Amy Kelley, Dir. of Outreach (Gethsemane) 2 Kings 2:6-14 (for a better understanding, read verses 1-14) 6 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So both of them went on together. 7 Fifty members from the group of prophets also went along, but they stood at a distance. Both Elijah and Elisha stood beside the Jordan River. 8 Elijah then took his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. Then the water was divided in [...]

Warren Fisher, Descendant of Generations of Methodists   Joshua 24:14-15 (NIV) “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”     Reflection: “As for me and my [...]

Rachel Fisher Luke 17:29-33  29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.   30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.   Reflection: I will be completely transparent, [...]

Cynthia Wier, member of Gene Decker Study Class  Psalm 121:1-8 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:  he that keepeth thee will not slumber.  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve thee from evil:  he shall preserve thy [...]

Cynthia Wier, member of Gene Decker Study Class  Psalm 121:1-8 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:  he that keepeth thee will not slumber.  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve thee from evil:  he shall preserve thy [...]

Charity Autry, Member since 2008, Sunday School Leader, VBS Chair, Adverse to Change and Risk Esther 4:11-14 11” All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law; that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” 12When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: [...]

Erin Campbell Naman, church member since 2009, member of Children’s Council, member of Lay Leadership Council 1 Samuel 1:9 – 16, 26-28 (NIV)  9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will [...]

Peggy Roe Gen 3:1-7 NRSV   Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it or you shall die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, [...]

Betty Owens Geary Luke 9:23-25, The Message “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?”   Reflection:  Most New Year’s resolutions last about a month. One study found that 80% of resolutions were abandoned in February; another that most were abandoned around [...]