Just These Lines Pastor Blog

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Jesus is Coming

16th Sunday after Pentecost Just these lines, my friends … … to say that our Sunday (9/10) was a special one: Family Worship in the Gym (I heard there was quite a kazoo band on hand), the balcony presence of Stumptown Brass, the powerful music of our Praise Team, Kathy White on the organ after a time of vacation, the...
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The Beauty In Being A United Methodist Christian

7th Sunday after Pentecost Just these lines, my friends … … to say it was wonderful to gather at Matthews United Methodist (MUMC) this past Sunday to worship God and celebrate our nation’s birthday. What a glorious day! Moving music, great patriotic outfits and hopefully a little inspiration along the way. If you missed it, I hope you’ll watch here....
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Advent Takes Us By Surprise & MUMC Community Update

Second Sunday of Advent | December 2, 2020 Just these lines, my friends … … to say that Thanksgiving 2020 felt different for the Wilson family. Every year for nearly 40 years, Karen and I have invited friends and family to sit at the table with us. We have shared the feast, prayed prayers of gratitude, read scripture and told stories....
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Hope, Light & Love

Easter/April 8, 2020 Just these lines, my friends …  … to say that I really miss you. I so miss being with you on Sundays (face-to-face). It’s strange – when I gather with our pastors and musicians (no more than 10) on Sunday in our expansive Sanctuary to do our livestream worship service, we still do feel the presence of...
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Royal Rule of the Scriptures

Epiphany/January 15, 2020 Just these lines, my friends … … to say that I love to hear Pastor Corey preach. What a marvelous communicator! Thank you, Corey, for putting the Word in words for us on Sunday (January 12). If you missed her beautiful message, you can watch it here. Some of you have asked how we closed out our...
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Hopeful Future is LOVE

1st Sunday after the Epiphany/January 8, 2020 Just these lines, my friends … … to say “thank you” to Pastor Paul for his excellent message on Sunday, January 5. I was able to watch the service on our live stream. I was amazed at the quality and some of the creative camera shots. “Thank you” to Joel Mullis and his...
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Sacred Moments

The Third Sunday of Advent/December 11, 2019 Just these lines, my friends … … to say that I hope you had the opportunity to hear the deeply moving music of our Sanctuary Choir on Sunday (December 8). You can click here to listen to their special music and watch my sermon. Connections & Sacred Experiences I love being the pastor...
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Embrace the Darkness

The Second Sunday of Advent/December 4, 2019 Just these lines, my friends … … to say thank you to Pastor Paul for getting us off to a beautiful start to the Advent season. His sermon and Holy Communion were straight arrows for our hearts. You can watch the Sunday worship service here. A very special “thank you” for all of...
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Quantify Feelings

The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost in Ordinary Time/November 6, 2019 Just these lines, my friends … … to say what a special Sunday: celebrating the Saints, our music in all services, the actions of Holy Communion, an additional hour of sleep, preparing for November 17, and Pastor John with Kidron Valley Ministries in Uganda. You can watch a short video...