Gramling Methodist Church

06/25/2026

Lots of fun was had at Art Camp!! ✝️🎨🩵

06/25/2026

7:14 Prayer

Good morning Jesus! Your glory is astounding in this big beautiful world. Leaving Vancouver on a rocky point stood a lighthouse. The old hymn from the 1970’s began flowing from heart. “There's a lighthouse on the hillside
That over looks life's sea
And when I'm tossed it sends out a light, That I might see
And the light that shines in darkness now, Will safely lead us o'er, If it wasn't for the Lighthouse, My ship would be no more. And I thank God for the Lighthouse, I owe my life to Him, For Jesus is the Lighthouse, And from the rocks of sin, He has shown a light around me, That I could clearly see, If it wasn't for the Lighthouse (tell me).
Where would this ship be?” Ten years ago catastrophic flooding devastated large portions of WV where we were serving. For many, a lifetime of work gone in seconds. Isaiah writes: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10 NIV). God has walked beside us through many difficult days, but Jesus is our lighthouse overlooking “rocky times.” Thank God for our lighthouse guiding us through troubled waters. In Jesus Name, Amen!

06/24/2026

7:14 Prayer

Good morning Jesus! Your beauty shines in this big beautiful world. Judas and Peter have often been discussed and their reaction to life decisions. Judas felt bad after he betrayed Jesus, but so did Peter. One of them never came back.
They both had grievous regrets but the difference wasn't how bad they felt.
Paul writes: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV). Many times over a lifetime of failures it was more upsetting to be found out; or caught up in a bad decision or action. Other times my sorrow ran deep into my spirit leading to a closer relationship with Jesus.
Two kinds of sorrow. One leads to life. One leads to death. Judas was consumed by shame. Peter was broken, but he turned back to Jesus. Same failure. Same tears. Different direction. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. A change of mind or a change of direction. One can’t measure repentance by the depth of your regret. But is fully revealed by one’s actions and path chosen back to a healthy spirit. The question is not whether we have fallen short of God’s glory but how we react to the failure. What do we do with the pain of sinful behavior? Where does the sorrow take you? If it brings to the arms of Jesus you will know abundance in life. Repentance is more than a fuzzy feeling of shame or regret, but true repentance reconciles us to God! In Jesus Name, Amen!

06/23/2026

7:14 Prayer

Good morning Jesus. To speak Your Name and the path forward is illuminated by Your presence. From Moses’ burning bush to Jesus repeating the claim I have always loved the “I am” statements of God’s identity. John 8:58-59 records Jesus’ words: “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” (NIV). Jesus also said: “I am the Bread of Life" (John 6:48);
"I am the Light of the World" (John 8:12);
"I am the Gate" (John 10:9);
"I am the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11);
"I am the Resurrection and the Life" (John 11:25);
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6); and
"I am the Vine" (John 15:5). With all the beautiful texts mentioned above, in reality the most important word of those texts is “the”. The simple grammatical article “the” sets the world on edge and has caused great division for generations. “The” will still get you ridiculed and persecuted in the USA today and in some countries get you stoned. In Jesus’ day, the Romans were proud of their pluralistic empire they had built. The Romans ruled the civilized world that encompassed 6,000 religions. As long as Roman citizens would show allegiance to Rome, they didn’t care which religion or god you worshipped. They had monuments to all the known gods and even had one for the unknown gods for fear they would miss one. Much like the current secular, politically correct world today. Jesus turned the world on its ear with “the” that denotes “the only way.” He didn’t say, “I am a variety of bread,” “I am one ray of light among many”, “I am a gate among other choices,” “I am one of many ways, so choose your path among many roads.” The world still reacts as it did in Jesus day, they picked up stones to kill him. Saint of God, Jesus is still making that declaration to us today. Jesus still demands total allegiance to Himself and Him alone. Granted there are many paths the world recognizes but Jesus declares there is one. “Jesus said to her, “I am THE resurrection and THE life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NIV). One could have many debates about the consequences of the exclusive language, but Jesus is still THE Lord of all, none other besides Him deserves my love, worship and adoration. I pray we never lose sight of the great “I am” in our lives. In Jesus Name. Amen!

06/22/2026

Art Camp starts tonight!!! See you there! 😊🎨✝️

06/22/2026

Sunday Worship, Father’s Day, June 21, 2026: Christian Father’s

Fathers seek to be men of integrity and characterCharacter is what...

06/22/2026

7:14 prayer

Good morning Jesus, starting this week feeling humbled and so thankful. Thank you, Jesus, that we are forgiven and free, cleansed from all unrighteousness through the Blood of the Lamb (1 John 1:9). Thank You Jesus that "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). And thank, You Jesus, that You who knew no sin were willing to be made sin as our sacrifice for every sin that separated us from God’s presence. Thank you Jesus that you made a way that we “might become the righteousness of God" through You and Your grace for me (2 Corinthians 5:12). In Jesus name! Amen!

06/21/2026

7:14 Prayer

Good morning Jesus. You're my Rock, my Refuge, and my Strong Tower. My safety and strength is secure in You, my Heavenly Father.
Happy Father’s Day is the refrain of the day. I was blessed with a great dad who loved and provided for his family. He fulfilled his calling to raise his kids under the influence of Jesus and the church. Whether Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, I am also reminded of many people who had parents that did not love or care for their children as God directed. There are many tragic stories from children and parents that felt trapped in unbearable circumstances as they languished in the pain of abandonment or abuse. The Message version of 2 Corinthians is revealing for me: “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
(2 Corinthians 4:16 MSG). Everything seen and touched is temporary and fading from view daily, including parents, whether the best or the worst. The best moms and dads in the world are temporary and fading as life marches on. Only God knows the struggles and pain in each of our lives, for we are all broken in need of God’s Grace. The Bible teaches that all fall short of God’s glory and even a cursory view of humanity verifies that fact. For those that were blessed with good parents, thank God for them. For those that experienced the pain of abuse from their parents my heart is with you. I love the phrase, “But God”. “But God” always has a plan of redemption. “But God” said I will send my only Son to redeem the lost from their hellish existence. That redemption is for the abusive parents and the abused children, for Jesus died for all. Only when we recognize our own need of a Savior can we know that the lost souls around us need the same Grace, Including the wayward moms and dads. To have that knowledge is to know liberty in Jesus. The only person that can soothe the pain of abuse is Jesus. He has made a way for us to live abundantly free from our tragic past that we may know His Grace, His forgiveness and His love for us. Our tragic past does not dictate our glorious future in Jesus! Thank You Jesus for storming the gates of our personal hell to offer Your life for ours . You are one amazing God. In Jesus Name, Amen!

06/20/2026

7:14 Prayer

Good morning Jesus! Exciting day ahead watching Your Grace and mercy shower over our lives. This word from Isaiah filled my spirit this morning: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV). It is easy to grow weary and discouraged when our lives are in constant chaos. We become what we focus on in our daily routine. Moving to SC 8 years ago, we were amazed at the opportunities to build a business and thrive. Me and Cheri have talked about the “what if” notions, what if we had left WV as young people with the strength and vitality of youth? What kind of business might we have built? In the same breath we realize a business would have consumed our lives, like it did in WV. Not only did we live a life consumed with making money, in many ways it was our god. We are thankful for our experiences in business, but we stand appreciative of God re-directing our lives toward the Kingdom of God. This Isaiah text reminds me of God’s power to guide us, to encourage and to heal our hearts. We will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not faint. In Jesus Name, Amen!

06/19/2026

7:14 Prayer

Good morning Jesus. I'm looking forward to walking in Your steps, seeking Your Spirit to direct my path. Early coal miners used donkeys to haul coal from underground. In low light a donkey would hit its head on a low header, but only do it once. On return trips he would instinctually duck to miss it. Experience is a wonderful teacher but many times I have hit my head on the same “header” in my life. Lord give me the sense of a donkey today. We are smart when we learn from our mistakes, but we are wise when we watch others make mistakes and learn from their errors. Amen or ouch! The Book of Hebrews shares a similar idea: “When Jesus was on the earth, a man of flesh and blood, He offered up prayers and pleas, groans and tears to the One who could save Him from death. He was heard because He approached God with reverence. Although He was a Son, Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. And once He was perfected through that suffering He became the way of eternal salvation for all those who hear and follow Him,- -“ (Hebrews 5:7-9 VOICE). It is difficult to fully grasp the days of Jesus’ “flesh and blood.” For Jesus to set aside the glory of heaven to walk in this broken world is unfathomable and humbling to say the least. It was through those days of flesh: “Jesus kept on growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.” (Luke 2:52 VOICE).
Therefore, according to the Word of God, Jesus "grew" in wisdom and He “learned" obedience. And this growing and learning happened as a result of difficult tests and suffering. This is a hard saying and we usually don’t like it but we also must learn obedience through suffering, that we may grow in wisdom.
That is a part of our discipleship experience. We are living in our days of “flesh.” These are the days we are growing and learning and becoming more like Jesus every day. These days are ones of “perfecting Grace,” when I am becoming more like Jesus daily till He consumes my Spirit. Not a feat we can accomplish on our own or strength of character.
By rejecting our pride we become willingly and desperately dependent upon Jesus alone. Yes, we are desperate creatures in need of God’s Holy Spirit. “For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.” (Philippians 2:13 TLB). Yes, Lord continue Your work in me and all Your Saints making us smarter than a donkey. In Jesus' Name, Amen!