Wednesday, August 17, 2022

I just heard that well-known Christian author and theologian Frederick Buechner has died. Here is one of his quotes: "A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. The grace of God means something like: 'Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party would not have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.' There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too."

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, August 10, 2021

Frederick Buechner writes this: "The love for equals is a human thing- of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing- the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing- to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich... The world is always bewildered by its saints. And then there is the love for the enemy- love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. This is God's love. It conquers the world."

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Frederick Buechner writes this: "But if good works are not the cause of salvation, they are nonetheless the mark and effect of it. If the forgiven (person) does not become forgiving, the loved (person) loving, then (that person) is only deceiving him/ herself. 'You shall know them by their fruits,' Jesus says and here Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild becomes Christ the Tiger, becomes both at once, this stern and loving man. 'Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire,' he says, and Saint Paul is only echoing him when he writes to the Galatians, 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.'"

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

A message from our Pastor:

Leroy Brownlow writes this: "Our trust in (God) gives assurance for today and anticipation for tomorrow. It takes the fear and dread out of life. Even the clouds reflect a goodness and the night conveys a peace. Trust says, 'Take a step, another, and another,' and on we go- planting crops, building houses, expanding business, entering school, switching jobs- looking to the dawn. We make plans. We strive to carry them out. We do the best we can for ourselves and trust God for the rest."

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

A message from our Pastor:

Frederick Buechner writes this:

“Vocation:  It comes from the Latin vocare, to call, and means the work a man is called to by God.

There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of Society, say, or the Super-Ego, or Self-Interest.

By and large a good rule for finding out is this.  The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done.  If you really get a kick out of your work, you’ve presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you’ve missed requirement (b).  On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirements (b), but if most of the time you’re bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only bypassed (a) but probably aren't helping your patients much either.

 Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do.  The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

A message from our Pastor:

William C. Martin writes this: 
“Try this experiment.  Don’t talk for a whole day.  Don’t read anything for that same day.  Don’t listen to radio or watch television.  Don’t attempt to think great thoughts.  Just dull all your senses and see if you can get a glimpse of who you are without these things.  Here is where the Word dwells.  No wonder it seems hard to find.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

One writer on spirituality offers this: “How do we wait for God? We wait with patience. But patience does not mean passivity. Waiting patiently is not like waiting for the bus to come, the rain to stop, or the sun to rise. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full in order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for. The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior, which means ‘to suffer.’ Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grown into strong plants. Waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God’s glorious coming.” 

 Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

In advance of Father’s Day here are some words from Leroy Brownlow: “Being a father is a schooling. It is an education to bear a child, provide for, train and educate him or her, and with anxiety of soul take the boy or girl into your heart, watching with eyes that never sleep and with a foresight that never slumbers. The father’s verbal teaching and careful example, his living hope and sharing of that expectation, his dauntless courage and the instilling of that grit in the heart of a youngster- these teach the child, but also the father. For there is nothing that educates the parent like the child.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

A message from our Pastor:

One writer offers this: “How can someone ever trust in the existence of an unconditional divine love when most, if not all, of what he or she has experienced is the opposite of love- fear, hatred, violence, and abuse? They are not condemned to be victims! There remains within them, hidden as it may seem, the possibility to choose love. Many people who have suffered the most horrible rejections and been subject to the most cruel torture have been able to choose love. By choosing love they become witnesses not only to human resiliency but also to the divine love that transcends all human loves. Those who choose, even on a small scale, to love in the midst of hatred and fear are the people who offer true hope to our world.”

Have a blessed week,

Pastor John

Don’t forget to catch us on Facebook if you are unable to attend services in person, or go to YouTube to watch past services and special performances (just type in our name and city/state).

You can watch our service live on the following Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/presbyterian.church.336   (Again, copy and paste this link to your web browser)

Thursday, May 26, 2022

A weekly message from our Pastor:

One writer on spirituality shares this: “We become neighbors when we are willing to cross the road for one another. There is so much separation and segregation: between black people and white people, between gay people and straight people, between old people and young people, between sick people and healthy people, between prisoners and free people, between Jews and Gentiles, between Muslims and Christians, Protestants and Catholics, Greek Catholics and Latin Catholics. There is a lot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the road once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might indeed become neighbors.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

 Henri Nouwen writes this: “It is important to know when we should give attention and when we need attention. Often we are inclined to give, give, and give without asking anything in return. We may think that this is a sign of generosity or even heroism. But it might be little more than a proud attitude that says, ‘I don’t need help from others. I only want to give.’ When we keep giving without receiving we burn out quickly. Only when we pay careful attention to our own physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs can we be, and remain, joyful givers. There is a time to give and a time to receive. We need equal time for both if we want to live healthy lives.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

One author on spirituality offers this: “No two friends are the same. Each has his or her own gift for us. When we expect one friend to have all we need, we will always be hypercritical, never completely happy with what he or she does have. One friend may offer us affection, another may stimulate our minds, another may strengthen our souls. The more able we are to receive the different gifts our friends have to give us, the more we will be able to offer our own unique but limited gifts. Thus, friendships create a beautiful tapestry of love.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

Leroy Brownlow writes this: “At times all of us are lonely. It brings an emptiness within. A feeling of inadequacy and a lack of direction overwhelm us. We should not, however, allow loneliness to cheat us out of a single day. And here are some ways to overcome it:

                -Like yourself enough that you can be happy alone.

                -Have something to do and do it.

                -Make good books interesting companions

                -Put down any selfish walls you may have built around yourself.

                -Make your presence desired, and the best way to do this is to find emptier hearts and fill them with love.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

 Henri Nouwen writes this: “How do we know that we are infinitely loved by God when our immediate surroundings keep telling us that we better prove our right to exist? The knowledge of being loved in an unconditional way, before the world presents us with its conditions, cannot come from books, lectures, television programs, or workshops. This spiritual knowledge comes from people who witness to God’s love for us through their words and deeds. These people can be close to us, but they can also live far away or may even have lived long ago. Their witness announces the truth of God’s love and calls us to act in accordance with it.”

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday of Holy Week, April 13, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

One theologian offers this Easter prayer: “The Day of Resurrection has dawned upon us, the day of true light and life, wherein Christ, the life of believers arose from the dead. Let us give abundant thanks and praise to God, that while we solemnly celebrate the day of our Lord’s resurrection, He may be pleased to bestow on us quiet peace and special gladness; so that being protected from morning to night by His favoring mercy, we may rejoice in the gift of our Redeemer. Amen.”

Have a blessed Holy week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

A group of nuns was having a discussion about how you can be “always joyful” when there is so much sorrow in life. One in the group offered this: “We can experience both joy and sorrow, even at the same time, for joy and sorrow are not opposites. It is not joy and sorrow, but their opposites, that cause damage- for the opposite of joy is cynicism and the opposite of sorrow is callousness. Cynicism is rooted in the assumption that everyone is always in control. Callousness is the inability to feel that follows from the fear of losing control.” 

Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Henri Nouwen writes this: “Receiving is often harder than giving. Giving is very important: giving insight, giving hope, giving courage, giving advice, giving support, giving money, and most of all, giving ourselves. Without giving there is no brotherhood and sisterhood. But receiving is just as important, because by receiving we reveal to the givers that they have gifts to offer. When we say, ‘Thank you, you gave me hope; thank you, you gave me a reason to live; thank you, you allowed me to realize my dream,’ we make givers aware of their unique and precious gifts. Sometimes it is only in the eyes of the receivers that givers discover their gifts.”

 Have a blessed week,

Pastor John

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

Marjorie J. Thompson writes this: “There are countless ways we can make a difference in the balance of justice in this world. Our imaginations and will are the only limits. We have tremendous resources at our disposal! And we have the freedom to use them, to exercise our conscience and put belief into practice. What a privilege and what a responsibility God has given us.”

 Have a blessed week,
Pastor John

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

A mid-week message from the Pastor:

Norman Shawchuck offers this prayer: “O God, thank you for your patience. Help me to be whole- of one word and deed. I cannot be this on my own will or strength, so I pray for your will to be done and your strength to be given. Help me to attend to my daily disciplines; to have a clear witness of word, character and action; to always look for your coming and to live as though you had already arrived.”

 Have a blessed week,

Pastor John

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Dear Friends,

                Last night at our Session meeting I announced that I will be retiring in September. After eighteen years here it is time to turn over the leadership as pastor to someone new. It has been such a privilege to be here all this time and I am so grateful to all of you.

                The Session will be making some decisions about future leadership for the congregation. Last night, Rev. Gail Doering, transitional executive presbyter for our presbytery, and Rev. Laura Frazey, moderator of the Church Orders Ministry Team, began the process of walking the Session through what the different options may be. We started this process early so that hopefully there won’t be a big gap between the time I leave and the time a new person begins.

                My last Sunday will be September 18. Please keep the Session in your prayers as they will have a lot to do in the next six months. Many difficult decisions will need to be made. It will be a time when you lean on one another for support and encouragement. That, as I have witnessed, is something you do very well.

                Sarah and I are currently house hunting. Since Sarah won’t retire for several more years, we will continue to live in Independence. Our involvement with this congregation, though, will come to an end when I retire. Again, I want to express my appreciation to all the members of the congregation. I will certainly miss being your pastor.

 In Christ,
Pastor John