How are you? Is this weather getting to you? I worry about us. With all the snow and cold, going outside is a major event. Gray skies are discouraging. All of this affects our mental health.
At WDMUMC we are currently in the middle of a three-week sermon series on prayer. So for today, I want to offer a prayer, the Serenity Prayer. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote this prayer in the 1930s when the world was still recovering from one war, (they didn’t know it but another war was on the way) and scraping through the Great Depression. Serenity must have been hard to find.
God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
What are you working to accept? Another person? The changes happening around us? A different way of thinking?
What can you change? Hint: you can change someone else’s life today with a phone call, or a visit, or cookies. That phone call could be to that person. It could also be to a senator or representative to change an unjust law or create a fair one. Or you could call some mission site and volunteer to help.
Courage. God grant us courage. We need courage. Hard things take courage.
Wisdom. Wisdom from the very soul of God. Wisdom that builds up and strengthens.
Living today. One day at a time. Enjoying one moment at a time. Living with purpose. Even in the winter.
Pray for me and I will pray for you. The snow is pretty. And spring will come.
(Read on for ways you can fight Cabin Fever!)
Blessings,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org.
We worship at 8:30 in a traditional way and at 11 in a casual way. We would love to worship with you in whatever way is right for you.
This week at WDMUMC:
MidWeek Refuel! Tonight is Cuban Night! (It is 75 degrees in Cuba at this moment!) At 5:30 we will be serving a Cuban feast and that will be followed by a concert by Timberline Brass. Come and join in! There is no charge, just an offering of whatever works for you.
Sunday is Hawaiian Shirt Sunday! We are saying no to the snow by wearing summer clothes this Sunday. Wear your Hawaiian shirts and sundresses. (You may need to wear thermal shirts under them—but what the heck!) Sayin’ No to the Snow—just for fun.
Mind Matters! On the 24th our youth and their parents are invited to go to the Science Center for their special exhibit “Mental Health: Mind Matters.” It is getting great reviews. This is a great way to open discussions with your youth about mental health. Contact Morganne at mreinboldt@wdmumc.org if you would like to go along. Another way we can change lives.
We CAN beat this winter!
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