Mr. Pat is off to Arizona to celebrate birthdays with the grandkids. Soon I will be leaving for Annual Conference in Topeka, riding with a pastor friend for the last leg of her travels.
Arapahoe, Xian, and the fish (in the aquarium and in the pond) will be cared for. Neighbors will pick asparagus and strawberries … if they can get to those areas through the mud. And the grass will be mowed … if it ever stops raining. It will be good to be away for awhile. Recent attempts to do so in the past couple of months haven’t worked out so well for me. This scheduled meeting, the venue, and the conversations that are part of Annual Conference may not be as peaceful, as restful, as if I were at my favorite retreat center. That’s understood. But there will be ways to disconnect from the real world and reconnect with the divine. And I will seek them out. I am grateful to Fairmont’s UMW for scheduling UMW Sunday for the Sunday after Annual Conference. I am grateful to Linda Zuerlein for bringing the message. It will be great to hear her preach the Word! And I am grateful that Milligan is a singing church that enjoys having a good ol’ hymn sing once in awhile. Communion and baptism are also part of worship on this particular Sunday. Wonderful all the way around! Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat
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Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come into God’s presence with singing. --Psalm 100:1-2
Nebraska Five-Day Academy is this week at St. Benedict Center in Schuyler. Even though I didn’t make the trip as planned, I have found God at work renewing my passion, redefining my ministry, and restoring my soul during my week here at home. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat It was a great way to wrap up our Kids ROCK ministry for the school year. Coney dogs, potato salad and coleslaw. Cookies for dessert. And special guests.
Ron Brown, University of Nebraska’s Director of Player Development Football Coach, and Gordon, videographer for the evening, shared a bit of his own story and captivated all ages with his message. He talked about how discipleship works … understanding that God loves you and has chosen you or adopted you into God’s family, knowing Jesus and believing in him for your life, hungering for God’s Word, and having faith and hope in God’s promises for your life. He gave us much to chew on, scripture to discuss, questions to discern. An opportunity to pray. I give thanks to God for using Mick Goc and Ron Brown’s chance encounter at McDonalds in York to further God’s kin-dom. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat This past week has been quite full. Little time for pondering. So this weekend, this graduation weekend, this Mother's Day, I invite you to ponder your own thoughts and memories, ask your own questions, seek your own answers, dream your own dreams, and celebrate the life God has given you and your loved ones.
Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come into God’s presence with singing. --Psalm 100:1-2
Nebraska Five-Day Academy was this past week at St. Benedict Center in Schuyler. Even though I didn’t make the trip as planned, I have found God at work renewing my passion, redefining my ministry, and restoring my soul during my week here at home. I pulled more weeds in two days than I had all spring. Spiritual work, excellent prayer time, and good for the soul. To tend to my sore muscles, I sat in the hot tub more than I had in the past month. I made a concerted effort to walk more with Arapahoe and Xian during the day instead of waiting until after dark. I made it to Covenant Group. We were a small group this month. Helpful conversation about transitions. I went to a Cancer Support Group meeting at the hospital. Although intended for persons with cancer, it was another helpful conversation. As both patient advocate and pastor, I was thankful to God when my hospital visits coincided with doctors’ rounds. It happened enough times that good progress has been made. News flash: I just received a phone call … after nearly a month of hospitalization, this parishioner is soon to be released. Thanks be to God! As spouse, I have tried to be supportive. I continue to learn the role of caregiver … when I am needed, when I am not. One of these days, perhaps next week, I will look to the future and begin to make plans for transitioning. But this week has been about being present. In the moment. In the here and now. Waiting with God. Waiting in God’s presence. Psalm 100:1-2, has been my mantra this week. In all things, make a joyful noise. Serve with gladness. Acknowledge God’s presence. And come. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat A year ago I made plans to participate in Nebraska’s Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation which runs April 28 – May 3 this year. Knowing that two beloveds from my Two-Year experience were invited to be presenters was the impetus to register early. In fact, I invited two sisters in the faith to join me … to introduce them to The Academy and so we could grow in faith together.
The timing for Five-Day in Nebraska is typically right after Easter. Accordingly, it is a great way for clergy, especially, to relax and renew after a busy Lenten season and Holy Week. I have personally appreciated that my own Academy experiences … over five days or simply 24 hours … have helped reestablish and/or solidify a spiritual connection and rhythm for reflection and prayer. Yet, as the time draws near, I find myself torn. Do I stay home? Or do I go? To be sure, it was a full Lent. Extra worship services. Usual monthly meetings and weekly ministries. Some unexpected, but important and necessary pastoral care. And it’s appointment season. Undoubtedly, I could use a recharge of my spiritual battery! Earlier this month, Mr. Pat’s scheduled MRI showed new areas of growth. Additional appointments. Multiple phone calls. More chemo delivered to our doorstep Thursday. A new dosage. A new regimen. And some uncertainty. So I have made a call to the registrar in order that another pilgrim may attend Five-Day in my stead. And I’ve contacted the listening circles coordinator so she can make adjustments. In a little while, I will contact others of my siblings in Christ to encourage them in their pilgrimages. Right now, I need to be here. Dear Jesus, sometimes we find ourselves in a tough spot. At times we are uncertain. Sometimes fearful. Not knowing what the future holds. Not knowing what to do. Maybe what we need is for you to come and stand among us. And hear you say, or feel you breathe, “Peace be with you.” And believe it may be so. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat For an Easter Son-Rise Service a few years ago at Rising City UMC, I adapted Robert Ingram’s prayer to be prayed responsively.
An Easter Prayer: (L = Left, R = Right, A= All) L: Lord, can salvation really be so easy? R: Is there not some price to pay, All: some contract to uphold? L: Is confessing you with our lips, R: and believing in our hearts, All: all that is really necessary? L: Is there not some fine print, R: something we have not been told? All: This is too easy. Is it not? L: If we were God, instead of you, R: there would be hell to pay. All: No one would get off so easy. L: But we, thankfully, are not God; R: and you are unlike any of us. All: There is no price tag on your love. L: Though we live like heathens, R: disobeying you at every turn, All: you wrap us in your salvation. L: “Come,” you say to us, “Come. R: Enjoy the miracle of my love.” All: And we come, Lord. We come. Amen. --Robert D. Ingram, 2011 Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat Hosanna! Hosanna!
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of God! Blessed are we for we have been created by that same God. Blessed is the sound of our voices, lifted up in praise. Blessed are the hands that clap and strum and pluck, joining together in one glorious Hosanna. Blessed are the bodies that move and wave and march and dance in a tapestry of motion, embodying your love. Blessed is the breath that enlivens us, animates us, and sustains us in singing our ceaseless praise to you, O God. Hosanna! Hosanna! --2009, Laura Jaquith Bartlett From Bethlehem to Nazareth, From Jordan to Jericho, From Bethany to Jerusalem, From then to now, Come, Lord Jesus. To heal the sick, To mend the brokenhearted, To comfort the disturbed, To disturb the comfortable, To cleanse the temple, To liberate faith from convention, Come, Lord Jesus. To carry the cross, To lead the way, To shoulder the sin of the world and take it away, Come, Lord Jesus. To this place, To us, Come, Lord Jesus. Amen. --1998 Wild Goose Group, admin. By GIA Publications, Inc. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat It appears that Spring is definitely here! How do I know? Let me count the ways …
The snow mountains made from clearing streets all winter have all melted away. My husband was the first in our burg to fire up his lawnmower and mow the lawn. Not just the first on our street. Not just the first in our block. But the first in the Whole Town. I must admit that bagging the leaves and other stuff that have blown in over the winter does make the grass look greener. My husband was likely the first in Denton to till his garden. Or should I say gardens, plural. I’ve been told that the weeds with tiny leaves were trying to invade the strawberries, so it was time to get after them. And then one just keeps tilling. Tulips and grape hyacinths are beginning to emerge. No vivid color yet. But the green clumps are promising! The flower bed are needing spruced up. One of these days, in a couple more weeks, I’ll tend to them. And wash windows. And change the sheets on the beds from flannel to cotton. Maybe I’ll leave the windows for Mr. Pat. Today he is going to town to buy new garden seed for planting. And garden plants if he can find them. And grass seed to reseed some weedy patches in the yard. In the Spring, there is always something to look forward to. Clearing away the old. Or the debris. Freshening up. Making room for the new. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat Coming back home from New Orleans, we were seated by man returning to his home in St. Louis from Orlando. He had been at a pet expo all week, related to his job with a well-known pet food supplier. We shared pictures and stories of our four-legged babies. We talked about Nebraska and the flooding. I mentioned Crete, and he said he knew where it was because of his company’s facility there.
Before landing in Omaha, there was just enough daylight left that we could see the flooding and destruction in that region. My, my. I was thankful to know that our Bishop asked for special offerings to be taken in our United Methodist churches for our brothers and sisters in Nebraska dealing with the aftermath of the bomb cyclone. We did so last Sunday in Milligan and Fairmont, and will accept additional donations this Sunday. I was thrilled to learn Sunday that folks from Milligan who have ties to Hooper and Winslow were hoping to fill a trailer with collected items for people and animals. They asked to park the trailer at the church during the week. Oh, yes! And they will take the donations to Hooper and Winslow on Saturday. I had known from Facebook that our niece, Anna Elting, and others had been gathering donations in Thayer County to take to folks along the Niobrara River. Monday, she told me that she, her husband Reuben, and my youngest brother Chance left last Saturday with a 16-foot enclosed trailer of supplies for people and livestock and a small semi of hay. They made stops in Lynch, Verdel, and Niobrara, but couldn’t get 7 more miles down the road to Santee without crossing first into South Dakota. They spent the night in Yankton, then made their way to Santee on Sunday. It’s all about people helping people. It’s about using your God-given abilities and resources to help meet the needs of people as you see and learn of them. In whatever ways possible. In the church, we call that ministry. Someone told me Purina in Crete had sent a truckload of pet food up north for flood victims. Hmmm. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat |
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