Pastor Jean in Cortez

  On Wednesday evening, we gathered outside the Cortez Hospital to light candles and pray for all of our community's healthcare workers.  20+ people attended, representing 3 churches--Methodist, Episcopal and Nazarene.  Jim Mimiaga from the local newspaper attended, took photos and wrote a generous article which can be found here  https://the-journal.com/ articles/194592 Early on in this pandemic--back in March and April--a great deal of attention and appreciation was shown to our healthcare workers.  People shouted from open windows and banged pots and pans each evening to show their support.  Meals were delivered to hospitals and clinics.  Banners thanking healthcare folks were hung from buildings and bridges.  All of this took place while our local Montezuma County, Colorado, numbers were very low.  We simply did not have the number of cases other parts of the country were experiencing. Now we have the numbers!  600+ cases so far in a...

  I have an idea.   After seeing so many healthcare workers speaking out on news programs about the horribly difficult COVID-19 conditions they are working with, I have an idea.  When this pandemic started, these healthcare heroes were being celebrated every night with cheers and noise-making around the country.  Now they are now struggling, for the most part, without any visible signs of support from us, the public.  It's actually worse than that. They are actually being attacked verbally and sometimes physically by people who tell them that the coronavirus is only a hoax and the healthcare folks are lying about all of it.  All while 255,000 Americans have died from this disease and many more are becoming very seriously ill. Nurses across the country report that some of their patients argue and deny the existence of COVID-19 disease--even as they are about to be intubated because they cannot breathe.  Medical workers are being yelled at, harassed...

PSALM 8 Lord , our Lord, how majestic  is your name throughout the earth!      You made your glory higher than heaven! 2  3  When I look up at your skies,   at what your fingers made—      the moon and the stars  that you set firmly in place— 4           who are we  that you think about us?          Who are we  that you pay attention to us? SSDD   It's a somewhat crass acronym that usually stands for  Same S--t Different Day.   Today I'm declaring a different meaning:   Same  Science  Different Day. I find that I am completely fed up with people--especially people who claim to be well-educated--who refuse to accept, admit, affirm, embrace, or even consider  that the scientists among us may have important information for us.  Information we can use to choose our course of ...

23  Psalm 139:23-14 Examine me, God! Look at my heart!      Put me to the test! Know my anxious thoughts! 24  Look to see if there is any hurtful way in me,      then lead me on the eternal path!     I am out of balance.    I know this because my body is acting klutzy:  tripping over extension cords and cracking a bone in my elbow;  bumping into furniture and collecting bruises;  dropping items for no apparent reason.   I know this because my brain is not working in its usual ways.  My attention span is jumpy.  I'm forgetting things that should be easy to remember.  I make decisions without thinking them through and thereby frustrate my friends.  I feel like I can't completely trust my judgment.  I find myself staring into space or just staring at the TV for way too long!  It just feels like my brain is foggy.  I call it "COVID Brain" --unclear thinki...

It's an unfortunate reality that when there is a crisis or disaster--someone will try to take advantage of distressed people and cheat them out of the money they need to rebuild their lives.  I saw it in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  "Construction companies" approached flooded homeowners and got them to sign contracts to repair their homes.  They required large down payments to "be sure you're at the top of the list."  And then they disappeared.  The next group of abusers pretended to be attorneys that would go after the fake construction companies and "get your money back"--and they required a sizable retainer to "be sure your case will receive immediate attention."  And then they disappeared too.   Con-men and -women seem to have no morals or ethics about ripping off people who are already suffering from a destructive and disorienting crisis. Why am I telling you this?  Because in the past two days, I've experienced THR...

Next Steps for the Navajo COVID Relief Project Words cannot express how grateful we are for the outpouring of love, prayers and donations that are empowering Native Grace Fellowship and First UMC of Cortez to respond in record time to the COVID-19 crisis on the Navajo Nation.  This is our United Methodist connection at its best! Including the final deliveries to be made this week, 500 households on the Navajo Nation have received Food, Household Supplies and Water from this United Methodist Relief Project.  Many of these families tell us that no one else has come to their homes to be sure they have what they need.   First UMC of Cortez members and friends worked to break down bulk foods and supplies into family size containers.  First UMC, Mancos UMC, Native Grace, and community friends packed boxes and prepared deliveries.  Native Grace members drove hundreds of miles to deliver supplies to even the most remote homes in the Southeast Utah porti...

As many of you know, we've had a canine companion at church for the past three years.  Bo the Church Dog came with me from Salt Lake City, where he was a "Foster Fail," meaning when I took him as a foster dog, I ended up adopting him.  Bo had many health problems--especially at first--and he captured my heart with how patient and polite he was with doctors and vet techs poking and prodding him.  "He's such a gentleman," they said.  Bo came to me with kennel cough, body rashes, ear infections, eye problems and ruptured anal glands.  When I adopted him, they had me sign a paper saying I was taking him "as is" (like a used car) and accepting responsibility for his health. It took a while, and not all of Bo's health challenges could be fixed.  But he remained a happy, loving boy to the very end.  Bo left us last week following a series of heart attacks and seizures.  I don't have to tell you that he is greatly missed--by me and his Auntie Rem...