Bible Reading

1.  DO YOU READ YOUR BIBLE DAILY?

2.  WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM READING YOUR BIBLE?

3.  DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD HAS SOMETHING “PERSONAL”
     TO SAY TO YOU EACH DAY?

FIVE STEPS TO READING YOUR BIBLE

STEP 1.   READ/LISTEN: 
 CHOOSE A PASSAGE AND READ THROUGH TO SEE THE  OVERALL CONTENT.  THEN READ AGAIN, MORE SLOWLY,  PAUSING WHEN A WORD OR PHRASE GETS YOUR  ATTENTION.  AFTER READING, REMAIN SILENT AND  INWARDLY REPEAT YOUR WORD OR PHRASE.

STEP 2.  RELATE:
 CONSIDER HOW YOUR WORD OR PHRASE CONNECTS TO  WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE.  PAY ATTENTION TO  FEELINGS, MEMORIES, THOUGHTS THAT ARISE.

STEP 3.  REFLECT:
 CONSIDER WHAT INVITATION GOD OFFERS YOU FOR  TODAY REGARDING THE CONNECTION YOU MADE.

STEP 4.  PRAY:
 ASK GOD TO EMPOWER YOU TO RESPOND TO THE  INVITATION THAT YOU HEARD IN YOUR REFLECTION.

STEP 5.  REST:
 SIMPLY SIT QUIETLY IN GOD’S PRESENCE AND ALLOW GOD  TO LOVE YOU.  THIS IS THE HARDEST ONE FOR US BUSY  PEOPLE TO DO.

STEP 6.  ACTION:
 MAKE THE INVITATION INTO AN ACTION FOR THE DAY.

Why is as important as what

Proverbs 16, 2  "All a man's ways seem right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the motives."

Attending church and giving donations are laudable activities to say the least, but God knows our motives and motives are just as important as the actions themselves. If one acts for his own glory God will know. If one acts for the glory of God he will be blessed. Our daily walk through life should be filled with charity, love, piety, and forgiveness but only for the Glory of God not the Glory of your own name. If no one knows the good thing you have done do not fret, for God knows.

Proverbs 25,2   "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter."

Please be in prayer for those who have lost loved ones recently and God Bless.

Top 10 John Wesley quotes of all time

1. “Do all the good you can,
   By all the means you can,
   In all the ways you can,
   In all the places you can,
   At all the times you can,
   To all the people you can,
   As long as ever you can.”
2. “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”
3. “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”
4. “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.”
5. “Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago.”
6. “Every one, though born of God in an instant, yet undoubtedly grows by slow degrees”
7. “Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge”
8. “My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible-bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small.”
9. “The best of it is, God is with us.”
10. “When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me”

Change for the Church in the New Year

We think of a new year as a time for change. However, we often discover that about the only thing that changes is our calendar. If we look closely, we will see that there are always some changes that take place at the beginning of a new year.  This year there will be the biggest change for the churches of the Holston Conference that I have ever experienced. We will no longer be given a Fair Share apportionment. In the place of our church being given a dollar amount to pay, we are expected to contribute a tithe or 10% of our income to the conference.  This can be a good thing for our church as we talk about giving a tithe. If we are doing it as a church, we should also be tithing as families and individuals. A focus on this biblical principle can help us all to grow spiritually this year.  During the first two months of the new year, I want us to focus on Barnabas who is one of the men of the New Testament.  His name means ‘son of encouragement’. Our morning messages will focus on his ministry of encouragement. I hope you will plan to attend on January 9 and the following Sundays as we think about his ministry and what it could mean for us as we enter into the new year.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. David Smith

December

Patience

I found these jewels of wisdom today and since I struggle with patience my self (I have two young children) They struck a chord with Me.

Serenity Prayer



God, grant us the...

Serenity to accept things we cannot change,

Courage to change the things we can, and the

Wisdom to know the difference

Patience for the things that take time

Appreciation for all that we have, and

Tolerance for those with different struggles

Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the

Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the

Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless.

- By Reinhold Niebuhr

Horne on Patience

Patience strengthens the spirit,

sweetens the temper,

stifles anger,

extinguishes envy,

subdues pride,

bridles the tongue,

restrains the hands,

and trembles upon temptation

            - George Horne

God Bless.

Paul is a role model.

We had a lively discussion at the Bible study tonight, but what struck a chord with me was how The Apostle Paul views even the most dire situation. He seems to take every opportunity to witness no matter what is occurring around him. From preaching in Synagogues to testifying to prisoners on a doomed boat.  He never missed a chance to spread the gospel or give glory to God. I really like the way he describes his relationship with God in Acts 27 verse 23. "For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me,".  I think this attitude toward who is in charge might help us all with personal struggles we may have.
The study tonight brought to mind five questions that were asked of me recently, I hope you take time to answer them yourself.

1. Do we sometimes make our faith too private?
2. Do our neighbors even know we are Christians? if not, how can we be more faithful as witnesses?
3. Are we diligent in the work of building up Gods kingdom today?
4. Are we showing God's love in ways that open up conversations about our faith and hope in Christ?
5. Are there any ways in which we are being disobedient? if So How???

I think I know how Paul would answer these questions. I know we can't all be like The Apostle Paul, but he sure is a good role model to have. God Bless.

Daily Affirmation

"AIN’T NOTHING GOING TO
COME UP TODAY,
THAT ME AND THE LORD
CAN’T HANDLE !"

Different Types of Prayer

As I have talked to people, googled, read books and afterwords dittos given out during our Bible studies I have came up with a list of Prayers.

1. Prayer of Praise: This prayer is centered around God and his majesty, glory, power, beauty, love, mercy and grace.
2. Prayer of Penitence: Asking for forgiveness of sin.
3. Prayer of Petition: This is a prayer asking for something. It gets abused a lot. We must remember to ask for things in God's will not our own.
4. Prayer of Thanksgiving: Prayer of appreciation for the blessings God has bestowed you. (happens around my dinner table a lot).
5. Prayer of Intercession: Asking for God's help on the behalf of others.
6. Prayer of Agreement: When two or more people come together and agree with one another and the word of God that something specific will be done. Unity in Christ is powerful.

I believe the best prayers are the ones that include all these types of prayers in one prayer. God Bless and keep praying.