In the Bible, those who are in mourning, those who are repenting, those who are lamenting, wear sackcloth and ashes…I’ve never worn sackcloth, but as we begin looking toward Lent, ashes keep returning to my mind.
Author: fumchurstblog
First United Methodist Church of Hurst is an open community of Christian disciples seeking to live out the unconditional love of God as revealed in Jesus the Christ.
Giving Thanks in the Small Things
The Bible says, “In everything, give thanks because this is the will of God for you.” If we are so busy looking for things we do not have or do not like, we forget about the blessings already given to us.
Make 2021 the Year of the “Exercise Snack”
Exercising is great, but it takes a chunk out of my day! But, a 4-second burst of exercise that can improve fitness? Tell me more. . .
I MOSTLY Did It!
For those of you who don’t remember (or didn’t read it), you can see what my ‘word of the week’ goal for 2020 was here: https://fumchurstblog.com/2020/01/09/365-fresh-starts/ (We will wait just a minute while you catch up on that reading.)
Peace in the Kitchen
In some ways, celebrating Christmas this year will be like the very first Christmas. There’s no precedent for how to celebrate in COVID quarantine. But we’ll use the space and tools we have available to welcome in the celebration of Christ’s birth.
Joy – Really?
It’s the third candle of the Advent Wreath. It’s a little special because it is pink, representing Gaudete Sunday, which means “Rejoice!” It’s an important reminder, especially when we can so quickly recite a long litany of all the things going wrong, reasons not to be happy.
Perhaps Love
I grew up with A Christmas Together, an album with John Denver and The Muppets from their TV Christmas special…My favorite songs on the album have changed over the years, and “The Christmas Wish” is currently in my top two. When Kermit sings “I don’t know if you believe in Christmas, or if you have presents underneath a Christmas tree, but if you believe in love that will be more than enough for you to come and celebrate with me,” it hits me right in the heart.
Advent Hope?
Ready or not, here it comes: Advent has arrived. Advent is here, and I have to confess it was a struggle to begin to write a blog about ‘Hope’. In recent days/weeks/months I have found it all too easy to get sucked into scrolling and scrolling through social media posts – which unfortunately are not…
Remember
Happy Thanksgiving! Let’s just get this out of the way: I have some complaints. This is not the year I thought it was going to be, and I’m feeling a lot of emotions, and probably third from the bottom is gratitude.
For My Favorite Part of the Last Three Years
Sundays, since my first one here, have been my favorite day of every week. I don’t really remember what they looked like before meeting you and I want to hold onto that.
Making a Difference
You have heard the old saying, “never underestimate the difference you can make in the lives of others.” Is that true?
Fluttering Prayers
I have to admit that often taking that route, I was struck by the beauty of the fence. It pleased me to see the multi-colored strands of fabric fluttering in the wind.
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