An All-in Resurrection Life
Since living in Las Vegas, many out-of-town family and friends have made their way to our home for a visit. Most want to check out the Vegas spots and Bonnie and I will sometimes be a tour guide. Other times we just point to places they can check out on their own.
Everything has become new
Customs, traditions, rituals, and cultural norms — Are these the things we are speaking of when we cry that it is time for things to get “back to normal?” Normalcy does serve a purpose. If I do not know what to expect or anticipate, then anxiety and stress rises and it becomes difficult to function in healthy ways. Our traditions and customs help us all to know who we are in our personal selves and in relationship with each other.
Outdoor Lighted Prayer Labyrinth Opportunities
A lighted double spiral prayer/meditation labyrinth will be available to experience.
Master, is it I?
Perhaps at first they talked of little things that spring evening. The upper room was dim with lamplight as Jesus sat with the twelve and remembered. Then quietly he said, “There is one here whose kiss will bring me betrayal by and by.” They did not look at Judas, but each man murmured, “Master, is it I?”
Lay Servant Ministries – New Classes for March & April
Consider signing up for an advanced Lay Servant Zoom class in March or April. There are two classes being offered Public Prayer and Opening Ourselves to Grace with two sessions (morning and evening) for each class. Enrollment is limited so register early. Public...
The Wonder of 40
Forty days has special significance in our faith tradition. How many biblical references to “forty days” can you think of? Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights (Matthew 4), in the days of Noah it rained for forty days and nights (Genesis 7), Moses was with God on Mount Sinai creating the covenant for forty days (Exodus 34).
New S/PPRC Training Videos Now Available Online
New training video segments for Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committees (S/PPRC) are now available on the Desert Southwest Conference website under the DSC University Trainings and Events button or at this link https://dscumc.org/initiative/itraining/.
All Shall Be Well
I have increasingly come to appreciate and realize the importance of tradition and custom…oh no, that sounds like something Downton Abbey’s Old Lady Grantham would say. The pomp and circumstance of spring graduations was passed by, and unimaginably, the same for an inauguration of the POTUS. For many reasons we have needed to practice distancing, isolation, and protection. However, through it, people have been inventive and resilient in creating new ways to mark the occasions.
Reach Out and See Someone
This week I read that it had been one year since the identification of the Covid virus in Wuhan, China. My life has changed so much, as I’m sure yours has. I am aware today of things I had never considered before.
District Training for Local Church Administrative Committees
In the first months of the year, people who have been elected to local church leadership begin their new ministry roles. The Desert Southwest Conference recognizes the importance of these church leaders and the importance of training them on the disciplinary duties of the local church administrative committees.
2020 — A Year of Growth
Growth is usually thought to be about more and bigger. In this past year and now entering into a new year, I have increasingly valued minimalism, simplicity, and less-is-more. The space of home has become even more important because we are practicing distancing and even isolation as we stay home.
Where will this journey lead?
Last year at this time, I had no idea that in just a few months we would be in a pandemic that would change our lives significantly for the remainder of the year. Last January 1st, I had no idea that General Conference would be postponed and that important decisions regarding the future of our beloved church would be delayed. The twists and turns 2020 took were unprecedented and unimaginable just one short year ago.
The Connection Let’s Us Celebrate Each Other
Being a part of a connectional church allows us to be delighted when we encounter other members in our public lives. Thanks to Maggie Orr from Caliente UMC for sharing this special experience of engaging Zion UMC (North Las Vegas, NV) in her professional life.
Hope in Darkness
O come, O come Emmanuel — we are in the midst of what is being called a Dark Winter — we need you. The tune has a haunting sadness and longing laced with hope. The lyric tells of gloom, grief, loneliness, the depths of hell, and the need for salvation. Through it all we sing — “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come.”
District Office Holiday Hours
The District will be closed for the Christmas and New Year Holiday: Monday, December 21 – Friday, January 1, 2021.
District Office Holiday Hours for Thanksgiving
The North and West District Office will be closed Thursday, November 26 Through Monday, November 30 for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will return to the office Tuesday, December 1.
Prayers of concern woven with thanksgivings
Through this month of November, we are especially mindful of the blessings for which we give thanks. We begin the month with All-Saints Day as we thank the Spirit for the gift of those persons who have brought hope, faith, peace, and love into our world and lives. We are ever more aware of the need for such gifts as we enter our nation’s Election Day. We each pray for peace to prevail as we practice our responsibility to vote and pray for those who lead our nation, local governments, and courts.
Choose your wardrobe carefully….
"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the...
Superheroes at Camp
Paul, the apostle, wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus to guide them through a time of division and challenge. He wrote to teach the young church how to be strong disciples in Christ to make a strong community. Through his letter, we learn how to be superheroes. That was the theme of a recent evening at camp. +
Time to root out and start fresh
Several years ago a tree in our backyard began showing signs of stress. Yellowing and dying leaves; a branch that lost life. I gave the tree special attention with deep watering and fertilizer along with cutting off dead or dying branches.
