Weekly Roundup: Sunday, May 18, 2025
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” — John 13:35
Imagine the scene: Jesus sits with his closest friends just hours before death. Betrayal is already in motion, fear is in the air, yet he gives them one last, defining command: "Love one another." Not just any love, but his kind of love—patient, sacrificial, unconditional.
Jesus doesn't say, "They'll know you're mine by your theology, your politics, or your church attendance." He says, "They'll know by your love."
We often ask: Where is God? But maybe the more powerful question is: Where is God's love meant to go? The answer is simple: into one another.
Into our families, our communities, our enemies, and our everyday lives.
Someone is watching your life right now, wondering if love makes your faith worth following: your kids, your neighbors, your co-workers, the stranger on the edge of belief.
If you're not sure what you believe, start with love. Practice the kind of love Jesus lived. Then ask: What kind of person loves like this? What kind of God gives this kind of love?
Pastor Jamey
(Click Here to Watch the Worship Service from Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)
Weekend Prayer
Jesus, let our lives bear witness through love. May the world know we are yours, not by what we say, but by how we love. Amen.
Wisdom Nugget: Someone is always watching your life to see if love makes your faith worth following. Live like someone’s looking for Jesus in you—because they probably are.
A Question to Consider: Think about your current season of life—where is your love being poured out? Where is it being withheld?
Meme of the week
Dad Jokes
Why do crabs never give to charity? Because they’re shellfish!
Did you hear about the wig thief who escaped from prison? Police are combing the area to find him!
Leadership Reflection:
Lately, I've been thinking about legacy—not in the distant, retirement-day sense, but in the everyday sense. What am I leaving behind in the hearts of the people I lead?
It's tempting to measure leadership by output: what we build, what we fix, what we get done. But Jesus' words in John 13 hit differently: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Not by our performance. Not by our success. By our love.
When all the meetings are over and the goals have been reached (or missed), what people will remember most is how we made them feel. Did we lead with love? Did we see them? Did we stay patient when it was easier to be critical? Did we care more about who they were becoming than what they produced?
So I'm asking myself more often now: What if my best leadership move today isn't another task completed, but a quiet act of kindness, a moment of grace, or a hard conversation handled with gentleness?
Let love be the loudest thing you leave behind.
Pastor Jamey
Photo Taken By Me
Podcast Worth Listening to (copy and paste):
https://the1a.org/segments/cyber-monday-artificial-intelligence-and-religion/
What I Am Reading This Week
Stranger God: Meeting Jesus in Disguise by Richard Beck
Articles that caught my eye
The Fox Will Lie Down with the Hedgehog
Young Catholic Influencers Are Bringing MAGA To the Masses
Why Are There So Many ‘Alternative Devices’ All of a Sudden?
With fewer ordinations, seminaries find ways to serve young professionals in other fields
Churches hope to tap the power of pickleball
Found Interesting on Social Media
Happening at Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia
2nd Sundays: June 8, July 13, August 10 / 8-9 pm / Upper Parking Lot
Come experience walking meditation in the liminal space and time created as day turns to night. Hosts will guide new walkers, and seasoned walkers are encouraged to come and meet others who are also drawn to the labyrinth. More information is at gfumc.com/labyrinth.
North Georgia Nonprofit Highlight
On Friday, June 6th, Center Point will bring the fundraising event Over the Edge to downtown Gainesville, Georgia, with a unique adventure experience of safely rappelling down the Main Street Parking Garage.
From its beginning over 50 years ago, Gainesville First United Methodist Church has been a mission partner with Center Point. We believe in its mission to meet the mental health and personal development needs of young people and their families.
Our goal is to raise $5,000.00 for Center Point.
John Barbour-Hoffman, the Lighting Director for GFUMC, will repel down the Main Street Parking Garage wearing a costume that we’ll vote on.
About Center Point:
Center Point's mission is partnering with schools and community organizations to meet the mental health and personal development needs of young people and their families. Center Point has served the citizens of Gainesville City and Hall County for over 50 years. The Center has slowly transformed into arguably Hall County’s most successful and diverse student-and-family-centered non-profit. Our purpose is simple: enhance, strengthen, and change lives. This is what we are doing and what we will continue to do for years to come.
Click Here to Vote On John's Costume
Weekly Blessing and/or Quotes
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” — Often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
Love one another as Christ has loved you—with grace that forgives, with patience that stays, with courage that serves, and with a heart that gives without keeping score.
