Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
Have you ever taken time to draw up a list of all those things which you have and could lose? This is an exercise that will provide you with endless reasons to be thankful!
Rather than think about things you yearn to acquire, give some thoughts for your assets. How seldom most of us express thanks for our vision, our limbs, our sanity, our ability to speak, our ability to eat.
It often takes a serious threat to the blessing we have to make us aware of them, let alone to be thankful for them.
Value those blessings
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
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
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
Monday, November 9, 2009
2009.11.09 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.
November 1, 2009 was All Saints Day. Half way through our worship in the sanctuary, we carpooled and went to Pheasant Hill Cemetery, about seven miles out of town.. There, in a beautiful site where founders of our Church are buried, we celebrated the Lord's Supper.
Those early pioneer Presbyterian missionaries, who had to know loneliness, privations, illness and discouragement, persevered in their work and gathered a congregation for worship in 1882.
My question to the present Pilgrim congregation is why did those missionaries - there were four of them - continue their work? Certainly they recognized the strategic importance of this territory, proving their foresight and wisdom. But that was not all. I suggested in a brief Communion meditation that the words of the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 5:14) may be the key to the essence of their labor:
"For the love of Christ compels us..."
Christ's love is forceful, compelling. It is discovered when one lives and moves under the Banner of the Cross. May that love free you from dragging lethargy, from indifference, from drowsiness of spirit as you journey in this speedy world.
For the love of Christ, what are you compelled to do?
Fond regards,
Richard
November 1, 2009 was All Saints Day. Half way through our worship in the sanctuary, we carpooled and went to Pheasant Hill Cemetery, about seven miles out of town.. There, in a beautiful site where founders of our Church are buried, we celebrated the Lord's Supper.
Those early pioneer Presbyterian missionaries, who had to know loneliness, privations, illness and discouragement, persevered in their work and gathered a congregation for worship in 1882.
My question to the present Pilgrim congregation is why did those missionaries - there were four of them - continue their work? Certainly they recognized the strategic importance of this territory, proving their foresight and wisdom. But that was not all. I suggested in a brief Communion meditation that the words of the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 5:14) may be the key to the essence of their labor:
"For the love of Christ compels us..."
Christ's love is forceful, compelling. It is discovered when one lives and moves under the Banner of the Cross. May that love free you from dragging lethargy, from indifference, from drowsiness of spirit as you journey in this speedy world.
For the love of Christ, what are you compelled to do?
Fond regards,
Richard
Monday, November 2, 2009
2009.11.02 Monday Morning!
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, Vinita, Oklahoma.
This morning my thoughts go back in time when I was in a Contemporary Literature Class at the University of Wisconsin. We were discussing the life and work of the great Russian author, Tolstoy.
Tolstoy was exalted by his peers and biographers, but for some reason or other I remember more distinctly than anything words of his wife. Though I can't quote her, this is the gist of what she said:
His many good works are prompted by his principles, not by the warmth of his heart. Never has he given me five minutes help carrying water, nor sitting for five minutes alongside the bedside of our sick son.
A lot of us are at our best in society and at our worst at home.
A pearl of value: An act of loving kindness is a humane response to human need, and it should begin at home, with a warm heart.
Richard
This morning my thoughts go back in time when I was in a Contemporary Literature Class at the University of Wisconsin. We were discussing the life and work of the great Russian author, Tolstoy.
Tolstoy was exalted by his peers and biographers, but for some reason or other I remember more distinctly than anything words of his wife. Though I can't quote her, this is the gist of what she said:
His many good works are prompted by his principles, not by the warmth of his heart. Never has he given me five minutes help carrying water, nor sitting for five minutes alongside the bedside of our sick son.
A lot of us are at our best in society and at our worst at home.
A pearl of value: An act of loving kindness is a humane response to human need, and it should begin at home, with a warm heart.
Richard
Monday, October 26, 2009
2009.10.26 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, still going strong in Vinita, Oklahoma.
Our past is anchored in 127 years of faithful worship, teaching and mission/outreach. Our present continues that great tradition.
To be sure tradition may enslave us and make us reactionaries. At Pilgrim Church, an alert community of faith finds that tradition has an opposite effect. Tradition here releases the congregation, and enriches it, as it invests time, energy, and yes, money in a spirit of living out the gospel in the present.
What do I mean? Simply this: you and I must spend our life, not hoard it. God has given us life, not to keep for ourselves but to use for others. This sense of giving marks Pilgrim Church as an example of true discipleship.
Our Pearl of Value today comes from Luke 9:24:
"Whoever would save life will lose it, and whoever loses life, for my sake, will save it."
Put a smile on your face and live to the hilt. It's only once around this earthly track.
Fond regards,
Richard
Our past is anchored in 127 years of faithful worship, teaching and mission/outreach. Our present continues that great tradition.
To be sure tradition may enslave us and make us reactionaries. At Pilgrim Church, an alert community of faith finds that tradition has an opposite effect. Tradition here releases the congregation, and enriches it, as it invests time, energy, and yes, money in a spirit of living out the gospel in the present.
What do I mean? Simply this: you and I must spend our life, not hoard it. God has given us life, not to keep for ourselves but to use for others. This sense of giving marks Pilgrim Church as an example of true discipleship.
Our Pearl of Value today comes from Luke 9:24:
"Whoever would save life will lose it, and whoever loses life, for my sake, will save it."
Put a smile on your face and live to the hilt. It's only once around this earthly track.
Fond regards,
Richard
Monday, October 19, 2009
2009.10.19 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
A good friend, the Rev. W. LeRoy Beckes, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Bradford, Pennsylvania. The monthly newsletter from that Church is always interesting and informative. Among his many gifts, Lee Beckes is a poet and a man of prayer. His "Labor Day Prayer" is excellent for all seasons, and I share it with you today.
Labor Day...a prayer
Lord Jesus, one day you shook the sawdust from your hair and left to take up other work. Did the blind man feel the callouses when you touched his eyelids? Did Simon Peter, slipping beneath the waves, feel the strength of your arms as you pulled him to safety? You knew splinters and sweat, you have felt the weight of heavy beam. Be with those whose labor and worth is measured in pieces and pounds; who must wrestle with fire and storm; who cross lonely miles while other sleep; who clean and carry what we leave behind; whose work goes unnoticed unless undone; who tend to those so often forgotten. May we find ourselves at your side, working for a world where wages are fair and all labor is respected. Then, when our work is done, may we hear you say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your Master's joy."
Genuine friendships are to be cherished!
Best wishes and in friendship,
Richard
A good friend, the Rev. W. LeRoy Beckes, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Bradford, Pennsylvania. The monthly newsletter from that Church is always interesting and informative. Among his many gifts, Lee Beckes is a poet and a man of prayer. His "Labor Day Prayer" is excellent for all seasons, and I share it with you today.
Labor Day...a prayer
Lord Jesus, one day you shook the sawdust from your hair and left to take up other work. Did the blind man feel the callouses when you touched his eyelids? Did Simon Peter, slipping beneath the waves, feel the strength of your arms as you pulled him to safety? You knew splinters and sweat, you have felt the weight of heavy beam. Be with those whose labor and worth is measured in pieces and pounds; who must wrestle with fire and storm; who cross lonely miles while other sleep; who clean and carry what we leave behind; whose work goes unnoticed unless undone; who tend to those so often forgotten. May we find ourselves at your side, working for a world where wages are fair and all labor is respected. Then, when our work is done, may we hear you say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your Master's joy."
Genuine friendships are to be cherished!
Best wishes and in friendship,
Richard
Sunday, October 11, 2009
2009.10.12 Monday Morning!
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma, in beautiful green country! Yes, we've had a lot of rain! Lawns and pastures are lush-looking. Our Church lawn is as lovely as I've ever seen it, thanks to the rain and the excellent service of Todd Mariner, one of our new members.
At the beginning of summer I suggested that you read the story of Peter going to meet Cornelius (found in Acts, chapter 10). Cornelius was a Roman - a Gentile - and Jews were to avoid contact with Gentiles. Before going to the home of this Roman military leader, Peter was staying at the seashore home of a tanner. The law forbade Jews from touching the bodies of dead animals, and a strict Jew would hardly accept hospitality from such a home.
All this is noteworthy in that Peter had to unlearn rigid religious teaching. That isn't easy, but it is essential if we are to grow and develop our concept of the greatness of God!
And Peter said, "I have come to understand that God has no favorites."
How big is your God?
Fond regards,
Richard
At the beginning of summer I suggested that you read the story of Peter going to meet Cornelius (found in Acts, chapter 10). Cornelius was a Roman - a Gentile - and Jews were to avoid contact with Gentiles. Before going to the home of this Roman military leader, Peter was staying at the seashore home of a tanner. The law forbade Jews from touching the bodies of dead animals, and a strict Jew would hardly accept hospitality from such a home.
All this is noteworthy in that Peter had to unlearn rigid religious teaching. That isn't easy, but it is essential if we are to grow and develop our concept of the greatness of God!
And Peter said, "I have come to understand that God has no favorites."
How big is your God?
Fond regards,
Richard
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