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…

Letting go of the old and the past creates space for growth and allows new and more incredible things to blossom in this new space.  Letting go will allow God to step in and make all that is seemingly impossible possible.  Letting go is trusting that God will care for us and all that God…

Kevin loves fishing, and one summer day, he gave my nephew his first fishing rod and tackle box. We purchased the equipment, including a fresh container of worms, and could not wait for our trip down south the next day. Near my sister’s house is a park where some go to fish for trout.  Upon…

1 Kings 3:16-28 NRSVUE 24 So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 But the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because compassion for her son burned…

Living the Resurrected Life By Pastor Iraida (This written piece is a revised version of “Living the Life,” from April 2014, written after a season of preparation for my interview with the Board of Ordained Ministry and learning that the Board affirmed me as an elder in full connection in the United Methodist Church for…

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane(Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42;Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1-3) Lent has begun (February 14, Ash Wednesday), and so has our journey through the wilderness, which will last for the remainder of March until Maundy Thursday.  What did you decide to let go, and what spiritual disciplines have you taken on that will help you…