08/22/2023
Thankfulness is the Mother of Nearly All Good Things
Of all places, I came across a quote from the Roman Senator, Cicero, on the business website, Forbes.com. He said, back in Julius Caesar’s time, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” That was the gist of what Bishop Trimble said to us from the pulpit. ‘Thank you’ is not only a beautiful prayer, it is the well spring from which love, grace, and Christian living flow. When it becomes clear that God has accepted me for who I am, forgiven my dumb and hurt decisions, loved me in spite of my unloveliness I am so filled with gratitude and joy that I want to pay it forward. I am motivated to accept, forgive, and love others for Christ’s sake.
I hope you joined us in worship on Sunday. What a day of celebration. We had Bishop Trimble, our Conference Superintendent, Saneta Maiko; the President of United Theological Seminary, Dr. Kent Millard; former pastor Patti Napier, and a variety of other distinguished guests. We all had special pride in the graduation ceremony we held for Pastor Daisy, as she prepares to return to Sierra Leone. And our Bishop’s preaching was outstanding. (And don’t forget my role…standing up there looking as dignified as I could muster at various points.) I thought my wife Sue, who coordinates worship for us, was going to collapse Sunday afternoon. So many pieces in play, especially when you realize that Pastor Jessica both preached and served communion at a significantly different 10:30 service.
Kick Off Sunday was such a thrill under the big top out in the parking lot, and Daisy’s graduation and hosting the Bishop was such an honor and pleasure, I’m afraid that you all are going to get bored with plain old Tim for the next several weeks.
Pastor Daisy will go on to do great things for God and you should find satisfaction that you made her education and credentialing possible through your generosity to our church budget as well as its missions ministries. The number of volunteers who played important roles in transporting Daisy, helping her adjust to life in the U.S., and being there for her when she needed a helping hand—they are just too many to list. As we say goodbye to Daisy, she will leave a hole in our staff and in our hearts, but at the same time it fills me with great gratitude to be the pastor of Carmel UMC.
Archived Posts
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...