Stories

The church is the body of Christ—all the people who accept Christ’s gift of salvation and follow Christ’s teachings. It is much more than a building. In the Bible, “church” never refers to a building. It always refers to people—the people who follow Jesus Christ. Being part of the body of Christ means we are called to be continually shaped to be more and more like Christ. This happens by letting the Word of God, the Bible , guide our faith and our lives,... Read More

Methodists distinguish between human nature as it was created, and human nature as it exists now. Humans were created in the image of God, having reason and will. They filled a place in the order of creation that stretched from God and the angels on one end through humans down to lower organisms and inanimate objects at the other. As such, humans were in harmony with God and with creation, and in a position to mediate and distribute God's goodness through the rest of creation, but we fall... Read More

The Holy Spirit is God's present activity in our midst. When we sense God's leading, God's challenge, or God's support or comfort, we say that it's the Holy Spirit at work. In Hebrew, the words for  Spirit ,  wind , and  breath  are nearly the same. The same is true in Greek. In trying to describe God's activity among them, the ancients were saying that it was like God's breath, like a sacred wind. It could not be seen or held: "The wind... Read More

In trying to find words to express their faith in Jesus, the New Testament writers gave him various names. Jesus was Master, Rabbi, Teacher. He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He was the Doorway to the sheepfold, the Light of the world, the Prince of Peace, and more. In the church's long tradition, scores of other names or titles have been given. Let's look at five of the most central biblical names for Jesus: Son of God We believe in Jesus as God's special child. We... Read More

When we say the Apostles' Creed, we join with millions of Christians through the ages in an understanding of God as a Trinity—three persons in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons. "God in three persons, blessed Trinity" is one way of speaking about the several ways we experience God. We also try to find adjectives that describe the divine nature. In our  Articles of Religion  and  Confession of Faith ,... Read More

Randee Paraskevopoulos shares what reading through the Bible has meant to her. Learn more about getting started reading Scripture at TMUMC.ORG/bible . Did you know Disney movies all have a hidden Mickey Mouse in them? Or that Stan Lee appeared in a cameo in every Marvel movie until he died? These little surprises are called Easter Eggs. They’re hidden by the movie makers simply to give the audience some fun in discovering them. These days, they can be found in video games, movies,... Read More