Practicing Extravagant Generosity (10/15 thru 11/11 2017)
Unity. Pulling together to be of one heart and one purpose. In our church, that purpose is to glorify our Creator-God and to help Him build His Kingdom. Our goal is to become more like Christ in every facet of our lives. One of the attributes of God is that He is generous… REALLY generous. Imagine the Son of God somehow squeezing Himself into a human body, living on this earth, and then dying on a Roman cross? Think about the God who has provided all of your needs throughout your...
Read MoreGod’s Miracle of Peace
Is life a puzzle? Problems, questions, fears? We all struggle with issues in our lives; they come and go in a constant barrage. Sometimes you look at the pieces of your life, and they don’t seem to fit together. Somewhere, there must be peace. Where is that “Piece” of the puzzle? And so, the Signboard Message said: IS LIFE A PUZZLE? WE HAVE THE MISSING PEACE! The good news is that God offers us True Peace. Eternal Peace. The Peace that we need, not...
Read MorePastor’s Ponderings: Prayer Brings Peace in the Storm!
As Pastor Jim wrote this article (on 8/25/17), Hurricane Harvey was barrelling down on Southeast Texas. In addition to the other tragedies facing the world, each of us faces our own times of stress and change. In the midst of impending storms, and in the middle of storms, be reminded that prayer offers a tremendous pathway for peace… Greetings Friends: Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with...
Read MoreNew Challenge? Be Strong and Courageous! (Camp Meeting, 8/20/17)
On August 20 2017, the First UMC of Glassboro hosted the Pitman Camp Meeting. Their Praise Band (Magnify) roused us up with their music, and their Pastor (Rev. John Inverso) inspired us with his message…. Pastor John’s scripture reading was Joshua 1:6-11… 6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses...
Read MoreNot a Cold Day in November? Be Thankful Anyway!!!
The following message was posted on our signboard: DON’T WAIT UNTIL A COLD DAY IN NOVEMBER TO BE THANKFUL! Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18… Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Always? In ALL circumstances? This is August! It’s blazing hot and you can’t walk 10 feet without sweating to death. Joyful? Thankful?!? What if… The Mortgage is due and the...
Read MoreTime to Get Our Feet Wet! (7/30/17)
It was confirmation Sunday. A Group of wide-eyed teens stood at the front of the church to declare the faith that their parents had promised to nurture in them when when they stood at the same altar years earlier. These youth had “survived Pastor Jim’s Boot camp” in order to reach this special Sunday. But what’s next? Completing Middle School, entering High School, College, jobs, marriage, even having kids themselves? So much awaits. So much potential to fear and...
Read MoreHis Love Makes no Sense!
Members of our BLAST Youth group recently returned from a week at Malaga Camp. The theme of the week was God’s love. How can God send His Son to dies for us and continue to love us even when we keep on rejecting Him and breaking away to do our own thing? One of the people attending the camp wrote the following… “His love makes no sense.” I turned to the woman next to me (who later would become a new friend) and cried, “Why does Jesus love me so much? I don’t deserve...
Read MoreThe Bible: Take it Personally!
The Bible is useless it brings you closer to God. In order for that to happen, you have to engage with the scripture; put yourself into the story and be willing to change.
Read MoreYou Were There! (Camp Meeting, 7/16/17)
Rev. Jim Hughes has a unique ministry where he dresses up as a Biblical character and gives a first person account of what he lived through; of how he saw God or walked with Jesus. Over the years at the Pitman Camp Meeting we’ve seen him portray characters such as Judas, Peter, and John. Some of those costumes were pretty heavy. And on a warm July night in the Grove Auditorium, they can be pretty uncomfortable. There have been evenings where his performance cost him 5-10 pounds from...
Read MoreFree of God, or Free in Christ?
The signboard message said “Freedom in Christ.” But don’t many people prefer their own notion of freedom; a freedom apart from Christ? A freedom FROM God? Some may not understand the freedom that God offers, and instead they might prefer to have freedom to ignore God. They might be more apt to ask the following and choose the second option: FREEDOM IN CHRIST OR FREEDOM FROM CHRIST? The “God Questions” Every human being eventually...
Read MoreEye Opening Experience! (Camp Meeting, 6/25/17)
Summer! When the end of May hits the calendar our senses are surrounded with a fresh set of experiences: The smell of burgers on the grill… The chlorine-laden breeze of a pool… The sights of sand and beach… The smell of sunblock lotion… The quiet splash of whirling lake water as you paddle a canoe. But to experience all of that, our senses must be open. The speaker at the first service of the 2017 Pitman Camp Meeting was Rev. Bill Wilson, and he focused on our sense...
Read MoreFive Finger Praying
How do you pray??? Do you use words? Do you just think of images knowing that God knows the rest? What do you say? Do you ask for stuff? Do you just confess and ask for forgiveness? Do you vent your frustrations??? Ever since the beginning of human existence- even after Jesus introduced His model prayer- people struggle with figuring out how to pray. Maybe you use the “A. C. T. S. ” Model: A- Adoration C- Confession T- Thanksgiving S- Supplication The Five Fingered...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: To Sing is to Pray Twice!
Our service on 6/25/17 didn’t have a sermon! Instead, we turned to Music to lead us to and through our time of worship as we celebrated God’s Grace.
Read MoreA Week of Strength
During her Mother’s Day sermon on 5/14/17, Stephanie Hogan invited us to (re-)consider the depth of God’s awesome love for YOU, how He chose you, and how He is with you constantly to guide and strengthen you. God wants to deepen your relationship with Him by molding you into the man or woman He wants you to be; the person He created you to be. The “scripture reading” for her sermon was a series of 7 passages which talked about God’s special personal relationship...
Read MoreWhat do You Know About Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day. It comes every year on the 2nd Sunday of May. How much do you really know about Mothers Day? First of all, is it “Mother’s Day”, “Mothers’ Day” or “Mothers Day”??? Where do you put the apostrophe? Or do you even use one? Google “Mothers Day” and you’ll see all three spellings. So is it: A day for your mother (Mother’s) A day for all mothers (Mothers’) Or a day just named after female...
Read MoreA Drop of Example, or a Gallon of Advice???
On May 10,2017 (several days before Mother’s Day), the following message was posted on our signboard: A DROP OF EXAMPLE IS WORTH MORE THAN A GALLON OF ADVICE As we approach Mother’s Day, think about it… What has left a deeper impression- what do yo remember most: The things your Mom said, or the things she did? Chances are, you probably remember some great advice that Mom gave. A host of sayings, scripture, music, or just plane home-spun wisdom constantly prod...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: A Divine Love Song
Pastor Jim submitted the following on April 5, 2017… Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (NASB). PLEASE READ: Hebrews 6:1-2 “Let us stop going over the same old ground again and again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to...
Read MoreSay a Nehemiah 2:4 Prayer!
Things are going along pretty well, then all of a sudden life throws you a curve and the steam of anger or fear starts to build. Or, all of a sudden you’re in a dire situation where you need to make a quick decision. What do you do?
Follow the example of Nehemiah and say a quick “Nehemiah 2:4 Prayer”!
Pastors Ponderings: Christ the Lord is Risen Today!
No Easter Sunday at PUMC would be complete without singing the hymn Christ the Lord is Risen Today. In this article (and in the corresponding podcast on the UMC website), Dr. Paul Chilcote guides us through this hymn’s verses and shows us how to take the Risen Christ into the other 364 days of the year.
Read MoreWhat Should We Pray For???
We hear a lot about prayer. Prayer is a big part of developing a relationship with God… it’s a huge part of being a Christian. But what do we pray for? Can we “bother” God with trivial requests like asking for a good parking spot? What about praying for someone’s health; maybe it’s God’s will that this person not get well. Should we pray anyway? Can we pray for ourselves? What can we pray for??? Some of these are difficult questions, and we...
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