Dear friends in faith,
Our Easter worship services were beautiful. The Spirit of God is alive in all of our churches! My Easter sermon is attached, if you want to read or share it. This week, I am on vacation enjoying the sights of St. George, Utah. I’ve been hiking and encountering desert wildlife; Mojave Desert Tortoise, Roadrunner, Spadefoot Toad, and lots of lizards. And I’m warming up my heart and soul at the poolside. Thursday I head to Zion National Park! God’s creation is so amazing! As I have been hiking the beautiful desert flowers have caught my eye. The pops of bright color amidst the browns, creams, and reds of the desert. I found this verse of Isaiah, that links the Utah spring with the Montana spring. Isaiah 35:1-2 says: Dear friends in faith,
Steve Garnaas-Holmes posted on Facebook this week: “Jesus wasn’t starting a new religion, or even criticizing an old one. He was teaching a spiritual practice: the practice of radical kindness and trust in God. That is all. That’s it. That’s Jesus’ teaching and ministry in a nutshell. Sounds nice and benign, huh? But if you practice radical kindness to everybody, including the poor, sick, outcast, foreigners, incarcerated, sinners, enemies, EVERYBODY – well, it will overturn all of society. So, yeah. Religious and political authorities had reason to get rid of Jesus. Holy Week reminds us that love is powerful, and love is revolutionary, and people with worldly power will resist it. But love will win. Love will win.” Dear Methodists of Park County and beyond,
The past month my life has taken an unexpected turn. I will be moving to Colorado to serve a church there, Smoky Hill UMC in southeastern Aurora, in late June. My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last Fall and I struggle being so far away. These last few months he has been noticeably declining. So, mid-March I asked the Bishop if there was a church within an hour of my parents where I could serve and there was. My heart needs to be closer to my parents as we make this journey together. But it is bittersweet because I love being here in Livingston. God is at work amongst us and these churches and I enjoy the work I have been doing with the clergy and churches across the state of Montana. I have come to love you and this amazing place. And so it is hard to leave, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to be close to my family. I am still here for 2+ months and will work hard with you to make a smooth transition to your next pastoral leader. May God continue to bless all of us as we walk faithfully each day. Dear Methodists of Park County and beyond,
As war continues in Ukraine we need to continue to pray. Today the UMC put out a new hymn written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette in response to the war in Ukraine. It is sung to the tune of “This Is my Song.” May it be a guide for us to pray. Dear Methodists of Park County and beyond,
We are exploring how we can Create Space for God. This week our focus is finding God within. God is all around us. God is in people. God is in the love between us. God is also within us. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 62:1 “For God alone my soul waits in stillness.” In spite of the psalmist’s difficult circumstances, he is able to find serenity. But it comes from within. He finds God in the stillness and in the silence. The spiritual practice this week is centering prayer. That is the practice of letting go of our thoughts. Read my attached sermon to learn more about this practice. Take 20 minutes to sit quietly. As thoughts arise, let them go and turn your focus to God. There is scientific evidence now that corroborates the values of this practice. If you want to learn more about that and how our brain functions, listen to this podcast of Brené Brown. I found it very fascinating. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/finding-focus-and-owning-your-attention/ May the road rise to meet you and may the wind be always at your back.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Creating Space for God-this week our focus is finding God in nature. We have often heard or talked about the idea that nature reveals who God is. The Psalmist writes in Psalms 19:1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork There are many things that nature can teach us. Nature can teach us that there is beauty in the small things, that everything is connected – that each little piece is a part of the whole and that each little piece has a part to play. Here is one spiritual practice to help you find God in nature. Acts 17:28 tells us “In Christ we live and move and have our being.” As we seek to create space for God in our lives, we are focused this week on practicing the presence of God. Growing in our awareness that the Spirit of God is present to us every moment of every day. I invite you to experiment with one of these practices this week.
We served around 45 friends and family from all of our churches and the conversations were flowing. Afterwards we discovered the whipped cream still in the refrigerator, but I don't think it was missed. We also joked that it was our coming out of Covid breakfast! We are now ready for Lent to begin on Wednesday. A huge thank you to Shonna Adams, Evelyn Strong, JoAnne Ferguson,Greg Strong,Tom Shellenberg, Bob Jovick, & JC Charmichael for putting this all together and making it happen. Thanks to Wayne Bowman for being our greeter, to Luan Peterson for donating her homemade Elderberry syrup and to DeeAnn for her Chokecherry syrup. My heart is troubled by the war breaking out in Ukraine. I urge us to pray. If you are struggling to put words to your prayers, here is a prayer that the Archbishops Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell released this today.
God of peace and justice, We pray for the people of Ukraine today. We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them. We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions. Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen. Hello friends and family of faith,
Who are the young people in your life that fill your heart with joy? What makes each one of them special? How can you pass on your living faith to them in ways they can receive it? This greeting of Paul gives us some guidance. |
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April 2024
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