Hello friends,
In our August sermon series, we are headed to the mountains. Wouldn’t we all like to be driving through the mountains about now!
We never have enough words to describe God or life for that matter so we use metaphors. A mountain is a metaphor for the challenges we face in our lives.
Right now, I know people facing these mountains. (You may see yourself here.)
- Baby on the way soon! Mountain: rearranging my life and becoming a parent!
- A loved one in hospice care. Mountain: waiting and watching. Loss and grief. Heartache.
- School starting soon for students, teachers, and families. Mountain: in normal times, getting school supplies, first-day nervousness, new classrooms, and meeting new teachers. In COVID times, elevate this mountain another ten thousand feet.
- Aging. Simple inevitable aging. Seeing wrinkles in the mirror. Feeling aching in the knees. Mountain: rethinking who we are in this time of life.
- Living in a pandemic. Mountain: changing the patterns of our life. The grief of missing the way things used to be. Missing friends. Loneliness and anxiety. Suffering and death of a loved one.
- Facing marital strife. Mountain: finding a way to love one another enough to do the right thing for everyone.
- Retirement. Mountain: what do I do now?
- Looking for a job. Mountain: maintaining a positive attitude while sending out resumes, interviewing, and starting over.
- Infertility treatment. Mountain: waiting with uncertainty and facing disappointment.
- Recovering from an addiction. Mountain: facing the pull of an addiction everyday. Addressing the pain that lies beneath.
- Caring for an aging parent. Mountain: getting the right care. Allowing for the right level of independence.
- A loved one with mental illness. Mountain: accessing mental health care. Being patient. Facing all the stigma.
Sounds more like a mountain range than a single summit.
The good news: people climb mountains. With power beyond their own, people make their way up and over mountains, even if those mountains seem insurmountable.
If you are reading this online or if you have access to a computer, check out this video about Charlie Wittmack and Dr. Deming, two Des Moines residents who know a lot about mountains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJBSC4ZF1bE
People climb mountains. God shows them the way. There is a path created by grace.
Blessings,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist
Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
Join in worship online at 9:30 each Sunday morning!
This week at WDMUMC
Chalk Church! Alice Burress is meeting with children and their families in the parking lot at 6 pm on Wednesday, August 5th to create beautiful chalk art. Wear a mask, plan to social distance, and praise God in chalk.
New Book Study! Pastor Cindy is leading a book study on Walter Brueggemann’s book, Virus as a Summons to Faith. The group will meet in the parking lot at 4:30 on Wednesdays. Bring your bible. Reply to this email if you would like to attend. If you don’t have the book for the first meeting, Pastor Cindy will help get you started.
Begin the Week with Prayer Monday morning around 8 am the pastors will live stream with a prayer. Login and join in or check out the post later in the day.
Ring the Bell and Remember Each Monday at 10:30 we ring the bell in remembrance of those in Iowa who have died of COVID in the previous week.
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