Monthly Newsletter

St. John UMC Revelations Volume XX Issue XII | DECEMBER 2024 Have you ever noticed the kind of Christmas movies there are? They usually follow a pattern.  It seems that the Christmas movies usually fall into two categories—either chasing Christmas or avoiding it. What got me thinking about the two extremes the title for a Christmas move called, “Chasing Christmas.”  That title seems to sum up a lot of what happens with a lot of people.  Some chase after the meaning of Christmas,…

St. John UMC Revelations Volume XX Issue XI | November 2024 How often do we see people unashamedly say blessings in public before a meal? We should praise God every time we see that. Unfortunately, not everyone is thankful for God’s providence. Many take it for granted. The story is told a farmer who publicly prayed before his meal.“A farmer visited a large city. In a restaurant before eating, the man bowed his head in a prayer of thanksgiving. Seeing…

I just recently ran across a very profound proverb. It goes like this: “If we do not change our direction we are likely to end up where we are headed.” That proverb got me to thinking. What if Martin Luther had not changed where he was heading as a catholic monk—appalled at the corruption of the selling of indulgences? What if John Wesley had not changed his direction to reach out to the poor and less fortunate people that the Church…

EDIFICATION VERSUS ENTERTAINMENT St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.) once wrote about a common thread that seems to exist in all of us. That thread is the desire to be entertained. In his book Confessions, he mentioned that he was attracted to the theatre because of the way that it would make him feel moved emotionally. He saw in himself and in others the way that an author would command sympathy from an audience. The audience was called on by the author not…

St. John UMC Revelations Volume XX Issue VIII                                                         August 2024 Living on Borrowed Time Years ago, when I was leading a Bible study group at my first church, I had a church member who told us all an interesting story. The story goes like this. There was a man who died, and friends and family gathered around to pay their last respects at the funeral home. One of his friends said to another, “if only he had had a little more…

St. John UMC Revelations Volume XX Issue VII July 2024 Report of the Lay Delegate to 2024 SC United Methodist Annual ConferenceMeeting in Greenville, SC June 9 – 12, 2024 David Salter was the Lay Delegate to Annual Conference. David arrived in Greenville on the morning of Saturday, June 8th as he is a member of a team which sets up and prepares for all worship at Annual Conference. Key business happenings at AC2024• Passed a $10 million dollar budget…

A Good Bit of Nostalgia  I remember sitting down at my desk three years ago and writing my first newsletter article introducing myself to a people I had yet to know. I remember feeling somewhat nervous because, quite honestly—I didn’t know what to write. Well, now I find myself in much of the same position—I’m sitting at my desk in the parsonage and I’m feeling quite nostalgic. I’m reminiscing over the past three years and here is the thing—instead of…

HMMMM. . . What to Write? Ok, I admit, this is the fifth sixth time I have written something and then deleted it, which does happen to me more than I care to admit. In fact, it happens every time I sit down to write something. I want to write something memorable and profound. . . . . something that you can carry with you throughout the day—who knows? Maybe longer, right? But, this is the fifth sixth time that I have written something…

The Resurrection Life Can you believe that yesterday we celebrated Easter? This means that we are now in another season in the life of the Church. The Easter season lasts for fifty days and officially ends on Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus and ushered in the Church age, and just as we took the opportunity to open ourselves up for spiritual transformation during the season of Lent, I want to challenge all of…

This Season of Lent Right now, we are in the season of Lent, which will draw to its end come Easter morning when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. As a reminder, Lent is a time for spiritual reflection and, of course, spiritual transformation—both of which I hope you are engaging during this time.  Let this be a time of prayer, Scripture, fasting (if you choose), worship and spiritual renewal. The following are Scripture passages that…

Are Christians Supposed to be Optimists? What an odd question to begin this month’s newsletter. But honestly, what is your answer to the above question -and- would you consider yourself to be an optimistic Christian? The reason why I’m asking the above question is because there is a lot of negative stuff going on in the world today (both near and far) that could cause anyone to embrace a doom and gloom outlook on life. However, Christians are not called…

Through It All Well, here we are at the doorstep of 2024 and, once again, many of us are getting ready to put all the Christmas decorations away—that is, if you haven’t done so already. If you were present during the Christmas Eve worship, you may recall the portion in the sermon where I urged everyone to go deeper into the Christmas gift that we have received in Jesus the Christ. By deeper, I mean deeper into the Scripture through…