One more blog before bed.
40 Days of Prayer for Youth starts next Wednesday!
Please join with our conference youth April 28 - June 6 to pray for youth each day for 40 days. Please download and print the Prayer Guide in the link. The Student Leadership Team of the Central Texas Annual Conference created this initiative. Look for it on Facebook and Twitter under 40 Days of Prayer for Youth!
This is from the Prayer Guide: "We will be praying to support every local church youth group in their mission of Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World. We will be praying for support, courage, and strength for every youth in every local church. We will be praying for every youth group who is engaging in missions within their church, their community, and around the world. We will be praying for further connection within our Districts and within our Annual Conference."
Prayer Guide
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A Bit Of God's Blessing For You
I find myself deeply humbled, extremely blessed and in complete awe of the varied musical talent within the First United Methodist Church of Glen Rose, Texas of which I am the pastor. God has truly blessed this congregation. And I get to share in that blessing.
Last Friday night, April 16th, 2010, 10 year old Morgan Kirby, of First United Methodist Church in Glen Rose Texas, sang the National Anthem at Texas Motor Speedway. I guess there's just too much grandpa in me, for even though we are not related, I have to share it with you. Enjoy.
Last Friday night, April 16th, 2010, 10 year old Morgan Kirby, of First United Methodist Church in Glen Rose Texas, sang the National Anthem at Texas Motor Speedway. I guess there's just too much grandpa in me, for even though we are not related, I have to share it with you. Enjoy.
Friday, April 2, 2010
The sky is crying . . .
It's Good Friday. "The sky is crying . . . Can't you see the tears roll down the street."
Here it is Good Friday and it just started to rain. God is once again expressing the mood and feelings of the day. How does a parent watch a child give away the most precious gift of all, life, for ungrateful, unrepentant, thick-headed, hard hearted slobs like us without crying. I think the reason the skies opened up and it turned dark as midnight in the middle of the day is because God couldn't watch.
God tried to watch but in the end, as Jesus was dying on the cross, God had to turn away. God couldn't stand to watch. The agony, though it would become ecstasy later in the resurrection, was too much even for God to bear.
God turned away and at that very moment, Jesus felt it and cried, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" In the midst of the rain, there was a loud clap of thunder and a streak of lightening expressing God's anger and despair. At that moment, Jesus said: "It is finished" and breathed His last.
Here it is Good Friday and it just started to rain. God is once again expressing the mood and feelings of the day. How does a parent watch a child give away the most precious gift of all, life, for ungrateful, unrepentant, thick-headed, hard hearted slobs like us without crying. I think the reason the skies opened up and it turned dark as midnight in the middle of the day is because God couldn't watch.
God tried to watch but in the end, as Jesus was dying on the cross, God had to turn away. God couldn't stand to watch. The agony, though it would become ecstasy later in the resurrection, was too much even for God to bear.
God turned away and at that very moment, Jesus felt it and cried, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" In the midst of the rain, there was a loud clap of thunder and a streak of lightening expressing God's anger and despair. At that moment, Jesus said: "It is finished" and breathed His last.
Maundy Thursday on April Fool's Day
Maundy Thursday on April Fool's Day, how ironic. How very appropriate. What a sense of humor God has. Maybe, just maybe, the first Easter took place on April 1st. What a great trick to play on the betrayer, on the Council and Herod, on Pilate, and on sin and death.
Taint the heart of the betrayer. Weaken the faith of the denier. Scatter the others. Mock the King of Kings and sentence Him to death on the most heinous, agonizing means of death possible. Jam a crown of thorns on His head and hang Him out to die.
Oh, how sin and death must have been laughing. Oh, how Satan must have been rejoicing. With the final words of Jesus and the sealing of HIs body in the tomb, the party began. While a few mourned, the company of hell partied hardy. The victory celebration was like none any of the hounds of hell had ever experienced.
High fives, ataboys, singing, dancing, reveling in their moment went on for three days. It was the party of the millennium, maybe even the party of all time and space. But while they were distracted, while they were doing the bunny hop, the stone slowly, quietly rolled from in front of the tomb.
As the sun began to rise, as the birds began to sing, as the women approached the tomb, God laughed the greatest laugh of all time and the whole heavenly host shouted "April Fools! He's Alive. Christ Is Risen. " Sin and death had been defeated, once and for all, on that great getting up morning we know as Easter.
Taint the heart of the betrayer. Weaken the faith of the denier. Scatter the others. Mock the King of Kings and sentence Him to death on the most heinous, agonizing means of death possible. Jam a crown of thorns on His head and hang Him out to die.
Oh, how sin and death must have been laughing. Oh, how Satan must have been rejoicing. With the final words of Jesus and the sealing of HIs body in the tomb, the party began. While a few mourned, the company of hell partied hardy. The victory celebration was like none any of the hounds of hell had ever experienced.
High fives, ataboys, singing, dancing, reveling in their moment went on for three days. It was the party of the millennium, maybe even the party of all time and space. But while they were distracted, while they were doing the bunny hop, the stone slowly, quietly rolled from in front of the tomb.
As the sun began to rise, as the birds began to sing, as the women approached the tomb, God laughed the greatest laugh of all time and the whole heavenly host shouted "April Fools! He's Alive. Christ Is Risen. " Sin and death had been defeated, once and for all, on that great getting up morning we know as Easter.
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