Thankful Thursday 10-17-19

Thankful Thursday has me grateful for sound! Currently the wind outside is whipping around at varying rates of speed creating some crazy noises, but as I type in the safety and protection of my home, the radio is humming along with the talent of singers and musicians. The songs speak to my head and heart as they drift through the room.

Songs prepare us to move from one situation to another. Think about athletes preparing for competition. Many athletes use song playlists to pump up for the competition before them. Or consider a parent calming an infant for bedtime. Soft, sweet strains of lullabies pull heavy eyelids closed.

Recently, my sons and I got in the yard for some sprucing up. They were not thrilled with the task we tackled and tensions were running a bit high. As we moved to a different section of the yard, we took a water break which included some music. Upon seeing the smiles and dancing elicited by the music, I told them to bring their speaker outside to play their music as we worked. A wonderful shift occurred as the songs played: conversation brightened, stories and laughs freely flowed, and in what seemed like no time, our task was completed.

Blessings to you!

10-17-19 Experience Opportunities:

All are invited to worship this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:30 AM. If you would like to know more about these services, click here. Can’t make it to worship? Or want to revisit a message that really spoke to you? Check out our Sunday Sermons.

Thankful Thursday 10-10-19

Thankful Thursday casts beautiful weather on Central PA. The sun is shining. The air wafts an ebb and flow from warm caresses to cool crisp jolts jockeying for our attention. And the foliage offers hints at the days to come: change is on the way.

No matter where you find yourself in life right now, this season will pass. A new one will come. We are less than 90 away from the new year of 2020. A year for 2020 vision. Gain crystal clarity in where you are headed.

To do so, look back at where you have been. Assess what you have now: your gifts, talents, and experiences that have given you the knowledge and love for a variety of aspects of life. These are unique to you. This uniqueness can bring a blessing to you and those around you. Thank God for where you are now. And be excited for the possibility of these blessings. A new season is coming.

Daniel 2:21 New International Version (NIV)

God has been there. He is with you now. Turn to Him to guide your steps. You make the choices through the free will gifted to you. The results of your choices will build tomorrow’s memories.

Look to God who is always there through the good and the bad. No matter the changing seasons, He is always constant. You are his child. He loves you so much.

Blessings to you!

10-10-19 Experience Opportunities:

All are invited to worship this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:30 AM. If you would like to know more about these services, click here. Can’t make it to worship? Or want to revisit a message that really spoke to you? Check out our Sunday Sermons.

Thankful Thursday 10-3-19

Thankful Thursday calls me to reflect. I’ve received many messages of the joy of lives entering this world and of the sorrow of lives leaving this world this week. As my heart roll on through the ups and downs of each message, my thought cry out to God in celebration and then in anguish over the experiences those here on earth are having.

In searching for the gratitude through this week, I give thanks for being a part of several communities. In these communities, the joys shared double while the sorrows when shared become halved. To know that others are being intercessors in prayer for me is humbling. To have the privilege to be an intercessor for another is an absolute blessing.

This circle of life offers the opportunity to experience many different points, perspectives, and connections. What season of life are you in? How do you look at the world? Where do you connect? While our answers to these questions may vary, we are all called to follow these two commandments:

Matthew 22:36-40 New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

In the privilege of Christian community, I will pray for you this week.

Blessings to you!

10-3-19 Experience Opportunities:

All are invited to worship this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:30 AM. If you would like to know more about these services, click here. Can’t make it to worship? Or want to revisit a message that really spoke to you? Check out our Sunday Sermons.

Thankful Thursday 9-26-19

Thankful Thursday holds overcast skies offering up momentary sprinklings as the parched land awaits a thirst-satisfying rain. We know the rain will come. But for now, like the land, we wait.

There are times in life when we hit dry patches, times of waiting. In these moments, we are called to praise God. All that He is. Remember what He has done before. Know that He is working to make all things work for His glory.

This waiting offers each of us the time to make sure we are ready for answering the call for our life. Have we worked to keep our relationship close with God? Will we know when He calls us? Whether it is a nudge, notion, or sense from the Holy Spirit within or a repeated message from various friends, family members, or surroundings that is used to speak to us, will we notice?

Once we notice, will we answer the call in faith? We are gifted the free will to respond, to be in relation. When remaining in relation with the one who provides us with living water, we can tap into the eternal spring of life.

For the gift of free will and for the gift of life, I give thanks. The ebb and flow through the seasons of life bring such variety to what we experience. But the grounding source of comfort through all of these changes: to know God was, is, and always will be the same. Always there for us.

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Revelation 21:6

Blessings to you!

9-26-19 Experience Opportunities:

All are invited to worship this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:30 AM. If you would like to know more about these services, click here. Can’t make it to worship? Or want to revisit a message that really spoke to you? Check out our Sunday Sermons.

Thankful Thursday 9-19-19

Thankful Thursday challenges me to find gratitude throughout my week, my day, and even each small moment. There are days when this act is like breathing. It comes simply, easily, and naturally. Other days, I find my gaze casts downward. My thoughts focus on me. In these moments, it is good for me to remember: I am God’s child.

I like to think of my favorite verse: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) God is my treasure. He is waiting for me to lift my eyes to Him. To look for Him in my surrounding and day. Gems of goodness tucked in the moment to come (if we are looking for it!)

It is a bit like getting to go on a treasure hunt each and every day! What fun! Need help going on your own treasure hunt? Here is a list of ideas to help you look for gratitude. (*I am thankful to have found this wonderful list on Facebook shared by Mindful Christianity Today.)

Find something:

1. that makes you happy.
2. to give someone else to make them smile.
3. you love to smell.
4. you enjoy looking at.
5. that is your favorite color.
6. you are thankful for in nature.
7. that you can use to make a gift for someone.
8. that is useful for you.

You can search for one item each day or if you are feeling really inspired, complete the list every day! Find your inner kid and become a treasure hunter. As you begin to fill your treasure chest of gratitude, pause for a moment to allow the light of God to shine through onto these gems. They will gleam and sparkle lightening up your life and your spirit.

Blessings to you!

9-19-19 Experience Opportunities:

All are invited to worship this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:30 AM. If you would like to know more about these services, click here. Can’t make it to worship? Or want to revisit a message that really spoke to you? Check out our Sunday Sermons.

Thankful Thursday 9-12-19

Thankful Thursday presents the eve of a full moon, fluctuating temperatures, and a smattering of showers (and some brief downpours) all contributing to the atmosphere of our day. At night, the crickets chirp. During the day, the leaves rustle in the wind. Calming moments of stillness invite us to pause both at the break of day and at the close of day.

Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to get outside with a blanket, book, and my dog to enjoy the fresh air. The warmth outside was tempered by the shade of a tree and the whispering breeze gently coaxing the turn of pages in my book. I was grateful to be present in that moment – surrounded by and a part of God’s creation. I lifted a whispered thank you to my Lord as a smile shared the joy of being in the moment.

Have you ever found yourself fully submersed in a moment where the magnitude of all that is has you feeling so small? And possibly at the same time, in a moment where the you open yourself to the love God is pouring out on you to the point you feel bursting with joy, love, and all kinds of emotions? That fullness will not even compare to what it will be like one day when we get to be in eternity with our Lord and Savior! Oh the goodness that will be!

Until then, I will continue to look for connection with the Father through Christ Jesus. I will remember the words from Psalm 121: “I lift my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber not sleep. The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, not the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Today, get outside, say thanks, and be renewed through the outpouring of God’s love in his creation.

Blessings to you!

9-12-19 Experience Opportunities:

All are invited to worship this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:30 AM. If you would like to know more about these services, click here. Can’t make it to worship? Or want to revisit a message that really spoke to you? Check out our Sunday Sermons.

Thankful Thursday 9-5-19

Thankful Thursday brings the call of cooler evenings which in turn brings crisp, brilliant mornings. These sunrises offer stunning works of art in motion. The peace and stillness of the early morning provides a wonderful foundation from which to enter the day.

To solidify the foundation of your day even more, ground yourself in the Word as part of your daily wake up routine. When you make time to meet God (because, yes, He is always there ready to meet you!) in his Word, you fuel your mind and spirit with the good stuff. Soaking up these good thoughts provides the direction for your mindset. When you look to God to begin your day, it can continue as you look for God in all the little moments through your day.

Spending the day looking for God, letting God connect to others through you and your acts of kindness, and reflecting on the moments you witness God in motion are more ways of fueling your spirit with the goodness and love so freely poured out on each of us. To receive it, we must turn our eyes to God and open ourselves to these gifts.

Looking for ways to have the good stuff flow through you? Here are some ways you can be the good:

Dine at Texas Roadhouse on September 8th from 11 AM – 4 PM to support the Gravel Hill 5K. Must show this flyer:

Partners In Missions meets on September 10 @ 7:30 PM. Looking for ways to serve? Come find out about a variety of mission projects.

We have many community events coming soon too! Check them out on our calendar.

There are days where it is a battle to make the time to meet God. As Joshua 1 repeatedly encourages: “Be strong and courageous.” Rise to the challenge and the blessing of meeting God each day. As you do so, you will change too, becoming another of God’s stunning masterpieces in motion.

Blessings to you!

9-5-19 Experience Opportunities:

All are invited to worship this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:30 AM. If you would like to know more about these services, click here. Can’t make it to worship? Or want to revisit a message that really spoke to you? Check out our Sunday Sermons.