Mary Ann's Blog: Kingdom Seekers

Spiritual Pruning  By Pastor Mary Ann Wray "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15: 2 After a long dreary winter we are finally entering into the wonderful season of spring! Many of us will begin the process of lawn care and gardening. Some of us will have to prune trees and shrubbery along with other ground maintenance to get our yards in tip top shape. Pruning is the practice of cutting and removing selected parts of shrubbery and trees. It often means sawing back branches or removing smaller limbs altogether. Pruning can also be the removal of young shoots, buds, and leaves. The process of pruning controls growth, removes dead or diseased wood, and stimulates the formation of flowers and fruit buds. It is widely understood that careful attention to pruning and training young fruit trees in particular, improves later productivity a...

Cultural Chasms and the Prince of Peace By Pastor Mary Ann Wray Every one of us is born into some sort of cultural heritage, whether it is Native American, African, Asian, Hispanic, South American, or European…and the list goes on!   One of the main challenges we have when we become Born Again in Christ (the second birth), is being able to recognize and distinguish cultural beliefs and traditions that contradict Biblical Truths. These types of cultural traditions do nothing to expand the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth. In fact, they can have an adverse effect!   We have to be careful about not getting caught up and trapped in a cultural chasm that leads to more division, hatred, and animosity within and without of the Body of Christ. "So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, Why don’t your disciples live by the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” He replied, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypoc...