It is hard for me to believe that today is the last day of June. One half of 2008 is behind us. The older one gets the faster pages on the calendar disappear. But, I'm still up and around and able to send warm greetings from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
My wife, Helen, and I intended to spend July and August at our summer camp in the Adirondacks, where we have been vacationing since 1960. This year, however, our trip is delayed - not postponed - until Helen is feeling better.
During July congregation. (On the q.t. - Mrs. Dancer has a beautiful singing voice! Knowing that, you may ask her for a solo...)
Your favorite Monday Morning message will continue, so you can begin your week with an upbeat nudge, thanks to Donna, our computer savvy Church Administrator.
Our dear friend, the Rev. Judith Henderson will be going to Malawi, Africa in July, where she'll be teaching three courses. Our thoughts and prayers are with her. Be safe, Judy!
And to all of you the same word: Enjoy and be safe!
Richard
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
2008.06.23 Monday Morning!
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, still located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
An overcast, wet Monday morning (June 16, 2008) was brightened as I read about "Home of Hope" in the Tulsa World. Through its residential and vocational programs, it assists people with mental disabilities.
Founded by Jane Hartley and Laura Cupp, it is a perfect example of faith in action! Mrs. Hartley was a devoted Pilgrim Presbyterian, and we do well to imitate her "faith in ac dead!"
There is hardly anything so necessary as the ability to distinguish between that which is important and that which is not. Mrs. Hartley and Mrs. Cupp had that ability and obviously they knew that the most God-like thing in the world is the passion to help others.
Your determination never to be useless will take you a long way in doing God-like work in the world, at your doorstep and beyond.
In friendship,
Richard
An overcast, wet Monday morning (June 16, 2008) was brightened as I read about "Home of Hope" in the Tulsa World. Through its residential and vocational programs, it assists people with mental disabilities.
Founded by Jane Hartley and Laura Cupp, it is a perfect example of faith in action! Mrs. Hartley was a devoted Pilgrim Presbyterian, and we do well to imitate her "faith in ac dead!"
There is hardly anything so necessary as the ability to distinguish between that which is important and that which is not. Mrs. Hartley and Mrs. Cupp had that ability and obviously they knew that the most God-like thing in the world is the passion to help others.
Your determination never to be useless will take you a long way in doing God-like work in the world, at your doorstep and beyond.
In friendship,
Richard
Monday, June 16, 2008
2008.06.16 Monday Morning!
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
126 years ago the Board of National Missions of our Presbyterian Church sent missionaries to this part of Indian Territory. Their commitment to Christ, their love of the people, and the land, prompted them to begin the first Presbyterian Church in the Vinita area, which is now called Pilgrim Presbyterian Church.
We are thankful for the vision, faith and courage of those pioneer "pilgrims" more than a century ago.
Now, we have an opportunity to send "missionaries", who with vision, faith and courage carry the good news of Christ to strengthen the work of our brothers and sisters in Malawi, Africa.
In July, our good friend, the Rev. Judith Henderson, will leave for one term, when she will be engaged in a teaching ministry. In October a delegation from our Presbytery will respond to a call from the Livingstone Synod, in Malawi, to visit and help families facing pressing issues which impact their lives.
Will you support this partnership with your prayers and gifts of money? Checks, payable to Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, and designated "Malawi" will be sent as a part of our congregation's benevolence giving.
Many thanks for your support on behalf of the Presbytery-Malawi Partnership Committee.
Richard
126 years ago the Board of National Missions of our Presbyterian Church sent missionaries to this part of Indian Territory. Their commitment to Christ, their love of the people, and the land, prompted them to begin the first Presbyterian Church in the Vinita area, which is now called Pilgrim Presbyterian Church.
We are thankful for the vision, faith and courage of those pioneer "pilgrims" more than a century ago.
Now, we have an opportunity to send "missionaries", who with vision, faith and courage carry the good news of Christ to strengthen the work of our brothers and sisters in Malawi, Africa.
In July, our good friend, the Rev. Judith Henderson, will leave for one term, when she will be engaged in a teaching ministry. In October a delegation from our Presbytery will respond to a call from the Livingstone Synod, in Malawi, to visit and help families facing pressing issues which impact their lives.
Will you support this partnership with your prayers and gifts of money? Checks, payable to Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, and designated "Malawi" will be sent as a part of our congregation's benevolence giving.
Many thanks for your support on behalf of the Presbytery-Malawi Partnership Committee.
Richard
Monday, June 2, 2008
2008.06.02 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning and best wishes from sunny and bright Vinita, Oklahoma, where Pilgrim Presbyterian Church still sends out Christ's good news from the corner of Illinois and Thompson!
John Grisham, a noted author, speaking recently to a gathering of 15,000 Baptists in Atlanta, said: "For so long, so many Baptists have worked so hard to exclude so many!"
It was Luke 4:18-19 that challenged Grisham, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and others to advocate respect in diversity at this Atlanta gathering.
Presbyterians might do well to take a page out of this Baptist initiative. We need to find a way out of our bitter infighting, which is divisive and unfaithful to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
I hope the Presbyterian General Assembly, which will meet in San Jose, California on June 20-28, will listen carefully to this passage, Luke 4:18-19. How honest are we when we sing: "We are one in the Spirit, one in the Lord, and they'll know we are Christians by our love"?
Pray for peace and unity, real peace and unity among us.
Richard
John Grisham, a noted author, speaking recently to a gathering of 15,000 Baptists in Atlanta, said: "For so long, so many Baptists have worked so hard to exclude so many!"
It was Luke 4:18-19 that challenged Grisham, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and others to advocate respect in diversity at this Atlanta gathering.
Presbyterians might do well to take a page out of this Baptist initiative. We need to find a way out of our bitter infighting, which is divisive and unfaithful to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
I hope the Presbyterian General Assembly, which will meet in San Jose, California on June 20-28, will listen carefully to this passage, Luke 4:18-19. How honest are we when we sing: "We are one in the Spirit, one in the Lord, and they'll know we are Christians by our love"?
Pray for peace and unity, real peace and unity among us.
Richard
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
2008.05.27 Monday Morning!
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
Occasionally a small, innovative act can grip the imagination and become something far greater than anything originally planned. Memorial Day is an example of that.
After the Civil War, women in a Sunday School Class in a southern town adopted a spring project. They decided to decorate the graves of their sons, husbands and sweethearts who had died in battle and who were buried in the local cemetery.!
Upon arriving at the cemetery, they expanded their plans and decorated the graves of soldiers from the north, as well.
It was a step toward reconciliation.
When the project was reported in newspapers, the Class began getting letters from people in the north, thanking them for decorating the graves of their loved ones.
Soon the practice spread. The name has changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day, but it is still an important time when we stop to honor all who have died in war.
When the women looked into the darkness, into the pain, of their souls they overcame reasons which might have made them bitter. Instead they found forgiveness which made them strong.
Have all your experiences been in vain?
And make us instruments of peace!
Richard
Occasionally a small, innovative act can grip the imagination and become something far greater than anything originally planned. Memorial Day is an example of that.
After the Civil War, women in a Sunday School Class in a southern town adopted a spring project. They decided to decorate the graves of their sons, husbands and sweethearts who had died in battle and who were buried in the local cemetery.!
Upon arriving at the cemetery, they expanded their plans and decorated the graves of soldiers from the north, as well.
It was a step toward reconciliation.
When the project was reported in newspapers, the Class began getting letters from people in the north, thanking them for decorating the graves of their loved ones.
Soon the practice spread. The name has changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day, but it is still an important time when we stop to honor all who have died in war.
When the women looked into the darkness, into the pain, of their souls they overcame reasons which might have made them bitter. Instead they found forgiveness which made them strong.
Have all your experiences been in vain?
"Where there is hatred, let us sow love, where there is despair, hope, where there is darkness, light."
And make us instruments of peace!
Richard
Monday, May 12, 2008
2008.05.12 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Vinita, Oklahoma, where the 125 year old Pilgrim Presbyterian Church still stands on the corner of Thompson and Illinois Streets. If you are in the area, and have no church home, come visit us at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. And, if you live too far away to join us for worship, please remember us in your prayers.
If you read your Bible - and I hope you do - you'll know it isn't always a peaceful book filled with serenity, green pastures and love. It also reflects human pain and conflict, disappointments and passions.
One conflict in life is envy, and no one is completely free of it. A good antidote to envy is to ask how happy is the person who possesses the object of your envy.
Then, draw up a list of your blessings and imagine one of them being threatened. I expect you'll realize then how rich you truly are.
Focus your attention on what is yours, and live! Live to the hilt, in peace.
Richard
If you read your Bible - and I hope you do - you'll know it isn't always a peaceful book filled with serenity, green pastures and love. It also reflects human pain and conflict, disappointments and passions.
One conflict in life is envy, and no one is completely free of it. A good antidote to envy is to ask how happy is the person who possesses the object of your envy.
Then, draw up a list of your blessings and imagine one of them being threatened. I expect you'll realize then how rich you truly are.
Focus your attention on what is yours, and live! Live to the hilt, in peace.
Richard
Monday, May 5, 2008
2008.05.05 Monday Morning!
Greetings from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
My MONDAY MORNING message begins with a question:
About 90% of the American people say they believe in God, according to a recent survey. In the same survey, the majority said that their religious beliefs had no impact on their daily conduct!
For too many, religion - while it remains respectable - has become almost totally irrelevant.
We are split personalities! We swear allegiance to one set of principles and live by another. When an abyss widens between values we praise the values which operate in our life, we're in a slippery slope.
Top of the morning, each day - and may the wind always be at your back.
Richard
Are your beliefs reflected in your behavior?
About 90% of the American people say they believe in God, according to a recent survey. In the same survey, the majority said that their religious beliefs had no impact on their daily conduct!
For too many, religion - while it remains respectable - has become almost totally irrelevant.
We are split personalities! We swear allegiance to one set of principles and live by another. When an abyss widens between values we praise the values which operate in our life, we're in a slippery slope.
Top of the morning, each day - and may the wind always be at your back.
Richard
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