Jamey's Newsletter: Sunday, July 17, 2022
I have been awe-struck recently seeing the pictures from Nasa’s Webb Telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the most profound and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far.
The images we see are of far-flung galaxies, and yet, Webb’s image is the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length, a tiny sliver of the vast universe.
As I reflect on the images, I am reminded of the psalmist proclaiming, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
God created the heavens and the earth out of the overflow of joy. And as we look with wonder and awe at the beauty of creation, I invite you to take a moment to thank the One who is responsible and see how God delights in creation and in us.
Jamey
Prayer of the Week
Merciful God, meet us in our weakness. Connect with us in our loneliness, which fills us with self-pity. Comfort us in our fears, which paralyze us against doing good. Convict us in our jealousies, which blind us to the abundance of riches in our lives. Rescue us from anger and resentment, which choke out grace and beauty from our world.
Assemble us into a community that builds us up, encourages us, and challenges us to be better than we are today. Restore wonder to our eyes and love to our hearts. Amen.
Together, What If
Pre-recorded online worship from Gainesville First UMC, Gainesville, Georgia
Happening Around North Georgia
Mark your calendar: OCT 7 AT 10 AM – OCT 9 AT 5 PM
Meme of the Week
Dad Jokes
My friend Jack claims that he can communicate with vegetables. Jack and the beans talk.
Why aren’t koalas actual bears? Because they don’t meet the koalafications.
Photo of the Week (Photos taken by me)
Book I Am Reading This Week
Tethered to an Appalachian Curse: A Surprise Calling by David Howell
(Click on headline to read)
A 2024 Presidential Candidate Who Meets the Moment
Where the Crawdads Sing Author Wanted for Questioning in Murder
A self-serve grocery store helps feed a small Minnesota town
30 Old-Fashioned Southern Recipes You Should Learn How to Make
To Renew, Let's Reclaim: A Plea for Catechesis in the Local Church
Making a Difference
We are collecting school supplies during the month of July for over 100 children in Hall County.
It is so easy! Click on this link and order the items from Amazon and have them shipped to Gainesville First United Methodist Church.
Amazon Link: Click Here
Address to Gainesville First United Methodist Church: 2780 Thompson Bridge Road
Gainesville, Georgia 30506
Question Reflection (and yes, I actually think about these things)
Do you have a morning routine? What is one thing you insist on doing in the morning? (I have been rethinking my morning routine)
Happening at Gainesville First United Methodist Church
2780 Thompson Bridge Road Gainesville, Georgia 30506
Wednesday, July 20 & 27 / 5:30pm / Outside near the preschool playground
Join Mary Wall for a 2-week study of the book, "Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd, a historical fiction novel based in the early 1800’s spanning 35 years in the lives of Sarah Grimké and Hetty Handful.
Click Here For More Information
Weekly Blessing and/or Quotes
“Earth is so thick with divine possibility
that it is a wonder we can walk anywhere
without cracking our shins on altars.”
—Barbara Brown Taylor