Saturday, April 12, 2025

Further and Deeper

Read: Ephesians 3:20-22

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” – John 7:37-38 (NIV)

I was fishing on a stretch of river that I hadn’t been to before when I remembered that a friend had told me about a waterfall that I should see if it were up this way. You may know that I am almost as interested in observing the flora, fauna, and beauty of God’s creation as I am of catching fish, so I set off up the river, and within a few miles I found it; a pretty, murmuring waterfall; worth the trip but nothing spectacular or awe inspiring. 

Some time later I was telling my friend that I had seen the waterfall that he told me about. He said, “Did you see them both?” 

“Both?” I asked. 

“Well, there’s actually three of them, about a quarter of a mile apart as you follow the river channel up.”

The next time I was on the river I went to the first fall, and then on to the second which was larger and louder than the first. Then I went on to the third which was, indeed, spectacular and well, well, well worth the journey. 

I will confess there have been times in my journey with Christ when the experience seems rather “That’s nice, but not really spectacular.” The temptation is to stop there and either be critical of the experience or to be satisfied with the “Ho-Hum” 

But then in prayer He whispers the promise of … more than I can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20-22)

So, I continue to follow further and deeper into faith and obedience. Only to discover that the witness of my fellow Christians and the whispered promise of the Father are true. Following Jesus is well, well, well worth the journey!  Peace and Hope and Joy and Love gushing up in abundant life!

Shalom, Rev. Will Wells, CGMC

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help us never be content until we follow you to the point of living water flowing all around us and even from within us. We love you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Trust

That is my word for this year – I’m working on learning to totally trust God. Why do I find it so hard? Is it because I am not sure that what I want and what the Lord wants for me will be the same? Intellectually, we know that the Lord absolutely knows what is best for us! And yet, we struggle. We look back at the disciples and chuckle at how they sometimes just didn’t get it. We have a whole book called the Bible with great instructions all throughout, and yet we sometimes don’t get it either. If we go to the Bible, there are several verses that point us towards the Lord and teach us to trust Him. 

Psalm 37: 3-5    Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Isaiah 26:3-4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and put their confidence in Him.
Hebrews 11:1    Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen.

I watched a video online with Greg Laurie of the Harvest Christian Fellowship Church. Laurie said, “God will allow circumstances in our lives to keep us dependent on Him.” His point was if our lives were all perfect and we had no problems, would we still turn to the Lord? 

The next time you have a situation that tests your trust in the Lord, write it down. As time goes on, look back and see how God responded to your need. Do we always get exactly what we want and just when we want it? No! Fortunately, as we learn to trust the Lord we can sit back and trust that he knows what is best for us. And for that, I am truly thankful.

Paige McClain Ramsey, CGMC

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Yum! What Is That Smell?

“In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (The Message)

My mom made homemade bread every Friday. When I close my eyes, I can still smell that scrumptious hot bread as I walked into the kitchen after school on Fridays. The smell of hot bread reminds me of the love and laughter we shared around the table; hot bread, butter, and the events of the day were like a sweet scent rising to God. 

Smell is a powerful sense. I imagine you too have smells that stir up pleasant memories. Perhaps, if you close your eyes, you will smell a new box of crayons, a certain perfume, a favorite dish, pipe tobacco, a certain place, wood shavings, or some other memory filled with an exquisite fragrance. 

In 2 Corinthians, Paul says we give off a sweet scent.  We, who follow Jesus, are known by the scent of love that wafts from us as we share the love of Christ through our words and actions. 

Lent is a time of self-examination and I think it provides us a good time to ask, how am I doing? Am I leaving the sweet scent of Christ’s love everywhere I go? If not, do I need to spend a little more time with Jesus and let the fragrance of  His love infuse me so I can be an exquisite fragrance and leave a sweet smell everywhere I go?

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, may my words and actions leave the lingering exquisite fragrance of  Your love with everyone I meet. Amen.

Blessings! Pastor Pam Wells, CGMC

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Bowling for Jesus

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” – Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Ever been bowling? Bowling’s a funny thing—it looks easy from the outside, but once you’re up there, ball in hand, things get tricky. You think you’re lined up perfectly, but somehow, that ball has a mind of its own. You’re aiming for a strike, and plop! — straight into the gutter.

Lent is a lot like bowling. It’s 40 days of trying to roll straight toward Jesus. But then there are those gutters—temptations and bad habits.

Frame 1: The Wind-Up – Checking Your Aim
In bowling, if you don’t aim right, you’ll never hit the pins. Lent is about adjusting your spiritual aim. Where’s your focus been? What’s pulling you off course? 

Frame 5: Gutter Balls and Grace
You’re going to throw some gutter balls during Lent. Maybe you’ll break your fast. Maybe you’ll snap at someone or skip prayer because you’re “too busy.” Here’s the good news: Jesus isn’t keeping score. His grace covers every missed shot. The point of Lent isn’t perfection—it’s persistence. As Hebrews says, “Run with perseverance…” Or in this case, bowl with perseverance.

Frame 10: The Final Roll – Striking with Jesus
The best part of bowling is that you always get a second roll. And with Jesus, you get infinite do-overs.
 
So, What’s Your Scorecard This Lent?
    •    Give Up bitterness, gossip, and anything that keeps you from peace.
    •    Take Up: More laughter, and prayer.
    •    Step Up: To the line, with your heart ready and your eyes on Jesus.

Happy Bowling!

Rob Battle, CGMC

Friday, March 15, 2024

Call the Ladies of the Church

Read: Luke 10:38-42

This was written many years ago by a much loved and dedicated member of College Grove Methodist, Marie Crunk:

If there's a need for missions anywhere,
If there's a reason for extra prayer,
Call the ladies of the church!

If there's a want for clothes to wear,
If there's a burden you need to share,
Call the ladies of the church!

If the Pastor needs a friend,
If there are Thanksgiving gifts to send,
Call the ladies of the church!

If there's a quilt awaiting quilting,
If the flower bed is wilting,
Call the ladies of the church!

If you want a potluck dinner,
If the carpet's getting thinner,
Call the ladies of the church!

If you want a job to do,
We are always needing you!
Call US – the ladies of the church!

I wonder if Mary and Martha were the first "ladies of the church?"

Luke 10:38-42 says that Martha works hard to welcome Jesus to her home. Her sister, Mary of Bethany, simply sits at His feet and listens. Both Mary and Martha serve, yet Mary understands the priority and necessity of choosing to abide with Christ. Martha wanted to feed Jesus and make Him comfortable. Mary wanted to honor Him and be attentive to what He had to say.

I think what they both did was important. The lesson to learn from the story of Mary and Martha is to seek God's presence and to listen well as He speaks to us.

Georgann Waddey, CGMC

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Following the Leader

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how.” – Matthew 16:24 MSG

After a game of Follow the Leader with the kids, Pam’s sermon about following Jesus took me on a drive in my imagination. Often in a car we are either following or leading someone else. It was especially fun to find the Message’s translation of the scripture for that day.

In high school a bunch of us would play “Chase” after MYF – which is just a teenage version of Follow the Leader driving cars. (Even going to church twice on Sundays doesn’t change the chemistry of a teenage brain.) Of course, the only safe position in that game is leader – because you know where you’re going and if the path is clear in front of you. Since bad things only happen to others in a teenager’s brain, a bent wheel from hitting a curb, or a scraped driver’s door from side swiping a sign are unexpected (and difficult to explain) consequences. Did they stop us from playing again? Not until we outgrew that teenage brain and actually considered who was good to follow – and how.

Fast forward to the adult who now is in the driver’s seat leading someone – perhaps a teenager – to somewhere they have never been. Most likely the follower is sticking pretty close to the rear bumper, but there are stop lights, other cars, etc. that get in the way. Assuming you’re not trying to lose your follower, you most likely are keeping an eye on them in your rear-view mirror. If you’re a careful/caring leader, you’ll even stop or slow down to be sure they catch up.

Isn’t that what Jesus is doing for us? He’s keeping his eye on us – even if we end up on a detour, or get slowed down or stopped by some distraction. If we follow Him, He’ll slow down, or back up, or wait patiently at the side of the road till we get back in line behind Him.

Dear Jesus, thanks for keeping me always in Your rear-view mirror. Amen!

Jacki Rumpp, CGMC

Friday, February 16, 2024

Contagious

Contagious is defined as: “1. spread from one person to another by direct or indirect contact and 2. likely to spread to and affect others”

We know about contagious in the context of a cold or flu or COVID, and we’ve heard of super spreader events when a whole group of persons become ill because they attended a social event with a person who was contagious. Personally, I know about contagious as my grand boys shared pink-eye with me. It just takes a little togetherness and poof! you’re unwell.

Having been contagious got me thinking about how there might be a positive spin on being contagious. Posing the question are we Christians contagious? Are people catching the Gospel from us?

We are called to go into all the world and make disciples:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20

and Paul reminds us:

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

However, if the love we have is harbored in selfishness, or arrogance, or a belief that you must worship my way only, or an attitude of it’s just me and Jesus against the world, how can we be contagious Christians? An article I read recently in The Lewis Center said 40% of the people who do not attend a church but still believe in God said the reason they don’t go to church is because of a bad event or bad experience in church that made them dislike “church people.”

So, this Lent season, I encourage us to be contagious Christians. Allow the love of God: Father, Son, and Spirit bubble up out of us and spread to others so that they too may be affected by this wonderful, gracious, loving God we serve.

May we in this body of Christ be super spreaders of the Gospel.

Blessings on your journey,

Pastor Pam Wells, CGMC