Almost every day, I walk to the bus stop. In this season of life, two of three children regularly ride the bus. For any of you who have, do, or will relate to a bus stop, you know it is a nexus of news. Students are exchanging news. Parents are sharing news. Bus drivers have news. News is to trafficked in. Bus…
Prophecy sometimes gets a bad rap like the proverbial boy who cried wolf. Or, if you prefer, like the ominous warning Winter is Coming from Game of Thrones. Being the lone voice who is calling the community to hear them can be lonely and long, draining and daunting. And yet, this is the work of the prophet. Look and listen. We hear…
The streaming video of this service can be found on Facebook. You will have to copy and paste this link into your browser: https://www.facebook.com/westgroveumc/videos/1576499385788371/ Do you remember the days of listening to the news at home on the television at a set time? Maybe the 6 o’clock nightly news after dinner or the 7 o’clock news as you were getting…
Swashbuckling pirates, adventure on the high seas, riding the bus to school, making it on time to your appointments, babysitting your grandchild, working a full day at work, sometimes all of those require equal parts courage and abandon. With all truth, I say that in earnest. I have heard some of the stories of the excitement that can come from the bus,…
Perhaps, nothing has a deeper tradition than what you eat where. Let’s try just a couple: On thanksgiving, we eat… On a campfire, we make After shoveling a snowy driveway, I want to drink…. This end of the summer series sets for us an example of how we use our favorite books, movies, art, and culture to see God’s very presence all…
As you walk the beach, it is hard to carry much: a pail, maybe the hand of another. But the beachcomber is most commonly seen up and down shore with little in their hands. Eyes focused on the sand or shoreline seeking treasure. Often there is a look that is a little out of focused, contemplative or meditative in nature. Beachcombing has…
How do we define love? Some say it is a feeling or an emotion that we have very little control over. Others say love is an action and we have control of how we act and do love. So, is love a noun – speaking about our emotions and affections, or is love a verb – showing our action and reactions as…
At one of the first churches I served, a kind parishioner told me if I would only every preach that Jesus loved me and sit down, I would be complete. And I think that they were earnest. The challenge with that proposition is that you and I need for ourselves more application answers to the question, so what? If Jesus loves me,…
I have often said the two most common things a pastor fixes are toilets (I jiggle a lot of chains!) and a limited view of possibilities. Perhaps, it is the volume of people in a church or the way we act in a church, there is a high percentage of toilet talk and repair in church. We also find ourselves needing to…
Good Morning! I am Janice Bowers, a Christ Servant Minister here at West Grove United Methodist Church. Pastor Monica is on a well-deserved vacation this week with her family and I have been given the privilege to speak with you this morning. You have been listening to some of the music and highlights from our VBS week on the Rolling River Rampage.…