United Methodist Church of Martha's Vineyard

04/14/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers

I have found it necessary to suspend these for the timre being. I hope to resume them soon!

04/12/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers #186
Sunday, April 12, 2026

Today’s Thought:
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones
Being a follower of Jesus has never been easy. Sure, there has been a path to follow, but it often seems to be like a narrow cliffside one. One false step and down you go! Still, the reward at the finish line is worth the effort. I am in awe of those who have dedicated their lives and efforts to doing so. My life has been touched by many people who have made the right choice. Even I hit the mark some days.
I was recently publicly maligned by someone I thought was a friend. At first I was deeply hurt, but I decided to forgive her. I told her this at an arranged meeting. Did she understand what I said? I don’t know, but I felt comforted by doing so.
The following is one of the readings for today.
1 Peter 3-9, NRSVUE
A Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
May God’s Peace find you today and every day.
Today’s Daily Prayer:

Gracious Father, help us to forgive when we have been wronged. Help us to follow Jesus when we are being challenged or ridiculed for doing so. Help us to show the way to others. Amen.

Today’s image shows some erosion on a coastal road from a recent storm. It looks pretty bad, but the road did not give in to the storm. It will be repaired before te summer season.

John B. Freeman, Editor

04/11/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers #185
Saturday, April 11, 2026

Today’s Thought:

Extrapolating History From a Few Clues

Take a look at today’s image. It is where the small train station in Ossineke, Michigan was located. The location is a few miles south of Alpena, Michigan, and can be viewed from M-65. You can see where the siding that led to the station was located. The line now only serves one freight train on a good day. The track is no longer fit for passenger service. Still, I wonder what it was like a hundred or more years ago. I only know what I can see and what I have read.

There was a small area near Lake Huron that we would sometimes hike to while I was a camper and staff member at Episcopal Camp Chickagami. We were told that it was an “Indian burial ground”. Our camp caretaker had a different idea; that it was where a settler kept his animals. There was a low wooden fence that was still visible into at least the 1990s. We never learned what the area really was. It could have been either. The point this was on was a known canoe portage. There were also isolated settlers in the mid to late 1800s. We will likely never know which it was.

Here’s a really good clue for you. Jesus was NOT white, blue-eyed, or blond. He would have looked like the people who actually inhabited the area where He was born. If Jesus looked different, commentators would have mentioned it. We do a great disservice to His memory and teachings when we portray him as “blond Jesus”. Let’s get real!

Today’s Daily Prayer:

Lord, help us discern what is true from what favors only the current dominant group, for Jesus was sent for all of us. Amen.

Today’s image is of the siding where the Ossineke, Michigan, railroad station was located. It’s a bit south of Alpena and has interested me for years.

John B. Freeman, Editor

04/10/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers #184
Friday, April 10, 2026

Today’s Thought:

Thank You First Responders!

We had a near catastrophe occur at our home this time two years ago. The electrical connection to our house “blew up”! There were sparks and everything! Our local fire department was called and someone showed up within minutes. They then called the electric company. We soon had electric company trucks and fire vehicles aplenty. The power was turned off and a new line strung. The fire department checked out the whole electrical system inside our home. Everything was done except turning the power back on, but that is another story…

I had my first ever ambulance ride a few months later but I was in no shape to remember it. First, one of our police officers arrived and checked me out. An ambulance arrived within minutes. I awoke in our local hospital’s ER wondering what the bright lights were about. The good thing is that I awoke at all.

It’s so easy to take our first responders and emergency personnel for granted…until we need their services. Most of our firefighters are on-call paid and volunteer members. Our EMTs tend more to be paid, but not enough in my opinion. Some choose these jobs as a caring and rewarding career. Others do it to help others. They all remind me of the Good Samaritan. None have to place themselves in danger for others. They choose to do so. They often are suddenly called from their families and jobs to care for others…and they choose to answer the call. Truly they are doing God’s work among us!

Today’s Daily Prayer:

Wonderful Creator, we give thanks for those who choose to place their lives in danger to care for us in our times of extreme need. We ask for you to protect them as they work to protect us. Amen.

Today’s image is of our corner after the immediate fire danger had been diminished.

John B. Freeman, Editor

04/09/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers #183
Thursday, April 9, 2026

Today’s Thought:

Share the World

The following is the chorus for a song I wrote last weekend. Let us finally share our world in peace, Can I get an Amen?

We share this world , our world together
We share this world with everyone.
We share this world , our world together
We share this world with everyone.

Today’s image, that I have shared before, is of a late 1980s 2nd grade class of mine. It looks like our “jug band” was performing at the Carpenter Elementary School’s annual Ice Cream Social. We had a lot of fun playing music together. Now, take a close look at my students. You might notice that they were a pretty heterogenous group of kids. They came from many countries, were from different religions and cultures, and from different financial and family situations. Yet, we all got along really well. All of their “birth baggage” didn’t matter to them much then.

What finally happens to kids like these that begins to change how they look upon those who are different from them? Why do we allow/encourage this to happen? Jesus initially sent his disciples out to preach to and heal the Jews, but later amended this charge to go int oall the world. How are we doing 2,000 years later?

Let us each choose to change our world so that the innocent trust of our children will extend throughout their lives. Peace can be achieved if we work together!

Today’s Daily Prayer:

Lord of All, may we choose to practice peace and spend our hard-earned wages on making this better place for all to live instead of on weapons of war and destruction. Amen!

John B. Freeman, Editor

04/08/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers #182
Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Today’s Thought:

Defining Moments That Set Our Course

I am sorry that this is so late. Yesterday’s hourglass ran out of sand before I finished what I had planned to accomplish!

Look at today’s image. It is of Tom “Tiger” Grove and me. Tom was my first camp director at Episcopal Camp Chickagami. I first met him in July of 1960 when my dad took me to visit the camp before committing to send me to it. I remember meeting Tom. He was sitting on the steps of the Director’s Lodge. He also remembers this. Anyway, I found myself as a camper a few weeks later. I’m pretty sure that I became homesick. We had an afternoon swim period that I didn’t much care for. For some reason I decided to walk away from the beach. Nobody stopped me. Imaging how panicked the staff became when they couldn’t not find me during a buddy check! I had begun walking down a fire trail, but had not gone far. Tom soon drive down this path in the camp’s old Jeep. He brought me back into the fold. He didn’t scold me…much. He gathered me as the Biblical shepherd did so long ago. I likely would have been rightly scolded if someone else had found me. However, Tom brought me back into the fold. As a result of this, I began to look forward to returning to the camp. Seven summers after this event I was a junior counselor in the same cabin. It was now my turn to shepherd the youngest campers. Next month, my brother Jim and I will return to the camp to get it ready for the coming summer’s campers and staff members. Knowing how the camp chooses to operate, I am sure that others will have similar experiences.

Today’s Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord, may we all encounter people like Tom Grove who will gently guide us back onto the correct path and keep us from going too far astray. Amen.

John B. Freeman, Editor

04/07/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers #181
Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Today’s Thought:

We Have Now Entered Eastertide

We entered the joyous Eastertide season on Sunday. It’s safe to shout “Alleluia!” again. It’s time to put the chocolate Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, and Peeps away until next Easter. The following reflection by the late Reverend Michael Sanders will help put Easter and Eastertide into perspective. Thank you Kathy for sharing this! BTW…ALL of the Easter candy had been removed at the supermarket by the time we went shopping on Monday morning!

No Other Name
let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is
‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.’
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12 NRSVUE

There was a Roman Senator who, a number of years after the crucifixion, wanted to add “Christos” to the Roman pantheon. He held Jesus in such high regard, he wanted all of Rome to worship Him among the other gods.
There is salvation in no one else…
Mohamed held Jesus in such high regard, that he named Jesus among the four great prophets of Islam.
There is salvation in no one else…
There is a movement among some Rabbi’s proclaiming that Jesus was indeed the Messiah for the Gentiles and the Jewish Messiah is still to come.
There is salvation in no one else…
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves how unique our faith is and how essential is the One in Whom we have our faith.
He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is not one among many, nor one among four or even two.
For there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.

Amen.

Prayer: Father? I’ve bet the farm on Jesus. I have faith. It will all come right.

R. Michael Sanders, 8.21.2002
KJS, 4.5.2026

Today’s Daily Prayer:

There is only One. There is only One. There is only One! Amen.

Today’s image was taken seven years ago. Do we always need to know where a path ends, or are we more interested in the journey?

John B. Freeman, Editor

04/06/2026

Daily Thoughts & Prayers #180
Monday, April 6, 2026

Today’s Thought:

May Peace Be With You Today

I let the “noise” of the world drag me down earlier this week. It seemed impossible to filter out the seemingly endless stream of bad news. There was an enormous weight pushing me down, down. I finally came to my senses and realized that there is boundless good news out there if I just open my eyes. It also helped that yesterday was Easter, a time for hope and rebirth.

The following lyrics came to me as we had our after-dinner drive on Saturday night. I will present it to my Monday music group tonight and see where it goes…if anywhere. The tune is simple, but not yet ready for prime time.

Word in parentheses are optional “echoes” that may be added.

May peace be with you today, my brother (brother).
May peace be with you today, my friend.
May peace be with you today, my brother (brother).
May peace be with you today, my friend.

Chorus:
We share this world , our world together (Gether?)
We share this world with everyone.
We share this world , our world together (Gether?)
We share this world with everyone.

May peace be with you today, my sister (sister).
May peace be with you today, my friend.
May peace be with you today, my sister (sister).
May peace be with you today, my friend.

Other verses:

Mother
Father
Neighbor
Stranger
Son
Daughter
More?

Today’s Daily Prayer:

May peace be with you today, my friend. Amen.

Today’s image is of the 2018 Memorial Day weekend Sunday service at Camp Chickagami in Michigan. It seems almost possible to touch God here.

John B. Freeman, Editor

04/05/2026

Nashawena Avenue this morning. On my way to Easter sunrise service.

04/05/2026

And we will welcome them!

What's really cool is if you can still see any of them on the Second Sunday of Easter!