First United Methodist Church News
May 10, 2020
We hope all the mothers had a good “Mother’s Day” and feel appreciated and loved.
Pastor Ken Lunsford, pianist Pat Beaty, and me as Worship Leader were the people who held last Sunday’s service. Pastor Ken got the camera ready to livestream to Facebook and at 11:00 a.m. he pushed the connect button and away we went!
Our children and grandchildren in White Settlement can divert the livestream to their television screen. They get a big picture of grandpa Ken and Grandma Judy bumbling around trying to look professional.
Many people have been joining us online and it is very encouraging for everyone who participates in the service, especially Pastor Ken.
Pat Beaty chose some wonderful and familiar hymns to sing and play and love to hear her sing.
I read the scripture lesson from John 14:1-14. These verses tell of Jesus saying to His disciples, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” The modern version I read sounded so new to my ears until it came to when Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me,” and that was the same as I learned it 60 years ago.
Pastor Ken honored Mother’s Day and read a poem dedicated to Mothers. He said we salute those women who have loved us and poured their lives into ours. Amen to that.
In the sermon we were told that the verses from John are part of a body of teaching material that Jesus spoke to the disciples in the upper room. The end of His earthly time was coming. The cross loomed before Him. Jesus needed the disciples to understand His life and work, His coming death, and His resurrection. Notice Jesus did not say, “I am one of the ways, or one of the truths, or I am a life among many others.” Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except by me!”
Theologian Thomas a’ Kempis said, “Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; and without the life, there is no living.”
God created us with a purpose, life has a goal to it, and the end of that life is through Jesus.
We do not find the way by wandering around. The safest, most secure, most dependable way is by Christ! Jesus also says, “Very truly I tell you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do.” Christ also tells us, “That you should love one another as I have loved.”
This sermon could have been an “ole time” revival preaching message if Ken had hollered at us more and worked up a sweat. But that is not his style, he does not accuse or threaten.
Rev. Ken Lunsford will be retiring this summer as a minister of the United Methodist Church. So, if you ever wanted to hear him preach, now is the time to “tune in.” His credentials will be turned in and most of the things he performed as a minister he will no longer do. You would have to ask him about anything in particular, but I know he will still be able to hold funerals.
I took a visit to Live Oak Cemetery on Friday of last week. I checked on the graves of all my immediate family and many of my school friends. I was about to go into a pity party and crying fit when I saw a friend decorating her families graves. I yelled out my car window, “Charlene, is that you?” And Charlene Cook Everett called back, “Yes. It’s me.” I put my face mask on, and she put her mask on and we stood and visited awhile. I caught Charlene up on my family and she talked about her family. We also reminisced about her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. McQueen, who lived across the street from my family for a number of years. Charlene remembered the big vegetable garden her grandparents raised. I could remember the nice chicken eggs mama sent me to buy from them.
We said goodbye and I felt better and went to check on the grave of a school friend who recently passed. I soon came to her resting place and noticed a colorful little windmill at her grave turning in the breeze. I looked up to see a duck in a hole in the tree right next to the plot. I wondered if my friend’s grandchildren put it there. It was funny duck, it’s chest and neck were dark orange, some of it’s body was cream colored and the underside was dark. It looked like a cartoon duck, it’s bill was too big and deep yellow-orange colored. As a Game Warden’s wife, I knew a lot about ducks and this one just wasn’t natural at all. I looked at the bird’s beady little eyes and those eyes locked onto mine and I realized it was ALIVE! Just then it flew away and left me with my mouth open and egg on my face, so to speak. I forgot to be sad and went home laughing at myself and a very colorful Wood duck!
May 10, 2020
We hope all the mothers had a good “Mother’s Day” and feel appreciated and loved.
Pastor Ken Lunsford, pianist Pat Beaty, and me as Worship Leader were the people who held last Sunday’s service. Pastor Ken got the camera ready to livestream to Facebook and at 11:00 a.m. he pushed the connect button and away we went!
Our children and grandchildren in White Settlement can divert the livestream to their television screen. They get a big picture of grandpa Ken and Grandma Judy bumbling around trying to look professional.
Many people have been joining us online and it is very encouraging for everyone who participates in the service, especially Pastor Ken.
Pat Beaty chose some wonderful and familiar hymns to sing and play and love to hear her sing.
I read the scripture lesson from John 14:1-14. These verses tell of Jesus saying to His disciples, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” The modern version I read sounded so new to my ears until it came to when Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me,” and that was the same as I learned it 60 years ago.
Pastor Ken honored Mother’s Day and read a poem dedicated to Mothers. He said we salute those women who have loved us and poured their lives into ours. Amen to that.
In the sermon we were told that the verses from John are part of a body of teaching material that Jesus spoke to the disciples in the upper room. The end of His earthly time was coming. The cross loomed before Him. Jesus needed the disciples to understand His life and work, His coming death, and His resurrection. Notice Jesus did not say, “I am one of the ways, or one of the truths, or I am a life among many others.” Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except by me!”
Theologian Thomas a’ Kempis said, “Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; and without the life, there is no living.”
God created us with a purpose, life has a goal to it, and the end of that life is through Jesus.
We do not find the way by wandering around. The safest, most secure, most dependable way is by Christ! Jesus also says, “Very truly I tell you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do.” Christ also tells us, “That you should love one another as I have loved.”
This sermon could have been an “ole time” revival preaching message if Ken had hollered at us more and worked up a sweat. But that is not his style, he does not accuse or threaten.
Rev. Ken Lunsford will be retiring this summer as a minister of the United Methodist Church. So, if you ever wanted to hear him preach, now is the time to “tune in.” His credentials will be turned in and most of the things he performed as a minister he will no longer do. You would have to ask him about anything in particular, but I know he will still be able to hold funerals.
I took a visit to Live Oak Cemetery on Friday of last week. I checked on the graves of all my immediate family and many of my school friends. I was about to go into a pity party and crying fit when I saw a friend decorating her families graves. I yelled out my car window, “Charlene, is that you?” And Charlene Cook Everett called back, “Yes. It’s me.” I put my face mask on, and she put her mask on and we stood and visited awhile. I caught Charlene up on my family and she talked about her family. We also reminisced about her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. McQueen, who lived across the street from my family for a number of years. Charlene remembered the big vegetable garden her grandparents raised. I could remember the nice chicken eggs mama sent me to buy from them.
We said goodbye and I felt better and went to check on the grave of a school friend who recently passed. I soon came to her resting place and noticed a colorful little windmill at her grave turning in the breeze. I looked up to see a duck in a hole in the tree right next to the plot. I wondered if my friend’s grandchildren put it there. It was funny duck, it’s chest and neck were dark orange, some of it’s body was cream colored and the underside was dark. It looked like a cartoon duck, it’s bill was too big and deep yellow-orange colored. As a Game Warden’s wife, I knew a lot about ducks and this one just wasn’t natural at all. I looked at the bird’s beady little eyes and those eyes locked onto mine and I realized it was ALIVE! Just then it flew away and left me with my mouth open and egg on my face, so to speak. I forgot to be sad and went home laughing at myself and a very colorful Wood duck!
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