2012.03.05 Monday Morning Message

Greetings and all good wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, Vinita, Oklahoma.

We have had a mild winter in Oklahoma, with only one day of snow so far, and that covered the ground like powdered sugar for less than a day.

I was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Michigan, where we saw lots of snow and plenty of sub-zero temperatures.   At the first signs of snow, I remember seeing signs in front of gas stations which read "Check Your Chains!"  I am a loyal "Badger/Cheesehead", but I don't think I could survive another winter in my hometown.

There are other 'Chains' than those I once put over my tires to get through snow.  People in the mid-east and north Africa,  living under dictators and totalitarian governments have been fighting and dying to be free of despots.

And there are 'Chains' that prevent us, living in freedom, from living a whole, balanced, harmonious life, to which Jesus summons us.  Some are 'Chains' of blind prejudice and "Chains" of tyrannical habits.  Still others are bound by 'Chains' of fear and anxiety, by 'Chains' of greed and a distressing disregard for the well being of others.

What are you doing to dethrone any inner despots which may be holding you in 'Chains'?

With blessings and in friendship,

Richard

 

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The funeral of long time member Anna Belle Mitchell was held in the church Monday at 2 p.m.  Please keep the family in your prayers.

Dr. Don Roulet from Broken Arrow will preach Sunday.  We will have Communion on this Third Sunday in Lent.

Jim Ratcliff continues to do well after his recent fall.  

Sunday is Birthday Sunday - we celebrate:  Irene Conine, Suzie Cresap, Gage Kroll, Bob Hartley, Bobby Hartley, Janie York and Pat Sowers.

 

Daylight Savings Time Saturday night -  Spring Forward

2011.10.10 Monday Morning!

Greetings and all good wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

Do you remember the film " Bridge On the River Kwai?" The film was based on a book by Ernest Gordon, a Scot and an officer in the British Army during World War II. He was captured early in the war and spent the remainder of the war in a prison camp in Southeast Asia. After the war, he immigrated to the United States and became a chaplain at Princeton University.

In his book, Gordon wrote that he had no religious faith at all when he was captured, but he came away from that prison camp convinced he had been touched by God and he was called to spend the rest of his life serving others. He wrote: "In the muck and misery of that dreadful prison camp, I learned to care for others and that God cared for me. I discovered I was important to others. God found me in the most unexpected place."

Life is filled with strange interruptions - unexpected moments that change our lives forever. At the time such interruptions are often unwelcome and resented. At other times, they are signs of hope. In retrospect, they often seem as if they were destined.

When you may have unexpected interruptions, evaluate them for they may change the whole landscape of your life.

With blessings and best wishes,
Richard

www.pilgrimpresbyterian.blogspot.com/

2011.9.26 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

Today, I want to share a story about God's embracing grace and my young college friend, Bill.

Bill and two good friends from his dorm pooled their resources so they could tour Europe "on the cheap." They traveled light, slept in youth hostels, and enjoyed the unique characteristics of every country and village they passed through.

The amazing part of Bill's story didn't happen during a visit to the cathedral; it happened in a pub in Ireland. The thee young travelers were enjoying a meal in a quaint Irish pub when they heard a loud groan. At a nearby table a man struggled to heave himself out of his chair. They saw immediately he had only one leg. He reached for his crutch, but lost his balance and began to fall. Instantly his companion at the table jumped up and caught him.

The man with one leg muttered, "Thanks! I'm as crippled as a blind man."

His friend steadied him while replying, "Well now...come to think of it, who of us here isn't crippled?" A hush fell over the pub as the friend continued, "to lend each other a hand when we're falling is maybe the one kind of work that really matters in the end."


With love, peace and affectionate regards,

Richard

2011.9.12 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

After Jesus, perhaps the best known New Testament character is Peter.  We think of him as a gregarious, outgoing man of action.  He was out in front of the other disciples who accepted him as a leader. Yet, like all of us, Peter had his weaknesses.

The low point in his life came the night of Jesus' arrest when he denied knowing his Master.  We might have done the same thing in similar circumstances.  The instinct to survive is strong.   There is no telling how a person will react in a critical situation.

Peter was only one among many Bible heroes to default.  Moses became a fugitive on the run after he murdered an Egyptian and then fled the country.  David was an adulterer and also an accessory to murder.  The Apostle Paul, before his conversion, presided over a lynch mob.

We live in an imperfect world and no one is an angel.  We live battered lives and we are often sorry for things we do and say, and, like Peter, Moses, David and Paul, we are given a second chance - all by the grace of God.

With blessings and in friendship,
Richard

2011.7.4 Monday Morning!

Greetings to you and your loved ones on this 4th of July.  Let your celebration be joyful and safe.  And, thanks for visiting our "off site - on line" ... center ... of our Church Family, Pilgrim Presbyterian, in Vinita, Oklahoma.

My heart aches at every war casualty reported in your daily press.  I know the grief families are experiencing, and my prayer for each sorrowing person and family is not to lose hope and give up.  No power on earth can take from you the love you have experienced.  Difficult as it is, ask yourself what life is still expecting from you.  With an aim, with goals, you'll find reasons to carry on.

I have found that in the most difficult moments of my life a look to the future gives me courage and hope.  New challenges, new opportunities give me reasons to live in spite of my sorrows and sufferings.

There is purpose to our existence.  If you nuture your inner life you'll find the light of Christ will shine into your deepest darkness.

With love and in friendship,

Richard

2010.12.13 Monday Morning!

Best wishes for a MERRY CHRISTMAS from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

Christmas is a time for lights.  Beautiful lights are shining in every city and village.  Lights are an important part of Christmas, symbols of the Christmas story:

    The true light that enlightens every person has come

     into the world in the birth of Jesus.  In him was life,

     and the life was light for all people.  His light shines

     in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

                                            (Will you read John 1:1-18, please?)

 

The mood of despair, however, is familiar in our dark patches.  Immense problems face our nation and the world;  war, an economic recession, unemployment, hunger, home foreclosures, terrorism.

 

And, there are personal difficulties:  problems within families and among friends, jobs that no longer give satisfaction, loss of health, unexpected death of a loved one.

 

I understand how people may feel abandoned by God.  Sometimes I ask myself "Is there really a God who cares?"

 

Then the light of Christmas comes with the assurance that in smooth and rough places "God is with us".  None of us is alone.  Confident of that helps disperse times of darkness.  I haven't  answers to the many questions that bother me, but of this I am sure; God is with me and helps me carry on with courage and strength.

 

My thoughts and prayers are with friends for whom 2010 has been a shattering year.

 

Richard.

2010.02.01 Monday Morning!

Top of this Monday Morning, and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

I've been thinking about many who were brought up in the church, who attended Sunday School and Youth Fellowship and sang in the choir, and who now are drifting away from the church altogether. Oh, I know most of the reasons why...sermons are long and dull...hymns are ancient, and often drag...and it's just comfortable staying home to enjoy a relaxing Sunday morning, or to catch up on household chores.

Nevertheless, I'm old fashioned enough to believe that worship, within a community of faith, provides an experience of joy that comes from a personal fellowship with God and from meeting friends who share that fellowship with you.

Worship is a rich privilege! If you don't believe that consider the plight of Christians living in a place where they are forbidden to gather for worship. They risk their lives by worshipping in what we call "underground churches".

Worship offers an opportunity to withdraw from the haste and speed of our modern world and to be enriched by God's Spirit. From that experience flows a renewed desire to serve the wants and needs of the neighborhood and world.

To give up on worship means, in the long run, the loss of a priceless gem of the soul.

Richard

PS: I'm glad to say that about 70% of the resident members of Pilgrim Church regularly find their way to Sunday worship!

2009.11.23 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of beautiful Vinita, Oklahoma.

As our national Thanksgiving Day approaches, I think of a courageous group of people who withstood discouragement to bravely venture to the shores of a new land. They were strong enough to resist defeatism.

I hope you are not among the many who fear defeatism and resist new duties and new adventures. All of us, I suspect, run away from certain challenges because we have little confidence in our ability. Then, in the aftermath of an event, or a great emergency, we are surprised to find ourselves equal to heavy demands placed upon us.

Have you ever heard yourself say, "I didn't know I had it in me!"

Don't underestimate yourself!


Fond regards,
Richard

2008.08.25 Monday Morning!

We're always sending greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church. And, we mean what we say! Whether you are reading this in Vinita, Oklahoma or at a distance, may your week be joyful!

The life story of Glenn Cunningham, who set a record for running the fastest mile, which he held for years, is a fascinating one.

When a boy of 8, Glenn was a victim of a kerosene explosion. His legs were so badly burned that doctors proposed amputation, but his Mother would not hear of it.

After six months in a hospital, a series of skin grafts and endless hours of massaging by his Mother, Glenn began to walk and then to run to strengthen his crippled legs. At 21, he set a world record for the fastest mile, providing truth to Ernest Hemingway's words. "The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong in broken places."

In the soil of suffering some of the noblest traits flourish, such as empathy, kindness, patience, understanding and courage.

We can grow in spirit when we choose to grow strong "in our broken places!"

With blessings and in friendship,
Richard