Open Table

as well intentioned as we mean for our words or actions to be, are they stumbling blocks for others? Who or what do we let stumble us? Now I don’t have to tell you… you already know this – especially at our age… I hope so anyway… that unless you fall you really won’t know how to get up… let alone if you stumble – how to find balance, even in the struggle to not be embarrassed by stumbling or even falling… Know that God is always there to catch us… even when we have forgotten – who we can turn...Read Full Story

“ unchangeable Truths ” -  Rev. Terry J. McGuire unchangeable Truths, it is never the truth that changes only our understanding of it… we are promised that God will place it on our hearts and minds as to what will apply to our lives, “I will show you” so who do we allow to show us, who are we willing to risk our lives with? Who is the “I” in our lives… no amount of proof, can convince anyone of the truth… it either resonates with you – or it does not… Gods’ words never changes only our...Read Full Story

“ R E S T O R E D ” – from exile to greatness Rev. Terry J. McGuire have you ever felt like you were in exile? I have, and I think if we truly reflect on our lives, we too would find that we have been, at one point or another through out our life time… In our exile what have we learned? ‘there is always restoration that we too share in the Divine – the hope of our humanity to be restored in relationship with God and one another.’ We find it is only in our own suffering that change is possible...Read Full Story

  what will it take? I can't answer that for you, but I can tell you what it won't – fear, for Christ himself, said 'do not be afraid' so if we truly believe – then fear has no space in our lives, fear not... 'for I Am with you always'... is it that we fail to see the relevance of the Scriptures today, is it because we fail to see Christ in our everyday lives' and in the world around us? If we are without Christ, then we fail before we begin, here in the Scriptures today, we hear God asking...Read Full Story

“ Come, without cost” how often will we ever get an invitation like that… few if ever, so often there are strings attached, or an agenda set, or stipulations or expectations of something more, or in exchange for reciprocation… and in our Scripture readings today… we find an invitation to come… to share in the greatness and goodness of our God, without exception or expectation, that through Christ, we now have the Holy Spirit to guide is in all truth, so that none would ever be lost for ever...Read Full Story

right off the bat this week, we see and hear… that we are to simply ASK… “ask what I should give to you” but who are we asking, and what are we asking for? Is it for self or for others? Here we find that when we can’t or won’t listen to God – then God can seek us out in our dreams… when we won’t listen while wide awake, then God can use our sleep to awaken us, and here we find God simply wanting to give us what ever we are willing to ask for. Now let me say this, we do not always get our way...Read Full Story

again this week in our Scripture Readings we hear and see it is not our place to decide who comes for Worship or who God uses for His Glory!, that good and evil co-exist side by side, until the very end of age… God does, can and will even use the bad for good… even if it is only to reach one, and what if that one is you… so that none will be lost? From our Old Testament reading we find a prophet challenging the people to believe and to trust in One God, He believed beyond a doubt that Yahweh...Read Full Story

A Foundation of Faith: Here is something that came to me when preparing for this weeks Spiritual Reflections, on a Foundation & Faith: “Faith is Believing so much so that your willing to bet your very life on it”... throughout the Scriptures Christ had a lot to say about and on Faith, and the Foundations He would be giving us as examples... a strong Foundation is built upon a Rock – for me and I pray for you – that Christ is that Rock. There is nothing – hear me well – there is nothing we can...Read Full Story

  “ have we done – what we ought?” Rev. Terry J. McGuire right from the start, in the old testament reading, “justice never prevails” and “justice comes forth perverted” and even so still today - when the so called religious right gets it so wrong, that we hear of teens jumping to their deaths because someone has outed them... really... we live in the land of the free, don't we... then why do we still have such discrimination’s against others different from ourselves... I think it is time we...Read Full Story

  “ the word of the Lord – came to me ” what has God spoken to you... do you know – or weren’t you listening... distracted by the cares of this world, the hectic pace that most of us must keep up these day's just to survive another day... another week... another year... that very same still small voice heard for centuries from others before us and most likely – prayerfully - others after us... still speaks to us each individually – personally – intimately... but are we aware of it... are we...Read Full Story