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Mission Moment 11.9.22
Scarlette Jasper
CBF Field Personnel in Somerset, KY
My prayer life has evolved and changed over the years. I have a daily devotional and Bible study time that ends in prayer. I have an ongoing conversation with God. I am so thankful that God does not tire of hearing from me! Communing with nature has become a large part of my prayer life.
The following prayer reminds me to stop and see creation as I walk, not just rush past it. I take time to look at the flowers, the tiny pinecones, wild mushrooms and flora growing. I now see the occasional wild turkey, various birds, insects and butterflies. The earth reminds me of the stability and magnitude of God. I can feel the presence of God in the sounds of nature. This is new for me. Experiencing nature through hiking and camping brings me closer to God in a way I had not experienced in my younger years. With age comes maturity and the realization of time. It is time to slow down and be still in the presence of God and listen.
Earth, teach me stillness
As the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth, teach me suffering
As old stones suffer with memory.
Earth, teach me humility
As blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth, teach me caring
As the mother who secures her young.
Earth, teach me courage
As the tree which stands alone.
–A Native American Prayer (this can be found at Godspacelight.com)
Pray. . .Give. . .Go.
Sunday School and Childcare is Available!
WMU Leadership Team Meeting
WMU Leadership Team will meet
on Monday, November 14, 2022 in the
Table Room at 10:30 am.
Ordering Our Lives by a Clock That’s Always Changing
by Dr. Jeff Mathis
It’s as though you can set your clock by it. As soon as we approach the weekend when we gain or lose an hour due to the time change, everyone seems to chatter about the practice associated with Daylight Saving Time.
So that we’re all clear, we are currently in Standard Time.
As you’ve undoubtedly heard ad nauseam, Standard Time brings joy to those who like to send their children off to school each morning in the daylight, but brings dismay to those who return home each evening to a dark home.
Who knew that Daylight Saving Time could evoke such strong feelings?
Everyone seems to have a reason why they love/ hate setting our clocks forward and back each year. Some say it enables them to save on their light bill, while others say it gives them more time to be outside. Others will complain about waking up in the pitch dark, while many enjoy having long evenings to read books or binge that new series on Netflix.
“I hate it,” says one annoyed mother. “Setting clocks ahead each spring and losing an hour of sleep is so disruptive.”
“Who doesn’t want an extra hour of sleep the night after the big college football game?,” says one college student. “Heck, why don’t we add an extra hour of sleep each weekend?”
Uh…that could be problematic.
I find that the question of time makes me ponder how I order my days.
How do you arrange your time? Perhaps it’s your work schedule or when you must be at school. Some may order their day around their energy peaks and ebbs. For many of us, eating sets the agenda for our day. Everything is arranged between our meals, snacks, coffee breaks, and nibbles on leftover Halloween candy.
I’m struck by how I order my day around many variables, but my prayer life isn’t prominently listed.
As a faithful Jew, Jesus most certainly arranged his day around prayer. In addition to the prayerful attitude Jesus had each day, Jesus set aside anywhere from 3 to 5 specific times of prayer each day—that is, morning, noon, mid-afternoon, evening, and before sleeping. One can only imagine how this rhythm impacted Jesus’s life and ministry. One can only imagine how this kind of ordering of our days might affect our life and ministry.
Thinking about how we order our day and what governs what and when we do things is tricky business. If we think about how we arrange our days, we may have to contend with how we order our lives.
Unlike the time of day, it’s too bad no one doesn’t direct how we do that.
Oh, wait…
Acteens Meeting
Acteens will meet this Sunday, November 13
after the morning worship.
They will be making pumpkin pies for shut-ins. Everyone please try to attend!
Christmas Break Food Bag Project
United Christian Ministries’ annual food drive to collect food for school children and their families during the Christmas break. This year, our church has committed to collect 250 boxes of cereal. The cereal we collect will be combined with other food items in a bag and will be a blessing to families who struggle with good insecurity. Please drop off regularly sized boxes of cereal (not the family sized boxes, please, as they are too big for the food bags) in the Loving Kindness Room outside of the church sanctuary. Our offering of cereal boxes is due by December 15.
Youth Newsletter
Click HERE to view the spring youth newsletter!
Chicken and Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
Yield: 8 servings
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 3-inch chunks
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced1 sweet yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1/2 medium head green cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)Fresh parsley (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the pot and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside on a cutting board and let cool. Once cooled, shred chicken with two forks.
To the same pot add celery, carrots, yellow pepper, onion, and cabbage. Cook on medium heat until carrots and cabbage are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in shredded chicken, garlic, bay leaf, black pepper, and chicken stock. Stir well and cook for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat.
Stir in frozen peas. Allow soup to simmer for a few minutes more, just until peas are done. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve. Add a drop of hot sauce for added zing.
– Provided Jancie Wilkey
Chicken and Cabbage Soup
Click HERE to download a printable version.
Provided by Jancie Wilkey
Four-Week Wednesday Night Conversations Resumes TONIGHT!
Taking Jesus Seriously:
A Bible Study Seminar for Adults and Youth
This four-week conversation resumes
TONIGHT, November 9 at 6:00 p.m.
in the Gathering Place Room.
The book, Red Letter Revolution: What If Jesus Really Meant
What He Said? (pictured) will inform our discussion together.