SPIRIT ABLAZE: A Podcast of the Northeast Global Methodist Church

Yesterday we received ashes as a sign of humility; today, we begin the work of transformation. In the first installment of Rev. Steven Taylor's new devotional series entitled Chiseled, we’re looking at the workshop of the Master Carver. We may arrive as unfinished blocks of wood, but God sees the masterpiece within us. Lent is our time to stop long enough to allow God to identify - and then begin removing - whatever keeps His image from being revealed in us.
 
“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”  Ephesians 2:10
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Welcome to the final installment of our devotional series, The Great Invitation. Over these past weeks, we’ve walked step by step through Jesus’ call - coming and seeing, choosing to follow, discovering what it means to be blessed, living as salt and light, and allowing Christ to reshape our hearts from the inside out. Today, join Rev. Steven Taylor as we turn our attention to how Jesus brings his teaching to its most challenging (and most beautiful) conclusion.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:44–45 (NRSV)
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In part five of our series, The Great Invitation, we move beyond outward rules to the deeper, more challenging work of heart transformation. Following Jesus means more than coming and seeing, choosing to follow, receiving God’s blessing, and living as salt and light. It also means allowing Him to reshape our hearts from the inside out. Join Rev. Steven Taylor as we discover how Jesus calls us past technical obedience and into a life of true kingdom integrity.
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:20 (NRSV)
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Welcome to part four of our devotional series, The Great Invitation. Having already explored Jesus' calls to "come and see," follow Him, and live as a channel for God's blessings, we now turn to Matthew 5. Here, Jesus illustrates how a blessed life functions in the "real world" - bridging the gap between belief and practice. Join Rev. Steven Taylor as he unpacks our high calling to live as salt and light.
 
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? … You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.”  Matthew 5:13–14 (NRSV)
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Welcome to Week 3 of The Great Invitation! After hearing Jesus' calls to "come and see" and "follow me," it's natural to wonder: Do I actually have what it takes to live this way? Join Rev. Steven Taylor as we look at Matthew 5 to discover how Jesus answers that question - not by lowering the bar, but by redefining what it means to be truly blessed.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:3 (NRSV)
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In week one of our series, The Great Invitation, we explored the first step of discipleship: Jesus’ simple call to "come and see." But His invitation doesn't end there. Join Rev. Steven Taylor for week two as he reveals the next invitation from Jesus that changes everything.
“Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”   Matthew 4:19–20 (NRSV)
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Welcome to the start of a new year and a fresh devotional journey, The Great Invitation! Join Rev. Steven Taylor as he reminds us that a life of faith doesn't start with a heavy list of demands or expectations but with Jesus’ warm, personal call to simply "come and see."
"The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’"   John 1:43–46 (NRSV)
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Happy New Year!
On this New Year’s Day, we not only celebrate the arrival of 2026, but we look back with gratitude for all that God has done in our lives and look forward with hope to what God is already doing in the days, weeks, and years to come.
In today's reflection, Rev. Steven Taylor invites us to continue to look at The Perfect Gift - Jesus - and consider the missional call He places on our lives. It’s a call to listen, to trust Him, to go with God, carrying His light forward into the year and into the world!“Forget the former things;    do not dwell on the past.See, I am doing a new thing!    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?I am making a way in the wilderness    and streams in the wasteland."  Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)CLICK HERE FOR PRINT VERSION OF THIS DEVOTIONAL