This day in the life of your pastor – November 30th, 2009
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going to try and be in bed in 20 minutes, long travel day tomorrow, goodnight all about 3 hours ago from web
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Thanking God for his peace in the midst of so much stuff. God is so good, I am dining at His table for the next day or so. about 3 hours ago from web
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Walmart is not the same with children as it was BC about 4 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Just had a great dinner with the family. Fast starting now. about 6 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Finished 6 miles, 848 pace, 942 calories burned about 7 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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heading home for the day about 9 hours ago from web
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Are you an inactive church member? If so why? Did Jesus let you down? If not, we need you to be active. about 10 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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In a membership information meeting. Lots of jobs have to be done that no one even knows about about 10 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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In a meeting about 10 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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OCC http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 10 hours ago from web
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working on Operation Christmas Child about 10 hours ago from web
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just rec another e-mail asking if Misty & I could consider adopting a 9 yr old boy. It breaks my heart that more ppl won’t consider adoption about 11 hours ago from web
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Review: Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 12 hours ago from web
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working on sermons about 12 hours ago from web
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Changing lives through running the Myrtle Beach Marathon http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 14 hours ago from web
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Dear Ronnie, Congratulations! You are now registered for 2010 BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon. 73 DAYS | 19 HRS | 59 MINS | 23 SECONDS about 14 hours ago from web
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anyone interested N running with “Christians on the Run” & raising money 4 the Children of Sudan should do it today, it is selling out fast! about 15 hours ago from web
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wow, Myrtle Beach Marathon November 30, 2009 The Marathon is 72% full (740 spots remaining) THE HALF MARATHON IS SOLD OUT!! about 15 hours ago from web
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facts & Quotes about Worry http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 15 hours ago from web
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just did a phone interview with Galax Gazette (Chris) regarding our community partnership with the Carroll Schools and Tutoring about 15 hours ago from web
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Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway. ~Mary C. Crowley about 13 hours ago from web
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Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow. ~Philip Gulley about 13 hours ago from web
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Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. ~Author Unknown about 13 hours ago from web
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Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night. ~Author Unknown about 13 hours ago from web
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God & your generosity never cease 2 amaze me. $75.00 more N the mail 4 the Children of Sudan this morn. I believe we can build an orphanage about 13 hours ago from web
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Worry, worry, worrry…don’t do it http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 14 hours ago from web
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In the office 2day, Tennessee tomorrow, Out of the Box Wed, off Thur can’t wait for that, Fri is anybodies guess, Sat Half Marathon 13.1 mi about 14 hours ago from web
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208 ppl R signed up 2 Fast & Pray 4 Carroll Co, many start weekly fast http://bit.ly/2OAZQA?gid=30…
Operation Christmas Child: Dates to Remember
FUMC Operation Christmas Child Dates to Remember : Pray about How GOD would use YOU!
Please read this note from Patti Holderfield and let her know how you would like to help.
Nov. 16 thru Dec. 13 Filled Boxes may be placed in the Fellowship Hall Storage at Stage
Please visit Samaritan’s Purse on line to sign up for 1,000 hours of prayer 
Dec. 6- * First Charlotte Volunteers Orientation Meeting 5:00pm Upper Room
Must attend one of two meetings to complete Volunteer Registration
Dec. 9th Tweens (13 & up) and Youth will need to submit a permission slip to leaders
and have attended one of the two Volunteer Orientation Meetings to complete registration
Dec. 12 Load your boxes for the 13th!!!!!
Dec. 13th FUMC Shoe Box Blessing Sunday 8:30 and 11:00
Gather in Fellowship Hall for “Parade for Jesus” prior to each service wagons, smiles, hands needed! Children of all ages
Dec. 13th Youth please bring all filled boxes from OOTB to 11:00 Worship
Dec. 13th * Last Call for Charlotte Volunteers Orientation Meeting 5:00pm Upper Room
Dec. 15th 7a.m. -10:00pm Mission Trip to Charlotte, N.C.-ITS HERE!
Big Smiles, Comfy shoes and layered clothing for the day!
7:00 Prayer Circle in Sanctuary
7:15 Depart for Charlotte, N.C.
8:30 Restroom Break , COFFEE!!!
9:30 Arrive at Charlotte , N.C. Distribution Center
Unload church boxes(optional) and Orientation
10:00a.m.- 6pm Mission Work in Center
Work activties discussed at Dec. 6 & 13 FUMC Sessions
10:00a.m.-6pm Prayer Chapel open
Noon-1:00pm Lunch-packed or purchase
Youth departing Church and Pastor Ty bringing Tweens down-TBA
3:00-4:00pm Break
6:00 Group Picture Time, Souvineirs, Head to Cracker Barrell Dutch Treat
TBA if Youth/Tweens can work a longer shift
10:00pm Estimated Arrival-need more carols to sing on the way home!
Thank you for reading,
It’s all ’bout the baby!
Patti
My Training Plan for the Myrtle Beach Marathon
This will be my training plan for the Myrtle Beach marathon, Saturday February 13th, 2010.
I used Hal Higdons Novice Training Plan for the Marathon in Atlanta and only found it after I was about 10 weeks into my training so I will move to the Intermediate Training Plan for Myrtle Beach and I will be starting at week 7 or 8 for this run. Hal’s plan worked great for me and I think it is one of the best I have seen.
I will alter a few things in the schedule out of necessity. An example is that my long run this week will be 13.1 miles in the Mistletoe Run in Winston Salem on Saturday morning.
Ronnie
The Novice and Advanced training programs in my Marathon Training Guide represent the extremes. The former program is designed for runners running their first marathon, or experienced runners who are happy with that level of training and see no need to do more. The latter program is designed for those very experienced runners, who have done a number of marathons, perhaps have plateaued in their times, and want to maximize their ability by training hard and incorporating speedwork into their training.
In between, there’s a broad area for runners just like you! If you previously have trained using the Novice program, you now can increase your mileage a bit, run some workouts at a faster pace, and seek improvement. That’s why I designed two separate schedules for two levels of intermediate runners:
The Intermediate-I program offers a slight jump in difficulty from the Novice program. You Begin in Week 1 with a long run of 8 miles instead of 6 miles. You thus get to 20 miles for your long run by Week 13, which permits a second 20-miler in Week 15. Midweek mileage is slightly higher, but instead of cross-training on the weekends, you get more serious about your running and do a second run of 5-8 miles, often at marathon race pace. You now do your cross-training on Mondays, instead of taking the day off.
The Intermediate-II program offers another slight jump in difficulty. You begin in Week 1 with a 10-mile long run, which brings you to 20 miles by Week 11, permitting three runs at this distance. The midweek runs are somewhat longer; the pace runs on the weekend are somewhat longer. The pattern is about the same as Intermediate-I, but there is a subtle, though important, increase in distance and difficulty. If you chose Intermediate-I as the training schedule for your second marathon and have success, you might want to choose Intermediate-II for marathon number 3.
Here is an explanation of the type of training you will encounter in the two intermediate programs:
Long Runs: The key to the program is the long run on weekends, which builds from 8 or 10 miles in the first week to a maximum of 20 miles. Although some experienced runners do train longer, I see no advantage in doing 23, 26 or even 31 mile runs. (I’ve tried that myself in the past, and it just wore me out.) Save your energy and concentrate on quality runs the rest of the week. Consistency is most important. You can skip an occasional workout, or juggle the schedule depending on other commitments, but do not cheat on the long runs. Notice that although the weekly long runs get progressively longer, every third week is a “stepback” week, where we reduce mileage to allow you to gather strength for the next push upward. Rest is an important component of any training program.
Run Slow: Normally I recommend that runners do their long runs anywhere from 45 to 90 seconds per mile slower than their marathon pace. This is very important. Listen to what the Coach is about to tell you! The physiological benefits kick in around 90-120 minutes, no matter how fast you run. You’ll burn a few calories and trigger glycogen regenesis, teaching your muscles to conserve fuel. Running too fast defeats this purpose and may unnecessarily tear down your muscles, compromising not only your midweek workouts, but the following week’s long run. Save your fast running for the marathon itself. There are plenty of days during the rest of the week, when you can run race pace. So simply do your long runs at a comfortable pace, one that allows you to converse with your training partners, at least during the beginning of the run. Which brings up my next point.
3/1 Training: Toward the end of the run, if you’re still feeling fresh, you may want to pick up the pace and finish somewhat faster. This will convert your long run into what I call a 3/1 Run. That means you run the first three-fourths of your long run (say the first 12 miles of a 16-miler) at an easy pace, then do the final one-fourth (4 miles of a 16-miler) at a somewhat faster pace–though still not race pace. This 3/1 strategy is advised for only the most experienced runners, and I don’t recommend you do it more than once out of every three weekends. In other words: first weekend, easy run; second weekend, 3/1 Run; third weekend, step back to a shorter distance. My philosophy is that it’s better to run too slow during long runs, than too fast. The important point is that you cover the prescribed distance; how fast you cover it doesn’t matter.
Walking Breaks: Walking is a perfectly acceptable strategy even for intermediate runners, and it works during training runs too. While some coaches recommend walking 1 minute out of every 10, or walking 1 minute every mile, in the CARA Marathon Training Class, we teach runners to walk when they come to an aid station. This serves a double function: 1) you can drink more easily while walking as opposed to running, and 2) since many other runners slow or walk through aid stations, you’ll be less likely to block those behind. It’s a good idea to follow this strategy in training as well. Our class that trains on the lakefront encounters water fountains (also known as “bubblers”) every mile, or more often. We teach them to stop frequently to drink. Our classes that train elsewhere in the suburbs don’t always have easy access to fluids, but we teach them to wear a water belt and also stop frequently to drink. You will lose less time walking than you think. I once ran a 2:29 marathon, walking through every aid station. My son Kevin ran 2:18 and qualified for the Olympic Trials employing a similar strategy. And Bill Rodgers took four brief breaks (tying a shoe on one of them) while running 2:09 and winning the 1975 Boston Marathon. Walking gives your body a chance to rest, and you’ll be able to continue running more comfortably. It’s best to walk when you want to, not when your (fatigued) body forces you too.
Race Pace: What do I mean by “Race Pace?” It’s a frequently asked question on my V-Boards (see below), so let me explain. Race Pace is the pace you plan to run in the race you’re training for. If you’re training for a 4:00 marathon, your average pace per mile is 9:09. So you would run that same pace when asked to run Race Pace (sometimes stated simply as “Pace” on the training charts) in this program. If you were training for a 5-K or 10-K, “race pace” would be the pace you planned to run in those races. Sometimes in prescribing speedwork, I define paces for different workouts as 5-K pace or 10-K pace, but you won’t be asked to run this fast in the Intermediate program.
Cross-Training: Mondays in the intermediate programs are devoted to cross-training. What is cross-training? It is any other form of aerobic exercise that allows you to use slightly different muscles while resting (usually) the day after your long run. In this program, we run long on Sundays and cross-train on Mondays. The best cross-training exercises are swimming, cycling or even walking. What about sports such as tennis or basketball? Activities requiring sideways movements are not always a good choice. Particularly as the mileage builds up toward the end of the program, you raise your risk of injury if you choose to play a sport that requires sudden stopping and starting. One tip: You don’t have to cross-train the same each week. And you could even combine two or more exercises: walking and easy jogging or swimming and riding an exercise bike in a health club. Cross-training for 30-60 minutes will help you recover after your Sunday long runs.
Midweek Training: Training during the week also should be done mostly at a comparatively easy pace. As the weekend mileage builds, the weekday mileage also builds. Add up the numbers, and you’ll see that you run roughly the same mileage during the week as you do during long runs on the weekends. Midweek workouts on Wednesdays build from 5 to 8 miles for Intermediate-I runners and from 5 to 10 miles for Intermediate-II runners. There are similar slight advances on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The program is built on the concept that you do more toward the end than at the start. That sounds logical, doesn’t it? Believe me–as tens of thousands of marathoners using this schedule have proved–it works.
Rest: Despite my listing it at the end, rest is an important component of this or any training program. Scientists will tell you that it is during the rest period (the 24 to 72 hours between hard bouts of exercise) that the muscles actually regenerate and get stronger. Coaches also will tell you that you can’t run hard unless you are well rested. And it is hard running (such as the long runs) that allows you to improve. If you’re constantly fatigued, you will fail to reach your potential. This is why I designate Friday as a day of rest for Intermediate runners. It allows you to gather forces for hard running on Saturdays and Sundays. If you need to take more rest days–because of a cold or a late night at the office or a sick child–do so. And if you’re tired from the weekend, take Monday off as well–or cut the length of your cross-training. The secret to success in any training program is consistency, so as long as you are consistent with your training during the full 18 weeks of the program, you can afford–and may benefit from–extra rest.
Speedwork? There is no speedwork involved in the Intermediate program. If you feel you need speedwork to improve, check out the Advanced training schedules, which offer hill training, interval training and tempo runs on different days of the week. Normally, however, I recommend that marathoners save their speedwork for times of the year when they are not doing a marathon mileage buildup. Check the Spring Training programs elsewhere on this web site for more on that.
Modifying the program: My training programs are not carved in concrete, and you can make appropriate changes based on your experience, or to suit your convenience. One frequent request made by V-Teamers is to modify the order of the weekend runs, particularly those who want to run long on Saturdays instead of Sundays, because that’s when their friends do their long runs. Running with friends is certainly more fun than running alone, but the pace runs are placed on Saturdays ahead of the long runs on Sundays for a purpose. The main reason is to tire you out a bit in the first workout Saturday so you are not tempted to do the second workout Sunday too fast. It is also difficult to hit race pace on Sunday the day after a draining long run. Some runners ask if they can split these two workouts, for example, running pace on Friday and long on Sunday. They can, but it defeats somewhat the purpose of two “hard” workouts back to back on Saturdays and Sundays. Most runners have both more time for their training and to rest after that training on the weekends. So modify the program if you want, but if you make too many modifications, you’re not following the program.
| Hal Higdon’s MARATHON TRAINING GUIDE |
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Marathon Training Schedule: Intermediate I
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Review: Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon
I want to start by saying that I am blessed and thankful that I have the ability to run. It is one of my favorite things to do, it is good for my health and now it has helped to change the lives of some children in Sudan.
After signing up for the run I started to read reviews that concerned me. I read about how hilly the course is and that many people thought it was a very difficult course. I read how the temperature could be really cool because of the tall buildings and keep things shaded. I read how the Marathon is really small compared to 20,000 runners of which I have run and the small number of people made the race less desirable.
I understand how all of these things may be true for some but not for me. I have nothing but praise for the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon. I train on the border of Virginia and North Carolina so I am use to hills and hills that are much larger and steeper than anything that I ran in Atlanta. As a matter of fact I believe the constant up and down likely helped people, myself included not to have as many problems with cramping. The race start was on time, the people were the most friendly I have found in any Marathon that I have done and the water stops, sport bean, and bananas were done well and appreciated.
I have never been to a race where almost every volunteer was a cheerleader but they were in Atlanta. The police officers who directed traffic and worked to keep all of us safe even cheered us on. It was absolutely great and I hope that I get to do this race again, maybe even in 2010.
The medal was pretty nice, not the nicest I have received in a race but I have come to the point in my running that the medal is not worth so much to me. I still like them but I love the experience most of all. The Tech T-Shirts are great with agreat design also.
By the way, the Race Expo was well done also. I picked up a couple of things there for the race and received a better price than I would have in the store.
Atlanta Track Club: You did a great (Outstanding) job and gave a very small town, personal feel to a big city race, thank you.
On a personal note. This was my 8th Marathon and by far the best in many ways. I get excited when there are 20,000 runners and I missed that but small races have great advantages. The delays are minimal and in this race there were no delays. Many times in larger races you will have time delays because it is hard to get 20,000 runners out of the start area in an east and safe manner.
At this moment I have raised $1508.00 for the Children of Sudan. Hope for the children of Sudan is a mission work of the Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church and that is the cause I prayed about and decided to support through my run efforts. My inspiration came from a book called “Take Your Best Shot” by Austin Gutwein, you should get a copy of this book and devour it. I have now been able to do something that I really love and at the same time give to those in need. By the way giving is something that I like to do as well. The final total on gifts is still out as I know there are some who are sending checks this week.
I will include a few things here to let you see some of the highlights of my running, fundraising endeavor.
Ronnie
Here are my mile splits for the Marathon today.
Mile 1. 924
Mile 2. 915
Mile 3. 934
Mile 4. 929
Mile 5. 934
Mile 6. 919
Mile 7. 936
Mile 8. 1108
Mile 9. 905
Mile 10. 908
Mile 11. 1001
Mile 12. 951
Mile 13. 943
Mile 14. 936
Mile 15. 936
Mile 16. 901
Mile 17. 853
Mile 18. 919
Mile 19. 848
Mile 20. 848
Mile 21. 840
Mile 22. 1150
Mile 23. 1128
Mile 24. 1058
Mile 25. 1126
Mile 26. 837
It was an outstanding day and check out the last mile.
RONNIE COLLINS #618
CANA, VAAge: 44 Gender: M
| Distance | MAR |
| Clock Time | 4:20:07 |
| Chip Time | 4:19:39 |
| Overall Place | 504 / 826 |
| Gender Place | 401 / 611 |
| Division Place | 62 / 94 |
| Age Grade | 51% |
| Half Split | 2:07:01 |
Changing the World while running the Myrtle Beach Marathon
Dear Ronnie, Congratulations! You are now registered for 2010 BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon.
73 DAYS | 19 HRS | 59 MINS | 23 SECONDS
Saturday, February 13, 2010 for BI-LO Marathon
I will share more information soon about how YOU can change lives through your support of this Marathon.
Facts and Quotes about worry
Worry
To feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled.
To cause to feel anxious, distressed, or troubled.
To bother or annoy, as with petty complaints.
The act of worrying or the condition of being worried; persistent mental uneasiness.
A source of nagging concern or uneasiness.
WORD HISTORY Worrying may shorten one’s life, but not as quickly as it once did. The ancestor of our word, Old English wyrgan, meant “to strangle.” Its Middle English descendant, worien, kept this sense and developed the new sense “to grasp by the throat with the teeth and lacerate” or “to kill or injure by biting and shaking.” This is the way wolves or dogs might attack sheep, for example. In the 16th century worry began to be used in the sense “to harass, as by rough treatment or attack,” or “to assault verbally,” and in the 17th century the word took on the sense “to bother, distress, or persecute.” It was a small step from this sense to the main modern senses “to cause to feel anxious or distressed” and “to feel troubled or uneasy,” first recorded in the 19th century.
Quotes
If I had my life to live over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I’d have fewer imaginary ones. ~Don Herold
Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it. ~Mark Twain
Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. ~Author Unknown
Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which will never happen. ~James Russel Lowell
Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. ~Leo Buscaglia
Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. ~Benjamin Franklin
If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. ~Dale Carnegie
I’ve developed a new philosophy… I only dread one day at a time. ~Charlie Brown (Charles Schulz)
Troubles are a lot like people – they grow bigger if you nurse them. ~Author Unknown
If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today. ~E. Joseph Cossman
<!–, quoted in The Times, 9 Oct 1999; CDC–>People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross. ~Author Unknown
You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time. ~Pat Schroeder
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. ~Elbert Hubbard, The Note Book, 1927
Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. ~Glenn Turner
People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them. ~George Bernard Shaw, “Family Affection,” Parents and Children, 1914
Panic is a sudden desertion of us, and a going over to the enemy of our imagination. ~Christian Nevell Bovee
Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face. ~Nelson DeMille
For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe. ~Author Unknown
A hundredload of worry will not pay an ounce of debt. ~George Herbert
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. ~Swedish Proverb
Never bear more than one kind of trouble at a time. Some people bear three – all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have. ~Edward Everett Hale
That the birds of worry and care fly over you head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent. ~Chinese Proverb
We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it. ~John Newton
Worry bankrupts the spirit. ~Berri Clove
Worry, doubt, fear and despair are the enemies which slowly bring us down to the ground and turn us to dust before we die. ~Attributed to Douglas MacArthur
Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is to small to be made into a burden. ~Corrie ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook
There are two days in the week about which and upon which I never worry… Yesterday and Tomorrow. ~Robert Jones Burdette
A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work. ~John Lubbock
As a rule, what is out of sight disturbs men’s minds more seriously than what they see. ~Julius Caesar
If worrying were an Olympic sport, you’d get the gold for sure. ~Stephenie Geist
Worry is rust upon the blade. ~Henry Ward Hughes
Heavy thoughts bring on physical maladies; when the soul is oppressed so is the body. ~Martin Luther
I have learned to live each day as it comes, and not to borrow trouble by dreading tomorrow. It is the dark menace of the future that makes cowards of us. ~Dorothy Day
It is not the cares of today, but the cares of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. ~George MacDonald
Some patients I see are actually draining into their bodies the diseased thoughts of their minds. ~Zacharty Bercovitz
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. ~Mark Twain
My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened. ~Michel de Montaigne
If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you. ~Calvin Coolidge
When one has too great a dread of what is impending, one feels some relief when the trouble has come. ~Joseph Joubert
Some men storm imaginary Alps all their lives, and die in the foothills cursing difficulties which do not exist. ~Edgar Watson Howe
How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened. ~Thomas Jefferson
There are people who are always anticipating trouble, and in this way they manage to enjoy many sorrows that never really happen to them. ~Josh Billings
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due. ~William Ralph Inge
There are more things, Lucilius, that frighten us than injure us, and we suffer more in imagination than in reality. ~Seneca
We are more disturbed by a calamity which threatens us than by one which has befallen us. ~John Lancaster Spalding
We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives. ~Lewis Thomas, The Medusa and the Snail, 1979
Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night. ~Author Unknown
Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. ~Author Unknown
Real difficulties can be overcome, it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. ~Theodore N. Vail
No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. ~George MacDonald
Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff. ~Robert Eliot
He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears. ~Montaigne, Essays, 1588
Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow. ~Philip Gulley
Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway. ~Mary C. Crowley
Worry, Worry, Worry…don’t do it
This is the Scripture I will preach from this Sunday night @ 6:30pm. Join us and let go of the worry this Holiday Season.
Ronnie
Matthew 6: 25-34
The Message
25-26“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Fasting and Praying for Carroll County Today Sundown to Sundown Tuesday
Fast and Pray for Carroll County
Look us up on facebook and join us!
- Name:
- Fast and Pray for Carroll County
- Category:
- Common Interest – Religion & Spirituality
- Description:
- A group who is asking God to bring Revival to the Christians and Salvation to the lost of Carroll County Virginia. Fasting one day each week for the remainder of 2009
- Privacy Type:
- Open: All content is public.
Contact Info
- Office: 276-728-2434
- Location: Main Street Hillsville, VA
This day in the life of your pastor – November 29th, 2009
- bed time, so glad to go early about 9 hours ago from web
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Looks like a possible Marathon for 2010 http://www.knoxvillemaratho… about 9 hours ago from web
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Reading Pooh with Samuel about 9 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Awesome worship @ 1st Hillsville tonight. SouledOut you rock, God you are awesome! about 11 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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We just want to touch your heart Lord! May you be pleased with our worship. about 12 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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treasure in heaven http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 13 hours ago from web
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Tks 2 all who prayed for my son Mike, Dr removed the tick head & gave him an antibiotic. Everything should B fine. Ticks R out late this yr about 13 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Sunday Night Live with yours truly and SouledOut starts @ 630pm. Join us about 14 hours ago from web
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Check this video out — David Letterman – NYC Marathon Top Ten List http://www.youtube.com/watc… about 14 hours ago from web
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How many Holston Churches will commit? http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 15 hours ago from web
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Samuel “what did God give me?” me “Jesus as your saviour” Samuel “Alright” about 15 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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November 29th and I am in shorts and Tshirt, I love this winter weather about 16 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Misty says I have one eye that is smaller than the other. I think she means I have a lazy eye about 16 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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2 easy miles done about 17 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Prayer need: Four police officers shot dead near McChord Air Force Base in Washington state about 18 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Prayer need: Multiple police officers reportedly shot near McChord Air Force Base in Washington state, Fox News about 18 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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headed home to find lunch, maybe a short run, sloooowwwwww about 18 hours ago from web
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wow, another $100.00 for the Children of Sudan and no this is the 2nd one today, not the same one, Praise The Lord! about 18 hours ago from web
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Half Marathon this Sat http://bit.ly/7A1Zdo/ about 20 hours ago from web
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distributing the Christmas Gift List from children of prisoners tomorrow,if you would like to help just let me know ASAP about 20 hours ago from web
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praying 4 Mike this morning, found a tick N his leg, when they pulled it out the head appears 2 have ben left in. Going 2 get it checked out about 21 hours ago from web
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wow, the blessing keeps coming, just received $100.00 more for the Children of Sudan about 21 hours ago from web
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74 DAYS | 21 HRS | 2 MINS | 29 SECONDS to Myrtle Beach Marathon about 21 hours ago from web
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Childrens time & Shoe Boxes http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 22 hours ago from web
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headed to church for worship with the family of God, hope to see you there about 23 hours ago from web
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“The Economy of Scarcity” http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 23 hours ago from web
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SNL Tonight http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 23 hours ago from web
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Join us for worship today @ 1st Hillsville UMC. 3 opportunities, 830am, 11am, and 630pm about 24 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him .… — Philippians 1:29 3:17 AM Nov 29th from TwitterBerry
Treasure in Heaven: The Sermon
Laying up Treasure comes naturally when we folow and live out the Words of Jesus the Christ
17Command those who are rich in this present world ( this would pertain to most Americans) not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Do Good!
Be Rich in Good Deeds!
Be Generous!
Share what you have!
The following passage is from the book “The Sacred Meal” by Nora Gallagher
We live in what is thought to be abundance, with lots of stuff to buy. But somehow, it is never enough. In the late eightees, I asked the owner of a successful business, who must have made at least half a million dollars a year, if he had enough money, and he replied “dont you understand? There is never enough.”
The “never enough” reaches into every aspect of our lives. We don’t have enough money, solitude or peace. The emotional consequences are subtle and pervasive; we’ve got fantasy and illusion and anxiety. Believe me, I know them all. So I call the economy we live in “the economy of scarcity.”
Here’s the irony; the economy of scarcity appears to be abundant, while abundance is marked by an appearance of scarcity. the scarce economy looks rich and full, but within it peoples souls and bodies starve. The economy of abundance, on the other hand, is organized to provide just enough. Like the manna in the desert that could not be stored but was only enough to get through the day, so the economy of abundance releases no more than enough nourishment.
Practice Spiritual Disciplines – Live in Abundance
So How Do We Lay Up Treasure in Heaven?
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas, who was always doing good and helping the poor.
“Physical fasting from food is the joining of the body to the spirits hunger for God”
Fasting is misunderstood much like running a Marathon
Most people think Fasting and running a marathon is an unreachable goal
Therefore they never do either.
Most people think that both are too much of a sacrifice.
Therefore they never attempt either.
Most see only the pain and hard work in both.
Therefore they miss the rewards.
Most have heard stories of people dying while doing these things.
Therefore they miss the health benefits.
Fasting is to the feeding of the spirit as food is to the feeding of the body.
Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.
Andrew Murray
Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food.
Dallas Willard
Fasting can be a painful admission that I am not free, that my life is enslaved, obsessed or addicted to external things such as food, drink, codependent relationships, sex, television, privacy and the like.
Albert Haase
In Shansi I found Chinese Christians who were accustomed to spend time in fasting and prayer. They recognized that this fasting, which so many dislike, which requires faith in God, since it makes one feel weak and poorly, is really a Divinely appointed means of grace. Perhaps the greatest hindrance to our work is our own imagined strength; and in fasting we learn what poor, weak creatures we are – dependent on a meal of meat for the little strength which we are so apt to lean upon.
James Hudson Taylor
The purpose of fasting is to loosen to some degree the ties which bind us to the world of material things and our surroundings as a whole, in order that we may concentrate all our spiritual powers upon the unseen and eternal things.
Ole Kristian O. Hallesby
When the devil, the foe and the tyrant, sees a man bearing this weapon [fasting], he is straight-away frightened and he recollects and considers that defeat which he suffered in the wilderness at the hands of the Saviour; at once his strength is shattered and the very sight of this weapon, given us by our Commander-in-chief, burns him.
Isaac of Syria
So how do we lay up treasure in Heaven?
It’s really not a fromula of give this much, pray morning, noon, and night, and Fast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No, it is so much more than that.
It is a matter of putting God 1st in everything in our lives.
It is the matter of giving of the abundance that I have so that others who are in need might have.
It is a matter of not holding on to what I have and being willing to share as God shared His son Jesus Christ and He didn’t have to, neither do you.
It is a matter of praying and accepting Gid’s Will for my life and not settling for and not demanding what I want.
It is a matter of asking and trusting God for what my needs are today and not focusing on what the needs will be tomorrow.
It is a matter of forgiving others who have wronged me, just as God forgives me just when I ask.
It is a matter of putting God 1st to the point of going without the basic nescessities of life that we might experience His Provision in new and unimagined ways.
If we as Christians will simply live out the Words that Christ gave to us then we cannot help but lay up treasure in heaven, it will just come naturally.
Ronnie
How many Holston Churches will commit to being involved?
3000 Baptisms in Holston on Pentecost Sunday
50 “Golden Days” of Evangelism
40 Days of Prayer and Preparation
TELL ME MORE!
You may remember hearing from the stage of Annual Conference that the Conference Witness team would challenge us to celebrate 3000 baptisms on Pentecost Sunday (May 23, 2010) in Holston Conference. The Witness Team would like to take this opportunity to “brief” you, our Conference leaders, on the plan, invite you to ask questions, share comments, and help publicize as we continue refining and developing this time for an exciting and potentially Conference-transforming Spring in Holston Conference. Info coming soon in the Call, Call 2 and a save the date(s) letter to each pastor under appointment in Holston.
In the book Prophetic Evangelist, Harry Denman called the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost the “50 Golden Days of Evangelism”. He also wrote a letter in which he called on every pastor not only to observe Pentecost, but to lay the groundwork for experiencing Pentecost. That is what we are praying for in Holston in 2010. Here is an outline:
* Feb 19-20 Holston Evangelism Conference
This event will be held at Cokesbury Center in Knoxville, TN. We welcome the Rev. Rudy Rasmus and Bishop James Swanson to lead us through this inspirational and motivating event. We will celebrate the past year’s theme and covenant to “Offer Them Christ” and to invite Holston to the next steps toward Pentecost 2010. Friday: Optional Mission Outreach (“Grace bags” to Knoxville Homeless) 3-5; Registration 5-7; Session I begins 7pm. Bishop Swanson will conclude the conference by 3pm on Saturday.
* 40 Days of Prayer and Preparation — beginning on Feb 23rd, we will encourage every congregation to pray, fast and ask God for a burden for the lost. Churches may organize specific prayer groups, teaching or preaching about prayer and fasting, or other creative Holston ways of preparation. The Witness Team will provide a 40 Day Prayer Guide which will be daily devotions written by lay and clergy members of our Conference. (District Superintendents – if you haven’t already, there may still be space for you to add a day’s devotional writing…) At this time we are working on the best delivery of these guides, but at the least we will be emailing copies to local church pastors and designated leaders for copying and distribution. The Witness Team is asking that every Pastor and Lay member who has a blog to add the daily devotional to your church and personal blogs.
* 50 Golden Days of Evangelism — from Easter to Pentecost 2010, each congregation will be asked to intentionally concentrate on evangelism in their community. Again, the Conference Witness Team will supply a guide (“50 Days of Evangelism”) with concrete, specific suggestions for individuals and groups within churches to start conversations, build relationships, and offer Christ in your community. Some congregations may plan for a Pentecost celebration with dinner on the grounds where river baptisms and all other forms of baptism recognized by The UMC may take place.
*** 1 Great Day of Pentecost *** — baptisms, renewals and lives transformed for and by Jesus Christ
40 Days of Preparation + 50 Days of Evangelism = A 90 Day Investment in 3000 lives. Sound unlikely? Unbelievable? Too much? In our 904 churches, this would be an AVERAGE of 3.1 baptisms per worshipping community. What do we have to lose? Suppose we ONLY baptize 1000??? Help the Witness Team make this Spring of Pentecost preparation a reality for Holston. No single group, ministry team or leader can do this. We believe that God is in this… and we ask for your support, feedback and most importantly for your prayers.
With Bold, Passionate, Risk-taking love – The Holston Conference Witness Team
Contact Ronnie Collins ronnie24317@yahoo.com or (276) 728-2434
or Amy Rollins Probst pastor@broadwayumc.net or (865) 202-3019
with feedback or suggestions.
Mistletoe Run Half Marathon 13.1 Miles is this Saturday in Winston Salem
26th Annual Mistletoe 5K and Half Marathon coming in December 5th, 2009
5K begins at 8 a.m. with the half marathon following at 8:15 a.m.
Be among the first 2,000 registrants and receive a Mistletoe race shirt! Great after race party starting at 9:00 when the first runners come back with a DJ, lots of food, door prizes & awards!
All proceeds from this event enable families and individuals in the Winston Salem area to participate in Membership, Teen Advancement, Camp, Mentoring, After School, Sports & Aquatics programs of the YMCA that would otherwise be outside of their financial capability.
Click here for more information: http://www.twincitytc.org/RaceInformation/RaceCalendar/tabid/31/ctl/Details/Mid/657/ItemID/6723/Default.aspx
Childrens Time @ 1st UMC this morning
Children’s Time and Shoe Boxes
Each year our church packs shoe boxes for children around the world. We will have a group that also travels to the center in Charlotte North Carolina to help with the processing of all the boxes that come through.
We have plenty of empty boxes at 1st Hillsville, please stop by the office and pick up a box to fill with love for a child this Christmas.
Ronnie
How to Pack
a Shoe Box
1. SHOE BOX
PRINT THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND LABELS
Click to download.
Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift.
2. BOY OR GIRL?
Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label by downloading the artwork to the right. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.
3. FILL WITH GIFTS
Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Use the gift ideas provided on the bottom of this page.
4. INCLUDE YOUR DONATION
Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using our EZGIVE option, or you can write a check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.
5. DROP OFF
Place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop off at the Collection Center nearest you during our collection week November 16 – 23.
For locations and hours of collection visit our Drop-Off Locations page where you can find the nearest place to take your shoe box by entering your ZIP Code or you can call 1-800-353-5949.
You can also send your shoe box gift to:
Samaritan’s Purse
Operation Christmas Child
801 Bamboo Road
Boone, NC 28607
GIFT IDEAS
TOYS
small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky®, etc.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
HYGIENE ITEMS
toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.
OTHER
Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries)
A PERSONAL NOTE
In a separate envelope, you may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write back.)
DO NOT INCLUDE:
Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans
“The Economy of Scarcity”
The following passage is from the book “The Sacred Meal” by Nora Gallagher
We live in what is thought to be abundance, with lots of stuff to buy. But somehow, it is never enough. In the late eightees, I asked the owner of a successful business, who must have made at least half a million dollars a year, if he had enough money, and he replied “dont you understand? There is never enough.”
The “never enough” reaches into every aspect of our lives. We don’t have enough money, solitude or peace. The emotional consequences are subtle and pervasive; we’ve got fantasy and illusion and anxiety. Believe me, I know them all. So I call the economy we live in “the economy of scarcity.”
Here’s the irony; the economy of scarcity appears to be abundant, while abundance is marked by an appearance of scarcity. the scarce economy looks rich and full, but within it peoples souls and bodies starve. The economy of abundance, on the other hand, is organized to provide just enough. Like the manna in the desert that could not be stored but was only enough to get through the day, so the economy of abundance releases no more than enough nourishment.
Practice Spiritual Disciplines – Live in Abundance
Ronnie
SNL Tonight – A true Test of The Heart
Come tonight @ 6:30 and lets worship God together and then we will change the world together.
Ronnie
Matthew 6: 19 -21 The Message
19-21“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
This day in the life of your pastor – November 28th, 2009
- going to bed, it has been a packed day, a blessed day, an awesome day. Thank you God for allowing me this Joy! about 11 hours ago from web
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Join us N Changing The World Doing Something We Love http://www.facebook.com/gro… about 11 hours ago from web
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I am looking 4 ppl N Holston who will dream BIG with me, then RUN with me. I raised $2,000 + 4 Sudan Children. What we could do together about 12 hours ago from web
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Find Purpose Beyond Our Pain http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 13 hours ago from web
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Book Review – The Sacred Meal http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 13 hours ago from web
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Hunger – Did You Know??? http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 14 hours ago from web
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I have used the recovery excuse for eating too much for the last time. No more! But it was really good, mamas pumpkin pies are awesome about 16 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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We are having a Thanksgiving feast and Christopher and Seth are eating Crunch Berries, lol about 16 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Dinner with the family for Thanksgiving, man it smells great about 17 hours ago from web
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“There is the liturgy after the liturgy, that work in the world is inseparable from worship” Ion Bria about 18 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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“All Spiritual Practices R meant, not 2 B a place where U stay & take a nap, but to lead somewhere, outward toward the world” Nora Gallagher about 18 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Samuel amazes me with his vocabulary. The older boys just asked “do U want 2 play ring around the roses” Samuel says “yeah sure” just over 2 about 18 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. http://read.ly/1Tim6.18.NIV about 19 hours ago from API
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Riding 4 wheelers with Samuel and Kyle about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Home, Samuel needs a nap. Family coming over for Thanksgiving meal in a bit, can’t wait! about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Hanging out with family and great friends Tim and Mandy Taylor about 22 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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@ McDonald’s playplace. We love it but we R @ the 1 N Mt Airy & it is nasty, when we asked 4 someone 2 clean a spill we rec a nasty response about 22 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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feels great knowing that the Children of Sudan have benefited from our Thanksgiving & people on fb. The total is still out but $1500.00 plus about 22 hours ago from web
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updating http://www.facebook.com/inb… about 22 hours ago from web
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getting ready to take Mike, Caitlin, Kyle, Christopher, Samuel, & Victoria to see Thomas “Splish, Splash, Splosh” about 22 hours ago from web
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The Call 2 is Packed Full of helpful info. If you R United Methodist, in Holston Conference, or just hungry for what God is doing, read it! about 22 hours ago from web
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Help Spread The Word: Holston Grants Available http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 22 hours ago from web
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Holston Conference Calendar http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 23 hours ago from web
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What if Jesus meant all that stuff? http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 23 hours ago from web
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Sun December 6th is our Cantata – “Adoration – N Search of a King” @ 1st Hillsville UMC. Our oldest son Mike has a part N the Drama, join us about 23 hours ago from web
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working on SNL Sermon for tommorow night about 24 hours ago from web
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A true test of the heart http://imagebearer.wordpres… 5:00 AM Nov 28th from web
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up having coffee, reading scripture, most of the marathion soreness is gone, praise the Lord
Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain – Just ordered this book to review
Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain
Uncover the Hidden Potential in Life’s Most Common Struggles
By Paul Meier M.D. and David Livingstone Henderson M.D.
Book Description
A revolutionary approach to dealing with life’s challenges that guides readers in how to face them and to recognize them as gifts from God.
At one time or another everyone finds themselves questioning, “Does God still love me? Is there a purpose for all this pain?” Drs. Meier and Henderson teach readers how to face painful struggles head-on in a way that allows them to grow and mature emotionally and spiritually. In this timely book they explore the seven most common life challenges:
* Injustice
* Rejection
* Loneliness
* Loss
* Discipline
* Failure
* Death
In addition they offer the three reasons we often miss the gifts these challenges can be. This unique approach to an age-old problem will encourage and challenge readers to grow through their struggles instead of wasting energy trying to avoid them altogethe
Book Review: The Sacred Meal
What I like to find when I read a book is encouragement, challenge, strong words to the unrepentant, soothing words to the ones striving to live for God, that is what I like to find in a book. However what I love to find is thought provoking, intriguing, challenging words. This is exactly what I found in, “The Sacred Meal” by Nora Gallagher.
Nora is not a Minister by profession but certainly a minister of God, (One in which you do not see the collar). You will have to read the book for that nugget.
Nora does not claim to be a theologian but rather a person who has and is touched by the Eucharist, Communion, The Lords Table, or one of many other traditional phrases used to describe this gift that God has given us.
I found in this little book many places that made me stop and pay attention. Words that I consider nuggets of gold that I will mine and use in future sermons, especially sermons concerning Communion, God’s gift to us, His Body.
Nora and I are not on the same page at all times when it comes to theological issues but we can agree to disagree and I will sit at her feet and learn. Here are a few brief quotes from the book that struck me.
“Many people go to church on Sunday like going 2 a play or concert. Never acting on what we see & hear. Gradually what you learn simply fades”
“Prophecy is not about foretelling the future, but its about describing the present with exceptional truthfulness & accuracy” George Orwell
“Eucharist in Greek can be translated “thanksgiving” Holy Communion is a way of saying thanks”.
“For many of us, rituals can become not avenues to a deeper understanding of reality or a deepening of faith, but instead a form of magic”
“Holy Communion was a web, a web of people being stitched together. And tomorrow, we would need to be stitched together again.”
“It is often harder to do good than it is to do evil”
I highly recommend this book to everyone that would like to grow deeper in your faith, especially as it relates to your understanding of Holy Communion.
Ronnie
Michael Christopher Collins and Christopher Gray Collins
Our awesome oldest son and grandson. I am blessed beyond measure.
Ronnie
Christopher, Samuel and Victoria watching Thomas “Splish, Splash, Splosh”
Christopher and Samuel both love trains and Thomas is a favorite. We went this morning to watch the new Thomas movie and they were glued to the big screen. Again, I am blessed beyond measure.
Ronnie
Available Grants in Holston Conference
There has been a lot of confusion and questions regarding what Grants are available in the Conference. Well, you have a Conference that listens to your needs and concerns. Here is a growing list of the available grants in Holston Conference, All in One Place.
Thanks to The Connectional Ministries for putting this together so quickly.
Ronnie
Available Grants in Holston Conference
Change for Children
Sponsored by the Children’s Ministry Team
Deadline: February 15
Peace With Justice Grant
Sponsored by the Peace With Justice Ministry Team
Deadline: April 1 and October 1
Ethnic Local Church Concerns “Bricks and Mortar”
Sponsored by the Outreach Advocacy Ministry Team
Deadline: September 1
Church Evangelism Program Grants
Sponsored by the Witness Ministry Team
Deadline: September 1
Renfro Trust Grant
Sponsored by the SEJ Administrative Council
Deadline: September 1
Young Adult Ministry Grant
Sponsored by the Young Adult Ministry Team
Deadline: October 1
Youth Service Fund
Sponsored by the Conference Council on Youth Ministry
Deadline: October 20
Handicapp Accessibility Grant
Sponsored by the Outreach Advocacy Ministry Team
Deadline: October 31
Hispanic Ministry Team Program Grant
Sponsored by the Hispanic Ministry Team
Deadline: November 1
Redwine Grant
Sponsored by the Holston Conference Foundation
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Margaret Loving Trust
Sponsored by the Holston Conference Foundation
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact the Connectional Ministries office.
Holston Conference Calendar
Holston Evangelism Conference
Feb. 19, 2010 – Feb. 20, 2010
Location: Cokesbury Center
The Witness Ministry Team welcomes the Rev. Rudy Rasmus and Bishop James Swanson to lead us through this inspirational and motivating event. We will celebrate the past year’s theme and covenant to “Offer Them Christ” and invite Holston to the next steps toward Pentecost 2010.
- Friday: 3-5 p.m. Optional Mission Outreach (“Grace bags” to Knoxville Homeless);5-7 p.m. Registration; 7 p.m. Session I begins
- Saturday: Bishop Swanson will conclude the conference by 3 p.m.
More information to come soon.
Categories: Evangelism Ministry
Ministries: Evangelism & Witness
Reading List from United Methodist Students via the Call
Nov. 29 is United Methodist Student Sunday. We asked these students receiving UM scholarships or loans, “What book is lying on your nightstand?”
Photos to come
Ben Harding
University of Virginia College at Wise
Appalachia UMC
Big Stone Gap District
Composers on Composing Music, by Mark Camphouse
Jenna Jackson
Oklahoma City University
First Hillsville UMC
Wytheville District
TAP! The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories, by Rusty E. Frank
Ben Mullins
Ferrum College
First Hillsville UMC
Wytheville District
Zygotic Logic, by Gary L. Angel
Josh Swanson
University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Cokesbury UMC
Knoxville District
University Calculus: Elements with Early Trascendentals, by Joel Hass
What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff?
By: Shane Claiborne
To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity.
Forgive us. Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God.
The other night I headed into downtown Philly for a stroll with some friends from out of town. We walked down to Penn’s Landing along the river, where there are street performers, artists, musicians. We passed a great magician who did some pretty sweet tricks like pour change out of his iPhone, and then there was a preacher. He wasn’t quite as captivating as the magician. He stood on a box, yelling into a microphone, and beside him was a coffin with a fake dead body inside. He talked about how we are all going to die and go to hell if we don’t know Jesus.
Some folks snickered. Some told him to shut the hell up. A couple of teenagers tried to steal the dead body in the coffin. All I could do was think to myself, I want to jump up on a box beside him and yell at the top of my lungs, “God is not a monster.” Maybe next time I will.
The more I have read the Bible and studied the life of Jesus, the more I have become convinced that Christianity spreads best not through force but through fascination. But over the past few decades our Christianity, at least here in the United States, has become less and less fascinating. We have given the atheists less and less to disbelieve. And the sort of Christianity many of us have seen on TV and heard on the radio looks less and less like Jesus.
At one point Gandhi was asked if he was a Christian, and he said, essentially, “I sure love Jesus, but the Christians seem so unlike their Christ.” A recent study showed that the top three perceptions of Christians in the U. S. among young non-Christians are that Christians are 1) antigay, 2) judgmental, and 3) hypocritical. So what we have here is a bit of an image crisis, and much of that reputation is well deserved. That’s the ugly stuff. And that’s why I begin by saying that I’m sorry.
Now for the good news.
I want to invite you to consider that maybe the televangelists and street preachers are wrong — and that God really is love. Maybe the fruits of the Spirit really are beautiful things like peace, patience, kindness, joy, love, goodness, and not the ugly things that have come to characterize religion, or politics, for that matter. (If there is anything I have learned from liberals and conservatives, it’s that you can have great answers and still be mean… and that just as important as being right is being nice.)
The Bible that I read says that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to save it… it was because “God so loved the world.” That is the God I know, and I long for others to know. I did not choose to devote my life to Jesus because I was scared to death of hell or because I wanted crowns in heaven… but because he is good. For those of you who are on a sincere spiritual journey, I hope that you do not reject Christ because of Christians. We have always been a messed-up bunch, and somehow God has survived the embarrassing things we do in His name. At the core of our “Gospel” is the message that Jesus came “not [for] the healthy… but the sick.” And if you choose Jesus, may it not be simply because of a fear of hell or hope for mansions in heaven.
Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in the afterlife, but too often all the church has done is promise the world that there is life after death and use it as a ticket to ignore the hells around us. I am convinced that the Christian Gospel has as much to do with this life as the next, and that the message of that Gospel is not just about going up when we die but about bringing God’s Kingdom down. It was Jesus who taught us to pray that God’s will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” On earth.
One of Jesus’ most scandalous stories is the story of the Good Samaritan. As sentimental as we may have made it, the original story was about a man who gets beat up and left on the side of the road. A priest passes by. A Levite, the quintessential religious guy, also passes by on the other side (perhaps late for a meeting at church). And then comes the Samaritan… you can almost imagine a snicker in the Jewish crowd. Jews did not talk to Samaritans, or even walk through Samaria. But the Samaritan stops and takes care of the guy in the ditch and is lifted up as the hero of the story. I’m sure some of the listeners were ticked. According to the religious elite, Samaritans did not keep the right rules, and they did not have sound doctrine… but Jesus shows that true faith has to work itself out in a way that is Good News to the most bruised and broken person lying in the ditch.
It is so simple, but the pious forget this lesson constantly. God may indeed be evident in a priest, but God is just as likely to be at work through a Samaritan or a prostitute. In fact the Scripture is brimful of God using folks like a lying prostitute named Rahab, an adulterous king named David… at one point God even speaks to a guy named Balaam through his donkey. Some say God spoke to Balaam through his ass and has been speaking through asses ever since. So if God should choose to use us, then we should be grateful but not think too highly of ourselves. And if upon meeting someone we think God could never use, we should think again.
After all, Jesus says to the religious elite who looked down on everybody else: “The tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom ahead of you.” And we wonder what got him killed?
I have a friend in the UK who talks about “dirty theology” — that we have a God who is always using dirt to bring life and healing and redemption, a God who shows up in the most unlikely and scandalous ways. After all, the whole story begins with God reaching down from heaven, picking up some dirt, and breathing life into it. At one point, Jesus takes some mud, spits in it, and wipes it on a blind man’s eyes to heal him. (The priests and producers of anointing oil were not happy that day.)
In fact, the entire story of Jesus is about a God who did not just want to stay “out there” but who moves into the neighborhood, a neighborhood where folks said, “Nothing good could come.” It is this Jesus who was accused of being a glutton and drunkard and rabble-rouser for hanging out with all of society’s rejects, and who died on the imperial cross of Rome reserved for bandits and failed messiahs. This is why the triumph over the cross was a triumph over everything ugly we do to ourselves and to others. It is the final promise that love wins.
It is this Jesus who was born in a stank manger in the middle of a genocide. That is the God that we are just as likely to find in the streets as in the sanctuary, who can redeem revolutionaries and tax collectors, the oppressed and the oppressors… a God who is saving some of us from the ghettos of poverty, and some of us from the ghettos of wealth.
In closing, to those who have closed the door on religion — I was recently asked by a non-Christian friend if I thought he was going to hell. I said, “I hope not. It will be hard to enjoy heaven without you.” If those of us who believe in God do not believe God’s grace is big enough to save the whole world… well, we should at least pray that it is.
Your brother,
Shane
Find this article at: http://www.esquire.com/features/best-and-brightest-2009/shane-claiborne-1209
A True Test of the Heart
This day in the life of your pastor – November 27th, 2009
- Thanks to all who have supported the children of Sudan through my Marathon, you are awesome! Plans in the works to run another one soon! about 11 hours ago from web
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amazingly enough I slept only about 10-15 hrs the past 3 days. The excitement of Marathon mixed with children. Have 2 get some rest 2night about 11 hours ago from web
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826 finishers in the Atlanta Marathon. I was the only one from Virginia, pretty cool about 11 hours ago from web
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got to see my Mike and my 2 grandbabies for about an hour. Christopher is learning so much in school, love those babies about 12 hours ago from web
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Congratulations 2 all 2009 Atlanta Marathon & Half Finishers, & thank you to the over 1400 volunteers that helped make this event possible! about 12 hours ago from web
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Misty just made me chocolate milk, they say is is great recovery for runners about 12 hours ago from web
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76 DAYS | 8 HRS | 38 MINS | 14 SECONDS to the Myrtle Beach Marathon about 12 hours ago from web
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Happy Thanksgiving http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 12 hours ago from web
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Thanksgiving Day Marathin Mile Splits http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 12 hours ago from web
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Thanksgiving Day Marathon Results http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 12 hours ago from web
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Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon Pictures http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 12 hours ago from web
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Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon Results http://imagebearer.wordpres… about 14 hours ago from web
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Home sweet Home! Had an awesome trip with Kenneth, Teresa, Kayla, & Chase, awesome marathon, awesome Thanksgiving with Gary and family! about 16 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Want to grow in your faith? Read a passage from the Gospels each day, pray, ask God what it means & then take action. I dare you! about 18 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Many people go to church on Sunday like going 2 a play or concert. Never acting on what we see & hear. Gradually what you learn simply fades about 18 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Contemplating signing up 4 the Myrtle Beach Marathon N Feb 2010, who wants 2 run with me? Who knows we could raise thousands 4 a great cause about 19 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Wow just getting 2 C just a few of the comments on my marathon. I have had very little access & still not home. Thanks to all, I am humbled about 19 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Gaffney Prime Outlet Mall, this is Mistys Marathon. Hope she beats 4 hours, lol about 19 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Can a Marathon Runner eat biscuits, gravy, peach pancakes, & Turker Sausage? Answer: he just did about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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In South Carolina @ Cracker Barrell about 22 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Getting ready to drive back to Virginia about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Coffee helps the sore legs
Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon
RONNIE COLLINS #618
CANA, VAAge: 44 Gender: M
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Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon Results
RONNIE COLLINS #618
CANA, VAAge: 44 Gender: M
| Distance | MAR |
| Clock Time | 4:20:07 |
| Chip Time | 4:19:39 |
| Overall Place | 504 / 826 |
| Gender Place | 401 / 611 |
| Division Place | 62 / 94 |
| Age Grade | 51% |
| Half Split | 2:07:01 |
This day in the life of your pastor – November 26th, 2009
- Coffee helps the sore legs about 14 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Samuel just said “I need a Christmas Tree” I said you do? Samuel said “Now” lol about 22 hours ago from TwitterBerry
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Nap time! 2:36 PM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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Oh yeah, I beat Kenneth in the Marathon 2:32 PM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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Thanksgiving dinner with the Smiths 2:03 PM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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419 awesome finish, Praise the Lord 10:08 AM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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Countdown 1 hour to 26.2 miles Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Marathon 4:27 AM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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Approximately 1000 people doing the 26.2 this morning & 10,000 in the 13.1 Remember #618 running for the children of Sudan 4:12 AM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. http://read.ly/1Tim6.18.NIV 4:10 AM Nov 26th from API
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Happy Thanksgiving to all my fb friends 3:58 AM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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1.5 hours to race time. 3:57 AM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
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3 hours to 26.2, can’t sleep! 2:25 AM Nov 26th from TwitterBerry
About Ronnie G. Collins
I am one of the Pastor’s of First United Methodist Church in Hillsville Virginia and FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”, Youth Ministry. We now have two campuses. The main church is at 225 Fulcher Street and our newest location is 522 North Main Street Hillsville, FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”. I have a rich history of different church backgrounds to pull from and I believe that is why I am where I am in my Christian Life today. I have a Passion to see hurting, lost people come to know Jesus Christ. I believe that we as Christians have to demonstrate God’s Love to them, rather than just telling them they are loved. I am married and have 4 sons two very special nephews that are like sons, 2 grandchildren and 3 great nephews that are like grandchildren. I am a blessed man.
