The Afterglow

Merry Christmas, beloved, and happy-almost-New Year!

I hope that you had a blessed Christmas season, friends, and a restful and thankful post-holiday week. As much as I love Christmas, the week afterward might be my favorite week in the entire year: the long days and frantic pace of the preparations is past; the day itself has come and gone, leaving memories of good meals, time with people important to us, and meaningful candlelit worship in its wake. This week the pace is slower, and feels like a lovely, easy stroll. There is time to put life back in order, to think of something other than Christmas, to (gasp!) read an actual BOOK. It's pretty great.

I wonder what it would have felt like for Mary and Joseph this week. Their long-awaited miracle child is born. The shepherds have come and gone, smelling of earth and animals and work, telling of shining angels filling the sky and singing, telling them:

"Fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy for all people. For unto you this day is born in Bethlehem a savior, which is Christ the Lord."

All who have heard the shepherd's tale are amazed, but Mary (Luke tells us), is treasuring these words, and pondering them in her heart.

The time for Jesus' circumcision on the 8th day, with its attendant prayer and sacrifices, hasn't happened yet; neither has Mary's rite of purification, and Jesus' dedication to God as the firstborn son. For Mary and Joseph, it is a time to rest, to ponder, to learn what it is to be new parents, to treasure all of these things. To begin putting things in order, in life and in spirit, as their new life begins. To fear not.

Soon enough, they will meet the Magi, the wise men from "the east", bringing gifts. Soon enough, the family will flee to Egypt at the direction of the loving God who guides their steps. But now is the time to rest, to gather strength, to pray and trust, to treasure. That is what this time can be for us, too. In the afterglow of candlelight and good tidings of great joy, I hope that you can take some time to rest, to gather strength, to pray and trust, to look forward to what God has in store for you, to treasure it all.

In worship, this in-between time lasts through Epiphany -- when we remember the arrival of the Magi -- on Jan 7. And then, back to ordinary life, but an ordinary life inspired and warmed from within by good tidings of great joy. So while you rest, and ponder, and treasure, consider these words from Howard Thurman to guide your life this year:

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and the princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among people,

To make music in the heart.

I hope you are able to join us for worship tomorrow at Epworth, in person, on the radio at KVLV, or on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100015790988604. Worship begins at 9am, and our broadcast begins with the scripture and sermon at 9:30am. Have a wonderful, blessed weekend!

In the endless, miraculous love of God,

Pastor Dawn

Faithful.

Merry almost-Christmas, beloved!

It is a cold and quiet Saturday morning, here at the Blundell house. There is laundry to do, and plans to make, projects to complete and things that need addressing. I am sitting here, wrestling with the temptation to do all of the things, all of them, right this moment.

But a line from a movie keeps running through my head, and distracting me.

Now, that is not an entirely unusual occurrence. But as I sit down to write today, with that line running through my head, it suddenly occurs to me that it is a Christmas movie, though I really hadn't put that together before. In fact, it has suddenly dawned on me that it is a retelling of the story of A Christmas Carol, and Ebenezer Scrooge. The movie is "Hook," starring Robin Williams, about Peter Pan having grown up and become very Scrooge-like. Peter and his family have travelled to England for Christmas, to spend it with his wife's grandmother Wendy (yes, THAT Wendy), but Peter is obsessed with work, yelling at everyone, fearful of everything, barely able to tolerate the visit or the holiday. It becomes clear that his relationships are extremely strained, due to his inattention and rotten behavior. At one point, his frustrated wife says to him (and this is the line that keeps echoing in my head): "It's so fast Peter. Just a few years, and it's over. And you are not being careful. And you are missing it."

I think I need to put that movie on! Be right back.

This movie makes me so happy. 😍

It is so, so easy to miss it, beloved. When things are good and business is booming...when things are difficult, and we struggle to see past the present moment...when we have experienced a major loss or change, and we can't quite figure out how to be...when we are just sort of lost in the ordinary everyday, doing the things we always do and not really paying attention. It's so easy to allow this season to be over-filled with its tasks and events and projects that we miss the point of it entirely. It is so easy to miss the miracle.

But this is Advent. Amidst all of the rest of it, it is meant to be a time of stillness. Of preparing, yes, but of watching, and waiting, and hoping. A time to pay careful attention, to love all of those around us and look for miracles in ordinary things. A time to be still, and know that God is God. To taste and see that the Lord is good.

Tomorrow morning in worship, we will spend some time with Joseph, a man of righteousness, mercy, faith, and love. You'll find his story in Matthew 1:18-25; you might like to read it today, as you prepare your heart for worship. After worship, we will enjoy the kids' Christmas play! I hope you will join us. If you're not able, then I hope you will tune in to KVLV at 9:30, or find us on Facebook Live at my Facebook page (dawn blundell), and join us in spirit.

Life moves so fast, beloved. Be still, pay attention, and don't miss it.

See you in worship.

Steadfast love and countless blessings,
Pastor Dawn

Happy Thanksgiving!

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

It's a good day.

Sitting here in our little room at the Lewis and Clark hotel in Bozeman, Montana at the end of a very non-traditional Thanksgiving with Dennis' daughter Emma-Leigh, talking with my brothers and sisters and kids via text where they are gathered in Reno with my Dad, with a marathon of The Godfather playing in the background for some reason, it is a very good day.

All day long, thoughts of Thanksgivings past. My mom's recipes, and all of us kids gathered around a noisy table. Her in the kitchen all day, from before we were even awake, making the different dishes. the whole house smelling so good. Our first Thanksgiving away from home, when we were living in San Anselmo while I went to seminary, and how sad we all were...but how we made it our own by letting the kids each pick their favorite thing to have for the feast, and laughed about how steak and tomato soup and macaroni and cheese and stuffing really didn't go together, but eating it anyway. How off-kilter holidays have felt ever since my mom died a few years ago, but how hard we have all worked to create a new normal. How happy we all are this year, that it is my sister's first holiday in 2 years that she hasn't been in the hospital!!

I keep thinking, too, of the happiness and love that filled the Wolf Center on Monday, while 250+ people gathered for Fallon Daily Bread's special Thanksgiving feast. I had to seclude my coughing self from most of it, but I wish I had better words to describe how meaningful that all was. The smiles on everyone's faces, feeling so...I don't know. More than cared for, and enthusiastically welcomed. More than gratified by doing a good thing. Just feeling...together.

I ran across this hymn the other day, written (and copyrighted) by a woman named Carolyn Winfrey Gillette for Thanksgiving. I just love it. It can be sung to several different tunes, but she prefers the "Hymn to Joy" by Beethoven. You know, the one that goes "Joyful, joyful we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love..." Let that tune play in your mind, and sing these words:

All of life is filled with wonder, so we thank you God of love
For the crash of evening thunder, clearing clouds, then stars above;
For the night that turns to glowing as we feel the morning mist,
God, we praise and thank you, knowing every day we're truly blessed.

For the joy of daily waking, for the gift of each new day,
For the smell of fresh bread baking, for the sound of children's play,
For the ways we seek to serve you, as we work and volunteer,
God we humbly praise and thank you, for your presence with us here.

For the ways we're blessed with plenty, love and laughter, neighbors, friends,
Nature's wonders, season's bounty, life in you that never ends;
For the ones who've gone before us, giving witness to your way,
We rejoice in all you give us, every moment, every day.

However you have spent the day today, I hope that you have found something to smile about, something to be thankful for. The Carson river snaking through town. The sun coming through the last few leaves on the trees. Distant mountains with snow on top. Something warm. Something that smells good. Something sweet. Someone who was kind to you today. Someone who was kind to you yesterday. Someone who believed in you a long time ago. Someone who trusts you enough to tell you their troubles. Someone who forgave you. Someone who gave you something that you still treasure.

For your love in times of trouble, for your peace when things are tough,
For your help when hardships double, for your grace that is enough;
For a stranger's gentle kindness, for a doctor's healing skill,
God we thank you that you bless us, and you bless your world as well.

Maybe this Thanksgiving is especially difficult for you. Maybe something hurts, and maybe the hurt makes it too hard to be thankful right now. If that is where you are today, then I want you to hear this truth: the God of love and life hurts with you, cherishes you, and is beside you even now, giving you strength. That absolutely nothing could ever make God leave your side. That this present darkness is not the end of your story, and that as surely as the sun rises tomorrow morning you will find the light just a bit brighter, your heart just a bit stronger, and the love of God just a bit warmer inside you. God has a new gift for you, right around the corner. Just wait, and see.

For the baby in the manger, for the cross and empty tomb,
For each time a searching stranger finds at church a welcome home,
For your kingdom's great surprises, poor ones lifted, lost ones found,
God, we thank you! Hope still rises, for your gifts of grace abound.

It is a powerful thing that the Christian year begins and ends with Thanksgiving. The secular Christmas holiday tries to overshadow and overwhelm everything else, but -- whether the secular world is fully aware of it or not -- the birth and life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ IS THE REASON we celebrate Thanksgiving! So, I hope that you linger here, on this holiday that is rooted in all of that. Linger here, around the table, and remember Jesus eating with saints and sinners...

sharing meals with Pharisees and disciples, as a woman washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair,

sharing a few loaves of bread and a few fish, that became enough to feed thousands,

sharing a last supper with friends and betrayers,

sharing a breakfast of forgiveness and miraculous life on the beach,

making himself known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I hope you let a spirit of gratitude infect absolutely everything you do, from this moment onward. May the simply, powerful act of gratitude melt away the stresses in your life, strengthen your relationships, fill you with new energy, and enable you to walk through life fearlessly and joyfully.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pastor Dawn

Madness.

Hello beloved,

I am sure that you have heard the news by now, of the shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas. And I know you are crying with them, and praying for them, because of course you are. Everything in us cries out when things like this happen, even as we are becoming horribly desensitized to it, protecting ourselves from hopeless despair by detachment and denial, steeling ourselves for the inevitable words, the predictable responses by politicians and citizens who just want to make it STOP.

The problem is, there is no easy, clean, simple solution. Because it is madness, spiritual madness. And madness defies logic.

So, the only solution is utter madness in response.

My first thought after hearing of this shooting, in the midst of impotent rage and stomach-turning sadness, was to batten down the hatches. To develop an emergency response plan for the church, a way to protect ourselves should these horrors come to our doorstep, and into our home. And we will do that, because we have to. And yet...

I say we throw the church doors open even wider.

I say we SHOUT love loudly and clearly, from the doorways and the windows and the rooftops, and dare the forces of violence and death to try to defeat us.

I say we add 100x to our spirit of welcome, on Sunday mornings and on every other day. I say we reach out even more readily, to bring every stranger into this place of care and kindness, mercy and generosity. I say we make our openness an act of radical defiance.

I say we refuse to cower, refuse to close ourselves behind steel doors, refuse to descend into anger or despair or apathy, and instead stand tall and strong and determined, like David met Goliath. Knowing that the battle is not ours but the Lord's.

"Be strong, and courageous," said God to Joshua, on his way to the promised land, knowing the dangers he would face. "Do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Steve Garnaas-Holmes is a brilliant Christian poet. I find these words, from a poem he wrote some time ago, to be powerfully comforting and deeply meaningful.

"Do not be afraid to live among people who love the sword,
who speak with iron hearts.
You have been sent to make gentle this wounded world, 
to live in peace among those who are afraid,
to bear healing to those who are captive
to the spirit of pride and violence.
Do not despair because of the oppressors,
those who judge and despise,
who will not listen,
who do not know how to join with neighbors.
Rejoice, for you have been given to them,
to shine light into the darkness of their world.
The Holy Spirit sustains you,
so that you may dwell as healers among fearful men.

Bear your outrage lightly; do not cling to it.
Let it lead you toward compassion, not anger.
Pray that you may not be defeated by vengefulness,
eaten by the appetite for power,
destroyed by the spirit of destructiveness.
Anger is not your weapon; it is your enemy.

The spirit of violence seeps into the world.
But you radiate Good News,
you breathe gentleness into the air that all others breath,
you establish trust on the earth.
Be broken hearted.
And through the cracks let light shine...
the light shines in the darkness
and the darkness cannot overcome it."

~ Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Fearlessly,
Pastor Dawn

Jesus Loves Me, and That's All I Need to Know

Good Saturday morning, beloved!

October is hands down my favorite time of year. If I were a better photographer, I would have a hundred pictures of the railroad bridge just as you come into Fallon from the west, with the trees all orange and yellow and gold. And of the view of the mountains and soft desert foliage at Camp Kelly (stopped out there for a bit to visit with Kay Knutson on Tuesday, on my way to Ely to officiate at their Charge Conference), and of the night sky between Fallon and Austin where I swear I have NEVER seen so many stars. 

I have heard it said that Hasidic Jews are taught to carry two pieces of paper in their pockets. One says "I am only dust and ashes." The other says, "All the universe was created for me." I find that to be a beautiful and powerfully important thing. It reminds me of how it feels for many of us when we see the ocean for the first time (or the thousandth time), or meet a newborn baby, or take in the vast expanse of the desert with the Ruby Mountains off in the distance, or turn the corner on Mt Rose Highway and see Lake Tahoe all lit up by the morning sun, or see the Milky Way stretching across the sky when the night is clear and so, so dark. We feel tiny. Small and overwhelmed and something like afraid. We have this urge to stop, to stop everything, to fall down on our knees, stunned. Overwhelmed by wonder, and gratitude, and humility, and this bone-deep understanding that we are a part of something absolutely incomprehensibly beautiful.

Awe. That's the feeling. Awe.

This week in worship we finish our series on Everything We Really Need to Know, the simple truths we learned long ago in the Sunday School classroom. Things like, share everything. Don't be afraid of the dark. Clean up your own mess. Say you're sorry when you hurt someone. Learn some, and think some, and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take time to rest, and worship. Milk and cookies are good for you. And this week, the most important one, the one that is the basis of everything else: LOOK around you, let wonder overwhelm you, and remember that Jesus loves you.

Take some time, when you can, and read Psalm 147. And John 3:16-17. And Romans 8. And Zephaniah 3:14-20. And so, so, so many more. And then look around you. Go outside, maybe, and let  wonder overtake you.

See you in worship. :-)

Love and blessings,
Pastor Dawn

PS Sunday evening, October 28, is Singspiration! Join us and a bunch of our other area churches, just to sing together and enjoy each other's company. 6pm at Epworth UMC in Fallon.

PPS Our Church Charge Conference is on Wednesday, November 8, beginning with a pot luck supper at 6pm. Bring something to share if you can, and join us to celebrate our church, pray over our many leaders, and vote on important stuff.

PPPS Our annual pie auction is November 19 after worship! Call the church for details if you'd like to donate a pie of your own, and come to the auction to bid on DELICIOUS desserts made by our fantastic cooks to add to your Thanksgiving feast.

PPPPS (haha, all of these P's) Next week we begin a new sermon series called Methodist Pie! All about the history of our faith, the joy in our fellowship, and our LOVE of good food. :-)

Naps. Naps are great.

Hello, church family!

It has been a good day off. I am so thankful for time to spend the day in comfy elastic-waist pants, cook and clean and winterize the garden, and stop WHENEVER I WANT to take a nap on the couch while watching a marathon of Bones. I probably haven't spoken more than 10 words in the last 10 hours. That may or may not sound like paradise to you, but for me it really recharges the batteries, and reminds me of how good life is. And it is very, very good.

Last week in worship, we talked together about the value of hard work and discipline, about taking responsibility for our mistakes, and about how responsible living honors God. We talked about how, when life gets messy, we can lose track of what is precious to us, and how so much of life consists of keeping the messiness under control so that the precious things remain precious. This week, we will talk about sabbath: about the importance of leaving the mess alone for awhile for the sake of rest, and family, and play, and the holiness in all of it.

Take a look at the first creation story in Genesis, if you can find the time, especially Genesis 1:26-2:3. You will see the balance there between work and rest that God has designed for us. It's spelled out in Exodus 23:12, and again in Deuteronomy 5, that God commands us to rest from our work one day in 7, in order to refresh our spirits. It is a good and holy thing to rest, even when -- especially when! -- the stresses of life and the drive to get things done feel overwhelming. It is good to stop awhile. To deliberately withdraw from all that consumes us in order to breathe slowly, and take a look around. When we do so, we remember that we are not just here to make a living, but to make a life. We keep things in perspective, being constantly reminded that the world really does keep turning without our help. And, we keep our priorities in order. To work is holy; to rest is holy, too. Remember the sabbath day, beloved, and keep it holy.

See you on Sunday!

Love and blessings,
Pastor Dawn

Clean Up Your Own Mess

Good Saturday morning, church folk!

Did you know that Lattin Farms does a "Fall Festival" every Saturday in October?? Probably you knew that. I did not know that, til the other day. There's pumpkins and pie and kids' stuff and a corn maze...you can make your own scarecrow, you guys. And have you SEEN all of the cool stuff that the downtown theater is doing?! There are so many great opportunities to spend time with family and friends in this awesome town, I hope you are taking advantage of it. We will talk about the importance of taking time to play a little bit later in our sermon series about the life lessons we learned in kindergarten, but I hope you are doing it now! Time is fleeting, beloved...kids grow up so fast, all of us get older, life is short. Take time for happiness.

Of course, it's not ALWAYS time for play. And in order to really enjoy life, in order to feel good and strong and satisfied and fairly stress-free, we need to have our life reasonably well in order. King Solomon, in writing about where to find meaning and hope in life, writes a lot about wisdom. In Ecclesiastes 2:24 he says:

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his work. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.

Our scripture passage for this week is a piece of the story of Jonah. For those of you who may not be familiar with Jonah's story, he was commanded by God to go to Ninevah as a prophet, to tell them about God and convince them to turn their lives around. That is chapter 1 verse 1. In verse 3, Jonah responds by taking off on a boat, going in the exact opposite direction from Ninevah. Evidently, he had no interest in doing the work God had given him to do. What Jonah's plan was, exactly, we have no idea other than fleeing from God and this work, but the result of Jonah's irresponsibility is a mess that affects everyone around him. 

Now, Jonah is a very imperfect person. But he does see the mess he has created, and he takes responsibility for it: he admits his fault, and takes charge of doing his part to make things right. It isn't easy or pleasant, but he does it...and God meets him there, giving him the strength and protection to get through it. It's a great story, short and pretty hilarious really, and full of wisdom. I hope you're able to take some time to read it today, or sometime this week. Here's a link to Bible Gateway, if you like to read on your computer or tablet; you can choose from among a whole lot of different translations in the search bar:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jonah+1&version=NRSV


Illuminating our scripture lesson this week is the story "Just a Mess" by Mercer Meyer. His books were some of my kids' favorites when they were little, sweet and funny and good. It will be a good day. Have a wonderful day today, and we will see you in the morning!

Love and blessings,
Pastor Dawn

Oh, and PS! If you are a worship leader (like, if you do the Young at Heart moment sometimes, or if you read scripture and lead the welcome, or if you serve communion or light the candles) or if you would LIKE to do some of those things, then please stay after worship this week for a quick refresher course! We will talk about the meaning of all of the things we do in worship, and the joy we get in doing it. We will practice reading and leading, play with the microphones, and answer any of your questions. It will be fun! Hope to see you there.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

What a gorgeous autumn morning!

I am sitting here in prayer, in my office before a celebration of life begins for a friend from Fallon Daily Bread, Cathy Winans, and I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude. In the other room country music is playing while the family sets out the decorations and talks together, Vince Gill and Reba and Tammy Wynette and Alan Jackson, and one of my all-time favorite country songs, "The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia." It is good to hear them laugh and cry and talk and remember Cathy. I am so thankful for being in ministry with you, in this beautiful place, among such kind, thoughtful, caring people. Your generous welcome, the way you share your time and your stories, the way you stand with and for each other, your passion for your church and for God...you have been a healing balm to my soul, and I am so glad to be here.

I am really enjoying our worship series on the simple Sunday School truths that we need go guide our lives. We are inspired by Robert Fulghum's book "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten", resonating with his words that wisdom is not found on the top of the graduate school mountain, but in the sandbox at Sunday School. Levia did such a FANTASTIC job of reading our first book, "The Sandwich Swap" last week, didn't she? And I loved the way that sweet little book, and her sweet little self, helped us hear the story of Jesus feeding the thousands in a whole new way as we explored our first truth: share everything. This week, we will hear a very silly little book called "Pout Pout Fish in the Big, Big Dark" and the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 as we talk together about our second bit of Sunday School wisdom: don't be afraid of the dark.

If you're able, I hope you can find a little time and take a look at the story of David and Goliath. And when you do, maybe take a little time to think about the Goliaths in your own life: the things that make you feel small, powerless, or afraid. Maybe think about the things in your past that have been overwhelming or terrifying, how you handled them, where you are now, and what you learned from them. And then, pray on this:

There are over 100 passages in the Bible that encourage us to not be afraid. Not as a command, as though being afraid is some sort of character flaw, but as an inspiration. A source of strength, and comfort. Listen:

"Do not be afraid, and do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley I will not be afraid, for you are with me." Psalm 23:4

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you, nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you." Isaiah 43:5

It is a good day, beloved. I pray that you see God everywhere in it. And then, rest well and we will see you in worship.

Love and blessings,
Pastor Dawn

PS If you're not able to join us in worship, please join us on the radio or on Facebook Live on the church Facebook page, Epworth UMC Fallon!

PPS Please consider bringing items for our UMCOR flood buckets! You can pack a whole bucket yourself, or bring a little bit (or a lot!) of one thing or a few things. We will be packing them up this week and bringing them to South Reno UMC for pickup next weekend when the UMCOR truck comes through town. Here's a link to the list of stuff. Thank you!

http://www.umcor.org/ArticleDocuments/232/Cleaning%20Kit%20Assembly%20Instructions%20Sept.pdf.aspx?Embed=Y

Keep It Simple - Do the Next Thing

 Keep It Simple—Do The Next Thing

Anyone who knows me knows that I consider myself an introvert. Not because I don’t like being around people or that my lifelong dream is to be some kind of hermit, but because these Ashlee Batteries are charged in calm, quiet places (often involving some hot drink made from magical beans, but that’s neither here nor there...).

In Isaiah 30, God tells His “obstinate children” (you know, the Isrealites) that they’re looking for safety and identity in all the wrong places and in verse 15 (NIV) reminds them that “in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength...”

In the quiet place it is easy to hear my own thoughts and worries, much easier than in the midst of weekday Mommy-Duty and church office bustle. I know I’m not the only one who experiences this thinking. Honestly, how many times have you asked yourself “is this where I am supposed to be?” or sometimes maybe you’ve had a little deeper and more personal thought like “I just want to know that my what I’m doing makes a difference.”

You know what else is easier to hear in the quiet place (at least as soon as I get my own self out of the way)? Yeah, you do know. I know you know. I know you know as well as I do that the stillness is where we find the voice of our Creator, our Guiding Light, the Ultimate Direction Giver (I made that last one up myself, and I kind of like it). The quiet place is where He knows you will hear.

Recently, a musical group called Disturbed has taken one of my all-time favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs, Sound of Silence, and gave it new life. The song itself has a pretty powerful message, but the remaster has made it relevant to a new generation and given it that much more power. We’re all guilty of “talking without speaking” and, maybe especially, of “hearing without listening.” I would encourage you all, if you haven’t already heard it, to find it on YouTube (here's the link: https://youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4) or from wherever you get your music and give it a listen. You can even stop me wherever we may run into each other and I will share it with you from my phone!

I have heard God many times (and even listened!) but often have been guilty of being more like Jonah instead of Jesus in that I’m afraid to leave what I know in order to do God’s work where I am called instead of being open to God’s will, regardless of what it looks like. For a long time now, God has been calling me to do His work in my home, with my family and I have foolishly rebelled, assuming that my family would better be served by me having a paycheck. I foolishly convinced myself that since that paycheck came from my church and my service was to Him and my church family that it was close enough to my calling. I was wrong on both accounts, and probably many more. This selfishness on my part also prevented Epworth from being served by whoever actually IS being called to serve here.

After listening (for real!) to the Ultimate Direction Giver (I still think it fits....) and my own personal desires to focus on my family, including the incoming Christmas(ish) baby girl, it is time I leave the part-time office chair for the full-time nursery rocker.

My last day in the office is October 18th. This DOES NOT mean that we will leave the church. On the contrary, this will allow for me to get involved in other ways to which I have been unable to commit. You all are our family and we love you.

Church, our Pastor and Staff Parish Relations Committee are working diligently to find the perfect fit for Epworth so that our office will run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Keep them and the process in your prayers!

(If you think that you might be a perfect fit, or maybe you know someone you think would be, then by all means turn in a resume!)

Everything I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Hello, beloved!

I hope you are enjoying life right now. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope that all of this God-created beauty around you -- in people, in furry friends, in the sight and smell and feel of autumn -- is bringing you a little joy. Or a lot!

Somewhere in the 1980s, a young minister named Robert Fulghum wrote a little something he called "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." It was something like a personal credo, a statement of his life's priorities; writing something like this was something he had done for years. But he published this one, along with a little book of sweet, funny, profound stories about life. It became an international best seller, and for good reason: just reading the list of kindergarten lessons -- which is only a tiny part of the book -- is a refreshing return to simplicity. In case you have never heard of it, here is the list:

"These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):

1.   Share everything.
2.   Play fair.
3.   Don't hit people.
4.   Put things back where you found them.
5.   CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6.   Don't take things that aren't yours.
7.   Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8.   Wash your hands before you eat.
9.   Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK."

I think #10 is my favorite. Or maybe #11. Or #12.  Maybe #13.  Definitely #9.

This week in worship at Epworth UMC, with Robert Fulghum's list as our inspiration, we begin a new worship series on simple truths. We will spend October together remembering what we knew when we first learned about God and Jesus and life. We will immerse ourselves in beautiful, profound things in Scripture, and pair them with some of the best children's books from our childhood. The first one, this week, is "share everything." The scripture that will ground us this week (which is also World Communion Sunday, by the way) is John 6:1-14; the book is "The Sandwich Swap," a great story about friendship that we can ALL relate to. I found this book, and loved it, and didn't even realize it was written by Queen Rania of Jordan! Here is a link to the scripture passage:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+6&version=NRSV

It will be a beautiful weekend. See you in worship, 9am with Sunday School to follow. Oh, and we are live streaming the sermon on Facebook now, too!

In the name of the God of abundant life,
Pastor Dawn

PS I hope that you can join us for the celebration of life for Barbie Hertz's sister Frannie on Sunday at 1:00pm. She and Jim and their family will be so grateful for your love and support.

PPS We are collecting items for UMCOR flood buckets this Sunday, this week, and next Sunday! The week of October 9, we will have a packing party and get them ready for shipping. The list of what we need is online in the link below, or at church. You can bring a bunch of certain items, or pack your own bucket and bring it. Your generosity means SO MUCH to those who are struggling to recover from hurricanes and earthquakes.

http://www.umcor.org/ArticleDocuments/232/Cleaning%20Kit%20Assembly%20Instructions%20Sept.pdf.aspx?Embed=Y

EVERY SINGLE BLESSING: Life with a Purpose

Good Lord, it was freezing this morning! And I LOVE IT. Not a big fan of snow here, but Fall I love. Love, love, love. Wrapping up tight in the blankies, drinking something warm and watching the Cubbies. Life is good.

Anyhoo, hello church folk! So much good stuff happening around here. It was early Christmas this week in the office, as our bibles arrived! I am so excited to have bibles for all ages in our church, some of which will be in the pews for us to use during worship, others will be in the Sunday School classrooms, and others will be given as gifts to our preschoolers, 3rd graders, and confirmands to have at home as their very own. They are in a little Bible Mountain in the sanctuary right this minute, for us to pray over and bless tomorrow morning in worship. 

We are also putting together cleaning kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief! Here is a link to the specifications, and a lot of great information about UMCOR. Kathy Fraker will tell us more about it during worship. The UMCOR truck is coming through Reno in mid-October, so we want to have as many as possible ready to send with them. You are welcome to donate particular items, or build your own buckets yourself and bring them to church any time in the next couple of weeks. You are also welcome to donate money to UMCOR via their website; you can do so with confidence that every single penny goes directly to the relief effort you specify. 

http://www.umcor.org/umcor/relief-supplies/relief-supply-kits/cleaning

AND our District is putting together a district celebration and special event called "Unlocking the Spirit of Innovation" led by Marlon Hall that is getting RAVE reviews. It will be held on Saturday, October 7 at Loomis UMC. We are all strongly encouraged to go; let's get a carpool together and go together!

Tomorrow morning in worship we finish our series on the blessings of belonging to a church family. The first week, we celebrated our personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the ways that he continues to save and heal us; last week we talked about the gift of belonging, and the ways to be in Christian community. This week, we will talk together about grace, and evangelism, and carrying that gift of community out into the world.

See, here's the thing: this may sound bizarre, but the gift of salvation is not primarily for us. God's work in us not only brings us fully to abundant life, through Jesus Christ it transforms US into a gift for the world. Take a look at chapter 3 of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, especially the last part. Heck, read the whole thing if you can, Ephesians is great. Check out God's words to Abraham in Genesis 12:,2 and Paul's to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 9:8. If you don't have a bible handy, click the link below to Bible Gateway:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+3&version=NRSV

See you in worship! 9am, with Sunday School to follow. And! For those new-ish to the church, or for those who have been around awhile and want a refresher, or for anyone who just wants to sit and enjoy each other's company, join me after worship for a Methodism 101 class. Have a great Saturday, rest well, and see you in the morning. :-)

Love and blessings,

Pastor Dawn

Every Single Blessing: "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" Part 2

Good morning, church family!

This week has been full, and joyful. From singing and praying with folks at the 9/11 memorial ceremony on Monday to meeting the new chaplain out at the base, Chaplain Brown, to celebrating successful medical procedures and answered prayers, to spending a couple of hours with Marshall and Joanne Brown to tour their farm, to just spending time with good friends, I have felt surrounded by the love and power of God. I hope you have, too.

This month is Back to Church Month around the country, where we all mentally and physically return from our summer pursuits to the ministries and sacred rhythms of the year. We started with an AWESOME ice cream social -- huge thank you to everyone who brought and set up all of the goodies! It was so much fun -- and the beginning of a sermon series using the verses of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" to celebrate the blessings of God that we receive through our family of faith.

It's one of my favorite hymns, this one. I love the melody, I love the imagery of God "tuning" our hearts like an instrument toward perfect praise. I love the heartfelt sweetness expressed in thanks for God providing safety, help, sacrificing everything for us. I love the acknowledgement that God has been with us always, through every moment, bringing us safely through times of joy and struggle. And I love the very last verse, a beautiful one that isn't even in our hymnal! Don't want to give that one away just yet though...we will talk about it next week. :-) Last week, we focused on the first verse:

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, 
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount; I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of thy redeeming love.

And so we gave thanks for worship, and talked about how the people of God have sang of their love and thanks for God's mercy for thousands of years. We talked a bit about the legacy of worship and music given us by our forebears, and how new music is constantly being written as God's mercies touch the hearts and change the lives of more people every day. We talked about our identity as the beloved, forgiven children of God, empowered and set free. This week, we will talk together about belonging...and about how God's grace is not only given to us as individuals, but to us in community.

75 years ago or so, Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of needs...a pyramid of things that human beings need for survival and a fulfilling life. Obviously, the most basic ones are the need for food, shelter, and safety. The very next one is the need to belong. As God notices immediately in Genesis, after creating all that we see and calling it very, very good, "It is not good that the human being should be alone." We are, all of us, created for community. Love only exists in relationship, in community. The love of God is only made known in relationship. We will sing together the second verse of the hymn that begins "Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I'm come..." but my pastor friend Becky Stockdale (shout out to Portola UMC!) brought another song to mind that now I can't get out of my head:

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same.
You wanna go where everybody knows your name.

Aaaaand now it's stuck in your head, too. You're welcome. :-)

Seriously, though. To know, and be known. To be in a place and among people who are glad you are there. Who understand your struggles, and share their own. Who laugh and rejoice with you, and whose happiness is even more important to you than your own. Who love and care for you, and who you love and care for. That -- not a particular geographical location -- is what home is. Paradise.

Let's worship together tomorrow. You might like to read Isaiah 43:1-4a, and pray on it as you prepare your heart for worship. See you in the morning!

Love and blessings,
Pastor Dawn

At First....

There is an old Zen proverb that says something like “at first the river is a river and the mountain is a mountain...then the river is no longer a river and the mountain is no longer a mountain...and then later the river is a river again and the mountain is a mountain again.”

This is a pretty vague proverb and can be interpreted in as many ways as there are people looking to interpret it. I thought I would share my own......

As is expected of proverbs, this proverb has nothing to do with the actual, physical makeup of the proverbial landscape; it has everything to do with how we experience the proverbial landscape. Growing up we develop a way to see and navigate the world. Our way is shaped and molded by many things, but in the end it is our interpretation of all the input that makes us see what we see and feel what we feel. It makes sense to us and it works. Until it doesn’t.

In many conversations I’ve learned that we all, new and long-time Bible readers alike, have had the experience where we learn a Bible story or passage, or even just one verse, at some point, but then we read it again later and it means something totally different, or maybe it doesn’t even make any sense. We’re experiencing this passage in a new light.

At first the river is a river....

The whole river/mountain experience can be in any part of your life, but since we’re all a church people let’s look at a relevant example, shall we? How many times have we looked at The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11, Luke 6:20-23). Even as children we think “oh yeah, I know...Blessed are those who blah blah blah for they will blah blah blah...”. We can look at the words and intellectually know what the words “poor” and “mourn”  and “mercy” mean and it all makes sense.  Until we are in them. Until they are in us.

Then the river is no longer a river....

You can find “those who are poor” all throughout the Bible, right? There’s Ruth and Naomi (you can find their incredible story in the book of Ruth) or the parable of the Widow’s Mite (Luke 21:1-4) to name a couple. Beyond the idea of poverty, the Gospel of Matthew quotes Jesus as saying “Blessed are the poor IN SPIRIT...” which can also be translated as “humble”.  So, blessed are those who are humble.  The Bible gives us many examples of these as well; some in stories as unfamiliar as that of Epaphroditus, who saw his own life as expendable for the sake of the Gospel (his story can be found in Phillipians, he’s Paul’s right-hand man!), or stories we all know almost word-for-word as in the most humble of beings EVER washing the feet of those who serve Him. From Naomi and Ruth to Jesus, none of them could look forward and KNOW that their lives would be changed so drastically, whether by tragedy or epiphany (Okay, fine, Jesus probably could have....). However much we try to relate or understand, we can’t begin to KNOW what it is to be poor until we have to prioritize for ourselves which bare necessity is most important for surviving to the next day. We can’t KNOW humility until we serve the unworthy as Christ served our unworthy world. And when we KNOW, nothing looks the same as it did before and everything we thought we knew no longer makes sense and often it’s a little scary. We have been given a new way of seeing and feeling an d experiencing. Our proverbial landscape has shifted.

And then later the river is a river again....

After a time of questioning and researching and generally relying on our faith for understanding this new landscape, things will once again come back into focus, we have a new normal. Anyone who has ever lost someone they loved, or moved far away from home knows exactly what this new normal feels like. More often than not, the refocus is so gradual that you don’t even realize when it happens. You don’t ever stop wishing your loved one could be by your side again, and you don’t stop missing that place you called home, at least that’s been my experience with both, but you do learn to live a life that is full of love and laughter. Things once again make sense, even with the longing.

We all are on a journey. Some of us are experiencing the river as a river and everything is right, it can be hard to understand why others are not seeing the river.  For some of us, the river is no longer a river and we feel like we are lost or disconnected and we can’t understand how anyone can experience the river as a river in such a time as now. Wherever you are on your journey, you will be okay. You are loved. And you will be used by God to build His kingdom and to bring His glory.

In Christ's Work,

Ashlee

EATING OF THE TREE OF LIFE: Fruits of the Spirit Part 9, Self-Control

Happy Saturday, beloved!

Lots to consider this morning, as this beautiful holiday weekend begins. I like to think of Labor Day weekend as one long Sabbath rest, a gift of God to re-center and nourish us, a time to rest and play and give thanks for good work. A reminder that work in any form, paid or not, is a gift of God...and at the same time, a reminder that whatever our work is, it does not define us or establish our worth. A Sabbath rest reminds us that we are not defined by what we accomplish. No matter what we do, what we can no longer do, what we wish we had done but never did, we are beloved and belong to God. And life is GOOD. Wherever you are spending it, at home or elsewhere, I hope that you take time to make it holy.

This Sunday in worship, we finish our series on the Fruits of the Spirit with the last one Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23: self-control. This one, at least on the surface, seems different from all the others. All of the others we can see begin with God. We can see God's own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, and gentleness is expressed toward us, and how it transforms us. We can feel the seed planted within us, feel how it grows in us, see how it changes the way we live and move in the world. When we nourish that seed with prayer, worship, study, obedience, and service, we experience how the seed God planted becomes a strong and healthy plant, producing the fruits of the spirit in US. We become loving, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, faithful, gentle people...we become a gift to all of those around us, through whom God can plant more seeds in more people. And pretty soon, the earth becomes the Garden of Eden restored, with the Tree of Life right in the middle. Paradise.

Self-control, though? It feels different. And it is. Our God is blessedly extravagant, loving and forgiving us in a no-holds-barred, carefree, utterly uncontrolled, passionate way. God created the earth in a burst of creative abandon, resulting in an impossible variety of people and creatures and things that live in wild, interconnected perfection. That paradise we look forward to, the complete joyful freedom in it, the Tree of Life with all of its fruit, the abundant life Jesus promises us, these are limitless, boundless things.

And yet...

I don't want to give it all away here. Just read Luke 15:11-32. This -- self-control -- this is the big one. See you in worship.

Forgiven and free,
Pastor Dawn

PS We are having an ice cream social next Sunday, September 10! If you are able, bring your favorite ice cream or topping, fresh fruit, cookies or brownies, whatever you love best with ice cream, and celebrate the end of Summer and the return of our Bible studies, choirs, and Sunday School.

PPS Hope to see you at the Labor Day parade! We are still collecting candy for the kids, so bring a bag or two to church on Sunday if you can!

PPPS THANK YOU for your donations for new pew Bibles!! Because of your generosity, we already have nearly enough to buy them, just need about $200 more. Any extra you provide we will use to provide preschool-aged Bibles to our little ones (they are so cool, all stories and colorful pictures, along with a CD for them to listen to!), Bibles for young readers to our mid-elementary aged students, and adult Bibles to our high school graduates. The more Bible reading in the world the better, and the younger the better, amen? AMEN.

Hello from Atlanta!

Good morning from Atlanta! Where the people are friendly, the food is amazing, and everything is damp and sticky. J

Together with several hundred other pastors and church leaders from around the country, we have worshipped and prayed and praised and talked a whole lot about the history, the present, and the future of the church. We have looked at different ways of “doing” church: traditional, with giant pipe organs and hymnals from the 1930s; wildly contemporary with elaborate artwork, poetry, modern music, and church “in the round”; ancient chants, careful liturgy, and beautiful singing with no instruments at all, led by a brilliant tattoo-covered pastor who is a recovering addict. We have talked about ways to provide worship that is meaningful in this day and age, ways to encourage church members to bring their faith into real life, ways to satisfy the needs of our communities, ways to bring people suspicious of church into life with Christ. In all of it, we have come away with pages of notes and questions, and one real conclusion:

People are hungry. Starving.

We are starving for love and acceptance, starving for a life with meaning, starving for truth and justice and forgiveness and grace. We are starving for a place where we are welcome and loved, no matter what country we come from, no matter what color our skin is or what language we speak, no matter what our history was or our present is. We are starving for the gospel, sung and proclaimed and especially lived out, in which all are welcome and all are fed.

Earlier this week, after the horrible events in Charlottesville and then later in Barcelona, I was reading an interview with a young man who had joined some white supremacist group or other. He described feeling lost in the world, rejected and angry, and said that the group he joined gave him identity, community, and purpose. I remember reading the same thing about gangs in this country, and about young people who join ISIS. I remember reading the same thing about drug culture, too, these same needs expressed in despair, numbness, and self-destructiveness. I am heartbroken that these needs in us are so deep that we look to satisfy them in the most horrible, corrosive ways. And I know that the church has a desperately important, vital purpose.

In the sanctuary here at Peachtree Road UMC, full of all different kinds of people, we sang and prayed and shared Holy Communion, and we are galvanized. Joyful, even. Because we know that ESPECIALLY now, God is moving. The church is moving. We are here to tell people that we DO have an identity: children of God, deeply loved, cherished, healed and forgiven. We DO have a community: a church full of beautiful misfits who listen to and support and love each other, in good times and in bad. We DO have a purpose: to love God and each other so deeply and fully that no one ever feels lost or rejected, ever again, and all of the twisted, corrosive, destructive, evil powers of this world lose their power. I see God moving and people being fed, body and soul, in our worship every Sunday, in meals at Fallon Daily Bread, in the ways you love and care for each other, in the ways you lead Bible studies and teach and preach and cook and clean and visit each other, in the ways we sing loud and clear and strong. People of Epworth UMC, God is moving in you! And I am so blessed to be a part of it.

In the endless love of God,

Pastor Dawn