Grow. Pray. Study. Daily Devotion Guide for Sunday, 14 May 2017 through Saturday, 20 May 2017 from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States
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Prayer Tip: The Talk for Sunday, 14 May 2017
Katherine Ebling-Frazier
Katherine Ebling-Frazier is the Pastor of Prayer at Church of the Resurrection.
Daily Scripture
1 Thessalonians 4:3 What God wants is that you be holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to manage his sexual impulses in a holy and honorable manner, 5 without giving in to lustful desires, like the pagans who don’t know God.
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents[[1 Peter 2:11 Genesis 23:4; 47:4; Psalm 39:13(12); 1 Chronicles 29:15]] not to give in to the desires of your old nature, which keep warring against you;
Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he [should] go;
and, even when old, he will not swerve from it.
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Prayer Tip
It’s Mother’s Day. This day conjures up so many emotions in all of us. Would you join me in praying for mothers this day?
Loving God,
For the mothers who have always been there for us, Lord hear our prayers.
For the mothers who have hurt us, Lord hear our prayers.
For those who have lost their mothers, Lord hear our prayers.
For those who have been like mothers to us, Lord hear our prayers.
For those who long to be mothers, Lord hear our prayers.
For mothers separated from their children today, Lord hear our prayers.
For the step-mothers learning how they fit, Lord hear out prayers.
For the mothers who have lost children, Lord hear our prayers.
For the single mothers, Lord hear our prayers.
For foster and adoptive mothers, Lord hear our prayers.
For the mothers who are overwhelmed and tired, Lord hear our prayers.
God, any and all prayers for mothers, related to mothers, as mothers, we offer them all to you.
We thank you that your motherly love never fails us.
Amen.
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Sunday, May 14, 2017 "The Birds and the Bees 'The Talk'”
Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 4:3 What God wants is that you be holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to manage his sexual impulses in a holy and honorable manner, 5 without giving in to lustful desires, like the pagans who don’t know God.
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents[[1 Peter 2:11 Genesis 23:4; 47:4; Psalm 39:13(12); 1 Chronicles 29:15]] not to give in to the desires of your old nature, which keep warring against you;
Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he [should] go;
and, even when old, he will not swerve from it.-------
" Wisdom as a concerned mother"
Monday, 15 May 2017
Proverbs 5:1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding;
2 so that you will preserve discretion
and your lips keep watch over knowledge.
3 For the lips of a woman who is a stranger drop honey,
her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
her steps lead straight to Sh’ol;
6 she doesn’t walk the level path of life —
her course wanders all over, but she doesn’t know it.
7 So now, children, listen to me;
don’t turn away from what I am saying:
8 distance your way from her,
stay far from the door of her house;
9 so that you won’t give your vigor to others
and your years to someone who is cruel,
10 so strangers won’t be filled with your strength
and what you worked for go to a foreign house.
11 Then, when your flesh and bones have shrunk,
at the end of your life, you would moan,
12 “How I hated discipline!
My whole being despised reproof,
13 I ignored what my teachers said,
I didn’t listen to my instructors.
14 I took part in almost every kind of evil,
and the whole community knew it.”
15 Drink the water from your own cistern,
fresh water from your own well.
16 Let what your springs produce be dispersed outside,
streams of water flowing in the streets;
17 but let them be for you alone
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain, the wife of your youth,
be blessed; find joy in her —
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This reading is part of a longer section at the start of Proverbs which personified “wisdom” as an informed parent speaking to a child. Chapter 5 warned an archetypal “son” about the danger posed by a “mysterious” (or “strange”) woman, and stressed the importance of not letting her draw him into her way of life. “The strangeness of this woman is seen in her willingness to operate outside the bounds of moral, legal and customary restraints.” *
• Proverbs spoke to people who never saw any sexy TV commercials or R-rated movies, and had no Instagram, Tinder or Internet porn. Wisdom still warned them about the danger of falling into immoral behavior, intimacy without commitment or meaning. If those external sources in our world aren’t the central cause of this type of behavior, what is? What positive steps can God’s people take to help them live up to these wise standards?
• Positive steps to grow spiritually are the most important. However, Proverbs also spoke to the significant reality of avoiding temptation. “Stay on a path that is far from her; don’t approach the entrance to her house” (verse 8). Have you ever had to decide to avoid a situation that could have led you down a hurtful, immoral path? If so, how did that go?
Prayer: Dear God, infuse my life with your wisdom. Help me to live a wise, pure life myself, and to transmit your wisdom to younger people I can help to shape. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Location 140643). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
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Roberta LyleRoberta Lyle has been on the Resurrection staff since 2006. She serves as the Program Director for Local Impact Ministries, concentrating on Education, Life Skills and Youth Focused Ministries.
As a mom of two adult sons I think they both have a good idea about what it takes to form a strong, lasting marriage. Hopefully my husband and I modeled this for them in the way we treated each other with respect and the value we put on being truthful and trustworthy. One of the other pieces of wisdom I hope they learned from us is that actions have consequences.
Sometimes our temptations can arise from our own thoughts but today's verse talks about how to respond to those temptations that come from others.Part of today's scripture reads
"The lips of a mysterious woman drip honey,
and her tongue is smoother than oil..."
I think this phrase perfectly captures the sneaky allure of sin and immorality. Everyday life can be routine and predictable and when something or someone comes along that promises novelty, excitement or maybe a little danger it catches our attention. Instead of running the other direction maybe we find ourselves dwelling on thoughts that are drawing us closer to acting on our desires. The mother in today's reading says don't.
"Stay on a path that is far from her;
don’t approach the entrance to her house."
Nothing good can come from fantasizing about doing something wrong. Continuing to indulge these thoughts make it too easy to get pulled into something that you will live to regret. Thinking about the negative consequences of your actions can be a good deterrent. Ask for God's help in strengthening your resolve to refocus your thoughts and avoid temptation. You will never regret avoiding acting on immoral thoughts.
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"God as the ultimate caring mother (as well as father)"
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
Isaiah 49:13 Sing, heaven! Rejoice, earth!
Break out in song, you mountains!
For Adonai is comforting his people,
having mercy on his own who have suffered.
14 “But Tziyon says, ‘Adonai has abandoned me,
Adonai has forgotten me.’
15 Can a woman forget her child at the breast,
not show pity on the child from her womb?
Even if these were to forget,
I would not forget you., Psalm 131:1 (0) A song of ascents. By David:
(1) Adonai, my heart isn’t proud;
I don’t set my sight too high,
I don’t take part in great affairs
or in wonders far beyond me.
2 No, I keep myself calm and quiet,
like a little child on its mother’s lap —
I keep myself like a little child., Matthew 23:37 “Yerushalayim! Yerushalayim! You kill the prophets! You stone those who are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you refused!
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Almost all of us know that the Bible used fathering images to portray God. It may surprise you, however, that the Bible showed how much God loves us by comparing God to a warmly loving, sheltering mother as well as to a protecting father. Through the prophet Isaiah, through the psalms, and even through Jesus himself “God claims to be a compassionate mother and more so.” *
• Can you think of times when your mother was a reliable, positive presence in your life? In what ways, if any, does God’s guiding, protecting and steadfast love seem real to you because of your mother? At what times do you most need to know that God loves you with more tenderness than even the best earthly mother?
• Isaiah 49:14 showed Israel’s wary, guarded response to God’s promises. Have you ever let down another person, and in particular a child to whom you had made a promise? At what points have parents or others you trusted let you down? How has opening yourself to God’s nurturing love begun to heal any “trust” gaps left by your life experiences? Are you a safe person for others to trust?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you mourned like a bereaved mother because the people of Jerusalem would not accept the shelter you offered under your “wings.” Make me willing to accept and find safety in the spiritual shelter you offer me. Amen.
* Introductory study note on Isaiah 49 in The CEB Women’s Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2016, p. 928.
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Courtney FelzkeCourtney Felzke is Chaplain of Silver Link, providing Pastoral Care to many within the Silver Link Ministry as well as doing work behind the scenes in the ministry. She coordinates care for those served by the ministry and recruits and trains new volunteers.
Today's Scripture verses paint such a beautiful image of our God. I especially love the image used in Matthew of a mother hen providing shelter for her children underneath her wing.
Recently, in the Memorial Garden at Resurrection Leawood, a mother duck made her nest. This mother put the nest in a safe spot, camouflaging it so her eggs would be safe. She laid her eggs and spent most of every day sitting on the eggs, taking good care of her babies before they were even born. The eggs hatched a couple of weeks ago and soon 11 babies were waddling behind momma duck. Watching this momma duck care for her young was beautiful: she quickly brought them to water so they could begin swimming, she’d help them get food and learn the basics, at night (I’m told) she cuddled up with them, helping them stay warm.
When we think of Jesus’ words in Matthew, and his longing to gather the people of Jerusalem “just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Matthew 23:37), we hear Jesus saying, “I wanted to nurture you and offer warmth and protection to you.” Just as Jesus longed to provide this care many years ago, Jesus still longs to extend comfort to each of us. Of course this care looks different than it would have when Jesus was walking on the earth. Today we have the presence of Jesus’ Spirit with each of us which can provide this same comfort and nurturing: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you” (John 14:15-18).
Through these verses in John, Jesus promised that we wouldn’t be left alone, that His Spirit would be with us at all times. I’ve found this to be true. When I call out to God and ask God for comfort, I almost always feel a sense of peace and warmth come over me. This is one of the ways God loves and nurtures us.
"Living into God’s life-affirming holiness"
Wednesday, 17 May 2017
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed. 14 As people who obey God, do not let yourselves be shaped by the evil desires you used to have when you were still ignorant. 15 On the contrary, following the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in your entire way of life; 16 since the Tanakh says,
“You are to be holy because I am holy.”[1 Peter 1:16 Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7]
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Holiness is a broad Bible word, taking in all of God’s vast love and goodness, and all the good things God desires us to be. Many scholars believe 1 Peter particularly spoke to new Christian converts. “The quotation of Leviticus 19:2 shows Peter’s [mainly] Gentile audience that…God’s call to Israel to be distinctive and set apart is the same call God has given these Christians in Asia Minor.” * Peter invited his Christian readers to “let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness” (verse 15, The Message).
• Scholar William Barclay wrote about these verses, “The word for ‘holy’ is hagios whose root meaning is ‘different.’ The Temple is hagios because it is different from other buildings; the Sabbath is hagios because it is different from other days; the Christian is hagios because he is different from other [people]….There is laid on the Christian the task of being different.” ** Do you shy away from being “different,” not care much one way or the other, or welcome the experience if it‘s for a good cause?
• God does not redeem us to leave our lives unaltered. How did Peter express God’s call on our lives? Are there part(s) of your life in which God is calling you to greater holiness? How does your heart respond to Peter’s call to be set apart for God, to be different by living as God’s blazing light in a darkened world? Are you willing to step up and say, “Yes—count me in”?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you once said that no one lights a lamp just to hide it under a basket. Keep me growing into a person who lets your light shine wherever I go. Amen.
* Jeannine K. Brown, study note on 1 Peter 1:15-16 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 463 NT. ** William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Letters of James and Peter. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, revised edition 1976, p. 188.
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Steven BlairSteven Blair is the Congregational Care Pastor of Live Forward and Live Well Emotional Wellness Ministry at Church of the Resurrection.Perfect doesn't always mean flawless. In bowling, a perfect game means bowling nothing but strikes until you end with a perfect 300. In baseball, however, pitching a perfect game includes mistakes. It includes missing the strike zone and having the other team hit the ball often very hard. At the end of the game, a pitcher may have made a number of mistakes but the term 'perfect' game is still the best description.
When I hear the call "to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 3:16)," I hear a call into this type of perfection. To love God and neighbors thoroughly in every part of our lives. To make mistakes but to even handle our mistakes in a way that is deeply divine.
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" A counter-cultural life"
Thursday, 18 May 2017
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents[1 Peter 2:11 Genesis 23:4; 47:4; Psalm 39:13(12); 1 Chronicles 29:15] not to give in to the desires of your old nature, which keep warring against you; 12 but to live such good lives among the pagans that even though they now speak against you as evil-doers, they will, as a result of seeing your good actions, give glory to God on the Day of his coming.
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Jesus faced criticism for hanging out with tax collectors and sinners” (e.g. Luke 15:1-2). Ironically, some in the Roman world defamed Jesus' followers for holy lives that were different from “sinners.” “Neighbors who are unbelievers are speaking against the behavior of these Christians. What is good has been judged to be immoral. [Peter’s teaching] encourages loyalty to key social values while also pressing for obedience to Christ and formation in Christ.” *
• 1 Peter 2:11 used the Greek words paroikos (“immigrants”) and parepidēmos (strangers). Both words referred to temporary residents of a place, people whose true home was elsewhere. In what ways and to what extent do you think of God’s eternal kingdom as your true home, one that makes you a temporary resident of this earth? Do you find it easy or difficult to live as a citizen of that eternal kingdom?
• If we actually make the (often invisible) Kingdom of God our central allegiance, at times we may look a little strange, even to family members or friends. How much of a struggle is it for you to live, not as someone who always “fits in,” but as a “stranger and immigrant” in this world? To what extent are your choices (including those about life style and sexuality) ultimately driven by God’s “otherworldly” values?
Prayer: Lord God, it’s one thing to say you are “King of Kings.” Sometimes it is quite another thing to say you are king of my heart. Make the latter as true in my day-to-day life as I believe the former is when I worship you in church. Amen. * Jeannine K. Brown, study note on 1 Peter 2:11-12 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 465 NT.
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Janelle GregoryJanelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist. Janelle finds that her heart is constantly wrestling with the truth that she needs a Savior, and the times when she's at her very best are when she's just too tired to put up a fight.
In elementary school, help was always a raised hand away. You don’t know how to solve the problem? Raise your hand. You don’t know what page you should be on? Raise your hand. The kid next to you won’t stop poking you? Raise your hand. Everything was solved by asking for help. As we entered our teens, we wanted to be more independent. We didn’t want to raise our hands, because asking for help was for little kids. And certainly, as adults, the idea of requiring assistance seems like an insult. People our age shouldn’t need help.
But what if we do? We often know what God wants for us, the decisions we should and shouldn’t be making. If life was just about knowing the right thing to do, our lives would be much easier. However, there is often a gap between knowing what is right and doing what is right. Sometimes the gap is narrow enough that sheer determination can bridge the two. However, there are other times when the gap is so wide that willpower alone won’t cut it.
If you can’t break a habit or behavior that is harmful to you, to others, or to your relationship with God, you need to know that it is okay to ask for help. At some point in our adult lives we all need help. It’s much wiser to ask for help than to allow your life and soul to suffer because your pride is at stake. Pride doesn’t negate the need for help, it only delays it.
Help may come from a friend or loved one, but there are times when pastoral or professional resources are a better choice. Turning to pastors, counselors, and therapists doesn’t make you a bad or immature person, and it absolutely doesn’t mean that you aren’t a “good Christian.” God doesn’t want perfection from us. What He wants is wholeness for our lives and the lives of those around us. If you need help breaking away from harmful patterns, stop what you’re doing, call the church, and get help. No matter what you’re dealing with you’ll find people with open arms ready to greet you, if only you’ll raise your hand.
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“Don’t be conformed. . .but be transformed”
Friday, 19 May 2017
Romans 12:1 I exhort you, therefore, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer yourselves as a sacrifice, living and set apart for God. This will please him; it is the logical “Temple worship” for you. 2 In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what he wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed.
9 Don’t let love be a mere outward show. Recoil from what is evil, and cling to what is good. 10 Love each other devotedly and with brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect.
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The apostle Paul set a high standard for the way Christians go about our daily lives. Our “appropriate service” to God, he wrote to the Christians in Rome, is to offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice.” In his day, as in ours, that approach to life was not a part of the culture’s “common sense.” To live it out would take inner transformation, not conformity to the world’s values and practices. We need to change the way we think: “This world” is literally “this age”; the “renewing of your mind,” then, includes thinking as citizens of the coming new world.” *
• In the ancient world, most people had made a sacrifice to some god. That usually meant killing an animal in the right temple or shrine. If that were your background, how would you need to shift your thinking and acting to respond to Paul’s call to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice”? In what ways are you willing to put yourself, your life, “on the altar” to live daily for God?
• Most of us like the idea of being “the best.” But Paul put a twist on it: “Be the best at showing honor to each other.” It turns out that “competition for honor dominated ancient Mediterranean urban society, particularly Rome; Paul offers a contrary model (here; v. 16).” ** In what ways will you need to remain open to God’s work to find joy in a trophy for “being the best at showing honor to others”?
Prayer: Dear God, I offer my life to you as a living sacrifice. Keep transforming me from the inside out, so that I don’t climb off the altar every time you call me to something challenging. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 256236-256237). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. ** HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 256260-256262). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
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Darren LippeDarren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group and a men’s group, and serves on the curriculum team.
My wife, Doris, and I are co-creating a Bible study for her Live! Women’s Bible Study this fall based on favorite children’s books of yesteryear. The working title is “Biblical Lessons from Your Childhood Bookshelf,” where we look at classic children’s books like A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, Madeline, and Amelia Bedelia to see what Godly insights they might offer.
Using (some snarky souls might claim abusing) our Couple’s Small Group, we spent an evening with Curious George last week as a dry run. Our hostess, Joni, and their daughter, Michala, helped add to the festive atmosphere with yellow-hat-shaped-treats, banana bread, and Monkey Juice as a beverage.
Curious George was the creation of H.A. Rey & his wife Margaret. They were social friends as kids in Hamburg, Germany in the early 1900’s, but met up again when they were both living in Rio de Janeiro. They fell in love, got married, & raised 2 mischievous marmosets as pets in their apartment. For their honeymoon, they traveled to Paris, France, and, loving the creative energy of the city, stayed for 4 years.
- Why doesn’t Curious George play poker anymore? Too many cheetahs.
With the onset of WWII, the Nazi’s began to threaten France with invasion. The Reys, being Jewish, fled Paris on bicycles early one morning carrying only some bread and cheese, H.A.’s pipe, and their manuscripts of a playful monkey. (A border official, concerned that their bulging briefcase was filled with stolen documents, stopped them for questioning in the midst of their journey. Seeing the colorful drawings of the friendly monkey, he smiled and let them pass.) Their escape via bike, train, and ship would take 4 months of hurry-up-and-wait travels via South America to eventually reach the U.S.A.
- How does Curious George get around in the jungle? His Jaguar.
H.A. commented later that it felt foolish to be writing children’s stories of a mischievous monkey in the midst of the horrors of war. (His use of bright colors was to defiantly contrast the gray & black he felt around him.) Yet the Reys, a la Paul’s urging in today’s passage, wouldn’t let the world’s groupthink dictate how they felt or how they acted. The Reys didn’t pretend their circumstances weren’t grim - rather, they sought to transform their conditions by living joyfully in the midst of their bleak situation. Perhaps we, too, could choose to not let societal norms chart the course of our own lives, but rather live lives in accordance with what we know to be good and right.
- Why didn’t Curious George return your call? His vine was busy.
I would submit Curious George is so appealing because he, just like us, is flawed. There are no bad guys in his misadventures. His troubles are the result of his not listening to instructions or because he just couldn’t resist some temptation. Yet, interestingly, The Man in the Yellow Hat is always there to offer him a hand and to bring him safely home. Many of Curious George’s naughty escapades end with the pajama-clad George safely snuggled in the lap of The Man in the Yellow Hat as they share a story about dinosaurs in a tall wingback chair – as if to remind us that nothing, not even painting an apartment to look like a jungle, will be able to separate us from the love of God.
And with that, I’m going to buy some Curious George flowers – aka Chimp-pansies.
-------And with that, I’m going to buy some Curious George flowers – aka Chimp-pansies.
"Keys to living a fruitful life"
Saturday, 20 May 2017
2 Peter 1:3 God’s power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowing the One who called us to his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us valuable and superlatively great promises, so that through them you might come to share in God’s nature and escape the corruption which evil desires have brought into the world.
5 For this very reason, try your hardest to furnish your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with perseverance, perseverance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you have these qualities in abundance, they keep you from being barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
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Peter set forth how every part of our life grows as we open ourselves to let God’s power work in us. John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, wrote of this passage in his Notes on the Bible: “In this most beautiful connection, each preceding grace leads to the following; each following, tempers and perfects the preceding.” Wesley urged Christ-followers to serve God with their heads, their hearts and their hands, so it makes sense that he loved this passage’s picture of our whole life transformed.
• Peter saw “moral excellence” as fully compatible with “affection for others,” “knowledge” as a solid support for “godliness,” and “self-control” and “endurance” as vital steps on the way to living out “love,” God’s defining quality (cf. 1 John 4:8-16). How do you believe a life based solidly in these God-given qualities equips you to give and receive love and affection in enduring ways? Mr. Wesley’s notes on these verses also said that “‘sour godliness,’ so called, is of the devil.” Have you ever known anyone who seemed to believe that “moral excellence” required “sour godliness”? What helps you trust that God wants your life to be sweet, not sour? That God’s gift of moral excellence offers you a life filled with joy and beauty?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I do not want to be inactive and unfruitful. Plant the qualities of enduring life within me, and keep them growing as I walk with you every day. Amen.
Family Activity: Every part of the Body of Christ is important and each has its role to play. Assess how this truth is demonstrated in your own family. Are everyone’s gifts and abilities valued? Does each person contribute to the functioning of the home as he or she is able? Ask someone in your family to draw an outline of a body. Brainstorm how each person can serve in the family as the following parts: head, hand, heart, feet, mouth, ears, and eyes. Write these ideas on or near the body part on the picture, writing in one color for each person. What is each person able to contribute to the family? Celebrate the gifts each person can give and that each person is highly valued and equally loved by God.
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Dave MaGeeDave has served in rezlife Student Ministries since 2006, serving as the Director since 2013.
Dave grew up in a large UMC in the Houston, Texas area, attended Vanderbilt University for college, and went to Duke University for seminary. He has served in full time youth ministry since 1999.
In ministry Dave has a passion for teaching the Bible and theology, leading missions, and raising up student leaders. In his free time, Dave is an enormous sports fan, especially SEC football and Duke Blue Devils basketball.As a child, I had the neat opportunity of living in several different places around the world. By the time I was 8 years old, I had already lived in Hong Kong, Connecticut, and Houston, Texas. My family moved to Texas when I was 8, and the house we moved into had a decent-sized tree in the side yard. Not being very in touch with nature then (nor now unfortunately!), I had no idea what kind of tree it was. It had a trunk, and limbs, and some sort of leaves--it was just a tree.
That first year we lived in the house the tree stayed “just a tree.” During the second year in the house, the tree got my attention for a whole new reason. The tree began to produce big yellow pears. I’m not sure I had ever seen a pear, but at my mother’s prodding we started collecting the pears when they fell to the ground. That year and for years to come as I grew up, during certain seasons of the year we ate sliced up pears for snacks and pear pie and pear cobbler for dessert.
I’ll never know why that pear tree didn’t produce pears that first year. Maybe it hadn’t been nourished or pruned, maybe something in the soil wasn’t right, maybe some unknown weather factor impacted it? In 2 Peter 1:3 we see that “God’s divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” The writer goes on to say that God can add qualities like goodness, knowledge, perseverance and more to our faith lives. Then verse 8 essentially says if you possess those God-given qualities you will be effective and fruitful in Christ.
Just like that pear tree, there are seasons in my life where I see my faith life producing more fruit than others. God is constantly offering and providing all that I need, but for whatever reason sometimes I don’t nurture those gifts from God, and little to no fruit may be produced. In those times I need to remember that I am not just a tree--I am a pear tree. I am not just a human--I am a human loved by God, filled by God, and called to produce God’s fruit.
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Barb Messick and family on the death of her mother Georgia Northrop, 5/6
•Gene Ratliff and family on the death of her brother Clynton Ratliff, 5/7
•Sue Henke and family on the death of her mother Marjorie Donnelly, 5/6
•Elizabeth Falke and family following the death of her mother Laurie Leah Thompson, 4/28
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