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.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Feeling a Little Old
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?
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?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Rehabilitation
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.
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.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
What I Learned from the Hospital
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
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
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Thank You!
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
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
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Missions
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
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
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
God Cares for Us All
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
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
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