Moment with Mollet

It's Finally Here

2011-05-11T10:52:00.001-07:00

It's Finally Here

Well, the week we have been waiting for is finally here. This Sunday, May 15, is our opportunity to make a pledge to our debt reduction campaign, God’s House, Our Home. I hope you are planning to be here at church this Sunday. We have planned a special fellowship time between the 8:15 and 9:30 service and the 9:30 and 10:45 service in Celebration Hall and before The Bridge service at 10:30 in the Robertson Activity Center. Brunch foods will be served from both kitchens and all the worship services will be filled with special music. You will have the opportunity to offer your pledge at the altar during each of the services.

Last Sunday I announced that over 40% of our $2 million goal has already been pledged by our church family. I hope you will join them in making God’s House, Our Home a great success. You will receive your pledge card in the mail this week. If not, we will have them available in each worship service. Please bring your pledge card with you to worship ready to make your three-year commitment.

As I have said, the amount of your pledge is not what is important. It is the act of commitment through your pledge that is crucial to the success of this campaign and to the future of our church.

Autism and The Harneds

2011-04-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

My ‘Moment’ with you this week is from one of our church families. As they share in their email to me, this is Autism Awareness Month and they do a wonderful job of making us be aware of several things pertinent to our church as it relates to families dealing with autism. We have other families in our church who could share similar feelings for they too know of autism in very personal ways. Thanks to the Harneds and their willingness to allow me to share this with you. John Mollet

Pastor John,

We just wanted to make you aware of something that effects our son Stewart and our entire family everyday - Autism. April is Autism Awareness month so many in our congregation will more than likely see ads on television, in the paper, on the radio, etc spreading awareness of autism in the United States. Autism is everywhere, bursting from our schools and neighborhoods and playgrounds. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in every 110 children, and 1 in 70 boys, in the U.S. are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. But with numbers like this, shouldn’t our churches, of all places, be bursting with autism too? Certainly our pews are packed with families basking in the love and support of the church. Right?

Not exactly.

The truth is that most families with autistic children are not like us and can’t make it to the door of the church. So our churches don’t always see the need. Church, like the rest of life, just didn’t work. There are barriers, unspoken requirements, like sitting still and staying quiet and paying attention. But there isn’t a pause button for autism. Some parents with autistic kids fee that their children don’t seem to fit. Many families we stay home on Sunday mornings isolated from a loving church family.

We all know that God doesn’t have a stamped-out assembly line plan for anyone. But when desperate needs are in sight, God is not the kind of guy to wait around for his nonprofit status to come through or to complete his disability training. God wants us to be his hands, to reach out to the weak and disabled, right now.

We are so fortunate to have the love and support of many people in our church who are part of Stewart’s life. Stewart requires someone to be with him to help him participate in age appropriate activities during Sunday School. We are so blessed to have the support of the Bridge Kids staff, the volunteer teachers and one of the nursery workers, Jake Magargle, who is the shadow for Stewart during the Sunday School hour. This gives Carol and I the opportunity to attend our adult Sunday school class and to serve in other areas of the church.

During celebration service, Stewart enjoys the music and is not shy about letting his voice be heard. We try to keep a sucker nearby in case he starts to get too enthusiastic during announcements or prayers, however, like many autistic children, Stewie has a problem with volume control. We are concerned about being too much of a disturbance at times, but we feel that worshiping with us as part of the congregational family at Stonebridge is too important for Stewart to miss.

Many believe autism has reached epidemic proportions. We may need to build bigger schools to hold them all, but we don’t need bigger churches. When God reaches for his spiritual tool belt, he builds love and compassion in us. And when we let God grow our hearts, there’s room enough for everyone. We can only hope that others in our congregation will reach out to those families who are dealing with autism (or any special needs) so that they to can experience the love that God already feels for them.

Thanks,
The Harned Family; Kevin, Carol, Graham and Stewart

God's House, Our Home Campaign Gatherings

2011-04-01T07:52:00.001-07:00

I know you have already heard about our debt reduction campaign “God’s House, Our Home – Opening Doors to Endless Opportunities in Jesus Christ”, but I am equally sure you have a lot of questions about it. That is why two of our campaign team members, Dave and Laura Omholt, are scheduling several “gatherings” to answer all your questions. Many of these gatherings will happen in your small groups. The Omholts have been talking with Sunday School classes, Bible Study Groups, men’s and women’s groups, etc. and are setting up times that a few of our campaign team members can come and speak. For those of you who are not in a small group or are unable to attend your small group’s meeting, the Omholts will provide a few other opportunities for you “get in the know.” Also, along with the information you receive at the gatherings, you will get a prayer journal. Ami George has done a wonderful job of putting the journal together and, as Ami will tell you, the process became a real journey with God for her. You will be blessed by your participation in praying for our campaign. As I have said before, over the next three years our church will not be involved in anything more important than this campaign. It can truly open doors to endless opportunities of serving our Lord through this church. Please do everything you can to be present at one of the gatherings.

Happy Birthday, Bible!

2011-03-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Have you sung “Happy Birthday” to your Bible yet? If it is a King James Version of the Bible you should, because this is the 400th birthday of its completion. As written in an article by Sam Hodges in the March 19, 2011 edition of The Dallas Morning News, “In 1604, a few dozen clerics and scholars took on King James’ challenge to produce a new Bible translation that would help unify a religiously divided England, while also bolstering the idea of the divine rights of kings. They worked in teams for seven years.”

What they produced became one of the most influential pieces of English literature ever written. Selling over a billion copies, the KJV gave us phrases like “fat of the land”, “holier than thou”, “labor of love”, and “salt of the earth.” In Christian circles, it became known as the “authorized version” of the Bible. That is what is stated on its title page. Many came to believe that meant the Bible was authorized by God. I remember 30 years ago a sign on Dallas Drive in Denton, where I was serving a church at the time, that proclaimed, “The 1611 King James Version of the Bible is the only authorized version of God’s holy Word and all those reading other versions will go to HELL (the word ‘hell’ written in red letters)." As stated above, it was authorized by King James who, though he believed in the divine right of those in his position, was a far shot from being the Lord.

There are still those who believe the KJV is the only “authorized” version, but their numbers are dwindling. As Hodges writes, other versions and translations of the Bible started to appear using manuscripts not available to the KJV crew (for instance, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known copy of the Bible including portions of every book of the Old Testament, weren’t discovered until 1946) and they started to use language more contemporary and understandable to the time. As William Lawrence, dean of Perkins School of Theology at SMU, said, “There simply have been too many textural discoveries in the past centuries, too many achievements in research on linguistics and anthropological matters, and too many changes in English language usage to use the KJV in the way that it might have dominated for its first 300 years.”

All this being said, when studying the Bible it is best to use one of the most contemporary versions available – such as the NRSV or the NIV or many others – and leave the KJV on the shelf. But when it comes to reading the 23rd Psalm and other favorite verses, thank God for the poetic language of the King James Version. Happy Birthday old friend.

Freedom

2011-02-25T08:29:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite lines from the movies comes from the fourth episode of Star Wars: Governor Tarkin tells Princess Leia that the Death Star is operational and that, with its power, no one will dare oppose the Emperor. Leia responds, “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

I was reminded of that scene when one of our members asked me a few days ago, “What in the world is happening in the world?” She was speaking of the situations in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa; people rising up against the dictatorships that for decades have ruled them. In country after country, protestors have gathered in community squares threatening the stability of, what they see as, their oppressive governments. It is a fascinating phenomenon first of all because these protests have been enabled by the availability of the social network. They are being called “The Tweeter Revolutions” and “The Facebook Rebellions.” They were initiated, organized and held together by the protestor’s ability to communicate with one another via these tools. Some of the most powerful regimes in the world are toppling over at the hands of a “tweet.”

The other interesting part of this phenomenon is the recognition of a powerful drive within nature for freedom. The rabbit gnaws off its leg to escape the trapper’s snare and we, as human beings, will do whatever it takes to be free. That is why we “Remember the Alamo,” honor our soldiers and are thankful we live in this country. Now protestors, knowing the odds against them, are the next Davids facing their giants.

As I marvel at their bravery, I can’t help but think of the freedoms of our faith. God frees the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt. When they are fleeing the Egyptian army and come up against the Rea Sea, they are faced with their capture and return to slavery or death. God makes a way for them through the sea, dividing the waters and drying the sea bed so they can flee to their freedom. Jesus on the cross frees us from our slavery to sin and, through eternal life, from the sting of death. God is in the freedom business and God continues to seek to free us from whatever imprisons us – greed, addiction, anger, hurt, low self-esteem, etc. I invite you to join the thousands around the world who are fighting the odds with a vision of what freedom can bring and allow God to guide you to a new life.

Neil Sperry

2011-02-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

Next week, our church is offering a great opportunity for people in our congregation and community. Neil Sperry, a man whose name is synonymous with Texas gardening, will be speaking in Celebration Hall on Wednesday, February 23, at 7 p.m. His topic is “Ten Ways to Save Time, Money and Energy in Landscaping.” Mr. Sperry is donating his normal honorarium so that a love offering can benefit our church’s Spiritual Landscaping Initiative.

Who is Neil Sperry?

If you are a gardener, you know Neil Sperry. His book, Neil Sperry’s Complete Guide to Texas Gardening, is the 4th best selling gardening hardback in American history and is sitting, well-used on my bookshelf at home. He is on the radio every weekend on WBAP, 820 AM and 96.7 FM and is a featured garden columnist in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram, San Antonio Express News as well as 15 other newspapers across the state. He owns and publishes his own, Neil Sperry’s Gardens magazine and annual Texas Gardening calendar. Neil and his wife Lynn have long been leaders in the McKinney community and are charter members of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Allen.

What is the Spiritual Landscaping Initiative?

It is our church’s part in being a “Super Sponsor” for the McKinney Crape Myrtle
Trails project. One thousand dollars was donated by one of the members of our church on our behalf and we have committed to plant 200 Crape Myrtles throughout our campus. To date we have planted 92 of the trees (all were generously donated), but they are not planted haphazardly on our property – they are planted in a unique plan that highlights the ministries of our church. Cindy Moreland, Tom Pearce, Kurt Roy and Kathy Stevers, along with Susan Owens from the Crape Myrtle Trails have created the design. Look at the article in the last Pathways Magazine for a full description of the design.

I hope to see you Wednesday night the 23rd to hear Neil share his vast knowledge and experience of Texas gardening. I also hope you will invite your friends to join you.

Upward Basketball

2011-01-22T14:55:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday morning was so much fun. It was the kickoff of our new Upward Basketball and Cheerleading league. Upward Sports stresses values such as sportsmanship, teamwork, integrity and respect. It creates a supportive and positive sports environment that is designed to bring out the winner in every child and build both their level of skills and their self-confidence. It is a program you will be proud is a part of our church’s ministry. All you need to do is come up here on a Saturday morning and watch it happen. Too often you go to your child’s or grandchild’s sports event only to find parents yelling at the referees and coaches screaming at the kids. It is not an uplifting environment. I remember at one of my son’s soccer games several years ago, our coach got in an altercation with the wife of the other coach; the police had to be call ed and both coaches and their wives were arrested and taken to jail in handcuffs. Now, that makes for an interesting drive home after the game.

You won’t find that here. It was great fun to watch as each kid’s name was announced and he or she ran into the gym through a path created by pompom shaking cheerleaders. It was wonderful to see the referees directing, encouraging and teaching the kids as they played. Their coaches were supporting and encouraging as they made sure every child had equal time to play and felt good and challenged by their time on the court. Make sure you look at the pictures attached to this email.

We received several emails following Saturday morning. One of the coaches wrote, “I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for today (Saturday). All of your hard work and prior planning was evident… I was confident that today was going to go well, but I never imagined it would go THAT smoothly. It looked like Stonebridge UMC had run an Upward program for years!! Awesome job! As a coach, and a parent of two players, I really appreciate it. My kids are already excited for next week!” Another person wrote, “I thought the whole process went very smoothly. I was impressed and I have seen other churches run Upwards. Well done.”

I want to thank several people for making Upward happen here. Charlotte Newell, David Lessner, Laurie Wesloski, Rod Wede, Evan Boswell, Tim and Heather Brister, Greg Fries, Madison Smith, Kevin Chapman, Chris Hilsabeck, and all the volunteers. One of the goals in our strategic plan is to use the Robertson Activities Center more effectively. Thank you for making one of our dreams come true.

Christmas Carols

2010-12-22T07:46:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas carols. Singing them or listening to them transports me into the joy of the Christmas spirit. Can you imagine Advent and Christmas worship services without them? Fighting the crowds at the mall would become even more difficult without hearing them over the chatter of voices and ringing of cash registers. Ed Whipple was walking down the hall a few days ago whistling a caroland I caught myself humming it the rest of the day. They are contagious. But even more than that, they wonderfully convey the message of the season. John and Charles Wesley believed that singing the hymns of the faith taught the beliefs of Christianity better than either preaching or teaching. So singing carols at Christmas time keeps our minds and hearts on the true meaning of the holiday; continually reminding us of the promises of the faith.

So what do you sing at Christmas if you are not a Christian? Do you just sing about Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman, sleigh rides and chestnuts roasting? Do you sing the carols proclaiming Christ’s birth without the joy of the faith resonating in your heart? One of our church members, Tom Peal, sent me the link to a Steve Martin You Tube video entitled, “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.” Give it a listen; it will make you laugh, but as you do, be thankful for those carols that remind us of why this season is so special. Click here to watch the video.

I hope to see you Christmas Eve night to sing the carols and be thankful for the story of the birth of Jesus in our lives again.

3:00 - Interactive Family Service - Celebration Hall
5:00 – Candlelight Service – Celebration Hall
6:00 – A Contemporary Christmas Celebration – Robertson Activity Center
7:00 – Candlelight Service – Celebration Hall
9:00 – Candlelight and Communion Service – Celebration Hall
11:00 – Midnight Candlelight and Communion Service – Celebration Hall
(Childcare is provided at the 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 services.)

Grace and peace,

John Mollet

An Apistle from Juarez

2010-11-22T12:56:00.001-08:00

If you look closely at the New Testament, you quickly realize most of it is made up of letters. These letters were sent to churches and individuals about the work God was doing to grow the church and what was then a fledgling Christian faith. Most of the letters were sent by St. Paul, who felt God had personally sent him to share and spread the love of Christ throughout the known world.

This past week, we received letters from our missionaries who God sent to Proyecto Abrigo in Juarez to build houses for the poor. Trey Worley is the author of the letters. I hope they give you a feel for the work our church does in Mexico and call you into that ministry.

Letter One

The family we are working for told Kimberly Watson today that they are
so happy to get a new home as they hear their children all night
crying about how cold they are. It was tough to hear, but the reason
Proyecto Abrigo started. For the first time, I feel that we are
addressing the suffering. This will allow these children to sleep at
night without two layers of clothing. I am sure we will patch holes
tomorrow more than ever to make sure there is no draft.

We are having to wheelbarrow sand into the house to level the floor.
Seems a bit ridiculous to me to be shoveling so much sand when that is
all there is around here.

The work is so limited here now that three maestros (those who lead
our work groups)are splitting the wages of two. We plan to take a love
offering to pay them all in full if not more.

In bed by 9:00 both nights. Smaller group maybe? Rather than saying
that we are all old and boring, we are claiming the time change means
it is really 10:00 for us, plus the recent time change really means it
is 11:00.

Please thank everyone for the prayers. We feel them and appreciate the
efforts and support.

There has been no difference in this trip and previous ones, other
than us being on alert at all times

God Bless and see you soon…

Letter Two

Well we finished the house, no injuries, and it is still standing. The
team was very emotional at the dedication due to my emotions getting
the best of me when telling the family that it was my prayer and
blessing that their children would not have to cry about being cold at
night anymore. I couldn't help picture my children in such vulnerable
positions and being so helpless for them.

The family was speechless, but the tears that fell from Berta Reyes
Torres' eyes said it all. As we left, she ran to give Dave Neeley one
of the red roses she had growing in her flower and pepper garden. It
brought him to tears. The red rose symbolizing the love she had for
him and his hard work, the house symbolizing the love he had for her
and her family. Both the love of strangers bridged by the love of
Christ. It was a beautiful moment and one that will stick with me and
the team, but most likely Dave.

Jose Luis took us by the new church he built in Loma Blanca. The
beginning of his 500 person compound still standing nearby. Once his
vision of expanding a ministry that built hundreds of homes a year,
now only building the tenth house halfway through November. This
struggle and violence has dashed dream after dream against the rocks,
but they remain steadfast. The street vendors and a carnival continued
in a neighborhood we drove through on our way back to dinner. Jose
Luis and his family have not experienced the violence firsthand. They
just trust in the Lord to protect them and deliver them from evil.
Pretty simple right? You would think so. I guess it was for the 10 of
us. That is why we are here. FAITH.

Can't wait to see you all soon and begin the plans for next November's
trip.

Trey

Thanks to all ten of you; for your faith, your strength, your commitment and for sharing your experience with us. Your letters might just make the next testament.

Happy Thanksgiving,

John Mollet

Some New Additions

2010-10-29T08:11:00.001-07:00

You will notice some new additions to our landscape the next time you are at the church. One of our members gave a donation to make us a Super Sponsor of the Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney. This puts our church on the Crape Myrtle Trail maps given to visitors to and residence in our community. Being a Super Sponsor requires us to have 200 crape myrtles on our property. We already had 30 trees which were planted as a part of our 3 building phases, and we have just added 63 more (also donated). The remaining 107 trees will be planted over the next few years. You will be able to read more about the unique planting design in the upcoming edition of Pathways. Let me thank the team that worked on this project: Kathy Stevers, representing our Trustees, Tom Pearce, church member and Crape Myrtle Trails board member, Kurt Roy, church member whose company, “Landscapes, Lawns and Beyond”, planted the trees free of charge, Susan Owens from the Crape Myrtle Trails board and Cindy Moreland from our staff. Great job in beautifying our campus while highlighting our church to the community.

Also, you won’t be able to miss the new 10 Commandments Monument as you come through the church office entrance on the north side of the church. We should have the monument in by the end of next week. This was a donation from the 2008-2009 Disciple One Bible Study Class. The class was taught by Bill Appleby and Dan Casey. Class members were Tim and Heather Brister, Alex and Michelle Carter, Christopher and Brandi Dooley, Kim Miller, and Jim and Keira Tollefsrud. Shannon Cain from the church provided and donated the concrete work. There will be a garden area that surrounds the monument. Interest earned from our Endowment Fund last year will help pay for the plants. Thanks to everyone involved for the spiritual guidance the commandments will give us every time we enter the Lord’s house and exit into the world.

One last thing, let me update you on our 2011 stewardship campaign. This week we received another 24 pledges to add to the 248 we received last week for a total of 268 pledges. Please help us break the 300 mark this week by offering your pledge this Sunday in worship, mailing it in to the church office or filling out an online pledge card through the "Give Online" page at www.mysumc.org. (Click here to go directly to the online pledge card.)Thank you for your generous spirit and your support of Christ’s ministries through this church.

Welcoming the Stranger

2010-10-21T08:28:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful kickoff to our 2011 stewardship campaign! It was fun to see and hear Karen Horan and Terri Swan again and to remember what a blessing it is to be a part of the ministries of this church. Already, 247 of our families have made their financial commitment to the ministries of our church, totaling just over $1.1M. We are so thankful for your faith and generosity. There are still more than 70 families that committed last year that have not pledged this year. For those of you that have not yet turned in your pledge card, we ask that you bring them to church this weekend or mail them to the church office. You can also click here to submit your pledge online.

Cindy Moreland told me a story about a first-time visitor that she met on Sunday. He was standing at the back of the RAC with his young daughter and said that it was not only his first Sunday at Stonebridge UMC, but his first Sunday in Texas. His family had moved here this week from out of state. On Saturday, his wife had been out jogging and cut through the church parking lot. There she was met by one of our members who invited her to worship. She was told it was going to be Commitment Sunday so it would be a little different than usual, but they decided to come anyway. He said that on their way into church at least 30 people had stopped them to welcome them and ask them if they needed help finding something or just to say hello. He was excited about the energy of the church and looks forward to coming back next week.

We thank all of you for how you welcome guests into our church family. This is why we continue to be ‘the most joyful place on earth.’ As Jesus said to the trustworthy one in his parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), “Well done, good and faithful servant...” Keep up the good work!

The Joyful Journey of Faith

2010-09-30T08:26:00.001-07:00

Mark your calendar now for a very special Sunday morning celebration. On Sunday, October 17, two of our former associate pastors, Karen Horan and Terri Swan, will return to Stonebridge UMC to share in our worship services. Karen is now pastor of Gruene United Methodist Church in central Texas and Terri is the associate pastor of Salem-Ladue United Methodist Church in St. Louis. On the 17th, we will be having our Commitment Sunday for the 2011 stewardship campaign, “The Joyful Journey of Faith.” Pastors Karen and Terri will be reminding us of the road that has brought us to where we are as a church family and the road that will take us into the future that God has envisioned for us.

For that Sunday only, we will be having one Celebration Service in Celebration Hall at 9:30 and one Bridge service at 10:45 in the RAC. Terri and Karen will be in both services. (We will have a shortened prayer service for anyone who comes at 8:15, but Terri and Karen will not be in that service.) There will be an opportunity for every family in our church to make their financial commitment for 2011. You should have already received your campaign materials in the mail that included the Joyful Journey of Faithcommitment card and the 2011 Trip Planner and Financial Road Map narrative budget. I hope you will prayerfully consider your financial support of the church for 2011, fill out your pledge card and bring it to church with you on the 17th.

We expect a full church on Commitment Sunday! To be able to fit everyone in, we will need to know which of the two worship services you plan on attending that Sunday. In the next two weeks, you will be receiving a call from one of our church family members asking you which service you plan to attend. Please make every effort to let them know your plans so that we can be prepared for appropriate seating in each service.

The theme of this year’s campaign is “The Joyful Journey of Faith.” Remember, it is through your giving that we are able to make that journey possible for you and your family as well as those who come to our church searching to be one that journey with their Lord.

Grace and peace,
John Mollet

P.S. We are pleased to announce that last year’s stewardship campaign was honored by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Dallas chapter with an Award of Merit at the 2010 IABC Dallas Quill Awards. Congratulations to Cindy Moreland, Amy Pawlak, Jay Prudhomme and Scott Oberle for their hard work!

In All of God's Wisdom

2010-08-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

The first “scary” movie I remember watching was The Day the Earth Stood Still. I reluctantly went to see it at the theater with my neighbor Don Boynton.Don was a year older and a lot braver than I was and he talked me into it. Actually, I think my sisters took me to a scary movie before that; something about a man who, due to an unearthly phenomenon, grew to a huge height and wreaked havoc on an unsuspecting public. But, I don’t think you could say I “watched” it. I had my eyes covered through most of the movie.

Somehow these early movie experiences made me a Sci-Fi fan. One of my favorites is H.G. Well’s classic, War of the Worlds. I first saw the 1953 Americanized movie version of the 1898 British book. It begins with unexplained flashes of light emanating from the planet Mars. It would later be discovered that these flashes were actually the result of the launching of a Martian invasion force headed for an attack on Earth. The Martian forces were so technologically advanced there was no stopping them. That is what made the story so frightening. In fact, in 1938 Orson Wells narrated a radio version of War of the Worlds. The format of the broadcast was so much like a newscast that many listeners believed an alien invasion was actually happening and began to panic. There was also a television version of the story and the 2005 Tom Cruise remake; neither of which measured up to the originals .

The book and movies end with the Martian invading aircraft mysteriously losing power and crashing into the ground. What happened? These unstoppable powerful invaders were being overcome and dying, but by and from what? The answer was simply, by bacteria; bacteria to which human beings had long ago become immune. As Wells wrote, “But there are no bacteria on Mars, and directly these invaders arrived, directly they drank and fed, our microscopic allies began to work their overthrow. Already when I watched them they were irrevocably doomed, dying and rotting even as they went to and fro. It was inevitable.” The Martians had succumbed to the effects of microbes which were harmless to humans. Then comes my favorite line from both the book and the movies. The Martians were dead “…slain, after all man’s devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this earth.&r dquo;

Recently, I read an article by environmental writer, John Carey on Yahoo! News that stated, “Nearly two weeks after BP finally capped the biggest oil spill in U.S. history, the oil slicks that once spread across thousands of miles of the Gulf of Mexico have largely disappeared.” Where did it go? The article goes on to say that maybe as much as 40% of the oil evaporated when it hit the surface and recent high winds and storms accelerated the evaporation process. Some of the oil sunk into the sediment on the ocean floor. A small percentage of the oil (1 to 2%) has been skimmed by the 4,000 boats in the cleanup operation. What has happened to all the rest of the millions of gallons we have watch flowing into the gulf? “Perhaps the most important cause of the oil’s disappearance, some researchers suspect, is that the oil has been devoured by microbes. The lesson from past spills is that the lion’s share of the cleanup work is done by nature in the form of oil-eating bacteria and fungi. The microbes break down the hydrocarbons in the oil to use as fuel to grow and reproduce. A bit of oil in the water is like a feeding frenzy…” In other words, “…after all man’s devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this earth.” Thank the Lord; God is still cleaning up our messes.

Back to School

2010-07-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Back–to-School season is already upon us. The last days of summer vacation are quickly fading away. Our Sunshine Kids pre-school is beginning to gear up for the fall. Stores are stocking their shelves with notebooks, pencils and calculators. I fondly remember going with Mom to shop for school supplies. It was just about the only good thing about the summer ending and school starting. When I was growing up, we could get our educational provisions at either M.E. Moses Five and Dime or Skillern’s Drug Store. (Yes, I know, I’m old.) Both offered an incentive to buy your supplies at their establishment. Moses offered a free candy bar if you spent enough money on supplies there. But I always wanted to shop at Skillern’s, because they had a soda fountain and offered a free Big Shake with your purchase. I hate to admit it, but I also remember having to get a used cigar box to hold my pencils, scissors, paste and ruler. We were truly high tech in those days. At least I used the term “teacher” rather than “schoolmarm.”

You can still participate in the joy of buying school supplies – even if you don’t have school age children. Our Hearts and Hands for Malvern project is collecting school supplies for the children of our adopted school, Malvern Elementary. Malvern is one of the Title One schools in McKinney and many of the children’s families are unable to afford the supplies they need for school. Here is a list of supplies they need. I hope you will add it to your shopping list and bring them to the church by Sunday, August 8.

Malvern Elementary Supply List
Glue sticks
16 ct. Crayola crayons (no Rose Art)
24 ct. Crayola crayons (no Rose Art)
8 ct. Crayola Washable thick markers
12 ct. Crayola thin classic markers
12 pack #2 pencils (yellow)
200 count wide rule notebook paper (NO college rule)
70 count wide rule spiral notebooks (NO college rule)
100 count wide rule spiral notebooks (NO college rule)
White copy paper
Plastic pocket folders with brads
Paper pocket folders – NO brads

Also, our First Sunday Communion Offering for August will be collected for school supplies for Malvern.

I hope you will join others in our congregation and share one of the most joyful parts of school starting with the children of Malvern Elementary School. And maybe it will help you reminisce your good ol’ days.

The Peters'

2010-07-20T09:44:00.001-07:00

I am sure you have joined me this past week in sadness over the deaths of Coppell’s mayor, Jayne Peters and her daughter, Corrine. What a tragedy the loss of these two lives has been; particularly when you factor in the recent death of their husband and father from cancer. Hearing and reading through the news reports, I am continually amazed at how quickly people can second guess. Why didn’t anyone notice there were problems? Why would someone loan Ms. Peters a gun? Why would First United Methodist Church in Coppell have a memorial service for the mother and daughter together? Now is the time for support and sadness and grief, not the time for second guessing. When news like this comes, we too often move into a type of voyeurism, sickly using the event for gossip and entertainment, rather than to allow ourselves to hurt and pray for those most deeply involved. By the way, I am very proud of the people of FUMC Coppell and their pastor Dennis Wilkinson for being there for the family and community in this most difficult of times. Dennis recently lost an adult son to a tragic death. I would trust no one more than Dennis to empathize and care for others at a time like this.

We will probably never fully know the heartbreaking circumstances that led to Ms. Peters’ actions, but I do hope we can learn from the tragedy. Not assuming any of the speculations I have read are true, let me speak to a few that I have heard, so that we might learn from them. First, grief is important. I have no idea how much the lingering effects of the loss of their husband and father had on them, however, I do know how devastating unresolved grief can be on the human heart and soul. When we do not take care of ourselves following the loss of someone or something dear, we risk the kind of depression and hopelessness than can debilitate us. After a loss, take time to fully feel the emptiness it brings. Don’t gloss over it. This is the time to call upon friends and family, ministers and counselors and the support groups we offer at the church for the help they can give. (Click here for a list of our support groups.)

Which brings me to my second observation, true friends are very important. One of the Peters’ close friends described them as very private. We all cherish our privacy, but we cannot allow that privacy to isolate us. We need people we trust; to whom we can share our deepest joys and hurts. Someone who will take on the burdens of our lives means we do not have to carry them all ourselves. Find that person. If you already have someone like that in your life, thank them for being that person. And commit to be that person for someone else.

Finally, pretence is dangerous. Evidently, no one knew of the looming financial hardships the Peters’ were feeling. Friends were surprised Corrine wasn’t registered for college. Keeping up the facades of suburban life can become overwhelming. Secrets can truly destroy us. Embarrassment may redden our face, but pretence can blacken our heart. It is better to risk embarrassment than to let pride destroy you.

I hope you will join me in my continuing prayers for the Peters’ family, their friends, the community of Coppell, the people of the Methodist Church there and all those struggling from the same hurts felt by them.

Feeling a Little Old

2010-06-09T10:06:00.001-07:00

Ever feel a little old? Listening to the news the past few weeks has made me feel ancient. First there was Jordan Spieth, the 16 year-old junior amateur golfer who was playing in the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament at the TPC course in Las Colinas. He was actually in the hunt to win the tournament on Sunday, but, even though he did not win it, he still finished tied for 16th place. Had he been a pro, he would have won almost $100,000. The newscaster rubbed salt in my “feeling old” wounds when he reported Spieth would not be playing in the Colonial Golf Tournament in Ft. Worth the next week because he had to take his final exams at Jesuit High School in Dallas – ouch.

Then there was Jordan Romero, the 13 year-old who recently climbed Mt. Everest. He is the youngest climber ever to reach the summit. And there was Henry Dewey, the 8 year-old first grader who just released his first iPhone app. It is an e-book version of the children’s classic, The Three Little Pigs. His dad, an iPhone application designer, helped him through the process, but Henry did most of the work. By the way, Henry decided to donate $.25 of every $1.99 purchase to a non-profit program for the homeless.

I am reminded of God’s call to the prophet Jeremiah. God tells Jeremiah that he had been created to be a prophet even before he was formed in his mother’s womb and that God wants him to go to all to whom God sends him and speak whatever God commands him. Jeremiah says, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” God responds, "don’t say ‘I’m only a boy’ because I am with you." I think the Lord is saying age has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the Lord’s calling and the Lord’s strength. Even though these young people’s youth makes me wonder about my own abilities to accomplish amazing things, I know God is not finished with me yet. Remember the Old Testament story of Abraham and Sarah. When God told them they were to have a child in their old age, Sarah laughed. When she bore Isaac (whos e name, by the way, means “Laughter”), she realized God can still accomplish great things through us.

No matter how old you are, I can guarantee you God is not finished with you. I hope you are asking everyday, Lord, what are you calling me to do today and how are you strengthening me to do it?

Rehabilitation

2010-04-29T19:55:00.001-07:00

rehabilitation. It has helped me regain some of my energy and stamina following surgery. I have to admit, exercise is not something that comes naturally to me. Since running track and cross country in high school, it has seemed more of a task than a pleasure. I remember one of our track coach’s favorite practice activities. We would run around White Rock Lake in Dallas while he was following behind us in his blue VW (Volkswagen) bug. He would honk and we would jog; then honk again and we would sprint. This would continue for several miles. We spent much of our time devising plans for what might happen to the VW and its driver when we hit a particularly deserted stretch of the road. My son Jared also ran cross country in high school and had a shirt that read, “My sport is your sport’s punishment.” I agree with that sentiment. Running on a treadmill is just a little too close to the activity a gerbil does on one of those rotating wheels in their cage.

However, I would have to admit my cardio-rehab class was very helpful and I plan to keep going with the exercise. One day during my rehab class, I met Dave, a former heart surgery patient and volunteer with the hospital. His job was to distract us from the gerbil activity and make our exercise time go a little faster. During one of our conversations Dave said, “My life really started when I was fifty.” I asked if that was when he had his surgery. He said, “No, but it was when my life changed.” He went on to tell me the story. He was an unhappy person who hated his job, was having difficulties in his marriage which would eventually result in a divorce and viewed life strictly through negativity.

One day he was riding in a car with a friend (he paused to note he wasn’t sure why this person was his friend, because he was pretty miserable to be around in those days.). He was complaining about life in general and specifically about some physical problems he was experiencing. His friend said he knew a doctor that could help him with his problem and he thought he could get him in to see him if he wanted. Dave said he did and, to his surprise, the man stopped the car at a nearby pay phone, called the doctor and made an appointment for him in an hour.

They drove to Children’s Medical Center. Dave asked how a doctor at a children’s hospital was the answer to his problems, but his friend just said, “Trust me, you’ll see.” They went inside and entered the office of a doctor of oncology. Dave said, he had never heard of the doctor and didn’t know what oncology was. He got right in to see the doctor and was invited to describe his problems to him. Dave said he was delighted to have the opportunity to complain a little more. After listening intently for quite a while, the doctor said, “I think I can help you. I want you to come to a camp I run every summer for children with cancer and be a counselor. I guarantee you it will help you.” Dave said he was so taken back by the doctor’s prescription that he said, “Ok.” Dave spent the next several weeks trying to get out of his commitment, but his friend wouldn’t let him. He spent two weeks at the camp that summer…and then for the next twenty summers. Dave said, “I just needed someone to help and when I found those kids I started to live again.”

My guess is we are all like Dave in that when we find someone to help we come alive again. Stonebridge UMC is full of opportunities to help people. Let us help you help others, so that you can start living again. Yes, rehabilitation comes in a myriad of fashions.

What I Learned from the Hospital

2010-04-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Do you remember returning to school after the summer break and receiving the first homework assignment of the year – write an essay on “What I did over my Summer Vacation”? You know you are old when you start writing articles like “What I learned while I was in the Hospital.” But I did learn (or was reminded of) some things while I convalesced in my hospital room that I would like to pass on to you.

First, I learned how important simple gestures of concern and love can be. Sometimes we forget the power of sending a get well card or providing a meal or making a visit or a phone call. In receiving those from you, I was reminded of how important they are to healing. Being one of the infirmed can make you feel isolated. Receiving a card or a call brought me back into community. Don’t neglect to make one of those simple gestures by minimizing its importance.

Which brings me to my second revelation; ministers are some of the worst hospital visitors ever. I am very grateful so many of my minister friends and colleagues took the time to come and visit me. There were times there were so many ministers in the room they would fight to see who would get to pray over me before they left. However, there were a few of my colleagues who forgot the task at hand. Their voices were loud, their visits were too long and I was not ready to host a party in my room. When visiting someone in the hospital, we should be aware of how the patient is feeling and let that determine the tone and timing of our visit. I was visited by one minister (who I don’t know all that well) who came to my room at 9:30 the night following my surgery, took off his coat and hat and sat down and talked for 45 minutes. By the time he left I was exhausted. He was ob livious to how I was feeling. His visit will make me a better visitor. It really is all about the one in the bed.

I also found the best visitors were those who had been in the hospital before. They knew what it was like to be there. They had the most important tool we can have in visiting – empathy. Empathy enables us to identify with and feel the needs of the person we are visiting. Empathy is the most direct path for sharing God’s love.

Another thing I learned was the importance of encouragement. The staff at the hospital must have had a course in encouraging your patients, because, starting the morning after my surgery, the nurses got me out of my bed and on to the walking track. Everything hurt and, even though I knew walking was an important part of the healing process, my brain told me to quit and get back in bed. It was their encouragement that kept me going. Nurses, doctors, the woman cleaning the hall, the maintenance guy, all told me how well I was doing. By the time they finished with me, I was ready to run a marathon – well, a really short one. Say an encouraging word to someone today. Make it a spiritual discipline in your life.

Finally, you have heard it said, “If you have your health you have everything.” While in the hospital I found out that is not true. Our health is certainly something for which we should be extremely thankful, but I saw several people in the hospital whose health was just a distant memory and yet they were filled with joy. (Joy is a feeling of peace and hope and confidence when there is no logical reason to feel that way.) That joy comes from the Spirit of God and that Spirit is healing.

Grace and peace,

John Mollet

Thank You!

2010-04-14T14:33:00.001-07:00

You guys are the best! Stonebridge United Methodist has always been known as a caring congregation – “The Most Joyful Place on Earth” as we like to say – but during my recovery from surgery you out did yourselves. For over a month after I got home from the hospital, there was not a day that went by I did not receive multiple get well cards from people in the congregation. The children in our Sunshine Kids preschool and our Children’s Sunday School sent me hundreds of homemade cards. (My favorite was the heart made out of buttons one of the preschool classes gave me. It had a Scooby-Doo band-aid across the front of it and a magnet on the back. It is still displayed on our refrigerator door.) The Care Team filled our house with food. Susan said every pound I lost she gained because of all the good eats. The Threads of Hope ministry made me a prayer blanket that brought warmth and comfort on those difficult days and reminded me of my thankfulness on the good ones. Even the church staff delivered the results of one of their staff meeting devotionals that centered on prayers for my health and healing. I have to admit, until I was the recipient of the care of the church, I wasn’t able to fully understand its power. I hope ever person in this church who is in the need of God’s comfort will feel it through the acts of caring of this congregation. Don’t let any opportunity to share God’s love pass you by. From one who knows a lot more about it now than I did two months ago, each opportunity can be a blessing. Thank you.

Also, I want to remind you of a program we are having here at the church this Saturday night. Jose Luis Portillo, director of Proyecto Abrigo (Project Shelter), the mission with which we work in Juarez, Mexico, will be with us to give an update on the ministry and the situation in Juarez. This is your opportunity to find out first hand the dangers and fears that fill the hearts of our neighbors to the south and the effects it is having on the ministry of building houses for the poorest of the poor in Juarez. If you have been a part of this ministry, I know you will make every effort to be present. If you have thought about becoming involved in our mission work there, this would be a great first step toward your commitment. We will meet at the church at 6:30 pm for a light dinner.

Grace and peace,

John Mollet

Missions

2010-03-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago former Pastor Don Smith stated, "Stonebridge UMC has exploded in the area of Missions." That afternoon the Missions Team had a meeting planned to discuss up coming events. We looked at each other across the table in awe, scratching our heads never realizing how we are viewed outside the doors of our Church.

Towards the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, He stated: "'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me'" (Matthew 25:34-40 RSV). The Mission's team really had no idea the impact Stonebridge UMC has made locally and internationally. Jesus still calls us to serve now.Family PromiseEvery week The Samaritan Inn has to turn away 15-30 families because there is literally no room at the inn. These families remain homeless in our community, living in cars, with friends for a day or two, or anywhere they can find. Family Promise is an organization that connects homeless families to Churches. About 14 churches will make up the Family Promise Network in Collin County and will provide their facility to host up to 14 people for seven days four times a year. The Missions Team is currently working to partner with Family Promise so that we can "help the stranger and welcome them." We are just in the beginning stages, so please pray for this ministry to come to fruition. When and if things work out we will need you to help "feed" and "welcome" these families into our Church. This opportunity will allow adults, kids and families to be missionaries in their own church.Mission Gathering with Jose LuisStonebridge UMC and Suncreek UMC in Allen are partnering to host an evening with International Missions Director Jose Luis on April 10. Jose has been the Director of Proyecto Abrigo since 1992. His organization in partnership with Churches around the world builds an average of 1,000 homes a year for families that are living in cardboard boxes or that have no shelter. Recently, due to media concerns about Juarez, Mexico, the organization has been impacted heavily. Come learn about the real Juarez not reported in the media and how you can make a difference today.Juarez Mexico Mission TripStonebridge UMC will be going to Juarez, Mexico May 13-16 in partnership with Proyecto Abrigo to build homes for the homeless. The cost of the trip is $400.00 per person. You must fill out an application and have a passport. For more information, contact Trevor Castilla at tcastilla@sbcglobal.net. Spring Break Mission Trip to OklahomaScot Wingo of First United Methodist Church in Garland is coordinating a Mission Trip to Oklahoma City. Last month's snow storm was fun, but many homes in the Oklahoma area were ravished. The trip leaves this Saturday, March 13. You do not need to be trained. If you have a child 15 years or older, they can go as long as a parent participates in the trip. Contact Scot at scotwingo@yahoo.com or 469-330-7619.Habitat for HumanityNorth Collin County Habitat for Humanity builds homes in McKinney, Frisco, Celina, Princeton, Melissa and other unincorporated areas in the northern Collin County area. Their most current build project is located at 802 Throckmorton Street in McKinney. Every Saturday, volunteers are needed to build or serve lunch. Contact Dave Paulsen at davepaulsen@hotmail.com.
We are called to be God's people in the world. The Mission team is constantly providing way's for you to be God's people. Pray how God can use your hands and feet to be His Love "on earth as it is in heaven."

Ed Whipple
Director of Student Ministries

God Cares for Us All

2010-03-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

The first persons in space went all alone, one at a time, in capsules just large enough for one person. Never before had a human being been so far away from other persons. Did this mean that such a space traveler was one of the loneliest persons who ever lived? No, indeed! Why? Because others let him know that they cared. There were literally millions following his progress, interested in where he was and what he was doing, mentioning him in prayer, and wishing him well.

Though we live our own lives, encased in our “private capsules”, so to speak, we need the supportive, personal care of others. Care is as essential to human life as food and drink. There are no more despairing words than these: “Nobody seems to care.”

Three times the risen Christ asked Simon Peter, “Do you love me. . . ?” And each time Peter answered, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” “Tend my sheep,” was the Lord’s response (John 21:15-17, NRSV). To be a disciple, a follower of Jesus, means to care for others. But how? Care is not general goodwill toward humanity. It must be specific. Jesus’ own example shows his attention to individuals: He lifts a child up to eye level. He selects a particular person in a crowd for a word, a touch, or a shared meal.

When I ask myself, “Who needs caring?” the obvious answer is everyone. But when I ask, “Who needs me to care today?” certain persons come to mind. If not, I need to start with prayer. Praying is the beginning of caring. A small but surprising list of persons appears in my thoughts. Some are lonely, aged, weak, or in trouble. Some are successful, important, young, and strong. As my prayers reach out to them, I think about what each may need. The answers vary: a letter, a phone call, a smile, a bowl of hot soup, money, healing, an introduction to another person.

Of course, I can’t do everything. But that doesn’t mean I should do nothing. I can’t care for everybody. But that doesn’t stop me from caring for somebody. I can’t keep track of everyone I know, but I can try to respond to those in special need. I might assume that a widely known and respected person would not want or need or appreciate my care. Not so. Once a popular bishop had to cancel a scheduled event because of a blizzard. The only other available date was on a holiday. “But we wouldn’t want to bother you then,” said the parties involved. “Please don’t say that,” he answered. “Nobody invites a bishop on a holiday. Everyone thinks we are with somebody else.” No one is too important to appreciate care, or to know sadness when others forget.

But the most important thing to remember when caring for someone is: We are never left all alone to care for another. God cares. God’s concern for the other person’s well-being was there long before we became interested. God’s care is stronger, wiser, and more enduring than ours can ever be. But people often understand and experience God’s care most deeply when it is transmitted through caring human beings. The loving God cares for us all. This same God calls us and empowers us to care for others.

Here at Stonebridge UMC, we have many ways to show others that we care: Prayer Ministry, Hospital and Homebound Visitation, Card Ministry, Stephen Ministry, Care Team (meals) and Threads of Hope. But these are just a few of the many ways that our congregation takes care of not only our own members and guests, but our extended families and our community. We are always looking for new people to join us in these caring ministries. God calls each of us to care for one another. How are you going to show God’s love today?

In Christ's Name,
Dina Steiner

Pass It On

2010-02-25T20:41:00.001-08:00

What does Generosity of Spirit mean? The theme verse this year for our Stewardship Campaign was “The world of the generous gets larger and larger” Proverbs 11:24 (The Message). To me, generosity of spirit is about passing it on to others – those in your family, those in your church, and those in your community.

Who taught you to be generous with your time? My family is blessed to have my parents as members of this church. They have been active here since the church began. We have watched them volunteer as ushers and greeters on Sunday mornings, help with mailings during the week as well as support the Care team. In the early days of the church (before I came on staff and did it for a living), my husband Steve and I served on various teams throughout the church (Finance Team and Building Team), volunteered for Vacation Bible Camp (me not him), and mission trips (then and now). I say this not to impress but to show that while we loved doing all these things, at the same time we were teaching our children how to be involved in the community we call Stonebridge UMC and beyond. It was important to us to serve the Lord and at the same time teach our children the values of being generous with our time.

Who taught you to be generous with your money? Each week I watched as my parents set the example both growing up and here at Stonebridge UMC supporting the church with their finances. We give to the church through payroll deduction and through a monthly check to the church. We talked to our children as they were growing up about the importance of giving. Each year as the Stewardship Campaign kicked off, Steve and I would discuss what our family would do to try to increase our gift to the church to work towards reaching a tithe.

Who are you teaching about weekly worship and fellowship with others in the church family? Sunday mornings at 8:15, Mom and Dad are here (and if they are not I get a little worried) setting the example that worship is important. When our kids were growing up we were at church every Sunday usually sitting on the front row (yes they could be distracting but they learned how to behave in church) after Sunday school. Now the boys are in college and attend when they are home, and our daughter is married living in Dallas where she and her husband have found a new church home where they attend weekly. I believe that the lessons they learned at Stonebridge UMC from the many people that touched their lives have helped them become the adults they are today.

In your Stewardship Campaign packet, there was a Personal Goals and Commitment card. Take a moment and go back and fill it out with your family. Think about how you can pass on your generous spirit to the next generation so that we continue to spread the message of the love of Jesus Christ to the world.

(Now on a Finance Ministry Team note: We have approved a budget for 2010 of $1.95M which is the same budget that was set for 2009. To date we have received 225 pledge cards. If you have not had an opportunity to turn in your card, please bring it to church on Sunday or drop it in the mail.)

Peace,
Cindy MorelandExecutive Director

GriefShare

2010-02-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

Recently, Pastor John invited our staff to share our passions for the ministries we are involved in here at the church. As your Administrative Assistant and a GriefShare facilitator here at the church, I wanted to take a moment and share my passion for a program in which I am involved. GriefShare takes a healthy approach to dealing with bereavement and the healing process after the loss of a loved one. Furthermore, GriefShare takes you through the steps of grieving, helps you experience coping skills and reveals how God can be in control while your life is turned upside down.

Grieving takes on different meanings for each individual who is experiencing a loss. The Dictionary defines grieving as, “keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss, sharp sorrow, or painful regret.” For some people grieving can take on the metaphor of an "unwanted houseguest". What’s important is not so much how you define it as how you deal with the emotions at hand.

The GriefShare support group is a safe place to come and share your emotions, thoughts and pain as a result of the loss of a loved one. Just knowing there are others who are making this journey with you can help in the healing process. When we reflect on the poem "Footprints in the Sand", the message we receive is that God carries us through our most difficult journeys. On the journey of grieving, there are two things of which you can be sure. One, your emotions will be changing throughout the process. And two, God won't change. He has always been there for you and always will be there for you.

One former member, Correnda, reveals: "The GriefShare program was a big help to me as I had just recently lost my mom. This program helped me to realize that all people grieve differently in their own way. I now understand much better what the grieving process is all about and how to accept my mom's death. The GriefShare program is an excellent one that I would recommend to anyone who has experienced a loss and is having a difficult time. I have become good friends with some of the people that were in the group with me."

As an acting GriefShare facilitator, I have had many opportunities to reflect on my own experiences. God has taught me how to embrace the love and memories I hold dear in my heart for those loved ones that have gone on before me. I am grateful to be a part of the GriefShare program and the healthy approach it offers individuals who are going through bereavement.
If the opportunity should ever arise and you feel the need, please join Cindy Halderman, Sadie Varela and myself on Thursdays at 6 p.m. in room MC252.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heaven: a time to be born and a time to die....a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, 4

Many Blessings,
Toni Peyton Grace

Secret Santa

2009-12-22T08:39:00.001-08:00

Did you hear about the “Secret Santa of Kansas City”? I read about him in the Tuesday, December 15, edition of The Dallas Morning News. He anonymously distributed about $14,000 in one day to people in need around the city. His “elves” were handing out $100 bills to people at a thrift store. They gave $2000 to a cancer patient struggling to pay for medications. Altogether, the Secret Santa’s elves anticipate giving away between $250,000 and $300,000 this year. Actually, this is a new Secret Santa. The original was named Larry Stewart. His identity became known just before his death a few years ago. He handed out about $1.3 million dollars over twenty years. Like his predecessor, the new Secret Santa wants to remain anonymous.

Wouldn’t you love to have the money to share like that? Most of us want to be generous; the problem is our bank accounts often can’t back up those feelings of generosity. Well, I have got some good news for you. Did you know, every year our church gives away $75,000 in benevolence giving? We support everything from education to disaster relief, from fighting hunger and disease to sharing the love of God with those who have never heard of Jesus. We are able to do this because you join your giving with others in this congregation and then we join that with the giving of people in hundreds of other United Methodist Churches. Combining our gifts gives us the opportunity to make significant differences in the world in the name of the One who was born on Christmas morning.

So, here is your chance to be a Secret Santa. And the good news is, it is something everyone can do as they are able. You should have received in the mail your special Christmas Offering envelope. The money you give will help many in the name of the one who was born in Bethlehem. Bring your envelope to church with you Christmas Eve night or the Sunday after Christmas or put it in the mail and send to the church. It should be above and beyond your regular offering to the church. This is a great way to feel the joy of being a Secret Santa and to lend a helping hand to someone in need.

Don’t forget our Christmas Eve worship schedule...
3 p.m.- Family Service
5&7 p.m.- Candlelight Celebration Service
6 p.m.- The Bridge
9&11 p.m.- Candlelight and Communion Celebration Service
(childcare provided at the 5, 6 and 7 p.m. services)

I hope to see you Christmas Eve night and have a blessed Christmas.

Full Churches

2009-11-10T09:11:00.001-08:00

The headline in Monday’s edition of The Dallas Morning News read, “Churches fill across town on first Sunday after attack.” The article went on to say, “Pastors, chaplains and priests echoed themes of forgiveness and healing in the first Sunday services since Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s rampage at Ft. Hood.” The article quoted several people expressing their emotions. Twenty-nine year old Tawni Lay said, “I’m really emotional, and I feel that this is a safe place.” Second Lt. Daniel Curtis said, “The church helps gather our thoughts and recompose ourselves. It helps us cope.” I am so glad the church has been the place of refuge for the people of the Ft. Hood/Killeen area. I am glad it is a place of sanctuary, a place of healing, a place of hope. But I do have to ask, isn’t that the case every Sunday? Don’t we need “forgiveness and healing” every week? Why are churches filled only after tragedies?

I am taken back to the days following 9/11. The church I served at the time provided a special service the night of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Even though there was little time to get the word out that we would be having a service, the sanctuary was packed. We started getting phone calls in the afternoon from people (members and people we had never heard of) asking if we were having a service. The Sunday following we had to set up chairs in two of our three services. By the next Sunday, attendance was back to normal. What is it that draws us to worship in difficult times and then, in just a few days, for many it becomes perfunctory?

Is it possible that our understanding of worship has become not worshipful at all? Is worship for us, there to supply our needs and frailties, or is it our faithful response to God? Isn’t worship our adoration and glorification of God? Isn’t it our time to sing God our praises and to thank God for His beneficence? Isn’t it how we are challenged to live a life that is pleasing to the one who created us and to whom we owe everything? Isn’t it our opportunity to take responsibility to make His kingdom become a reality in this world and at this time? And aren’t these an every week responsibility and expectation? Certainly, we receive much from our worship; a time to recognize our shortcomings and receive God’s forgiveness, a moment to reflect on what is truly important in life and what is not, to be reminded that we are one of God’s precious children and that God will never leave us alone, a time to recover from the week and receive reassurance. But it is crucial for us to remember that worship is all about God and what that might mean to us.

As Tawni Lay was quoted as saying in the DMN article, “Sometimes it takes a wakeup call to realize what is important.” Thanksgiving is in two weeks. Come to worship ready to thank God for all the blessings in life and to take responsibility as one who is called His own.

What's Going On in Celebration Hall

2009-09-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

The answer to that question is easy… exciting things are going on in Celebration Hall. The first phase of our church campus was built in 1999. The carpet and flooring are showing the wear you would expect in a building that has experienced a decade of constant use like ours. Several areas in Celebration Hall, the hallways and classrooms are even getting dangerous to walk on. Also, over the past few years, we have had a growing number of problems with our sound system. As you know, we have had times when we have lost our sound and/or video on Sunday morning and you probably don’t know all the times we were in a panic moments before worship was to begin, praying that the gremlins in our system would leave.

In the capital fund drive for Phase III (the Robertson Activity Center), we designated monies to repair these issues. I am sure you have noticed the new flooring and carpet in some areas. Over the next week or so, carpet will be going into the church offices and Celebration Hall. At the same time, a new sound system is being installed. There will be a new screen in the back of the hall to guide those leading worship and a new sound booth will be constructed and located in a new spot. And it doesn’t even stop there! A new chancel/stage area is being built. It will give the feel we had in Celebration Hall when we had the Odes of Solomon services. It will create a “U” shaped seating arrangement for a more intimate worship experience. Don’t worry; you’ll still be able to find your chair.

A few things to note:
The church offices will be closed on October 1 and 2 to lay carpet in them.
Again, these funds are coming our of our capital funds account, not our operating funds. We will be having our annual “catch up on the operating budget” announcements as we come to the close of the year. I’m sure someone will ask, “Why did we spend that money on the flooring and the sound system if we didn’t have the money?” When that question comes up, please remember that this work was done through the capital funds, not operating funds.
Your pledges and continued giving to the capital funds account is still very important and appreciated. If you would like to contribute additional funds for any of the work I have described, please contact either me or Cindy Moreland. In 2010, we are planning a debt reduction campaign to relieve our indebtedness and help us plan for future projects.
Because of all the changes, there will be a few inconveniences. Please be flexible and understanding.
Yes, exciting things are happening in Celebration Hall. Get ready to enjoy them.

Grace and peace,

John Mollet

One Single Invitation

2009-09-10T09:47:00.001-07:00

Pastor David told me a great story recently of one of our church family members welcoming a guest with such open arms that this guest now feels like he has found his church home. Talk about open doors! This is such a great story that I wanted Pastor David to tell it to you himself. Therefore, rather than a "Moment with Mollet" this week, how about a "Day with David?"

Grace and peace,

John Mollet

One Single Invitation

This week I had to hijack John's e-mail, because there is a story I feel you must hear. About 3 weeks ago I was finishing up our "God Must Be Crazy" sermon series in The Bridge and on the fourth and final week we were using Micah 6:8 as a reference to Jonah's needing to understand what God wanted from him. We went through Seeking Justice, Loving Kindness and Walking Humbly with God, and I'll have to tell you that I was pretty fired up after that sermon for the work of our Church. But nothing that I said gave me near as much excitement as the story you will read below. (The names have been left out, but this is a true story)

A young man moved to McKinney four weeks prior to this worship service and this was his fourth week in The Bridge. Apparently he enjoyed the worship style, the music, the preaching (and after all, who wouldn't...), but one key ingredient was missing. No one had really talked to him. No one, except I believe Ed, had enjoyed a conversation of any merit with this visitor and he was praying with God the week before the worship that if he did not make any meaningful connections the next Sunday, he would go find another church. God had another plan.

During this service, the young man was present and seemed engaged, but in the back of his mind was thinking "if no one really cares enough to talk to me, I'm going somewhere else next week." God has a funny way of acting, as when he thought this, he felt a tug on his shirt sleeve from a woman in the row behind him. For whatever reason this grandmother noticed the young man sitting by himself and invited him to go out to lunch with her family that afternoon. I was not there, but I will guess that surprisingly he accepted.

The woman and the young man met the rest of her family who had been in the Celebration Service and went out to eat. Apparently this young man is pursuing a life in the ministry, has served in all sorts of missions and ministry capacities and has a real heart for service in the world. What a shame it would have been if we missed out on the wonderful gifts that this young man could bring to the life of our church and all that we could do to foster his spiritual growth!!!

I suppose this made me wonder how many other people slip through the cracks. If you walk through the halls between or after worship time it really is mass chaos around here. Families are trying to stay together, Sunday school teachers are trying to get the right kids to the right parents, people are funneling out of one or two doors out of Celebration Hall or The Bridge and groups stand in the middle of all of this talking. I wonder how many visitors or even members feel as though no one talks to them? What a shame to have missed out on some great people, all because in the hustle and bustle, we forgot that being part of a church means inviting strangers to eat with us. I think Jesus might have done this too...I'll check.

I thank God that the woman listened to God's call to invite the young man to lunch and I hope this will inspire everyone who reads this to take a radical step of hospitality in the coming weeks and look for those sitting by themselves or who look lost. One of these people might be the next Sunday school teacher, missions leader, youth volunteer, lay speaker, chair guy or who knows...maybe that one invitation is all they need to realize hope in the world.

Pastor David

Enjoying the Church

2009-08-25T19:27:00.001-07:00

I love it when staff members of our church go to meetings with staff members of other churches. They talk with one another about the churches they serve, the challenges and joys of those churches and the pastors with whom they work. Without fail, they come back proclaiming, “I am so glad I work at this church!”

This past week I spent three days with a group of seven pastors I have known for several years. We are working on a project together, so most of our time was spent working on that, but, of course, there was plenty of time to talk about our churches. After hearing their stories of woe, let me say, “I am so glad I am a part of this church.” Let me give just a few reasons for my thankfulness.

First, we are in a dynamic, fast-growing church. Many of my colleagues struggle in churches that are not only declining, their congregations are fighting growth everyway possible. One of my friends told us that it takes him at least a year and a half to make any change at his church. His congregation wants to keep the things at their church exactly like they have been for many years. That really means they want to keep the church for themselves. Any mention of changing something so that they might be more inviting to newcomers is met with a “this is the way we have always done it and we like it that way.” Any wonder why that church has not grown in many years. In contrast, you are always ready to find new ways to meet the needs of those entering our doors. Even if it takes changing something, you are willing to try it out. The thing I love about this church is you think more about others’ experience of the church than you do your own. That sounds pretty much like the Golden Rule, doesn’t it?

Second, this is a church where people are invited to think and ask questions. Too many churches today are telling their congregations what and how to think. If anyone has an opinion that might color a little out of the lines of their doctrine they are reprimanded. The church should be a place where it is safe to ask our questions, no matter how unholy they might sound. It is through our dialogue and debate we begin to discover what we believe; and that initiates a closer relationship with God. Just the other day, a man in our congregation told me, " If it wasn’t for this church, I would not have grown in my faith like I have." We can receive no better complement.

Third, this church really is “the most joyful place on earth.” You want to know why? It is because you are nice people. One of the ministers in my group described a church we were discussing as “a bunch of mean Christians.” I am afraid there are a lot of churches that fight, grumble, gossip and complain. That is not our church. For the most part, we are pretty much a happy family. We certainly have our disagreements, but you handle them in stride and with maturity. You are also "the most joyful place on earth" because you take care of each other. I have said many times this church cares for its members and those outside our walls better than any church I know. Life is not always happy, but when someone helps you walk with Christ during those unhappy times you can be filled with joy.

I could go on, but I really just wanted you to know how thankful I am to be your pastor and how much I appreciate your work in making this church become the vision God has for it. Too often we take that for granted, but we shouldn’t because it is one of God’s blessings. I hope you join me when I say, “I am so glad I am a part of this church.”

New Sermon Series

2009-08-11T18:10:00.001-07:00

I wanted you to be the first to know. Evidently there is something special about being the first to know something. When I was growing up, the barker on the TV commercial that broke in on my Saturday morning cartoons would say, “Be the first on your block to get…” then he would go on to name the product he was advertising. To be first had the power to make you feel special. You had something on everyone else in the neighborhood. You had bragging rights. You might not have wanted the product they were selling at all, but you certainly wanted to be first. So, I want you to be the first to know the upcoming sermon series for the Celebration Service, because I want you to feel special. (You Bridgers stay tuned; I’ll also share some upcoming sermon series for The Bridge.)

Every four to six months, I sequester myself for a week and work on sermon ideas. Contrary to popular belief, these series do not come to me by osmosis or from Googling “sermon series ideas” on the internet or from a bolt of lightening sent from above. They come from a discipline of prayerful study. First, I have to get away from the church. There are way too many distractions in a busy church like ours. There is constantly an important question or someone that really needs to see me for “just a minute.” Truth be told, I can’t sit in my office with the door closed without becoming curious as to what is happening just on the other side of my office door. I am way too much an extravert for that. As the church staff would say, I am quite the social butterfly. So, I get away with a stack of twenty books or so and get to work.

My goal is to have several sermon series sketched out for an extended period of time. I want to have a series title, the primary scripture text for each of the sermons in the series, and a title and thesis sentence for each of those sermons. Then I schedule those for specific Sundays and give the schedule to the church worship staff. This gives us the opportunity to look thematically at each week. Buddy and Marla can plan ahead and fit the music with each sermon theme. Every once in awhile someone will come to me following worship and say, “Wow, the words of that song really fit what you said in the sermon." Again, that does not happen by magic. They put a lot of hours and effort into fitting the music with the sermon, so that you can have a meaningful, thought-provoking and spiritually uplifting worship experience. Having the sermons ahead of time gives the worship team time to creatively think of how we can best get the message of the morning across to the congregation. We are always working at least a month ahead.

So, here are some of the fruits of my work. First, David and I will share the first sermon series of the new school year in both The Bridge and Celebration services. We will be preaching on “Open As A Verb”, looking at how we can live out the new United Methodist Church motto of “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors”. After that in the Celebration Service we will have, “Finding the Good News When the Headlines Are Bad”, looking at our faithful responses to terrorism, violence in schools, hunger and natural disasters. We will “Go Beneath the Surface” examining our understandings of God, Jesus, the Bible and ourselves. I also have a series planned in which I will confess to you the things Christians do that drive me crazy. (That one was difficult to keep to just four weeks.) In a series I am calling “BBFF, Biblical Best Friends Forever”, we will discover some of the biblical friendships that can help us through life. At Christmas, we will travel with Mary through her pregnancy. The series will search for the meaning we can find in the anticipation of having a child, Lamaze classes, labor, the euphoria and realities of birth and ending with showing pictures. During Lent and Easter, the sermons will look at Jesus as a defendant in a trial, examining the religious establishment’s investigation of his unorthodox way of teaching the faith. After Easter you are invited to get your popcorn ready to see how the movies can help us understand and feel the power of the resurrection.

In The Bridge, David has sermons scheduled up to Christmas. After “Open as a Verb”, David (and Ed and I on occasion) will preach on “Cross –Training”, how the cross trains us up to be Christian disciples. And “The Holiness Code”; few times will you hear sermons based on the book of Leviticus, but the moral and ethical codes for living presented in the book are ones on which our society has been based.

I really did want you to be the first to know. Not only so you would feel special, but also to help you make worship a holy habit in your life. I do hope it will motivate you to invite others to come worship with you. Because, as you will remember, Jesus said “the first will be last” and that we are called “to be a servant to all”. Helping others find their special place in worship will make you feel special and it will certainly make you a servant of the Lord.

We Are Becoming Adoptive Parents

2009-07-31T10:35:00.001-07:00

Over my ministry, I have enjoyed going through the process of adoption with a number of couples. When I was the pastor of Chapel Hill UMC in Farmers Branch, we were one of the designated locations for the Methodist Mission Home to meet with adoptive parents as the case worker placed their new baby in their loving arms. I participated in several worship services that celebrated the event and, I can tell you, there is no feeling like the one that enters your heart when you see the joy in the faces as the eyes of the new parents and their child meet for the first time. It is the personification of love.

I have felt that same feeling these past few days as our church was presented with the opportunity to adopt one of the elementary schools in McKinney. Six churches in town have been asked if they would join with another school to adopt one of our MISD Title One schools. Title One schools are those with at least 40% of their students on the free breakfast and lunch program. We have been invited to join forces with Bennett Elementary and Wolford Elementary to adopt Malvern Elementary School. Malvern has about 87% of their students on the free meal program. I knew you would want to beadoptive parents, so I committed our church to this new ministry. Then the church staff started to find some people willing to direct our part of the mission. As is always the case when God guides you into a new ministry, the people were there just waiting for someone to ask them. We now have a team of 10 people who have agreed to be a part of the liaison team with Bennett, Wolford and Malvern.

Let me tell you a little about Malvern Elementary School. It is located at 1100 Eldorado Parkway; about a quarter mile east of highway 75. It is a vibrant and innovative community school of about 600 students. It opened in 2001 as one of the McKinney ISD sustainable schools that are environmentally sensitive in architecture and engineering. It is a “recognized” school. Sandra Barber is the principal.

There are a lot of areas in which we will be able to assist in this new ministry in the years to come. There will be opportunities for people to be mentors, reading partners and tutors. We can support and appreciate the teachers and administrators. We can assist in the workroom, the library, the clothing/food closet and with technology. They need people to join the chess club and the PTA. Some will want to be involved at the school at night; like leading parent seminars and developing a parent center. I hope some of our small groups will decide to adopt one of their individual classes. They even have a garden in which our green thumbs can play.

The reason you are receiving this email a little earlier than usual is that we have an immediate need to which we can respond. The students need school supplies. A list of the supplies needed is below:
Crayons
Pencils
Gluesticks
Notebook paper
Pocket folers
Spirals
Pencil pouches

We will be collecting these supplies so that they can be delivered to the families before school starts. Our deadline for the supplies to be brought to the church is Thursday, August 6. If you would prefer, you can make a cash donation for the purchase of the supplies.
Adoption can be the personification of love. Let us begin to share the love of God with the families of Malvern Elementary.

Reflections on Coming Back from Vacation

2009-07-27T19:23:00.001-07:00

“Vacation – noun, from the Latin ‘vacatio’ meaning freedom; the freedom from any activity; a rest; a respite; an intermission; a period of rest and freedom from work or study; a time of recreation.”

It has been nice being welcomed back to the church after vacation the last few Sundays. Of course, being a minister, I only work on Sundays and only until noon at that, but it is nice to get a break from the routine every once in a while. Many have asked where we went on vacation and the answer is nowhere. Oh, we got away on a short junket the last few days of my time off, but most of the time we stayed home and caught up on projects that have been on our “to do” list for way too long.

This all came about when my two sons (both in their 20’s and living away from home) gave me their slave labor for a few days. This developed into a plan to lay travertine tile in the master bathroom and St. Augustine sod in the backyard. Some vacation! In defense of my seeming insanity, I had planned to be the supervisor over these projects and simply direct my sons in what to do next. You would think, after twenty-seven years of fatherhood, I would have learned better. They worked hard, but being twice their age calculated into me being twice as tired and sore. The amount of sweat I released broke every rule in the clergy code of conduct. Looking at the above definition makes me think I failed vacation miserably.

However, I have to admit, as strange as it might sound, it turned out to be a time of freedom from the everyday routine and pressures. It was restful in that my mind could take a break from creating worship bulletins, sermons and Moments with Mollet. It was a respite from what can become ordinary, usual, normal, common and it gave me the opportunity to look at things fresh again. It was recreation, not in the sense of play and fun, but a time of re-creation – giving God the opportunity to create in me again. I enjoyed the time I spent with my boys. That time gets more precious every day. And it was good to do some manual labor. For this pencil-pusher it was good to feel the muscles I don’t use as much as I should.

Coming back from vacation also helps me realize that the stuff I leave behind to go on vacation will always be awaiting me on my return. The work I left was still on my desk when I got back. The problems of the world still existed. The hurts in people’s lives were still present. No matter how long and far we go, we cannot run from the realities of our lives. However, the good news of the gospel is that God never takes a vacation. God lives through the pain and problems with us. We are never left to take on the whole load ourselves. (Read Psalm 139:1-18) I guess it was good that my sons were there to help me through these projects. Otherwise, I’d probably be dead. Shared burdens are always more bearable.

The Numbers Just Don't Add Up

2009-07-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I admitted to the worshippers in the Celebration Service that I was never good in math. Algebra still makes little sense to me. I was very thankful that the least math credits required for any major while I was a student at Centenary College was for a religion degree. God is gracious!

However, I do have enough math savvy to realize when the numbers don’t add up. Through the first 29 weeks of the year, our attendance in worship is up an average of 125 people a Sunday. That is an increase of almost 10%. We have already had 3,637 more people in our worship services this year than in 2008. We have had only four Sundays of the twenty-nine this year that had less people in worship than the same Sunday the year before. This is great news and a good indicator of the continuing growth and health of our church. Thank you for welcoming your neighbors into our church.

On the other hand (I’m sure you knew there was going to be another hand involved), offerings to the church have not increased with attendance. For eighteen of the twenty-nine Sundays of 2009 giving has been less than the same Sunday in 2008. Some Sundays the difference is just a couple hundred dollars, a few are down as much as $15,000. Overall, giving has decreased over these first twenty-nine Sundays by over $65,000. As the reports from our Financial Ministries Team have reassured us, we have been keeping our spending down to record levels, so the numbers are not as bad as they seem. But you don’t have to be a math genius to realize the attendance figures and the giving numbers just don’t add up. The old church adage is “giving follows attendance” and usually that is a truism. If that were the case for us, we should be having a banner financial year in 2009.

The most frightening number of 2009 is the comparison giving for the summer. Giving since June has decreased this year from 2008 by over $28,000. Of the $65,000 we are behind our 2008 giving, $28,000 of that has come this summer. That means 43% of our shortfall for the year has come over the last seven Sundays. In other words, we are going in the wrong direction…fast. Instead of catching up, we are falling further behind and the fall has increased in momentum. We cannot even blame this one on the economy – it has been picking up the past few months. Even my retirement fund increased this last quarter for the first time in the last year and a half.

Your church needs your help now. Please help us catch up these next six weeks of summer. I am asking you personally and individually to prayerful consider your response to the church’s need. We cannot allow this trend to continue without serious harm to our ministry. Starting this Sunday, we will give you an update each week on the comparison from 2008 to 2009.

In addition, in August we will inaugurate a new stewardship emphasis campaign called “One Dollar More”. Watch for details in the next few weeks. Until then, please make your additional contribution to the church so we can right the ship. Together we can make a difference and help these numbers begin to add up.

What I Read On Vacation

2009-07-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I read a book that stretches my traditional Christian thinking and that was the case with a book I read over my vacation. Several years ago, I was told by a church member I shouldn’t be reading such books and certainly not sharing them with others. I have to say my faith has grown much more from reading books that challenge my faith than from reading books that just confirm what I already believe. I hope, by sharing with you what challenges me, you grow in faith as well.

The book is entitled An American Gospel by Eric Reese. I decided to read it after I heard the author interviewed on the radio. Reese is the son and grandson of fundamentalist Baptist ministers and is presently a writer in residence at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. There is a lot going on in this book: Reese’s attempt to capture what he calls “the American Gospel,” which grew out of a response to the restrictive puritan beginnings of religion in America; sharing his love of American literature and its writers and finding spiritual direction in them; working through his father’s suicide and trying to make some spiritual sense of it; and a little touch of environmentalist tree hugging at the end of the book. But the reason I decided to read the book was that Reese, in the radio interview, said he no longer went to church. If the Christian church is declining, as the surveys increasingly tell us, we better find out the reasons our friends and neighbors are choosing spiritual pathways other than the church. Eric Reese’s story and faith journey did not disappoint.

In the introduction to the book, Reese begins with Leo Tolstoy and the inspiration Tolstoy received from the free spirits of American writers Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. Reese writes, “In The Kingdom of God is Within You, Tolstoy argued that one cannot believe in both the Sermon on the Mount and the Nicene Creed… In this sermon (following the Beatitudes), Jesus goes on to charge his crowd to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, give to those who beg, and avoid hypocritical judgments. By contrast, the Nicene Creed is solely an assertion of the divinity of Jesus…Tolstoy argued that either one accepts the Sermon’s rigorous demands for how we must act in this world, how we must treat others, or one chooses the Creed as a way of escaping from this world into another.”

Reese goes on to quote Tolstoy as writing, “The man who believes in salvation through faith in the redemption or sacraments cannot devote all his powers to realizing Christ’s moral teaching in his life.” What Reese says in his book is we have emphasized the divinity of Christ to the exclusion of the humanity of Jesus. We have placed personal salvation over our responsibility to love God and our neighbor – the greatest commandment as Jesus would say. We have concentrated our faith more on entering the Kingdom of God in heaven than we have building the Kingdom of God on earth.

First let me say, I don’t believe we must put such a strict dividing line between the divinity of Jesus and the teachings of Jesus – our salvation and the works of faith. As the Book of James reminds us, through our salvation (our oneness with God through Christ) flows the works of faith. One does not have to throw out the divinity of Jesus to follow the teachings of Jesus or visa versa. But Reese’s point is clear and important – as a person seeking spirituality outside of the church Reese is telling us, until I see the people of the church changing the world through the works demanded by Jesus, I will not believe of your salvation (oneness with Him) in His name. Jesus warned us of being like the hypocritical Pharisee praying in the marketplace. (Luke 18:9-14) He encouraged us to show God’s love through our lives more than anyone else. (Matthew 5:43-48) Jesus knew that was the way into the hearts of those seeking something more in their lives.

We must listen to the Eric Reeses of the world. They are telling us why they have not found the church to be a legitimate pathway to the spirit of God. They are telling us there is an incongruity in what we say and what we do and they don’t want any part of it. John reminds us of that incongruity, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (I John 4:20). So put your acts of faith where your religious mouth is. Never ask someone if they are saved before you show them your oneness with God in the way you live.

Remembering Pete Messick

2009-07-09T11:09:00.001-07:00

On October 24 last year, we lost a cherished member of our church and the drummer in the Celebration Band, Pete Messick. Pete’s face became an iconic presence in our worship services. He found so much joy in playing songs that praised the Lord that his face became radiant when he played. I cannot tell you how many times people would comment to me on the pleasure they received in their worship watching Pete play. As I said in the eulogy at his memorial service, Pete was our Little Drummer Boy.

After some interesting years on the rock and jazz music circuit, Pete began to grow in his relationship with God. Through their professional careers, Pete and Buddy Mattei, director of our music ministries, became friends. On the way to and from gigs, Buddy and Pete would talk about the church in McKinney Buddy was involved in. Soon Pete and his wife, Joanne, found themselves in worship at Stonebridge UMC. After one of the services, Pete told Buddy that he liked the music, but the band could use a drummer. From that point on Pete became our drummer boy. If you remember the classic Christmas story, a little boy was trying to find a way to give a gift to the new born Son of God. He finally and reluctantly decided to play a song for him on his drum. This act pleased the Lord more than any other gift. Pete’s playing on Sunday mornings pleased the Lord and Pete came to understand it as his gift to God. That was the radiance you saw on his face.

To honor Pete’s memory, we are installing a prayer labyrinth on the property at the church. The labyrinth came from Greek mythology and found its place in Christianity in medieval times. It symbolizes our pathway to God. It has a clearly defined center which represents our union with God and has one entrance which is to remind us of our birth and baptism. Labyrinths are symbolic pilgrimages where we focus on our growing relationship with God. Its significance faded over time, but its spiritual use has recently experienced a rebirth. Today, you can find labyrinths in churches and parks. We have a portable indoor labyrinth we use for special occasions in the life of our church.

The Pete Messick labyrinth will go on the east side of the church building where the portable buildings used to stand. It has been approved by the church Trustees and it will be paid for from memorial gifts given in honor of Pete. If you would like to honor Pete and make this wonderful addition to our church a reality, make your checks payable to the church with Pete’s name on the memo line. You will also be able to give electronically through the Secure Give kiosk located at the information desk outside Celebration Hall or through our web site by clicking here.

This Sunday, a picture of the labyrinth will be in the church hallway close to the church office. As you imagine people walking the labyrinth, think of Pete’s face as he played. I have no doubt that radiant face will be looking down on us in joy.

The Wonderful Cross

2009-06-29T13:11:00.001-07:00

We sing the song in church every once in a while and I have to admit I cringe a little when we do. “O the wonderful cross…” we sing - such a melodic tune for such a violent and tragic image. My guess is Jesus wasn’t singing about the wonderful cross while he was dying on it and for us to sweetly sing of how wonderful it was negates the power of Jesus’ willingness to die for what he believed. It is to go from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without remembering the hurt and pain of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

To think of the cross as wonderful can confuse our spiritual thinking. It can cause us to think maybe God sent Jesus to die on the cross. I believe God sent Jesus with the great hope we would listen to Him, follow Him and build the kingdom God put into His heart and mind. Jesus was the continuation of the covenant relationship God had whispered in the ear of Abraham, engraved on stone tablets for Moses and wrote on Jeremiah’s heart. It was God’s promise to always be our God and God’s demand for us to always be His people. The people were never fully able to remain loyal to the covenant relationship, so God sent Jesus to be a living, breathing connection to Him and His desires.

The cross came not by God’s direction, but because of the inability of those listening to Jesus to hear the word of God through him. His message threatened them and the religion with which they had become comfortable. It should remind us that crosses are never wonderful and are not the way God chooses to work with His people. God does not use crosses to test us or to get back at us for something we have done. Thinking this way distances us from the One who is always pursuing us that we might know His love. Crosses come not from God, but out of our shallowness, selfishness and sinfulness. They come out of our inability to see the vision of God for us.

The good news comes when God responds to the faithlessness and cruelty of the cross with the resurrection. God gives the life the world took from Jesus back to Jesus. And God continues to do so for us today. God still loves us through the hurts and difficulties of life; not making the crosses we bear wonderful, but manageable. The love of God helps us to live through the crosses to a new life – and not just a new life in the world to come, but a new life in the world we live in now.

You may have noticed crosses in Protestant churches and Catholic churches look different from one another. In Catholic churches Jesus is on the cross, while in Protestant churches the cross is empty. One recognizes the suffering of Jesus while the other emphasizes the resurrection. We should probably have examples of both in our churches, because both concepts are important for our faith. As the song says, “O the wonderful cross bids me come and die and find that I may truly live.” I hope the next time we sing these words, you will cringe a little with me.

What is a Worship Leader?

2009-06-22T14:43:00.001-07:00

In our 2008-2012 Strategic Plan, seven priority areas are identified to give us direction as we continue to seek to “change our community and world through growing relationships with Jesus Christ.” The second of those priorities is to expand on the excellence of our worship services to include a focus on passion in our worship. A team of our members was put together to think through what that might mean for us as a church.

The first consideration that came from that team was to hire a worship leader. The idea came from the book Go Big by Bill Easum and Bil Cornelius. This was the book we used to help challenge us as a congregation into our next stages of growth. In the chapter on “Staffing the Church for Explosive Growth”, the authors emphatically recommend hiring a worship leader. In fact, they say that the most important staff person following the lead pastor is the worship leader. In our setting here at Stonebridge UMC a worship leader would work with the other music and worship staff to design worship, help in choral song selection, conduct a growing number of music groups and lead in the presentation of music, particularly in the Celebration Services. In a sense, this person is to make sure the congregation is brought into a spiritual mood of worship as we begin our service. The worship leader is to help us reach our potential in our praise of God. He or she is to enable us in glorifying God.

When Don Smith started this church, he recognized the importance of music and made some of the first hires of the church our music leadership. When we started The Bridge, we knew the success of that service would revolve around the music; so we hired D-MAC to team up with Pastor Terri and The Bridge was off and running. Now, the next step for the Celebration services is to enhance the dynamic music Stonebridge has become famous for by adding a worship leader to our staff. Our Staff Parish Team has already written a job description for the position of worship leader and has approved posting the position to gather candidates for the job.

You are going to get a taste of what that might look like in Celebration Hall on Sundays, June 28, July 5, and July 12. Our very own Tracy Lastrapes will play the role of worship leader in those services to, as Emeril Lagassi would say, “crank it up another notch.” This does not mean the Celebration Service will become more Bridge-like. We want each of our services to be as distinct as always. It also does not mean it will be louder or more contemporary in style. What it does mean is that our worship will be more passionate; with the singing more robust, infectious and praiseful.

Make sure you are in church these Sundays to see the beginnings of our next steps of growth in the name of Christ.

Wear Your Shirt and Share Your Faith

2009-06-09T12:20:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, our Coordinator of Adult Ministries, Suzy Cass, was presenting a devotional in which she used a video clip from a sermon by Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City. In the sermon Adam told a story about a meeting he had with his youth pastor, Dan. It was one of those weeks when time had become tight and their regular staff meeting had been cancelled, so Adam and Dan, both being night owls, decided to meet on their common agendas at a pub down the street from the church at 10pm.

They were seated at a table and talked church matters and enjoyed soft drinks and appetizers. Adam was wearing a sweatshirt with the church’s logo on it which evidently drew a few people to their table. The first was a drunken woman from the table next to them. She asked with slurred speech, “Do you guys go to that church?” They answered “yes”. Then she asked, “Why did God kill my sister?” Adam promised the congregation listening to his sermon that he would be talking about that in his sermon the next Sunday. A while later the waitress stopped by their table and asked, referring to his sweatshirt, “Is that the church on…” and gave the address. They said “yes”. And she asked, “Do you like that church.” Sheepishly, Adam answered, “Yeah, I like it a lot.” Then the woman confessed, “My life isn’t going so well. I just recently got divorced and I have a three year old child. I’ve been a pagan witch for the last eight years and that’s not really working for me. I just feel like I need something else in my life. Do you think that church you go to would let a divorced, single mother who works in a bar and has a been pagan witch come to church?” Adam responded, “I can tell you without hesitation the people of that church would welcome you.” She came the next Sunday – a little surprised to see him preaching in his robe – but that was the beginning of her journey.

As most of you know, we have been selling shirts with our church name on them. You can buy a “golf shirt”, a “camp shirt”, a “t-shirt” or even a shirt with rhinestones on it, but, whatever shirt you buy, I hope you understand the purpose of these shirts. It is not to be a fashion statement (even though I am sure you will look really good in one), but rather an opportunity to share your faith and invite people to church. For most of us, the most difficult part of our Church + 3 commitment is to share our faith. It does not seem to come naturally. Certainly we have had few good role models to show us appropriate and helpful ways to go about it and, we would probably have to admit, we are not always comfortable articulating what we believe. But wearing a shirt with our church name on it gives you a simple way to invite someone to church. First, they will come to you to ask their questions; you don’t have to feel like you are “assaulting” someone against their will. Secondly, you don’t have to be a theologian to invite someone to church.

I hope you decide to wear a shirt as a commitment to your discipleship and a sign of your willingness to share your faith and church with others. You might just find yourself telling a story about how you helped someone start their journey of faith. To order a shirt, contact Suzy Cass at suzy@mysumc.org or call 972-529-5601 x332.

Super God

2009-06-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” No, it’s just some guy in blue tights and a cape. The other night, nothing was on television (Can you imagine, hundreds of channels and nothing to watch?), and I found myself watching the movie Hollywoodland. It is the story of the mysterious death of George Reeves, the original TV Superman, and I’ll have to say the movie took a little of the “super” out of the man. To tell you the truth, even though I grew up loving the show, I never really thought he looked all that “super.” The suit showed a little more of his body shape than it should have. It was hard to imagine him being “faster than a speeding bullet” or “more powerful than a locomotive” or able to leap much more than a foot off the ground.

My favorite part of the show was when he would demonstrate his many powers to the bad guys; bullets bouncing off of his chest, bending steel with his bare hands, using his x-ray vision to overcome a criminal and save the day. Now that was television! I hated those shows where he was weakened by kryptonite or unable to see through lead. Even though I knew he would win by the end of the show, I didn’t like it when he was vulnerable. Seeing the “man of steel” exposed as a man with a number of human frailties in Hollywoodland reminded me of how alluring the fantasy of invincibility is.

Throughout history, we have often made our gods, super gods. Huge images of the gods of Egypt, Babylon and Mesopotamia were erected to show the immense power of that god; often to instill fear and servitude. The God of the Old and New Testaments was not such a God. Yes, we proclaim our God to be omnipotent (all powerful) and believe God to be the creator of all that is, but the more we learned about the God Yahweh, the more we realized He was never an aloof God. God connected to us by making a covenant with us, became vulnerable in sending us his Son and the only image God ever wanted erected to Him is us. Too often we have tried to make God who we have wanted Him to be, rather than who God has revealed Himself to be. We would rather think of God being responsible for everything than realizing God calls us into a partnership to be responsible with Him. We want God to right the wrongs, overcome the bad and defeat evil at very turn. We want our enemies to be God’s enemies. We want God to rescue us from anything bad that might happen to us, rather than understand that God walks with us through the valleys of life. So, we have blamed God for not fixing something in our lives, blinding us from our responsibility as His partners and seeing His presence loving us through it.

We are created in the image of vulnerability rather than power. It is in giving ourselves to another person that brings the wholeness of humanity, not wielding our power over them. As I think back on it, Superman became a model for little boys. He was the epitome of masculinity. He was powerful, fearless and invincible. To be manly growing up in the 50’s meant to show your muscles, never cry or show that you were hurt and never take a chance on showing your feelings in front of someone else. Most of us took seriously those Charles Atlas ads on the back covers of comic books that said to be a man meant never to let anyone kick sand in your face and get away with it. I am afraid not much has changed.

The Bible calls us to remember that we, not some enormous idol, are the images of God in the world today. God expects us to bring the kingdom of which Jesus taught into reality. It might be fun to imagine there is a being out there fighting “the never ending battle for truth, justice and the American way”, but what makes God “super” is the love that comes out of being vulnerable.

The Gift of Touch

2009-05-26T12:19:00.001-07:00

In our society, the verb “to touch” has a variety of meanings. Of course, there is the obvious and usual use of the word of bodily contact, but its definition has become much broader. If you have the knack for something, we say you have the right touch. If you want just a small amount of something, you might ask for just a touch of it. The telephone company picked up on the concept of keeping in touch as communication with their “reach out and touch someone” campaign. Is it any wonder why English is so hard to master as a second language?

In the Bible, touching is understood to be a means of healing. Jesus touched the man with a withered hand or the eyes of a blind beggar or an “untouchable” leper and they were healed. Even when an outcast woman reaches out and touches the hem of Jesus’ garment she experiences the power of his healing presence. The Bible teaches us of the healing power of touch and I believe that power is still available to us today.

Robert Raines in his classic book Creative Brooding writes of a friend who had lived alone for a long time. His friend told him he suffered from “skin hunger.” As Raines explains, “The hunger to be held, cradled, hugged, caressed, touched is human and divine.” God still uses human touch to heal His children today.

I had lunch with a friend of mine who works with chemically dependent people. He told me that people susceptible to addiction often come from families where touching is not a part of the family dynamic. That is why my friend ends each of his group sessions with the participants hugging the person to their left and right. It is a part of the healing process. It heals skin hunger.

When my son Aaron was little, he liked me to scratch his back. He would put his head in my lap and I would run my fingers over his shirt. He would stop me and say, “No, Daddy, scratch my real back.” He was instructing me to put my hand underneath his shirt so my fingertips could touch his skin. He had a “touch” of skin hunger he needed healed. God’s creative presence was with us through each of those moments.

When I went to Europe during my college years, we spent a week in Italy. Our tour guide was a short dynamo of an Italian woman named Ada. She had had a lifelong love affair with Michelangelo and she shared that passion with us. She showed us how the master had the unique ability to contrast life with lifelessness in stone and with paint. I remember standing next to her in St. Peter’s Cathedral as we looked at Michelangelo’s Pieta. Jesus’ lifeless body draped over the lap of his mother, Mary, whose body was alive with grief and pain. In the Sistine Chapel, looking up at his portrayal of creation at the moment when God’s hand, energized with the power of life, reaches to touch the lifeless hand of Adam. In both of these works of art, I found myself with a deep anticipation of life; the new life of resurrection that would touch both Jesus and Mary and the gift of life that was about to enliven Adam from the powerful hand of God. Touch brings life.

Touch still has healing power. Certainly, touch has been used by human beings to destroy rather than to bring life, but when we remember its healing power, our touch can bring a hope long forgotten. Share God’s healing touch with those around you and watch them come to life right before your eyes.

Accept the Challenge

2009-05-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

When I became the pastor of this church six years ago, I asked several church members what they hoped for the church in the years to come. Many said they wanted this church to be a mission-led church. By that they meant that they wanted the life, the work, the money of this church to revolve around our missions ministries. I could not agree with them more.

That is why in our last two strategic plans missions has been one of our top priorities. I have to say, we are not there yet, but because of the work of many of our lay people, we are well on our way to making that a reality. What will make it happen is you - each of you - taking the challenge of being in mission through the work of this church.

The past few weeks, several of our church family members have gone on mission trips sponsored by our church. One group went to drill a water well in a poor community in Nicaragua and the other went to build a house in the desert of Juarez, Mexico. I asked some of them to share their trips with you through this email. Three things rang out loud and clear from their responses:

1. Mission is about relationships.
Skip Hirvela, who led the trip to Nicaragua, said the smiles of the people will be what will stick with him for a long time.

Alex Carter, on the same trip, said, “It was amazing to watch all the children play in the flowing water (from the well). It reminded me of when I was a kid and played with my neighborhood friends in our sprinklers.”

Going on a mission trip reminds us that, in all the ways we try to divide ourselves from one another, by borders, language and/or culture, we learn that as Alex said, “There are many more similarities than there are differences between people in different locations.” It is in these relationships that peace will come to the world. Empathy that comes from connecting yourself to someone else, like Alex seeing himself in the children playing in the water, is what builds love and the Kingdom of God.

2. God calls us to be in mission – even in places that are difficult.
Trevor Castilla, leader of the Juarez trip, said, “During the planning of this trip and up to the time we departed the church parking lot, I felt that it was an uphill battle. We started with 20 people interested in going. The numbers went south as the information about the drug cartels started spreading. Then we get news about the swine flu! We get (our cars) loaded in the church parking lot to go to the airport, and the car battery is dead. Is someone trying to tell me something and I’m just too slow to pick up on it? As we get settled in (at Proyecto Abrigo in Juarez) and listen to Jose Luis talk about the challenges in the area, I was reminded why we were persistent in making this trip happen.” Trevor goes on to say, “If you are looking for excuses not to go on a mission trip, you’ll find them every time.”
I have found there is always a force trying to stop love from happening. I asked Skip and Trevor, knowing the instability of the countries they were going to, if they thought the church made the right decision to sponsor the trips?
Skip said, “Absolutely. At no time did I feel uncomfortable or threatened. and I even had my daughter, Carly, with me! Pappa bear is very protective of his young!”

Trevor also talked about the youngest person on their trip. “During our final day, Blake Burton (10) wasn’t ready to go home and wanted to stay longer. He didn’t miss his worldly possessions, toys, games and comforts in McKinney, but saw first hand the impact that a few people can make on a family.”
How amazing it is when love takes us over, especially against the greatest odds.

3. You have been challenged.
Skip said, “After four years and four trips, each one is a blessing. I put these trips right behind the birth of my children; The pure wonder and joy of God’s miracles. You have to go through it to really understand it. God wants us to give. He returns so much more than you give, especially when it is so far from home and your comfort zone. Everyone should take that step of faith. He will not let you down.”

And from Trevor, “Accept the challenge and look for reasons to share your faith. Stop watching from the sideline and get in the game. Have faith. Do acts of kindness for someone else. James 2:26: ‘As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.’”
I could not have said it better. I hope you will thank these guys for sharing their trips with us and ask them how you can get involved in the mission work here at Stonebridge United Methodist Church.

Grace and peace,

John Mollet

His Eye Is On the Sparrow

2009-05-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Have you Googled your house yet? It’s kind of fun, watching the world become smaller on your computer screen until it zooms onto your house. Man, do I need to clean our pool! To tell you the truth, for a guy who grew up in the 60’s, it’s a little too Orwellian for me. You might remember George Orwell’s book, 1984, where everyone is under the constant surveillance of the authorities. They were reminded of the fact by the phrase, “Big Brother is watching you.”

Well it took us another 25 years, but it seems the thought that you could get lost in a crowd has become an antiquated anachronism. Of course, this technology has brought up all sorts of questions about privacy and the uses burglars and terrorists might find for it. You might have heard a few weeks ago about the people of a small British town confronting one of Google’s rolling roof-top mobile cameras as it started to photograph their neighborhood. I wondered what it was they were hiding, but apparently, it was more than just an irrational paranoia. Just a month before, an online magazine published a Google image of an inebriated man wearing fake antlers vomiting outside a pub. Another showed people entering an x-rated bookstore.

Of course, the message is clear; don’t do what you don’t want seen or known… and keep your pool clean, for heaven’s sake. As Jacquielynn Floyd said in her April 7, 2009 Dallas Morning News editorial that inspired this email, “At worst, it’s a privacy threat; at best, it’s an incentive for polite and responsible outdoor behavior. People wearing antlers and vomiting on the sidewalk need to know the world might be watching.”

It is a shame we are just now getting the message that we are being watched. In the twelfth chapter of Luke, Jesus is quoted as saying, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted.” (I’d like to see Google try to zoom in that close!) “Do not be afraid, you are more valuable than many sparrows.” This is the verse that inspired the old hymn, “His Eye Is On the Sparrow,” and as the song goes, “…and I know He watches me.” We are given these words as comfort and we should hold fast to them, but we must remember, we are not only more valuable than sparrows, we are held to more responsibility. God’s watchful eye has a discerning element to it as well as a comforting one. The verse just prior to these in Luke’s twelfth chapter reads, “Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.”

Maybe Google has just reminded us of a lesson we should have learned a long time ago. An authority much greater than “Big Brother” is watching you. Why don’t you join me in asking for God’s forgiveness and start cleaning out that messy pool.

Earned Trust

2009-05-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

I was once given a plaque that stated, “In God we trust, all others pay cash.” In recent years, we have certainly been given enough reasons to question the trustworthiness of the people around us; people being cheated out of their life savings by an unscrupulous financial adviser, government officials not paying their income taxes, or uncovering the unethical, immoral and/or illegal actions of ministers. Do you ever feel like Diogenes the Cynic, wondering if you will ever find an honest person?

I often find myself questioning the motives of others. When the Ft. Worth ISD came out with their decision to close their schools in prevention of the Swine Flu, I immediately questioned their wisdom. When I hear the result of a court case I have been following, I wonder how a right-thinking jury of my peers could have possibly come to such a ridiculous conclusion. When I watch a person who has been cornered by a reporter and asked to justify a decision they made, I usually jump to the conclusion that they are either an idiot or a crook. Yet, when I stop and reflect, I realize I wasn’t in the meetings of the FWISD when they made their decision or in the courtroom to hear the testimony or the judge’s restrictions on the jury’s deliberations nor was I in the head of the person who was making a difficult decision. I am reminded of the child who asked his mother why all the idiots came out when she was driving. The truth is most people are not sitting around the room trying to make a bad decision. They are struggling with facts and parameters we have the luxury of not having to pay attention to in our questioning of their decision. How smart we can be when we question others from a comfortable distance.

I have learned a few things as I have scrutinized my uninformed questioning of the decisions of others. First, it is better to respond first in empathy rather than suspicion. Put yourself in the shoes of the person on the hot seat, and then ask yourself how it would feel to be put in the position of being responsible for making that decision. Also, ask yourself if you have the information needed to question the decision made. If not, then either get the information or, if you have no reason to disbelieve this person or group, give them the benefit of the doubt. You should never seek to build yourself up by tearing another down. Secondly, remember trust is the basis of all good relationships. Trust is earned and, once it is lost, it is difficult to regain. Commit yourself to being a person who can be trusted and find ways to show its benefits. The more we build trust with those around us, the more we create a good society and the further we grow the kingdom of God.

There are times people question the work of this church, a decision we have made or the way we have chosen to spend money. I can tell you, there is no place I trust more than this church, the leaders in it or the staff of it. The decisions that are made here are always made in the spirit of Christ. We are not perfect, but we never sit around the room wondering how we can make a bad or frivolous decision. I can promise you, every decision made here is made in prayer, seeking the guidance of God. You can trust this church, for it is in God we trust.

Nobody is Gone

2009-04-28T08:45:00.001-07:00

Have you seen or heard about the billboards showing up on Metroplex highways with the message, “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.” They were sponsored and funded by a group called Metroplex Atheists with the stated intent to help show Christians that atheists “don’t have horns and a tail.” Holly Yan, staff writer for The Dallas Morning News, wrote in an an article published on April 4 about the group's attempts to quell the stigma attached to atheists. I found the article interesting and helpful as we Christians empathically seek to share our faith with people who claim there is no God.

First, I found it interesting that there is a Baptist church in Grand Prairie, Summit Baptist Church, which was founded two years ago with part of its vision being it would “be open enough to listen to differing beliefs.” Yes, I did say it is a “Baptist” church. Not what you usually think of when you reflect on Baptist evangelistic fervor, but, following its vision, its co-founding pastor, Derward Richardson, invited Terry McDonald, the chairman of the Metroplex Atheists, to speak at his church. Again, yes, I said, “Baptist” church. About 75 people turned out for the Saturday night discussion and I am sure they are all the better for their participation.

As the great preacher, Harry Emerson Fosdick once said to a man who told him he didn’t believe in God, “Tell me about the God you don’t believe in, because I probably don’t believe in that god either.” The faithful, open, heart-felt discussions we have about the God/gods we do and don’t believe in only strengthen our faith. The article quoted an atheist who encouraged his Christian daughter, “always question everything.” I could not agree more. As I like to say, we should never be required to check our brains at the door of the church and, if you are ever asked to do so, run.

Secondly, I was interested to read the statement made at the meeting by Terry McDonald, who was a devout Catholic, going to Catholic schools and being on his parish council, yet rejected his faith in his thirties “when”, as he said, “I looked for God, he wasn’t there.” That is why open discussion and the ability to see the humanity in someone who thinks differently than we do is so important. We can hear in their voice the same cry we have uttered, “O God, where are you?” (If you have forgotten, read Psalm 13.) To see ourselves in the face of someone we might once have thought of as our enemy, is our first step in loving them as Christ commanded. It is a wonderful opportunity to share with them the God we have found. I am reminded of Shel Silverstein’s poem entitled, "Nobody”:

Nobody loves me,
Nobody cares.
Nobody picks me peaches and pears.
Nobody offers me candy and Cokes,
Nobody listens and laughs at my jokes.
Nobody helps when I get in a fight.
Nobody does all my homework at night.
Nobody misses me,
Nobody cries,
Nobody thinks I’m a wonderful guy.
So if you ask me who’s my best friend, in a whiz,
I’ll stand up and tell you that Nobody is.
But yesterday night I got quite a scare,
I woke and Nobody just wasn’t there.
I called out and reached out for Nobody’s hand,
In the darkness where Nobody usually stands.
Then I poked through the house, in each cranny and nook,
But I found somebody each place that I looked.
I searched till I’m tired, and now with the dawn,
There’s no doubt about it –
Nobody’s gone.

My prayer is that Mr. McDonald will one day discover that Nobody is gone. And he will find again somebody wherever he looks – maybe even God in your face or in mine. Remember, Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, “…if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matthew 5:46-47). As the old song says, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

Easter is a season, not just a day.

2009-04-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

The other day I attended a meeting that was initiated with a prayer. In the prayer, God was thanked for the beauty of the day, the bounty of our lives, the fellowship we enjoy and the holy season of Easter that just past. Now I know I should have been deep in spirit of prayer and should not have noticed, but I did and it made me sad. Easter has not passed. It is a season.

Liturgically, Easter is not a day, but a season in the church year. The season lasts 50 days until the day of Pentecost, which this year comes on May 31. Actually, the day of Easter is what determines the entire Christian calendar. The day of Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon falling on or after March 21, the first day of spring. After the day of Easter is set, then all the moveable days of the church year (Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Pentecost, etc.) can be set. This means that our calendar, as well as our lives, revolves around the resurrection of our Lord. Easter is a season, not just a day.

The Easter season is the oldest of any in the church year. It is hundreds of years older than Advent and Christmas. As Robert Wetzler and Helen Huntington write in their book, Seasons and Symbols, “Easter is the keystone in the arch of Christianity. Without it, everything else crumbles. We sing ‘Christ is risen! Alleluia!’ because it is essential to our understanding of God’s promises of eternal and renewed life.”

This is why the concept of the season of Easter is so important. The resurrection cannot be contained in one day. So we are given fifty days to get into the habit of observing how God is renewing our lives. God is constantly recreating new ways for us to experience the resurrection for ourselves. If we will stay alert to this possibility throughout the season of Easter, and on through the year, maybe we will find ourselves proclaiming “Christ is risen!” one day in October.

Exciting Things To Come

2009-04-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

By now you should have the schedule for Easter and Holy Week indelibly etched in your brains. If you don’t, here it is one more time:

Prayer Labyrinth
Walk the prayer labyrinth April 6-9, Celebration Hall
Maundy Thursday Service
April 9, 7:30 p.m., Robertson Activity Center
Stations of the Cross
Friday, April 10, 3:30-7:30 p.m., Quad Room
Good Friday Service
7:30 p.m., Celebration Hall
Easter Sunday Services
Celebration Service: 8:15, 9:30 and 10:45 a.m., Celebration Hall
The Bridge: 9:30 and 10:45 a.m., Robertson Activity Center

What I’d really like you to be aware of is the services the three weeks following Easter. Even though I think all of our worship services here at Stonebridge United Methodist Church are special, the services on April 19, 26 and May 3 will be some of the most unique and moving we have ever offered. About a hundred years ago, archeologists discovered the oldest Christian hymn texts ever found. They were a part of the earliest Christian worship services; just after the time of Jesus’ ministry, during and just following the time of Paul’s missionary work. Like the Psalms in the Old Testament, we have the words to these hymns, but there was no musical notation yet invented to write down the notes to which they were sung. Recently, these early hymns’ texts were put to a very intriguing and beautiful contemporary style of music. They have come to be known as the Odes of Solomon.

On the three Sundays following Easter, we will be one of the first congregations in the area to highlight these hymns in our worship services. We will be worshipping ‘in the round’ with the music of the Odes surrounding us. The services will also include acting, dance, video presentations, choirs, soloists, ensembles and some interactive elements. You will not want to miss these wonderful opportunities to worship along side the earliest converts to the message of Christ in a most contemporary style. That is why we are calling these services “An Ancient Modern Celebration”.

Due to the style and production requirements of these services, for these three Sundays only, we will not be having the 8:15 service. We will be back to our regularly scheduled service times Sunday, May 10.

On those same Sundays in The Bridge, Pastor David will be taking on the subject of God’s message and human sexually. Some have asked why this is an appropriate topic for Sunday morning worship. The truth is we live in a sex education class. In our society, we are constantly being taught who we are and how we should act as sexual beings. We do not have the choice of whether or not we learn about sex, only what we are going to include in that learning process. I believe our faith must be a part of that discussion. Sex is God’s good gift to us as we seek to share intimately the love God has placed in our hearts. We must do that mutually, responsibly and appropriately to live a life that glorifies God. It is time for the church to help us in that process. We have subtitled the sermons as “PG – Parental Guidance Suggested”. We ask you to use your best judgment in your children’s attendance.

Easter Memories

2009-04-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

As I hid the eggs in the damp darkness of our backyard early Easter morning and filled baskets anticipating the joy-filled faces that would find them, I was taken back to the time when I was the recipient of such surprises. Then it was I who searched for eggs hidden in places only a father could hide them and discovered the secret desires in my Easter basket that only a mother would know to purchase. I remembered the pre-dawn Holy Week services at our church that my family never missed - particularly the donut feast in the fellowship hall following the services. I returned to the glory of the Easter services of my childhood and the harkening sound of the trumpets we had in church only two times a year. Now I was the father finding just the right place to hide those multi-colored ellipticals and Susan was the one making magic with wicker and plastic grass. What a privilege to create family memories. What a blessing to have those memories in my own heart.

Garrison Keillor in his book Leaving Home tells a story with similar sentiment.

"Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted. We know that as we remember some gift given to us long ago. Suddenly it's 1951, I'm nine years old, in the bow of a green wooden rowboat, rocking on Lake Wobegon. It's five o'clock in the morning, dark; I'm shivering, mist comes up off the water, the smell of lake and weeds and Uncle Al's coffee as he puts a worm on my hook and whispers what to do when the big one bites. I lower my worm slowly into the dark water and brace my feet against the bow and wait for the immense fish to bite.

Thousands of gifts, continually returning to us. Uncle Al thought he was taking his nephew fishing, but he made a permanent work of art in my head, a dark morning in the mist, the coffee, the boat rocking, whispering, shivering, waiting for the big one. Still waiting. Still shivering."

Will you join me in celebrating the works of art; those painted in our heads and the ones we are creating for others. Let us remember nothing we do is ever wasted when it is done in love. Let us remember what was done in love for us - even the loving actions of our Lord of which we are reminded this next week

Grace and peace,
John Mollet