We shall not live as “Prisoners but as Colonists”

We shall not live as “Prisoners but as Colonists.” That is the phrase C.S. Lewis once used in his book “The Problem of Pain” to speak about the church’s approach to the suffering of the world. It is to us to plant the flag of the kingdom of God in a world that looks into […]

So Moms….Mother’s Day Blog 2018

By Missy Smith My kids are perfectionists!  They want so bad to please their teachers, coaches, dance instructors and peers. They get so upset when they make a little mistake. They want to do things well and make sure that everyone is proud with their performance. They often get really upset when they don’t do something […]

September 22, 2017

Day 20:  Pastor Tony  “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 Not long ago, during a casual trip up […]

Deeply Rooted

By Carol Ann Hoard Life comes at you fast sometimes – things where you have no control like hurricanes, floods, and …. cancer. During our recent encounter with life, I have learned so much.   Joel and I have walked through a storm of life, when just recently he was diagnosed with leukemia.   We were taken […]

Through a Difficult Storm

By Holly Sweat The Lord continues to carry us through a difficult storm. The last couple of days have been trying, it began Wednesday when I came home from work and found Dan completely disoriented. Phone books were thrown all over the counter in Dan’s attempt to reach me at work.  He couldn’t figure out […]

Love Overcomes Loneliness

By Carol Ann Hoard Tuesday, thirteen members of our FBC Youth Group and I, along with our Student Ministry intern, Holly Strother, set out for a Mission/Service Day. We planned to cut flowers from the community garden, bake some cookies, make greeting cards, and take them to five people. We divided our preparation time into […]

Learning to see the “What is”

By Michelle Moser I met my husband on a blind date on Easter weekend of 2015. My mom’s friend thought it would be a good idea for us to meet, and needless to say she was right. One thing that bonded us early on was the strong desire to start a family. With both of […]

Here We Go Again — a Mother’s Day Reflection

By Missy Smith Here we go again…. It’s another morning and my alarm goes off. As I reach to silence it…. I take a deep sigh and I cringe. I know that when my feet hit the floor they will not stop until I come back to this bed in the late hours of the […]

BABY GRACE AND GOD’S AMAZING GRACE

By Jim McSwain The following encounter is of an experience I had with a patient in the hospital.  This encounter was a significant personal moment in my ministry as a chaplain at CHS-Cleveland. I was paged to the maternity ward and as I entered the room I saw that the patient was a young mother.  Her […]

For All the Twists of Life’s Journey…

By Sue Smith Don and I had both just retired.  We were settling well into God’s intention for service from a “retirement point of view.” I had always held fast to the challenge from scripture, “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24), and God […]