We started a new series tonight!
Our theme verse for this series is 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (Today’s New International Version)
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
So we hope that in the course of these 5 weeks we can take a look at our health – from several angles – and be challenged to be more godly in all those areas. On this first night of the series we started with the idea that we’re all starting from a place of brokenness. All of us struggle with health in different ways. If you don’t, then you might not be in the right place! Because Jesus said this about the idea…
Mark 2:15-17 (New Living Translation)
Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) But when the teachers of religious law saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
“A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” ~ Abigail Van Buren
This family of ours, the church, is a place where you can hold up that injury and ask for healing, and as we start this series, I’m hoping we can work on that – because we don’t always do a good job of this. Here at RUMC, I’ve seen amazing examples of the “hospital” – and we want to always be working to make that more and more apparent.
We passed out band aids – and asked everyone to attach theirs somewhere visible. We then thought about one of our health issues, and mentally named that bandaid. We imagined that the word was written on your Bandaid for all to see. Would that make you nervous? I wish it didn’t – that we could all be this transparent and that it would be ok! We left the bandaids on so that through the service we could practice being ok with our issues out in the open – seen but not judged.
Part of our decoration in the room for the series are framed photos of people. People who represent fitness in different areas of life. Not that they’re perfect, but that they have set good examples to follow. This week’s topic of health is EMOTIONAL. So I pointed out Maya Agelou & Anne Lamott, who I think both exemplify a life of honesty and beauty as they have worked through the ups and downs of emotion.
Maya said this about her profession: “The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”
She also said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Anne said this about writing: “I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness — and that can make me laugh. When I am reading a book like this, I feel rich and profoundly relieved to be in the presence of someone who will share the truth with me, and throw the lights on a little, and I try to write these kinds of books. Books, for me, are medicine.”
As we move through the series, we’ve invited the congregation to bring in their own pictures of “fit” folks, so that a room of faces can smile to us that there is hope!
We opened the night with “Unchanging” by Tomlin, and then watched a video. Each week we’ll be journeying with a young man (Andrew) who has hopes of winning the Mr. Universe Competition. He’s being trained by The Coach (McKenzie) and as he wrestles with his fitness level in each area, so will we!
After sharing the big idea of the series, the band aid thinking time and the pictures on the walls, Amanda took over and talked to us some about Emotional Health. She shared some very insightful facts about emotional health issues – how common they are, signs to look for, how to react and respond, resources for finding help and ideas for working through emotional issues on your own. She offered a handout at the end of the night which included a relaxation exercise, some on-line resources and a “Emotional Bill of Rights” that was very helpful to her as she worked through many of these issues herself. (Leave me a comment if you’d like any of these things.)
She particularly lifted up prayer and thanksgiving as a tool for combating emotional distress. Paul said it this way in Phillipians 4:6-9 (The Message)
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Our response to all this came in the words to the song we sang: “Unashamed Love” by Ten Sheckle Shirt. We sang and asked God to give us a childlike faith, so we could lift up honest praise and unashamed love to tell God how worthy he is of it.
The John led us in a prayer of healing and hope, as people placed their hands on those band aids they had put on earlier. We closed with “Marvelous Light” and celebrated knowing that “sin has lost it’s power, death has lost it’s sting, from the grave He’s risen, VICTORIOUSLY!”
Here is our current prayer request list. (Anyone can ask for prayer, just let me know! You can talk to me or drop one of our prayer request cards in the worship space Drop Boxes.)
:: Jackie Anderson is still traveling a VERY rough road. Pray for the details to come together. For hope and healing and willingness to hang on tight!
:: Pray for Katie Thompson’s grandparents – things are going better than expected.
:: Pray for Christa and her sons
:: Pray for Lacy Thompson – she’s serving as a missionary in Ecuador until Thanksgiving.
:: Toni R, Amanda B and Randall F are all looking for new jobs – pray God will open up the right opportunities.:: Pray for Sam Dills (and his family) as he fights cancer.
:: Pray for John P’s grandmother – she’s going through a rough period right now.
:: Pray for Jennifer K’s cousin’s family – she passed away suddenly, leaving two small children behind.
