Day 10: Saturday, March 11, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 11, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: 

Day 10: Saturday, March 11, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau

Spiritual Discipline

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:7b-8 (NRSV) Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
 
Devotion: I learned over the years that spiritual discipline is a necessary element of the Christian faith. Yet it is not an easy thing to do or practice. It requires discipline until it becomes a habit. Spiritual discipline can be a variety of things. In the beginning of Lent, the Church invited us to observe a holy Lent: by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; by worship, reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.
 
Spiritual discipline should lead us to a life that is more godly and Christlike. It is supposed to help us trust our personal experience with ourselves, which is, in a way also an experience of God. Sometimes we are amazed that the two experiences coincide. However, when we practice a spiritual discipline and seek to know God whether through repentance, praying, fasting, worship, or reading Scripture, we also come to know and accept our own humanity; when we meet and understand ourselves at deeper levels, we also meet and know more of God. Thus it can be said that we don’t have any real access to who we are except through God, and we don’t have any real access to God except through knowing ourselves through our humanity.
 
During Lent, may we find the time to practice spiritual discipline by spending time away from our everyday work, our everyday surroundings, and allow space for God to clear our mind, relax and simply be at peace with God and with ourselves. May this Lenten Season allow us to refocus and be renewed in our faith for an overall healthy mind, body, and spirit.
 
Prayer: Gracious God, when it seems like we’re drifting away, help us to find our way back to you through spiritual discipline. Amen
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Member Spotlight, Nellie Ledesma

Posted on Mar 10, 2017 in BLOG, Latest News, Member Spotlight | Tags: 

Member Spotlight

Nellie Ledesma
March 10, 2017
 
Nellie Ledesma was born in Nueva Laredo, Mexico, and adopted by her family who lived in Cotulla on a ranch where they raised cattle and chicken.  She spent most of her early life in Cotulla from kindergarten through high school.  Besides her mom and dad, her family included four older children. 
 
Nellie fondly remembers her childhood on the ranch.  They would go to the river, which she loved.  “I loved listening to the river,” Nellie says.  Since Cotulla was very dry and hot, a favorite thing to do was to play in the huge spigot from the irrigation pipes.  She had a pet deer, brought home by her dad when the mother was killed.  Nellie loved the faun, and the faun loved her, even after she grew up and had two baby bucks.  Even as an adult, her doe would eat out of Nellie’s hand.
 
Nellie rode the bus from the ranch to school, and remembers trading her tacos for sandwiches.  She thought sandwiches were wonderful because that meant being rich.  The kids who came to school with sandwiches thought they got the better deal because they though tacos tasted better.  School was rough in the beginning for Nellie, as she spoke no English and the school spoke no Spanish.  A big change for her came when one of her teachers took a special interest in Nellie, and she made the promise to learn what she needed to learn. 
 
Nellie has been married to Rob Ledesma for 20 years.  Rob does commercial flooring for places such as Army bases, schools and hospitals.  He is on the road constantly, since they have been blessed with a lot of contracts. They have no children, but she has three dogs, and they have lots of nieces and nephews.  She is now taking turns with her sister caring for her elderly mother. 
 
Nellie no longer works because of an accident that left her disabled two years ago when she fell off a ladder.  Before the accident, she worked in the prison for seven years, and before that in other positions as an administrative secretary in Round Rock and Austin.
 
A member of Taylor FUMC for a month, Nellie used to be a Catholic, but likes her new Methodist experience.  Betty Brown invited her to come to church and she especially appreciates our pastor who was most welcoming to her when she attended.  She reports she was actually shocked when she first came because the members of the church were so outgoing and welcoming.  Her Catholic experience was of a much more reserved and quiet congregation.  “It’s awesome,” she says.  “Before when I left a service, I felt like I was carrying the cross, but now I feel uplifted when I leave.”
 
Nellie reports that she always wanted to sing in the choir.  [The writer enthusiastically let her know the choir welcomes new members and would love to have her take part!] Her favorite hymns are “I’ll Fly Away” and “Go Rest High Upon the Mountain.”  She loves those because they free your spirit, and remind you that it is okay to let go.  She loves the bluesy, belted-out, soulful, old gospel music.
 
As a good friend, Nellie can be boisterous and out-spoken but she gave up being snarky for Lent.  “I want to be a friend people would like to have,” says Nellie.  Her husband says she’s a good wife. 
 
If money were no object, Nellie would be a missionary somewhere she knows the language.  She would love to help communities.  And as for where to travel, she would love to go to Nazareth and the Holy Land.
 
The most fun Nellie has ever had was going to Costa Rica, sightseeing and learning about the county.  She particularly enjoyed getting to know the citizens of Costa Rica, and remembers one family who was selling coconut water on the beach.  The mother was working very hard, and had several children helping out as well.  Rob asked one of the boys if they liked soccer.  They replied “Oh, yes!”  Rob and Nellie came up with the idea to go to the little market near there, and buy the boys a soccer ball and whatever else they needed so that they could play.  “That made their day and it made our day,” says Nellie.  “It made me feel so good.”
 
Be sure to let Nellie know how much we appreciate her being a part of our congregation, and wait until you hear how beautifully she sings!
 
By Robin McKinley

Day 9: Friday, March 10, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 10, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: , ,

Day 9: Friday, March 10, 2017
Belinda Moss

Rejoice

Scripture:
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
 
Devotion: Singing has always been what I fall back on when I am happy or sad.  God’s word thru song helps lift the spirit when all around may seem to be falling apart.  Growing up, my family would meet each evening for devotionals that would include my dad taking out his accordion and playing songs.  We would sing for an hour or so, every one of us suggesting songs that we wanted to sing.  (Can you just visualize 2 – 12-year-olds sitting around worshiping God in song).  We are told to rejoice always. This week, find times to rejoice in the Lord. 
 
Prayer: Dear Lord thank you for all good gifts, may we learn to use all our talents in service to you. Prepare us for the coming of your kingdom. Amen
 
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Day 8: Thursday, March 9, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 9, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Day 8: Thursday, March 9, 2017
Lynn Bedard

Starfish

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10 (NSRV) For by grace you have been saved by faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Devotion: In 19 years of teaching, I have met at least 3000 students. Occasionally, there is one who really doesn’t care about solving an algebra equation. He is just trying to survive. Before I tell you about one of them, a story…

“The Starfish Story”, adapted from the original story by Oren Eiseley.

An old man was walking on the beach after a storm. A woman was picking up starfish and throwing them in the ocean. He called out, “Why are you throwing starfish?” She replied, “The tide is going out, and they will die.” “But, there are thousands of starfish. You cannot possibly make a difference.” She threw another one. “I made a difference for that one.”

This student’s parents were both in prison. He was late to class every day, mad at the world, and clearly not interested in anything this old, square, white lady had to say. I tried to reach him, but he was failing and talked about dropping out and selling drugs.

One day, I put the class in groups, but every group said, “Don’t put him with us. He is trouble.” When he came in, I put him in his own group. He got mad. “I see how it is. None of y’all wanna work with me. Well, I don’t want to work with you either!” He turned his desk to the wall.

I let him stew a minute, but he kept peeking over his shoulder, and I saw my chance. I needed to draw him in. A few minutes later, he turned his desk forward, and said, “Miss, I’ve got a deal for you. If I pass your class, you have to shave your head”. (Where did THAT come from?) Shocked, I took my time answering. “I’ll tell you what… If you make an A in my class and pass all of your other classes… I will shave my head.”

Word got around and I found gifts of shaving cream in my teacher mailbox. He was like a whole new person: polite, on time, making good grades, staying out of trouble. I was getting a little worried about losing my pretty, curly, shoulder length hair, but if it would help him, it was worth it. Sadly, one day, there he was, slumped in a chair outside of the principal’s office. I asked what happened. “They jumped me after school and I had to fight back.” Zero tolerance would send him to alternative school. I said, “No… the little boy had to fight. The man could have walked away. You felt good when people respected what you were doing. After you serve your time, come back and do right. If you go to the streets, you’ll die. I was looking forward to losing my hair for you.”

He struggled but he finally graduated high school. I still have that shaving cream. So, the next time you see a starfish, throw it back. You can’t save them all, but you can save that one.

Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
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Challenge: Overcoming Temptations

Posted on Mar 8, 2017 in BLOG, Challenge, Latest News | Tags: ,

Our challenge for this week was for us to recognize and overcome the temptations we face daily. Checking-in, how’s it going?

Day 7: Wednesday, March 8, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 8, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: , , ,

Day 7: Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Rev. Bob Walker

All Things: REALLY?

Scripture:
Philippians 4:13 (NRSV) “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Devotion:

This is one of my all-time favorite scriptures. A friend used to lead his congregation in the recitation “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!!! It is a great verse as long as you understand that Christ will lead you to accomplish anything that is His will for you. Not just any ole thing. When we pray to do His will then he gives us the strength to do it. You know the old adage: “God does not call the equipped but he equips the called!” So as long as it fits into God’s will for us and those around us we will succeed. And we must remember it is through God’s power, not our own. The minute we think it is all about us is the moment we begin to slip down a very slippery slide to failure.
 
So as we strike out on the mission that Christ has set before us “We can do all things through him who strengthens us!!!” We just have to stay on track and ask every morning, “Now what did you have in mind for me today, Lord?” Keep the faith and Godspeed.
 
Prayer:
Lord, it is in your Holy Name we set out on our day. Give us the grace to see your will clearly and then the courage to follow it! AMEN.
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Day 6: Tuesday, March 7, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 7, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: , , ,

Day 6: Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau

Stillness

Scripture:
Psalm 46:10 (NRSV) Be still, and know that I am God!

Devotion:

A few years ago, I participated in a retreat at the Still Water Lodge in Glen Rose. This is just down the road from Glenlake Camp and Retreat Center, a familiar site for many youth and adults in our conference since ongoing church events take place at Glenlake, and it’s owned and operated by the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. This was my second gathering with this particular group at the Still Water Lodge. It was early fall, and the facility and grounds were very serene.

Early the next morning, I woke up and went to spend some time sitting on a wooden bench swing looking over the water. It dawned on me that morning, of why they may have named that place Still Water Lodge. The water in the river behind the lodge seemed to be very still, thus the name Still Water. Whether or not that was the meaning behind the name remained unverified. Regardless, I have not been around many rivers, so I am uncertain and know very little of its behavior as opposed to oceans. But the stillness of the water connected me to the stillness of that morning. It was very peaceful and very serene, and the weather was perfect, fog slowly moving over to cover the skies and meet the morning dew. The mist from the fog softly dropped on my bare skin and I could feel its refreshing coolness. I could hear the birds chirping all around, a very pleasant sound. And even though I could hear the sounds of traffic in the background, I meditated on the present. It was as if God was saying to me, “Be still, Sela, for I am here.” I would have stayed in that space, that sacred space, with God all day if I could.

Prayer:
Oh God, may the peace that I experienced that morning be something that I continue to seek not only for myself but for others around me as well. In this season of Lent, help us to find a place of stillness where we might experience your presence and peace. Amen
 
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Day 5: Monday, March 6, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 6, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: , , , , ,

Week 2

Day 5: Monday, March 6, 2017
Robin McKinley
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
 
Scripture: Matthew 5:9 (KJV) “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
 
Devotion: This verse always makes me think of my Grammy. I adored her and she adored me. In truth, everyone adored Grammy. She most definitely was a child of God, and she believed her grandchildren were children of God, too. She found little daily ways to make peace, and she taught me through her deeds about unconditional love.
 
When I was six, I had a terrible case of hives for no known reason. Later, the hives reappeared when I was slicing tomatoes, so my father determined that I was allergic to tomatoes. This was sad for me because I loved tomatoes. And, my grandfather was a tomato farmer. Whenever we would go to visit Papa and Grammy, we would tour whatever new development they had on their farm. Soon after the discovery of my allergy, we went for a visit and began to take a tour of his tomato greenhouses. Being one of five children, I was mostly invisible, but suddenly someone noticed I was there and I had to leave the greenhouse. I didn’t want to be left alone, but I never said a word. My angel Grammy took me by the hand and said “Come on, let’s go look at the flower garden.”
 
Around the same age, Grammy taught me to sew, and I had many hours of fun with her. Grammy would patiently show me how to keep the seams straight and how to put an applique on the front of a top. We invented appliques from the scraps of other cut out projects, like a fish that Papa teased was just a sucker. When I was too tired to go on, Grammy would notice before I did, and took me lovingly to bed.
 
Grammy died when I was 15. The only thing that brought me any peace was knowing that she was in the arms of God, as a child of God. I was given her Bible, and out dropped a piece of paper upon which was written the scripture “Blessed are the peacemakers.” That verse describes her life. Grammy was a peacemaker, and she made peace by giving her 18 grandchildren all the unconditional love it was possible to give.
 
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Spirit, Thank you for the peacemakers that show unconditional love. Please help me be a peacemaker in my daily life. Help me notice what others need so that I can add to their peace. Amen
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Sunday, March 5, 2017

Posted on Mar 5, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Sunday, March 5, 2017
 
Prayer
God of all seasons, God of both feasting and fasting, you guide us through the letting goes and the new beginnings of our lives. We confess our weakness in doing this fully in the season of Lent, and we ask that you might enable us to let go of all impediments to our journey toward “life and life more abundantly.” Help us, gracious God, to begin anew in grace. May we never lose hope in the eternal spring that you have promised to all creation in a new heaven and a new earth. Amen.
 
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Day 4: Saturday, March 4, 2017, Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 3, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: ,

 
Day 4: Saturday, March 4, 2017
Tylor Cavender
 
The Greatest of These is Love

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-17 (NIV) “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Devotion: What would the world look like if we could all show love? Not the kind of love found on MTV. Not the kind of love that found in a romance novel. But patient, selfless, humbled, and kind-hearted love. What works could be accomplished if we all showed love, instead of immediately judging? With social media and cell phones saturating every aspect of society, we are presented with a multitude of opportunities to show others what it looks like to truly show love.

How many times have you heard someone say something like, “I love football!” If you are from or in Texas, the answer to that is surely more than you can count. Now, think back to the times you’ve heard someone say something like, “I love football!” How many of those statements were said by someone who actually played football, or helped other to play football, or truly wanted to get better at playing football, or didn’t misplace their calm when their team wasn’t as good as they wanted?

I think the word love is too commonplace. Do we really mean the things we say? The word love is used so much that it seems to have meaning at both ends of the spectrum. I know I’ve heard some toddlers say they love chicken nuggets. But, that’s not what it means to really love. I also see movies or TV shows where people are afraid to say “I love you.” It isn’t a huge commitment and should be taboo to show love.

Paul tells us that love is patient, self-sacrificing, modest and kind-hearted. If we truly showed love towards someone the way that Paul describes, wouldn’t we live enormously different? We should live our lives in a way that, at the very least, attempts to replicate this kind of love. It is important to do this for everyone we encounter, not just our family and our friends. We should show this kind of love to complete strangers. We should show this kind of love to people who we don’t agree with. We should show this kind of love to the people who come from different faith backgrounds. We should always strive to be patient with each other. We should demonstrate kindness in every interaction that we have. We should always do anything within our abilities to make sure other’s needs are our first priority. We should make sure that we do not pursue attention for ourselves in these actions, but for Jesus.

Imagine what life would be like if everyone did that? Imagine the kinds of conversations we could have, the kinds of progress that could be made. The amount of arguments, protest and judgment would drop at astonishing rates. Imagine how many people would find faith if we showed them that kind of love.

Prayer: Awesome God, help us to remember these words from Paul’s letter. Help us to remember that these words can still be useful today. Help us endeavor to be a living example of Love so that we may glorify you. It is in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

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