Easter Monday greetings from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
I hope you had an enjoyable Easter! I underline that word "enjoyable" because God intends us to enjoy this life and live it to the hilt.
Much is being written about life after death, and I do believe that life does not end at the grave. But survival is an empty victory unless it is based on what is enjoyable, virtuous and responsible here and now.
Get your priorities in order. Your life is of inestimable value. Rage against anything that shrivels your soul or withers your spirit.
How's this for a Pearl of Value from Ruther Rendell, a mystery writer: "Happiness makes so much difference to people. It doesn't just make them happy, it makes them more intelligent, more aware, more alert, while unhappiness deadens, dulls and stupefies."
Read Matthew 5:3-11 again, and substitute "happy" for the world "blessed". Does that little change make more sense to you?
Cheers,
Richard
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma!
This is Monday of Holy Week, the most significant week of our Christian calendar. It is a week of joy (Palm Sunday), sorrow (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) and triumph (Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of our Lord).
Life is like that: joy, sorrow, mixed feelings and triumph...bittersweet!
Our granddaughter was born in Holy Week. Our family was overjoyed; she was the first grandchild. In the midst of our joy, another family was gathered nearby in the waiting room experiencing the grief of life slipping away for their year old child.
Jesus knows the ups and downs of human feelings and emotions. Life, bittersweet as it is, beckons us to move forward into an unknown future certain that our Resurrected Lord is God with us. That is central to our year 'round Easter faith.
A blessed, Happy Easter to you and your loved ones near and far.
Richard
Top of the morning and all good wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church - still located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma! For more than 126 years this congregation has served Christ throughout this area with an "Easter faith" - an all year 'round faith.
Behind this service and good effort lies the power of prayer!
Many people stop praying because they don't have time in their busy lives. Others give up on prayer convinced it does not work. Like anyting else of value, prayer requires intentional practice.
As you practice prayer daily, remember that God will never do anything you can do for yourself. Prayer is not simply unloading our tasks on God. Prayer is the means by which God enables us to do them for ourselves.
Prayer may not change circumstances, but it does change us so we may confront circumstances with new strength and a new ability to cope with them.
Prayer is a powerful means to change our lives. Set aside a time each day to practice it!
Go for it!
Richard
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, a small congregation with a big heart. Located in the center of Vinita, Oklahoma, our Sunday services begin at 10:00 a.m., enabling us to get to the town's restaurants before our Methodist and Baptist neighbors! Join us at worship, if you can; if you can't remember us in prayer at "Ten on Sunday".
Jesus was a thorn in the side of the fundamentalists of his time. The religion of his day had hardened into ritual and legal codes and he warned the self-righteous to "judge not".
His efforts to reform religion landed him on a cross, falsely accused of being a political revolutionary. He was not. But, he was a moral revolutionary.
God save us from those who condemn to hell those who disagree with their interpretation of Scripture.
A "Pearl of Value" for today:
"The only 'true church' is that which admits there is no way of knowing which denomination God belongs to." (Sidney Harris)
Fond regards,
Richard
From Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in Vinita, Oklahoma, the center of green country, best wishes as you don your green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Isn't everyone Irish on March 17? I bet you didn't know that the Welsh have a special reason to join their Irish cousins in this once a year celebration: St. Patrick was born in Wales!
The Irish have great charm and to meet people with charm is a happy experience. Of course, superficial charm is dangerous. Talking and smiling while spreading a lot of blarney is superficial charm.
Genuine charm doesn't have the showy qualities of superficial charm. You can depend on those with genuine charm to stick with you in all kinds of weather, and that is one of the great virtues anyone can have.
You can tell that Patrick found genuine charm in Christ from his prayers:
"Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ before me, Christ beside me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."
May the gift of genuine charm be yours always.
Richard
Top of the morning from Vinita, Oklahoma, where "Pilgrims" meet to worship at the Presbyterian Church and from where they scatter into the community to serve God in big and little ways.
One big issue confronting the whole world today is "drug abuse". Can the Church reach out to those engulfed in this epidemic? Put your thinking cap on and let's hear your suggestions as to how Church and faith can help.
It is obvious that laws are not enough to curb this insidious evil. Medical, psychological, social science AND religion are needed to combat this nightmare.
Instead of cursing the darkness which is ruining lives and destroying families, is there one small step we can take to overcome this critical problem?
Hopefully,
Richard
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma!
Ash Wednesday, February 25, begins our Lenten journey. Lent offers us an opportunity for self-examination, which I know is important in my life. Why are there times when I think I have to be right and everyone else is wrong? Pride? Maybe! When those times assail me I try to think of the "cockroach theory".
Have you heard about that theory?
There was a scientist who was convinced he could teach a cockroach to respond to oral commands.
He set out to prove this theory and worked for months. He repeatedly said JUMP while his finger was extended before the roach. Finally the roach did jump. He was elated; his notion was correct.
Then he decided to carry the experiment further. He cut off the front legs of the roach and said JUMP. The roach, in time, did manage to get over his finger.
Next the scientist took off the rear set of legs. When he said JUMP the roach just laid there motionless.
Dismayed the scientist took out his notebook and made this entry: "When a cockroach's legs are removed, deafness occurs."
God save me from having to prove myself right all the time!
Amen and amen,
Richard
