Life is amazing, awful, and ordinary

Dear Family of Faith,

On Monday I started a letter to you with this quote from LR Knost. It still feels relevant.
​
 “Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And in-between the amazing and the awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

Life is awful, for so many reasons. Especially after a day like yesterday. Life is amazing, for so many reasons. And, life is breathtakingly beautiful. May we find beauty in each day, especially in the awful times. Not to deny the pain or diminish the difficulty, but to ground us and give us strength and grace to do the challenging work of love. Take time to be still. Take time to breath. Take time to discover the beauty for there you will find God. May God bless us in the valleys and on the mountaintops and every step in-between. Please keep reading for there are several great opportunities coming up!
 
UPCOMING
​
Upper Room Zoom Retreat We will resume our Upper Room retreats this month on Zoom January 23rd from 10-noon. One of the joys of our retreats is the scrumptious food we share. So, I invite you to prepare a nice treat for yourself along with a cup of tea or coffee and come to your screen to join in our wonderful fellowship. The Upper Room devotional will be our guide as we talk about fear. All are welcome! Check your email for the zoom login information.
​
Finding Peace in An Anxious World Su DeBree will lead this Mission U workshop. It will be on Zoom from 2-4 each Sunday in February. The four study sessions will use the book of Proverbs and “The Serenity Prayer” as a guide to help us find our way through anxiety, worry, and fear and move towards God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. You are encouraged to purchase and read the book Finding Peace in An Anxious World by Erin James-Brown. More information and registration can be found here https://www.mtnskyumc.org/eventdetail/14863184 There is no cost, and all are welcome to participate. Register to get the Zoom link information.

Ash Wednesday is Feb. 17th this year. We will gather at 7 pm on Zoom for a brief worship service to set the tone as we enter Lent. Check your email for the zoom login information.
 
WORSHIP

United Methodists. Baptists. Lutherans. Catholics. Etc. We all have much in common and yet each is unique in some way. In worship this month we will be learning about John Wesley and our United Methodist identity. This week we begin by reflecting on the baptism of Jesus. I invite you to bring a bowl of water with you to worship on Zoom. We continue two worship opportunities each week: 9 am on Zoom (check your email for the zoom login information) and 11 am at Holbrook UMC.
 
A THOUGHT
Many of us have received or will be receiving a stimulus check. A gift from our government designed to help us through this pandemic. Some of us desperately need it as our income has been affected. Others haven’t experienced that drop in income. If you are in the second category, I invite you to think about how you can use that gift to bless others. God generously lavishes grace upon us and calls us to be generous. Are there people or organizations that you could give a gift to, to help them in this challenging season?
 
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Pastor Patti