Thursday, January 9, 2020

JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. "Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut from the frozen waters, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often these ice blocks would last well into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it." I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking." This is a good lesson for all of us as we listen for God. You see the question isn't whether God will speak, but whether we will take the time to be quiet and still enough to hear His voice. Let's be sure to take that time to hear what He's saying to us!

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

BOB This is Bob Peden of Central and United Methodist Community in downtown Meridian. The apostle Paul wrote: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!" Are you a dreamer? Even if you are not a dreamer, imagine the most impossible thing you could do to honor God. Then realize that God can do far more through you than that—more than you can even begin to imagine! And the power to do it? The power at work within you? Ah yes, you guessed it: It is the power of the Holy Spirit! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within each true follower of Jesus. So, dream your wildest dream for God's will in your life today for his glory.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

MATT Good Morning! I’m Matt Farmer, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. In his book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr says that in our connected world, “The sense that there might be a message out there for us” is increasingly difficult to resist. Samuel was a young boy when he heard a voice call his name and thought it was Eli the priest in the tabernacle where he served the Lord. When Eli realized that God was calling Samuel, he told the boy how to respond. When God called his name a fourth time, “Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for Your servant hears’”. This attentiveness to God’s voice became the pattern of Samuel’s life as “the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.” Are we listening for God’s voice in our lives today? Are we more drawn by the vibration of a smartphone than the still, small voice of the Lord through His Word and His Spirit? Like Samuel, we must learn to discern God’s voice and say, “Speak, Lord. I’m listening.”

Monday, january 6, 2020

SABRINA Tomorrow would have been my daddy’s birthday. After daddy passed away, my sister and I tried to determine how to sum up a life on a headstone. We ended up with his name, the names we all had for him, and ended with simply “our legacy.” You see, my daddy was a precious, God-fearing man, who left his imprint on many, but particularly on the hearts of those who loved him. In Jeremiah 1:4-5, we are reminded “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Have you ever thought – our nations are our homes. We have been set apart to accomplish great things. No matter what else we leave behind – and we will surely leave all these earthly possessions behind, the most important thing by far is a passion for Christ. So today, let us pause and think of our legacy, remembering that the legacy of loving God and putting Him first, is indeed the greatest gift we can leave to those most precious to us.

Friday, January 3, 2020

JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. This Sunday marks the first Sunday of the year and the first for the 2020s. This is a time of new beginnings and a time for new choices, new experiences, new hopes, and dreams. Can we allow this new year to inspire the desire for new experiences and initiatives in God? Can we choose to pray for, expect, and act within the divine order of a new cycle...break out of the "same old-same old" and choose to believe in His power to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or imagine? The new season beckons us to this: If we believe that our Lord is really on top of things, if we believe that He can even redeem our mistakes, then we ought to be filled with expectation for change, great change in our lives, by His divine power to work in and through us. Entering this new season can inspire a choice in faith, to love and serve with greater devotion than ever, perhaps in ways that we have only dreamt of before. A new year is upon us. Let's make the choice for change—He will "do a new thing."

Thursday, January 2, 2020

MATT Good Morning! I’m Matt Farmer, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. A man who had just been elected to the British Parliament brought his family to London. He felt important as he told them about his new job and gave them a tour of the city. When they entered Westminster Abbey, his eight-year-old daughter was awestruck by the size of that magnificent structure. Her proud father asked, “What, my dear, are you thinking about?” She replied, “Daddy, I was just thinking about how big you are in our house, but how small you look here!” Without knowing it, that little girl said something her father needed to hear. Pride can creep into our lives so easily, and from time to time, it’s good to be “cut down to size.” It’s easy to become proud when we stay in our own little circles of life. But when we are thrust into larger situations, with increased demands, pressures, and competition, we come to the shocking realization that “big fish in small ponds” shrink quickly in a large ocean. James 4:6 says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. So, let’s ask the Lord to help us see ourselves as we really are. With His help, we’ll learn to rid ourselves of foolish pride.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

GLENDA Good morning: People are always predicting what will happen in the new year. Some of those predictions come true, while others do not. Here are some predictions that will definitely come true: The Bible will still have all the answers; Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth; The Holy Spirit will still move; God will still honor the praises of His people; There will still be God-anointed preaching; There will still be singing of praise to God; God will still pour out blessings upon His people; There will still be room at the Cross; Jesus will still love you; and Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him. Isn’t it great to remember who is really in control, and that, like we read in 1 Peter 1:25, “The Word of the Lord endures forever”? Have a wonderful day!