Chardon United Methodist Church

Many of us are enjoying learning to sing “Stay in Love With God” as a response this August. I hope to keep using it during the fall season until we all feel like we know it and can sing it at any time. It was written by Raquel Mora Martinez, the wife of Bishop Martinez. She wrote it in response to Bishop Rueben P. Job’s presentation in 2007 at the Council of Bishops of his new book entitled “Three Simple Rules”. Bishop Job wrote this little book to help us in modern times to be better followers of Jesus. His book was inspired by the rules for living that John Wesley had written to help new Christians to better live out their daily walk with Christ. As people were responding to the preaching of John Wesley they were coming to ask, what do we do now that we are followers of Jesus? In essence Wesley gave them three rules that would be easy to understand, yet difficult to do. Over 200 years later we need to rediscover the importance of these rules:

• Do No Harm
• Do Good
• Stay in Love with God

Imagine how our lives would change if we prayed everyday.

“Today, Lord help me today to do no harm to my fellow workers, my family or myself. Help me in fact to do some good in every situation that I encounter, for every person that I meet no matter how large or small it would be to do good for them. No matter what happens today, help me to stay in love with you. You are the source of my life and the resource from which I can draw from all I need. You are the path to my salvation and everything else is just working out the details. I do love you God and I know that you love me, help me to feel that love in tough times and when my faith is tried or even just bored. Thank you God, I accept that you love me and there is nothing that I can do about it, except to return it to you and share it with others.”   

I pray that September is a great month for you, for our church and for the kingdom’s work in our midst.

Abundant Blessings,
Pastor Dan