Rest in Your church

7.13.25 Stetson Memorial UMC    Good morning, Stetson Memorial Church family. If you had told me just a few months ago that I'd be standing here, actively participating in church, perhaps even joining in church karaoke, I might not have believed you! For years, I would have found every excuse not to attend. I always felt a quiet tugging at my heart, a sense that there was something more, but I constantly ignored it. Sometimes it was because I didn't feel like I fit in, or I was simply embarrassed to admit how I truly felt. But today, with a humble heart, I share that I am genuinely embracing this journey. After some significant challenges in my life, God, in His grace, led me to find peace where I needed it most. I now feel a deep peace I longed for, the profound love of forgiveness I desperately needed, and for that, my heart is beyond thankful. I remember the profound love and bond I felt when I became a mother – a love unlike any other. I was raised in a Christian h...

7.27.25  Stetson Memorial UMC Scripture Readings: Exodus 20:5 — “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” Ezekiel 18:20 — “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent…” Galatians 3:13 — “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” Romans 12:2 — “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Introduction Just as the Monarch butterfly knows how to return to a land it’s never seen, many of us carry invisible maps in our hearts — spiritual, emotional, and even generational. But hear this: not every path our ancestors took should be followed. The Inheritance We Never Chose Exodus 20:5 speaks of sins being passed to the third and fourth generation. This is not just punishment—it’s a warn...