Peakland UMC

I have long been inspired by the hymns of Charles Wesley. I quote them often in sermons and am inspired by them when used as daily devotions. In recent weeks I have spent considerable time reading and reflecting on Charles’ collection of over 2000 hymns poems on Select Passages of Holy Scripture”.

Grace and peace to you! I’m Rev. Joe Cailles, the newest pastor here at Peakland. I’ve been watching these Trusting in God devotions for several weeks now and am delighted to share this time with you.

I have a question to begin with. Where is my home? I know exactly where I live, but I don’t know the name of the neighborhood I live in. There seems to be a variety of opinions. My zip code ends in 1, but not 01, so I don’t live in the 01. My mailing address is Forest, but I live in Campbell County, and Forest is in Bedford County, right?

Some time back I had the opportunity to fly my drone near the huge American flag located at McBride Sign Company, just across the river overlooking downtown Lynchburg. I returned to church later that day and recorded a medley of songs I feel would be appropriate for this Music Monday.

from Peakland UMC in Lynchburg, Va. We welcome our new Pastor today!

The big news this week? There's a new floor! But don't worry it's not all bad news.

Yesterday, that was Thursday the last day of June 2022, was Pastor John’s last Trusting God At All Times daily devotional. When we started this devotional series way back at the beginning of the Pandemic, none of us had any idea that we would be dealing with the Pandemic for so long a period of time. And it’s still not over. We joke sometimes about Emma who was our Associate Pastor at the time saying “are we sure we want to commit to a daily devotional for two months?”

AS the guy typically behind the camera and doing the editing of our online content, I have watched, literally, our staff members rise to the occasion of continuing this daily devotional series for so long a period of time. And as the senior pastor, John has had to take care of the bulk of them - usually 3 - 4 a week - every week.

When I was a small boy our house had a back porch that sat pretty high in the air. Our land wasn’t level, the house had been built into the side of a mound so if you sat out on the back porch it was like stepping onto a second floor terrace.

Only it wasn’t a terrace, it was just a porch with a long set of stairs that led down to the basement door outside.

My Dad and I would sit together at the top of those stairs. I think it was one of his favorite places. He didn’t say, “Come on, lets go sit on the steps.” He’d just be there. Resting, watching… being.

Wesley Wednesday: Hymns on Genesis PODCAST EDITION by Peakland UMC

Do you have a scar or two?

Most of us do.

It may be some spots left over from childhood chicken pox or the skinned up knee from a few too many falls on the pavement.

Have you had any surgery?

I have a scar on my right hand that I got in college. A sophemnore, I was literally running through a parking lot on campus, acting stupid as we are sometimes apt to do when I fell in the gravel and put a 2 inch gash in my hand.

An arrangement of the familiar hymn played on the organ in the Sanctuary of Peakland UM.