Pastor Jean in Cortez

Tonight I'm full of anxious energy.  Thanks to a wonderful team of volunteers who filled bottles with dish soap and hand soap, measured out baking powder into bags, and scooped lard into containers ( that  was the challenging task!)--we're ready for our first boxing day tomorrow.  We'll put together at least 160 boxes of food and 160 boxes of household supplies to be distributed by Native Grace members on Saturday on the Navajo Nation.  I'm anticipating a wonderful, hot, busy, hectic, chaotic, very satisfying day! I've made my lists and thought through my plans...and now it's time to calm myself and prepare for rest so I have the energy I'll need tomorrow.  When I need to calm myself, I often turn to the poetry of Ted Loder--a guy who is somehow able to put spiritual experiences into accessible words: Ground Me In Your Grace  (Ted Loder) Eternal One,      Silence...from whom my words come; Questioner...from whom my questions arise; ...

            Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,                the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 I got a phone call late this afternoon from a friend.  She called me to say good-bye.  Hospital staff were about to put her on a ventilator and induce a coma.  Her body was too weak to keep fighting her disease, and they feel this will give her the best chance of survival.  She was scared, to be sure.  And she believes she will not survive.  So she was calling to say good-bye. Communication was difficult.  She didn't have much strength to speak, and the background noise from hospital equipment made it hard for her to hear me.  I told her that I love her, and God loves her, and that whatever happens, God will never leave her.  I prayed with her.  I told her that I refused to give up hope.  I told her that's what friends do-- We hold ...

It's Almost May...do you have the new Upper Room devotional booklet?   You can pick one up in Fellowship Hall on Mon-Wed-Fri mornings or we can mail it to you.  Just email us or call 970-565-3002.  Church Mailing Address for gifts/tithes:  PO Box 1016  Cortez CO 81321  Thank you for your commitment to seeing the church through these difficult times.  You're the best! Navajo Nation COVID Relief Project is underway.   Today the first load of food and supplies was delivered to First UMC of Cortez.  Our garage is now a food warehouse! The only items we're having terrible difficulty locating are...you guessed it...hand sanitizer and toilet paper!  We may have some toilet paper coming our way from friends in Salt Lake City--but it will arrive too late for the first delivery day on Saturday.  None of the Four Corners area suppliers have any in stock to sell us.  If you have any TP at home that you're willing to share, we w...

We are dwelling in a strange land.  Our surroundings have not particularly changed.  Our perspective definitely has changed.  We feel off-balance, out-of-sorts, off-kilter.  It's not unlike the disorienting feeling we have when someone we love dies.  We are frozen in grief, and it seems like a personal affront that the world keeps turning, the sun keeps rising, people keep going about their business.  Everything is supposed to stop.  To freeze.  Because our life has stopped short in our pain. There is grief in our current situation--and it's starting to boil over into anger and frustration and rebellion.  We've got coronavirus fatigue and wish we could just wake up tomorrow and have the world back.  You know--the way it was before.  Before  the earth shifted on its axis.  Before  we had to go weeks and weeks without hugging a friend.  Before  millions of people lost their jobs.  Before  tens ...

It's always so quiet at the end of a Zoom online meeting when everyone signs out.  Community so immediately becomes solitary that it is a shock to my system.  Yet I know that we are all "Joined in Heart," even when out of sight and hearing distance. The Church Council met this morning.  Here are the updates: Church Photos:  If you ordered pictures when the directory photographers were here, y ou can pick them up at the Church Office on MONDAY, APRIL 27th from 10am-12noon.   You can also pick up a copy of the Upper Room Devotional Guide  at that time.  Please wear a mask when entering the office area.  Thank you! Worship:  Bishop Oliveto has strongly recommended that UM churches remain closed to  in-person gatherings at least through the end of May.  The "No More Than 10 People" public health rule is still in place, as is mask-wearing in public and 6 foot distancing.  Our plan for worship in May is as follows:   ...

Our world is full of good people. Let me give you a brief tour through my day surrounded by goodness: Today started off with a snuggle with one of my best "people"--Bo the dog.  It's wonderful to wake up to a loving, non-judgmental "person!" Before 9am, I already had a phone call and a text from Chris and Mary Lou offering to make masks for us to deliver with food boxes to folks in need on the Navajo reservation.  Two more offers came soon after.  We'll be able to offer masks to help prevent the continued spread of COVID-19 to people who are among our nation's more vulnerable.  Thank you! I arrived at Hope's Kitchen to be jokingly locked out by Sam Barrett--an arrival filled with laughter and good-natured teasing.  Pat Downey was there with his usual positive attitude and encouragement for all the volunteers.  Marsha Siglin was there--as she always is on Wednesdays and Fridays--in spite of her worry about her dad Marshall's illness.  Sadi...

Luke 10:25-29 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus replied,  “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” He responded, “ You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself .” Jesus said to him,  “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus,    “But who is my neighbor?” Who is my neighbor?   It's the question that moves us from thinking to acting, from theoretical to actual.  It's the question that turns us into genuine Christians. It's easy to say that we know what Jesus teaches us:  Love God and Love Your Neighbor.  Actually living it is a different story.  Jesus answered the legal expert's question by telling a story...the story of the Good Samaritan.  ...

The earth is the  Lord ’s and everything in it,      the world and its inhabitants too. 2  Because God is the one who established it on the seas;      God set it firmly on the waters.                                                                 Psalm 24:1-2   Our coronavirus crisis is testing our resolve, challenging our patience, hurting too many people economically....and giving our planet a much-needed and well-deserved break.  Satellite photos show remarkable declines in air pollution all around the world.  My friends in Salt Lake City report actually being able to breathe AND see the mountains clearly!  We're using much less gasoline.  Carbon emissions are down.  If we're looking for a Silver Lining in this difficult time, maybe this is it:...

My older brother introduced me to David Bowie and his counter-culture music when I was way too young to appreciate it.  Bowie was definitely a commercial success with many of his songs--but commercial/financial success was not his motivating factor. He was driven by his creativity.  He continually re-invented himself all through his life and career.  David Bowie was not afraid of changing his life.  One of his most popular songs is called "Changes," and one line goes:  Turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes... Well...I thought we were getting pretty good at facing the changes through all of this crazy COVID-19 crisis.  We've adapted to government rules and orders, and the bishop's recommendations, and social distancing.  But we're not done yet!   A friend reminded me today that this is a marathon, not a sprint.  If we sprint, we just get tired--and then we may not have the energy to do the ministry God is calling us to do. I have embrace...

Keep Your Face to the Sun and You Cannot See the Shadows. This quote is often attributed to Helen Keller, although it has many sources.  I first learned it when a youth group teenager cross-stitched it for me as a gift.  She learn that I was diagnosed with Lupus, and wanted to offer her encouragement.  I still have the sampler.  It is a much-needed reminder when life offers challenges--especially challenges that seem to last far too long. I believe that following Easter, many of us began to chafe at the restrictions placed on us by this coronavirus pandemic.  We made it through Lent and surely Easter was the beginning of New Life, right?  Turns out that spiritual New Life isn't always matched by new and exciting circumstances--and so we continue our daily routines and precautions even though the natural world seems to be bursting into Spring without us.   It's so much more fun discovering the new buds and blossoms if you have someone to...

Please don't try to find a unifying theme in tonight's post....there isn't one.  Just some random thoughts after a somewhat scattered day... Church COVID Crisis Joke: So...Easter was a little different this year.  Jesus was resurrected, but when he left the tomb he saw his shadow and ran back inside and now we've got 6 more weeks of Lent!  😲 ========= It's been a rough couple of weeks for Bo, my canine companion.  Two weeks ago he had surgery to remove a tumor on his backside.  He did so well under anesthesia that they decided to clean his teeth, too.  Poor guy!  After the complication of an infection and antibiotics, he is doing well...so well, in fact, that today he got a bath.  He was less than thrilled--and his crying didn't shorten the ordeal, because I was too busy giggling at how much (when sopping wet) he resembles a very soggy rat.  I think he's forgiven me--at least he ate my peace offering of chicken treats.  Tomor...

Start where you are                       Use what you have                                            Do what you can                                                                  It will be enough                                                                                                            --Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player--in spite of being t...