Fear ... or Hope?

Economy Shrinks at Fastest Pace in 26 Years ...

Staying The Course Might Not Work For Everyone ...

Economic Numbers Continue Down ...

Do you find yourself getting "lost" in the negative rhetoric of the daily headlines? It's easy to let what "they" say cause you to fear ... rather than hope.

I like what Dave Ramsey published recently,

" ... Yes, many people have lost their jobs and houses. You may be one of them. But guess what? People have lost their jobs and houses even in a bull market. About 93% of people are still employed. That's pretty good!"

Amen, Dave! I agree.

If we're not careful, we'll let the pundits and nay-sayers 'drive' our emotions ... rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and emotions, through the renewing and refreshing of God's Word.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Tim. 1:7)

We can choose fear ... or hope. I'm gonna choose hope!

What is Lent?

... the forty days before Easter. Lent excludes Sundays because every Sunday is like a little Easter. Basically, it's about one-tenth of a year (like a tithe of time).

What does Lent have to do with me?

It's pretty easy to get caught up in the drama of work, school, relationships, and family. Our lives are filled with distractions that take us away from living a life with Christ. We try to fill the emptiness inside us with mindless TV, meaningless chatter, stimulants, alcohol or other things.

We run from silence because we're afraid of being alone with God. So, like Jesus, we need to take some serious time to pray and figure out where God is in our lives, and where God is calling us to serve. We need to re-focus our lives to be more in line with God.

COOL THINGS TO DO FOR LENT:

• Skip one meal a day and give the money to the poor


• Start a prayer "rhythm." Say a prayer every time you brush your teeth, see a commercial, or check your e-mail


• Read a chapter in the Bible a day. (Matthew is a good book to start with)


• Forgive someone who doesn't deserve it (maybe even yourself)


• Give up beer or sodas. Give the money you save to the Red Cross
• Spend thirty minutes a day in silence


• Write someone a thank you letter


• Say one nice thing to someone each day


• Pray for others on your way to work or school


• Volunteer one afternoon a week at a local shelter, tutoring program or Habitat for Humanity

Originally published by author Penny Ford, United Methodist campus minister at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Link: http://www.upperroom.org/methodx/thelife/articles/lent101.asp

New Things

Isaiah 43:19 reads,

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." (NIV)

Our pastor, James Twiner, has been preaching and teaching this message to our congregation at First United Methodist Pascagoula for the past year or so, and the spirit of that message has become contagious!

There is a "newness" in the spirits of our congregation at First UMC and it's catching hold of the folks all around our small town. In fact, if you listen closely and read the coastal newsprint and magazines ... that "new" thing is catching hold of folks all across the Coast!

I am glad to see that the LORD brings "new" excitement and enthusiasm from "old" and "tired" situations. St. Paul instructs in Galatians 6:9 that we " ... not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Harvest time is near ... in Pascagoula ... and in YOUR hometown. The questions beckons us all:

Are we [the Church] prepared to reap the harvest?

I'm saying to me ... to us - the Church of the LORD Jesus Christ ... GET READY! The harvest is here ... the kingdom of God is near!