First United Methodist Church

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

One of my favorite things to do is photograph butterflies. They are like graceful angels dancing through the air. Imagine my horror one day when I found a group of Zebra Swallowtails feasting on a dead animal. Yuck, the very thing I get excited about when it lands on me, while taking pictures or fishing. Now I get a different kind of excitement when they land on me, and I think, “Where have you been and what have you been eating?” It does have an actual scientific term called Mud Puddling. It is a totally natural thing and does really help the butterfly thrive. If we did this we would most certainly end up in the ER at BRMC. But yet, we do. We also are Mud Puddling when we wallow around in our own pity and anger. And even worse we invite others to come be part of our experience. We need to choose wisely what we are feeding our souls and what we are feeding to those around us.

Ephesians 4:29 reminds us that we are not to let ANY unwholesome talk come from out of our mouths. The word unwholesome here is really defined as peutried, or rotten. Wow, we need to hear that right now. As a nation we need to repent of our Mud Puddling, and instead spend our energy building each other up. My experience has been that when you invest into other’s souls, you will make the biggest difference in life.

This is not just a suggestion, it really is a commandment. God over and over proclaims to us our job is not to live in anger with one another, but instead to live in peace. I know I have heard some say that unity is a word that some people are using to control you, but I would tell you that this rationale is flawed. Remember, Satan is the one who divides and conquers, and God is the one who calls us to this unity. Hear these words from Psalms 133, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

Friends we are called to people who speak words of life, and not words of division, hate and anger. And it begins with us. It begins with us as we let God filter our words before we use them. It begins with us when we offer grace to someone who is not part of our particular political party. It begins with us when we show love to those who might despise us. Remember, stay away from the mud puddles of life and seek out the living water that comes from Jesus Christ!

Grace and Peace,

Bro. Keith

Hello Church Family,

One of the Bible verses I encountered in my studies this past month was Isaiah 43:19. “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

I look back at this past year and thought, how have I not notice God working through this pandemic? We have all been through something traumatic and when things aren’t going well, I don’t know about all of you, but I begin to think negatively and start looking away from the good that is happening. But like in Isaiah, God is working something new during this pandemic. After reading this, I began to look back on these path 11 months. Instead of looking at everything I’ve lost, and my ministry lost, I began to look at all of the good things we were able to do. We successfully moved ministries online for a time. We we able to have a beautiful Senior Sunday. We confirmed 3 youth, and more to have. We baptized 3 youth this year. We hosted monthly movie nights for families to have a safe activity to do. We were able to open a Wednesday Night Ministry successfully AND we’re able to say that we have no COVID outbreaks at these gatherings. We hosted a Christmas Worship Experience. We developed a Youth Praise Band, and there is so much more that I could say.

When I began to look back at all of the ways God was working in this youth ministry, it made me excited. Even though this year is not what I had expected, I have learned so much. I have seen a resilience in my students. I have seen a love for experiences. I have seen a love for one another. We don’t know how long this pandemic will last, but I am beginning to see the faint light at the end of the tunnel. As we continue to travel the path to the end of this season, remember to be looking for God. He is working in our lives and if we focus too much on the negative and what we have lost, we may miss the big opportunity and good He is currently working in our lives.

God bless,
Michelle

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