Thankful for Scripture

Our scripture in devotions today was Mathew 25:31-46. Does that a ring a bell? 


I did not recognize the scripture until the verses were read. It is the passage about how feeding and clothing the needy are a way to serve God. The scripture also includes the opposite, stating that if we are remiss in those acts of service we are essentially ignoring God and His people. 

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."


The devotion that we read, by Tom Campbell, said sometimes due to our busyness we supplement acts of servitude with financial donations. However, Cambell said that God is calling us to serve, not simply supply a surrogate with the financial means to do it. The actions listed in the scripture are intended to foster relationships. It calls us to open our homes to strangers, visit people in prison, and care for the sick.


Sometimes I focus so much on the part about providing food, clothing, and drinks for the needy that I forget about the  more relational parts of the commission. 


I must admit, that I have never visited anyone in prison. Furthermore, not only do I neglect to visit, but I often forget to pray for those who are incarcerated. 

This scripture has prompted me to set a date to visit someone whom I know is in jail. I'd like to spend a few moments with him to let him know that I care.


As Thanksgiving approaches, one of the things I am thankful for is scripture that highlights the parts of my faith that I still have to work on. 

Mission of the Golden Years

It's never too late to start doing mission work In fact you may join Floss on her next mission trip by contacting her at 570-676-3566.

Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”


I was reminded of this verse recently when my sister, and coworker both told me how much biblical teaching their children get through music. 


You might be driving down the road, with the radio playing, not really absorbing it. Yet, one day a song will play and the kids will know all the lyrics. It's important to be careful what lyrics they are memorizing. 


Early education is not always structured. Kids are constantly learning from their environment. Therefore, it is important that we are intentional about which stations we play.


It's not just about the kids though. Poor language, such as using the Lord's name in vain, may seep into our own dialogues if we do not guard our eyes, ears, and tongues. 


Often even if we do not choose to join in 'worldly' entertainment, we still do not make it known to the producers that we don't appreciate it. Perhaps we need to make a stand when media pushes the boundaries too far.


Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind."


May God grant us the strength to stand up for what we believe. 

Wheels for the World

Ken Pembridge of Myrtle St. UMC distributes used wheelchairs for those in need through "Wheels for the World. If you have medical equipment you would like to donate click here and go to "Step 1" to enter your zip code and find your local drop-off point and Chair Corps volunteer.

Home-Town Mission Project

Helping Hearts and Hands Mission Camp volunteers do home repair for neighbors. To learn more about Helping Hearts and Hands Youth mission camp check out their site http://www.damascus-umcharge.org/id21.html

Growing Veggies for Jesus

This summer, South Gibson UMC sunday schoolers grew hundreds of pounds of vegetables for a homeless mission and food bank garden.

***South Gibson TIP- Make sure to keep a fence around the garden so that animals don't come in to munch on all of the tasty vegetables. Boyd's horse, Whiskey, found his way into the garden and ate a few pounds of broccoli!

Closing the Generational Gap

Last year a woman at my church said that she heard that my friend and I were interested in learning more about gardening. "I would love to teach you about gardening. Seriously, I would LOVE it!," she said. She continued by saying that it would give her a chance to get to know us better. "We have all been going to this church for years, yet I really don't know that much about you, other than what you do at church," she said.


This got me thinking, how sad it is that we call the church our "family" and yet we don't know the favorite hobbies and passions of those we greet every week during the worship service. It would be wonderful if we would all take a portion of time to go and fellowship with each other. In that way, we would know the true life of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and be able to share in their joy when they are blessed, and encourage them when they are down.


I liked the idea that this fellowship did not need to be structured in a typical devotion setting, but that the youth could learn a skill set, while at the same time building bonds with a Christian mentor.


The next Susquehanna Xpress demonstrates how this type of mentoring is mutually beneficial to both parties. Boyd, a lay leader, donated his land so that the kids could grow crops to donate to the Food Bank. Through this process, not only were the kids participating in an act of service for their community, but they were building a bond with a member of their church. Boyd beamed as he spoke of how hard the kids worked in the garden. He expressed how much joy it gave him to be able to pass his farming knowledge to the youth. He even shared a few tips with me that I could only have learned from an experienced farmer!


1 Corinthians 12 tells us that we each have gifts that be can be used for the Kingdom of God! We are all part of one body.


21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.


How wonderful to be able to utilize those gifts and share them with each other.


In his blog post Warren, the Director of Young Peoples Ministries, writes about the importance of forming inter-generational bonds:


The Wardog Blog: Relational Investment Vs. Relational Engagement: This is always a tough problem for people in ministry to wrestle with; especially those who work with young people. We want to personally in...


May I encourage you to act on that cross-generational project that God has been nudging you to start!