Bible Challenge 03/30 - 04/05

Greetings All!

This week we continue our reading in the book of Leviticus and start the first three chapters of Numbers. Remember Leviticus is divided into two main sections - 1) the Priestly Code (chapters 1-16 and 27) and 2) the Holiness Code (chapter 17-26). The Priestly Code is mainly instructions to the priests regarding rituals of cleanliness, sin-offerings and the observance of holidays. The Holiness Code applies more to governing the life of the people. Hopefully having a framework to help guide your reading will help Leviticus seem less dry and more relevant.

Then we turn our attention to the book of Numbers. Why is it called that? It's a reference to the two times of census, or numbering of the people, that are recorded within this book. The first ten chapters of Numbers deal with the numbering of the people at Mount Sinai and also preparations for resuming their march through through the wilderness.

Here is the schedule:

30, Sunday: Leviticus 3-6

31, Monday: Leviticus 7-10

1, Tuesday: Leviticus 11-14

2, Wednesday: Leviticus 15-18

3, Thursday: Leviticus 19-22

4, Friday: Leviticus 23-26

5, Saturday: Leviticus 27 - Numbers 3

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Bible Challenge 03/23 - 03/29

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the book of Exodus and read the first two chapters of Leviticus. Chapter 15 up through chapter 20 still deal with the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness to Sinai. Then the rest of Exodus deals with God's law and instructions on the tabernacle and priests. In chapter 31, we find out information about the craftsmen charged with making the tabernacle items and a reminder about the Sabbath. Chapters 32-34 deal with the golden calf, God's response, the second set of tablets and a radiant Moses. That's followed up in chapter 35-38 as the Israelites collect gifts to make the tabernacle and its furnishings and then the tabernacle is setup and filled in chapters 38-40.

I added in a few pictures of our trip to Egypt in 2009. The first was a stop at the supposed well of Marah detailed in Exodus 15:22-26, followed by a picture of Elim, detailed in Exodus 15:27. Next is a picture of the hill where Moses raised his hands so the Israelites could defeat the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-16. Finally there are a couple of pictures taken from the top of Mount Sinai at sunrise. I hope they help you envision what's being talked about in the pages of the Word.







In Leviticus, sometimes the laws and rituals described can seem dry and confusing as you read through them. It helps to remember that the big picture of Leviticus is working out God's covenant with Israel - the consequences of entering into a special relationship with God - special community relationships and behavior. Leviticus can really be divided into two parts: 1) the Priestly Code (chapters 1-16 and 27) and 2) the Holiness Code (chapter 17-26).

Here is the schedule:

23, Sunday: Exodus 15-18

24, Monday: Exodus 19-22

25, Tuesday: Exodus 23-26

26, Wednesday: Exodus 27-30

27, Thursday: Exodus 31-34

28, Friday: Exodus 35-38

29, Saturday: Exodus 39 - Leviticus 2

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This Sunday we will continue our series Giving It Up. There is a discipline that has developed around the season of Lent and giving things up. That for forty days we should deny ourselves of something - a luxury or an indulgence - in order to somehow draw closer to Jesus in his self-denial and suffering on our behalf. This series will help us look at a few things that we might give up permanently, specifically those actions and attitudes that are causing us issues in our relationship with God and with others. I hope you will make plans to come and join us for this time of worship, fellowship, and transformation. For the sermon schedule, please click here and I hope to see you all there!

2. Easter Tableau - Our Annual Easter Tableau, our gift to this community, is right around the corner. On Thursday, April 17th and Friday, April 18th, we will give the people of Ocala the opportunity to witness and relive for themselves the last week of Christ's life here on Earth. In order to make this a reality, we need your help. There are sign-up sheets on the Connection Station for you to volunteer in a myriad of ways. You can volunteer for things such as portraying a character in one of the scenes, to scene set-up, costumes, make-up, sound, or lighting. We still have many places for willing hands and we need yours! Please also be in prayer for a successful 2014 Easter Tableau. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Hughes or Terri Silvola-Finch. Thank You!





3. Meet Adam Hamilton - On Thursday, April 24th Adam Hamilton will be in Orlando for an evening of teaching and conversation around his new book, Making Sense of the Bible. I have four tickets to give away to anyone that is interested. It will take place at First United Methodist in Orlando and will begin at 7 P.M. We will join people from Belleview and ride their bus over and back. If you are interested in going please email me to let me know by clicking here. These tickets are free and they are first come, first serve.





4. New Member Class - On April 6th at 12:45 PM, Pastor Daryl will host a new member class in his office. If you have been attending Druid Hills for several months and would like to take that next step and become a member of this church, please call 629-5688 or email the church office by clicking here to sign up. We will discuss what it means to be a United Methodist, what it means to be a member of Druid Hills, and get a little background on history of this church. If this interests you, we hope you will make plans to attend.




5. New Ministry - We are entering a new season at Druid Hills. We have many new faces, many new children, youth and young adults and, we need a way to get to know each other as we grow together in our faith.

Therefore, beginning Thursday, May 1st, we will start a new weekly program to help us in that endeavor. We are calling it F.A.D. night, or Faith and Discipleship night, and it is designed to unite multi-generations in fun and fellowship while giving us the opportunity to grow in our faith.

We will gather each Thursday from 5:30-7:30 pm, share a meal together and then have various opportunities, for all ages, to engage in discipleship growth. There will be a slight charge for the meal. Those funds will be used to supply the meal and materials for this time of fellowship and discipleship. There will be choir for the children, youth group for the older youth and Bible Study for the adults. We will also mix in special opportunities throughout the year for us to do things as one large group, such as hear from speakers and other minis-tries, and also times to celebrate special milestones.

One of the best ways for us to be all that God created us to be is to know each other as well as we can. A life lived together is a life lived for God. I hope you will make plans to be part of this new opportunity and come grow with us!




Have a great week and I will see you Sunday,

Midweek Moment

You have one of those moments when everything just seems to go together so incredibly well? Everything just seems to fit together so nicely and the experience you are granted is one that just lifts you up?

This past Sunday was one of those moments for me. It was a tremendous time of worship, praise, and thanksgiving. From the wonderful anthem the choir performed, to the passionate offerings of thanksgiving from those that shared during our prayer time, to the special treat we had with a charter member in attendance. It all fit together so perfectly! In fact, after the anthem I was feeling so elated that I was tempted to just give the benediction and dismiss us right there.

Back in 2009, I was sent to a seminar about preaching and worship. There were many lessons taught and insights that were presented. However, there was one that stuck with me more than the others. One of the presenters said that you have to make room, allow room, for the presence of the Holy Spirit. Do not make your services so rigid; do not make your preaching so rigid; that the Holy Spirit does not have room to be a part of it. Do not crowd out the Spirit. This past Sunday we made room…and we were surely blessed!

I love to stand amazed in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I love to be in awe when the Holy Spirit arrives and moves within our midst. I am always incredibly moved when the power of the Holy Spirit reaches in and transforms us from the inside out. And this is my prayer for worship each week. That somehow, some way, in some manner the Holy Spirit will move in a profound way. That is what worship is all about. It is about gathering together, giving our worship and our praise and our thanksgiving to God, and using that time to be remade as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

I hope you found Sunday to be as inspiring as I did. I pray that you were as moved by our time together as I was. It is so wonderful to serve a God that will join us in worship, celebrate with us as we express joy, grieve with us as we express sadness, and heal us as we express weakness. Our God seeks to know us personally, individually and corporately. God seeks to be a central part of our lives, of all aspects of our lives. God wants to share with us the life set out before us, so we may the enjoy God’s presence as we journey one with the other.

This Lenten, I pray that your journey is deep, that your soul is transformed, and that you come to know our Risen Savior on a more personal level. I pray you experience all the blessings God has in store for you and you that you know on an intimate level what it means to have your cup overflow.

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!

Giving It Up: SuperiorityJohn 4:5-15 and 16-26

Our message from March 16, 2014

Bible Challenge 03/16 - 03/22

Greetings All!

This week we finish our reading of Genesis and move on into the book of Exodus. The first thirteen chapters of the Exodus deal with the problems of the Israelites in Egypt, the calling of Moses and the plagues against Egypt. Chapter 13 starts the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness to Sinai. The pictures taken below are from our trip to Egypt in 2009 - the pyramids and Sphinx date back to approximately 2500-3000 BC which means they existed before Moses (1350BC) and Jesus were born.

Here is the schedule:

16, Sunday: Genesis 37-40

17, Monday: Genesis 41-44

18, Tuesday: Genesis 45-48

19, Wednesday: Genesis 49 - Exodus 2

20, Thursday: Exodus 3-6

21, Friday: Exodus 7-10

22, Saturday: Exodus 11-14

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This Sunday we will continue our series Giving It Up. There is a disciples that has developed around the season of Lent and giving things up. That for forty days we should deny ourselves of something - a luxury or an indulgence - in order to somehow draw closer to Jesus in his self-denial and suffering on our behalf. This series will help us look at a few things that we might give up permanently, specifically those actions and attitudes that are causing us issues in our relationship with God and with others. I hope you will make plans to come and join us for this time of worship, fellowship, and transformation. For the sermon schedule, please click here and I hope to see you all there!





2. S.O.S. Talent Show and Dessert Bar - This Saturday, March 15th at 7 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall, our S.O.S. group will host an evening of great fun and delicious food. I hope you will mark your calendars to come and support our church as we gather together for a great evening of fellowship. Let's have a great turnout and I hope to see you there!





3. Meet Adam Hamilton - On Thursday, April 24th Adam Hamilton will be in Orlando for an evening of teaching and conversation around his new book, Making Sense of the Bible. I have six tickets to give away to anyone that is interested. It will take place at First United Methodist in Orlando and will begin at 7 P.M. We will join people from Belleview and ride their bus over and back. If you are interested in going please let me know. These tickets are free and they are first come, first serve.





4. Ocala Health & Rehab - This Sunday is our week to go and minister to the residents of Ocala Health and Rehab. I want to extend an invitation to all of you to come and join us, Sunday at 2pm. Ocala Health and Rehab is located just down the street from the church on the corner of Lake Weir Road and SE 24th Road. We begin with a few hymns, I give a brief devotion, and we wrap it up with a few more hymns and a prayer. We have also started going down the memory care unit afterwards and singing a few hymns to those folks as well. It is a wonderful time of fellowship and spreading the love of Christ. I am sure you will enjoy it and be glad you participated! I hope to see you there!





5. Easter Tableau - Our Annual Easter Tableau, our gift to this community, is right around the corner. On Thursday, April 17th and Friday, April 18th, we will give the people of Ocala the opportunity to witness and relive for themselves the last week of Christ's life here on Earth. In order to make this a reality, we need your help. There are sign-up sheets on the Connection Station for you to volunteer in a myriad of ways. You can volunteer for things such as portraying a character in one of the scenes, to scene set-up, costumes, make-up, sound, or lighting. We still have many places for willing hands and we need yours! Please be in prayer for a successful 2014 Easter Tableau. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Hughes or Terri Silvola-Finch. Thank You!



Have a great week and I will see you Sunday,

Midweek Moment

As I sit here today and think about our church I get excited. I think about worship and all of the new and wonderful faces we have entertained recently. I think about how excited you all get to see one another and the great time you all have at the weekly fellowship lunch. I think about the many, so many, outreach ministries that we support and the heart-warming stories you share about the experiences you have during your service. I think about the deep and meaningful conversations we have at our Bible Study classes. There are two classes, covering the same material, and the conversations are so different for each group, but always so engaging, helping all of us to go deeper into the material. Then I go and look at our calendar. Just in the span of eight weeks we will have hosted a Spaghetti Dinner, opened the Sanctuary at noon for a time of quiet prayer on Ash Wednesday, and gathered that evening for a formal Ash Wednesday Service. Currently, we are working together to put on the 46th annual Easter Tableau and culminating all of that with our Easter Sunday celebration. That does not even include the gatherings of our Sunday School class, Bible Study, various outreach ministries, and the list goes on and on. How can you not get excited about that? We are alive, we are reaching out, and we are trying to be all that God has called us to be for this world.

But there is one thing that can unravel all of this. There is one thing that if not practiced can harm our efforts and derail our intentions. That one thing is a lack of fellowship. Fellowship is not just a good idea or a necessary aspect of living life together; it is Biblical. It was a trait found in the very beginnings of the early church. In Acts 2:42 and 46, we find that the early church was “devoted to fellowship and the breaking of bread” and that they “met together and broke bread in their homes and ate together.”

We usually associate the word “fellowship” with casual conversation, socializing, food and fun. But biblical fellowship is deeper. It’s really about experiencing life together. It includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting and all the other “one another” commands from the New Testament.

There’s a Greek word that sums up the essence of Biblical fellowship – that word is “koinonia.” The root idea of koinonia is sharing something in common. And that something in common is a commitment to Jesus Christ. After that, we should be as committed to one another as we are to Christ. When we have genuine koinonia, the church provides a safe place for persons to be real and open with their lives, admit their struggles and sins and speak the truth in love to one another without fear of rejection, judgment or condemnation.

Have you ever seen one of those yellow “Safe Place” signs on businesses like McDonald’s? Those signs on a building mean that that business is a safe place for kids and teenagers who are experiencing problems and abuse or who have run away from home. When you think about it, the church was intended to be a safe place for all people. God wants us to have the same kind of attitude that those signs represent to kids, “You’re in good hands here! Come on in! This is a place of grace and caring!”

God has called the church to be a place of hope, a place of renewal, and a place of grace. And it is in our fellowship; how we love and care for each other, and all others, that we can experience that grace in our own lives. This Lenten season may the grace found in fellowship, true koinonia fellowship, be your guide. May it lead you to a deeper walk, a richer faith, and more abundant love of all people, now and forevermore.

Blessings on you and I will see you Sunday!

Giving It Up - ExpectationsGenesis 12:1-4a and John 3:1-17

Bible Challenge 03/09 - 03/15

Greetings All!

This week we continue our way through the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis.

We continue to explore God's covenant relationship with Abraham as we see how God moves through subsequent generations of this family - Isaac, Jacob and even Joseph. What speaks to me most from these pages? God's incredible patience and persistence in seeking a relationship with his people. Genesis gives me a lot of hope because it stands as an awesome reminder of God's faithfulness.

Here is the schedule:

09, Sunday: Genesis 9-12

10, Monday: Genesis 13-16

11, Tuesday: Genesis 17-20

12, Wednesday: Genesis 21-24

13, Thursday: Genesis 25-28

14, Friday: Genesis 29-32

15, Saturday: Genesis 33-36

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

A Reminder and Correction

Good afternoon All!

First the reminder...

Just a friendly reminder to set your clocks ahead one hour this Saturday night before you go to bed.

And that leads me into my correction...

The S.O.S. Talent Show and Dessert Bar is not this Saturday, as a previous version of my Friday Fives stated. The correct date should be Saturday, March 15th. Please forgive my error.

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you all Sunday!!

Friday Fives

1.Preaching Series - This Sunday we will continue our series Giving It Up. There is a disciples that has developed around the season of Lent and giving things up. That for forty days we should deny ourselves of something - a luxury or an indulgence - in order to somehow draw closer to Jesus in his self-denial and suffering on our behalf. This series will help us look at a few things that we might give up permanently, specifically those actions and attitudes that are causing us issues in our relationship with God and with others. I hoe you will make plans to come and join us for this time of worship, fellowship, and transformation. For the sermon schedule, please click here and I hope to see you all there!





2. New Lenten Study Series - We have begun our study entitled The Way. This video series, by Adam Hamilton, will take us on a journey to the Holy Land as we explore the life and ministry of Jesus Christ from his baptism, to the temptations, to the heart of his ministry, including the people he loved, the parables he taught, the enemies he made, and the healing he brought. We will visit places like the Jordan River, the wilderness where Jesus was tempted, the ruins of Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, and the city of Jerusalem. This study will help prepare you for Lent as we talk about the importance of spending time with God through prayer, the reading of Scripture, and a deeper understanding of our Messiah.

The class will last for three more weeks; March 13th, April 3rd and 10th. It will be offered twice a day at 10 A.M. and again at 7 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall and it is never too late to join. For more information and to register please click here.





3. Meal Packaging Event - We are booked and we have a date to package our meals with Stop Hunger Now. On Saturday, April 26th from 10 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. we will gather in the Fellowship Hall to package 13,876 meals. Thus far 61 people have volunteered for this event, so we still can still use about 14 more people to help us pull this off. There are stations that will be setup and we will need people tot stand as well as sit. So regardless of physical preference, there will be a place for you. If you would like to package food for this ministry please contact the church office to sign up, sign up at the Connection Station, or you can click here to sign up on the website. Debbie, the boys, and I were able to be a part of the Annual Conference Event last year that packaged food and it was a great time! I hope you will make plans to be a part of this very special and important ministry event. If you have any questions let us know.





4. Children's Home - On Saturday, March 15th, our District has been invited to the Annual Day Apart at the Florida United Methodist Children's Home. This is our opportunity to tour the campus, speak to the volunteers, and see how our financial and prayerful support is being utilized. The day will begin at 9am on-site, we will leave the church at 7:00 A.M., and will conclude with lunch on the campus at noon. I highly encourage anyone who is interested to attend. If you would like to carpool, please contact the church office and let us know so we can coordinate it. Six people have signed up so far. For more information, please click here.





5. S.O.S. Talent Show and Dessert Bar - Next Saturday, March 15th at 7 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall, our S.O.S. group will host an evening of great fun and delicious food. I hope you will mark your calendars to come and support our church as we gather together for a great evening of fellowship. Let's have a great turnout and I hope to see you there!





Have a great week and I will see you Sunday,

Midweek Moment

Today is Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar, start of the season of Lent. Tonight we will gather in the sanctuary at 6pm for a worship service to commemorate this day and receive the mark of ashes upon our foreheads. I wanted to share with you a testimony about the power of the witness of these ashes that happened in March 2006 when I lived in Hudson:

On Wednesday evening we gathered in the sanctuary for a service to commemorate Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. After the service, Debbie, Parker and I went to run some errands. One of the places that we ended up was at the Wal-Mart in New Port Richey. We got some odd stares from people as we moved through the aisles - because we were still wearing our ashes upon our foreheads. I heard one gentlemen whisper to his wife as he passed us: "What are those things on their foreheads for?" And his wife answered him very matter-of-fact in her tone: "Today is Ash Wednesday - they've been to church." We weren't the only ones in the store though bearing ashes upon foreheads - I counted at least three other women in the store with them.

When we went to check out, I grabbed something from the cart and turned to put it up on the counter and the clerk looked at me, and then kind of jumped back a bit startled and said to me, "For a minute there I thought you looked like something out of a movie." I said "No, it's Ash Wednesday." His reply - "I know. I had a lady who came in the store earlier today with that on and she explained it to me." Then he glanced over at me. The clerk asked: "How come you don't have it on?" Then we realized that my hair had fallen down over my forehead and almost covered the ash cross there. I moved my hair back out of the way and you could clearly see the cross. And the clerk said, "Yeah, that's better. Aren't you supposed to wear those proudly or something?" And we told him: "Absolutely."

This was a young man who clearly understood the idea of marking your body for what you believe in - he was covered in tattoos that you could see coming out from under the sleeves and above the collar of his Wal-Mart uniform. For him it connected - He understood that we as Christians should not be ashamed or embarrassed to walk around in public with an ash cross upon our forehead if that is what we believe in.

I hope you will go out and wear your ashes proudly tonight wherever you end up. Use it as conversation starter with folks around you. But once Ash Wednesday has gone and the ashes that were upon our foreheads have been washed away - how will people in public know that we are Christians unashamed of who we believe in and profess to serve? They will know we are Christians by our LOVE. Let our love speak through our actions and words as loudly as our ash crosses in the days to come!

I hope to see you all tonight!

Our Hope - The ChurchPhilippians 4:8-9 and I Corinthians 15:56-58

Bible Challenge 03/02 - 03/08

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the book of Revelation for our first trip of the year through the New Testament and begin the book of Genesis in the Old Testament.

Revelation - This book is written specifically to a group of churches in Asia (that was a province in the Roman Empire which encompasses modern day Turkey). The book deals a lot with sevens: messages to seven churches, the seven seal judgments, seven trumpet judgments and finally the seven bowl judgments. One of the big keys to understanding the book is found in the Old Testament - 278 out of the 404 verses in the book allude or refer to things contained in the Old Testament. Personally, I have found the most benefit when I read through Revelation thinking of it as God's great triumph over evil. And there is a lot of love and mercy to be found in the words as God continually provides opportunities for people to turn away from sin and turn to Him. I pray that your reading this week is inspired by the Spirit!

Genesis - Did you know that Genesis means "beginnings" or "origins"? And there are several beginnings and origins that are actually outlined within the book of Genesis as we move through it.....Creation, the flood story and God's covenant with Noah, the tower of Babel and the dispersion of the people, God's calling of Abram and covenant with him, the continuation of that covenant through Isaac and later Jacob, and finally the starting over of the Israelites under the protection of Joseph in Egypt. We should pay close attention as we read Genesis because this is the beginnings of our history as the people of God.

Here is the schedule for this week:

2, Sunday: Revelation 4-7

3, Monday: Revelation 8-11

4, Tuesday: Revelation 12-15

5, Wednesday: Revelation 16-19

6, Thursday: Revelation 20-22; Genesis 1

7, Friday: Genesis 2-5

8, Saturday: Genesis 6-9

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.