Summer is upon us, we have been blessed with a wonderful Spring with plenty of rain and a bountiful hay crop.  Like we have not experienced in several years, Praise God!  
Judy and I took some of our vacation time in June and enjoyed our travels to and from Fort Washington, Maryland and also our visit with our Son and family.  We went to Mount Vernon where we enjoyed the tour of George Washington's home and see how they lived back then.  Their life style was considered eloquent but in our today's world it was very primitive.  We have become quite spoiled with air conditioning, running hot and cold water, toilets, tv, radio, recordings, vehicles that are comfortable and air conditioned, etc..  We should thank God every day for all that He has blessed us with.  Especially Family and Friends.  I see people almost every day that remind me to be thankful as they are thankful in whatever circumstance that we are in.  I am reminded that we live both on the mountain top experiences as well as down in the valley where we apply those experiences and work with each other in every season of life.
The Church is in the period that we call ordinary time.  Our vestments are Green!  August will be the end of this years Lectionary planning Year "C".  When we use the Lectionary for planning our services, we cover the Bible in three years.  In September, 2019 we will return to Year "A" and start over in covering the Bible.
God Loves us so much that he gave His only begotten Son to die to ransom and give us life and even more abundantly.   He gives us a Command that we are to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to Love our neighbors as ourselves.  Who is our neighbor?  Be honest and you will see that it is everyone!!  Show kindness, Gentleness, and a helping hand to everyone!  We are to help each other through life.  He also gave us a Command to "make disciples of all nations!"  (everyone)  Baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!  This command applies to each and every one of us, especially as we mature in our Faith and Love of God and our neighbors!  His Peace and Grace to each of you and thank you for reading.  Pastor Ken

May 12, we recognize and honor all our Mothers, whether biological or step or mothers in the Spiritual sense.  I would like to share an article written by Dr. Rev. Teresa Angle-Young about this coming Sunday. 
Mother’s Day can be difficult for women who are unable to have children or who have lost children to death or estrangement, or for those who feel they must constantly explain or defend the reasons they have chosen not to have children. Mother’s Day also can be difficult for those who have been hurt by their mothers. But Mother’s Day celebrations and remembrances do not have to be limited to the women who gave birth to us.
This coming Sunday, many of us will celebrate the women in our lives who have loved, nurtured, taught, mentored, challenged and befriended us, no matter what their relationship is to us. Some of them are our biological mothers. Some are our adopted mothers. Some are women who are unrelated to us, but show us kindness, listen to our troubles, cheer us on, teach us, lead us, correct us and heal us.
We celebrate the women in our lives who do not necessarily perform memorable acts, but rather offer small acts of gentle or tough love, shown over time — women who are not perfect, who don’t always do the right thing or make the right choices, but who offer us the best they can wherever they are on their journey.
Sometimes, we forget the grace and joy in the familiar, even in the people around us who we see every day. We hold onto an image of who and what they are that might be obscured by the past or blurred by the expectations we have of a “perfect family.”
We look for grandiose gestures or unique expressions and fail to see that love comes in the ordinary — in a meal shared, in a look or a touch, in the everyday tasks of parenthood and friendship. We fail to celebrate their love for us in these small, everyday gestures and words.
I offer two thoughts this Mother’s Day. First, to the young people among us: Celebrate your mother and the other significant women in your life, even in their imperfection, even though they sometimes frustrate you. Celebrate that through years of taking care of you day after day, in ways big and small, they show you love in the best way they know.
And, to the mothers: Whether you get a diamond necklace or a homemade paper card on Mother’s Day — or even if you get no gift at all — celebrate every smile, every tear, every meal that you have shared with your child. Celebrate every time you worked late to provide shelter and food, every fever tended, every sacrifice made, whether your child celebrates you or not. In these small loving acts, done year upon year, you have shown love in the best way you could. Whether your child celebrates you in a big way or a quiet way, know that your love has been reflected in each and every gesture, in each cheese sandwich, in every bit of advice, and in a million other ways. 
We honor all the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, friends, mentors, bosses, leaders, teachers and encouragers who offer us the love and support we need. We celebrate our imperfect mothers. We celebrate small acts of kindness and love.
Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere, and to all the women who make us strong.
The Rev. Dr. Teresa Angle-Young is a mother, daughter and friend who does her best in those roles and as the Director of Seeker Advertising & Communication for United Methodist Communications.
Love is the most powerful thing in the world, let us do our best to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and Love our neighbor as our self.  Also let us exercise Charity, Kindness, Smiles, and Forgiveness to one another for they will know we are Christians by our Love!!   Thank you for Reading, God Bless you!
​Pastor Ken

Palm Sunday is next Sunday April 14th and this begins Holy Week of Easter!  Thursday April 18th is Maundy Thursday and we will have come and go prayer time where between the hours of 5pm and 7pm you may drop by the Church and either pray or be prayed over.  Then Friday April 19th is what is called GOOD FRIDAY!  We will have a worship service with Communion beginning at 7PM.  Come we are remembering Jesus' Passion and Death on a Cross.  Again, ALL are welcome to come and worship with us on this solemn occasion.  Then Sunday April 21 at 7AM the Dublin Ministerial Alliance will host the Community Sunrise Service and Rev. Weldon Branham will deliver the message with Rev. Gerald Freeman, Congregational Methodist Church; Rev. Ronnie Horton, Church of the Lost and Found; Rev. Rude Cortez, Primaria Iglesias Bautista Church;  Rev. Jimmy Holleman, Double N Cowboy Church; Rev. Mike Hannah, Green's Creek United Methodist Church; Rev. Greg Judy, Community Baptist Church, Rev. Weldon Branham, First Baptist Church; and Rev. Kenneth Lunsford, First United and Laurel St. United Methodist Churches participating.  The collection will be given to the Dublin Salvation Army; Dublin Goodfellows; and Dublin Christian Womens Job Corp.  There will be a pancake Breakfast following the Service which will be in the Atrium Garden and First United Methodist Church, located at 630 Highland Ave., Dublin, TX.  If the weather is bad we will worship in the Sanctuary.  
After the Sunrise Service and Breakfast, I will be at Laurel St. UMC located at FM219 and Laurel St. in Dublin at 9:30AM and then at First United Methodist Church located at 630 Highland Ave., Dublin for our Regular Service at 11AM.    COME AND WORSHIP WITH US!  ALL ARE WELCOME!
​Thanks for Reading and God Bless you!

Ash Wednesday begins Lenten Season a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.  Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes:  our sinfulness before God and our human mortality.  The service focuses on both themes, helping us realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesu Christ.  Genesis 3:19 NRSV reminds us that "you are dust and to dust you shall return".  Through out scripture, ashes are part of rituals when people seek forgiveness and mourn their sin ( see Numbers 19:9,17; Hebrews 9:13; Jonah 3:6; Matthew 11:21; and Luke 10:13, among others.
In earlier centuries, ashes were used to mark those who had been separated from the church because of serious sins and were seeking to be re-admitted to the fellowship of the church.  In effect, they were redoing the process of final preparation for church membership along with those doing it for the first time.  They sprinkled with ashes and given rough garments to wear as a sign of sorrow for their sins and their commitment to seek renewal in Christian life through this season.  In many churches the ashes are made by burning the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.  Ashes are place on the forehead or back side of the hand, usually in the sign of a cross, in a ritual known as the Imposition of Ashes.  It is an outward sign of our sorrow and repentance for sins.  
Many during the Lenten season Abstain or Fast.  Giving up something for Lent is a common practice for many Christians.  Often we give up a favorite food or try to kick a bad habit, but don't confine yourself to food or habits  How about abstaining from gossip or complaining.  What about defensive attitudes, fear, or anxiety?  You probably won't be perfect at this, but being mindful of times when these attitudes begin to take hold of your day can lead you to prayer.  Instead of setting a special time to pray, how about saying short prayers all day long.  Pray for your day, Pray for the drivers of the vehicles and mass transit passengers, Medical personnel, Police, Garbage collectors, Mail Carriers/Clerks and all Government workers.  Offer one sentence prayers for your co-workers and so on.  Be mindful of our Creator who longs to be in relationship with you!  Some find meaning in stillness and quiet time, try practicing by lighting a candle and pausing before the presence of God.  Listen to the birds...….the voice of God!
Give to your church; United Methodist Committee on Relief or other Charitable organizations.  Serve others, lending a helping hand to someone that can't do something for themselves without expectation of reward.  Find ways to bless others with that which God has Blessed and entrusted to you!  
If you don't have a church home, come and try us out.  We would love to see you and aid you in your journey of life; growing in your relationship with your neighbors and with God!
Thank you for Reading, your brother in Christ,  Pastor Ken  

We begin a new Calendar Year and our Church year began with Advent.  We have had some wonderful and exciting Happenings in our Church and Church family last year.  The "Community Table" has continued to grow in numbers that we serve each month to around 280 to 290 each time.  The numbers coming to the church to eat has continued to grow in numbers as well as the take-outs to those that are unable to get out and come to the church.  We enjoy a lot of laughter and fellowship and we enjoy getting in touch each month with those that are unable to get out for what ever reason.  The Outreach committee has really been working hard to help as many as we can including the Food Pantry which has continued to grow with those that we serve and the quantity of food we have been able to give.  We also assist with the Stephenville "Grace Place" benevolence.  Ray LaBaume and James Sage delivered 842 Dozen cookies from Dublin FUMC to Abilene Dyes AFB for delivery to the troops for the "Cookies for the Troops for Christmas!"  The cookies came from First United Methodist Churches of Dublin; Comanche; Stephenville; DeLeon; Hamilton and Morgan Mill.  Also from Laurel St. United Methodist Church and Oakdale United Methodist Church.  Thank You to Everyone Involved from baking to delivery!!
We are mourning the loss of Barbara Stevens, she was a very active member of the church.   And the Nurture and or Outreach Committees have been busy nurturing and reaching out to families that are grieving a loss.  There has been several families that have been served by them this year.
Our Candlelight Service was excellent with the children reading the Scriptures telling the Story of Jesus' birth and the singing was outstanding as well!  We had quite a number of guests this year even though several other churches in town also had a Candlelight Service.  Thank you to all that came and Worshipped with us!  We enjoyed fellowship and refreshments after the service was over, it was great!   I will try to write more later, but for now, Thank you for reading.  May God Bless you with a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Pastor Ken

As we begin a New Year it should remind us that God gives us the opportunity to start new and fresh in our relationship with Him and with each other!  He wipes our slate clean and we get to start over and prayerfully do better in serving Him as well as each other.  When any part of the body of Christ suffers then the whole body suffers and we need to minister to that part of the body for healing.  What that tells us is that if you or I are hurting in anyway then we should pray and minister to relieve that hurt.  When we look around us, we see so many people hurting, and suffering.  Offer a kind word, pray for them, and Love them like Jesus Loves You!

Advent and Doctrine ©
Posted: 27 Nov 2018 02:10 PM PST
I confess that I have been unreasonably impatient to get Thanksgiving over and get on to Advent and Christmas.  (I readily admit that one of my ongoing sins is a lack of patience.)  The ancient words from the close of the Holy Scriptures have settled into my being.  “The one who bears witness to these things says, ‘Yes, I’m coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)
Sober reflection makes me face the reality that Jolynn and I are on the “every other year plan.” That is, the kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids come to visit for Christmas and/or Thanksgiving every other year.  This year, we will be together here in Fort Worth for Christmas, and I can’t wait.  The joy, excitement and preparation of Advent entices me forward with eager anticipation.
All this happens for me (and for us collectively) amid the chaos of our times – the shootings, fires, hurricanes, vexations and rampant uncertainty.  I need Advent. (I confess that watching the news last night I got so upset at the trials and tribulations of immigrants fleeing violence around the word that Jolynn almost turned the TV off.  She said if I didn’t calm down, I’d have a heart attack from high blood pressure right on the couch.  In my defense, I can’t help but remember that the baby Jesus was part of an immigrant family fleeing violence.] I need time to catch my breath, think and pray about that which has happened and once again is about to happen.  It is in the tumult of my being that the better side of me as a pastor and professing Christian pauses to behold in awe and wonder what is unfolding.
Like most of us, including those who are at best nominally Christian and even many who would profess not to be believers, I turn to the hymns and carols of the season.  “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (No. 211 The United Methodist Hymnal) often is at the top of my Advent list of carols. The beauty of music sweeps over me bringing calm and the much-needed quiet and reflection.  Behind the beauty of the melody are words of profound doctrinal depth and great spiritual power.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lowly exile here until the son of God appear.”
(Number 211: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” Verse 1, The United Methodist Hymnal)
A theology of sin and salvation begs to be offered by the faithful preacher at Advent.  We are those in captive to sin.  We so often and so easily find ourselves in exile from God.  The exile is of our causing and our choosing.  We are captive to sin, coming as it often does, in a myriad of forms – greed, indifference to suffering, pride, addiction to drugs, worship violence and adoration of false gods.  Most of all we are captive to our mistaken self-rule.  We fail to submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and king of our lives.
The First Sunday in Advent’s (December 2nd) Old Testament Lesson comes from Jeremiah 33:14-16.  The passage is full of hope.  “The time is coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill my gracious promise with the people of Israel and Judah.  In those days and at that time, I will raise up a righteous branch from David’s line, who will do what is just and right in the land.  In those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is what he will be called: The LORD Is Our Righteousness.” (Jeremiah 33:14-16, CEB)
But wait!  The hope is predicated on understanding the time and context which Jeremiah is living through.   It is easy to forget that Jeremiah is written to a people in exile, a people suffering, a time of intense, devastating tragedy and deep struggle for survival.  Jeremiah prophesies (speaks for God!) to people who have been deeply disobedient to the Lord.  The prophet’s own life is symbolic of what is happening to the people.  “He is arrested, imprisoned, and left in a cistern to die, narrowly escaping with his life.  Like his companions, he loses everything, but he survives.  He buys a plot of land to symbolize the renewal of life that will come.” (Kathleen M. O’Connor, Introduction to Jeremiah in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, NRSV, p. 1051)
Doctrinally the passage calls us to face, unflinchingly, issues of faithfulness and obedience in hard times and in suffering.  There is no cheap grace found here; no rosy prescription but love God and be good.  It is a call to repentance and faithfulness in the midst of chaos and change.  I need Advent.  I need to be reminded that this call is for me.
The great theological doctrine of sin cannot be fluffed up or skipped over if we are to move through Advent to the birth of a Savior.  We are a people in bondage; often a bondage of our own making.
O come, thou Root of Jesse’s tree, an ensign of thy people be;
before thee rulers silent fall; all people on thy mercy call.”
(Number 211: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” Verse 4, The United Methodist Hymnal)
Significantly the lectionary New Testament lesson for the First Sunday in Advent links Luke 21:25-36 to Jeremiah.  “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, there will be dismay among nations in their confusion over the roaring of the sea and surging waves. The planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken, causing people to faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. Then they will see the Human One coming on a cloud with power and great splendor.  Now when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”  (Luke 21:25-28, CEB)
Rescue comes then and now in the person of God in human flesh.  “Redemption is drawing near.”  It does come from human improvement and scientific progress (though both of those are good things and rightly to be sought).  It comes from God.  With all the dramas of superheroes parading through movie theaters, I remember a cartoon which appeared in Christian Century at least a quarter of a century ago.  It showed a picture of Superman in his cape and trimming.  The caption read something like this.  “There is a man sent from God to save us.  This is not that man.”
In the text for the First Sunday in Advent, we are introduced to a doctrine of salvation.  To be redeemed means to be bought back from captivity.  It involves freedom, but not freedom for selfish anarchy.  We are set free for service to the Lord who comes and reigns (rules!) over us.  As the Bible puts it, “Christ has set us free for freedom. Therefore, stand firm and don’t submit to the bondage of slavery again.” (Galatians 5:1)
As we step into Advent, I challenge us to inhale not just the songs but to grapple with the words of faith and deep doctrines of the church, that is the historic teachings of the Church.  In this first Sunday embrace the opportunity to wrestle with the doctrines of sin and salvation.  The two go together like Jeremiah and Luke in the Lectionary.
C. S. Lewis once challenge a group of Anglican priests and youth workers in a speech with the question, “Have I stood firm super monstratas vias) amid all these “winds of doctrine?” He went on to challenge them and us. “Our upbringing and the whole atmosphere of the world we live in make it certain that our main temptation will be that of yielding to winds of doctrine, not that of ignoring them. We are not at all likely to be hidebound; we are very likely to be the slaves of fashion.” I like the way my friend and co-worker Julian Hobdy puts it. “Freedom without boundaries is anarchy.”
Lewis continued, “The standard of permanent Christianity must be kept clear in our minds, and it is against that standard that we must test all contemporary thought. In fact, we must at all costs not move with the times. We serve One who said, ‘Heaven and Earth shall move with the times, but my words shall not move with the times.’” (C. S. Lewis, “Christian Apologetics,” an address to Anglican Priests and youth leaders delivered in 1945, https://virtueonline.org/christian-apologetics-cs-lewis-1945 )
​

Just a quick blog right now and I will write more next week!   Our Community Table which is the last Wednesday each month except in December, 2018, which will be  Christmas the day after the last Wednesday, so we will have Community Table  December 19, 2018 that week instead.  
Now back to what I was going to let you know: 
This Month (October) the date falls on Halloween day, so we will have treats for the children!  Please come and bring your children or grandchildren for this special night.  
I will write more later, thanks for reading!  Pastor Ken
We are fast entering the Thanksgiving season and I would like to remind everyone to write down what you are thankful for!  I discovered that I take so many things for granted when in reality I should be thanking God for all the opportunities that he has given me to serve him and my neighbors.  Who is my neighbor?? Everyone is my neighbor and Brother and Sister, so extend Grace and Love remembering that God loved you and me before we even knew him and He accepted us right where we were at and then has nurtured each one of us to where we are right now in our relationship with Him.  Be thankful that God is Love and extends His grace to you and me and everyone!  Nothing is greater than LOVE!  again, thanks for reading and God's Blessings of Love and Peace be upon you!  In his Love, Pastor Ken


​

God’s Blessings of Love, Peace, Compassion, Grace and Healing be upon you and yours.  My hasn’t time flown this summer as we head into fall?  The recent rains have truly been a blessing for most of us.  For some it has been disastrous as so many have lost their lives in flooding of road crossings, etc.  Our prayers go out to all that have been impacted by the Hurricane Florence on the East Coast with all the devastation that they have experienced.  Our prayers also extend to the many involved in the rescue and recovery efforts that will be ongoing for quite some time.  Just like Houston and the Gulf Coast recovery which has been going on now for over a year.  It stresses a lot of people including the victims and our resources.
Please continue to pray for them to have patience and compassion and healing.  United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) has been stretched to offer help to so many and as you can please donate so that they have the resources they need in order to help the victims.  100% of your donations to UMCOR goes directly to the victims, the administration fees are paid in our Missional Giving each year.  There are so many so called “Charities” on TV, newspapers, etc. that keep most of the money for themselves that it makes us wary.
We have received the 2018 Charge Conference paper work and our Committees will be working overtime until the end of October, getting these completed.  When we do this process, we will be looking at what we are doing right and what things need to be fine-tuned or eliminated to better serve God in our community.  Are we serving God, or ourselves?   We know that if we are serving ourselves that we will fail, but if we serve God then it will be a success.  Thank you for reading and God’s Blessings be with you!  YBIC Pastor Ken
​

Our Public Schools will resume the week of August 20, so when driving around our schools be very attentive, don't use your cell phones and drive carefully to prevent accidents and loss of lives!  Let us think safety for our children! 
This also means that Vacations are coming to an end and it is time to think about our Souls! 
Is our relationship with Jesus Christ on hold or are we practicing our Discipleship of making "Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the World?"   Being a follower of Jesus Christ as a Disciple is a 24/7 job. 
Bishop Lowry's blog had this to say today, August 20th:   Today the questions rise again before us in reference to party and position. Do we see our lives shaped primarily around the drama of today’s events, or do we understand our lives as a part of the divine narrative as it plays out in modern living? A concrete way to face the questions of identity in Christ is to simply ask yourself – Whose preferences?  Christ’s or my own?  Is it God’s will and desire which rules or my convenience? Answering such questions calls for a deep embrace of the full story. I am arguing that only in a full recovering of the drama of the Christian story from creation to fall to Exodus/Covenant to Christ and to the life of the church pointing to final triumph of the Lord can we reclaim a centering in the good news of the gospel.
Christian identity formed around distinct convictions (ardent beliefs put into practice) that the Lord God Almighty had come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God incarnate (in human flesh). This great divine drama challenged all other human points of identity and changed our allegiance at the deepest of levels. At the heart of recovery of a primary Christian identity is the recovery of the fullness of the Christian story (or narrative). Theological convictions are welded to practical application (more in a moment).
Pause with me and look back over this series taken as a whole. This is the fourth in a multi-part blog series on the issue of Christian identity as it relates to our wider culture in America. My central contention is: “The days of casual Christianity are fast fading. This is a good thing, not something to be feared or fought. Painfully we are learning that the Christian faith cannot be subsumed under any political label. It is not something that adheres to the conservative wing of the Republican Party or the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. The challenge from the Master cuts across our conventions and finds its own identity in Christ and him alone towering above all pygmies pretenders (be they party, nationality, ethnicity, economic or anything else).” (taken from Blog Beyond Political Identity: Grounding Ourselves in the Word and Way of God ©)

​I ask you to meditate and think about your thoughts, is it:  God's Will or Our Will?  If it is our will then it will fail, but if it is God's Will then we know that it will be right and will succeed.  
Please be in prayer for all of God's children, each other, and for your church that God's will be done in all things!
Thank you for reading!