Trinity United Methodist Church

Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.
Text Box: Spiritual & Devotional Page

“What Cancer Cannot Do . . .”

                 submitted by Dick Tonseth

Cancer is so limited:  it cannot cripple love, it cannot shatter hope;

It cannot corrode faith, it cannot destroy peace, it cannot kill friendship;

It cannot suppress memories, it cannot silence courage, it cannot invade the soul

It cannot steal eternal life, it cannot conquer the spirit.    (author unknown)
Text Box: If you have additional prayer requests, please call the church office or the Prayer Chain. Text Box: BITS OF THE RAINBOW “In 1965, I was embarrassed, lonely, and afraid when I went to the Washington, D.C. public library looking for anything that would tell me something about myself. I made an amazing discovery when I found Mary McCarthy’s book, “The Group.” It was about women at Vassar College, some of whom were like me! I wasn’t alone anymore. I even had a name – lesbian. For the first time in my life I knew everything was going to be okay. Sherry Thomas Publisher Text Box: Child in Church He is too young to understand . . . The gospel and the prayer . . . But in his own small way he feels . . . God’s presence in the air . . . He knows there is a border line . . . Between the right and wrong . . . And when temptations faces him . . . He should be brave and strong . . . He knows his parents smile with joy . . . When he is good all day . . . As surely as their hearts are sad . . . When he does not obey . . . He knows that when he goes to church . . . He should not speak out loud . . . But he should pray in silence with . . . His head in reverence bowed . . . And thus he learns the ways of life . . . However strange or odd . . And he begins to understand . . . He owes his life to God by James J. Metcalfe submitted by Pat Griffin Text Box: Quotes & Question for Reflection From John Wesley:*"It is in consequence of our knowing God loves us, that we love [God], and love our neighbour as ourselves. Gratitude towards our Creator cannot but produce benevolence to our fellow creatures. The love of Christ constrains us, not only to be harmless, to do no ill to our neighbour, but to be useful, to be 'zealous of good works'; 'as we have time, to do good unto all...'; and to be patterns to all of true, genuine morality; of justice, mercy, and truth." From Radical Gratitude www.umfnw.org

“The world is moved along not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.”

                        Helen Keller

It was God-With-Us

Not the God-Up-There

Somewhere who answers our prayers by lifting us out of our lives, but the God who comes to us in the midst of them . . . That is where God is born, just there, in any cradle we will offer . . . On any pile of straw we will pat together with our hands.

Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor

 

” I choose to live by choices, not by chance;   to make changes, not excuses;   to be motivated, not manipulated;   to be useful, not used;   to excel, not compete;   I choose self esteem, not self pity;   I choose to listen to the inner voice, not the random opinion of others."   "When we stand up, we must know that we are standing up for everybody. Each of us needs to know, in fact, that we are rainbows in the clouds."

 ...Maya Angelou         (Submitted by Dick Tonseth)

"Christian Stewards...

are those who awaken to God’s abundant, freely given grace permeating all creation.
As expressions of their awareness, stewards choose to enter into active partnership with God and others to lovingly care for and heal every gift of grace that God entrusts to them.
As stewards grow in this partnership, every dimension of their lives becomes a witness of the living Christ and a channel for God’s grace poured out to all."

–The “working definition” of Christian stewards, presented by the Stewardship Emphasis, PNW Annual Conference

                                            What Makes A Dad

 

“God took the strength of a mountain, the majesty of a tree, the warmth of a summer sun,

 the calm of a quiet sea;

 

The generous soul of nature, the comforting arm of night, the wisdom of the ages,

the power of the eagle’s flight;

 

The joy of a morning in spring, the faith of a mustard see, the patience of eternity,

the depth of a family need.

 

Then God combined these qualities, when there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And, so He called it …. Dad.”

(Author Unknown)