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Maple UMC Battle Creek, 342 Capital Avenue NE, Battle Creek, MI (2026)

05/14/2025

Here is an interesting (and timely) thought for the day from Dr. David McDonald's book "Passion for All That's Possible With God"...

"We are never meant to deal with the world as it is--but as it should be...as it COULD BE."

04/28/2025

I have never read the "full" Serenity Prayer until just now. (You probably haven't either.)

Read it slowly...out loud...and let it sink in.

04/20/2025

Out of the thousands...millions...BILLIONS of words floating around our world and universe, it's the short sentences--a simple "3 word" phrase--that can turn our lives and our futures around.

"I LOVE YOU" touches a chord deep within all of us and fills us with joy, excitement, wonder, and eager anticipation. Those three words tell us that someone sees us...hears us...values us as a human being. Three words that promise we can overcome anything...we are not alone...we matter in the overall scheme of things.

"IT IS FINISHED!" The final cry from the lips of Jesus as He hung on the cross. The promise that our past has been forgiven--permanently. God no longer sees us as sinners but as children--His BELOVED children. He has redeemed us from our past...lifted us out of the muck and mire of our wrong choices, hateful actions, hurtful words...and set us on His road of healing and hope.

"HE IS RISEN!" The Easter morning declaration that reminds us that nothing will ever be the same again. The dead has been raised. The broken has been healed. The lost has been found. The hopeless have been raised. In the three words of Easter morning, we find forgiveness for our past...we find life for today...we find hope for our future.

We don't need a lot of words today--just three!

"I LOVE YOU"..."IT IS FINISHED"..."HE IS RISEN"

04/19/2025

Worth thinking about and taking to heart...

04/18/2025

Three words for today--IT IS FINISHED!

Guess who has the final say!

04/17/2025

A prayer for today...

Heavenly Father, when evil darkens our world -- give us light.

When despair numbs our souls -- give us hope.

When we stumble and fall -- lift us up.

When doubts assail us -- give us faith.

When nothing seems sure -- give us trust.

When ideals fade -- give us vision.

When we lose our way -- be our guide!

We ask these thing in Your holy name. Amen.

04/16/2025

Written in 1955, the song became quite popular during the “hippie movement” of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. It made it into many a church hymnal in the ‘80’s. Sy Miller and Jill Jackson originally wrote it for the International Children’s Choir of the Granger Dance Academy.

But as the song’s message started to spread across the world, it quickly became a “protest” anthem…and a prayer. The words have been infiltrating my brain and my prayer time of late.

“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth—the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father, brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me. Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow:
To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

My mind has been gnawing on this song for a few days now, and I finally figured out why. We want (and pray for) peace on EARTH…but the reality is that we cannot have peace on earth when the nations are engaged in battles of one-upmanship…seeking to “lord it over” those who they deem to have or be “less”…when we are looking down our noses at anyone who is “different”.

The NATIONS of the world cannot be at peace if the citizens within their boundaries are struggling to survive—physically, economically, socially, relationally. There will never be unanimity between countries who hoard their resources…foster attitudes of unacceptance and discrimination…turn their back on those seeking freedom from oppression of any kind.

The PEOPLE within those nations cannot find and promote peace if they are constantly seeing their neighbors as “the enemy” and seeking to destroy them for whatever reason by lies, innuendos, rumors, and half-truths. When there is no peace and calm inside of US (you and me), we are incapable of properly dealing with the chaos surrounding us. And when the chaos of the outside world takes over our hearts and spirits, the result is never good. We lose the ability to live and move in the way God intended.

The female half of the song-writing duo who was suicidal after a failed marriage later said she co-wrote the song after discovering what she called “the life-saving joy of God’s peace and unconditional love”.

As we pray for our world…our nation…our communities, we also need to be praying fervently for ourselves—“Let there be peace on earth-----and, O Lord, let it begin with me!”

04/12/2025

The last thing I read last night was the first thing on my mind this morning. It was part of an article by Max Lucado on prayer. Snippets from his reminder to "give thanks" have burrowed into my spirit.

"In Scripture, the idea of giving thanks is not a suggestion or a recommendation. It is a COMMAND. It carries the same weight as 'Love thy neighbor' and 'Give to the poor'. More than a hundred times...the Bible commands us to be thankful. If quantity implies gravity, God takes thanksgiving very seriously.

"Ingratitude is the original sin. Adam and Eve had a million reasons to give thanks...They dwelled in a perfect world. Then came the snake...'Eat it,' he said. Just like that, Eden was not enough....

Suppose Adam and Eve had scoffed at the snake's suggestion instead of following it?...Had they chosen gratitude, would the world be different? If YOU choose gratitude, will your world be different?"

The daily news feed forces our gaze off the Creator onto the world in which we live. It demands that we pay attention to war, hunger, money, bigotry, injustice, hatred. It turns our attention from worship to worry...from praise to panic...from hope to horror.

Maybe we need to just stop and listen to God's command to "Give thanks".

The psalmist preaches it loud and strong--"SO, GOD'S PEOPLE, SHOUT PRAISE TO GOD. GIVE THANKS TO OUR HOLY GOD! (Psalms 97:12)

2 Thessalonians 1:3 in The Message paraphrase is downright specific! "YOU NEED TO KNOW, FRIENDS, THAT THANKING GOD OVER AND OVER...IS NOT ONLY A PLEASURE. IT IS A MUST. WE HAVE TO DO IT!"

Does that mean ignore the current crisis in our world, our nation, our own lives? No...but it DOES mean find the blessing, the hope, the bright spots in an otherwise bleak terrain.

Give thanks that we live in a nation where we can still raise our voices in protest. Praise God that the evil that surrounds us has not overtaken us. Lift up in grateful prayer the men and women who are taking a stand for truth in the halls of politics and justice. Praise God that HE (not the powers that be) will have the final word. Claim the victory that is ultimately ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let us storm the gates of heaven with our praise and prayers for peace, hope, truth, and justice to prevail.

"Lord, listen to Your children praying...Grant us love. Grant us power. Grant us grace."

04/11/2025

It was one of those things somebody posted on Facebook that you don’t intend to watch—but then you do. It was a video clip about a older couple in Burlington, WA getting all “gussied up” as my grandmother would say. Then they grabbed a boombox, drove downtown to a deserted parking lot, and started to dance. Jerri (the wife) and Jerry (her husband) dancing in the middle of nowhere just for the fun of it.

They had gone out dancing every week until Covid hit and forced them to stop. Feeling cut-off and deprived, they started dancing in their driveway—just to get out of the house. Their neighbors came out to watch—and clap…and smile. Jerri (the wife) said dancing always made THEM smile—and if it makes someone else smile too…well, that’s a bonus. [I have to admit I smiled as I watched them “cut the rug” under a street light and full moon in an empty parking lot.]

Then someone asked Jerry (the husband) why they were still dancing in downtown Burlington--in parks…empty parking lots…on city streets after the lockdown had been lifted. He smiled and said simply, “Life’s too short not to.”

That touched my spirit in this world of skyrocketing prices…angry rhetoric…and a “ping-ponging” stock market. My mind reflects again on the morning headlines—most of them bad! And I hear someone ask—“Why do you pray?”

I think of all the answers I COULD give—and then decide that Jerry nailed it—

BECAUSE LIFE IS TOO SHORT NOT TO!

“Lord, listen to Your children praying. Grant us love. Grant us power. Grant us grace.”

04/10/2025

Another morning of head shaking...sweaty palms...shallow breathing as the news dumps more uncertainty into our lives. The stock market which crashed with a shattering sound two days ago has rebounded because of a "temporary" political move. Those who live their days by the reports from the New York Stock Exchange are breathing a sigh of relief.

I find myself remembering my elementary school days on the playground when bullies would play mind games with the more vulnerable kids--taunting them with promises of safety from harm today in exchange for their lunch money.

I wonder why society became so cruel. Why do we feel the need to penalize (even destroy) our friends along with our enemies? Why is it so much easier (even seemingly praiseworthy) to be stern, tough, bullying than to treat each other with respect, equanimity, and kindness?

The serpent did it in the Garden--taunting our first parents with the possibility of being "like God" if they munched on the fruit of the forbidden tree. Afraid of being "less than" what they might be, they caved--and in doing so, lost their relationship to their Creator. Banished forever from the perfection they had known, they and their descendants were pushed into the unknown where distrust, lying, betrayal, and fear prevail.

At the cross, Jesus turned betrayal into forgiveness. He transformed distrust into faith. He let humanity know (once again) that there is a better way to operate in this world. He spoke words of hope to His followers who had deserted Him after swearing allegiance. He offered forgiveness to Peter who, with three lies, destroyed the relationship he had with the Master. He even offered reconciliation to His tormentors, persecutors, and judges when He prayed, “FATHER, FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.”

The FB post says it all this morning. "Fear is contagious. But so are Faith, Hope, and Love." Remember what the apostle Paul told the Corinthians? "THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE."

"Lord, listen to Your children praying...Help us to spread love in these fearful days."

04/09/2025

As I turned the corner this morning, the rising sun momentarily blinded me--sneaking in the side of my sunglasses. I muttered, "I need blinders!" And the thought stuck.

Blinders on horses serve a variety of purposes--

1) Help horses focus on what is in front of them by reducing distractions.

2) Prevent stress in environments like racetracks or busy streets.

3) Limit a horse's peripheral vision, allowing it to concentrate on its task.

4) Keep the horse on track and prevent it from being spooked.

Suddenly I'm aware of our prayer emphasis during Lent and how appropriate "blinders" would be!

We definitely need to remove the distractions around us so that we can focus on the task before us--praying for our world, our nation, our cities and towns. We need to mentally (as well as physically) turn off our social media feeds...our TVs...our phones...even our minds! We need to stop listening (at least for the moment) to the dire predictions...the angry rhetoric...the spiteful accusations...the hateful speech. In our key verse from 2 Chronicles God says as much--"PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE".

We certainly need less stress in our lives! We need to turn off our worries about our jobs, our health, our families, our lengthy "To Do" list and simply concentrate on the task at hand--PRAYER. The world can get along just fine without us for the next ten, fifteen, thirty, or sixty minutes.

We need blinders to keep us from getting "spooked" by what is going on around us--the rapidly rising prices...the job cuts...the tanking stock market...the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere. We need to obscure the peripheral so that we can focus on God's presence and God's promises. We need to block out all that would cause us to stumble or turn aside from our primary call to prayer.

Lord, give us blinders so that we can focus on You...Your kingdom...Your promises...Your presence.

04/08/2025

My morning began as it always does--a soft "Mew" in my ear...a furry paw stroking my cheek--a head butt if I don't move fast enough. Tux thinks it's time for breakfast--after all, it is 3 a.m.! I roll over with a groan, and he jumps down satisfied he's done his duty.

I follow him to the bathroom, and he flops at my feet--belly up--waiting for the chin scratch, chest rub, tummy tickle. As I follow his lead, I chuckle--"It's all about you, isn't it?!

My hand stops--mid-scratch. That's the problem, isn't it--with our society, our nation, our world? Everybody thinks, "It's all about me."

The toddler in daycare grabs the toy another child is holding provoking a scream of outrage. A business tycoon finagles a way to drive a competitor out of business and gloats over his success. One parent badmouths the other in front of the kids or worse, uses a slap or a punch to make their point. A social group spreads malicious rumors about another on social media. One country attacks another leading to an all-out conflict that spills over into neighboring countries.

Why? Because they want what someone else has...they want to be in charge... #1...the "best"...top of the heap...

Several thoughts bump against one another in my mind as I absently stroke the black-and-white belly at my feet.

"There's no 'I' in 'TEAM'."

"Everybody needs somebody sometime."

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

I think of our grounding verse for these forty days of prayer--"IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME HUMBLE THEMSELVES..." Being called to be part of God's family is a call to humility...it's an invitation to be #2 or #204....it's a solicitation to allow others to "cut" in front of us in line.

Humility does not put us on top of the heap. It calls us to wash feet as our Master did. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, it's an invite to seek God's face rather than our own success. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, it chooses to help another.

What would our word be like if it WASN'T all about "me"? If it was all about "us"...if it was all about "you"...if it was all about God?

"Lord, listen to Your children praying..."

Maple UMC Battle Creek

05/14/2025

04/28/2025

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