tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63400562010-01-02T05:53:06.857-06:00Grace and Peace to You!A weblog ministry of First Presbyterian ChurchDuanenoreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-85043703488720989442009-12-28T21:55:00.002-06:002009-12-30T13:02:14.336-06:00A WORD FROM YOUR PASTOR LOVE BEYOND MEASURE As we begin 2010, I invite you to look back to an early experience of Nathanael under the tree: John 1:43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-70882212817744099002009-12-15T19:45:00.003-06:002009-12-15T20:07:02.431-06:00A Word from Your PastorADVENT: A TIME TO DRAW NEAR AND PRAYAs I ponder the meaning of Advent, one prayer comes to mind over and over again. You may recognize it. I encourage you to keep it close at hand, to pray often, and draw near to God this Advent season. Advent means “to come”. So come, see what God is doing! Christ ever with me, Christ before me, Christ behind meChrist within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-91771548931503877422009-11-17T21:58:00.002-06:002009-11-17T22:09:42.842-06:00A Word from Your PastorChristian Believer: Knowing God with Heart and Mind Come one; Come all: Advent Study Group begins Thursday, December 3 at 10:00 am. We will meet December 3, 10, and 17. And then continue in 2010! This is an excellent Abingdon Press resource that engages the voices of theologians through the Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-47677075695657123972009-10-01T11:10:00.001-05:002009-10-01T11:15:21.286-05:00A Word from Your PastorREDO AND RENEW As we make progress on our three phase construction project at the church: electrical, kitchen, and new rear entry, I am struck by the similarity to rebuilding our inner selves that we must do as Christians. It is a tenet of our faith that Christ makes all things new! (Rev. 21:5-7) This promise applies to God’s beloved children. We too are made new. But such newness requires Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-48688999037713244952009-09-29T21:00:00.000-05:002009-09-29T21:26:05.429-05:00A Word from Your PastorHOW THEN DO WE GRIEVE?Grieving is universal. It is something each of us will face at some point, and many of us have had to face multiple times. One loss may trigger a grief response from prior losses. In other words, grief is cumulative. But that isn’t all bad. We can draw from prior experiences to help us through current ones. The following are some suggestions to keep in mind as you grieve Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-26066746562497317032009-05-30T13:41:00.002-05:002009-05-30T13:43:22.657-05:00A Word from Your Pastor: June and July NewsletterWe are the Church Together2000 years ago, the early church was just forming. Believers mostly gathered in house churches to worship and have fellowship (including food of course!) Preachers would stand on the street corners and crowds would gather to hear a Word. The body of Christ is just that. We gather to hear a Word, we share a Word, and we recommit to be Christ’s witness in the world. And weReverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-81448580580879124782009-05-12T12:09:00.000-05:002009-05-12T12:12:00.889-05:00A Word from Your PastorCONGRATULATIONS!April found us celebrating so much: Easter, Confirmation, two wedding announcements, and winter’s gray becoming spring’s sunshine! Congratulations to the Confirmation Class of 2009. You will find in this newsletter our newest members’ faith statements. Read them, and let their words soak in. You have helped shape these young people. The words they speak are a thank you to each of Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-44332047733920166272009-05-12T12:06:00.001-05:002009-05-12T12:09:13.895-05:00A Word from Your PastorWe are the Church Together2000 years ago, the early church was just forming. Believers mostly gathered in house churches to worship and have fellowship (including food of course!) Preachers would stand on the street corners and crowds would gather to hear a Word. The body of Christ is just that. We gather to hear a Word, we share a Word, and we recommit to be Christ’s witness in the world. And weReverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-22623402085520890682009-04-01T15:11:00.000-05:002009-04-01T15:12:59.902-05:00A Word from Your PastorCONSIDER THE LILIESHave you considered the lily lately? We know Easter lilies bloom their hearts out, gracing God’s house. We know Spider lilies run rampant with their silky-looking red and orange tentacles. What Jesus said holds so true for our lives in 2009:And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-44991687530713844302009-02-23T09:26:00.000-06:002009-02-23T09:33:33.145-06:00A Word from the PastorYOUR CHURCH IS YOUYou are a walking advertisement of your church and the Christ whom it proclaims. You take the church out of its four walls, and make it live in the everyday affairs of life. Some have the idea that the pastor is the church. It is true that the pastor often speaks for the church, declares what it stands for, and invites people into its fellowship. It is the pastor’s job to know Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-88007360144293279722009-01-30T14:20:00.001-06:002009-01-30T14:22:50.715-06:00A Word from the PastorFullness of Life in 2009 for your refrigerator1. Practice kindness. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is the greatest gift of all. 2. Focus on changing your behavior. What simple steps can you take to live life differently? 3. Challenge inaccurate thinking. Believe in yourself. Remember God’s word: “All things are possible through Christ who gives you strength.” 4. Share your feelings.5.Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-17852691274089339362009-01-14T21:32:00.002-06:002009-01-14T21:39:20.701-06:00Ah, the Aroma!HAPPY NEW YEARHappy New Year! As my son used to say, "Mama, Happy New You!" He had a point. It is a time of year to be new. A time to reflect on 2008, and begin again in 2009. I have conflicting resolutions: one is to get in control of my stuff and another is to rest more! Alas, yin and yang! We may get caught in conflicting shoulds and oughts this year, but we may also resolve to let go of some Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-84290819079484909972009-01-14T21:30:00.000-06:002009-01-14T21:32:02.857-06:00Merry Christmas!A Word from Your Pastor Two weeks ago, I attended a funeral for Glenn, age 43, the husband of the choir director who has taught Katie for 3 years. His funeral touched me in a deep place. All of that love in one room made me question my life and those places that need more love. It is so easy to get caught up in the shoulds and oughts of life and miss the good stuff. Glenn’s service was the Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-80841499444201132402008-10-18T20:37:00.006-05:002008-11-04T00:22:45.505-06:00A Word from the Pastor: Points to PonderAdvent (to come) heralds the coming of the Messiah. It is the liturgical season before Christmas and begins November 30th this year. As a nifty way to re-member, we are publishing an Advent Devotional Book. This is simply a 26 page book (one page for each day of Advent) written by each of us during this holy season. So…we need 26 people to agree to write one page each. I will give you the texts Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-62203232976958637422008-11-04T00:14:00.001-06:002008-11-04T00:17:25.276-06:00A Word from the PastorCrossing the Bridge into New Life As we approach the season of Advent (to come), I invite you to consider an obstacle in your life that God is asking you to overcome or to let go. I remember twenty-three years ago when I was trying to finish my social work degree, I almost let my self-doubt stand in the way of accomplishing my goal. Fortunately, I was blessed with a person in my life who believedReverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-3837963107416784002008-11-04T00:11:00.002-06:002008-11-04T00:14:31.325-06:00Confirmation is Underway!CONFIRMATION CLASS 2008-2009 What a privilege and joy to be with five young people in this year's confirmation class. We have met three times, learned the Lord's Prayer well, studied Who is a Presbyterian? and taken a mission trip to Trinity Assisted Living in costume!! It has been fun and educational, and...we have only just begun. Thank you for sharing your children! And many thanks to Carol, Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-75381405136398291522008-08-31T22:43:00.001-05:002008-08-31T22:46:22.766-05:00A Word from the PastorBREAKFAST AND WORSHIP ONTHEOLOGICAL EDUCATION SUNDAYSEPTEMBER 14, 2008MATT CURRY, PREACHING Come and see what God is doing! Matt is a first year Brite Divinity School student. He is a friend and a colleague. He has worked extensively with the Emmaus community and Kairos Prison Ministry. Matt will bless us as he shares his vocations and preaches. O come, let us sing to the Lord! PSALM 95O Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-21776842232797991122008-08-09T09:27:00.003-05:002008-08-09T09:36:24.195-05:00A Word from the PastorLife in the Christ Lane Because He lives I can face tomorrow,Because He lives all fear is gone;Because I know He holds the futureAnd life is worth the living just because He lives. Bill and Gloria GatherThere are many instances in life when we get in a hurry, rush about, and forget that there is a still small voice that speaks to us. Let's start living life in the Christ lane. Then, when life's Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-60742293818417092662008-07-01T22:37:00.002-05:002008-07-01T22:45:04.778-05:00A Word from Your PastorIce Cream, Hot Dogs, and Apple Pie"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the one who trusts in him." Psalm 34:8-9As we enter the “dog days of summer”, let’s get our sunscreen ready, our new beach towels fluffed and folded, and be ready for all the good God has in store. We might catch ourselves whining about the heat, but then we remember that God is good andReverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-62180535469080652432008-06-06T21:59:00.001-05:002008-06-06T21:59:59.029-05:00A Word from Your PastorSUMMER ON THE HORIZONI appeal to you to remember God’s church this summer. You’ve heard the plea before. “The church still has to pay the bills even when you are on vacation!” As necessary as bill paying is, what concerns me more is how close we stay to the fount that gives us the living water of life. We need God. We need one another. We need the living water, especially when our tanks may be Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-9129710882534541222008-06-06T21:57:00.000-05:002008-06-06T21:58:46.972-05:00A Word from Your PastorFOR SUCH A TIME AS THISNever has there been a time when we need prayer more than now. Scripture, in fact, identifies our continual need to pray and in the 17th chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus gives us another model for prayer. His first model was the Lord’s Prayer. This second model teaches us how to live a life of prayer. First, Jesus petitions God to glorify Him. He knows that a life of prayer Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-75407563836453829632008-04-02T21:31:00.002-05:002008-04-02T21:36:08.581-05:00A Word from the Pastor Steven Curtis Chapman has a way of encapsulating the truth. Listen to this song and think of you! Fingerprints of GodI can see the fingerprints of GodWhen I look at you I can see the fingerprints of GodAnd I know it's true You're a masterpieceThat all creation quietly applaudsAnd you're covered with the fingerprints of GodNever has there been and never againWill there be another you Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-512465438318925062008-03-09T20:34:00.002-05:002008-03-09T20:35:58.882-05:00Journey to the Cross and the Empty TombA Word from the Pastor Journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb LENT Lent is a time to take the time to let the power of our faith story take hold of us,A time to let the events get up and walk around in us,A time to intensify our livingReverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-34330757382240553762008-01-31T17:22:00.000-06:002008-01-31T17:23:20.536-06:00A WORD FROM THE PASTORLIFE LESSONS: WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2008 MARCH 7TH 10am PSALM 25:4-5Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. I had absolute joy when I came to Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6340056.post-81674673602360798542008-01-31T17:19:00.000-06:002008-01-31T17:22:38.009-06:00A WORD FROM THE PASTOR “ARISE, SHINE, YOUR LIGHT HAS COME!” Isaiah 60:1 Who knows where we are going unless we take a look back to where we have been? There is no easier way than to look at the pictures (big surprise!). We began 2007 with a visit from Grace Presbytery’s Rick Carus who was here for the Lord’s Supper and our Annual Congregational Meeting! We elected two Reverend Lucia McKee Kremzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203077582279408558fpcbridgeport@embarqmail.com