Reflections From Sunday Evening

A couple of things today. Take the challenge to read 4 Gospels in 40 Days. You can download a reading plan from a number of sources. Check #LENTCHALLENGE. That should take you to Margaret Feinberg's page to direct you. Another option is YouVersion and their 40 Days. The point is we will read the 4 Gospels in the 40 days of Lent. Tell your friends. You don't need to pay attention to details. (Not this month.) When you come to a hard to understand passage just move on. Read the 4 Gospel in a broad stroke and look for the Big Idea(s) that surface. I am praying that as we read God's Word the Holy Spirit will surprise us and literally change lives. 4 Gospels in 40 Days. Today in our prayers we prayed for the Persecuted Church. 21 Coptic Christians were recently beheaded by ISIS. We stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer for the name of Christ. These courageous Christians bowed before the sword and received the Crown of Glory. We pray against the evil that is rampant in our world today. For a thoughtful resource go to Gabe Lyons Call for Action. Once again our generation will learn the "persecution of Christians wakes a slumbering Church." (Gabe Lyons) Today was a blessing as we gathered to worship. I sensed the Holy Spirit coming to surprise us with His presence. Next week we want everyone to make a special effort to come to church and bring someone with you. We will celebrate Holy Communion and offer healing prayer for everyone who comes. We expect God to move in our midst. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Cindy and I took an opportunity to visit two churches this morning. We drove to Lee's Summit and attended worship at Grace UMC. Jeremy Vickers brought a very good message reminding us to "do something". As a bonus we saw a couple we have known for many years and got to have a very brief catch-up. From there we went to First UMC - The Summit - in Lee's Summit. Rev. Jim Preisig is one of our best preachers and his message was a real blessing today. Both of these churches are doing great things for God. They offer traditional worship and contemporary worship. They reinforce what we keep observing as their contemporary worship provides significant outreach to people and this is reflected in their growth. I appreciate the opportunity to visit other churches and learn what is going on. To top the day off we ate at Fazolis! While it is great to visit other places I come back with an even deeper appreciation for PWUMC. (I already have read a Facebook post expressing great appreciation and affirmation for Kyle's message today!) We are part of a church where God is at work. It is a joy to share in ministry with each of you. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. On another note... Remember to be in church this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. for our Ash Wednesday service. We begin the journey to Easter as we enter this season in the Church year we call Lent. I encourage you to reflect on your spiritual life and take a step to deepen your faith and love for Christ. We begin this journey of repentance and faith. Together we walk with the Spirit. May you have a fresh insight that will take you deeper in the love of Christ. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Loved Kyle's illustration about his 5 year old nephew who watched his mother get all her answers from her iPhone. He figured she could ask her phone if he was going to have a new baby brother or sister! Check out the message on line to get the whole story. One reason it spoke to me was the point about five year olds being born into and nurtured in a technological culture. This makes me think. Why can't we bring people into and nurture them in a culture of grace, or a culture of the Holy Spirit. We would learn the language of Spirit/grace. We would expect life to be informed through our Spirit/grace culture. It seems like a worthy goal to me. On another note... I had a conversation with our new district administration person, Megan Hayes. She is in her 20's and shared a conversation she had with a friend. Megan asked her friend what she did for Easter. In the conversation her friend commented that she never connected church with Easter! Wow. It excites me to know there are people to whom I could share the greatest story ever. There are people around us who do not connect Easter with the Church. There are people who do not know that God has defeated death. There are people who will hear the good news of the gospel for the first time. I pray to be able to share with these wonderful people. I pray our church be a church that shares the greatest story ever with people yet to hear. It's been a good day. I trust you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

I did things differently today. Cindy and I went to the 8:15 service. Kyle did a great job. Ginger led us in Holy Communion. It was great to share with you in worship today. Then I spoke in the Around 30's class. This is a great group of people who have led and served our church for many years. We had a good conversation. I always enjoy sharing here. After that Cindy and I did something rare. We went home with a short stop at the store along the way. So this is what people do when they do not go to church. I did run into some of our people who had already been to church. Glad they saw me in church before the grocery store! I will do some different things this month. Kyle will be preaching the first 3 weeks. (He does so well I feel like going and freshening up my resume!) I use these times to prepare for the next message series. I also take time to participate in our services. The next series is exciting me. We will be looking at our history with the various building projects undertaken. Each project was done in a specific era and setting. We will look at things from our "beginnings" to our "future". Our music will reflect the different eras. Our application will celebrate the past and find the seeds of future witness. We may even dress to reflect the decade. (Does anyone have purple bell bottoms? But back to the present. This month we are "Making Sense of the Bible." If you have questions about the Bible and how to read it for all its worth, this is a series for you. I see some great insights coming this month. Don't miss it. It's already been a good day. Now enjoy the Super Bowl. (This is becoming a national holiday you know.) blessings. steve