Sprucetown Church

07/24/2026

The Way Out Is Already There?
One of the most comforting truths in the Bible for me is that what feels new to me usually isn't new at all. Sure, I've found myself thinking, "No one has ever struggled with this like I have." Yet Paul says otherwise. After reminding the Corinthians how richly Israel had been blessed, delivered from slavery, guided by the cloud, fed with manna, given water from the rock, and, astonishingly, that "the Rock was Christ" and followed them everywhere, he also reminds them how quickly they traded God's gifts for idols.

The circumstances change. Human hearts don't.
Then, this promise:
"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it."
- 1 Corinthians 10:13, The Message paraphrase

For years, this word about temptation tripped me up. God doesn't entice us toward evil. James is crystal clear: God tempts no one. The temptation to sin comes from a real enemy who seeks our destruction, and from the sinful desires we too often entertain. Let's call balls and strikes the way Scripture does. If I choose to make an idol out of power, approval, comfort, pleasure, or pride, I can't lay that at God's feet. I own that. But here's the truth bomb Paul wants us to hear: the temptation is never the end of our story.

Unfamiliar seasons of challenge can feel like hiking a mountain trail when thick fog rolls in. You can't see more than a few feet ahead, and panic whispers that you're trapped. Then you notice small trail markers nailed to the trees. They were there all along, but they are brought to your attention...somehow. The fog didn't remove the path; it only made it harder to see. Nudges from the spirit help us make our way through.

Temptation works much the same way. The enemy wants us to believe there is no faithful choice. God says, "Look again." The way through may not be easy, but because Christ walks with us, the same Rock who sustained Israel, the path is already there. Slow down. Talk to Jesus. Find your footing.

John Wesley believed God's grace is always at work before we even recognize our need. God isn't standing at the finish line hoping we'll somehow make it. He is walking beside us, strengthening us to choose faithfulness one step at a time.

Today, don't waste your energy asking why you're being tempted. Instead, ask God to help you see the trail marker He has already placed before you.

Faithful Father, thank You for never abandoning me in the middle of temptation. Forgive me for the times I have blamed You for choices that were mine to make or allowed lesser things to become idols in my heart. Open my eyes to the way of escape You faithfully provide. Fill me with Your Spirit, anchor me to Christ my Rock, and give me courage to choose what is good, true, and life-giving today. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The enemy wants you to believe you're trapped. Christ wants you to notice the door He's already opened. 🌅

If the enemy has ever suggested you were trapped, like this post.
If Christ showed you the open door, comment "yes!" below.

07/21/2026

The Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course will be offered Friday, September 18, 2026 from 6:30-9pm and Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 9am-5pm at Sprucetown UMC, 177 Upper Georges Valley Road, Spring Mills. Register by September 6, 2026.

You must complete all 10 hours of training to receive your certificate. Course topics such as servant and spiritual leadership, caring ministries, and sharing your faith will enhance your understanding about the church, your role in it and enhance leadership skills!

Read through the booklet to prepare for our class time and note any questions you have in the space provided to share during our time together. Please plan to bring a bag lunch for the Saturday session. Light snacks, water and coffee will be provided.

NOTE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN PURSUING LAY SPEAKING: Those new to the training who have gifts for preaching may take the advanced course on preaching after completing this course.

Training dates, in person - September 18 & 19, 2026 - This training is in person only, not available by Zoom. Lay Servant Ministries, Participant Book is required reading prior to the class weekend. You are expected to read the booklet, jot down thoughts and questions in preparation for the class. C...

07/21/2026

Devotion: When Your Soul Feels Worn Thin
It's easy to become an expert at noticing what's wrong. I held that expertise at one time. Gave it up for more joy. But it's easy to become that expert. Turn on the news, scroll social media, or simply listen to conversations in the grocery store, and it doesn't take long before your spirit feels heavy. We begin to believe that exhaustion is simply the normal condition of faithful people.

Yet into Israel's darkest season, when God's people were grieving exile, loss, and uncertainty, God made a remarkable promise:
"I'll refresh tired bodies; I'll restore tired souls." Jeremiah 31:25, The Message paraphrase

Where it is said in the chapter is important. That promise comes not after everything is fixed. Not after the people return home. It comes while they are still living in the middle of the hard story.

Last Sunday we reflected on Joseph, whose life reminds us that God sustains us not only after suffering but through it. Joseph endured betrayal, slavery, imprisonment, and years of waiting. None of those things were good. Yet God refused to let those painful chapters have the final word. God didn't waste a single moment.

Jeremiah offers the same hope to an entire nation. Before speaking of the New Covenant that God would write on human hearts, He first reminds weary people that He knows what tired souls need. God doesn't ignore sorrow. He meets us in it.

John Wesley often spoke of grace as God's loving work before, during, and after our response. Even when we are too weary to take another step, God's grace is already at work, refreshing what has been drained. Charles Spurgeon similarly observed that God is not stingy with strength; He delights in giving fresh supplies to those who know they need Him.

The world trains our eyes to count problems. God invites us to count His faithfulness. One habit drains hope; the other restores it. The circumstances may not change today, but our strength absolutely can.

Gracious God, thank You for seeing not only the burdens I carry but the weariness beneath them. Refresh my body, restore my soul, and help me remember that Your promises are never dependent upon perfect circumstances. Teach me to notice Your goodness even while I wait for Your greater work to unfold. Let my hope rest not in what I see today, but in Your faithful character that never changes. In the name of Jesus Christ, who gives rest to the weary, Amen.

A weary soul doesn't need better headlines nearly as much as it needs a better place to rest. Today, let your heart rest in the God who refreshes people long before He finishes the story. ✒️

07/19/2026

https://youtu.be/JHCWdcv1HEc?si=BRHP9LpRu887w6zf

Enjoy the Penns Valley Charge Church Picnic Worship service recorde...

07/18/2026

This is a great verse of the day from Bible.com, considering the few messages I've had wondering if we will have the church picnic tomorrow. Friends, be anxious for nothing! And now...

Devotion: Easy for YOU to Say!
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray... Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness... will come and settle you down." Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message paraphrase)

"Easy for you to say!" Most of us have had that reaction when someone tells us, "Don't be anxious." The truth is, anxiety often arrives uninvited. So do anger, disappointment, fear, and hurt. We don't always choose what knocks on the door of our hearts. But we do choose whether to invite those emotions in for a quick coffee or let them move into the spare bedroom indefinitely.

Imagine a pot of soup left on the stove. It doesn't become bitter all at once. It simmers. We stir it. We keep the heat on. Before long, what could have nourished us well becomes something so off tasting and bitter we wouldn't want to serve it to anyone.

Our hearts work much the same way. We can choose to keep stirring anger, rehearsing offenses, and feeding our fears. Or we can choose to hand those thoughts to God again... and again... and again. John Wesley believed that God's grace doesn't simply forgive us, it empowers us. Through the Holy Spirit, God enables us to become people whose inner lives are no longer controlled by every outward circumstance. We spiritually tuck and roll.

That doesn't mean pretending everything is fine. It means trusting that Christ is greater than whatever is happening around us. The peace Paul describes isn't dependent on calm circumstances. It's the peace that stands guard over our hearts in the middle of life's storms.

Lord, today I choose to place my worries, my hurts, and my frustrations into Your hands. Teach me to respond rather than simply react. Fill my heart with the peace that only You can give, a peace that isn't shaken by changing circumstances. Let my choices today reflect the character of Christ. Amen.

Peace isn't found by waiting for life to calm down. It grows each time we choose to trust God more than our circumstances.

And speaking of trusting God, we are going to trust that the weather will weather all day and all night. The 46 butterflies arrive today. When morning comes, we will decide whether we will have our worship service and picnic at the pavilion or inside the church and fellowship hall. We have a plan B. The service and potluck will go on. The question will be inside or out. Details available at https://pennsvalleyparish.info/july-19-2026-church-picnic-renewal-service-with-butterfly-release/ 🦋

07/17/2026

Church, would you pray with me over this concern shared by Bishop Hector? - Pastor Theresa

“…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…”

07/17/2026

Devotion: Praising God... While You're Surrounded? Yes.
Not every song is written on a mountaintop. Some, like Psalm 59, a hymn meant to be sung, are written in the middle of the night. This Psalm is a true story. David wasn't relaxing in a palace. Saul had sent men to surround his house and kill him. Imagine looking out the window and knowing your enemies were waiting for the sun to rise. Yet after pouring out his fear and calling on God for help, David ends the hymn by singing:

"16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.

17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my stronghold, the [a]God who shows me lovingkindness." New American Standard Bible 1995

We've heard this pattern in messages before, about how the fruit of the spirit can be distorted by the world and weaponized against the faithful. Does it sound countercultural to have faith in God when things aren't going the way you planned or hoped? David understands that Goliaths exist in many forms and God is the same every day. He doesn't wait until the danger is over to praise God. He chooses worship while the threat is in progress.

Christians who are terribly good at lament, without equal attention to praising God, are in danger of remembering their problems more clearly than they remember God's faithfulness.

Many people today know what it feels like to be surrounded. The enemies may not be soldiers outside the window, but they can feel (and be) just as real. Some wake up bracing for another day of conflict at work. Others dread a difficult conversation at home, a medical appointment, mounting bills, eroding trust in a beloved institution's leadership or just another barrage of angry voices online. Some feel surrounded by expectations they can never seem to meet or by a culture that seems to reward outrage more than understanding. It's exhausting to live as though you must always be on guard. Here's the key; we don't have to.

The temptation is to match the world's posture. To wake up preparing for battle, rehearsing arguments, expecting the worst, assuming everyone is an enemy. But David shows us another way. Before he arms himself for the day, he anchors himself in the character of God, putting on the Armor of God we heard about the other day. His first response is not fear. It is worship. His confidence is not in his ability to outfight his enemies, but in God's steadfast love.

John Wesley believed that singing was one of God's means of grace because it lifts our eyes from our circumstances to God's faithfulness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that when our hearts cannot pray, the songs of God's people often carry us until we can. Worship doesn't remove every threat, but it changes the spirit with which we face them.

A lighthouse doesn't wait for calm seas before it shines. It shines because the storm has come. Our morning praise is not pretending everything is fine. It is declaring that while the winds may be strong, God's love is stronger. We begin the day not by asking, "What am I up against?" but, "Who is going with me?" That changes everything.

Faithful God, as this new day begins, teach my heart to sing before I see the answer. When I feel surrounded, remind me that I am never abandoned. Keep me from living in fear, bitterness, or constant defensiveness. Instead, anchor me in Your steadfast love, strengthen me with Your presence, and help me face each person and each challenge with the quiet confidence that comes from walking with You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The world may invite you to wake up ready for a fight. God invites you to wake up remembering whose song you're singing. 🌞

07/16/2026

Devotion: Dress to Weather Every Storm

Yesterday we asked, "Who are you wearing today?" Paul reminded us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Today he takes the picture one step further. It's not just about looking like Christ. It's about standing like Christ.

In The Message, Ephesians 6:13 says:
"Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get... so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet."

Have you ever watched a tree during a thunderstorm? The branches bend wildly. Leaves are torn away. The trunk sways more than seems possible. Yet when morning comes, the tree is still there. It didn't survive because it resisted every gust with brute strength. It survived because it was deeply rooted.

That's the image Paul gives us. The Christian life isn't about pretending storms don't exist. It's about being so deeply rooted in Christ that we remain standing when they pass.

John Wesley often spoke of God's grace not only forgiving us but strengthening us for holy living. God's grace doesn't simply prepare us for heaven someday, it equips us for a random Thursday morning, difficult conversations, unexpected diagnoses, family disagreements, and moments when the world would rather we compromise than remain faithful.

Charles Spurgeon once observed that faith is proved not in sunshine but in storms. The greatest witness isn't a life without trouble. It's a life that continues trusting Jesus through trouble.

It's unwise to measure God's presence by how calm your circumstances are. Measure it by the quiet strength He is growing within you. Stand, not because you are strong enough, but because Christ is.

Lord Jesus, thank You for clothing me with Your grace and strengthening me for whatever today brings. Root me deeply in Your love so that when the winds rise, I will remain faithful. Help me stand with courage, humility, and hope, trusting that You stand with me. Amen.

The goal of the Christian life isn't to avoid every storm. It's to be so firmly rooted in Christ that, when the storm has passed, you're still standing. ⛈️🌧️🌦️☁️🌥️⛅️🌤️☀️😃

07/15/2026

Who Are You Wearing Today? Before you picked out your clothes this morning, did you think about what kind of person you wanted to be? Paul offers a different kind of wardrobe in Colossians 3:12. In The Message, he writes: "So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline."

When celebrities walk the red carpet, they're often asked, "Who are you wearing?" Their answer points to the designer behind the outfit. As followers of Christ, we are asked the same question each morning. Is my life displaying the Designer who crafted me? Am I wearing the compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience He has laid out for me today?

Putting on my favorite jacket before stepping into a cold morning doesn't change the weather, but it changes how I am prepared to face it. God's character works the same way. Compassion won't remove every difficult person from your day, but it changes how you meet them, and how you leave them.

Lord Jesus, clothe me today with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Let my words and actions reflect Your heart, especially when it's difficult. May others catch a glimpse of You in the way I live. Amen.

So, who are YOU wearing today? 😁