Eden Prairie United Methodist Church
Connect with Us!
  • Home
  • Being Church
    • Crops For PROP
    • Serving Our Neighbors
    • Fellowship >
      • Women's Retreat
  • Children | Youth
    • Nursery
    • Sunday School (Preschool through 7th grade)
    • Especially for Families
    • Rooted (3rd - 4th grade)
    • Vacation Bible School
    • Middle School Youth (Grades 7-8)
    • Confirmation (8th-9th grade)
    • Higher Ground (10th-12th grade)
  • Music
    • Adult Music Opportunities
  • About EPUMC
    • Worship
    • Staff
    • Notes from Pastor Becky Jo
    • Lay Leadership
    • A Reconciling Congregation
    • Tumbleweed Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Annual Report
    • Sermons
    • Calendar
  • Prayer
  • Online Giving
  • Contact Us

Weekly memo: What about those books?

5/31/2019

Comments

 
The other day I began sorting the books in my office. The first phase was the disposition of a lot of the books that I had not opened in 30 years or more. I mean, I still had college textbooks on my shelves.
 
I’ve often thought of the books on my shelves as friends or at least old, familiar acquaintances. These books were companions in my life. It’s been difficult deciding which ones to keep and which ones to “recycle.” 
 
And then there are the books that I keep close to me. They are literally on the shelves closest to my desk. These are the books with the covers worn off, their bindings coming loose and their pages full of my scribbling. They are books that mean so much to me that like an old and trusted friend I want to be aware of where they are, always. I’ll have to do some rearranging to make room for them by my desk at home.
 
Today as I’m staring at a lot of half-empty bookshelves and a lot of full boxes, I’m thinking about all the rearranging that has gone on in my life and how many of these old friends were a part of the changes and inspirations, the adjustments and the transformations of many of my thoughts and feelings and a few of my hopes; one or two even altered my dreams. 
 
This of course includes all the authors of our scriptures; all 66 or however many actually wrote for the library we call the Bible and the Holy Spirit who inspired them all. I’m just now noticing that the shelf that has my Bibles is also closest to me. And I counted:  I have 23 different Bibles…from different times in my life. What is that?
 
I’ve counted it a perk of my vocation to have the opportunity to become acquainted with so many different people through reading their work.  And here is the thing; I also count it a privilege to read them in the context of preparing to bring them into your lives through these memos and sermons, our conversations and correspondence.
 
As I prepare to pack these guys up and take them home, I want you to remember that if I’ve said anything or sparked any interesting thought within you… I didn’t do any of it on my own… I have so many others standing behind me to whom I am forever grateful. 
 
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan

 
 
 
 

Comments

Weekly Memo: Living in God's kind of time

5/2/2019

Comments

 
ast Sunday we recognized our Children’s Ministry servants and leaders. It was great. The people filled to overflowing the area by the steps in front of the altar. It takes a lot of people to pull off something as great as our children’s ministry.
 
As Deb was calling attention to all the people and the different areas of service, she suddenly realized this would be the last time she would be standing with everyone and talking about the year in Children’s Ministries. It was one of those things you don’t think about ahead of time, and when it happens, the deeper significance of what is going on right in front of you is revealed.
 
After that Andrea Mardock came forward from the SPRC to introduce Rachel Casper as our new director of Children’s Ministries following Deb’s retirement, which happens after VBS. A lot of us know Rachel; she has been a part of our congregation for a long time. Rachel will bring a vibrant faith, a love of children and she has been around and involved enough to know most, if not all, of those already involved in our children’s ministry. Rachel will begin “shadowing” Deb in early June. 
 
As I was talking over the children being dismissed to Sunday School, I used the time to mention that the process of hiring Deb’s successor had taken longer than any of us thought it would. This was the very first opportunity we had to introduce Rachel, and it happened at the celebration of Children’s Ministry Sunday where we all had just shared an unexpected tear about Deb retiring. I sort of blurted out the old question,
                                                “What is that?”
In the category of “you can’t make this stuff up,” about 10 or 12 people from the congregation, without any lead or prompting or hesitation for that matter, said,
                                     “It’s God’s Kind of Time.”
As far as I was concerned we could have skipped the sermon…we didn’t.
 
We are getting it. And what I hope we are getting is that it is important to claim and name moments when our usual experience of time ticking by is transformed and becomes a moment of time that holds a deeper significance. I suspect there will be a few more of these in the next few weeks during worship. And when they happen, whatever feeling they evoke, it’s time to remember that we are living in God’s Kind of Time.
 
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan

 
 
 
Comments

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2012

    RSS Feed

Connect with us!
office@prairiechurch.org
(952) 937-8781

15050 Scenic Heights Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Picture
Picture