Friday, January 10, 2014

BOB

In Chapter 16 of the account of the acts of the early disciples, the disciples are referred to as “disturbers of the peace” for freeing a woman from the demon that possessed her. Are we willing to disturb the peace in naming the demons that possess our society today. The demons of greed and selfishness. The demons of busy-ness and pre-occupation. 

We are called to create this kind of uproar in our world today just as the disciples were in the 1^st Century. But there is also unhelpful stress that comes from anxiety. So let us then pray with Saint Teresa of Avila:

Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things

Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. In this prayer there is peace in the midst of chaos.

Thursday, January 9, 2013

RAY DURDEN

Many Christians chastise themselves when bad things happen because they think that God would have answered their prayers if only they had more faith. A child wouldn't have died, cancer would have been healed, a job wouldn't have been lost, and so on.

They reason that they just didn't pray hard enough. Once a person starts reasoning like that, they take on the burden of responsibility for the bad things that happen in life. The next step is guilt! This is a dangerous slippery slope! Satan loves this because it takes the blame off of him, but the truth is, bad things are the result of sin, and Satan is the originator of sin!

God doesn't command perfect faith before working miracles in our lives. When you pray God always, hears, AND answers. You may not receive the answer instantly, or the way you want it, but He does answer! And you can trust that He always does what is best for us! If you're struggling with guilt or doubt, pray "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."

 

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

John

Good Morning! I'm John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. There is a proverb that says “A man's words will fall and wrap themselves around him like a cloak.” What a powerful visual image that is. What if every word that we said feel and wrapped itself around us like a garment? What kind of wardrobe would we have?

Words have power and Jesus spoke loving, powerful and confident words to others and to himself. It is interesting to listen to the self-talk of other people. We tend at times to be negative, hateful, and discouraging to ourselves and then to those around us. People who succeed speak well of themselves to themselves, because they understand that their words have the power to motivate or deflate their lives.

I hope that you see yourself in a positive way today, because I assure you that Christ does. I invite you to come this Sunday and worship with us at Central UMC and to be a confident witness to your faith in Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

SABRINA

In order to have a healthy marriage, taking time away to build our relationship with our partner is a necessity. Your life together began with just the two of you, and it will end with just the two of you. There is no one else other than God who knows the REAL you better than your spouse.

God created the institution of marriage. At Central, we embrace the sacred state of marriage, yet realizing some days are “just plain HARD,” we are offering a Marriage Enrichment Workshop on January 17^th & 18^th. This workshop, based on Mark Gunger's “Laugh your way to a Better Marriage,” will be led by our own Rev. John Branning.

Whether you have been married four months or forty years, we promise you will be glad you set aside time TOGETHER for this weekend in the New Year.

For more information visit our website at www.cumcmdn.org or phone the church office at 601-693-1521.

Monday, January 6, 2014

jim cain

Good Morning!

The other day I struck up a conversation with a man while I was waiting in line at the Super Wal-mart. I wasn't there to make a purchase, but to return several things I had been given at Christmas that either didn't fit or I didn't need. As we both stood in the ridiculously long return line, he began to talk about how unfriendly the people were in our community. “I guess it's just people in general these days, but the last two places I have lived the people have just been rude and stand-offish." As these words left his mouth a young girl with two young children in tow asked the man if she could cut in front of us since she only had one item and both our carts were filled to capacity. The man looked at the young mother with disgust and yelled," I'm sorry but NO YOU CAN'T GET IN FRONT OF US LADY!"

The young girl fled to the other end of the store before I could offer her my spot in line, but the rudeness on the part of my new acquaintance reminded me that if we want to change our world, we must first be willing to change ourselves. Until then, we will never experience the kindness of others. Once this lesson is learned by all of us, we may be surprised at how nice a place the world becomes.
 

Friday, January 3, 2013

JIM WALL

Good Morning!

Bennet Cerf relates this touching story about a bus that was bumping along a back road in the South.  In one seat an old man sat holding a bunch of fresh flowers.  Across the aisle was a young girl whose eyes came back again and again to the man's flowers.  The time came for the old man to get off.  Impulsively he thrust the flowers into the girl's lap.

“I can see you love the flowers,” he explained, “and I think my wife would like for you to have them.  I'll tell her I gave them to you.”  The girl accepted the flowers then watched the old man get off the bus and walk into a small cemetery.

Some acts of love seem to catch us off guard.  Sometimes, if we are humble enough, we can receive great blessings from people we barely know.

I pray that you know and remember Christ today, because he gave the greatest gift of all.  Please accept it.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

GLENDA

Good Morning:

It's time to say "Happy New Year" once again. New Year is the most ancient of all holidays. It was the Romans who first used January 1 as the beginning of the New Year in 153 BC. Symbolically, New Year signifies a renewal of life--discarding the old and worn out in exchange for a chance to revamp, rejuvenate, and start all over. Today, is an ending. An ending to the year 2013. It could be an ending for those things in your life which are holding you back from having all the good things God thinks you deserve.

Today would be a good day to think about those things, turn them over to God, and ask him to help you throw them away. Let tomorrow be the start of a brand new you. That's possible when you start your New Year with God at your side. Happy New Year!! Happy New You!!!