Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
August 12, 2026
Psalm 25:4-5

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long”.

These verses are on my tabletop prayer calendar for today and happen to be a favorite memory verse for me. These verses inspired me to begin pastoral ministry by encouraging my new congregation to memorize scripture with me. One of several members took up the challenge and every time we spoke in person or on the phone she and I would recite these verses together until it became part of our visiting routine. What a joy to hear her speak these words with confidence even in times of great distress. I like to imagine her speaking with her Lord in heaven these very words as she left us several years ago.

Have you been challenged to memorize scripture? If not, how about accepting the challenge today. My recommendation is to start with John 3:16, then Psalm 23 (yes, the entire Psalm – smile). From there you might Google sites for scripture memorization or simply take time during devotional reading and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in what to memorize.

There is so much good that comes from this discipline, especially as I am aging and sense my memory slipping a bit. I also recommend that you memorize the location of the verses you are learning, this way you will be able to help someone who needs encouragement to find them in their own Bible. Life is a challenge in itself, so why not challenge life to cooperate with the Lord.

The song that comes to mind for me today is a lovely old hymn entitled; “I Love to Tell the Story”. This hymn was written by a faithful young woman who devoted her life to teaching women and young girls all about the Bible. At one point, she became deathly ill and her doctors demanded she remain in bed for one full year. Though she was very frustrated with not being able to lead Bible studies, she decided to write hymns.

Maybe you recognize this hymn and can sing with me the second verse and chorus; “I love to tell the story, ‘tis pleasant to repeat. What seems each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet; I love to tell the story, for some have never heard the message of salvation from God’s own holy Word. I love to tell the story! Twill be my theme in glory-To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love” (A.C. Hankey (1834-1911)

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
August 6, 2026
Psalm 103:1-2 + Deuteronomy 6:4

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me” (Psalm 103:1-2).

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

A hymn that I love, and one which I haven’t heard in quite some time is “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” written by Joachim Neander in the mid 1600’s. It seems that his early years were reckless and wild, but then one day a gifted evangelist came to his town of Bremen Germany and Neander was converted to following Christ. Everything changed for him, he became a very successful headmaster of a school and gifted hymn writer. However, the school authorities disapproved of his fervor in sharing Christ with the students, so he was dismissed and became homeless. With no money, and no one to help, Joachim Neander died at the age of 30. Living in a cave he still found ways to write hymn after hymn to praise his wonderful Lord.

Perhaps the scriptures I am sharing with you today, had inspired him to write the hymn which ends with these words: “Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him! Let the amen sound from His people again; Gladly forever adore Him”.

Wherever you find yourself today and in the days ahead, I hope you will find reasons to worship the God in whose image you were created. If that seems impossible to you, call a faithful friend, don’t let negative feelings and thoughts overtake you. God loves you so much that He made a way for you to find peace with Him, His name is Jesus (see John 3:16 for starters).

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
July 29, 2026
Proverbs 3:5-6

Today is the last day of summer break for my grandson, who is currently napping on our couch (smile). He is entering the pre-teen years with new adventures and challenges. I am blessed that he chose to spend some of his final day of “freedom” with his Oma and I guess I have already worn him out (smile). Today’s bible verses are what I gave him as his life verses when he was a baby; “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path”.

Trusting is the core of faith for the Christ follower. It is so powerful that the Apostle Paul uses it as the “shield of faith” when putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). This shield will “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”. In Paul’s day, the shield that the soldier carried was made with wide strips of leather that would be soaked in water, so when the arrows hit, their flames would be snuffed out immediately. I imagine that if the soldiers were in a long battle, they would have to repeatedly soak their shields so as to be battle ready. It seems to me that God’s people need to do the same by soaking in the Word of God by prayerfully studying and meditating on the scriptures often.

I was visiting a friend the other day who was frustrated with her prescriptions and how they keep getting changed as her condition changes. It is understandable that these medications need to be adjusted, but still, she worries that there will be a mix up and that would be bad. These are indeed valid concerns, so we talked about the people who care for her and her access to her doctors which seems to be going well. We talked about how God’s Word is like medication for the soul and how reading and even singing scripture can bring moments of peace when we are troubled, all this rooted in faith; a deep, abiding trust in God and all of this stemming from regularly soaking in God’s wonderful words of life. I bet you know what’s coming next, yep, a song; “Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life; let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty, teach me faith and duty, beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life” (Hymn by Philip Bliss).

Take some time today, sit, read, sing and meditate on the goodness of God. It is really good medicine for a weary or troubled soul, and you don’t even need a prescription.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
July 15, 2026
Psalm 62:5-7

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me”. Have you ever started your day reluctantly? Perhaps you went to bed late, or you were so worn out you couldn’t sleep. Maybe you were dreading what was ahead for your day. Whatever the reason may be, I’m pretty confident nearly everyone who is reading this can agree that some mornings start out better than others. I have recently decided to not wait for what the world has for me to do, but get up asking the Holy Spirit to guide me in God’s groove, you know, the things and thoughts that move me as I choose to listen to Him.

Many people I know, and many more that I don’t know are grieving loss of loved ones and I often feel my attempts to bring comfort fall very short. Perhaps you have felt that way, if so, I want to encourage you to take time to be still before The Lord and listen for His guidance. It may just be that you are needed to simply sit quietly nearby while someone cries. It could be that you will be led to hold them and simply let them know you care. At some point words of comfort may be the thing to do.

I witnessed all of these and even a bit of humor that came about when I was with some dear friends comforting a dear friend. It was painful and yet very sweet to see. Somehow, I found comfort in the above scripture which then led me to a hymn with which I will close our time together. The hymn is titled “Rock of Ages” and the last verse says; “When I draw my fleeting breath, when my eyes shall close in death. When I rise to worlds unknown, and behold Thee on Thy throne. Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee”.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
July 9, 2026
Matthew 6:9-13 + Psalm 86:1

For the past month or so I have been enjoying a Bible study at my Church using a little book; “The Lord’s Prayer-Talking to Our Father” by Tim Chester. We meet the 2nd and fourth Thursdays at Hursttown Church at noon, so come on by, all are welcome. It is this study that has prompted me to take more time to pray every day and to consider what Jesus was teaching his disciples about how to live out faith in God in real, tangible, sustainable ways. Jesus knew his time was running short on the earth when he walked up the mountainside to share what we now know is his historic “sermon on the mount”. It was a troubling time for everyone, which helps me relate to the Bible as our world is in troubling times, hence, the need to pray all the more. It’s been said; “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is laying hold of His willingness”, and “Prayer is not an attitude attained but an attitude maintained”. Both of these sayings are good reminders to be mindful of the seriousness and sanctity of prayer. This is evidence of the beauty of The Lord’s Prayer in drawing us ever closer to the will of God, trusting His timing.

I learned The Lord’s Prayer when I was quite young, and back then it was taught in the King James Version with “Thy will be done and Thy Kingdom come…” It doesn’t matter what version you prefer, the point being to pray this prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray and to pray it often, even daily and even multiple times daily. This isn’t an exercise in futility, but a discipline to hear the words, to live the words, to trust the words to guide and to heal.

May you be inspired to say it, pray it, sing it and live it with all the hope, joy and peace The Father has for you. I will close with the last part of a refrain from a hymn perhaps inspired by Psalm 86:1; “Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy”. The words from the Hymn; “I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee! O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee”.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
July 1, 2026
Deuteronomy 4:5-8

Our scripture text for today is a marvelous reminder of God’s providence over His people who choose to follow Him and His will. This comes in the context of Moses reminding the people that God has given them His Law for a real, life application reason. See if this might be applicable to you and I as we are coming up on the day we celebrate our nation’s independence; “See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?”

I wonder if this is true of our nation; that we live in such a way that it is evident that the Lord our God is near us. A nation, or a church, or a community is made up of people, all kinds of people, all kinds of people created in the very image of God. We witness difficulties and disagreements, but also, we are to be mindful that we are free not just for ourselves but for the good of others. The Declaration of Independence has these words in the second paragraph that might sound familiar to you; “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…” I wonder if this is true of our nation; that we live in such a way that all people are created equal and deserve to pursue happiness while living in freedom. I realize that is a sticky question to ponder, and I am aware that many might view my perspective as unreasonable or at least very naïve. That’s ok, I will not be offended by any counter perspectives, I am only here to encourage you faithful readers to know you are created by a loving God who wants you to be assured that He loves you and wants the very best for you and for those whom you influence.

Let’s pray; “Father God, we know Your heart’s desire for us is to be at peace with You and with those around us. Place within our hearts the desire to live for You and to listen to the leading of Your Spirit. Let us diligently search for you. Open our eyes that we might see what is good, honorable, and just for this country and for the well-being of all people”Amen. (If My People…A 40-day Prayer Guide for Our Nation” (pg.12)

A verse from our closing hymn for this time; “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”; “Our Father’s God, to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing: Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light; protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King!”

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
June 24, 2026
Psalm 42:1

We have been blessed to enjoy some lovey evenings on our back deck and entertained by visiting deer who enjoy the corn feed we provide. Yesterday the older ones brought some very young ones who are still nursing. What a marvelous sight. It reminded me how God provides even in times of fear or distress. As the deer are very watchful for any predators, so we must be mindful that this world is not always safe and we are to keep our focus on God’s way even if it is not the way that seems easiest.

As a young person, I remember listening to a song on Christian radio that reflects the words of Psalm 42:1; “As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship Thee. You alone are my strength, my shield; To You alone may my spirit yield. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship Thee” (Martin Nystrom).

Today, if you find yourself longing for comfort, peace, or provision of any kind, take a moment (or many moments) and pray for the Lord to satisfy your greatest need, then, like the deer, look around for His provision. Don’t forget to say “Thank you Lord”.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
June 17, 2026
Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. To me, that is living God’s amazing grace; to forgive just as in Christ God forgave me. I can’t do it. I just can’t do it without the Holy Spirit calming me, settling my thoughts and giving me a forgiving spirit. Earlier in this passage the Apostle Paul writes; “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (vs. 31). But how? How can I “get rid” of these behaviors and attitudes? PRAY! My friend and sister in the Lord uses the word as an acronym. P=Praise, R=Repent, A=Ask and Y=Yield. Easy? No. Necessary? Yes. Start to praise God in song, let the Holy Spirit reveal to you where repentance is needed, then, yield to Him. This is no quick easy fix, but well worth the day by day time it takes to be relieved of the burden of unforgiveness. Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore puts it this way in her devotional “Praying God’s Word Day by Day”; “Forgiveness means deferring the cause to Christ and deciding to be free of the ongoing burden of bitterness and blame” (Pg. 175).

I would like to close with the last verse of a hymn I’ve loved since I was a youth; “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”; “Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Hold o’er my being absolute sway! Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always living in me!”

AMEN and Pray on!