The Fragrance of Worship “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Mark 14:6 Holy week begins this Sunday. My mind cannot begin to imagine what that must have been like for Jesus. It would be a time of receiving extreme love from a few; and bitter rejection from others. There would also be what was perhaps the hardest of…Keep Reading

God’s Grace as Needed “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought” Isaiah 58:11 Am I able to completely abandon myself to the Good Shepherd’s care? Will I trust him when everything about the path we are on seems wrong? Even this requires grace. Our Savior does not pile all the grace that we will need for life upon us at once. That would be too…Keep Reading

Rev. Nate and Julie Ware God of Grace through Shades of Grace “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” Isaiah 26:9 An example of the Appalachian District United Methodist Church, “Shades of Grace,” at 313 West Sullivan Street embraces the…Keep Reading

Stewardship of the Life “And it shall be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us…We will rejoice and be glad in His salvation” Isaiah 25:9 Waiting on God is not like waiting on an appointment, or in line at the store. It is, in Jesus’ words, “occupying until he returns.” That means that as Christians, we are to…Keep Reading

Rev. Nate and Julie Ware LET US PRAY “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26-27 “And when He had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”…Keep Reading

DAY OF PEACE “I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people.” Psalm 85:8 It matters who we listen to. Monday is here and who knows what the week may bring. We can’t help the voices that are all around us. There are a lot of gloom and doom, unkind and hurtful words out there. Each day we must choose who we are going…Keep Reading

John 11 Link to YouTube Video – “Waiting Is Faith in Action – Rev. Michael Vaughn of Gate City United Methodist Church” From Pastor Will Shewey – Photos from Tour: We formerly live-streamed at 4:00 p.m. Sundays in real time. We continue streaming at that same time by edit\redaction and upload of previous Saturday service. Through it all, no aspect of our outreach and ministry ceased. We remain strong and…Keep Reading

Rev. Nate and Julie Ware Take….Eat “By eating something, you don’t merely accept it as putting something into your body,: it becomes part of your body.” Luke 22:14-23 “…..it wasn’t the first time that He had spoken of Himself as “bread,” to make He Himself a Life Source. They would have been hard-pressed not to remember that Jesus is the Bread of Heaven, the Bread of Life: John 6:25-69 Several…Keep Reading

Church Sanctuary “For we are to God a sweet smell of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 2:15 The smell of a church sanctuary is like no other. It is the remaining aroma of lives that have worshiped before, and a holy redolence that sleeps in the wood of the pews. The walls have absorbed the breath of singing, praising, and praying for many generations; and the floors have caught the tears that…Keep Reading

MOSAIC OF THE CHURCH “The LORD is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 There are beautiful mosaics that are often made of broken things (such as glass). I am reminded that the church is such a mosaic. It is made out of broken lives that have been gently placed there by the hands of God. He has always found a use…Keep Reading

THE WORDS WE USE “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45 Would you buy water if you knew that it was bottled from a contaminated spring? Does a person continue to use food that…Keep Reading

KEEP DOING GOOD “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13 Many who try to live a life pleasing to the Lord, and who do their best at doing good, are likely, at some point, to face the temptation to “throw in the towel.” I use that expression because it is a boxing term for accepting defeat. Doing good can seem…Keep Reading