Cold on the Outside; Warm and Welcoming on the Inside Oak Chapel sits on a plot of land that might well be one of the coldest spots in Wayne County when the winter winds blow. This past week, for example, just days before the official beginning of spring, the temperature plummeted below freezing, creating aContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 17, 2023”
Author Archives: Oak Chapel UMC
In A Nutshell | March 10, 2023
Take Your Time, But Give It Back, Too The old saying, “Don’t lose sleep over it,” is sage advice for those who find themselves tossing and turning at night after experiencing an angst-ridden day. It’s best to let it go, if possible, and get a restful night’s sleep. Sometimes, however, loss of sleep is unavoidable —Continue reading “In A Nutshell | March 10, 2023”
In A Nutshell | March 3, 2023
Doing ‘Our Best’ and Helping Others to do Likewise In my early elementary-school years, I was a classic underachiever. My parents and my teachers told me repeatedly that I did not “apply myself” and that clearly I could do better. Those admonitions went largely unheeded by me as I continued to languish in mediocrity. ButContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 3, 2023”
In A Nutshell | February 24, 2023
Time to ‘Get Together’ and ‘Love One Another’ In 1967, when the Vietnam War was escalating at an alarming rate, peace rallies were springing up in cities and towns across the United States. Thousands of anti-war activists — young and old — were coming together to plead with our nation’s leaders to put an endContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 24, 2023”
In A Nutshell | February 17, 2023
Better to Lean on the Cross than ‘Knock on Wood’ We’re all familiar with colloquialisms — expressions used over and over again to describe, explain, or summarize a particular situation. One of the more common examples of these popular sayings is “Knock on Wood,” something we say in the hope that our good fortune willContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 17, 2023”
In A Nutshell | February 10, 2023
After Further Review, Our Slate is Clean Super Bowl LVII kicks off on Sunday evening, and once again the Browns will not be participating, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the game. No one can predict the outcome (although many will try), but there are certain things we can count on, including an extensiveContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 10, 2023”
In A Nutshell | February 3, 2023
Never Abandoned or Forgotten You probably noticed the abandoned vehicle in our parking lot a couple of weeks ago. Clearly, it was in a state of disrepair with deflated tires, crumbled fenders, and wide-open windows. Fortunately, whoever left the car behind was courteous enough to leave a note, stating that arrangements had been made toContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 3, 2023”
In A Nutshell | January 27, 2023
Adversity Brings Perspective My recent bout with COVID reminded me once again that there is so much beyond our control. Because we have so many freedoms, we sometimes think that there is nothing we can’t do, but then reality sets in, and we realize how much of life is out of our grasp. The BookContinue reading “In A Nutshell | January 27, 2023”
In A Nutshell | January 20, 2023
Make Every Day One of Acceptance and Inclusion You’ve probably never heard of Marlo Anderson, but you are likely familiar with his famous innovation. He was the first to officially develop the idea that each day should have some sort of special designation attached to it, so he established National Day Calendar 10 years agoContinue reading “In A Nutshell | January 20, 2023”
In A Nutshell | January 13, 2023
Building Spiritual Strength in the Battle Against Temptation There are so many distractions in today’s world that it is easy for us to veer off course. Fortunately, God knows our strengths and our weaknesses, and He knows that even the most devout among us are vulnerable to temptation. In the Book of James (1:14-15), weContinue reading “In A Nutshell | January 13, 2023”