Greetings, my Brothers and Sisters in faith. How many of us, on this shared spiritual journey, struggle each morning to start on the right foot seemingly. Some days, there seems to be insufficient coffee, tea, or our favorite soda to get us going. We rush around as if we will be late, even when we know we will be early or right on time. How many of you start your day in prayer? I don’t mean a prayer as we rush to work, school, and other activities. I mean, truly start your day in prayer.
 
Jews begin each day with Modeh Ani, a short, two-line prayer that opens by referring to God as the eternal and living king. The prayer speaks of sleeping as a minor type of death in which the soul leaves the body to spend the night with God. The prayer thanks God for returning the soul to the body, enabling the individual to live another day. This prayer is generally said when one first awakes while still in bed. 

Here is the prayer: 
מוֹדֶה אֲנִי האשה אומרת: מודָה לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם שֶהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ:
 I am thankful before You, living and enduring King, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness.

So let us not forget who we are, children and people of the Most High. Allow us to begin our days with this beautiful prayer. Let us start our days with a focus on God, leaning on him for all that we will need each day.

Matthew 6:16-18 New Living Translation
And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

I have been asked in the pasted, what is the season of Lent in the church? Lent is a season of reflection and sacrifice. Lent is also a time of life and promise. So many people begin the Lenten journey to Easter with the custom of giving up something they feel is holding them back from a more profound and more vital faith in their lives. For some of us, it’s something silly like Girl Scout cookies (even if they are your favorite.)  But for far more many than you think, it’s something much deeper, pulling them away and holding them back from a faith and life they can only dream of. We give up things during the Lenten season to remind ourselves of the suffering and pain that we know Jesus will experience at the end of the season when we observe Holy Week and the crucifixion. We also give up things to be reminded of our dependence on God. The primary purpose of “giving up” stuff in Lent is to bring us closer to God, prioritize God, put God in our minds and lives, and make God the focal point. There is no need to tell everybody what you’ve given up for Lent–if you’ve given up anything. Keep it secret. It’s between you and God. 

I want to challenge all of you to something. I challenge you to pick up one of the many books out there that speak over the writings and/or theology of John Wesley. Read a little every day during this season of life. Grow in your understanding of the founder and the methodist movement. Then, choose to seek to understand what it means to you to be a Methodist. As we spend this time growing in our faith and understanding who we are, we are bound to see how Christ impacted John’s life and how he speaks to us today. I leave you with this final thought from scripture. 

2 Peter 3: 17-18 New Living Translation
 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen. 

​What a beautiful time of the year it is. As the leaves start changing colors, It reminds me that Thanksgiving is approaching. I am thankful for many things in my life, from being the pastor at such a tremendous, loving, caring, and passionate Church to the four girls who bring such joy to my and my wife's lives. To say that I feel God's blessings in my life is an understatement. It reminds me daily of what and who I am: a believer in God and a follower of Christ Jesus!

In the book of Psalms‬ ‭95:1-3‬ ‭NRSV it reads:‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
   "O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with Thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."

So I have some questions for you to think about. 
1.    Are you giving your thanksgivings to God the Father?
2.    Are you truly thankful for the blessings he has placed in your life?

Both of these questions can be answered quickly at first, but I encourage you to give each of them some serious thought. Giving God all your thanksgivings is much more than just telling him "Thank You" for the good in your life. Even the storms in our lives can produce things we are truly thankful for. 

Take a look at the news, and it won't take you long to see as much negativity as one can stomach. It seems to me that there is much more of a focus on the things that are negative and divide us (as individuals and as a country) than things that can bring us together. Now, don't get me wrong; there are good stories of positive things happening all around the world, yet that's not what seems to be "newsworthy " all too often. 

Being thankful for the blessings God gives can be found all over our lives and even in King David's life. David writes in Psalms‬ ‭28:7‬ ‭NRSV:‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."

David knows that he has his moments of weakness, yet he knows and trusts in God. That's a trust in God some of us have a hard time finding in our own lives. Have no fear; the more you study God's word and spend time with him in prayer, the more you will find yourself like King David, trusting fully in God and not on yourself or in others.

​What a busy time of the year it is. Kids and young adults returning to school usher in a time known as "fall." I don't know about you, but fall seems to go by so fast. Before we know it, football season is over, and basketball is taking the forefront of our local sports season.
 
 As the leaves turn beautiful shades of red, yellow, orange, and even dark green, it reminds me that we often don't see the seasons changing because we are so busy with everything we are involved in. There is an old saying I'm sure most of you have heard: "Stop and smell the roses."  Let me ask you this: with all that is happening in our world today, when was the last time you just stopped and smelled the bouquet of flowers (wild and/or at home) that seemed to fill the air with sweet aromas. At the end of the day, I can't help but stop at the garden just outside the back doors. I pray, of course, while I'm there. With my eyes closed, I can understand why the gardens in Jerusalem in Jesus' day and even today are such popular places. If you listen closely, you can hear our Heavenly Father's still, small voice calling your name. 
 
I remember the First time I heard "In the Garden" as a child. It wasn't some well-known singer who sang it the first time. It wasn't in the church I grew up in, either. It was a little old lady who lived down the street from my grandparent's house in Plainville, Connecticut. She was sitting on her front porch, like most people did in the late 80's, as I rode by on my bike. She wasn't singing too loud, but I could still hear her. I asked my grandmother about it when I returned to my grandparent's house. She looked at me and smiled as she softly sang it to me in the living room. I sat next to her chair on the floor. From that moment on, I fell in love with that hymn. It is one of my all-time favorite hymns to sing, and I even sit and listen to it. 
 
Do you know who wrote it? His name is Austin Miles. He wrote the hymn from 1912 to 1913. There's a beautiful story behind his writing, and I look forward to sharing it with you all on September 29th in worship service. But here is a little bit of it to hold you over till then. 
 
Austin Miles was a pharmacist who served as editor and manager at Hall-Mark Publishers. His great-granddaughter said he told her how he wrote this beautiful hymn in a cold, dreary, and leaky basement in his home in Pitman, New Jersey. He speaks of how he was in that place as he usually was when reading his beloved Bible. He was reading the Book of John Chapter 20 when he came to verses 11-18.
 
Before he could even think, the picture of that text came to life. He could see Mary standing there in the early morning. He could see how she interacted with Christ, not knowing it was him at first.  He could see the smile on her face and the joy in her eyes as she ran back to tell the disciples what had happened and what she had seen. He wrote that hymn that day, and many still sing it. I can't tell you how many times it has helped me remember who I am. A beloved child of the highest God.
 
We all need that reminder from time to time, don't we? So let's do this, stop and smell the roses. Look for a quiet place outdoors where we can go and be in the beauty of God's creation.  Read your Bible there, sing a few hymns if you like, and listen because God is still calling and wants to walk with you, talk with you, and make sure you know you are his own. He wants to share the joy he has as you are both there, in this place where no other has ever known.