FEAR – By Pastor Iraida “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.   This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment:  In this…

The Legend of the Dogwood Tree* The Dogwood tree has always been one of my favorites to blossom during Easter. I have dreamed of having a retirement home in a favorable climate for its growth. Today, I was years old when I learned of the Legend of the Dogwood tree, and it makes a lot…

Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they…

 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ — the Message — have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and…

This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans…

Holly Gerth designed a Christmas card inspired by Ephesians 5:1. She writes JesusHe came not to a throne, but to a manger.He lived not as a king, but as a servant.He chose not a kingdom, but a cross.He gave not just a little, but everything. As I read Holly Gerth’s words, I reflected on God’s…

Wait! Give thanks!By Pastor Iraida Which of the two lines in the image do you find yourself most often, complaints or gratitude? Do you know that you can offer thanks to God while waiting? Perhaps you are waiting for an answer to prayer, healing for health or the mending of relationships, a confirmation or a…

Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory and that your hand might be with me and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!” And God granted what he asked.  In the beginning years of my ministry, The Prayer of Jabez was preached…

“Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15 The story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has a different meaning to me today than it did…

I began piano lessons at nine years old at the church where I grew up in the Brooklyn area of New York. About to complete my third book, there was a piece three pages long, and for some reason, I kept making a mistake on the same note repeatedly. So much was the music teacher’s…