Youth Mission Trip 2023!! New Orleans! The first day of the Youth Mission Trip began with a bang, while we had a couple issues we persevered and remained positive. Leaving the church at 4:00 this morning to start the day, on our way to the Baltimore airport our first turmoil came with the Conowingo Dam not working and a detour being taken. Finally reaching the airport we discovered the news that the plane was delayed forty-five minutes, leaving us to discover and explore the airport. After the wait we finally and safely boarded the plane, flying out and reaching New Orleans with a congratulations from the Southwest crew on our mission courtesy of Alexa Musser chatting with the attendant....
“We Are Gathered By God” There is a woman who is sitting home alone reading her Bible. There is another woman who is at the church sitting around a table surrounded by styrofoam cups, as she serves on a committee trying to plan next summer’s Vacation Bible School and mission experience for the children. The question I want to ask you is, “Which of these two women is more deeply involved in the kingdom of God?” ...
"Holy Hospitality" How many of you have eaten too much this week?That makes sense, because this is Thanksgiving weekend. You may feel like, "Praise the Lord and pass the Pepto Bismol."Or if it wasn't the food, maybe it was that company that came to spend Thanksgiving with you, and with joy you are now singing that wonderful Roy Clark song, "Thank God for Greyhound, Th...
Keep Reading"Thankfulness" This Thursday, we are going to celebrate with family members and give thanks to God as we eat and fellowship with one another.The word for giving thanks is a Greek verb, from which we get the word, "eucharist," which means to give thanks or thankfulness.Beyond the Thanksgiving holiday, in the church, we celebrate a communal meal where people are fed.We wi...
Keep Reading"The Joy of Thanksgiving" Thanksgiving has a long history of celebration in the United States.Starting with the Pilgrims landing in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1622, to George Washington declaring a day of Thanksgiving to God for the blessings of becoming a new nation, to having Abraham Lincoln pronounce it as an official national holiday in 1863.Thanksgiving has been pa...
Keep Reading"High Octane Hope" There was a fellow who one day decided to go on a cruise ship.No sooner did he leave port, when he was overcome by a terrible case of seasickness.He was leaning over the railing, doing you-know-what when you are 3 shades of green, when a crew member from the ship came by.The crew member said, "Cheer up!Nobody ever died of seasickness."The fellow looke...
Keep Reading"Letting God Bless You" The Beatitudes are a series of nine proclamations, nine blessings that Jesus delivers at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount.And, I am sure that at times, these Beatitudes have inspired us.At other times they have confused us.And, they have probably left us wondering what on earth Jesus means when he says things like, "Blessed are the poor i...
Keep Reading"Most Blessed" Believe it or not, some of the commercials on television contain secular versions of the beatitudes.Do you remember the Southwest airline commercial afew years ago that had the tagline, "Wanna Get Away?"Each advertisement showed a person in a painfully embarrassing situation, and how Southwest could take you away from all your problems. One of my f...
Keep Reading"No Reserve!No Retreat!No Regrets!" Born in 1887, as an heir to the Borden dairy fortune, Bill Borden converted as a youth to Christianity and went on to graduate from Yale University and attend Princeton Seminary.While a student there, he came under the influence of the Student Volunteer Movement and a man named Samuel Zwemer, known as "the Apostle to Islam." Bill B...
Keep Reading"The Doctrine of Election" Since Election Day is tomorrow, I thought I would talk about election, -- but a very different kind of election.I am talking about the doctrine of election.It is about God choosing us before the foundations of the earth for His purpose and glory.To put it in Presbyterian parlance, "My predestination is secure." I can't tell you how of...
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