Welcome to the JCPC Daily Reflections Blog. Reflections are daily devotionals authored by JCPC pastors, staff and members and provide insight, guidance and comfort to help you make it through each day. If you’d like to receive Reflections each day via email, provide your email address.
By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
-Psalm 119:105
What parts of God’s word have been guiding you in this season?
Over the past few years I have spent more time in prayer through movement.
One of the most meaningful prayer practices has been walking the labyrinth. This ancient pathway, on canvas in our Great Hall or on stone outdoors, has helped me center my connection with God.
Last year in January, I spent two days in Charlotte on a retreat. This experience offered a deeper understanding of movement, art and prayer through the labyrinth. When making the plans to attend, I did not have any idea what would unfold in March with the pandemic and continue into this fall.
Our children at JCPC have walked this prayer path in multiple experiences over the past few years. On Sunday as we prepared for my last Children’s Worship, Will and Chap helped me to create space in the Calvin Room for the labyrinth as one of our interactive prayer stations at the end. Will has helped set up the labyrinth in the Great Hall, in the church parking lot and in the Calvin Room listening to mentors and guides in our church community.
It was a blessing to me that he was eager to help set up the space for prayer on Sunday and then said, “Mom, we need to put candles in the center.” He found the battery operated ones in our cabinet and carefully placed them in the center for each child to have space for a pause and deep breath as they walked.
This village of faithful followers at JCPC have helped Will see and know God’s light on our path. You have nurtured him in each season of his faith so far.
As we continue down God’s path and answer the call to ministry in Savannah, we take each one of you with us in the ways you have helped us grow in our faith. Thank you for this blessing and we look forward to the ways we will continue to share God’s love in the world together.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Thank you for the gift of your word as a guide for our lives. Help us to be open to the ways we can share your Word and your love each day. In Christ’s Name, Amen.
And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.
-1 Corinthians 12:28, NRSV
The last quarter of the year presents the church with some operational tasks. The two big ones are setting a proposed expense budget for the upcoming year, and the elections of new Elders as the third year Elders rotate off Session. Last Monday evening the Stewardship team after consultations with the ministry teams presented a proposed expense budget for the new year. The suggested budget fulfills the requests from the ministry teams and will be the basis for the upcoming “Give, Go, Live – Again!” fall stewardship campaign. The proposed budget is modestly bigger than the 2021 budget. The session voted unanimously in favor of the proposed 2022 expense budget.
Identifying and securing a new class of six Elders is the next big item. The Elder Nominating Committee will have its first meeting this week, mainly to review the mechanism of Elder selection and to ask the congregation for its input. The qualifications for an Elder as identified in the Bible will guide JCPC’s nominating committee who will seek nominations from the congregation. Elders should model a Christlike lifestyle, by living a faithful stewardship of time, talents, and gifts in support of God’s work.
Elders must participate in the governance of the church and participate when asked to serve on the various ministry teams. You will see Elders serving Communion, participating in worship, and attending church activities and special services. We seek Elders who while serving on the Session seek to discern the will of God as opposed to representing various agendas. As JCPC has needs such as meeting payroll and mortgage, supporting its missions, maintaining its physical plant and teaching future generations, the church needs Elders who are gifted in many different fields. Every Elder I have met has told me that they did not, when first asked, feel qualified enough to serve as an Elder. All of us are at different levels of our personal faith journeys. There is no mandatory level for an Elder. Living a Christian lifestyle is enough.
We will be asking for nominations from the congregation over the next weeks. Elders must be members of JCPC for at least three years and model a Christian lifestyle. Please participate in the Elder nomination process and if you believe one of your fellow church members should be guiding the church, then offer their name in nomination.
Prayer for Today
Heavenly father,
We ask that today you guide us in doing your will. Help us to not insert our desires and agendas when doing your work. Help us to remember that Christ prayed for a unified church filled with followers who had been instructed in Christ’s teachings and who would model Christ’s love each day. We pray that our church as seen through its programs and actions functions in a manner that is pleasing to you. We ask for this guidance in Christ’s name.
When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
-Deuteronomy 6:10-12
I remember something that happened in high school when I worked at the local grocery store. While waiting for a customer, one of the other workers said something to the effect of, “Isn’t it interesting how only weak people are Christian? I mean, no CEOs or other powerful people need any religion because they have everything they need. It’s only the weak and poor who pray to some god to get what they don’t have.”
Being 16 at the time, I was not prepared to hear this nor respond in a meaningful way, so I just shrugged and dropped the topic. But it is something that I’ve thought about from time to time since then. I wondered if his misconception was a modern issue brought about by great abundance, technology, and an increasing disdain for religion in society.
But look at the verses from Deuteronomy above. These were written long ago, but the people are warned not to forget God in their future wealth and abundance. There weren’t cell phones, cars, or even Twitter back then, but clearly that didn’t matter. So the problem of forgetting or “not needing” God is not a modern one, but a human one. What is it about having stuff, being in a position of power, or feeling great that makes us forget God?
I’m sure we have all prayed in times of pain and distress. When we hurt, we want to reach out to God because we know God will not forget us amidst our deepest despairs and longings. But once things are going well, it’s all too easy to forget to praise God. Initially, I might thank God for the help, but I become satisfied with my positive situation and can sometimes forget to sing for joy. Being a Christian is more of a journey than a one-time decision. We are always oscillating between being close to God and being further away than we want. But we are loved unconditionally by an unchanging God who is always waiting for us, even when we “forget” God. Take a moment today and say a prayer of thanksgiving for something in your life. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Prayer for Today
God of Abundant Grace, thank you for this day and the countless blessings you have given each of us. Despite this abundance, we are caught up in our own despair at times. Help us to remember your generosity in everything, in all we do, so that we can rightfully praise and worship you with our hearts. Amen.
If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
-Psalm 139:9-10
Two weeks ago, I took some time off work and I was able to spend a lot of time with the boys, especially the youngest. He’s blessed that his mother works from home and was also one of our fine JCPC preschool teachers. Their mornings are filled with learning and skills. One morning, my wife pulled out the paper and his egg-shaped crayons for coloring time. I sat with him on the floor and helped him arrange his materials. He had trouble holding the fat green crayon upright and make a mark. I gently placed my hand on his to help him draw a swirling pattern. And then a square. Then I let go.
That’s when he surprised me. Instead of drawing his own new shape, he put his own back into mine and pulled me back to the paper and waited. So I helped him draw a triangle. Then I let go. Again and again, he moved his hand back within mine and back to the paper. He seemed to delight in seeing what he could do with my help. He took comfort in my gentle guidance and what we produced together. Even as a child, he could appreciate the deep mystery and magic of being a part of something he couldn’t yet do on his own. He didn’t want me to draw for him. He didn’t want to draw for me. He wanted to collaborate and create together.
The psalmist reminds us that God’s hand can guide us, even from far away. We can collaborate with the creator of the universe. The hands that shaped galaxies and comets and formed you and me from star stuff can and will guide our hands, if we place our trust and curiosity in God. Imagine the care, the growth, the healing, the work, and the beauty we can create when we place our hands in the creator’s. When you pray this week, pray with your hands open and ask God to take them and use them. Imagine what we can do.
Prayer for Today
Lord, take these hands and help me to do beautiful things. Amen.
For more than eleven years I've had the privilege of serving as the pastor of Johns Creek Presbyterian Church. During this time, I have worked with many staff members who have used their gifts to do God's work in this church and in our community. We are saying goodbye to two of our staff members -- Allison Shearouse and Elizabeth Uhles.
I began working with both Elizabeth and Allison when I was first called here. Elizabeth was already on staff serving as our Summer Youth Intern, but when our Youth Director resigned even before I started, we asked Elizabeth to step in as our Interim Youth Director, and she did a great job. Soon after that our Interim Director of Christian Education resigned for another position, so we asked Elizabeth to fill that role on an interim basis, which she did again. Soon after that, we found Allison to be our Director of Christian Education. Elizabeth later shared with us that she was returning to get her degree in counseling.
A few years after that we needed a bookkeeper, and one of our church members suggested Elizabeth. I was surprised because I thought she was counseling, which it turned out she was doing. But she also had some bookkeeping experience, so we interviewed her and hired her because we knew how well she had done everything else here at JCPC. So, in addition to her growing counseling practice, Elizabeth did a great job as our bookkeeper. And now because of the pandemic, her client load has increased to the point where she needs to do it full time to help hurting people.
As I mentioned above, Allison was hired early on. She was the first full-time program staff we hired after I came. Allison brought experience, a positive attitude, and a knack for accomplishing everything that made it onto her list. As she has served JCPC, we have celebrated the addition of Will to her family. We wish Allison, Chap, and Will God's blessings as she follows God’s call to serve the First Presbyterian Church of Savannah, Georgia.
We honored Elizabeth last Sunday in worship and we plan to honor Allison this Sunday. I hope you will make a special effort to be there at 11:00 a.m. in our Great Hall. There will be a time to gather in the Atrium afterwards and to express your appreciation to Allison for her faithful service here at Johns Creek Presbyterian Church.
Prayer for Today
Thank you, God, for faithful servants like Allison and Elizabeth -- who have given their time and talents to make a difference in the lives of others. Bless them as they each enter the next chapter of their life with you. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7
This has been a familiar passage to me since 7th grade. That’s when I memorized it and it’s been imprinted on my heart ever since. What words come to mind when you hear the word peace? Where are the places that really need peace right now? What relationships are required? How might God be a part of bringing that peace through us?
Perhaps peace in our world begins with peace in our own lives. We each have places of unrest, and perhaps if we work for peace here, inside our lives, we might be able to know more of God’s peace in the world.
Do you think all of the noise and busyness in our lives makes it difficult to find peace? Do our schedules, our time, our lives look like that of a person who wants to experience God’s peace? Is it possible that sometimes we search for God in the winds, earthquakes and fires, but God is waiting to speak to us in the silence and peace?
After a conversation a few years ago, I received this wooden dove from Jamie Traylor. I keep it on my desk as a reminder of peace. At that time, I was navigating some challenges and needed to find a path towards reconciliation. Since then, this dove is a visual prompting for me to consider peace.
Over the past few seasons, I have noticed spaces of unrest and spaces of peace. I have always been drawn to those peaceful places: ocean waves, chirping birds, gentle breeze…
What are the sounds of your peaceful places? How might you move towards reconciliation in one aspect of your life?
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Help us to see the needs of others around us. Help us to know those needs which we can fulfill. Help us to fulfill them and make your peace known. In Christ’s Name, Amen.
The unfolding of Your Word(s) gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
-Psalm 119:130
This is a picture from a card my Mother sent me many years ago! She said inside, …to my daughter who loves the lighthouses! And I still do today! I like to think of God’s Word as a lighthouse to my soul and my understanding. A lighthouse by design sits near the edge of the sea, mostly on high ground if available. It signals danger to ships and boats at night when they are sailing in dangerous waters or near rocky shores, when water covers the danger!
The light of God’s Word is like that for us, as well. How often do we blindly sail near to danger, and realize it just at the right time. Hear that still small voice saying “this is the way…walk in it!” (Isaiah 30:21). Just like that strong beam of a lighthouse can make a sailor steer away from rocky shores, away from danger, so can the light of God’s Word guide us in daily life. The catch is…..we need to know what is in His Word and how He guides us. We find that by spending time in Bible study, and reading Scripture asking God for understanding, greater wisdom and faith. (James 1:5 If you need wisdom-if you want to know what God wants you to do-ask Him and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking!)
What a mighty and faithful and loving God we have. There is nothing we can ever do to make Him turn away from His own. Let His Word be the light to steer you away from those rocky shores that can be so tempting to explore!
Prayer for Today
Holy Merciful and Faithful God, be that “still small voice”, that “tap on the shoulder” that gives us correction when we need it. Open our spiritual eyes and ears to “hear” Your voice and know Your leading. In the precious name of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
This Sunday we are singing I Need Thee Every Hour as our closing hymn. The text was written in 1872 by Annie Sherwood Hawks (with a little help on the refrain and the music by her pastor, Robert Lowry, who is known better for writing Shall We Gather at the River and How Can I Keep From Singing). Annie Hawks, a young wife and mother at the time she wrote this hymn, composed over 400 hymn texts throughout her life, but this is the only one of hers that is still sung today.
Retelling the story of how she wrote it, Hawks writes, "One day I was busy with my regular household tasks during a bright June morning. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me -- 'I Need Thee Every Hour. . . .'"
I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like thine can peace afford.
I need thee, O I need thee, every hour I need thee!
O bless me now, my Savior-- I come to thee!
When have you felt the need for God? We've all had times when we feel like life is good and everything is under control... maybe we don't feel we need God so much then... and other times when we fear the worst is going to happen... "God, please fix this, and I promise I'll _________" and we find ourselves bargaining with the Almighty for our desired outcome.
I need thee every hour; stay thou near by;
Temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.
I need thee, O I need thee, every hour I need thee!
O bless me now, my Savior-- I come to thee!
I believe the author of this text is talking about having a connection to God, a closeness that you never want to... or have to be without, for even one hour, once you've experienced it. How does one find this connection?
I need thee every hour; teach me thy will,
And thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need thee, O I need thee, every hour I need thee!
O bless me now, my Savior-- I come to thee!
Do you make time for prayer? Do you get quiet and listen? How do you know God's voice? Do you make time to read the Bible?
I need thee every hour, Most Holy One;
O make me thine indeed, thou blessed Son.
I need thee, O I need thee, every hour I need thee!
O bless me now, my Savior-- I come to thee!
After worshiping with us this Sunday, after singing four stanzas of this classic hymn, I hope you will think of your need for God, and how the Creator of heaven and earth has drawn near to us, so that we may draw near to him, and share that love with others.
Prayer for Today
Holy God, I need thee, O I need thee, every hour I need thee! O bless me now, my Savior-- I come to thee! Amen.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of God’s calling, what are the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints.
-Ephesians 1:18
My youngest son is at an age where he has begun to put words into phrases and copy those phrases from others around him. His favorite? “Oh Look!” It’s useful in so many circumstances. Things in the house, things on our walks, in his room, out the window, or on the TV. And now we use it to show him things too. His world is about discovery and anticipation, and so ours is too. By drawing our attention to things that are new to him, and us drawing his attention to things we want him to add to his experience, we see things with new eyes, new perspective.
Scripture tells us how important eyes are. What they look at, what we choose to see or not see, and even that our heart has eyes. Paul reminds the Ephesians that the eyes of our heart, our seat of emotion and compassion, must be set on God’s calling, God’s instruction. Enlightenment comes from God’s wisdom, and Paul is praying for their hearts to have eyes for the things of God. Paul is praying they focus on what God points them to see. God is saying, “oh, look!” And Paul doesn’t want them to miss it.
When we read scripture, study it together in Christian community, and ask the spirit to give us enlightened eyes of the heart, we are seeking God’s call. We are stunning ourselves to a way of seeing what’s important when God calls. When we learn and grow in God’s word, we see where God is pointing in this world, to people who need compassion, acceptance, living wages, affordable and accessible housing, justice, equitable education, affordable healthcare, and faith family. When we get serious about internalizing God’s wisdom and God’s call on our lives, we can hear in our daily lives, God saying, “oh, look!”
Prayer for Today
Lord, make the eyes of my heart open wide. Help me be enlightened by your word and bold by your spirit to love by meeting the needs of those I see. Amen.
Last Sunday morning we presented our second graders with Bibles. It is something we do every year here at Johns Creek Presbyterian Church. After we presented the Bibles, I invited the kids who had received the Bibles to have a seat for the children's sermon. And while I was asking them about what a newspaper and the Bible they had just received had in common, I noticed that both of the young men who received a Bible were very focused on their Bibles and not that interested in what I was saying. They seem to be fascinated as they flipped through the pages. Normally I might be a little hurt because they weren't fascinated with what I was saying, but actually I was thrilled because they found this new Bible in their laps to be so interesting. My hope is that their Bibles would remain just as interesting in their coming years.
Karl Barth was probably the most influential theologian of the 20th century. He wrote four volumes of books, 500 to 700 pages each called Church Dogmatics. There is a story about a time Karl Barth was once teaching. Someone asked him how he would summarize all that was in his books. He paused and said this, “Jesus loves me, this I know, because the Bible tells me so.”
How did one of the deepest Christian thinkers and most effective teachers know about the love of Jesus? Because the Bible told him so! Friends, how do we encounter the risen Christ who loves us? One of the best ways is through the scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. Through scripture we can find spiritual nourishment for our lives, as well as the strength and guidance us to do whatever it is God calls each of us to do.
Prayer for Today
Loving God, fill us with your words of grace and truth. Help us to find time to read from the scriptures you give us. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ, the Word made flesh who lived among us. Amen.
