II Corinthians 9:11 – “Giving helps us become what God wants us to be.” Roman 11:36 – “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” This text clearly says that everything comes from God – everything happens through God and everything ends up in […]
Carolyn and I had friends in the Portsmouth District who collected everything. They had so many dolls that they had to build shelving all the way around their house. They had so many salt and pepper shakers that one cabinet would not hold them all and they had to go to two. Their house was […]
Author: Brad Duty My wife has pointed out that I talk with my hands. I usually don’t think much about it and certainly wasn’t conscious of it. But then COVID-19 hit. My seminary classes suddenly all went online. Sunday school is by Zoom. Meetings are by Zoom; and we recently conducted a Church Budgets webinar […]
Verona UMC has ten beehives that produce a lot of honey, which is sold to support their mission projects. Bob Weeks is the pastor, and he started this ministry several years ago. Did you know that bees pollinate 80% of the world’s plants? Bees have to visit about two million flowers to make a pound […]
We’re living in such strange times. A friend of mine told me the other day that she had put more than a dozen complicated puzzles together during the pandemic. I thought this was unusual, and then I found this monologue that startled me! Me: Hey, God. God: Hello… Me: I’m falling apart. Can you put […]
I watch the news a lot these days. I think back on the number of weeks we were in lockdown and the mere fact that it’s not over yet. I write devotions every week, and I am hopeful that they bring you hope! The thing that I hear the most is “Will it ever end?” […]
In North Carolina, preachers go to their new appointments on Sunday and then move the next week. When I was appointed to the Moncure charge, I was living in Fayetteville, N.C. What I didn’t know was that Dr. Tom Langford’s aunt was a member of my new church. Dr. Langford was the dean of Duke […]
Chick-fil-A has come up with a new ad. They emphasize all the things their employees do to go the extra mile. They always say “My pleasure” when someone thanks them, and sometimes write messages of hope and love on their bags. Chick-fil-A is an amazing restaurant. They teach their employees to be kind and courteous. […]
Back when I was a boy, farmers plowed corn to get rid of the weeds. Today, they spray for weeds. My dad had a tractor and told me if I would plow corn for our neighbors, I could have half of what they paid. He kept half to operate the tractor and pay for fuel. […]
“The light shines in the darkness, And the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5, NRSV) (If you have a candle available, light it for this meditation time.) These are deeply challenging and troubling times. Lives and livelihoods have been threatened by the shroud of deadly disease. Racism, injustice and violence have cast a […]