Onalaska First United Methodist Church, 700 Highway 356 South, Onalaska, TX (2026)

06/17/2026

Midweek Meditation

Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

I have been doing a little reading this week. Some refresher work on John Wesley. Here is the man who is the generative force that birthed a reform movement in the Anglican Church, street preaching, planting small groups and eventually churches and pastors among forgotten or disregarded people. Everything that became the Methodist Movement. But what is missed or forgotten by many of us is that his path was anything but straight or sure. Almost killed in a house fire as a child, a strong academic theologian but spiritually struggling, broken relationships, bad decisions, and the dark night of the soul. Even after Wesley experienced his awakening, his heart strangely warmed, still he struggled. But, despite it all, on his deathbed, his final words sing his truth: "The best of all, God is with us."

Moses had stumbled along as God's main man, but because of his own mistakes was not allowed to enter the promised land. The leadership of God's people is then passed to Joshua, who will make his own mistakes. Despite the struggles, all of them- John, Moses, and Joshua understood that the Lord who calls us all, goes ahead of us. The God who sends us all will never forsake or fail us. My own life has been a series of starts and stops, good decisions and bad, even as I am trying to be faithful to God. God knows who we are, knows the world and circumstances in which we live, and so always goes before us, leading, teaching, and encouraging those who will follow. God knows we will stumble, and so promises never to fail or forsake. It is a faithful promise to all of us who are still becoming that which we might be as faithful disciples.

"Gracious God, forgive our hesitation and stumbles. Help us to keep our eyes upon you as you lead, secure in that you are always with us. Amen"

06/10/2026

Midweek Meditation

John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Most of you know that my dog, Cooper, spends many mornings with me in the office. I just feel better when he is around. As mornings are generally my time for reading, writing, and making phone calls, he just sleeps in a spot of sun in front of my desk. But a couple of times each morning he gets up and walks around the desk to my chair. We talk for a moment, I give him a hug, and he quietly returns to his spot. Most mornings I don't give it much thought. But there are some mornings when I feel certain he is checking on me. He knows I am a bit off, a bit down or worried, and he is offering help. On those mornings our conversation is a bit longer, as is the hug...which he tolerates but does not love.

There is another thing about those Cooper moments. He reminds me that he is one of God’s many gifts to me. The very same God who is every bit as close and even more concerned about all of us. So, more often than not when Cooper goes back to his sunny spot, I whisper a little prayer of thanks for him, and for the reminder that I am not, we are not, left an orphan in this world. Bidden or unbidden, God is present. We have Jesus abiding within us ready to talk anytime. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit, present to teach us new things even as we are reminded of all that Jesus has already taught us, shown us, and given to us. All of which is encouragement and light in difficult or dark days.

Look around thoughtfully. What is it that reminds you of the presence and the depth of God's love for you? I have this wonderful black dog. For some, it is the routine of morning prayer and meditation. Maybe sunrises or sunsets on the porch. A cool breeze across the lake on your face. For all with eyes to see and ears to hear, God is speaking. Trying to engage us in conversation to remind us all we are not alone, we are loved, and we will be just fine if we participate in the communion, today and every day.

"Gracious God, awaken us to all the ways you remind us you are present and call us to conversation. All the ways you remind us you want to spend each day with us. May none who are yours pass this day without knowing they are loved by you and by your church. Amen."

06/03/2026

Midweek Meditation

James 4:14-15 Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”

I've never been much of a joiner, but I think I've arrived at the moment I must. I now join with all of you who hold somewhat suspect all meteorologists. As we move through Spring 2026, I'd say they are batting below .500. I've canceled a camping trip, rearranged my yard work schedule, and more. All of which turned out to be a waste ot time because it did not rain as they said it would. This I suppose, is why they incline toward the word "prediction." They seem to believe it gives them some wiggle room. I prefer to be honest; they were wrong!

As frustrating as that is for me, if I am honest, I have to admit I've been wrong about something just about every day of my life. More so, I suspect, when I decide for myself what tomorrow will be. Because I've never planned for a bad day, I've never planned to make a mistake, be involved in a traffic accident, undergo heart surgery or need help. But all of it, and more, has happened. Probably to all of us. In truth, I think we would all be more surprised if everything actually went according to our plans. When I was a child, I thought I knew with some certainty what tomorrow would be. As much as we want to cling to that idea, we know within ourselves we have no clue what tomorrow will be.

Maybe now, as we have become wiser, we should learn to live, joyfully, within that truth. We can proceed as those who understand that we are mist in a moment, and so we should be thankful and fully present for the moment. This moment, in all of its imperfection, is a gift in which God is present with us. A moment for us to see ourselves, our world, and God in a new way if we can get beyond our frustration that it does not fit our plan exactly. This moment is all there is; yesterday is gone, tomorrow does not exist, this moment is the only place we can be fully alive. This 'now' is the only place we can be fully the embodiment of the Christ. In him we can live and do this or that, because these are the best expression of who we are in this moment, irrespective of what circumstances the moment has occasioned.

"Gracious God, forgive us that we are so busy planning and scheming for a day that is not, that we miss what is. We miss you, we miss moments to be with you, and live for you. Awaken us to this moment and your presence in it. Amen."

05/31/2026

5/31/26

05/27/2026

Midweek Meditation

Ephesians 4:32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

My mornings start early and in the dark. When the alarm goes off, I run to the bathroom, still no light, brush my teeth, and get dressed to go outside to walk Cooper and get a run in. While all this is going on, Kiki, our cat, is down the hall as her automatic feeder has done its thing. Some weeks back, I was moving a bit slower than usual, allowing time for Kiki to finish breakfast and return to sit outside the bathroom door. In the dark, I did not see her, and based on the volume of her scream and rapid departure, it was clear that I had stepped on some part of her. But here for me is the best part, she ran down the hall, and as is her usual behavior and, flopped on the dining room carpet. Her morning ritual for seeking a good, long back scratch. Even though I had yet to forgive myself, she had, and was ready for life to return to its usual rhythm.

Kiki, Cooper, Kristi, Abbi, and some of you have all offered me forgiveness for all sorts of mistakes, missteps, and misunderstandings. The truth is that all of us are frequently in need of forgiveness. And, I'd be willing to bet most of us expect that grace to be poured out on us. Whether we believe our mistake to be small or our worthiness to be large, we expect forgiveness to come. However, I observe that in the very same moment, we are equally skilled at finding good cause to withhold forgiveness from others.

To be a follower of Jesus the Christ is to understand that forgiveness is fundamental. It is not an optional attribute for those who live in his name. Because we now live with the heart of Christ in us, we forgive in the same way we have been forgiven. Not to offer ourselves up for any further mistreatment, but to release the burdens that come with carrying anger and spiritually destructive thoughts of retribution. Paul teaches the church that in Christ we have been given a ministry of reconciliation. We rebuild and restore, we make a way for all to flourish, because all of us...all of us along our way will need forgiveness. All of us are still becoming.

"Gracious God, remind us of the grace that has set us free, the grace that has made a way to life, the grace that comes to us so frequently, your forgiveness. Admonish us when we refuse to share. Celebrate with us when reconciliations comes. Amen."

05/24/2026

5/24/26

05/20/2026

Midweek Meditation

Mark 3:5 He [Jesus] looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

Sometimes when we read scripture, just a single word will capture our attention. I’ve had that moment in my study of Mark. A verse in which Jesus "looked around at them in anger." Anger? It is a word that grabs attention because we are talking about Jesus. You probably have noted that anger from Jesus is almost entirely reserved for the religious authorities. This is who he is looking at in this verse. Jesus has seen the suffering of a man with the withered hand, and asks these leaders of the community if it was lawful on the sabbath to "do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?" They would give no answer, choosing instead to stand silently. Angry and disappointed, Jesus acts. Because he did, those men, their institution, the structure, the tradition, those in authority who felt all of this threatened immediately began to plot his destruction.

The anger of Jesus was directed at religious insiders who had prioritized their traditional interpretation of a rule over the actual suffering of this man. All of us can be that way. We do like that there is a system, a plan, a tradition. It means that life should move forward in a predictable, comfortable, and secure manner. The problem is, and has always been, that the world and our circumstances keep changing. Additionally, some lives were never considered when the systems, structures, and rules were put in place. So, conflict is inevitable, even reasonable. But that does not mean harm is inevitable or reasonable. Which means we, all of us, must be thoughtful and discerning in finding a way forward for all of us when conflict arises.

Jesus asks us all, “is it better to do good or do harm, to save a life or to kill?” Jesus chose to do good, to heal the withered hand even as it offended tradition and unsettled the authorities. This remains the teaching of Jesus and the way of those of us who follow him. So then, we must press on, follow Jesus, follow the timeless teachings of Jesus, do good, do no harm, and walk humbly with your God.

"Gracious God, we daily give you thanks for the teaching of Jesus. Forgive us if we have angered you, and that frequently your teaching shakes us from our slumber. Encourage and empower us all to turn, do no harm, do good, and bear fruit, Amen."

05/20/2026

Friends, here is the information for Anita Knouse’s visitation and funeral service. Anita was Ann McClain’s Mother.

Visitation is Monday, May 25th, from 5 - 7 pm
The funeral service will be held Tuesday, May 26th, at 11 am at Central Baptist Church in Livingston.

05/17/2026

5/17/2026

05/13/2026

Midweek Meditation

Ephesians 2:10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

I'm sure many of you will agree that part of the joy of living around the lake is the wildlife we share it with. Of all these neighbors, maybe the most prolific and obvious are the birds. Kristi and I have favorites. Among the seasonal birds, it would be the White Pelicans. But among our resident species, it would have to be the Great Blue Herons. Just beautiful and surprisingly graceful birds. I love having them around...most of the time.

Have you ever noticed how annoying their voice is? Especially this time of year, when they are nesting and multiple birds, with multiple fledglings, fill the trees near your house. So now, seemingly 24 hours a day, we are subjected to that annoying Heron squawking. So annoying! But that said, we should probably be honest? There is something about every one of us that annoys someone. But should that by necessity change us?

We are, in Christ, fearfully and wonderfully made with purpose. That Heron, as it turns out, gangly and loud, is also an apex predator. Essential to the balance of the natural world around the lake. As annoying as it may be to me at times, it just goes about its days doing what it was created to do. You and I should be so wise. We can not worry about that bit of us that annoys some others; we should just set about doing that which we were created for. Doing justice, loving mercy, loving our neighbors by acts of grace-filled service, walking humbly with the God we love. All of which will probably annoy somebody, but that should never stop us.

"Gracious God, grant us the courage and wisdom to be all that you have created us to be in Jesus our Christ, unyielding to an annoyed world. Amen."

Onalaska First United Methodist Church

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