Water Welling up to Eternal Life “…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 Fresh water has flowed in abundance from the mountains where many of us have called home. Carrying buckets of water was once a part of daily life. There was a time when…Keep Reading

Not Silver or Gold but Hope and Living Water “Silver and gold have I not, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6 The man sat by the lonely road begging as people passed by. He had become just another part of the landscape with folks paying no more attention to him than they would a stray dog. The…Keep Reading

Experience the Power of the Resurrected Life “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” Philippians 3:10 There were two men lost in the sea. Rescuers quickly found one and brought him to safety, but it took a week of searching to rescue the other. In the end both men were saved, and neither saved himself. Salvation is like that. It comes easy and almost uneventful to…Keep Reading

Blessed to Be Shepherded “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, …” Philippians 2:4 There were some cattle in a field with the glow of a beautiful sunset behind them, the scene was peaceful; except standing nearby watching them was a coyote. It just stood there staring. The…Keep Reading

Pastor Will Shewey, Shades of Grace United Methodist Church Link to YouTube Video – Luke Chapter 12:16-21 From Pastor Will Shewey We had a great Saturday morning worship at Shades of Grace: A United Methodist Congregation with exactly 70 people in attendance. The choir sing two songs and sounded fantastic. Dr. Smiddy played the trumpet and Landon accompanied him on the piano. We always love his rendition of “When the…Keep Reading

Run with Endurance the Race That is Set Before Us Read Hebrews 11:31-12:3 – “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith.” Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Moses; These names remind us of people who did wonderful things by faith. Most of us know that we will never be like them. Many of the people of faith in…Keep Reading

The Voice of Rejoicing and Salvation “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous.” Psalm 118:15 Is the Gospel still a joyful sound to us? A prayer for many Christians and churches could be, “Restore unto us the joy of your salvation.” They were the years of silence. No one had heard a word from God in ages. Life was hard for the people of…Keep Reading

Jacob – “I will not let you go until you bless me” “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:19 (read Genesis 32:24-32) The psalmist remembered a time when he had stood up for righteousness, and he stood alone. He recalls in his prayer how the Lord had helped him. We can learn from his testimony: “When the cares of my heart are many, your…Keep Reading

He shall be to you a restorer of life… Ruth 4:15 It is amazing to see how people remodel wrecked and old worn-out cars. It is more amazing to see what God can do with lives that have been dilapidated by sin. Think of the stories that those old cars could tell. They have traveled so many places: family visits, vacations and all the other places where people go. Some…Keep Reading

Instructions to Take the Shield of Faith We hid behind a fence and planned the attack. There were several of them and only two of us, but we were bigger than they were. The plan was that on the count of three we would unleash our artillery of rocks and then run like the wind. The rocks were right on target and wow did we ever make them mad. They…Keep Reading

The Believers Trust Fund for the Future “The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe. The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety” (Proverbs 18:10-11, NLT). No better comment can be made than the words of the apostle Paul: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them…Keep Reading

Setting the Record Straight “Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight” (Proverbs 18:17, TLB). I, like many others, have been guilty of hitting the “Forward” button on plausible-sounding emails, or the “Share” button on Facebook, sending them speeding around the world, and polluting the truth. We not only have a responsibility to speak the truth, but we also have a responsibility to…Keep Reading