Grace

For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God. 

-- Ephesians 2:8 Amplified Bible (AMP) 

I am sitting in my office looking at two paintings given to me by my aunt, Pat Hines. Both paintings depict churches with people heading toward worship. The settings are filled with beautiful trees, dirt roads, and people in simpler, older times. The paintings are beautifully done by a very talented artist. They came into my possession as gifts.

I never saw the paintings until they were given to me. It is not that I asked for them. It is not that I offered to buy them from her. And I can think of nothing that I have done for my aunt that would trigger this generous gift. The reality is that she chose to give them to me because she chose to give them to me. And that is grace.

We so often claim to be a people of grace, but our conversations are filled with must, should, and ought. We lay burdens upon ourselves in order to achieve grace. And then we are really good about laying burdens upon others before we deem them worthy of God's grace. But the text reminds us that grace is God's unmerited favor. Salvation is the gift of God.

I invite you to just sit in the sunshine of God's grace. Then look around and see who might need some light in their lives? -- Mike Hicks

Prayer: Lord, thank you for choosing to give your best to me just because. Amen

by Mike Hicks is the District Superintendent of the Hattiesburg District.

Lenten Devotional from the MS Annual Conference

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey

Web Content Producer

www.umcgiving.org

lcarey@umcom.org

God's Cornfield

Read Luke 15:4-7

Be still, and know that I am God... -- Psalm 46:10a

Years ago, my cousin Joann and her husband Harold had a dairy farm in Olive Branch and raised field corn to feed the cows. One hot summer day, when the corn was at its succulent best, Joann took her four-year-old son, George with her to the field to gather corn for the family. As she worked she didn't notice that George had slipped away. When she looked for him he was nowhere in sight!


She called to him and he answered her but she couldn't tell where he was. As she continued to call they both became frantic trying to find each other. Finally, Joann said, "George, BE STILL, and I'll come get you. Keep calling so I can find you."

The story had a happy ending as George and his mother were reunited in that cornfield and he stayed close to her the rest of the day, not letting her out of his sight.

This story makes me think of all the times I have strayed away from God, not very far, just far enough so that I could not feel His presence. Just far enough so that he has to come looking for me in the cornfield of life.  I've learned that when I feel far from God it's because I slipped away; God didn't change, I DID!  Just like my little cousin George, if we will be still and keep calling out to God, he will come for us and return us to His love and care.

Prayer: Loving Father, forgive us when we go our own way, when we stray from the warmth of your presence. Help us to always seek to do your will and follow your way. Amen

Thought for the Day: God loves and treasures each of us; when we are lost and frightened God will find us and comfort us if we will just 'Be still" and call on Him
.
by Jane B. Thomas is a member of Free Springs UMC near Como Mississippi.

Lenten Devotional from the MS Annual Conference

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey
Web Content Producer
www.umcgiving.org
lcarey@umcom.org

Lenten Devotional

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.'
And lead us not into temptation.

-- Luke 11: 2-4 (NASB)

  

 We all long for a purpose that makes us feel alive. It strikes a deep chord within us as we listen to someone who is deeply passionate about life; people who are totally devoted to, and energized by, their daily existence. On a recent business trip I met one of those passionate people. Jack had recently retired, yet he was still so excited about the migrant head-start program he founded. He has spent decades of his life helping the families of migrant farm workers. Jack's town, like many small agricultural communities, depends upon migrant workers to harvest the crops. He saw the needs of the impoverished migrant families and dedicated himself to helping them have a better life. Joy and energy just radiate from Jack; he is a man of passion. 

How this passion started is the real story. Jack fell in love with the migrant community through tragedy. One night his daughter was driving home when she was involved in a head on collision -- she was killed instantly. The driver of the other vehicle, who was driving impaired, was a migrant worker. Anger and grief motivated Jack to learn about the man who had killed his daughter. He met the driver's family and learned about the community in which he lived and worked. A turning point in Jack's life came when he remembered how loving his daughter was. He felt she would have forgiven the driver. Somehow, in the midst of this horrific tragedy, true grace surfaced. Instead of living a life of anger and bitterness Jack found forgiveness and, unbelievably, passion. His passion is to help the family, friends, and community of the man who killed his daughter. Jack's love for the migrant community is contagious. Talk with him and you can't help but be moved by his sense of purpose. Once you understand that his passion was birthed out of such tragedy, you begin to realize how amazing God's redemptive grace really is. 

Prayer: God, your grace is bigger than we can ever imagine. Even in the midst of pain and suffering, Your grace somehow abounds. Help us to catch a glimpse of it and share it with those in need, even if they do not seem to deserve it. Amen

by Scott Briggs works for Mississippi Regional Office of the Society of St. Andrew.

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey

Web Content Producer

www.umcgiving.org

lcarey@umcom.org

Lord, Have Mercy

Read Luke 18:9-14 

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. -- Matthew 5:7

   

In one of the many church classes and seminars I've attended over the years our District staff person, Cheryl Denley, talked about a breath prayer.  It is a short phrase that is repeated often during the day as a way of staying close to God and being open to His leading.

As I thought about this concept of prayer, I realized that I had been doing this, however unconsciously, for a long time. When my feet hit the floor in the morning the first words out of my mouth are usually, "Lord, have mercy."  I didn't really think about this as a prayer until one morning my husband said, in response to this utterance, "What are you complaining about?" I replied, "I'm not complaining, I'm praying."  From that time on, I consciously make this statement a prayer.

As I go through my day and something hurts, or things don't go as I want them to, or someone disappoints me, or I don't have time (or didn't plan well enough) to do something I want to do, or just in general Life Happens, I find myself saying, "Lord, have mercy."

I think of mercy as a gift, something I haven't earned but something I pray will be shown to me as I, like the tax collector in our scripture reading from Luke, acknowledge my shortcomings and failures as I ask God for mercy.

The flip side of this equation is found in the Beatitudes in Matthew, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy."  So, in order for me to expect
God to show mercy to me I must show mercy to others. It's that simple. "Lord, have mercy!"
                                                                                                          --  

Prayer: Merciful God, look on us with mercy and love and teach us to reflect that love and mercy to others as we go about our lives everyday. Amen    

by Jane B. Thomas is a member of Free Springs UMC near Como Mississippi.

Lenten Devotional from the Mississippi Annual Conference

God is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey

Web Content Producer

www.umcgiving.org

lcarey@umcom.org

Growing in Generosity with Children: A Quart of Coins

We keep a quart jar in a prominent place in our bedroom and put our loose change into it on a regular basis.  When it’s almost full we take it to the bank and are surprised to discover there’s about $100 that has magically accumulated!  

It’s also amazing to me that for just over $100 per member/year we are able to fund the worldwide mission and ministry of the entire United Methodist Church!  We may have loose coin offerings for a number of very worthy ministries in our churches throughout the year, but what are we teaching our children if we don’t meet our primary commitment to the ministry, done in our name here in Wisconsin and throughout the world, through our apportionments?

I invite you to start now – at the beginning of the year – to find a way to fund your share of the church’s apportionments.  Maybe you can write a check for the full amount upfront.   Or you may be like many folks who are struggling to make ends meet and the most you can give are a few coins each week.   Start now and when that jar is full, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve saved! 

If you don’t have children or grandchildren at home, invite a child or two from your church to help you count it.   And, if you wish, involve those children in giving the gift the following Sunday in a special envelope marked for apportionments.    For many wonderful stories of how these gifts are used for the ministry of Christ and the glory of God, go to www.umcgiving.org.   For more resources to help you and yours meet your financial goals this year visit:

-- by Rev. Jean Ehnert Nicholas, WI Ann Conf

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey

Web Content Producer

www.umcgiving.org

lcarey@umcom.org

Keeping What Matters

Then the king responded, ‘Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother.” (1 Kings 3: 27, full story 1 Kings 3: 16-28)

It was close to Valentine’s Day and the confirmation class was tittering. To cut through the silliness I invited them to go around the circle and share a scripture about love to the best of their memory. I was impressed by how many “love passages” they knew, more than – love one another … neighbor … stranger.

Andy’s unique choice was the story usually called Solomon’s choice.

Two women with newborns shared lodging. One infant died in the night and both claimed the living child. They screamed at each other. Solomon suggested the baby boy be bisected and each woman be given half. One woman said, “Fine.” (Can you hear the teenaged boy say it?) The other said, “Give her the baby – don’t kill him.” Solomon gave this woman the child. Whatever the biological truth was – this was the mother!

“So how is this a love story,” I asked?

“Well, if you really love something or someone, you know that cutting it in half will kill it,” said Andy. A young woman (soon to get her driver’s license) picked up the thought. “Also, if you really love something, you’re willing to let it go.”

These wise confirmands suggest some Solomon-stewardship for our churches. In a difficult budget time – cut, cut, cut is frequent advice.  But there is much precious and vulnerable programming that won’t survive the knife. Keeping what matters in our faith communities alive often requires personally sacrificial gifts – gifts without strings, ownership or naming rights – gifts of love.

-- Maren C. Tirabassi is Pastor of Union Congregational UCC of Madbury, NH.

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey

Web Content Producer

www.umcgiving.org

lcarey@umcom.org

Giving for the Glory of God

“Imagine the President of the United States and the Committee on Ways and Means sending out jugs, mugs, boxes, barrels, eggs, and buttons with their pictures on them to catch pennies to meet the fiscal needs of the great government of the United States! 

Imagine the different states and counties holding fairs, festivals, concerns, and ice cream socials.   With women cooking, sewing, and acting so that each community may meet its apportionment! 

This would disgrace any earthly government in its own eyes and the eyes of the nations.  Yet this is what Christians are doing year by year to finance the Kingdom of God!”

-from Gems of Thought on Tithing, published 1911, By George W. Brown, a Presbyterian layman

 The early Hebrews mentioned only crops and herds in their base for a tithe.  Later when the people settled and started raising olives and grapes, products such as oil and wine were included in the base.  A generation or two ago people could not conceive of anything but cash as the base for a tithe.  But with more people investing in the stock market, and in real estate, people can now consider tithing other assets as well.

--Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey

Web Content Producer

www.umcgiving.org

lcarey@umcom.org