January 2, 2011

If you plan to have a perfect attendance in worship this week you will have to be in worship this week. That's not so bad. We will have a great time. Pastor Larry's sermon will be: "Real Men of Genius." Perhaps you've heard those ads but this will be a little different as we look at the men of genius in Matthew 2:1-12.

The celebration of the Epiphany begins with the arrival of the magi.

Come and join us.

March To the Manger on Sunday

4th Sunday in Advent.

We're almost there.

Pastor Arlin will preach, "A Voice from Heaven." Matthew 1:18-25.

We will observe our "March to the Manger."

Last year it was complicated by the Christmas Eve storm but this year it will be on Sunday.

We hope you have prayed about the amount you will include in your gift for the "babe in the manger."

Put it in a white envelope or wrap it with white. White symbolizes our victory in Christ and the purity of Christ.

Tie with a red ribbon or put a red bow on it. Red is to remind us that Jesus paid the price of His life as the greatest gift.

This is an event you must attend. It will bring you closer to Christ than you have ever been.

December 12, 2010

The third Sunday in Advent is the "Joy" Sunday.
We've been getting prepared and now we need words of hope.
Sermon: "The Voice of the Impatient Messenger."
Scripture: Matthew 11:2-11.

Pastor Larry will lead us to examine why it is at this time in Advent we can get discouraged and need a word of hope.

Our fellowship hour is at 10 am with Worship following at 11.
Bring your friends and come join us.

Second Sunday in Advent

We are moving toward Christmas.
For the 2nd Sunday in Advent, Pastor Arlin will preach: "A Voice From the Desert." Matthew 3:1-12.
Your Christmas will be more meaningful as you participate in all the activities of the church.

Invite a friend to join us.

November 21, 2010

We conclude our lectionary year and prepare ourselves for Advent.
This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday as well as Thanksgiving Sunday.
Pastor Arlin will preach on: "The Supremacy of Christ." Colossians 1:11-20.
As we begin preparing ourselves for Christmas, we will want to get closer to God each week and worship is one of the ways we get closer to God. Bring a guest and be prepared to worship God.

Worship October 17, 2010

We continue on our series form Paul's Letters.
This week Pastor Larry will preach from 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5.
Sermon: "The Proper Use of Scripture."
People have tried to use Scripture to prove all kinds of prejudices.
What is the proper use of the Scriptures?
Paul says, "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work."

Let's see how God speaks to us on Sunday.....FROM THE SCRIPTURE.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

10-10-10 is this Sunday. Pastor Arlin will lead us in our continuing look at the Letters of Paul. He will look at 2 Timothy 2:8-15 in a sermon titled, "Working for God." As we turn the page from Summer it is a good time to bring a friend to worship. Take time to read the scripture to prepare for the sermon and be in prayer for your pastor as he prepares the sermon.

Worship, September 5, 2010

With fall beginning, it is time to emphasize getting back to worship services. Summer is nearly over, school has started and now we can resume our full activities.

The pastors move to a series based on the Letters of Paul. Sunday, Arlin will preach on the title: "From Slave to Brother." Read Philemon. It's only 22 verses long.

We'll have communion on Sunday and everyone present is welcome to attend.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

We will finish our series on the Prophets on Sunday.
Pastor Arlin's sermon is: "What Are Your Charges?" Jeremiah 2:4-13.
The next 12 weeks will be on the Epistles of Paul.

School has started and summer activies are nearing an end. We can begin to see the crowds grow back to the pre-summer level. If you've missed, it is time to get back in the swing. If you think of someone who has been missing, it's a good time to invite them to return to worship.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Our second week with the Prophet Isaiah will look at Isaiah 5:1-7.
Pastor Arlin's sermon will be: "Song of the Vineyard."
Let's see what God has to say this week through the propet Isaiah.
People in his day didn't like the message -- how do we respond?


Don't forget our Ice Cream Social AUGUST 22 - 4 to 6 p.m.

Worship for August 8, 2010

We move to Isaiah for a couple of weeks in our summer look at "Lessons from the Prophets."

On Sunday, Pastor Larry will preach: "Isaiah's Review of Religion." Isaiah 1:1,10-20.

Isaiah speaks for God's discontent about the people going through the motion of worship while they did not treat others justly. This should be a very timely service.

at 10 am is our fellowship time at Sunday School and then we will follow with worship at 11. Bring your friends and come share a great day in God's house.

Worship for August 1, 2010

Our series on the Prophets continues this week.
Pastor Arlin will be preaching on the topic: "Breaking the Father's Heart."
Hosea 11:1-11.
The prophet represents how disappointed God is with his son (the nation Israel).

Don't forget our DVD study during the Sunday School hour. Many times it helps set the stage for the sermon.

Summer attendance suffers because people travel so be sure and be there and bring a friend.

Big Week at Paradise

This coming week will be a big one at Paradise.

Pastor Larry will preach a sermon about how we measure up to God. Sermon is from Amos 7:7-17 and is titled "Amos and the Plumb Line."

Following worship we will have a pot luck dinner.

That will be followed by the movie "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor coat." This sets us up for the VBS which is about Joseph from Prison to Prince.

at 4 pm we will begin our first night of VBS.

VBS continues Monday and Tuesday nights.

July 4th at Paradise

Sunday we celebrate the birthday of our nation with all our freedoms.

One important freedom is the freedom of religion. So many people complain about losing our religious freedoms and I KNOW they will want to exercise that freedom on Sunday morning.

Sermon: "Sick Man Wants Second Opinion."

Scripture: 1 Kings 5:1-14.

Bring your friends and join us to celebrate our nation's birthday. You can picnic and watch firewords later in the day.

Sermon for June 20, 2010

Just noticed I handn't put anything on the blog about the service tomorrow at Paradise.
Sure been busy.
Well, the sermon's almost ready.
"Sounds of Silence." 1 Kings 19:1-15a.
Elijah is upset because he seems to be getting it from all sides.
He goes to the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments and he waits though a storm, an earthquake, fire, etc. in order to get a message from God.
God wasn't in all these things.
God was in the "sound of sheer silence."

Tomorrow, I hope to lead us in understanding this silence for our lives.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Our series from the Old Testament Prophets continues on Sunday with Pastor Arlin preaching on the subject: "When Desire Goes Bad." Read 1 Kings 21:1-21.

This should be an interesting experience for the summer to reach back to the prophets and see how timely their messages are for today.

You would enjoy coming for the Sunday School hour for our new approach with a DVD followed by discussion.

Bring your friends and join us this week.

New Series for Summer at Paradise

We will be looking at the messages from the Old Testament prophets during the summer months. This Sunday, Pastor Arlin will start us off with a sermon: "A Handful of Flour." Read 1 Kings 17:8-24 to understand the story before you arrive on Sunday.

The stories of the prophets are exciting stories and they each have an important message for our lives today.

Summertime challenges our attendance because of family activities and vacations so you need to make a special effort to be there every Sunday you can. Larger crowds add to our excitement. Summer is also a good time to bring visitors.

Worship for May 30, 2010

Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and this Sunday is Trinity Sunday. Jesus told his disciples in John 16, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." The sermon will be "Jesus Introduces the Spirit of Truth." There are so many around us telling us they have a corner on truth. Where do we find the REAL truth? Jesus said the Holy Spirit will GUIDE us into truth.

Pastor Larry will work with this topic.

This is memorial weekend so some people may be out of town. We need all who are at home to come and give us a good crowd.

The Sunday School will deal with the DVD about how God's guidance is like music.

Sunday School is at 10 and Worship is at 11.

See you there.

Worship for May 23, 2010

Happy Birthday, Church!
Sunday in Pentecost Sunday.
The pastor's have been in a series since Easter on "Lessons From Jesus."
Pastor Arlin will be preaching on the title: "Jesus Shows the Father."
It is based on John 14:8-17, 25-27.

It will help if you read that scripture before you arrive.
Why not also offer prayers for the pastor as he prepares his message for this week?
Bring a friend with you to church and you both will be blessed.

Worship for May 16, 2010

We are in the middle of a series of sermon of "Lessons From Jesus" based on the Gospel of John.

On May 16th, Pastor Larry will preach on the subject, "Jesus Prays to God." It is based on John 17:20-26. You may want to read the entire 17th chapter. Jesus prays for himself and then for the disciples and finally for those who will follow -- this includes us.

He pray that "they may all be one." v. 21. Unity is such an important element in the work of the church. It is important for the church to do its work of witnessing to the world.

During the Sunday School hour (at 10 am) Pastor Larry will lead the Sunday School class based on the DVD from Rob Bell. The title is "Kickball." We are trying these experimental classes during the summer months, so come out and join us.

See you Sunday. Bring a friend and join us.

Sunday May 2, 2010

How about your Sunday?

Why not join us at Paradise UMC?

at 10 am we will start our new adult class taught by the pastors. We will start with a showing of DVD and will follow with a discussion of it. This Sunday it is "Rain." The teaser says: "Things don't always go the way we want to to, or the way we think they will. Sometimes we don't even see it coming." Join us as we kick off the series which will last all summer.

at 11 am Pastor Larry will lead us in a sermon: "Jesus Gives A New Commandment." The scriptrue is John 13:31-35. Jesus commands us to "love on another" as he has loved us. We will observe Holy Communion and will have a beautiful beginning to the month of May.

Bring you friends and join us.

Worship for April 18, 2010

We are in our series, "Lessons from Jesus." This series will be during the season of Easter and will continue up through May. In June we will start a series of sermons from the Old Testament Prophets.

Pastor Arlin will be preaching on the topic: "Jesus Calls Fishermen to be Shepherds." The text is: John 21:1-19. Earlier we saw Jesus call fishermen to "fish for people." Now, after his resurrection he calls the fishermen to "feed my sheep."

We had a good crowd last Sunday. The Sunday after Easter is usually a let down in attendance but we held up well. We received to new members: Josey Linville transferred her membership from Turney UMC and Robin Jackson ask to move her membership from St. Teresa Catholic Church to Paradise.

There is a lot of excitement at Paradise so it's a good time to bring someone with you to our worship.

Jesus Deals With Doubt - April 11, 2010

Now that Easter is over, the pastors move into a series of sermon from the Gospel of John.

The series title is: "Lessons From Jesus."

April 11th, Pastor Larry will start the series with the story of Thomas who missed Jesus' appearance to the disciples. He was there the next week. John is the only Gospel writer who portrays Thomas as a "doubter." Why was this important to John. Why wasn't it important to the other Gospel writers?

Read the story in John 20:19-31. Pray about it. Bring someone to worship with you.

EASTER 2010

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY ---EASTER!

At Paradise we are changing our schedule a bit.

at 9 am we will have a pancake breakfast.

at 10 am is the worship service.

Pastor Arlin will preach on the topic, "Where Is Jesus?"

Pastor Larry will be liturgist and will also sing, "Rise Again."

Following worship, we believe there will be some lost Easter Eggs for the children to find.

Easter is the biggest day in the Christian Church.

We celebrate Jesus' victory over death with the promise for eternal life.

Bring family and friends and be a part of the celebration.

HOLY WEEK

This is the week we have waited on.
We are headed for Easter.

FRIDAY - 7 pm is our Good Friday Services.
We will have a "first person" sermon by Pastor Larry.
In the sermon, Simon of Cyrene is telling his sons what happened while he attended the Passover festivities in Jerusalem. He was the one who carried the cross for Jesus. Now he is back home in Northern Africa and he tells his sons all about it.

This is a moving sermon which was written in 1968 and has been preached many times during the 40+ years.

The sermon will be set up by a beautiful song written by Ray Bolz. Danica Harris will sing the song and your heart will be touched. This song has Simon there in Jerusalem with his two boys and a lamb they had brought for sacrifice.

You don't want to miss this service. If you bring friends with you --- they will thank for.

7 pm Friday.

See You.

HOLY WEEK

Worship for Palm/Passion Sunday -- March 28

We are moving toward the end of Lent.

Sunday is that day which has two points of emphasis -- Praise as Jesus enters Jerusalem and the passion of Good Friday. It's too bad we don't have two different Sunday to observe these.

We will put more emphasis on the Palm Sunday praise. The sermon: "Cheering For Jesus" will look at the excitement of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. What a day of rejoicing it must have been! How do we cheer for Jesus? What does this mean for us.

Read Luke 19:28-40 and bring your friends for a joyful service.

This Sunday at Paradise

We are at the 5th Sunday in Lent.
Pastor Arlin will be leading us with the sermon: "Pressing on for Christ."
It's based on Philippians 3:4b-14.
As we move closer to Easter, we need to check up on how were are doing on our Lenten disciplines. Are we "pressing on" in our movement toward Easter?
Easter takes on great meaning when we have prepared ourselves spiritually.

Take the time to read the scripture and be in prayer for Pastor Arlin as he prepares to share God's Word this Sunday.

Bring a friend with you and expect to be spiritually blessed.

Worship for March 14, 2010

4th Sunday in Lent.
Sermon: "Being Reconciled to Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

We hear a lot in the news today about "reconciliation." That is a political word being thrown around. 2,000 years ago the Apostle Paul talked about "being reconciled to Christ."

Reconciliation in the biblical sense is "the resumption of a healthy relationship." Our world is full of unhealthy relationships. Our own lives also have unhealthy relationships. Paul gives us some insight on the "resumption". We will also look at the parable of the Prodigal Son which deals with reconciliation between the two brothers and the father.

Sound like a message you could profit by hearing? Probably.
How about inviting a friend to come to worship with you -- it would probably be helpful to them as well.

This Week At Paradise

Friday is our fellowship and game night. We move back to 6:30. Bring some goodies and come to have a good time of fellowship. This is an excellent time to invite friends to a non-threatening time of relaxation and fun.

Sunday is the third Sunday in Lent. Pastor Arlin will lead us with a sermon: "Standing Fast for Jesus." Philippians 3:17-4:1.

Worship at Paradise for Feb. 28, 2010

Well, we missed worship yesterday because of the snow.

How disappointing!

Next Sunday, Feb. 28th, is the second Sunday in Lent.

Pastor Arlin will preach from Philippians 3:17-4:1 and the sermon title is: "Standing Fast for Jesus."

The weather will HAVE to be better next week so let's plan to get a good crowd to church.

A Good Thing To Include in your Lenten plans

One of the very important things you can do for Lent is to worship together with others.
No matter how many things you "give up", your attendance at worship helps you grow closer to God during Lent.

See you Sunday.

Feb. 21 - First Sunday in Lent

Lent is a time to deepen our faith and prepare for Easter.

Pastor Larry will get us started on Sunday with the sermon:"Professing Jesus."

Read Roman 10:8-13 as background for the sermon.

What does it mean to "confess with you lips"?

What does it mean to "believe in your heart"?

What does it mean to "be saved"?

Please read the scripture, pray and bring a friend in order to begin Lent on the right foot.

To follow Pastor Larry's Poem a day for Lent, check out his blog at:

http://linesfromlarry.blogspot.com/

Lenten Devotional reading

Ash Wednesday begin on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

We will celebrate it at 7 p.m.

During the time of the service, Pastor Larry's meditation will be about Jesus' words on prayer, fasting and giving alms. He will challenge you not to 'GIVE UP SOMETHING' for Lent, but to add something.

He has committed himself to share a scripture each day during Lent (except Sundays) and will try to have a poem for each scripture and if he just cannot come up with a poem, he will have some prose. He invites you to make this a part of your lenten devotional time, but he also challenges you to do something which will take great effort.

His blog is: http://linesfromlarry.blogspot.com/.

Will you join us on Wednesday and will you share in this daily devotion project?

"Why is Christ's Way the Best Way?"

Pastor Arlin will conclude our series on Sunday with the sermon: "Why is Christ's way the best way?" You will want to read Luke 9:28-36 as a background.

We have been on this series since January 3rd and have dealt with basic questions about our faith. We conclude this Sunday and then we will be ready for Lent.

Lent begins on Feb. 17 when we celebrate our Ash Wednesday services.
We will preach a series during Lent on "deepening our faith."

Services for February 7, 2010

We are moving on in our series of questions about the faith. On Sunday, Pastor Larry will try to answer the question, "Why do we need the Bible?" You might prepare yourself by reading: Psalm 119:105-112 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

The bible is the best selling book in history. It has stood the test of time. It has great truths. Some find it hard to understand and others think it is booring. Many people talk about how it has helped them through the difficult times.

Bring your questions and join us in searching for the answers.

We will celebrate Holy Communion. We welcome everyone to share in communion regardless of where you might be a member.

Worship at Paradise on January 31, 2010

Our series on questions about our beliefs continues this week.

This week Pastor Larry will try to answer the question, "Why do we need the church?"

You may wish to prepare yourself by reading Acts 11:20-26.

The church seems to be criticized from all sides so why do we need it?

Did God really intend for us to gather in churches?

How does the church help you?

Bring your friends and we will explore this subject together.

Sermon for January 24, 2010

Our series on questions about the basics of the church continue this week.

Pastor Arlin will answer the question, "Why do we need prayer?"

He will base the sermon on Luke 6:12-13 and James 5:13-16.

It will help if you read the scriptures before attending services.

Prayer is an important area for us to understand.

Bring your friends and prepare to draw closer to God.

Worship at Paradise, January 17, 2010

Our series on questions about the faith continue this week.

Pastor Arlin will answer the question, "Why do we need the Holy Spirit."

You may read John 16:13-16 as background.

In January, you are invited to bring canned meats for the food pantry.

Bring and friend and join us.

Services for January 10, 2010

We are looking at 7 questions about our faith at the beginning of the year.

Last Sunday, Pastor Arlin spoke to the question, "Why do we need God?"

This week Pastor Larry will speak to the question, "Why do we need Jesus?"

We encourge you to read the first chapter of Colossians.

Because we are dealing with the basics, this is a good time to invite others to learn some of the most frequently asked questions.

Let's pray that the weather warms up before Sunday.