United Methodist Church like? What are they expecting from me?” These are all good questions, but the most important question is: WHAT IS GOD EXPECTING FROM US? I want to use that question as a basis of a sermon series in August. I invite you to a spiritual journey and discovery of God’s expectations for…
Raised in Albia, IA, Rev. Philip Dicks received his Masters of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary with post-graduate work at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Illif School of Theology and St. Paul School of Theology. Rev. Phil has served as a pastor for 6 churches in Iowa: Sioux City Trimble UMC; Davenport Grace UMC;…
For my last three Sundays, I will look at some of my favorite scriptures as a means to share the core of my faith. In this article, I will share core scriptures with some introductory comments on their importance. The first scripture that holds significance for me is the pronouncement of God’s name in Exodus…
Love the Lord your God with all your strength concludes the four ways we are told to love God and our neighbor. Strength does include the three means of loving already discussed. One will use the full strength of heart, soul and mind, but more. The more that has not yet been included is the…
You shall love the Lord your God…with all your soul…” is our topic for March. Understanding soul and defining it may be the most difficult of the list to grasp firmly. While we of faith firmly believe in having a soul and even experience having a soul, it is not something we can set in…
When Jesus quotes the law in Deuteronomy with “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”, he begins with heart. There is no way to prove that the order suggests a priority, but it does raise the…
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ~ Deut. 6:5 Jesus answered. “The first (commandment) is Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your…
November and December bring us to what is often called the holiday season. Probably no time receives more attention than Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both are firmly rooted in American’s faith tradition, although both are celebrated beyond people of faith. Thanksgiving may be the purer of the two, in so far as it has not been…
I have had the privilege of joining you in your ministry these last two months. Now I look forward to what is to come in the time before us. September and October both have much to which we look forward. September is the time in which we return to the more traditional schedule. Sunday school…
In the latter part of the 19th century, a young couple left their home in Indiana and homesteaded 190 acres of parched, dry land in Arizona. Life was hard, but they persevered, building a home and having two children, a boy and a girl. One hot summer day, the husband left on one of his…