
West District Lay Leaders’ Blog

A candle named Gratitude
How many of us have looked at store shelves filled with candles with labels describing the scent? There could be Springtime, Winter Berries, Lavender, Lemon, Peace, Joy, and even Watermelon! After locating and reading through a few books and websites, I found the...

Thanks-Giving
It’s that time of the year. It’s Thanksgiving. Cool-weather, trees changing color, leaves falling, football. The day we gather with family and friends to celebrate. Too often we think of thanksgiving only as being the fourth Thursday of...

Quiet time for prayer…
Lake Cross photo by Jeannie Ward Where have you found a calm place to read daily devotions? Or, spend quiet time with God? Is it a ‘place’ that you can spend more than 30 seconds quietly? However, having suggested that we ‘need’ quiet spaces and times, that may...

Cultural Competency training review by the West District Associate Lay Leader
We are all so different, and our cultural dimensions influence how we view culture. The training ended with us wanting more to understand our culture and how we live.

What is your passion?
As I was preparing for the sermon I’ll deliver on Sunday, the 14th, I was struck by Luke 12:49, “I have come to bring fire to the earth, how I wish it were already kindled!” Fire can be both destructive and beneficial, it burns trees and brush, but that fire also...

Fences
Is the fence there to keep people/animals/things inside the fence or to keep them out?

Winds of Change…What can you hear?
How often do many of us avoid ‘going out’ because we aren’t certain which way the wind of the day will affect us? How often do we avoid ‘listening’ for God’s voice guiding us? Sometimes His voice is just a whisper…but, when we are still and trusting, then His words can come to us as a loud command.

Easing Pain and Suffering
When we see the words together so many thoughts will appear in our minds. Each one of us has experienced some form of pain and suffering.

Celebrate the Women of Yuma
We celebrated International Woman’s Day recently. What better way, as United Methodists, to focus on the work of women than to see what is happening in the Yuma area United Methodist Women, now known as United Women in Faith to be more inclusive.

The Missing Piece
You who read the Guidepost magazine, may recognize “Mysterious Ways.” A small article that appears in each of the issues. They normally are written by someone who would like a sign from a loved one; a sign that help is on the way or just something to remind them they are loved by God. A missing puzzle piece was not something that should have been a mysterious way.