Hope is an awesome thing, it can move mountains and do miracles. As pastors, we say "in certain Hope of the Resurrection" a lot. This phrase means we can trust our Resurrection from the dead (going to Heaven) because Jesus rose from the dead. We can put our hopes in many things, and we can lose hope in many things. We will never lose our hope in Christ or His power to forgive.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Opening Day
For most of baseball, March 31st was opening Day. It is a day very unique to the Sport's world. Even though Football has surpassed Baseball in popularity, Opening Day is still looked on with awe and wonder. It is a day where every fan base in Baseball has hope. That this year will be better than last year. Every team on Opening Day is undefeated, so for one glorious day every fan can say that their team is the best.
Hope is an awesome thing, it can move mountains and do miracles. As pastors, we say "in certain Hope of the Resurrection" a lot. This phrase means we can trust our Resurrection from the dead (going to Heaven) because Jesus rose from the dead. We can put our hopes in many things, and we can lose hope in many things. We will never lose our hope in Christ or His power to forgive.
Hope is an awesome thing, it can move mountains and do miracles. As pastors, we say "in certain Hope of the Resurrection" a lot. This phrase means we can trust our Resurrection from the dead (going to Heaven) because Jesus rose from the dead. We can put our hopes in many things, and we can lose hope in many things. We will never lose our hope in Christ or His power to forgive.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Reflections- Clutter
Some call it clutter;
I Call it life.
Countless things collected over the years, making it hard to squeeze them into a small house.
How do I decide what to keep, what to sell, and what to throw away?
Somethings are little snippets of life, claiming a special place in my heart.
Faded greeting cards, my grandmother's vase;
Seashells from the Caribbean, my child's first report card;
Other things are just scattered here and there,stockpile in drawers and cabinets.
Lord, I do not need all of this stuff I once thought I had to have,but it is not easy to let it go.
Keep me from being burdened down with stacks and piles of who knows what.
Help me to sort through the clutter and remember that the things of this world are only temporary.
Show me how to lighten my load, knowing my eternal inheritance awaits.
-Missy Buchanan
I Call it life.
Countless things collected over the years, making it hard to squeeze them into a small house.
How do I decide what to keep, what to sell, and what to throw away?
Somethings are little snippets of life, claiming a special place in my heart.
Faded greeting cards, my grandmother's vase;
Seashells from the Caribbean, my child's first report card;
Other things are just scattered here and there,stockpile in drawers and cabinets.
Lord, I do not need all of this stuff I once thought I had to have,but it is not easy to let it go.
Keep me from being burdened down with stacks and piles of who knows what.
Help me to sort through the clutter and remember that the things of this world are only temporary.
Show me how to lighten my load, knowing my eternal inheritance awaits.
-Missy Buchanan
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Inspriartional Lives- Jim Kelly
Today a man is near death. His name is Jim Kelly. He was the quarterback for Buffalo Bills during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is one of my brother's heroes. His life is marked by triumph and tragedy. He is laying in a hospital bed stricken with cancer, and may not make it until the end of the week. He has left a legacy. This is a time where we can ask what legacy do we leave behind? We are called as Christians to make an impact, to let people there is something different about us. Jim Kelly is a prime example of that.
Ryan Leaf
We can fear the unknown. We can put off decisions or not make them at all because we do not want to choose poorly. I recently heard an interview with a former President of the San Diego Chargers football team. He made the infamous decision of drafting Ryan Leaf. He was one of the biggest busts in NFL history. This interview I heard a man who was till haunted by that decision, even though it was over 15 years ago.
Christ states in John 10:10 that He has come to give us life and life to the full. If we choose what Christ's wants in our life, compassion, love, justice, we do not have to worry about the consequences of those choices. Christ directs only to what is right. We do not have to fear choosing poorly when it comes to Christ's commands.
Christ states in John 10:10 that He has come to give us life and life to the full. If we choose what Christ's wants in our life, compassion, love, justice, we do not have to worry about the consequences of those choices. Christ directs only to what is right. We do not have to fear choosing poorly when it comes to Christ's commands.
Prayers For Fellowship
Around the Table
Above the muffled conversation, there is a gentle clattering of rolling carts and ice in glasses.
It is lunch time, and I am grateful for this time of fellowship and food.
Once strangers now friends, we sit around the table, bringing different tastes acquired over decades of life experiences.
Too much pepper. Not enough. Too sweet. Too sour. Just right.
Around the table, we are community, where relationships are more important than food.
It is here that we exchange bragging rights about a granddaughter's new job or a nephew's award.
Here we share laughter and stories, aches and pains.
Some of us wear over-sized bibs around our necks, a practical solution to spills and such.
We are Baptists and Methodists, Catholics and evangelicals, and some who have rarely darkened a church door.
But around the table, no one is impressed by denominational platitude. We are simply sojourners together.
The table is a place of connectedness where someone notices and cares if you are not there.
O God, you have made us a people who crave relationships.
You have made us hungry for love and respect, no matter our age.
And you have given us a healthy appetite for you.
Amen
-Missy Buchanan
Above the muffled conversation, there is a gentle clattering of rolling carts and ice in glasses.
It is lunch time, and I am grateful for this time of fellowship and food.
Once strangers now friends, we sit around the table, bringing different tastes acquired over decades of life experiences.
Too much pepper. Not enough. Too sweet. Too sour. Just right.
Around the table, we are community, where relationships are more important than food.
It is here that we exchange bragging rights about a granddaughter's new job or a nephew's award.
Here we share laughter and stories, aches and pains.
Some of us wear over-sized bibs around our necks, a practical solution to spills and such.
We are Baptists and Methodists, Catholics and evangelicals, and some who have rarely darkened a church door.
But around the table, no one is impressed by denominational platitude. We are simply sojourners together.
The table is a place of connectedness where someone notices and cares if you are not there.
O God, you have made us a people who crave relationships.
You have made us hungry for love and respect, no matter our age.
And you have given us a healthy appetite for you.
Amen
-Missy Buchanan
Friday, March 21, 2014
Fred Hembeck
I was 12 years old. My best friend James and I headed over to The Corner Magazine Shop on West Broad Street in Norwich New York. My daily stop there usually involved a pack of Nerds Candy and a Welch's Grape Soda. For some reason this day James took me past the candy and soda, and he led me to the Comic Book racks. I have gone to this store for years, but never gave these books a second thought. James pulled a couple off the racks while I looked around. One caught my eye, It was entitled "Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe".
I did not know it at the time, but Hmebeck was a well known satirical cartoonist with a love for comics. In the pages of this book he systematically destroyed every Villain and Hero Marvel ever made. I gladly laid down my dollar, and thus my very first (of thousands) comic books was bought. I recently bought a hand drawn sketch of Hembeck's to remember that Comic Book and the life long hobby it started.
We always remember our firsts. Our first day at school, our first car, our first love, and so on. The Apostle Paul repeated many times the first time he met Jesus.Of all the firsts we remember in life, this first should be the most important. Tell Your friends, family, and neighbors as often as you can when the first time you knew Jesus Christ's love for you. Of all the memories we have to share, this one should be the most important.
I did not know it at the time, but Hmebeck was a well known satirical cartoonist with a love for comics. In the pages of this book he systematically destroyed every Villain and Hero Marvel ever made. I gladly laid down my dollar, and thus my very first (of thousands) comic books was bought. I recently bought a hand drawn sketch of Hembeck's to remember that Comic Book and the life long hobby it started.
We always remember our firsts. Our first day at school, our first car, our first love, and so on. The Apostle Paul repeated many times the first time he met Jesus.Of all the firsts we remember in life, this first should be the most important. Tell Your friends, family, and neighbors as often as you can when the first time you knew Jesus Christ's love for you. Of all the memories we have to share, this one should be the most important.
Sermon- Choices
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