By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parish United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston and Spring Valley If I had my “druthers” in the winter, I would either fly to a warmer climate like the snowbirds, or go into hibernation like some other woodland creatures. I’m not a fan of winter. It’s common at this time of the year to go for weeks without seeing my … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Unprecedented?!
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Racine/Sumner Center UMC, Stewartville UMC Children’s Ministry Coordinator Well folks, the time has come around again where we close the door to yet another year, 2021 and open the window to welcome the fresh breezes of a new year, 2022. It is natural this time of year to reflect on what was and what is to be. As I ponder the past, there is one … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion: “Comfort, O comfort my people”
Rev. Peter J. Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church The “Hallelujah Chorus” of Handel’s Messiah is rightly famous, with its triumphant “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” and “For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth” and “King of kings and Lord of lords! Forever and ever! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” Much less known is how “Handel’s Messiah” begins. After the overture, a soaring … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – An attitude of gratitude
By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parish United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston and Spring Valley The late Rudyard Kipling was an author of poetry and of several classic books, including the Jungle Book. During his lifetime, his writings made him both famous and wealthy. A newspaper reporter came up to him once and said, “Mr. Kipling, I just read that … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion: A time for renewal, revival and re-creation
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) United Methodist Churches It is good to greet you in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! Recently I was listening to some old recordings from two musical groups – The Sounds of Praise and the Spokesmen Gospel Quartet. These musical groups offered uplifting musical … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Good, very good, and supremely good
By Pastor Pam Seebach Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches “When God began to create the heavens and the earth – the earth was without shape or form, … God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock and every kind of … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Give God a call
By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parish United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston and Spring Valley How do you feel when you call a business to ask a question and get one of those recordings? You know, the kind that lists a long menu of options that may or may not lead to a live person on the other end of the line? Have you ever wondered what it would … [Read more...]
“The Old Stone Church at Lenora”
By Pastor Mark Woodward, Pastor Devotions Maple Leaf Parish Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) United Methodist Churches My mother passed away in 2016 at the age of 95. During her life she used to enjoy writing. Recently, I have been going through more of boxes which contain clippings, writings and poems. My mother took an active … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Living into the unknown
The last year has been one of unknowns. A pandemic. An election. Constant changes in policies and procedures for churches, grocery stores, gyms, and schools. Just about everything has been unknown. There are many other unknowns for each of us in our lives – new or ending relationships, employment changes, graduating or starting school, moving to a new home or into a care … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Cornerstones
By Pastor Pam Seebach Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches A few years ago, my husband decided to build a woodshed in our side yard. Well, our house is built on top of a hill and the yard slopes away on both sides. As he considered various locations for the woodshed, it became apparent that the cornerstone of the building was going to have to be very … [Read more...]