When I think of creation or see some spectacular slice of creation – whether that be the Garden of the Gods or a butterfly or sunset or human being, I’m not only awed, I’m amazed.  Walking among those huge red rocks, I felt rather small and insignificant.  When I was a child, I would lie in our backyard and look at the millions of stars in the night time sky and get that same feeling of smallness – like I was just a speck in God’s world.  I get that same feeling when I walk along the beach and look out at the vastness of the ocean.  But then I remember, I am God’s creation too.  Jesus said that God our Father notices even when a common sparrow falls so why do we wonder if God notices us – God knows every hair on our heads.  In Isaiah 43:1 God says, “I have called you by name; you are mine.”

Yes, we may be just a speck in the immense universe, but God knows us, loves us and watches over us. Wow, that’s as awesome and amazing as walking through the Garden of the Gods.

In Christ, Pastor Donna

The first Pumpkin Patch Volunteers meeting will be held on Monday, August 30th at 6:00 pm in the FLC.  Anyone who wants to volunteer to help out (in any way) is encouraged to attend this meeting.

The Pumpkin Patch will be open and selling pumpkins of all sizes and shapes from 10 am to 6 pm Mondays through Saturdays, and 1 - 6 pm on Sundays, from October 16th through the 31st. 

Volunteers are needed to “sit” in the patch and sell pumpkins for shifts through this entire selling period. If you are able to help, please sign up on one of the “sitter sign in sheets” (Say that real fast!) located outside both doors to the Sanctuary. 

 See you there!

I’m glad I got reacquainted with my nephew if only for a couple of days.  I was reminded that just because you are related to someone doesn’t mean you know them.  To really know someone you have to be in relationship with them on a consistent basis.  Having only seen my nephew at funerals and an occasional holiday gathering in the last 8 years, I really didn’t know him all that well any more. 

That’s how our relationship with God is too, isn’t it?  If we don’t spend time with God on a daily basis, we soon don’t really know him very well.  If we don’t talk with him or read his word, we lose a sense of his presence in our lives.  If we only relate to God now and then or only on Sundays, we soon forget his grace and love and acceptance. We often lose touch with God – not because he has moved far away from us (like to Colorado) but because we have moved away from relating to him.  God tends to get lost in the busy-ness of our lives.  You can be assured, though, that God is there waiting for us when we do finally take the journey to him. 

I would invite all of us not to wait three years or even three days to discover God and who God is.  I would invite us to be in relationship with God every day of our lives so that we truly know him.  

In Christ,

Pastor Donna

 After the early service this past Sunday, the Junior High Sunday School class went to visit our church family members who are residents at Town Hall Estates.   Then the class went to eat at IHOP.  One of the classmembers picked a family that the class paid for their meal.  She picked a family with three sons and a daughter.  The mother came over to the girl’s table and hugged each one of them and prayed for the girls.  Then she prayed for the guys at their table and hugged all of them.  She took a picture of the entire class and posted it on her Facebook wall telling what the class had done to bless their family.  They were on their way home to Weatherford from Waco, where they had been at a swim meet.  She told the class how much God had blessed them and how faithful He was. 

 Also at IHOP, the waitress was given a plate of cookies, a generous tip and a card thanking her for serving them.  

After leaving IHOP, the next stop was Wal-Mart.  Each youth was given a list of supplies for Wesley Academy and food items for the Rosemont project.  Then back at the church, a picture was taken of the class members with all the items they purchased.  Since the class will be getting eight new members at promotion, the current classroom is too small.  The youth then painted a wall with dry-erase paint in a larger room for Sunday School.   It was a wonderful time with a great group of youth who blessed a family at IHOP and also provided much needed items for Wesley Academy and those at Rosemont.   The funds for this ministry were from the extravagant generosity of those attending the church’s Valentine Banquet

 I remember growing up we didn’t do much on Sundays.  We went to church, came home for lunch and then napped or took a drive in the country.  Most businesses were closed on Sunday and the Texas blue laws prevented the stores that were open from selling certain non-essential items (like panty hose!).  We didn’t do laundry or mow the lawn or other kinds of work around the house on Sunday.  Some people worked of course, like restaurant and movie theater employees.  Those days are long gone, aren’t they? 

For many of us Sunday is the only time we seem to have for laundry, dusting, and vacuuming.   Now of days, our kids play all kinds of sports or have other activities on Sundays.  For most folks Sunday is just another day, nothing holy or restful about it. 

God was actually trying to take care of us when he gave us this and the other commandments.  God knows we need rest.  God knows we need to spend time with him.  It’s hard simply to be with God when we are multi-tasking seven days a week.  We are exhausting ourselves, even killing ourselves, with work and play.  One day a week we need just simply be.  Be with God, be quiet, be still.  Maybe we just can’t keep Sabbath for a whole day; could we keep it for an hour or so each day? 

I go on vacation tomorrow.  I hope to spend lots of quiet time with God.  I hope to have a week of Sabbaths.  Sounds good doesn’t it?  Why don’t you join me this week and keep the Sabbath holy for a day or even an hour? In Christ, Pastor Donna

Pictures which follow show Chuck Wagon food collections for Hillsboro Interfaith Ministries, collections of back-to-school items for the children of Rosemont Apartments, The Children’s Time with Pastor Donna (with the Praise Band paying close attention, too, and the latest additions to the Praise Band adding their stage presence with their grandmothers.

Of course Jesus is strong, but he became weak in order that we might become strong.  In the second chapter of Philippians we read that Jesus emptied himself of his divinity, gave up his place with God and made himself nothing.  He became a servant, humbled himself and was fully obedient to God even to the point of dying of the cross.  He became weak.  Why?  So that he could empower us to stand strong against sin, to stand strong in faith, to live strong the new life he gave us.   Jesus became a weak human in order to make us strong humans who would faithfully serve him, follow him, love him and become like him.  We are not strong on our own; we are weak; but in his weakness and his strength, we have become strong. 

So maybe the 4 year old Donna got it right after all, even if she didn’t know it.  He became weak so that in his weakness we might become strong.  Remember Les, whoever you are, Jesus does love me and you – so much so that he became weak and died so that we can be strong and alive and faithful. 

In Christ, Pastor Donna

Actually, Ordinary Time, in the church year, doesn’t mean common or mundane. Rather this term comes from the word “ordinal,” which simply means counted time. I’m not sure that’s any better than the usual meaning of ordinary– commonplace, run of the mill. If we are just counting time, counting days until the next big thing; it seems to me, it’s pretty ordinary time. I wonder, though, is any time really ordinary? Is any time not sacred time? Every day is a gift from God and thus is sacred. Every ordinary day is an opportunity to encounter God. Abraham and Sarah were just living their routine lives when God called upon them to go to a new land and become a holy nation. Moses was having an ordinary day shepherding his sheep when he came upon a burning bush. David was just delivering lunch to his brothers when he stepped up to face a giant in the name of the God of Israel.  Mary was a common, ordinary teenager, when the angel told her she had found favor with God and would bear the Messiah.  Andrew and Peter were making a living catching fish when they heard Jesus call them to follow.  The woman at the well came near to draw water; she didn’t know on this ordinary day that she would meet Jesus who would change her life forever. 

Who knows what may happen in our ordinary days and ordinary lives? If our eyes and ears are open to seeing and hearing, we just may encounter God and hear God calling us.  We may never see a burning bush, but I believe God still speaks and God still calls us ordinary people to do extraordinary things. 

May we be those who have ears to hear and eyes to see the sacred even in this Ordinary Time. 

In Christ. Pastor Donna 

That may not be enough of an explanation so I want to share with you something written by the General Secretary and Treasurer of the United Methodist Church:  

 Often clergy and lay church leaders are asked the question “why pay apportionments?” Many might respond: “That’s what United Methodists do!” But when the real question becomes “Why do we have to send money to the Conference office as apportionments?” the answer becomes more fundamental to being United Methodists.  At a deeper level some actually are asking “How do United Methodist apportionments make a difference? Do they change lives, create missions, feed the homeless, build churches?” The practical response goes to the heart of stewardship within The United Methodist Church. From our earliest days, the people known as United Methodists have understood our life together as connectional. Whether parts of an urban congregation, a weekly gathering at a rural crossroads, or making a new church start become a reality, United Methodists are all interconnected. The gospel comes alive in the ministries in our individual settings, but we also know that we are called to witness in a larger, interconnected world.

That shared understanding empowers us to financially support outreach that no singlecongregation could do on its own. The connection allows us to effectively share programs that really work in our local area throughout the country and globally so that we can enhance the power of our witness everywhere. Our very existence as United Methodists engages us at the local, annual conference and worldwide level in ministries made possible by our shared commitments. For that reason, local congregations support annual conference budgets, and the annual conferences support the general church.  The 2008 General Conference affirmed that the Four Areas of Focus for this quadrennium would be:

• Combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally.
• Creating new places for new people and revitalizing existing congregations.
• Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.
• Engaging in ministry with the poor.  

Each day, local churches, conferences, individuals, and Church agencies are working toimpact the world in one of these four – and many other – areas. Connectional Giving is a major embodiment of Christian witness and a significant part of our faith journey. We give because Jesus taught giving as a basic aspect of discipleship. As a United Methodist, our heritage embodied in Wesley’s teachings further underscores the reasons we should give. Giving is crucial to our spiritual growth. Giving out of gratitude helps each of us individually and collectively grow closer to God. Shared ministries continue through your thoughtful and sacrificial giving, even during those times when we experience disharmony. It is part of what it means to be United Methodist.     Our apportionments here at First, Hillsboro total $43,305 – about 13.5% of our 2010 budget.  So far we have only paid $3040 of that – about 7%.  We’ve got a long way to go.  I encourage and invite each of you to put a little something extra in the offering plate this Sunday or any Sunday earmarked for apportionments.   You don’t even have to wait until Sunday – you can stop by the church office to give your gift or even mail it in.  Your generosity will be much appreciated.In Christ.  Pastor Donna