Divisions 

By: Deborah Durrett

    Something about the tree with a crook in its branch-demanding attention like it was jumping in front of the sun saying, “Hey! I’m here too!” Granted, it is difficult fighting for recognition with a literal ball of fire in the sky. Even so, this twenty-five-foot maple is intricately woven in its own right- and dared to enhance the swan song of a beautiful day. Very often we try to get around the trees to get a better view of the sky rather than enjoying the harmony of being embraced by including them both in the scene. Afterall, the sun does not oppose the trees but is part of what brings them life. 

       While there are points on the road, we travel that must be dealt with individually, we are not meant to separate ourselves from all relationships in an estranging manner-it is not healthy for us. Moreover, as a God revering woman, I follow His lead (referenced in His written word) regarding the detriment to us harboring and acting upon feelings of a divisive nature. Paul shared God’s desire for unity in an appeal to the Corinthians (chapter 1 in first Corinthians) of discouraging arguing for the sake of arguing rather than working together as they once did- all having the same goal of love and service to God. For example, there is a difference between opinions on what foods to eat and which restaurant to enjoy dinner at as opposed to each of us knowing that we all need to have sustenance to live. Our opinions on specific foods are better equated to the letter of the law and the understanding of sustenance being of the highest importance represent the Spirit of said law. “God has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6 ESV

     We have the choice of only allowing what we want in our field of vision -the sun without the trees, however, there is a cost for every decision we make. We can live in darkness and fear because we have been badly hurt by someone or because we gave up on God while waiting for Him to answer our prayers-somehow thinking it will keep us from ever encountering more pain and suffering. Or we can believe a man that was sent by his Father who told us we WOULD have trouble (John 16:33), but we could have eternal peace {of mind} (which includes eternal life later) if we believe it is possible for Him to be our source for it. The beauty of such an inclusion in that plan is worth waiting for. God sent His Son to say, “Hey, I am here for you no matter what is trying to get in your way!” “Don’t get involved in arguing over unanswerable questions and controversial theological idea; keep out of arguments and quarrels about obedience to Jewish laws, for this kind of thing isn’t worthwhile; it only does harm. If anyone is causing divisions among you, he should be given a first and second warning. After that, having nothing more to do with him for such a person has a wrong sense of values. He is sinning, and he knows it. Titus 3:9-11 TLB

“Now I urge you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and stumbling contrary to the teaching you learned and turn away from them.” (Romans 16:17 LSB) “For those who do such things are not serving Christ our Lord, but their own appetites. By their fine words and flattering speech they deceive innocent people.” Romans 16:18 GNT

 “The one who says he is in the Light [in consistent fellowship with Christ] and yet habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in the darkness until now.” 1 John 2:9 AMP

“I will go away but I will give you a gift of peace. It is mine to give and yours to keep. It is not like a gift that this world gives. Do not let yourselves be sad. Do not be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I will go away, but I will return to you.’ If you loved me, you would be happy because I will go to the father. And He is greater than I am. I have told you this now, before it happens, so then when it does happen you will believe.” John 14:27-29 EASY

(D. Durrett 10/13/25)

Who Is in Control?

By David Massey

I was stuck in traffic yesterday, white-knuckling the steering wheel like my life depended on it. As if somehow, my death grip could magically part the sea of brake lights ahead of me.

We clutch our worries the same way. Convinced that if we just obsess a little harder or lose sleep planning for every disaster, we’ll somehow wrestle life into submission. But here’s the beautiful truth: control is an illusion.

Pride tells us, “You’ve got this. You don’t need anyone’s help. Asking for support is weakness.” But humility speaks truth: “You were never meant to carry this alone.”

What if worry is actually God’s invitation to trust? Not to abandon responsibility, but to release the crushing weight of what was never ours to control.

The moment I finally unclenched my fists, both on the steering wheel and on my need to control everything, freedom flooded in. I could breathe again. That’s where real peace lives. In the exhale. In the surrender. In remembering we were designed for dependence on something greater than ourselves.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

David Massey

Destinations

By Jan Moser

Have you ever been enroute to a fun vacation or family visit, only to have to wait for weather-related delays at the airport , or to end up in the middle of a major traffic jam on the interstate? Isn’t it easier to bear the temporary frustrations, when you focus on your destination, when the temporary incident is behind you? 

What if we treated all of our Earthly frustrations like that, all of the time? When we are dealing with someone whose behavior frustrates us, or we are physically worn out, if we are struggling to make ends meet financially or we are in severe pain – these are real problems. But we believers have the hope and joy that one day, our problems will be behind us, as we leave this Earth for the most important destination of all – Heaven, an eternity spent in a place with NO negativity, and that instead is filled with love, joy and glorious worship. 

The next time that a delivery driver hits our mailbox, our vehicle breaks down, there is a centipede in our living room or a meeting doesn’t go well, may we stop and remember that what matters most is how we deal with our inevitable earthly difficulties. And may we gain perspective by refocusing on what is most important, God’s Kingdom, in which we will spend eternity with Jesus. 

John 16:22 TLB “You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.“

Lost and Found

(By: Deborah Durrett)

           It was a warm autumn day, and people gathered to celebrate with a couple who were committing their lives to one another. They filled the small college chapel and awaited the bride to be brought in, to begin the ceremony. There were a couple brief delays, as often happens with weddings. First, there was the true rumor that the bride forgot her veil, and the groom went to retrieve it. Next was an incident with a fabric steamer and the wedding dress-already wrapped around her. And finally, before the journey up the steps and down the first path of the marital journey, they were all awaiting the bride’s Uncle, who was incorrectly rumored as having no pants on. But instead, he brought the wrong pair of pants-jeans, in fact. At least, it gave rise to a smile that bode well in the photo of that moment she walked toward her soon-to-be husband, patiently waiting for her.

          That memory snippet was part of a day I cherish. It is something that comes to mind when I see my wedding ring. Imagine my surprise, when waking up this past Monday, and realizing after breakfast that it was missing. In my mind, I replayed my steps from the evening before. I remembered walking to the kitchen after getting cleaned up, and retrieving it from a dish on the counter behind the sink area go-to spot other than my jewelry box. I realized I had not put it back on after doing yardwork, when I was about to put lotion on my hands. I still, though, do not recall the act of slipping the ring back on my finger. I was not myself at the time, rather worn out. For the next twenty-four hours or more, I scoured every inch of the upstairs, thinking of any place it could be. I became mortified at a certain point, after nearly three decades of wearing it, with only the occasional removal for safe keeping. Later that day, after also becoming disturbed by areas in the house that clearly needed vacuuming, I set off to make myself more useful for a bit, and to take my mind off things. I started in the back bedroom, and was praying to God about showing me where the little treasure was, in the timing best suited to me. As I got to the last spot to complete that room, a horrific clanging began coming from the bottom of the vacuum cleaner-as if the machine were coming apart. I quickly turned it off and raised the bottom, and there was my wedding ring! Relief and joy filled my heart, yet I also realized it is more to me than merely a symbol of our love-it’s a circle encompassing one of the hands that is part of cherished memories. We chose the rings together. We chose the date we wanted to start our life together. We chose where we would go first on a honeymoon. It was a big part of the story we started as a couple, following a sordid past of starts and stops before we ever exchanged those rings. It was us coming full circle to what was clearly our destiny in God’s will, six years after we met. And so, I will remember this added bit of the story all over again in years to come- the joy of finding that precious symbol of two lives becoming one.

          I wonder how God feels when his children feel lost and alone. When they struggle as they travel with him, or pull away from him, find him for the first time, or even say he does not exist. I believe he is a gentleman, yet he finds ways to seek them out and to show them he loves them as a Father should. He knows what matters to each one of us, and what makes us all tick. 

     The other day, I must have needed a reminder of the value of my marriage. And as precious as my husband is to me, in that reminder, there is also a deeper meaning in the ‘lost’ and then ‘found’ ring: commitment. Not just to each other, but to God. And ultimately his goal was finding a way to have ‘anyone’ found who was lost to him- so they could then be with him eternally, as originally intended with his creating each soul. I may still lose stuff or get sent the wrong directions with the GPS, but my eternal future is right where it belongs. Is yours? Can people you know, and those who do not know you, tell your life has meaning to you?

           “So, Jesus told them this story: ‘If a man has a hundred sheep and one gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” Luke 15:3-6 NLT

         “In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.”  Luke 15:7 CEB

“Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:9-10 LSB

Challenges

By Richard Moser

   Have you ever been in a situation where you are being asked to perform a task that is formidable or challenging?  Have you wondered how you would handle the responsibility, and doubted your abilities? Even though. Personally, I did not qualified to be Church Treasurer when I was first asked, but I did it for thirteen years, and because of God’s help, once I began doing it, it seemed a natural fit. 

    In the first chapter of Joshua, Moses has died  – within sight of the Promised Land. For forty years, Moses led the Hebrews through the desert. Who would guide them across the Jordan River into the Promised Land?  

     God called Joshua to the task. Joshua was being given a major responsibility. Would he be up to the challenge?  Did he believe in himself? Most importantly , did he believe in God? 

    God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:6, NASB)  In the next few verses of Joshua, God tells his new leader, three times, to be “strong and courageous.”

    What is God calling you to do today? Do you have any hesitations?  God is calling you to be “strong and courageous.”  He will equip you to accomplish His purpose. Will you trust Him?

 Ordinary People

I am just an ordinary person. I have a wife, a son, a job, a house, a car and a pet. I realize not everyone has all of these things, but I’d probably be viewed as an average Joe. Quite likely, you’re an average, ordinary person too – that is unless your name is Clark Kent, Peter Parker, Diana Prince, or Bruce Wayne.

The Bible is full of ordinary people.

Matthew 8:14-15 (KJV) And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. ¹⁵ And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

Matthew 8:14-15 (NCV) 14 When Jesus went to Peter’s house, he saw that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. ¹⁵Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she stood up and began to serve Jesus.

Peter had a house, a wife, and a sick mother-in-law. Peter was an ordinary person. So were (plural, not was – probably a typo) his wife and mother-in-law, and yet they are remembered still today. They became extraordinary through their connection with one named Jesus. What about this Jesus makes those ordinary people stand out?

Notice that when Jesus comes in, he notices the sickness right off. When Jesus went to Peter’s house, he saw that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. (Matthew 8:14 NCV) 

When Jesus first comes to us, he first sees our condition, as well. He sees our hurts; he sees the decaying sinful flesh, but he is not content to watch us just fade away.

Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. (Matthew 8:15a NCV)

Jesus healed her in the same way he desires to heal each of us. Jesus has a way of coming into lives and making them new. Jesus said in Revelation  21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.” And he does. He fixes us to the core and, in that, we become extraordinary. It’s not because of anything in us, except Christ in us.

That extraordinary love, dwelling in us, compels us into service. “Then she stood up and began to serve Jesus.”(Matthew 8:15b NCV) 

Peter’s mother-in-law got up and began to serve Jesus. Some translations say she served them, rather than just him. The healed woman began to serve others because of the gift of restoration given to her.

Peter was also compelled to serve Jesus and others and took the gospel to many places. I Corinthians 9:5 alludes to the fact that Peter’s wife also traveled with him. Clement, a member of the early church, recorded that she was martyred before Peter. As she was carried away, he called out to her, “Remember, dear, our Lord.” He never forgot Jesus; all the way to his own cross, he remembered, (same thing) and it drove him to serve God.

Do you remember our Lord? Because Christ was concerned about our condition, and was not content to leave us that way, he caused us to become complete. That completeness and his concern flowing in us compel us to serve him and others.

As I said, I am just an ordinary man, but I have an extraordinary God that dwells within me and drives me to greatness – not for me – but for him.

O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalms 34:3)

IHFHBOH 

Adam

Dependable Signal

By Richard Moser

Psalm 145:18 (NLT)— The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.

Our cell tower is evidently out of service. I recently attempted to make an important telephone call on my cellphone, but did not have adequate reception to place the call. I walked around the house, seeking a signal. I even went outside and walked to the end of the driveway, all without an adequate signal. I had to wait until we could drive into downtown, before I could make the call. 

I am glad that it is much easier to talk with God. I can connect with Him, no matter where I am located. The signal is always strong. I don’t have to wait, with instant access. I can communicate with God about whatever is on my mind—my worries, concerns, and fears. I can thank Him for His many blessings, pray for others and talk to Him for as long as I want. There are no restrictions. 

If there is a problem with our connection with God, it is always easy to fix. The problem is always on our end, and is easily remedied by simply praying. 

Have you called on God lately?  He is always ready and eager to take your call.