I was chosen to speak at a national conference for character education. I still can’t believe I did that. I still can’t believe I get to put that in my resume. As I write this, I still feel like I only got there by luck and people in the audience were just being polite.
When Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief officer, the commander of the royal guard and an Egyptian, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man and served in his Egyptian master’s household.
If you took a survey of people on the street today, you may get similar responses to what the disciples told Jesus that others were saying about him centuries ago. Some would say he was a prophet, others a moral teacher, others a mythical person, and others would say that he was and is the Son of God.
Growing up, I wanted to be a thousand things: a teacher, a marine biologist, a doctor, a singer, an astronaut. But what all those very different dreams had in common was that regardless of occupation, I wanted to be the BEST. In whatever I was doing, I wanted to achieve maximum greatness. If I’m honest, sometimes I still do.
My father loved woodworking. Carpentry, furniture-making, cabinetry, carving – if it could be made from wood, he’d done it. You always knew when Dad had carved a piece, because they all had very distinct faces.
Let your light shine everywhere you go, so that men and women everywhere may see your good actions.
Abram trusted the Lord, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness
Today’s passage has me wondering: what does it mean to delight in the way of the Lord? Does this mean attending worship? Does this mean spending time in prayer? Does this mean reading scripture? Does this mean serving others?
Anxiety? We all have a lot to worry about! Whether it’s health, money, disasters or relationships, everyone has worries. Anxiety keeps us up at night, our social media feeds and those “breaking news” alerts keep us in a constant state of worry during the day. It seems the more we worry, the more we seek to control our lives.
As I listened to Pastor Joe’s sermon on Sunday about being overwhelmed by a desire to control, I immediately thought of the phrase “Let Go and Let God.” Sure enough, he said that phrase a few moments later in his message. He conjured up an image for me as a young adult.
I knew better than to have a rigid birth plan as I was expecting my first baby. I knew that these things just happen according to what Mommy and Baby need… but an emergency C-section was certainly NOT what I was expecting.
One of the things I thought about when I read the passage was – how often do we do something or decide something and then afterward think “oh I really should have prayed about this before I said yes or no or before I made a decision?”
Together we can turn the nation’s largest weekend of football into the largest weekend of giving. Youth group members will be collecting monetary donations at each service this Sunday and will then send the donation to the Turning Point United Methodist Food Pantry in Trenton. Your generosity will be very much appreciated. The link below will take you to our PushPay system. You can select “Give One Time” then use the Fund Selector to choose “Souper Bowl of Caring.”
PEDAL for PROMISE – SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019: Medford United Methodist is fielding a team for the Urban Promise fundraiser “Pedal for Promise.” This year the ride begins and ends at Valenzano Winery in Shamong. You can register to ride, make a donation to the team or register as a spectator to enjoy the party and cheer on our team.
Go to urbanpromiseusa.org/pedal for more information about the event, to donate, or to register as an individual. OR you can go directly to the TEAM MEDFORD UMC page at www.crowdrise.com/team-medford-umc.
Questions or need help? Speak with Pastor Kathleen, Wayne Richards, or Heidi and Mike Polhemus
