By Marti Van Cleef, Grace United Methodist Church

“But I have stilled and quieted my soul.”  Psalm 131:2a

I am not a patient person.  I am a person who takes control of things and plans and moves forward.  My brain is full of clamor and busyness.  I have lived a very secular life, not necessarily an unspiritual life nor a life without faith, but a non-organized religion life.  Asking God is not a place I consciously “go to.”  So hearing the voice of God’s guidance does not come easily.  And yet I have experienced His voice.  At various times in my life, I have looked into Buddhism, Shamanism, Judaism, Spiritualism – searching, I think, consciously or unconsciously for a way to hear the voice of God. 

By Jeff Moen, Grace United Methodist Church

When you learn to see God as Nature with a capital N, you learn to know that God is in beauty every place you go. Whether you see all the flower gardens in the summer, the leaves changing color (all different ones) in the fall or the snow with the geometric structure of a tree in the winter, or flora budding up in the spring. One of my favorite "family times" was when I went camping in Colorado with  my grandparents (she dug out wild flowers and he went trout fishing). 

I love also seeing the work of the spiritual in the recovery programs I have been to (I have seen more of the "Golden Rule" in recovery than anywhere else). I have experienced the presence of the "spiritual" through education (I had two of the best English teachers, a great acting teacher, great Speech and Communications teachers, and the best anthropology teachers at Wright and Northeastern in Chicago, where I discovered John Muir and his writings. I highly recommend "My First Summer in the Sierra." I discovered the books of Shirley MacLaine. You can say that Step 3 (Making a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him) began for me when I saw her one-woman show! Then I read "Out On A Limb,” "Dancing In the Light," "Going Within," and "The Coming." Your God is everywhere. You just have to look.

By Morris DuBose, Trinity United Methodist Church

A joke I know from my childhood takes a look at the idea that it doesn’t take much tweaking to get from dog to God. And maybe that joke was on to something.

People are often looking for a way to understand God. To say that it isn’t easy would be the grossest of understatements. The conflicting imagery, fears, and opinions, from every different quarter, make it very difficult to put your faith in any clear idea of God. There are a lot of people who treat God as some Genie, paying the most attention to God during times of struggle and need. Offering earnest prayers to their magical friend when the going gets tough. When, however, if that thing is acquired or that crisis passes or becomes a permanent part of life, the people in this category find it challenging to maintain the same enthusiastic participation in their dialogue with God.

By Pastor Abby Lietz

When I was in second/third grade, I remember having pretty bad headaches from time to time. I remember because the remedy my mom offered was one I could not stomach: Tylenol. No matter how big the gulp of water, those small, chalky pills would find a way to cling to my tongue, like seashells washed up on the beach at day’s end. And the taste of the chewable grape-flavored variety? Gag! It was endless frustration on top of terrible pain. My mom did everything she could to help me ingest the solution to my tear-inducing pain; in fact, I recall some crushing up of the medicine into red Jell-o! However, I also remember crying out to God as I lay in my bed one night, struggling for peace. In a moment of prayer, I felt the pain recede. I’ve never experienced anything like that again. To me, in that moment, God was El Roi – the God Who Sees.

A Prayer for week 4, by Pastor Ryan Traeger, Brown St. United Methodist Church

Provider God, we give you thanks this day for your deep and enduring presence in our lives.  In a world where images and ideas flash by our eyes in flickering pixels faster than we can process, where food is fast, where we hover on the surface of relationships, you call us deep.

Break through the barriers we place around ourselves that we might taste and not be hungry, we might drink and not thirst.  Let us be overwhelmed by your grace and filled to overflowing, pointing to your kingdom with every fiber of our being and welcoming our neighbors along on the journey. 

​In the name of Jesus who abides with us, Amen.
​
Image by Lisa Drake, Trinity United Methodist Church

​By Pastor Tracey Leslie, Trinity United Methodist Church

John is my favorite gospel!  One of the things I most enjoy about John is the writer’s approach to evangelism.  Early in the gospel, after Jesus has invited the first disciples to follow him, we read of Philip approaching his friend Nathanael with great excitement and announcing, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”  Nathanael is incredulous and a bit sarcastic when he replies, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Philip does not attempt to argue with Nathanael.  He merely issues an invitation, “Come and see.”

By Steve Holmes, Grace United Methodist Church

Like most people I am tired of hearing that we are living in challenging times. Or worse, “unprecedented challenging times.”  Yes, this is a challenging time. Most of us are stuck at home, only interacting with people other than our immediate family through electronic mediation, or perhaps occasionally from 6 ft. away behind masks.

And that makes it even harder than normal to witness to God’s glory and greatness. It’s even hard to be aware of God’s goodness now. I’m used to feeling God’s presence most out in majestic nature: forests, mountains, canyons, or even just at the local state park. But we aren’t even able to do those things right now. Let alone witness.

But then I remember that all of creation is holy and has been holy since the beginning. I can just look out my window at the snow covered ground, or, once the weather improves, just walk around my yard and play with my dog. I see God’s goodness in the birds and the trees, and even the snow. I see God’s goodness just picking out a piece of lumber for a project I’m working on, or in the firewood I’m collecting for the wood stove.

Witnessing might not be face to face very often. Frankly, I’ve always found witnessing a challenge in the best of times. But I think a text or phone call to let someone know you are thinking of them and to tell them how wonderful they are, and maybe how you are finding God’s glory in the simple things of God’s creation is about as good as it gets in these challenging times.

By Melissa Kramer, Trinity United Methodist Church

A few weeks ago, I was re-watching the 2012 movie, Les Misérables (yes, the one with Hugh Jackman). There is one line from the musical that always stays in my mind for days after hearing it, “to love another person is to see the face of God.”  Thank you, Victor Hugo, for that beautiful line!

It is true, isn’t it? When we show love to others, we are sharing God’s love with them. But, is that really enough? Is that all that needs to be done? If we love someone, will they see God as a result? Well, yes and no. By loving others through acts of service and showing them kindness, compassion, and mercy, they may see God in us and through us. We talk about this all of the time! The Gospel is full of stories of Jesus showing love and compassion to others.

​The focus of John chapter 4, while it is a lesson about loving others, especially the marginalized and outcast, it is also an invitation. Jesus offers the Samaritan woman something greater than kindness. He offers her truth. And even greater than that, he reveals to her that he is the Messiah. Jesus invites her and the entire rest of the town to believe in him!

We should desire to do more. Loving others must include inviting them to experience Jesus for themselves. It requires us to share the Gospel and invite others to know God personally. Sharing the Gospel seems like a daunting task. I would much rather write a sermon or lesson inviting people to know Jesus than have a conversation with someone! But, just like every other aspect of faith, we are never alone. The same God who journeys with us in the wilderness will give us strength as we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

By Pastor Suzanne Clemenz, Trinity United Methodist Church

Even though I am a pastor, I have often struggled with evangelism. Imagine that! (Please, no need to run off and tell my Senior Pastor or Conference Superintendent!)  From a young age, I associated evangelism, or “sharing the good news,” with going door-to-door and passing out religious tracts or inviting complete strangers to Sunday morning worship. It turns out, folks weren’t interested. Imagine that! And when I attended outreach events and found myself trying to sell the ministries of the church by making them sound fun and inviting, I always felt uncomfortable and out of my element. That was the only example of “sharing the good news” that I had been cultivated to envision.