First United Methodist Church - DeRidder, LA

"Give us this day our daily bread." How many of us have really considered the implications of these words our Lord taught us to pray? In this week's message, we will examine some of what all might be at stake and why it is that we have been taught to pray in this way.

In the first of our Saying Yes series, we revisit a familiar encounter Jesus had with Zaccheus, wherein we see through this dialog some truly crucial implications for anyone who truly accepts the love of God shown through Christ our Lord.

In the conclusion to our Caesar, God, & Voting series, we are taken back to when Christ was put to the test about where his true allegiance lay, and through his brilliant response are given a lens through which to look at our perspective on any political realm and our participation therein.

In the second of our election-year worship series, we look to Luke's gospel to contrast Caesar's perspective last week with Christ's response to being offered the kingdoms of the world when Christ was in a most vulnerable condition.

In the first of our election-year worship series (Caesar, God, & Voting) we encounter what is traditionally known as a 'Christmas' text - Matthew 2 - in which King Herod orders the wise men to bring him news of the Christ child's location. Through these verses, we realize these are some of the most political of all the texts, and find out some essential truths concerning how the Christian might want to view the role of the state.

As our society celebrates the labors of the people, we are brought to, through the words of the prophet Jeremiah, realize that every day is a labor of God's love - and we are to celebrate properly!

This week our Faith in Black and White series continues with the truth that Faith is Thankful. Diving deeper into words found in Hebrews 12, we are confronted with the reality that people of faith are thankful, not because of their earthly blessings. Rather, faith is thankful because our thanks is that through the grace of God incarnate in Christ we are incorporated into a much bigger, larger, and eternal story that will be around long after the temporal things of this earth are gone.

In the second of our Back to Basics 2016: Faith in Black and White series, we continue our journey in Hebrews 11 by realizing that while faith appreciated and builds upon what has gone before, vibrant and active faith looks ahead with anticipation not of what is going to happen but that God has great things in store for the people of God.

In the first of our Back to Basics 2016: Faith in Black & White series, Faith Remembers, we dive into Hebrews 11 to encounter the reality that part of faith is remembering that God always responds to people of faith, especially in the face of what the world would call impossible circumstances.

In the last of our series on Grace: The Most Important, Misunderstood, and Absolutely Essential Gift Ever Given, we are challenged to embrace the idea that through God's grace we can realize the ultimate Christian ideal of a perfect love of God.