or whatever is next..... But spotted this in some reading I was doing this morning and had to share it. Kind of short, but it really spoke to me.....

Laughter is the purest form of our response to God's acceptance of us. - From Tensions by H. A. Williams

God comes like the sun in the morning - when it is time. We must assume an attitude of waiting, accepting the fact that we are creatures and not creator. We must do this because it is not our right to do anything else; the initiative is God's, not ours. We are able to initiate nothing; we are able only to accept. - From The God Who Comes by Carlo Carretto

The weekend fast approaches and are we waiting for God or do we already have all our plans made regardless..? What DOES God expect of me today? I guess I can always ask.....

See you on Sunday!

Isaiah 12:1-2
You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.

We will be discussing this tonight in our Wednesday night Bible study. Salvation is mentioned twice in the second verse and since it is such an important term for us, we will take the opportunity to discuss what it might mean.

When do you first remember hearing about salvation and what are your earliest associations with it? What did salvation mean to you and what does it now mean to you today? How did your understanding of the word come to change over time? "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."

Yesterday I shared some interesting G.K. Chesterton. Today, from a book that was given me by my mother for Christmas, I have an interesting passage from C.S. Lewis.

Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand. - From A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis

This is a rare moment where I might disagree with him in part. Admittedly, Lewis wrote this while contemplating and experiencing the death of his wife, Joy. Consolation would not have been readily accessible, and from our limited human point of view and finite lifetime, religion wouldn't really have much to offer. So, from our point of view he is correct, but when we remember to consider the world from a different point of view, from the vantage point of a loving creator of all time and space, consolation eventually becomes apparent. The end of the story is a joyous one even if this particular chapter is sad.

Next Sunday is the seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Our task is still very much before us!

From Boredom to Contentment

A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough.... It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again," to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again," to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. - G. K. Chesterton

I first became acquainted with G. K. Chesterton through his Father Brown mysteries. I love the thinking detectives like Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes and with Father Brown I received the added bonus of a religious hero. Have a great day!

Love to pray. feel often during the day the need for prayer, and take trouble to pray. Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of himself. Ask and seek, and your heart will grow big enough to receive him and keep him as your own. - From A Gift for God by Mother Teresa

How much of God do you carry within? Do you feel the need to enlarge your heart?

Our distrcit superintendent, Mike Stonebreaker, will be preaching on Sunday while Mitchell is in North Carolina at the wedding of his son. Come join us for worship! See you on Sunday!

The essential part of the Christian message is the idea of salvation for the whole community of people, of which the individual is a member. - From The Church by Hans Kung

Am I pursuing salvation for myself or my community? Does one necessarily preclude the other? If they are both required, are they equal in status to one another? What does it really mean that God loves the whole world? God loves my enemy.

And yes, the peach pie was well received, thanks for asking! And now a decision must be made concerning Wednesday night's potluck supper. Two weeks ago I made macaroni and cheese. But the staff has enjoyed both my blueberry cheesecake and the more recent peach pie. Should I make a vegetable plate or a desert?

See you on Wednesday!

Isaiah 1:16-17
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

If this was how God wished to define the church, how would we be doing? What are we already doing well? What needs improvement? What needs to be changed in how we live out our calling to be the body of Christ in the world?

I hope everybody had a meaningful Independence Day celebration at some point over the weekend. We did not get an opportunity to watch either of my two favorite Fourth of July movies. I like 1776 and the Music Man for this particular weekend. I was given some fresh peaches, however, and was able to make a peach pie which I will be sharing with the staff this morning. Potluch supper at the church on Wednesday!

II Corinthians 12:7b-10
To keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Whenever I am weak, then I am strong. That doesn't even make any sense! Unless... We are reminded to not simply view the world through our own finite point of view, but open ourselves to God's perspective. When we allow God to lead and direct and guide, it is God's infinite strength that acts. We can thus, in our weakness, allow God into our lives which provides a strength greater than anything we can imagine, and in our weakness we are made strong. When have you truly experienced God in your weakness?

We had a nice Emmaus community gathering last night and it was good to be given some spiritual guidance for ways in which we can be more attentive to the needs of our church family.

No plans for the Haines family this Fourth of July weekend, but blessings and prayers for all who have served and continue to serve this great country of ours! May God truly continue to bless America, and indeed all the world....

See you on Sunday!

Our Father, we have listened to thy word, and loved it; we have found comfort and inspiration in song and psalter; we have enjoyed the companionship of those who, with kindred minds and hearts, have praised and worshiped thee. Now help us understand that, as we leave this sacred House of God, we shall become thy Church in the street. - Anonymous

Who saw you in action today? Did they see Christ?

There is a meeting of those who have attended Emmaus tonight in the Fellowship Hall and a study of Isaiah at 6:00 up in the couch room of the office wing on the second floor.