First United Methodist Church Camden AR

06/02/2026

We love our neighbors on Monday evenings! The Al Rose class, featuring the great smoked chicken quarters by Mike Hyman provided a great meal tonight!

05/31/2026

Worship - May 31, 2025 (Nothing Means Nothing - Romans 8:26-39)

05/31/2026

Word for Today - May 31, 2026
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39

What is there about human beings that it always trying to compare ourselves to one another? That leads us to never ending distortion of thinking we know the limits of God’s grace. We do not. I’ve heard tell people at a funeral that the deceased is in hell and if they do not repent, they will be there with him soon. How would he know? A grandmother came to see me one day because a group of kids told her eleven-year old grandson that his dad is in hell because he committed su***de. An adult taught them that and probably an adult in church. How would they know that? They may be limits to how we want to distribute grace but do not mistake our misunderstandings with God’s limits. If you read your Bible, really dig deeply into the stories as an adult, not a child, your will see the depths of God’s grace seems beyond measure. Paul knows that personally. Here he is bold to declare that nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing means nothing.
This will be the last Word for Today posted on this page.

05/30/2026

Word for Today - May 30, 2026
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans 8:26-30

Many years ago, I was called on my day off and told that the secretary of our church had been found stabbed and unconscious on the floor of her office. I was the first to arrive at the hospital and sat out waiting for her family to arrive. I was angry. Our secretary was a delightful person who was the only fully healthy person in her family. Her husband was next to arrive and right behind them were many of my United Methodist colleagues. It was their day off, too, and they chose to spend it in prayer with me. I could talk but when I tried to pray, I had no words, only tears. Someone picked it up to voice a prayer out loud but God heard my heart just as God hears yours. Language often is inadequate when trying to convey the depths of our hearts. Have you ever experienced sighs too deep for words? Yes, all things work together for the good but often we wait years for that good. In the meantime, we pray and we hope.

05/29/2026

Word for Today - May 29, 2026
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
Genesis 1:26-2:4a

God gave humanity dominion over the earth without specifying expectations. We could go in the direction of greed by exploiting the earth, controlling its resources, and eventually doing the things that would diminish the earth and those who inhabit it. Or we could have gone another way which God makes clear in his instructions for the Promised Land. We can use the resources of the earth to make every life better so people will have enough food, water, and shelter to keep them well for a lifetime. Just because we did things the wrong way once, doesn’t mean we have to continue down a destructive path. How are you caring for the resources God provided?

05/29/2026

https://www.jacksonsfh.com/memorials/dr-judson-hout-iii/5716819/

View Dr. Judson Hout, III's complete obituary, share memories, and explore heartfelt tribute posts from the community.

05/28/2026

Word for Today - May 28, 2026
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:9-25

On the fourth day the sun and the moon were put into motion. On the fifth day the seas were filled and the birds took flight in the sky. Think about how much joy we get from the fish in the sea and the lakes. Initially, man was forbidden to eat any meat so the fish and the birds not created to be food. Adam and Eve were vegetarians. It was not until after the flood that Noah was allowed to eat meat. Last month, after learning about orioles liking jelly and oranges, I found an oriole feeder, put grape jelly in the bowl and oranges on the sides. No activity for three weeks then wow, I was having to add jelly and oranges three times a day. It was delightful! They were there for a month before continuing their migration. Other birds came with them and in the midst of all my packing those birds gave me such joy. Isn’t God amazing?