Introduction: This is a prayer of confession for Ash Wednesday. It is inspired by the suggested scripture readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for Year B. Please feel free to use this prayer or adapt it for use in your own church or worship setting. My goal in writing this litany was to take my… Continue reading Prayer of Confession for Ash Wednesday
This post is part of a weekly series entitled "His Encouragement." Each Thursday, some fellow Christian blogging friends and I share the scripture verses that are encouraging us as we journey through the week together. “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8 Image shows… Continue reading I got a typewriter! Typewriters and Faith (His Encouragement)
The cover of the book shows a purple flower blooming from the cracked earth. My name is Rev. Rebecca L. Holland I am an ordained elder in the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church. I serve as the solo pastor of two small churches in rural Pennsylvania. As a person who is visually impaired,… Continue reading Hope for the Broken: Using Writing to Find God’s Grace is a number one new release in Methodism on Amazon
A Prayer for Peace after Witnessing the Acts of Violence on the Feast of Epiphany (His Encouragement) On Thursdays, I usually share posts in which I talk about what Bible Verse is inspiring me during that point in my week. Often, these brief meditations turn into the seeds of future sermons or writing projects. I… Continue reading A Prayer for Peace and the Hymn “Let There Be Peace on Earth” UMH #431
The ancient Roman philosophers taught us to remember that we will all experience death. Christ offers us the hope that death is not the end.
Rebecca was born with a complicated eye condition that caused her to be visually impaired. As a young person, her deepest wish was to become a music teacher and share the joy of music with children; however, systemic ableism at the university level prevented her from achieving this goal. She mourned for the loss of her dream, and then she started taking her writing seriously. Telling her story has helped her to reshape her personal narrative and to take back her power. She hopes to share what she has learned with others during this session. We all have a story to tell, and the world needs your story! Our stories shape the world, and together we can make big changes, one story at a time.
When we bake bread, we follow a recipe. If we follow the recipe to the best of our ability, we will end up with something delicious and nourishing. In the same way, God gave us a recipe for Holy Living. In the Holy Bible, we can find instructions for how to experience live a good life that will bring us closer to God. When we follow these instructions, even if we expereience hard times in life, we The recipe that God gives us for a good life can be found in Exodus is known as the Ten Commandments.
If you love something, do it! Don't let your age or having a disability stop you. God gave all of us gifts that we can use for His Glory. Fill the world with light and love-- and follow Jesus. Jesus loves you.
Our church family has people of all ages and ability levels. Some were children, some of us were a little bit older, and some of us were anywhere in-between. Everyone was able to find a job that they were able to do. Some people were also visually impaired like myself (A friendly reminder: Please do not pet service dogs when they are working).
By the time we were done, we had given away 1,727 gallons of milk. It was a truly beautiful thing. We had given away almost 400 gallons of milk an hour!
If you love to make music, then go make music and sing songs to God. If you love to write, then write stories that praise God's Holy Name. If you are called to raise a family, then teach your children to Love the Lord. Whatever passion God has placed in your heart, I pray that you can find a constructive space and a joyous place to use it to bring honor to God's name and fill the world with love.
