Wednesday, February 28, 2018

BOB Good morning! This is Bob Peden of Central, A United Methodist Community in downtown Meridian. Promises. We hear people make promises to us all the time. Print media, television, radio, and signs are full of ads making all sorts of promises. Politicians glibly make false promises. People we love make promises to us. Promises seem to fill the air around us. Broken promises often break our hearts. A deep cynicism slowly seeps into our hearts. Before long, the protective side of our minds warns the open side of our hearts about phony promises and how they have disappointed and hurt us in the past. But I can assure you that God has made you a promise that will not fail. His promise comes in the form of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. God does not promise us health and wealth and fame, but God does promise us that He will be with us in all things. And I can assure you that God does indeed fulfill that promise.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

TIM Good morning, I’m Tim Wise, Sanctuary Choir Director at Central. Psalm 119 tells us that God’s word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Sometimes we, as Christians, find ourselves a bit lost wandering aimlessly with no sense of direction. Sometimes we struggle with decisions and whether we choose the right thing or the wrong thing. The struggle is shared by everyone. Even some of the simplest decisions can be difficult, but we have help! Luckily the word of God can act as both a light and a compass. It offers us all sorts of advice on where to go, how to act and even what our purpose is. If we utilize the Bible to guide us, then our path becomes visible and our directions become clearer. His word unshields our blinded eyes and illuminates our path. Then as we gain our bearings, we can find others to take on our journey with us and use our light to guide others.

Monday, February 26, 2018

DENNIS Good Morning. I am Dennis Gossett with Central United Methodist Church. While looking at some pictures one day, my mother commented that my son looked just like me. Interestingly, I have been told that I look a lot like my father. You too have probably heard these types of comments. We all favor those in our own families. The Judeo-Christian faith teaches that we were created by God, and, therefore, bear his likeness. In other words, we look like our Father, God in heaven. If that is true, then we have an enormous family with whom we have a lot in common with. Within our family is every past and present person on the face of the earth. We all may not look exactly alike, but we all have the same humanity that connects us together. People have often wondered what God looks like, and have come up with some pretty wild images. However, to see the likeness of God is no further than the person in front of you. Sadly, some do not behave as if they bear His divine image. Nevertheless, Jesus told his disciples to love your neighbor as yourself, because we are all bound mysteriously together. Come to church and hear the one whom you favor.

Friday, February 23, 2018

SABRINA Have you ever felt as if God is fed up with you? Perhaps you feel your mistakes are too great to be forgiven. You wish you could go back to a time when things were better. In Isaiah 43:18, Isaiah spoke these words to Israel during a time when they had lost everything and felt God wanted nothing more to do with them. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Wherever you find yourself today, God is doing a new thing in your life. This verse from Isaiah teaches us how to embrace all God is doing. Forget the former things. It impossible to see where God is leading if we’re always looking back. Recognize your future now. Just as a seed spouts below the ground before we see evidence of a new flower, God is already at work, we can’t see it yet. Commit to God’s plan. Remember, God doesn’t condemn us, He wants only the best for us. No matter our past, God has already set into motion a new direction and a new purpose for our life. We just have to commit to His plan.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

GLENDA Good Morning: I'd like to remind you that fall registration for our Children's Center is next week. On Monday, February 26, we will take registrations from Church Members who are not presently enrolled and siblings of former students. On Tuesday, February 27, we will register all new students to our program. We are a half day program and serve ages 1 through 4. The age your child will be on September 1, 2018 will determine the class he or she will be in. Our phone number is 601-693-0830. If you are interested in enrolling your child, please call us or drop by any morning and pick up a registration form. You may also call the church office, and our receptionist will help you get in touch with me. I'd love to give you a grand tour of our wonderful facility. Any questions, please feel free to call. I'm looking forward to meeting you! Have a wonderful day.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

TIM Good morning, I’m Tim Wise, Sanctuary Choir Director at Central. James Chapter 2 says: “If a man wearing fine clothing comes into your assembly and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in but you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothing, then you have made distinctions among yourselves. God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith.” This tells us that God views us all as equal in His eyes. We may forget sometimes that we are all sinners, and we are all loved by God. We have been offered the same grace and love as everyone else. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord And we pray that our unity will one day be restored And they'll know we are Christians by our love. We will work with each other, we will work side by side And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride And they'll know we are Christians by our love. These lyrics from the song by Peter Scholtes reminds us that it is love that identifies us as followers of the way, NOT wealth.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

SABRINA If you are a parent, you have almost certainly dealt with a child whose schedule at one time or another became a middle of the night ritual of trips to the side of your bed. A nightmare, monsters under the bed, fear of darkness, became a bigger than life threat to their security and calm. You become weary and tired, and your patience wears thin. And THEN – we remember and question – are WE really any different? An unexpected diagnosis, the sting of rejection, or shattered dreams. When fear floods our heart, we find ourselves wrestling with our questions in the darkness of disappointment and despair. And we wonder: Will peace, joy, beauty ever grow from this brokenness? Will morning ever come? It’s in these “long nights of the soul” where we can find great comfort in Scripture, especially the book of Psalms. While there are many, David in Psalm 119:84 articulates many of our deepest cries - "How long must I wait?” In Psalm 59:16 we find hope as we are reminded “For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.” God’s word reminds us that even when our circumstances sway, God’s love remains the same. And there, in the certainty of His love, we find peace for the present and strength for the days to come.