Jamey's Newsletter: Sunday, March 26, 2023
Years ago, I was walking into a hotel lobby in downtown Atlanta, and a child was sitting at a grand piano and banging on the keys. She was making a horrible noise. Then, suddenly, this stranger sat down beside her and took her little finger and placed it on one key and told her to keep pressing the key over and over, and he took a finger on her other hand and put it on a different key and told her to keep pushing the key over and over.
He started playing around the little girl, and they made beautiful music together in the hotel lobby.
When it comes to living out our faith, we are more than spectators. God involves us in God's plans. If left alone, we would make a mess of things. However, God comes and sits alongside making something beautiful from our clanging noise.
As you go about doing good, make sure you are making room for God to create something wonderful from your life.
Jamey
Romans 1:14-17 1 Peter 3: 15 - 16
(Pre-recorded online worship from Gainesville First UMC, Gainesville, Georgia)
What do I feel is compelling about the Christian faith?
What is compelling about the Christian faith is the person of Jesus. Jesus changes lives because he can get people to change how they view themselves and the world around them. He dares us to imagine that a stranger can be a neighbor, an enemy can be a friend, a child can be a teacher, and someone with no power, prestige, or influence can change the world.
Jesus taught us to look at the Creator as a parent figure and that the most important person is not the person at the head of the table or the person first in line. His healing restored humanity to individuals, and his teaching challenges us to consider what is possible.
His death shows the power of love, and his resurrection gives us the power to live out His love in the world. I am Christian because the story of Jesus is the story I am willing to risk being wrong about.
What do you feel is compelling about the Christian faith?
Jamey
If you are in (or near) Gainesville, Georgia, and would like to explore this topic more, plan to join us on Wednesday at 6 pm at Gainesville First United Methodist Church. It is a discussion open to everyone.
Meme of the Week
Dad Jokes
Air used to be free at the gas station, now it's $1.50. Do you know why?
Inflation.
How do you make a Kleenex dance? Put some boogie in it!
Book I am reading this week
The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth by Madeleine L'Engle
Articles worth reading, videos worth watching, and/or podcasts worth listening to
Youtube: NEEDTOBREATHE - "I Am Yours (Acoustic)" [Dark Horse Sessions]
Gen Z Christians Want Leaders to Keep It Real
Whatever the Problem, It’s Probably Solved by Walking
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Gainesville First United Methodist Church is partnering with the Junior League of Hall County and collecting diapers and pull-ups. You can drop off diapers at the church Sunday - Thursday.
Address: 2780 Thompson Bridge Rd Gainesville, Georgia 30506
Easter at Gainesville First United Methodist Church
Sunday, April 9 / 7, 9, 10, & 11 am
On Friday, He hangs on a cross. On Saturday, He lies dead behind a stone. On Sunday, the tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive. Hope has risen! If God can overcome death, there are endless possibilities for what God can do in and through your life. Be our guest in-person or online Sunday, April 9, as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and discover how God meets us in our fear to give us new life.
7am - Sunrise Worship (in-person, weather permitting, with breakfast afterwards, no childcare available)
9am - Together What If (streaming)
9am - Classic Worship (in-person, childcare available)
10am - Modern Worship (in-person, childcare available)
11am - Classic Worship (in-person & livestreaming, childcare available)
Weekly Blessing and/or Quotes
“We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are.” ― Madeleine L'Engle