GROWING SEEDS: "God Loves His PEEPS"

God Loves His PEEPS

Growing up, my parents made sure we were at church every time the doors were open.  And although our church believed in Easter and gave the usual Easter sermon, the only lead-up to Easter weekend in our home was a new white dress, new frilly hat and new shiny shoes.  

Oh.......and let's not forget the dyed hard boiled eggs.

How sad.

As an adult, I find Easter a mixed bag of fluffy bunnies and candy Peeps that compete for attention with the story of a young man being tortured to death so I could live forever.  Ya, I heard the story a hundred times over the course of my life, but did I "really" understand?  Did I "know" this young man that gave His life for me?  Or was it all about the dress?

Unfortunately, it was all about the dress for me growing up.  I shake my head, roll my eyes and beg for forgiveness when I think about my old priorities.  I only learned to "fear" God growing up.....I didn't actually get to know His Son and appreciate the sacrifice they both made for a well dressed little girl with a new hat and shoes who had a basketful of candy and dyed eggs in her hands. 

So sad.....

BUT now....... I "get" it.  I truly get it.  I don't believe it was any accident that Christ died and rose again in the Spring.....when, after the long hard winter, the earth warming up, the birds busy making nests and singing and the first of the year's flowers coming to life, that He also rose like a beautiful new daffodil pushing through the hard, dormant earth releasing new life again.  But this time, those daffodils called humankind, will never die when winter comes, so long as they never look away from the Son.  

That's the key to life.  

Never take your eyes off Him.....because like a flower without a gardener, you will wither and die without the individual care that only He, the Master Gardner, can give to each of us.

Springtime is a second chance for a NEW BEGINNING.......a second chance at PRIORITIES; a second chance to "GET IT RIGHT".  He died so we could have an undeserved second chance at ETERNITY with Him in a beautiful garden full of a magical new species of daffodils in brand new colors we've never seen before.  

Forget the dress; it's all about ETERNITY.

"Lead a life of love, just as Christ did. 

He loved us. 

He gave himself up for us. 

He was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God." 

Ephesians 5:2

GROWING SEEDS: "Prayer Shawl"

 

 

PRAYER SHAWL  

"God's Residence"

One of my most common prayers to pray when I'm feeling particuarly anxious or fearful  is "Father, wrap those big loving arms around me and still my fears.....and Father, if I'm too rattled to feel Your big strong arms around me, them smack me over the head with that shepherd's crook of Yours to get my attention."  

It works every time.  

Pretty soon, I'm feeling this amazing peace and warmth surrounding me......my almost hyper-ventilating breaths slow down and my brain cells start lining up to where my thought processes make sense again.  Sometimes I think I can actually hear God saying to me, "Really??  We're doing this AGAIN?"  But then I see Him smiling, shaking His head in a familiar way and saying, almost under His breath, "Ok, I'll remind you AGAIN that I'm walking two steps ahead of You; clearing the path of things that cause you to stumble and fall. I'm here.....right here.....can't you feel my heartbeat against yours?"

And every time I see those beautiful Prayer Shawls draped over select pews in the sanctuary, I can't help but think of them as God's arms wrapped around my shoulders, warming me, protecting me.....calming me.  I am constantly blown away by the many gifts our church has working within its walls.  Because I can't sew a button on a shirt without assistance, I am in awe of those woman who tirelessly make shawl after shawl to be the arms of God wrapping around those in need.  

Have you ever been in the hospital and had someone bring you a special, familiar blanket from home that you can hold tightly to your chest?  Remember how comforting that felt?  It most likely immediately slowed down your anxious heart rate, brought a smile to your face and reminded you of the love that went into making that special blanket.  Well, that's the way it is with Gods Prayer Shawls.  The loving hands that made each one of them, were themselves made and blessed by God.  As the last stitch is made on each shawl, it is prayed over.  It was commissioned by the One who made you, to bring you comfort and peace.  

Moses wore it to his funeral.  David wore one on the day he fought Goliath and Daniel wore one as he went into the lion's den.  Jesus wore His prayer shawl as He went into the darkness of Gethsemane and He will wear it again when he returns.  And did you know that the Prayer Shawl was part of the resurrection of Jesus (John 20:6-7)?  It was gently folded in the corner of the empty tomb.  

So next time you walk past a Prayer Shawl at church, reach down and touch it with your fingers and feel the stitches that God made to remind us of His presence during the difficult times......and say a prayer of Thankfulness for these Mary and Martha's in our church who answer the call to make them.

"Even when the way goes through Death Valley, 

I'm not afraid when You walk at my side.  

Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure."  

Psalm 23:4

GROWING SEEDS: February Newsletter

"I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, 

plans to give you the future you hope for."  

Jeremiah 29:11 

The Message

 

I remember when I was a teenager, I desperately dreamed of  "seeing" and "knowing" my future.  I wanted to know where I'd be when I was 30; 50; 70 years old......Who would I marry?  How many kids would I have?  What would my life be like?  I actually dreamed of having a "time tunnel" to see my future.

 

Unfortunately, my teenage "time tunnel" didn't include the assurance that God was in control of my life cause, at that time, I was sure I could handle it on my own and didn't need His help.  And this feeling continued well into my 30's.  I remember shortly after getting married, I hoped God wouldn't come.......YET.......cause life was going too well.  My marriage was wonderful; I had everything I could ever want or hope for; my life was the best it had ever been.  If God could just wait a little while longer before returning, I'd be ever so appreciative!

 

I shutter to think I actually felt that way.  But I did.

 

Time and age have a unique way of teaching us; showing us that there is so much more to our future than what our every day lives bring to the table.  I found that once I stopped focusing my eyes on tomorrow or looking back at yesterday and instead, lifted my chin upwards peering into the face of God, this "perfect" life here on earth was't what I longed for afterall.  What I longed for was my amazing eternal life.....I long to take walks on a super cool road made of gold; I long to lay in grass that won't get grass stains on my brilliantly white heavenly robe, amongst colorful daisies in colors that we haven't yet discovered.......I long to hear God tell me a joke. 

 

I read somewhere recently the following: "You're only one heartbeat away from eternity.  Everything you have - your life, your breath, this moment, it's all borrowed and it's all a gift.  At any moment, it all ends with a heartbeat.   Just one heartbeat and there's no more time.  One heartbeat and the chance to be saved is gone.  One heartbeat and there's no more choosing; it's all sealed for eternal life or eternal death.  If you don't choose to be saved, then you've chosen not to be saved.  Your life and your eternity....it all rests on one heartbeat.  And what will you do on the Day of Judgement?"

 

So.......are our eyes focused on Earth or on Eternity?

GROWING SEEDS: "UMW"

 

 

 

"Give, and it will be given to you.  

Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,

will be put into your lap.

For with the measure you use, 

it will be measured back to you."

Luke 6:38

U*M*W

(United Methodist Women = Disciple-ETTES)

My first UMW meeting was several years ago before I ever joined the Methodist Church.  My neighbor invited me to go with her one warm summer evening to a lady named Doylene's house just up the road.  I had no idea what to expect; was this a Ladies Bible Study group.....or was it a social gathering of women from the Methodist church?  Turns out, it was a form of both!

At that time, I couldn't have even told you what UMW stood for (United Methodist Women) much less what they did.  But in the years since, I have learned that these women are "Disciple-ettes"......giving of themselves for the greater good of those in need.  They meet once a month, enjoying a guest speaker, homemade snacks and discussing ways to meet the needs of their community.  These women give tirelessly of themselves just as Jesus did.....from feeding local college teens to helping women's shelters, they are the "go-to" ladies of our church.

Interestingly, UMW is the largest denominational faith organization for women in the world.  I don't know about you, but for me, that says volumns about the women of the United Methodist Church.  It boldly shows these women have the heart of Mary and the hands of Martha working for them.

The Mount Vernon UMW is a prominent sign in our East Texas community and is currently working on several amazing projects. 

HOLY HIGHWAY

This past week, the Mt. Vernon UMW just completed making Easter Bags to pass out to the Holy Highway Girls Home.   A non-denominational Christian home and private school on a working farm in Pickton, Texas, they assist girls aged 12-17 overcome rebellion, substance abuse, personal abuse and emotional frustration.  Because it is a non-profit, the Mt. Vernon UMW help treat the girls to things they might otherwise not have.

 

WESLEYAN CAMPUS MINISTRIES,

COMMERCE, TEXAS

Every year, the Mt. Vernon UMW serves lunch to the Wesleyan Campus Ministries students at the Texas A&M Commerce campus.  In addition to preparing and serving this meal, they visit and instill in these students the comfort of knowing the Methodist church is standing with them during this life-changing time in their lives.  On April 11, they will be loading up the van and heading to Commerce with homemade food to serve to these fine young adults.

If you are interested in joining the Mt. Vernon UMW, or just need more information on this amazing group of  "Disciple-ettes", contact either Kathy Gutschlag (903-860-2206) or Jeanie Pamplin (903-305-8023).

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” 

― John Bunyan

GROWING SEEDS: "The Giving Tree"

Once there was a tree....
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired,
he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree....
very much.
And the tree was happy.
But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree
and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and
climb up my trunk and swing from my
branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy."
"I am too big to climb and play" said
the boy.
"I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money?"
"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I
have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in
the city. Then you will have money and
you will be happy."
And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered her apples
and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time....
and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches and be happy."
"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm," he said.
"I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house ?"
" I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house,
but you may cut off
my branches and build a
house. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
"Come, Boy," she whispered,
"come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play,"
said the boy.
"I want a boat that will
take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?"
"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...
and be happy."
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
... but not really.

And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree," but I have nothing
left to give you -
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. " You
cannot swing on them - "
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone, " said the tree.
"You cannot climb - "
"I am too tired to climb" said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could give you something....
but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump.
I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy.
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.

GROWING SEEDS: "Prodigal Son"

"While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; 

he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."  

Luke 15:20

I just love the story of the Prodical Son.  For the longest, my heart went out to the older brother who stayed home, worked hard and didn't cause his father any trouble......cause at one time, that was me.

When I was a teenager, my older brother who was 17, was enrolled in a church boarding school 10 hours away when he found himself in a heap of trouble.  I won't go into what he did, but suffice it to say, he got kicked out of school.  While he was driving himself the 500 miles home, my mother and father were busy making a gigantic sign to place in the yard that said "Welcome Home, Son".  When I drove up in my Chevy Vega from school that day and saw that sign, I was furious.  I couldn't understand why my parents were welcoming this good-for-nothing, troublemaker prodical son of their's, home with open arms.  They barely acknowledged me; they just continued looking out the front window for him to drive up.  I just didn't get it.

Many years later while talking to my Dad about this incident, I asked him why he welcomed my brother home without even a hint of anger and disgust.  I'll never forget how he looked up, as if his mind was rewinding back to that time, and told me that he and Mom were so afraid that James would not return home that night...they feared they might never see or hear from him again.  They wanted to make sure he knew how loved he was even with the mistakes he had made.....and he was forgiven.

It was a modern day Prodical Son story.  I admire my folks 1000x more now than I did then cause, you see, my brother turned out to be one of the most spiritual people I've ever met....no doubt because of the love and forgiveness of that day many years ago. 

And a book I'm sure we've all read to our children and grandchildren at some time, says it even better than I can and goes something like this:

RUNAWAY BUNNY

Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.

So he said to his mother, “I am running away.”

“If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you.

For you are my little bunny.”

“If you run after me,” said the little bunny,

“I will become a fish in a trout stream 

and I will swim away from you.”

“If you become a fish in a trout stream,” said his mother,

“I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you.”

“If you become a fisherman,” said the little bunny,

“I will become a rock on the mountain, high above you.”

“If you become a rock on the mountain high above me,”

said his mother, “I will become a mountain climber,

and I will climb to where you are.”

“If you become a mountain climber,”

said the little bunny,

“I will be a crocus in a hidden garden.”

“If you become a crocus in a hidden garden,”

said his mother, “I will be a gardener. And I will find you.”

“If you are a gardener and find me,”

said the little bunny, “I will be a bird

and fly away from you.”

“If you become a bird and fly away from me,”

said his mother, “I will be a tree that you come home to.”

“If you become a tree,” said the little bunny,

“I will become a little sailboat,

and I will sail away from you.”

“If you become a sailboat and sail away from me,”

said his mother, “I will become the wind

and blow you where I want you to go.”

“If you become the wind and blow me,” said the little bunny,

“I will join a circus and fly away on a flying trapeze.”

“If you go flying on a flying trapeze,” said his mother,

“I will be a tightrope walker,

and I will walk across the air to you.”

“If you become a tightrope walker and walk across the air,”

said the bunny, “I will become a little boy

and run into a house.”

“If you become a little boy and run into a house,”

said the mother bunny, “I will become your mother

and catch you in my arms and hug you.”

“Shucks,” said the bunny, “I might just as well

stay where I am and be your little bunny.”

And so he did.

“Have a carrot,” said the mother bunny.

Thank God we have a Father who will go to the ends of the earth to forgive us, love us and welcome us home.

GROWING SEEDS: "Mowing"

 

 

Back when Chuck and I first moved from Dallas to the lake, we purchased our very first riding lawnmower.  It was a charming shade of army-green and we both were giddy as kids with a new toy on Christmas morning.    The "plan" was that Liz would do the mowing and Chuck would do the supervising.  He taught me what all the buttons and levers on this fine machine did and the best plan of action for attacking the mowing of the yard.  I couldn't wait to get started!

Everything went great.....UNTIL........I came to these green dome topped lids on the side of the house called The Septic Tanks.  Being a "City Laker" and never having seen anything like this before, I remember thinking to myself, "I can just go over those...no problem".....About halfway over the first dome lid, I could feel the lawnmower shaking violently and the blades grinding to a halt.  I tried rocking back and forth, putting it in reverse and pushing it  to loosen the blades' grip on the lid, all to no avail.  So as I explained to Chuck about my little predicament, he came up with the fine idea of him "pulling" the mower as I "pushed" behind.  Sounded like a good plan!

UNTIL......

The lid and mower came loose which caused it, and me, to lunge forward and the left half of me to fall into the septic tank.  I don't recall whether the "pain" was worse than the sheer "grossness" of the situation, but all I knew was, mowing was not my "blessing".  

So, why am I telling you this?

Cause if mowing is YOUR blessing, we need you to express that blessing by joining the church "Yard Crew".  

FUMC has 4 teams that rotate mowing during growing season and each team is in need of more help.  And there are advantages to this job: You get to ride a nice, shiny slick tractor....and the church isn't on a septic system.

So why not contact one of the four team captains below for more information and sign up to help on one of these mowing teams.  

Afterall, "A Man Reaps What He Sows" (Galatians 6:7).

TEAM CAPTAINS:

Tim Gutschlag - 903-

Jack Abbott - 903-860-35000

Billy Jordan - 903-537-4390

Hal Gibson - 903-860-3021

GROWING SEEDS: "Sharing Our Faith"

 

 

 

Do you remember who first shared their faith with you that brought you to where you are right now?  Do you remember that pivotal moment?

I certainly do.  

Mine started with Becky Arterbury and it continues because of YOU.  Each of you have shared your faith with me at different times and in many different ways.  As you sit here in church reading this article, I want you to know that YOU witnessed to me by your hug, your listening, your kindness.  Maybe it was something as simple as saying "Good Morning" to me or maybe as deep as sharing my tears on a traumatic event in my life.   And most likely, you didn't realize God placed you in that moment to witness to me.

 

See, you share yourself and your FAITH by "practicing" your faith to everyone you meet; whether you realize it or not.  It may be as simple as smiling at the cashier at Brookshires; or helping an elderly person across the busy parking lot at Wal-Mart.  Maybe its giving up that front row parking spot for someone who is in a hurry.....or giving your time to serve those in need.  Maybe its for apologizing even when you weren't wrong.  Each of these are moments God has given you to witness about Him to others.  He put those people into your life at that instant as an opportunity for you to be blessed. It's up to us whether we accept this amazing opportunity......or not.

I've come to the conclusion that God allows me to go through hard times so I can witness to others of His faithfulness and the blessing that goes with it.  Billy Graham I'm not.......and the mere thought of standing in front of a group of people causes me to break out in a cold sweat and requires a lot of water to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth.  But sharing your faith doesn't require you to preach to thousands of people; it can be as easy as embracing the visitor at church, like you did to me when I first visited this church, or inviting your neighbor to church, like Becky did, or to the upcoming city-wide evangelistic series being held at the high school on March 3-6.

Find "your" way of sharing your faith, and have a great time counting how many people God places in your path today....and how many times you've been blessed because of it.

"There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

Luke 15:7

There is no greater joy in the world than leading someone to Christ.

GROWING SEEDS; "Ash Daily"

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Ash Wednesday Daily

"ASH DAILY"

Have you ever had this driving desire to tell people about something BIG that happened to you yet when it came time to tell your story, the words just disappeared.....WHOOSH.....vanished.

That's where I'm at tonight.  So forgive me if I stumble around a bit.....

Today is Ash Wednesday.  How many of you know what that means?  I know a fair amount of you do cause I saw you tonight....at church....having the ash from the burned palm branches used in the previous year's Palm Sunday service, placed on your forehead in the shape of the cross......just as I did for the very first time in my life. 

Now, I must admit, I was a little afraid to tell some of you that.....I wasn't raised to celebrate Ash Wednesday.......and I can almost feel you cringing uncomfortably, shifting in your chairs and thinking this was strictly a Catholic tradition.  It's not.  It's a strictly Christian tradition.

I found it ironic that a girl who had never celebrated Ash Wednesday before in her life had been asked to write an article about this event for her Methodist church bulletin last weekend.  I had to recite the time when I was about 20 years old and my co-worker Sandra came in late to work with a smudge on her face.  I called her over to my desk, stood up, spit on a tissue and wiped the smudge right off her forehead.  Two minutes later I heard of Ash Wednesday for the first time....from a not-so-happy co-worker.  And I have to admit, this past week I had to Google what Ash Wednesday even meant.  But as I learned more and more about it's purpose.....it's meaning.....I had to wonder why we never celebrated this in the church I grew up in.  I mean, we believed everything it stood for.

A man by the name of Brusatti said it best when he said "there's something powerful about the cross-shaped mark millions of Christians receive on their foreheads every year on Ash Wednesday.  It's a public sign of one's personal faith, a reminder of one's mortality and a pledge to repent and draw closer to God in preparation for Easter."  But I say it's so much more.   It's humbling yourself to accept God's grace.....a time of repentence.....a time of reflection....and a time of change.  

I believe the name "Ash Daily" is far more appropriate than "Ash Wednesday".  And I believe Easter this year is going to mean so much more because of what I experienced today.

Happy Ash Daily!

GROWING SEEDS: 'Ash Wednesday"

ASH WEDNESDAY

February 13

"And I set my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, 

with fasting and sackcloth and ashes."

Daniel 9:3

When I was 20 years old, I worked as a transcriptionist for an insurance company in Dallas.  One of my dearest friends there was an older lady named Sandra who went to the Methodist Church.  One day Sandra came into work a little late and as she walked past me, I noticed she had a smudge of "something" on her forehead.  I called her over to my desk, stood up, spit on a tissue and wiped the smudge right off her forehead.  That is when I first heard of Ash Wednesday.

And how blessed am I, an ex-Seventh-day Adventist who was never taught about Ash Wednesday, to have been asked to write about this amazing event.  I feel quite sure many of you were like me; having no idea what Ash Wednesday meant.  But what a truly sacred event this is.  According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before He endured temptation by Satan.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day period of prayer and fasting.   But why the ashes?  The ashes, which are placed on the forehead in the sign of the cross, represent a sign of mourning and repentance to God.  Ashes, according to the Bible, were used to express mourning, and dusting oneself with ashes was a remorseful way of expressing regret for sins and faults all throughout the Bible.  Many use this day to go without all or some kinds of food or drink known as fasting as well.

So exactly what happens at the Ash Wednesday service?  Pastor Jack will apply ashes in the shape of the cross on the forehead of each person, while speaking the words, "For dust you are and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19) which are the words God spoke to Adam and Eve after they had eaten of the forbidden fruit and fallen into sin.  They remind each of us of our sinfulness and mortality and the need to get right with God before it is too late.  The cross reminds each of us of the good news that through Jesus Christ' crucifixion, there is forgiveness for all sins, all guilt and all punishment.

When we look in the mirror on Ash Wednesday and see the black smudge on our forehead, we should be reminded that, no matter what, we are still sinners in need of constant conversion.  It is to change our lives as we approach the greatest celebration in the Church.  Easter.

So don't wear your ashes proudly, but make sure you wear them.....and wear them humbly.

"You started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt." 

Genesis 3:19 (Message)