|
2025 Fruits Of The Spirit 3 7 24 2023 Let The Children Come To Me 12 7 23 |
2022 Gifts 12 18 21 2020 Calm Our Storms 4 27 20 |
|
Friday, March 14, 2025 |
|
Scriptures: Mark 9:23 (NIV) – “Jesus said, ‘Anything is possible to him who believes.’” Matthew 9:22a-b (NIV) – “Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’” Message: My niece, Kelly, and her husband, Tim, have the cutest and most independent three-year-old, Eli. Several weeks ago, after Tim preached his Saturday evening service at Victory at Vineyard, as they usually do, the family went out to dinner. Eli was holding the door for all his relatives to exit while Kelly went to their truck. Suddenly, a loud blast of a car engine came from the auto show next door. Kelly looked over at Eli, and his eyes were wide open with a startled look. A few seconds later, his adult sister brought a crying Eli over to Kelly. She put him in his car seat, and he stopped crying. However, he refused to get out of the truck once he got home. For the next four hours, Eli slept restlessly, waking often, crying, trembling, breathing heavily, and wanting to go back to the truck; he was inconsolable. Tim said, “What happened to cause this reaction?” Kelly kept thinking about what he said…. “What happened?”. She started praying, “Dear God, why is Eli acting like this? He seems traumatized, but why?” She kept thinking he was going to be in therapy for the rest of his life! Then she remembered the car motor blast; that was it! Tim and Kelly laid their hands on him; Tim prayed to change the memory of what happened and take away the anxiety of that moment. Immediately, they felt his little body relax, and his breathing became steady. He slept soundly the rest of the night and the nights thereafter. Reflecting on the power of prayer and the sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation, I am reminded of the profound impact of belief. Lent, a season of spiritual renewal, introspection, and heart purification, is a testament to the power of faith. We are called to pray with an attitude of expectation, firmly believing that God hears our prayers and will answer them. That is what makes this story of Eli so beautiful: Kelly and Tim believed! The woman who was hemorrhaging believed. Prayer: Lord, teach us to pray with an attitude of expectancy. Guard us from the fear and doubt that would hinder us from receiving an answer. In Jesus name. Amen.
Barbara Moss Lakeland, Florida |
|
Thursday, March 7, 2024 |
|
Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Message: Galatians 5:22-23 lists the nine fruits of the Spirit that are essential for Christian spiritual growth. During the season of Lent, we should reflect on these fruits and ask God to help us grow in them. Erin is my brother’s youngest child. As a teenager, she loved playing sports and being a cheerleader. At the age of fourteen, she contracted chickenpox, and her life changed forever. The chickenpox healed, but she was left with extreme fatigue, trouble breathing and a multitude of other health issues. For the next two years, she was in and out of the hospital; subjected to a series of tests, including experimental ones. The doctors concluded that the diagnosis was multiple autoimmune syndrome, which included Lupus, Sjogren, and rheumatoid arthritis. Erin now lives in a body that will not allow her to live a normal life. She is in constant pain, with some days being better than others. To meet and speak with Erin you would not know of her pain, she is so positive, joyful, kind, and has a gentle aura. Ask what keeps her going, she states, “God has always been with me. I can always feel His presence. I am never alone. I blame no one and I feel no despair.” Erin has been close to death many times throughout the years. In her own words, “I am alive today because God has a purpose for me, this is my story. He is my strength and my protector.” Erin is now forty-seven, married and has been blessed with a beautiful daughter. She is not just existing, but living her fullest life. Her favorite hymn, “It Will Be Worth It All When We See Jesus.” May we rejoice with Erin and reflect on how the “fruits of the Spirit” can enrich our lives and those with whom we meet. Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, help us to allow the fruits of the Spirit to grow and ripen in our lives, no matter what challenges are before us. You are always with us; we are never alone. You are our strength and our protector. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
Barbara Moss Lakeland, Florida |
|
Pearl Harbor Day, Thursday, December 7, 2023 82 years since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor |
|
Scripture: Matthew 18:1-4 (CEV) – “About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus called a child to come over and had the child stand near Him. Then He said: I promise you this. If you don’t change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Message: Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus. It also is the time we spend with our loved ones, enjoying various delicacies and having fun. It brings a childlike essence of joy, peace, and togetherness. Twice a month several of us from our church visit a Senior Living Community to “Sing, Pray, Love.” Here is where we met Ms Velma. Ms Velma turned 105 years young this last October. To watch and listen to her, it is obvious that she is not just existing, but continues to live her life to the fullest. The other residents tell of how you never see her unhappy, as one friend stated, “She truly sees the good in everything and is an inspiration to us all”. Ms Velma puts it this way, “I had no idea I'd ever live this long, and I don't know how much longer I’m going to live, either, because I’m still feeling good. I'm still doing something. It may not be a big thing for some, but it’s good enough for me. To enjoy, love, and be with family and friends, that’s just fantastic.” She credits her sunny outlook to her family and to her strong faith in God. In Matthew 18:1-4 Jesus speaks of the kind of humility He saw in children that they are eager to learn and grow. Children believe easily, love generously, and live happily. Jesus calls us to be more like children in our lives, faith, and our quest for happiness. I believe Ms Velma “gets it.” Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us in this Advent season to examine our hearts. If we have become lukewarm towards the things of God, renew in us a childlike spirit of awe and wonder of who You truly are. Give us the courage to choose joy and love. Be born in us again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Barbara
Moss |
|
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 |
|
Scripture: Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV) – “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Message: Some days, I awaken feeling stressed even before I get out of bed. My to-do list is too long (I should have done more yesterday). A deadline is set for tomorrow (like this Lenten Devotional). The pressures from the outside world and from my own expectations weigh me down. However, when I started putting my thoughts together in writing this, I reflected on what Lent is all about and that it is the perfect time to let go of worries and to renew our awareness of the good that surrounds us. When my sister, Janet, and I were growing up, we were always singing. She would play the piano and we would entertain ourselves for hours, singing songs from all music genres. One day we were going through our Dad’s music library and found a book of song lyrics, no music. We started singing a few of the songs, “Down in the Valley,”1 “Camp Town Races,”2 folk songs, etc. We started singing a song I was not familiar with, so, I just followed Janet. At the completion of our singing, I said, “that is a beautiful song, I have never heard it before.” Janet looked startled and she said, “what, me neither!” We trusted each other so totally that we relied on following the other and the result was beautiful. That is how, I believe, it works with our Lord and Savior. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22 (ESV)). Every challenge and every decision is an opportunity for us to give it over to God for guidance and inspiration. The result is one of love and hope. Prayer: Heavenly Father, open our hearts and minds to Your love and greatness. Help us to remember to let You lead the way every day. Amen. Barbara Moss
1. “Down in the Valley” by Jimmie Tarlton.
1925. Title only no permission required. |
|
Pearl Harbor Day, Wednesday, December 7, 2022 81 years since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor |
|
Scripture: Matthew 28:20b (NLT) – “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Message: The Christmas season is, for most of us, a time of family, joy, and celebration. But for some people it can be a trying time for many different reasons; being away from family, loss of a loved one, loneliness. The four Advent candles we light each Sunday, preceding Christmas, represent the virtues that Jesus brought us: hope, love, joy, and peace. We are never alone, as our Father God is always with us, no matter the situation. It is on my heart to share these words, written by my earthly father, Collins H Driggs in 1942.
I alone shall never be,
Amid the
scenes of earthly throng,
I alone shall
never kneel, Collins H Driggs© 1942 Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help us who are lonely, feel forgotten and afraid, to know that we are never alone, You are always here for us.… the One who forever walks with us. We need You now and always. Be born in us again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Barbara Moss |
|
Scripture: Luke 9:16a (NIV) - "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them." Message: As we prepare ourselves for Easter, I reflect on the times when I worked in for-profit and non-profit organizations. There were many situations where my team and I were faced with major decisions involving contracts, personnel, and the welfare of children and families. I remember in my daily prayers, during my tenure, I would ask God to guide me in the right direction, but still felt the tremendous responsibility. The miracle of Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand with five loaves and two fish is a lesson that speaks to trusting in the Lord. Jesus could have simply snapped His fingers and there would have been plenty of food, but He didn't. He gave it to the disciples to distribute. They had to trust in the Lord for everything they dispensed to the people. I wonder if I were one of the of disciples if my initial thought would be, "What good are we going to do with only five loaves and two fish?" In our training to become a Stephen Minister, we were taught that our role is to be "process-oriented" caregivers to those we minister, not to be "result-oriented" which should be left to God. This was a lesson for me to truly learn and understand, just as the disciples had to learn to put their trust completely in Jesus and to understand that He would provide. Kenneth Haugk in his book "Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart, How to Relate to Those who are suffering" states: "Hurts don't go away because you wish them away or reason them away. In fact, nothing you as a caregiver can do will miraculously remove the pain. That's God's terrain." We are all caregivers in one way or another. In these times where we have experienced so much uncertainty, pain, and loss we need to trust that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and He will provide. Prayer: Help us God, to put our trust in You, to avoid the feelings of discouragement at the enormity of a world lacking justice and to simply offer what we have, even if what we have seems to be less than five loaves and two fish. Amen. Barbara Moss |
|
Saturday, December 18, 2021 |
|
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) - "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." Message: It was August 28, 1966. My 16-year-old sister, Janet, had just had an argument with our Dad that evening. As she was walking down the hall to go to bed, she decided not to kiss Dad goodnight as she was still annoyed with him. Suddenly, she heard an actual voice telling her to go tell him you love him and give him a kiss goodnight. As teenagers often are stubborn, out loud she said "No, not going to do it!" Again, she heard an insistent voice say, "Go do it!" She immediately turned toward the living room where he was reading, she bent down kissed him and said I love you. Our Dad died early the next morning. Several weeks ago in Sunday, School, we were discussing if any of us had ever experienced the Holy Spirit's power in ways that point to the reality of God's heavenly kingdom breaking into this world? Janet shared this story. She said, "I will always be thankful to God for making me listen...what a Gift!" Advent Season is a very special time of year that sometimes gets lost in the bright lights of the Christmas season it precedes. This Advent may we take time to reflect on how we have experienced the Holy Spirit's power and allow God to work through us for others. Perhaps we could call a friend we haven't heard from in a while; visit a neighbor who lives alone; do a simple act of kindness. These are the true Gifts of Christmas that we can carry and give throughout the years to come by allowing God to work through us. Prayer: Lord, help us to listen, act and love. May we be the instruments in sharing the Gift of You. Amen. Barbara Moss |
|
Monday, April 27, 2020 - "The Connection" Series |
|
Scripture: Luke 8:24-25a (NIV) – “The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ He asked his disciples.” Message: When I was six years old my sister, Janet, (who was nine years old) and I decided to go sledding on the hill behind our home in Pennsylvania. It was very cold, and a sheet of ice covered the hill’s ground which made it almost impossible to steer our Flexible Flyer (a steerable, wooden sled with thin metal runners), especially for a small six-year-old. Janet went first to show me how to avoid the four-foot drop into the creek below! She assured me I could do it and all I had to do was to the turn the steering mechanism by putting all my weight into it just as I came close to the edge. So, with the confidence and trust I had in my sister not to “steer” me wrong, I took off lying on my stomach, hands placed tightly on the steering wings, going at what seemed was the speed of light! As I was flying closer and closer to the drop off into the creek, Janet was screaming, “Turn! Turn! Put your weight into it!”. I screamed “I am,” and over I went! Janet ran down, looked over, asked, “are you alright?”. I was hysterically crying, yelling, “I trusted you” as I hit her with my one good arm! I love my sister and today we tell that story with a lot of laughter. She really believed I could do it; she just didn’t realize I was too small to control the sled. We are not perfect, but Jesus is. In calming the storm, Jesus asked His panicked disciples: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”. Jesus was right there with them. The wind and the waves obey Him. He can calm the storms on the sea, as well as the storms in you and me. Prayer: Lord, we trust in Your almighty power and unconditional love. We trust that You care about us and are present in every storm we face in life. Give us hope amid every trial. You are the source of our peace. We love You Lord and we trust in You. Amen. Barbara Moss |
|
|
