When we speak of Heaven’s beauty, we may talk about the crystal sea, street of gold, walls of jasper, and gates of pearl; but I have a suspicion that the greatest beauty may surprise us. It may be the very thing that we find difficult to look at on this earth. We have all seen common things that have transformed into beauty. Hans Christian Anderson’s little barnyard bird suffered abuse…Keep Reading

Through the ages, men have tried in vain to destroy the Bible. It has survived the attacks of its enemies, the neglect of its friends, and the abuse of its users. We abuse the word by “cherry-picking” passages that seem to fit our preconceived ideas and ignoring or discounting others. Most of us are not as radical as Thomas Jefferson, who literally cut from his New Testament things that he…Keep Reading

If we find God’s word burdensome, one of three things is true. One, we are not saved. Two, we are saved but are struggling with our faith. Three, we are misreading the word of God—or being misled by others who misread it. Jesus warned of such persons: “For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they…Keep Reading

I was a young man, but I can still hear a simple statement that my Grandmother made years ago. She had her favorite radio preachers, and I suspect she heard one of them say it. (It was probably about the time when there was controversy over what some called “the new Bible,” or translation.) She said, “They don’t even have ‘Holy Bible’ on the cover anymore.” I realize that is…Keep Reading

“If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become weak as any other man.” Judges 16:17 Samson was a Nazirite, a person set apart to serve God in a special way. He was given special abilities for the task; in Samson’s case it was unusual strength. As a sign of his covenant, he was never to cut his hair. If he did it would break…Keep Reading

THERE ARE NONE SO BLIND AS THOSE WHO WILL NOT SEE This statement is often traced to the Middle Ages, but its roots go much deeper: “Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear” (Jer 5:21). When the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to the people in parables, he replied, “because seeing they do not see, and hearing they…Keep Reading

“Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 Grace is receiving what we don’t deserve, and mercy is not getting what we do deserve. If we are going to move forward in whatever way that God is leading, then we must forgive just as we have been forgiven by the Lord. Having our sin removed is…Keep Reading

“Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 Grace is receiving what we don’t deserve, and mercy is not getting what we do deserve. If we are going to move forward in whatever way that God is leading, then we must forgive just as we have been forgiven by the Lord. Having our sin removed is…Keep Reading

Growing up, at least half my life was living on our farm up a hollow (Holler) 66 acres of which 33 was ours and at the very end of the hollow was 33 more which lay empty between the hills and groves of trees . . . With fruit trees lining the little creek running through the property. We had a huge family with kids running everywhere, very loud, with…Keep Reading

Paul spoke with approval of the faith that had been handed down to Timothy. But we must never assume that our only task is to be zealous for the traditions handed down by the fathers and to keep these traditions intact for the next generation. Our minds need to be open to the possibility that they may not have arrived at all the truth. The assumption that a particular person…Keep Reading

Pastor Will Shewey, Shades of Grace United Methodist Church Link to YouTube Video – Mark 8:22-26 and Mark 10:46-52 Pastor Will Shewey Has been a beautiful and heartwarming Saturday at Shades of Grace, a United Methodist congregation. Seventy five people worshipped with us, which is a new record post pandemic attendance. The Shades community choir sounded the best ever, imo. Landon leads with excellence and we are grateful to have…Keep Reading