In the United Methodist Church, our founder John Wesley, considering the words of Jesus, came up with 3 simple rules as a way to live in chaotic and good times. As Pastor Craig begins this sermon series, we look at the three simple rules. The first installment covers First, Do No Harm. 

God's obsession with humanity has led God to mix with the rabble of the earth and the rubble of human disobedience. Perhaps it is time to make God our "magnificent obsession. In Hosea 11:1-11 we hear the prophet share that God is obsessed with as as a parent takes care of a child. If God feels that way about us, should we not make our goal to "obsessively seek" after God through Christ?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Even mug shots. In Hosea 1:2-10 we hear the story of Hosea and his dysfunctional family. God is fed up with His chosen people. As angry nd out of patience as God is, God uses Hosea to and his family to let the people know God may be out of patience but they are still "children of the living God."

Have you ever been in a circumstance when you have tried everything and then realized there is nothing left to be done? If so you can sense how the prophet Amos felt as God showed him a vision of a basket of summer fruit. God's patience was running out with the people of Israel. He told Amos to tell the people that soon will come a time when the people will hunger and thirst, not for food or water but for the word of the Lord..and they wouldn't find it. Amos 8:1-12

The question is: What year was the worst year ever to be alive? Historians have an answer to this question. The prophet Amos also has some ideas. This leads to a discussion of what we can do to ensure that our lives are full of goodness and meaning. How can we live our best and most faithful lives even in the midst of personal or other difficulties that are ongoing?

Artists from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) have developed some urban art ideas that include sidewalk murals visible only when it rains. The beauty of the art only appears in stormy weather. Naaman suffers a skin disease for all his life and ordered to wash in the Jordan River. It wasn't the water but the work of God in and through his life coming through in the midst of a monsoon rain of his life. 2 Kings 5:1-14

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-21 

The Holy Spirit is an energy source that gives us courage to connect with neighbors in life-giving ways. This Pentecost power isn’t found primarily in programs or policies, but in the Holy Spirit of God. And it helps us bring warmth and light to the world.

Based on Acts 16:9-15 

For many years, livestock have been separated based on ideas about purity. Unfortunately, so have people. In the life of the church, there should be no distinctions based on race, culture or nationality. We should welcome strangers, expand our outreach, and practice true Christian hospitality.

Acts 11:1-18 

Some people are hard to say “No” to, especially if you have a relationship with them. Maybe it’s the boss, or a family member with a strong personality. Perhaps the apostle Peter, after some initial resistance to the changes God was proposing, decided that he was not in a position to say “No” to the Almighty.