Friday Fives

Statue of King David just
outside his tomb in Jerusalem.

1. Preaching Series - This Sunday we are continuing our preaching series entitled, Lessons from the Life of David. As one of the most beloved characters in Scripture, David can be a great source of hope. David is not portrayed as a perfect, obedient servant. But rather, we get to see his humanity play out from the time we meet him as a young, all the way to his death. We can experience how David separates himself from God, through his thoughts and actions, and identify with those situations in our own lives. But we also get to see the grace of God shine forth as David is continually redeemed and forgiven. These life lessons will allow us to find ourselves in David's story and see how God's grace was not just for David, but it is for all of us. This weekend our focus will be on slaying the giants in our lives as we focus on those things that can and do distract us from God. I encourage you to invite a friend and I hope to see you there!





2. Annual Conference Volunteers - Annual Conference is in Lakeland this year on June 13-15. In order for this event to take place we need volunteers. People are needed to serve as greeters, ushers, at guest services, in the expo hall, and the meal packaging stations. If you would like to volunteer or would like more information about this event, please click here. I hope you will consider serving our Conference in this area.

3. Sources of Information - If you are looking for good information about our church, its activities, and/or our denomination, you can always go to our church website. On our website we have the weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter, pages about our ministries and outreach groups, and we have just added two new pages about Relay for Life and our Connectional Life. If have never been to the website, just click here. If it has been awhile, come back and see what's new. This is a great tool to keep us all connected, so click on over and discover something new!





4. Aid for Moore, OK - Continued help for the people of Moore, OK is still needed. Therefore, please keep praying. However, if you feel lead to do more, I want to invite you to consider donating to UMCOR. UMCOR is the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They are a branch of our connection that places people in those communities to bring aid to those affected. One of the many great things about UMCOR is that when you give to a specific relief effort, 100% of your money goes to that area. It is not used for administrative costs, only for relief supplies and assistance. As soon as it was realized that the tornadoes had caused significant damage, UMCOR sprang into action, setting up a donation account, and immediately sending funds to help. They are working right now to send people to the area of Moore once assessments have been made and the needs of that community determined. If you would like to donate to UMCOR, you can make your donation to the church and designate it Disaster Response, United States (#901670). We will then mail one check for all the monies collected and send it off. You also have the ability to donate online if you choose by clicking here, or by calling 1-800-554-8583, or you can make a $10 donation by texting the word RESPONSE to 80888.

5. Bishop's Offering - Bishop Ken Carter has selected three programs to equally share in the proceeds given at Annual Conference this year; Stop Hunger Now, Wesley Foundation at FSU, and Leadership development for young clergy of color. I invite you to consider giving an extra gift to this cause. You can do so by placing your gift in the offering plate, designate it Bishop's Offering, and we will cut one check and give it during Annual Conference this year. If you would like more information, there is an insert in this weeks bulletin or you can visit our Conference Website by clicking here.





Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

I received a letter in the mail today. It had my name on the top if it and it was delivered to the parsonage address. But after reading it, it is a letter intended for each of you as well.

Here is what it says:

The Florida Annual Conference recognizes the special effort necessary for churches to pay 100% ofapportionments and we want to honor your church along with other faithful congregations at the Annual Conference event in June.

Additionally, your Church will be acknowledged in a video that will be displayed on monitors throughout the conference.

We understand it is more difficult today, perhaps more difficult than ever, for churches to pay 100% of their apportionments. Yet there are churches like yours that make paying 100% of their connectional giving a priority. By doing so you are laying up treasures in Heaven, a very important goal in "Becoming Disciples of Jesus Christ," the theme of this years conference.

Thank you, Mickey Wilson Treasurer, Director of Administrative Services

If you have been around a United Methodist church for any period of time you have probably heard the word apportionment. It is the word we use to describe the amount of money each church pays to its Conference Office to help cover some administrative costs, but more importantly, it refers to the monies our denomination collects to give to some very worthy charities. Those charities include, World Service, Black College, and Africa University Funds, to name a few.

I hope that makes you proud to be a United Methodist, it does me. To know that our denomination makes it priority to live out what we preach, to put our words into action, and tangibly make a difference in this world, makes me happy.

This letter I received today was not just for me. It was for all of you as well. When you monetarily give to Druid Hills, through your tithes and offering, you allow us to pay 100% of our apportionments. You are giving us the ability to continue to do our part to make sure the grace of God and love of Christ are felt the world over. Just as Mickey Wilson thanked us for our part, I want to add my thank you to all of you as well.

Thank you for supporting Druid Hills. Thank you for supporting the United Methodist Church. Thank you for helping to spread the Good News of the Gospel to people all over the world.

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!

Lessons from King David: Unlikely People I Samuel 16:1-13 and I Corinthians 1:26-31

Bible Challenge 05/26 - 06/01

Greetings All.

This week we finish up the book of II Kings and begin our journey through I Chronicles.

In I Kings chapters 11-12, the focus shifts to a young boy king in Judah named Joash who spends much timetrying to restore the temple. Elisha dies in chapter 13 and here you also have a rather interesting account of what happens when someone is thrown into his grave months after his death. Talk about the power of the Lord! The downward spiral continues though in the kingdom of Israel, as king after king fails to follow the Lord and by chapter 17 we see that the northern kingdom of Israel has fallen to the Assyrians, with many of the people being carried away into exile. We finish up with the narrative of the lives of the kings from Judah. A few more wicked kings are described before we get to the interesting story of the boy king Josiah and all of his reforms (chapters 22-23). But even he isn't enough to turn the tide of sin and false idol worship. After him, three more evil kings follow before Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians (chapters 24-25).

Then our attention turns to another of the history books, I Chronicles, and we will make our way through 10 of its 29 chapters this week. In many ways it should sound familiar because it is largely a retelling of the material found in I and II Samuel as well as I and II Kings. The book of I Chronicles really falls into two broad segments. The first, in chapters 1-10, contains mostly genealogical lists, concluding with the house of Saul and Saul's rejection by God. This sets the stage for the rise of David. The second segment then, in chapters 11-29, contains a history of the reign of King David.

Why so many books telling the same stories? Well in the Jewish canon of Scripture, Chronicles appears last making it then a summary of everything that has gone before and most likely the reason why the genealogy goes all the way back to Adam. But one of the calls of the Old Testament is to remember. God asks the people to remember constantly in their rituals, offerings, and festivals the great work that he has done on their behalf. Certainly we can see what happens in the books of history when Israel (and Judah) do not keep this knowledge of God close at hand and forget! As they stray away from God, they wander into dangerous ground spiritually, as individuals as well as a nation. We would do well to remind ourselves continuously - to remember what God has done and what happens when we try to do things in our lives on our own without Him!

Here is the schedule:

26, Sunday: II Kings 8-11

27, Monday: II Kings 12-15

28, Tuesday: II Kings 16-19

29, Wednesday: II Kings 20-23

30, Thursday: II Kings 24 - I Chronicles 2

31, Friday: I Chronicles 3-6

01, Saturday: I Chronicles 7-10

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.

Friday Fives

Statue of King David just
outside of his tomb in Jerusalem

1. Preaching Series - This Sunday we are beginning a new preaching series entitled, Lessons from the Life of David. As one of the most beloved characters in Scripture, David can be a great source of hope. David is not portrayed as a perfect, obedient servant. But rather, we get to see his humanity play out from the time we meet him as a young, all the way to his death. We can experience how David separates himself from God, through his thoughts and actions, and identify with those situations in our own lives. But we also get to see the grace of God shine forth as David is continually redeemed and forgiven. These life lessons will allow us to find ourselves in David's story and see how God's grace was not just for David, but it is for all of us. This weekend our focus will be "The Unlikely People God Chooses" as we focus on the calling of little David as the next king of Israel. I encourage you to invite a friend and I hope to see you there!





2. Bible Study - Grace. We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. Theseedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings, and premeal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means.

But do we really understand it? Have we settled for wimpy grace? It politely occupies a phrase in a hymn, fits nicely on a church sign. Never causes trouble or demands a response. When asked, “Do you believe in grace?” who could say no?

Max Lucado asks a deeper question: Have you been changed by grace? Shaped by grace? Strengthened by grace? Emboldened by grace? Softened by grace? Snatched by the nape of your neck and shaken to your senses by grace? God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you. From insecure to God secure. From regret riddled to better-because-of-it. From afraid to die to ready to fly. Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off. Let’s make certain grace gets you.

We will meet this Thursday, at 10:30am and 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall, as we finish this study. As a reminder it is never too late to join. For more details, please visit our website by clicking here. I hope you will make plans to come as we make certain grace gets you!





3. Summer Newsletter - Your summer edition of the Sunshine Herald will be available for you to pick up this Sunday in the narthex. This year to be good stewards of our time and resources we have combined June, July, and August into one edition. We will resume a monthly edition in September.







4. Aid for Moore, OK - Prayer for the people of Moore, OK is vital right now. However, if you feel lead here, calling 1800-554-8583, or you can make a $10 donation by texting the word RESPONSE to 80888.
to do more, I want to invite you to consider donating to UMCOR. UMCOR is the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They are a branch of our connection that places people in those communities to bring aid to those affected. One of the many great things about UMCOR is that when you give to a specific relief effort, 100% of your money goes to that area. It is not used for administrative costs, only for relief supplies and assistance. As soon as it was realized that the tornadoes had caused significant damage, UMCOR sprang into action, setting up a donation account, and immediately sending funds to help. They are working right now to send people to the area of Moore once assessments have been made and the needs of that community determined. If you would like to donate to UMCOR, you can make your donation to the church and designate it Disaster Response, United States (#901670). We will then mail one check for all the monies collected and send it off. You also have the ability to donate online if you choose by clicking

5. Bishop's Offering - Bishop Ken Carter has selected three programs to equally share in the proceeds given at Annual Conference this year; Stop Hunger Now, Wesley Foundation at FSU, and Leadership development for young clergy of color. I invite you to consider giving an extra gift to this cause. You can do so by placing your gift in the offering plate, designate it Bishop's Offering, and we will cut one check and give it during Annual Conference this year. If you would like more information, there is an insert in this weeks bulletin or you can visit our Conference Website by clicking here.



Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

It seems that we are dealing with these types of situations way too often. It feels like just as we begin to find a way to take a breath, another tragedy occurs and we find ourselves grieving all over again. I am sure all of you have seen the coverage of what happened Monday in Moore, OK.

As a family, we sat and watched a portion of it with Parker and Wesley. They were watching very intently asthe reporters spoke of the size of the tornado and pictures were shown of houses, neighborhoods, and schools that were destroyed by the storm. For my boys, the biggest impact was the loss of the school. School is where they spend most of their time, it is where they see their friends and where they make some of their most important memories. For Debbie and I, the biggest impact we felt centered on the loss of life. As we think about the number of our family growing, thinking about how those families are shrinking, brought us both to tears. For you, depending on your situation and life experiences the impact may have been quite different.

However, we all felt the impact in some way and we were all affected by this devastation. Last night as the boys said their nighttime prayers, Parker asked if he could pray for the people and schools. I know each of you, in some way and at some point, have prayed for these people as well. That is part of what happens to us when we become disciples of Jesus Christ; we reach out and feel the pain of others. I want to encourage you all to keep praying for the people of Moore, OK. This is not something that will be fixed overnight. While the tangible cleanup of homes, schools, and neighborhoods will be completed at some point, the emotional toll will always be felt. So please pray and keep praying.

If you feel led to do more, I want to invite you to consider donating to UMCOR. UMCOR is the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They are a branch of our connection that places people in those communities to bring aid to those affected. One of the many great things about UMCOR is that when you give to a specific relief effort, 100% of your money goes to that area. It is not used for administrative costs, only for relief supplies and assistance. As soon as it was realized that the tornadoes had caused significant damage, UMCOR sprang into action, setting up a donation account, and immediately sending funds to help. They are working right now to send people to the area of Moore once assessments have been made and the needs of that community determined. If you would like to donate to UMCOR, you can make your donation to the church and designate it Disaster Response, United States (#901670). We will then mail one check for all the monies collected and send it off. You also have the ability to donate online if you choose by clicking here.

I ask you all to join me in prayer as we lift up all those dealing with the aftermath of these tornados:

Gracious God, we turn to you now in the names of those impacted by the tornados in Texas. Your sons and daughters are dealing with the loss, the chaos, and the grief of yesterday’s devastation. We know you are there right now, we know you were there yesterday as the storm touched down. Please continue to watch over those people and provide them a sense of your presence and care.

Be with us as we find ways to help; through prayer, through donations, and through our witness. Give us the wisdom and courage to be your instruments of grace and mercy. Show us ways we can reach out to help, words we can say to bring hope, and times we can fall before you and ask for guidance. In all of this and in all ways, Heavenly Father, hear our prayers. Amen.

Have a blessed week and I will see you all on Sunday,

The Fullness of Life in the SpiritJohn 14:8-17, 25-27 and Acts 2:1-21