"A Midweek Assignment" Pastor Cindy's Devotion 04/29/2020

Hello friends,
I am giving you an assignment for today.  It comes from Paul in the book of Philippians, chapter 4:6-8.

6 Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. 7 Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.

8 From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. 9 Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you.

If your thoughts are like my thoughts these days, they are busy processing all that is going on.  My schedule has changed so much, my mind is working to figure out what to do each day.  I just returned from the adventure of getting groceries.  A kind person put them in the trunk while I waited in my car, not the usual mind-relaxing browsing I am used to.  My mind has been enjoying evening walks.  And at the same time, in the back of my mind, I worry.  I feel the undertow of concern, that pulls us all into fear and anxiety.

So I have an assignment for us all.  I want us to do as Paul asks.  I want us to fill our minds with goodness.  You can do this in prayer through a time of meditation, praying this scripture over and over. But I also encourage you to do this actively, using your skills and interests.  Whether you are a writer, or a painter or a gardener, or a carpenter, or a scrapbooker, I would like you to create something true and holy and lovely and worthy of praise.  A song?  A collage?  A lovely cake?  Something.  Invite the kids to choose one word from this scripture and create it somehow.
And then send me a picture or a video. 

Be kind to your mind.

Paul promises that when we fill our minds with goodness, the peace of God will meet us there.
In a few minutes, I will be recording the prayer for Sunday.  I will be thinking of you.  I will be thinking of Paul’s words.   I want the prayer to be beautiful.  I want it to be blessed by God’s peace.
Stay well.  Stay in. You are saving lives.

Grateful for you.

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.  You can contact the church through our website.
And join us for livestreaming worship on Sunday at 9:30!

Happenings at WDMUMC!
Calling all Kids to Zoom into Sunday School every Sunday morning!  Email Morganne, our Christian Education Director, to find out how!
 
#JustRead zooms every Tuesday at 4:30.  We just read the bible and talk about it.  Feel like a rookie to bible study?  You will fit right in!

Sweet Gossip!  Send your sweet gossip to Pastor Cindy and we will publish it in the Link. Good things are happening in the world! 

And reply to this email if you would like to share how you are doing with me.  

"Midweek and Looking Up" Pastor Cindy's Devorion 04/22/2020

Good morning everyone! 

How are you?  Life’s a roller coaster right now.  Yesterday’s sunshine was fabulous.  And later in the day, I learned of someone who was struggling.  Up/Down. 

Our hearts are being challenged.  During these pandemic days, I have really become conscious of my ups/downs.

• Talking with my family and friends on the phone.  Up, up, up.
• Watching too much news.  Down, down, down.
• Spending time worrying.  Down, down, down. 
• Getting outside.  Going for a walk.  Moving my body.  Up, up, up. 
• The creepy sense of fear.  Down, down, down. 
• Calling an old friend.  Up, up, up. 
• Baking muffins.  Creating anything.  Up, up, up. 

What about you? 

Lord, we are living up/down lives right now.  It is so easy for our minds to wander into uncertainty and fear.  There is so much we don’t know and it feels like we have lost so much.  We had plans for spring and summer.  Prom and graduation.  Mission trips.  Birthday celebrations.  We had plans for what we would do at work.  And we planned to make more plans, and be able to carry them out. 

And now we wonder when or if what we had dreamed about will happen. 

We have lost the wildly generous freedom we have had to move through our lives accepting handshakes and hugs and the excitement of being in a community of people together.  We know we are still surrounded by family and friends, but we feel distanced. 

Up/Down. 

Lord, we know, you hover over us.  Reaching down when we feel defeated and hemmed in.  Rising up, celebrating with us when our spirits soar and we discover what we can do in this time. 

We are riding the roller coaster.  We don’t like it.  But we are on board.  It helps that you are sharing the ride with us.

In the heights of heaven, hear our prayer. 

Amen

Blessings this day,

Pastor Cindy

Pastor Cindy Hickman

West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826

We worship at 9:30 on Sunday mornings via Livestream.  Like us on Facebook to follow along, or go to our website, wdumumc.org.  And our worship services are posted on our website—you can watch any time! 

Up, Up, Up News! 

Today is Earth Day!  What can you do today to say thank you for this good earth we have been given? 

Stimulus Checks!  The goal of the stimulus payment is to strengthen our country.  Some members of Centennial United Methodist Church at Ivy, located east of Des Moines, decided that they didn’t need their stimulus checks. Their income hadn’t changed.  They decided the funds would be better used by the local food pantry.  They invited others in the same circumstances to join them.  They are supporting the economy by feeding their neighbors.  How about you?  What can you do to make a difference? 

Looking for Sweet Gossip!  Reply to this email with your Sweet Gossip, good news happening in your life!  We will share it in the Link. 

#Just Read is back on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 via zoom.  If you would like to join in, reply to this email and Pastor Cindy will send you the information to connect. 

"Midweek - PT Edition" Pastor Trevor's Devotion 04/15/2020

Hello Church! 

Peace to you in this strange time. Was anyone else feeling the joy of the resurrection and hoping you’d wake up the next day with this all just have been a bad dream? Yet, this seems to be our reality. In some ways, I have noticed some pretty good blessings: increased family time, reading, working on house projects, cooking more, to name a few. I also realize that these "blessings" are the result of some pretty significant privileges. The salaries in my household have continued and much of our work can be done remotely. We have the internet. We can afford to buy groceries and to keep the heat on - even if we are always running low on toilet paper!

Last Sunday was Easter. We entered into a time in the church calendar known as Eastertide. We stay in Easter for 50 days until Pentecost. Can we continue to experience resurrection in this strange time? Can our lives be uplifted out of the normal? I think so. 

I’ve become pretty good friends with Chip & Laura Hutler, the directors of Wesley Woods Camp & Retreat Center down here in Indianola. Their ministry revolves around creating an atmosphere similar to what we are experiencing. One of the ways they see God's work is when folks get out of the normal routines of life. They shake things up for people. 

On the other hand, a man referred to only as Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, said something else about the presence of God. He served as a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris in the 17th century. He suggested that the presence of God is found in the most mundane aspects of life: In the washing of dishes, the cooking, the staring out the window. Has anyone been doing any of those things lately? So. Many. Dishes. Am I right? 

So whether this time feels like you’re out of your routine or it all feels so mundane, know that God is present. God is not just at the church building. That has become clear to us all. Peace to you, friends. 

Blessings! 

Pastor Trevor

Pastor Trevor Vaughn
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Ave.
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826

Announcements: 

• Join us for live worship on Facebook at 9:30 am on Sundays!
• Just Read Bible Study is going virtual next week! Tuesdays at 4:30 pm.  
• https://zoom.us/j/91418695206?pwd=SlJVc2trd3lqK2dPelRoSVI4c0NHZz09
• Meeting ID: 914 1869 5206
• Password: 004957
• Are you funny? Know any good jokes? This upcoming Sunday is Holy Humor Sunday. Text Pastor Trevor a short video of you telling a joke to 515-333-8489. We’ll select a few to play live on Sunday.