Good Friday Morning Everyone!
I watched the movie “A Complete Unknown” the other night. I really enjoyed it! It was one of the movies nominated for an Oscar this year (didn’t win) and is the story of the early career of Bob Dylan. I have always loved his music. Maybe one of his most famous songs is The Times They Are A-Changin’. Hidden in the lyrics is this: The battle outside ragin’ will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. For the times they are a-changin’.
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Good Saturday Morning!
This last week my daughter in law posted some wonderful news on our family text thread. She told us that our granddaughter who is a sophomore and has been accepted and will start her college courses this fall. Two emotions came over me at the very same time: Oh, my gracious! That is wonderful! I am so proud of her! And…….. Oh, my gracious! How can this be? She is the baby. The youngest grandchild. Wasn’t it just a year or two since she was born????? So I have been living this week in this dual reality. Life is good and the future is bright. And…….. life is fragile….. it flows on – it waits for no one. Even baby girls grow up and begin their way on this earth. And grandmas gracefully grow older and find our way to the end.
Lent is a really good time to ponder on things such as these. We gathered for what I hope was a meaningful Ash Wednesday service this last week to begin this 40 day season of Lent. Lent is the time we make ourselves stop and think about our lives. We ask God to wipe away our sins, to create in us clean hearts, to remind us to stop creating treasures for ourselves, but to become more generous and caring toward others. During these 40 days, we walk toward the cross with Jesus. And we remember his suffering in the midst of his love for us.
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Afternoon Everyone!
I just wanted to remind you that Sunday is coming! And the family has saved you a place! If you have not attended for the last few weeks, we sure have missed you! It’s never the same when we are not together – every one of us! Sunday might be the perfect time to come back. It is Transfiguration Sunday ……. and we all get to ponder together the mystery of Jesus on the mountaintop shining like lightening (Luke 9:28-43). And we will ask the question, does this kind of lightening thing still happen? And, if so, has it happened to us????? You might be surprised!
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Good Morning Whitesburg UMC!
My feet are cold this morning! And when your feet are cold, there’s not much you can do for the rest of you! Everything is cold!!!! So, I am thinking today about all those people who have to be outside working in this cold weather. People like construction workers and roofers and dog catchers and the guys that have to stand in the same spot all day turning the STOP!/SLOW! signs around for us as we travel in our warm cars. People like the Carroll EMC guys who got your power back on last Sunday. When you read this, say a little prayer for them. Pray for their families and their safety. Pray they have on two pairs of socks. And make sure you thank God for them and all the others who face the discomfort of weather to make our world keep turning.
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Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!
I hope this has been a good day for all of you and that you are enjoying being together with your Valentine or that you are holding the sweet memories of Valentines past in your hearts. Jim and I actually both forgot…… but we made up for it by spending the day together traveling around two really neat towns in Alabama called Albertville and Boaz. He had one inspection to do at the Piggly Wiggly and after he got finished, he came out with 2 chocolate candy bars he had bought from a little girl selling for a fund raiser. We enjoyed our Valentine candy together. It was delicious! But mostly we just enjoyed being together. Caring about each other. Loving one another.
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Hey Everybody!
I am so glad it is Friday. I am glad because that means this week is finally over. I have been sick all week. I’ve had this naggy sinus infection. Yuck! I hate sinus infections! What a pain!!! You know what it feels like, don’t you? Your brain keeps telling you to get up; to clean the kitchen, to do a load of laundry, to go for a walk, to go to the store, to go……. And that is the problem: in order to go you have to get up off the couch or out of the bed. And when you are sick, getting up is a big deal. Your brain says yes. Your body says no.
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Good Friday Evening!
Hope you are all well on this rainy evening. I rode with Jim to his inspections in Alabama today, and I was sleepy and generally glum all day until the sun came out just a mile or two before we got home. It’s amazing how the sunlight can affect our spirits. Sometimes that light comes from the actual sun, as was the case with me today. But just as often, light can come from within. We stopped at a restaurant for a late lunch. After sloshing through the parking lot them sparring with the hostess over table or booth, we just sat there like old married people…… looking at each other. I don’t know for sure, but I have a feeling we looked pretty pitiful. But our waitress came and brought with her such a lovely, authentically real smile that we both had to smile too. And by the time we left, we were 100% brighter!! That young woman was the real deal. She had a gift – the Bible refers to it as the gift of mercy. The special ability that God gives some to feel genuine empathy and compassion for others. She was kind and seemed to sense that we needed to be a little pampered – a little loved. I pray she continues to use her gift of mercy throughout her life. Especially in these days, the world needs mercy and kindness more than ever.
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Afternoon!
Wow! January isn’t even over yet, but what a year it has already been! The biggest fires we have ever encountered in the US have destroyed acre after acre and home after home in California. President Jimmy Carter, who lived to be 100 years old passed away and was put to rest with a heartwarming and sincere remembrance of his life as one who chose love and simple service over power. Israel and Palestine have come closer to a semblance of peace than at any other time in this latest standoff. We have said goodbye to president # 46 and welcomed in #47. And it was a welcome of inaugural festivities, dinners, balls, glamor, wealth, controversial prayer services, and lots of general settling in amidst apprehension for some and jubilation for others. These are times in our country of deep change and division……. maybe even fear. On the one hand, we don’t know what to expect from the new leadership from one day to the next.
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Good Morning!
As I get ready to write this, I am looking at a pile of books on my desk. These books are all about spiritual gifts and I am using them to get ready for a new study that will take place during the month of February. It’s a lot of work to get ready for something like this. And it is a big obligation for you to sign up for it, as some of you have already done. I would love to see a huge class as we learn together. But it dawned on me that if I want you to learn more about these gifts, I need to give you a little preview – like a trailer for a movie or that little taste of ice cream they let you have before you make your final decision. So, here is a little bit of why I hope you will join the class – a little bit about what spiritual gifts are all about and why we should even care:
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Except for the lesson that our dog Cissy taught me. I guess she’s not too familiar with snow, because when I opened the door for her to go out early this morning, she looked out at all that white stuff and just looked up and me and said, “are you crazy?? I’m not going out there!” And she cowered down and backed away from the door back to her bed. So, one hour passed and two and three and four and it was noon. Now, she is a stubborn little dog, but there comes a time when something must give. So, I put on my shoes and my coat and my earmuffs and opened the door and went out. She was watching me crunch around in the snow and soon stuck one paw out to get a feel for things. Once she was completely out, this surprised look came on her face, and I could see all her fears melting away. She started out by marching a few steps, looking around………. and then that gave way to four rip roaring dog races around the back yard. Before it was over, she was frolicking and loving every minute of the snow.
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Good Afternoon!
I hope you are all well and enjoying the beauty that is Christmas. Today (December 26) the church puts Advent behind and begins the season of Christmas (which will last until January 6). This season is called the Epiphany of the Lord, and it is the time we recognize the importance of the coming of the Magi to the Christ and along with it the sharing of the good news of the birth with gentiles all over the world. Epiphany will last all the way through March 2, which is Transfiguration Sunday leading to the beginning of Lent. I look forward to it all as we experience together our own journey with the Messiah.
During this time, I will be offering a very special 4-week class that will enable us to learn about spiritual gifts. We will end by actually taking a spiritual gifts self guided questionnaire to help you identify your own unique God-given gifts. I was thinking we might could do it as a bag lunch class after church. Think about it and we can decide together. I am really looking forward to this! Believe it or not, recognizing and growing your spiritual gifts can be life changing!
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Good Morning!
I was 12 years old the year I saw my mother at midnight on a cold, cold Christmas Eve all wrapped up in her sweater and scarf over her pajamas unloading something from the trunk of her car. My mother’s usual bedtime was 8PM. I was old enough to know something was up. And up until then, I believed with every ounce of my being that it was Santa who brought all those wonderful gifts my sister and I always found on Christmas morning. I didn’t know HOW he did it……I just believed he did! It was magic!
Realizing the gifts came from the trunk of Mother’s car rather than a sleigh pulled by reindeer was a terrible yet a wonderful time for me. Terrible in that I had to let go of a little bit of childhood magic and that was hard. But wonderful in that I saw in a more grown up way the love my mother had for me, the sacrifice she and my dad must have made to afford all those sweet gifts under the tree and all those stockings stuffed with goodies.
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Afternoon Everyone!
On Sunday we will light the third candle on the Advent wreath – the candle of joy! And Christmas is a time of joy, isn’t it? The birth of Jesus brought a joy to the world that humankind could never have imagined. And we have not been the same since!
I’ve been decorating the house today and have been finding great joy in getting reacquainted with all the Santas who have been packed up in our lonely old garage all year. I love Santa Claus!! Except for the wonderful corn husk Nativity that Jim bought me in Kentucky, my Santas are getting a place of honor this year. Things have been a little crazy lately – a little stressful. It’s easy to feel blue. Maybe we all need to seek some good old-fashioned joy this Christmas! Some Santa memory of childhood and what it means to BELIEVE! To REALLY BELIEVE!!
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Good Morning!
Thanksgiving is over – the last of the pumpkin pie is gone and Christmas wreaths are replacing the pumpkins and mums on our porches. The church is beautifully decorated and we are quickly getting in the Christmas spirit. But like everything else, the Christmas spirit can be deceiving. So we all need to be cautious of how we spend it.
We could spend our time and energy on buying and impressing and working overtime in the kitchen. We could accept every invitation and exhaust ourselves with an overbooked calendar. We could fill every day with activities and cooking and wrapping gifts. Those are all good things. But, have you noticed that too much of a good thing turns out to take your joy away rather than add to it?
And joy is the goal of Christmas……. not to miss one tiny second of the miracle of the birth of Christ is the goal. And a beautiful goal it is!
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Good Morning!
When I was a kid I never liked it when at Thanksgiving, before we got to dig into the cornbread dressing and the sweet potato casserole and the turkey and cranberry sauce, we had to take a minute to go around the family circle and say what we were thankful for. It took some thinking on your feet, especially when they said, “now, don’t just say my family. Or my friends. Or my dog.” I must admit that those, along with my latest doll or stuffed animal were my standbys. Thinking any more deeply about my level of gratitude was always a challenge.
If I could go back now, and stand around that table, I know what I would say. I would say, “I am grateful for my mother’s blue eyes that look at me and teach me what love is. I am grateful for this little house that keeps me safe and warm on a cold winter night. I am grateful for my friend the crow that wakes me up every morning and reminds me that his too is the voice of God. I am thankful for all the scary times in life when I must pull up all my courage so that I can learn what it means to be fully me. I am thankful for each tomorrow because I know that God is there waiting.”
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Hello Whitesburg UMC,
I hope everyone is well and enjoying this beautiful fall week. This is such a wonderful time of year. Fall marks the beginning of something…… A new crispness to the air. A new feeling in our hearts. Even as the leaves fall off the trees faster than we can count (or rake), we can also be sure that in a few short months, God’s miracle will come and the leaves will renew themselves once again.
Has it ever been any different? Need we worry?
Of course we needn’t worry. Jesus told us that long ago: Don’t be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink, nor your body or what you shall put on. Don’t be anxious for tomorrow. It won’t add a single hour to your life. Instead, Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose help is in the Lord.
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Hello Everyone!
I know it is only Tuesday and already I’m talking about Sunday….. but it is coming. Jim and I are leaving tomorrow for an annual mountain trip with some friends. We won’t be back until Saturday, and I wanted you to hear from me before that.
Today is election day. And we are all at different states of unease. Every now and then I go upstairs and look out the kitchen window at the library (which is a voting place). The cars have been trickling in and out all day. I am so thankful for those volunteers over there and the volunteers at thousands of other voting places around the country.
I think we are all looking forward to it being over! And it will. We will soon be able to breathe. We will soon know who our next president will be. But it’s hard. The waiting is hard. Because we are a pretty divided nation about this one. We’re a little touchy about this one. We just aren’t sure. We are saying things like – “I’ve done all I can do – now it’s all up to Jesus!!!”
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Hey Everyone!
Hope y’all survived All Hallow’s Eve yesterday………. and are basking in the light of All Saints Day today! They say Halloween is the most popular holiday after Christmas – that every year, even more money is spent on costumes and decorations and candy and horror movies and parties and booze. We like scary things. We like to wonder about things we cannot know, places we cannot go. We like to stick our toe over the line…………….. but not too far. When I was a kid in Bowdon, there was this empty space underneath the bleachers in the gym. That was where the haunted house was set up every year for the Halloween carnival. I remember it to this day – they told me I was going to feel someone’s brains. It was dark. I was already completely unhinged. And now my hand was in someone’s smashed open head. Some part of me said, “wait a minute…….brains don’t feel like spaghetti!” But that thought left in a hurry – and so did I! The light had never been so beautiful!
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Good Morning, Church!
Hope you are all well and have plans for a wonderful day! I imagine all of us are thinking about the upcoming Presidential election that will take place in just a few days. It will be a relief when it is over and all those terrible ads are off the air! Good grief! They are a mess!
Jim and I voted this last week – and it was wonderful to see so many people there. And, while I would never tell you who to vote for, I do want to encourage you to vote. It is our greatest privilege as citizens of our country. If you are one of those people who are saying – I don’t like him – I don’t like her, so I’m just not gonna’ vote for either of them…. If you are one of those people, I want to encourage you to reconsider. Think of it this way – you will not be voting for a person. You will be voting for your beliefs about our country. More →
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Good Afternoon!
Last Sunday was Pastor Appreciation Sunday at Whitesburg….. and I want to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! It touched Jim and me so deeply to see your love displayed there on the altar. Each gift represented in its own unique way the sweet journey that God has provided for us. And how lucky we are that he has allowed us to walk this part of it together! It is a real joy for us to be at Whitesburg. And we are grateful for you and your love. Thank you for your patience and your humor and your acceptance and your understanding and your forgiveness and your willingness to take a chance on an old lady preacher! I am blessed!
This Sunday is Stewardship Sunday, and we will have the chance to offer our thanksgiving to God for all he has given. And, Lord knows, he has blessed us in so many ways. But here is something to remember about that: in the blessing comes call. As he blesses us, he calls us. Our scripture for Sunday concludes with this: “….whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many.”
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