Have you ever been so tired all you want to do is cry?  I feel that way sometimes, especially the older I get.  It is as if I am a car without gas and all I can do is collapse.  When I get that tired, it is a warning sign for me.  You see, I have a tendency to think I can be superwoman.  Unfortunately, that is a message society gives woman. We are to be all things to all people and keep house and make a living….and leap tall buildings :).  

When I feel that way, I know it is time for Sabbath rest.  It is time to find the space to just be with God and rest in God’s loving arms.  I don’t always do that well.  Again, I think it is that societal message that to need “resting time” means that you are weak or incompetent.  However, the God who knows us better than we know ourselves is the one who created the concept of Sabbath rest and COMMANDED that we take it.

Funny that we guilt ourselves out over some sins but not others.  This is a great example.  Be honest…how many of you feel guilty over not taking time for sabbath rest?  But, I’ll bet you guilt yourselves out if you tell a little white lie or engage in gossip.  God COMMANDED that we take Sabbath rest….because God knows our strengths and weaknesses.  God knows that Sabbath is a crucial time of reconnecting with God and being refilled by God’s love and power.  It is a time apart where we are with God in an intimate way. 

Sunday worship does not count as Sabbath rest because the reality is for most folks whether they get renewed or feel close to God in worship is a hit and miss.  No one worship can meet everyone’s needs.  So, we have to find what DOES work consistently.  What do you do that helps you feel close to God?  What do you do that renews and refills you? What do you do that allows you to experience intimacy with God? What do you do that enables you to praise and glorify God?  All of those elements are an important part of the Sabbath.  So, are you getting your Sabbath rest? Blessings, Dawn

I saw a note on Facebook from another pastor pointing out that July 4th this year is a “Holy Day” and a “holiday”.  He wondered which people would celebrate…the “Holy Day”, the “holiday” or neither.  The “Holy Day” is a day in which we praise and worship the One who created us, guides us, loves us and saved us.  The “holiday” celebrates our freedom as a country.  The “Holy Day” celebrates our freedom from sin and death. 

What are your plans for this July 4th?  Will they include remembering the price many have paid so that we may be a free country? Will they include remembering the price that Christ paid so that we are free from the captivity of sin?  Will they include giving thanks for God’s mercy and grace? 

What an awesome opportunity we have this coming Sunday for giving thanks!  As a woman, I am incredibly grateful to be a citizen of the United States because I have so many more opportunities to use the gifts God has given me.  I am thankful for the opportunity to vote and to speak my mind without fear of arrest.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to worship where and how I desire, not in a way that is dictated by a government.  And, I am SO thankful to God for all that God has done for me!  So, I plan on spending the “Holy Day”/”holiday” giving thanks for all of these things!  What will you do this July 4th?

I have been on a number of mission trips and felt incredibly blessed to be able to help individuals or families…whether it was roofing a home, sewing bags for school supplies, building a casita, clearing brush or other types of work.  This past month though, our church has been on the receiving side of several mission team’s service. 

The groups were from four churches in the Central Texas Conference.  The first was a group of college kids and they were wonderfully full of energy and the Holy Spirit.  The second group were staying at our church last week.  We were not on their “list” to serve, but the first day they were here, we received record rainfall…and needless to say, they were not able to work outside. So, they decided to make our church their project.

When I came into the office the next day, our floors were shinier than I have ever seen them.  They cleaned the church from one end to another.  I was blown away by the service that they did for us.  As a pastor, I am used to being the “giver” not the “receiver”.  Yet, both are important.  Just like I was blessed to give on the mission trips I have been on…just like I am blessed doing pastoral care and teaching…just like I am blessed when  I pray for or send a card to someone…it is important that I am willing to be a blessing to another.  Those youth were so proud of what they had accomplished that I couldn’t help but receive the “gift of their service” gracefully…and with tears in my eyes.

Do you struggle with “receiving”?  The next time you are on the receiving end of service…remember that you are being a blessing to the giver.  God’s peace, Dawn

Wow, what a whirlwind the last few weeks have been.  My daughter Morgan graduated from college on May 8th. My dad and stepmom came to stay with us for graduation. The day after graduation, Morgan and I left flew to Disneyworld.  For several weeks before we left, two of my church members were in crisis with health and the need to move into assisted living.  The day I flew out for Florida, I heard that one had passed away. Needless to say, these were busy and hectic days and it was difficult to find time to be God centered.

Yet, as I reflect back on the last few weeks, I can’t help but see all the ways that God was present.  Before Dad and Laura arrived, I worked very hard getting the final touches of my garden and landscaping done.  The smells of dirt, the singing of the birds and the sun on my back as I weeded and planted was a vivid reminder of God’s presence.  The day before graduation, Dad, Laura, Morgan and I went to the zoo.  Seeing all the beauty of the landscaping at our zoo, the wonder of the different animals God created…and the wierdness of some reminds me of God’s creativity and sense of humor! Celebrating with Morgan at her graduation reception and seeing her with her Christian friends and family, I felt surrounded by God’s love and grace.  Sitting on the balcony of the resort at Disneyworld watching the antics of the safari animals…especially the crane that kept chasing the impalas and elands away from his mate and their nest…helped me see the ways that God cares for all of us.  Eating meals with our friends we were vacationing with and laughing at all we had seen that day reminding me of the ways that God is in our fellowship.

These were not spectacular prayer experiences or spiritual highs…they were momentary pauses in the midst of business that were wonderful reminders of God’s presence.  They were ways of feeling close to God despite the hectic schedule.  Think back on your last few weeks…reflect on ways that God was present…you might be surprised :)  Blessings, Dawn

In my prayer life God has been talking to me frequently about what it means to be the body of Christ. Not as you might think, with members of Asbury, but the body of Christ as the churches in the southside and the spiritually based non-profits trying to serve this area. We are all coping with scarce resources, and demographics indicate that the people in this community will continue to decrease in income and increase in stress level.  Demographics indicate they want to be part of church and believe in God, yet they are not coming to church. 

God has been challenging me to think about ways we (all the churches and non-profits) can share the good news with younger adults in non-traditional families.  We are starting to dialogue about this among the UM churches in this area; and I have met with several spiritually based non-profits about sharing space and doing ministry together. It has made me realize that we are definitely going to have to think outside the box. 

For example, what would it look like to have one youth group for all the UM churches in this cluster? What would it look like to have a “smorgasboard of Christian education” in which you went to the class that appealed to you, regardless of which cluster church offered it? What would it look like to share a building with a non-profit agency and offer hospitality to their clients as a way of saying Christ welcomes you?

I would love for those of you reading this blog to respond to those questions.  Let’s think about this together…let’s dream together…let’s pray about this together.  Blessings, Dawn