Fishers UMC Blog

Bye Bye Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven
—Ecclesiastes 3:1.

Alas, the season for staff blogs has come to an end. We pray that throughout this last year, you were encouraged, inspired, and “called to action” as you read through them. We thank you so much for your encouragement, feedback, and prayers, and we look forward to continuing the conversations in person.

God loves you and so do we!
—The Staff of Fishers United Methodist Church

Some Questions for Lent

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Before attempting to answer the questions, read Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21.
How will I give? Lent is a time for “giving things up” balanced by “giving to” those in need.
How will I pray? As we “give up” some of usual distractions, it creates more space for prayer.
Who do I need to forgive and from whom do I need to seek forgiveness? Seeking and offering forgiveness creates space for God’s grace to flow in our lives.
How will I fast? What do I need to abstain from in order to create more freedom and space for God?
What earthly treasures am I attached to and how can I let go? The way we use our time, financial resources, and energy reflect powerfully on what we treasure. Is there any specific way in which God is inviting us to “let go” of our attachment to some earthly treasure?

-Pastor Mike Reed

The Color Of Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most important. The most useful. The favorite.

Green said:
"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."

Blue interrupted:
"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."

Yellow chuckled:
"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."

Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
"I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:
"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."

Purple rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."

Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination:
"Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, God began to speak:
"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

God continued:
"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

-- Author Unknown

-Submitted By Cindy Rusk

Off to the races…

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

We had our first Awana Grand Prix on Wednesday night. I thought I would share some pictures of the evening and the cars the clubbers made. Thank you to all of the volunteers and parents that made this possible!!!

-Abbi Wilson

30 Hour Famine This Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

For those that don't know, the Sr. High students are taking part in the 30 Hour Famine this weekend.

Now, for many people that means nothing. So I will explain. The 30 Hour Famine is an international event in which youth groups, school groups, scout groups, etc. take a weekend and starve themselves. They eat no solid food for 30 hours for two reasons. One is to understand what it is like for most of the world's population who do not eat every day, or if they do, only one meal a day. Here we have pantries full of snacks for between meals, we don't really understand hunger. So for the weekend we starve ourselves and talk about world hunger, even taking a few hours to play a game that helps us understand what it's like to carry water miles while hungry. We also eat with either a traditional meal from the country we're focusing on or a meal of what organizations like World Vision give to supply food.

And that's the second reason we do this. The students ask people to sponsor them for starving themselves and raise money for World Vision (you can learn more about them at www.worldvision.org). In previous years we have raised anywhere from $800 - $2300 to help people who were born in to less fortunate areas have a chance to eat, drink clean water, get education, all the things we take for granted.

So if you could please, talk to the students the next time you see them and ask about the experience, how they were able to help, and maybe even what you can do to help in this global campaign.

Troy Richards

Lent

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

My early church background did not include the observance of Lent, and in fact, some people ridiculed Lent as a way of trying to earn “brownie points” with God for giving up or taking on something during the season. Like many things, that view distorted the meaning of observing Lent. Now, I find Lent a time for spiritual reflection, sort of a spiritual check-up, which we could all use.

I believe that it was theologian Paul Tillich who said that our main sin is idolatry: making something/someone else god rather than God. It might prove a good Lenten discipline for all of us to look long and deep into our hearts and really see if we are worshiping a god/goddess of some sort or the living God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-Pastor Mike Reed

i LOVE teenagers!

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

i do not however, love talking to teens about purity, but i do it anyway. our true love waits/purity/absintence study is always hard for me. think about it...do (or did) you look forward to talking to your own teens about sex? we were still in the hospital when it dawned on matt that he'd have to have 'the talk' with our son. (not that he won't share his thoughts on dating/relationships/sex with our daughter too, but he'd be the primary discussion maker with the boy!) i pray a lot about & before these sessions.

why? sex is everywhere! you can't look at a billboard, magazine, commercial, tv program, movie without it coming at you. for example, while probably from a marketing standpoint the go daddy commercials with danica patrick & women ripping off their shirts are by worldy standards gold, they are certainly not what i want my son to see! i really don't want my son watching women rip off their shirts. i know, i'm a prude! and i'm ok with that!

most students get some sort of relationship study in health class. CPR (creating positive relationships) is what some schools use. i use that as a launching pad for talking about what GOD thinks about relationships, dating, sex. the truth is that God created sex. all that he made was/is good. therefore, sex is good. BUT God was pretty specific that it should happen in a marriage relationship. wouldn't the world be a different place if all sex happened within a committed, monogamous marriage?!

anyhow, we talked about this for a couple weeks & then i gave students the option to make a commitment to purity until marriage. one student asked, "how can i make a commitment like this? i'm only 14!" what better time to make this commitment! your future spouse would be for it! another question was, "is it really possible to be in a relationship & not be doing it? does that really happen?" why yes! it really does! most people aren't going around talking about how abstinent they are or how they didn't have sex last weekend. wouldn't your spouse prefer that you not be giving yourself physically to someone else before you get to him/her?! we had MANY students make this commitment of purity till marriage! yahoo!

in one lesson illustration, we stuck a piece of tape on our leg. we pulled it off every so often. we realized after we'd done that a bunch of times that it didn't stick very well. the tape is sort of like our heart. every time we give more of ourselves away, we have less to give to our spouse. the question was, what do you want to give to your spouse someday? a limp, not very sticky piece or one that's adhered tightly? being sexually active with someone before we're married is giving some of ourself away. your spouse wants more. God wants more. (and the good news is that God is all about forgiveness & making us clean in the event we need it! we talked about redemption & forgiveness too!)

how beautiful being able to give all of yourself & all of your heart to your spouse someday! i'm thankful for students who made a commitment to purity. i'm thankful for students who made a recommitment to purity. i'm asking that you pray for these students. pray for them to remain strong. pray for their purity. pray they will not conform to the patterns of the world, but to be transformed into what God desires for their lives.

as a church, we gave students purity rings last sunday. how exciting! a little reminder of their commitment and a tiny way of shining their light in the world. thanks for loving teenagers too! our church family is amazing.

blessings,
liz simmonds

A lesson from the early 90s!

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Mark 5:25-34 "And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

I reread this passage last week and smiled when I remembered that my high school friend's mom excitedly shared with me one day her interpretation of these verses. First off, how awesome to have a friend and her mom so open about their faith. Second off, excitement about the Bible - wow! This is what has stuck with me, these are her thoughts, not mine, and they have been a blessing:

Jesus did not just heal this woman from her bleeding. He made her WHOLE. He could have left knowing she would not bleed again. But He was concerned about her soul, about making her whole. He healed her shame. Healed her embarrassment from being shunned by others. He healed the unworthy way she felt about herself by stopping in His tracks to love her openly. Jesus is not content to just heal our wounds, He wants to make us entirely whole.

-Nicole Breedlove

Quote

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

-Submitted By Cindy Rusk

Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

I have heard many people say how Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday. I have to admit that I would have to agree, really how else could you account for the amount of pink hearts everywhere! Even Christmas with all the trees and lights…it is NOTHING like the inundation of “the hearts”. Now maybe my attitude is because I have never been much of a “heart” person, or maybe because of the number of pink bridesmaid dresses I have worn. Anyway…let’s all agree that it is a Hallmark holiday, can it still serve a purpose? Can it still be a reminder to make people stop and acknowledge those who they love in their lives? So maybe if you don’t like how commercialism has taken over, just take a moment of your day to let those you care about how much they mean to you. Words are powerful, use them for good :)

Blessings,
Abbi Wilson

How Do You Not Share?

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

This weekend at church we are finishing up our series of "Growing As Disciples" with "Witness", the idea of sharing what God has done in your life.

It was funny, just the other day I read the story of Jarius' daughter (it's in Luke 8) where Jesus raises the girl from the dead. There was a little part I had heard and read so many times but didn't put it together.

In the story, the girl dies while Jesus and company are en route to her. When Jesus arrives he tells the mourners in the house not to cry, she's just sleeping. Then Jesus takes only Peter, James, John, Jarius and Jarius' wife into the room with the dead daughter. He raises her from the dead, but then says this:

Luke 8:56 ~ The girl’s parents were amazed, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened. (NCV)

How do you keep that a secret? How do you not tell people that your daughter is now alive? How do you manage to keep this on the down low with people in the other room mourning? Say thanks and ask them to leave? Do they ask the girl to never leave the house so people don't know she's alive?

So many questions. The funny part is as I type this I think about how I'm asking how on earth you can be silent about what God has done for you in this situation, yet so many people who Jesus didn't tell to be silent about what He's done in their lives, they have no problem at all keeping it quiet.

Troy Richards

A Trend

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Dave Travis, managing director of the Leadership Network, keeps a close eye on trends in American church life. You may be surprised to learn that one trend we will be seeing more of soon involves missionaries from developing countries coming to the U.S. They are already doing so, not just to minister among people from their homeland, but, as Travis puts it “under the wider mandate of the Great Commission.” (From Matthew 28, where Jesus tells his followers to go and make disciples.)

But wait a minute, aren’t we the ones supposed to be sending missionaries to other countries? Some of the people in other countries now view our nation as a place for missionary activity because we have so many people who haven’t become disciples or who have drifted away from churches.

I have read about and seen a segment on TV about a fast growing church from Nigeria that has big plans to start churches and reach out to all people in our nation. This coming week we will talk about “witness.” With the observation of Dave Travis in mind, “witness” is surely a timely topic for us. See you Sunday.

-Pastor Mike Reed

Courage

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

i'm reading harry potter and the sorcerer's stone with my daughter, rachel. she's a 4th grader & many of her friends have read the books and she's seen parts of the first movie when it was on tv. i agreed that she could read it if we did so together. it's been fun to see her reactions to a story that i read long before she was born!

i remember the hoopla and the worry about letting Christian kids read a story about a wizard--there's even still some of that today. i think she's strong enough in her faith and smart enough intellectually to know that the story is just that--a story. it's a fun adventure to read it together.

i'm excited that the next session will get us to the end. while there have been many lessons applicable to life throughout the story, i love the lesson on courage at the very end. dumbledore says this at the end.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

what a reminder for me of our call to hold one another accountable. while we live our lives trying to be more like Jesus, we need to help the others who are sharing our journey remember the goal. i am good at this sometimes and other times i stink at it. i often can't think of the right words in the moment or i am too full of emotion to find any words at all. i'm thankful for people around me who are good at this. i'm thankful for the people who hold me accountable and for the ones who hold others accountable when i fall short of the task. i'm thankful that they do so in love.

remembering to speak the truth in love is SO important in these instances. i'm praying to love more radically. to have 'crazy love' for others. (great book by francis chan btw!) i hope that God will give me the words to speak some truth in love into others when necessary. i'm praying for ears to hear when others speak truth to me. i'm praying for more courage.

how about you? do you hope that people will just tell you what you want to hear or that they'll tell you what you need to hear. those aren't often the same things. are you speaking the truth in love when necessary or spewing what comes to mind? i hope the former--especially if it's to me! that neville, what a guy!

praying for some radical, crazy love to be in your life!
liz simmonds

Keys For Living

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

1. The best way to get even is to forget...

2. Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death...

3. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts...

4. Some folks wear their halos much too tightly...

5. Some marriages are made in heaven, but they ALL have to be maintained on earth...

6. Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in 5 days, then perhaps giving "advice" to God isn't such a good idea!

7. Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up...

8. Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous. You will get knocked down by the traffic from both ways.

9. Words are windows to the heart.

10. A skeptic is a person who, when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it's a forgery.

11. It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill just add a little dirt.

12. A successful marriage isn't finding the right person-it's being the right person.

13. The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.

14. Too many people offer God prayers, with claw marks all over them.

15. The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it.

16. To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover the prisoner was you.

17. You have to wonder about humans, they think God is dead and Elvis is alive!

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. You'll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out its neck...

20. If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.

21. God gave the angels Wings, and He gave humans CHOCOLATE.

22. The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.

23. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.

24. You are richer today if you have laughed, given or forgiven.

-- Author Unknown

-Submitted By Cindy Rusk

42 days until spring…

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Is that a long time or not? I had a conversation with a congregation member about her family’s new baby goats, and I just have to smile on so many levels!

1. I love goats, especially baby ones…

2. Baby goats = other baby animals too…

3. Lots of baby animals = spring time and new birth…

So even when the cold and blustery weather doesn’t seem to end, I KNOW, that eventually it will. And with the green of spring comes the time of year for rebirth on many levels. Most importantly, the remembrance of the resurrection of Christ. So here we are pretty close the center of time between Christmas and Easter, I choose to look FORWARD!

Blessings,
Abbi Wilson

The Will To Prepare

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

This past weekend was the Australian Open. I don't watch a lot of tennis, but I like the slams, and for some reason I get the Tennis Channel free whenever they are on (which works for me).

During the men's final, one of the commentators said a quote that many have said in different ways. Paul Bryant (a football coach) said it, Bobby Knight (a basketball coach closer to home) also said it. Basically, it's this.

Many have the will to win, few have the will to prepare.

It's true. There are so many people who want the big title, the big job, the big whatever, but they don't want to take the time to put in the effort without a guarantee of a payoff. They don't want to do the little things that seem insignificant but are truly necessary for greatness (in my musical history, these would be known as scales).

Jesus said this is also true with our souls. A few weeks ago at Downpour (our Sr. High Bible Study) we talked about it. From the words of Jesus:

Matthew 7:24-27 ~ "Anyone who listens to My teaching and obeys Me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears My teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash." (NLT)

Notice the house wasn't built because we knew the storm was coming. Notice the house wasn't built, then a foundation was selected and the house later put on. The foundation comes first. If we aren't willing to do the little things to build the foundation of our soul, then when the true test comes, the tennis match or the storm, we won't be victorious. To win in life, we need to build that foundation.

So get out there and do what you can to build up your spiritual foundation. Read your Bible, pray, serve, talk with others, both who know Jesus and about Jesus to those who don't. Build for yourself the chance to win when the time is right.

Troy Richards

What a Hard Task!

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Following Jesus involves far more than what we believe. He told us to love God with all our soul, with all our mind, with all our heart, and with all our strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is much easier to say that to do, as, I’m sure that we all know. In fact, Jesus even makes it harder when he tells us to love our enemies. Consider this reflection from Living Spirituality.

“Jesus said, love your enemies. This remarkable command shows us something of what being a Christian is all about. While loving our enemies may not always be a possibility because of broken trust, abuse, betrayal, or oppression, a gracious extension of forgiveness is a necessary step. Love remains the target to aim for and then we must see how far we can come toward this in actuality. Love is to be a lens through which we act and through which we are seen and identified by others, including enemies.”

-Pastor Mike Reed

my favorite part of the week

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Let's play a guessing game; what was my very favorite thing that happened this week? Was it my family birthday dinner at a favorite restaurant? No. Was it hanging out with the Crazy-Fun Joy Band after rehearsal? Nope. Was it the church service? Three strikes, you're out of guesses.

My very favorite part of my week was one hour, a day after my kiddo got out of school. I picked her up and we went to a simple sit-down restaurant to eat and talk. I know we were there an hour because I faced a big clock. The food is not super at this restaurant, it's very quiet, but we had a great time. At some point my kiddo even asked me "so what did you do today mama?" We talked about her school, about redoing our bathroom, about her friends, we finished the little kids menu games. I let her order dessert and she was trying to decide between two, so I just ordered them both - whatever it took to keep us there in that dialog. The waitress stopped by one time and said how we look like we must always have such fun together.
The sermon topic this coming Sunday will be about 'time with family'. I urge you to spend one whole hour with a member of your family. Not with the TV on in the background to distract, not thinking about cleaning, not worrying about bills, not worrying more about eating a lot of calories or keeping things neat instead of what could make a memory. Just one hour completely devoted to a member of your family. It will be a great part of your week, and imagine the memory it creates of love for each of you.

You may ask, how can a church staff member not say church was the favorite part of the week?! I ask, how could loving your family not be a part of church?

-Nicole Breedlove

Rooted Monthly Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Check out this month's All Church Rooted Newsletter

Cell Phones Vs. Bible

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Ever wondered what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we took it with us when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
This is something to make you go...hmm...where's my Bible?
And unlike our cell phones, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

~Author Unknown

-Submitted By Cindy Rusk

Connected…

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

So here I am waiting to get cable and internet hooked up in my house today. I began to wonder…“What this will do for me?” It will get me “connected”, right? I now can email from home, watch whatever I want, whenever I want, surf the internet at all hours of the day, and generally become a better person J

Now four hours later as the process is being finished up, it crossed my mind…at what cost do we become “connected”? Will I reduce the amount of social interaction I have because I don’t need to leave my house? Will I constantly work from home because I have the ability to? Will I become frustrated when it is not working as I think it should? These are just some rambling thoughts as I am waiting to “make my life easier” through cable and internet being at my fingertips…

Blessings,
Abbi Wilson

New Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

For the next little while, Pastor Aaron will be taking a break from blogging. So for a while I will be adding to the church blog on Thursdays in his place. I will still continue the Fire & Water Blog (you can get to it from www.fumcfireandwater.com or http://fumcseniorhigh.blogspot.com (I try to update that one daily).

So if you want to get all my crazy thoughts, that's the place to go. Here I will try to keep the posts of a more spiritual nature, but you never know. Thanks for the opportunity and see you next Thursday.

Troy Richards

Signs a Church Is Social Media Savvy…

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

About a year ago, at the urging of our daughters and Troy and Liz, I became a member of Facebook (I don’t even know if “member” is the right term, but I’m on Facebook). I have found it a good way to keep up with people as well as connecting with friends from the past—even one cousin whom I haven’t seen in over 25 years. It has also helped me get better connected with some of you. So, I would recommend the plunge, if you haven’t taken it.

The recent edition of Leadership Journal offered these tongue-in-cheek signs that a church is “social media savvy”:

• Instead of handshakes, greeters offer pokes.
• Name tags have been replaced by current mood indicators
• The sermon text is limited to 140 characters
• Most common question: Did I go to high school with you?
• The invitation: Will you make Jesus your BFF (Best Friend Forever)?
• Colon-Capital D is the new Aaronic-blessing (It looks like this :D)
• Leaving for another church: “unfriending”
• You call the Bible “Faithbook”

Back to a more serious note, several groups in the church have established Facebook groups as a way to stay connected and share information. Join the Fishers UMC page today!

-Pastor Mike Reed

choose joy!

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

help or a hindrance?
is your glass half full or half empty?
optimist or pessimist?
positive influence or negative influence?
are you part of the solution or part of the problem?

i've had many conversations lately about attitude. what's causing the general feeling of negativity that seems to permeate everywhere? where have all the positive people gone? what is going on in the world and in our hearts that so much of what we see or notice is the bad? (now, evaluation and constructive criticism are necessary and not always negative...i'm a fan of those things.)

i really try to look for the good in things. i was told once that there didn't really have to be a lesson in everything(tho there often is). we learned an expression on the first jr. high mission trip i led at fishers umc that has stuck with me. it was the summer of 2002; i was 34 weeks pregnant, sleeping on an air mattress in chattanooga, tennessee in a building with no air conditioning and serving God's children at an inner city summer minsitry. what was the expression? choose joy. 2 words. very simple. what can we find in any situation that can help us to choose joy?

i was just fine sleeping, working, playing, worshipping, serving & more that week. i was excited to have 11 students serving & 2 men who really loved teens & the Lord. i had decided before we left that it would be a great week. sometimes your outlook on things has a great impact on the outcome.

for instance. i knew a woman who was trying to get pregnant. she had decided before she knew about the baby that she would be sick, miserable and unhappy during pregnancy. know what? she was. yes, she had horrible nausea & pregnancy complications. i really thing that her outlook changed the outcome. i had decided that being pregnant didn't have to change my life (having a baby would certainly do that!). yes, i threw up every meal. but i felt better until i ate again. i was swollen. but i finally looked like i had normal ankles! we both had happy, healthy babies. our expreiences were vastly different in getting to that point.

you can choose to wallow or you can look at the opportunity. i recently read about an out-of-work mama who was thankful for the opporutnity to have time with her soon-to-be kindergartener. her child was better prepared for school because of the time she'd had to teach and stretch her child's mind. is she happy to be without a job. not at all. is she choosing joy in her current circumstance? absolutely.

is everything always sunshine and roses? not at all. but there are more opportunities for joy if you are actively looking for them rather than looking for dispair. there are little slips of paper around the church with a quote about attitude. i'm not sure who put them out, but i think this person is wanting to prompt a change of heart. maybe this person is also feeling an air of negativity and dispair and is looking to make a difference in this act. now that's being part of the solution & not part of the problem.

where are you in the equation? choosing joy or choosing dispair? contributing to the problem or being part of the solution? think about it.

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

blessing to you!
liz simmonds

The Three Smiths

noreply@blogger.com (Fishers UMC) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time there were 3 Smiths; daddy Smith, mommy Smith, and 12-year old Smith. They had just moved and needed to find some rest after their weary travels. So they went to the first church they came to. They sat in the service, said hello to the pastor, sang with the music, gave their tithe, and then traveled home. They decided this church was 'too cold'. There had been no warm handshakes, no rousing music, no emotion from the pastor.

So the next week they went further to the next church they came to. There also they sat in the service, said hello to the pastor, sang with the music, gave their tithe, and then traveled home. They decided this church was 'too hot'. They had listened for 2 hours to every description possible of hell and brimstone and the agony of spending eternity in hell. The only option they heard given to avoid this misery was believing in God, Who was waiting to condemn with an iron fist, or else!

So the next week they traveled even farther to the next church they came to, not at all hopeful that this would be a better fit for their family in their new neighborhood. They were feeling very lost and unwelcome. In this third church they sat in the service, said hello to the pastor, sang with the music, gave their tithe, but then they did not travel home; the church was having a lunch to sponsor a missions team and 3 families in the church had personally invited them to attend with them as their guest. So the 3 Smiths and the 4 Joneses and the 6 Berrys and the 5 other Joneses stayed and enjoyed and lunch. The Smiths came back to that church every week after; joined a family Bible study, clapped and wept during the music, and left challenged by the passionate words of the testimonies and sermons. They decided this church was 'just right'.

-Nicole Breedlove