'spiritual growth' Tagged Posts
Curiosity
March 15, 2023A Note from Pastor Jon Dear Friends, Curiosity killed the cat? (But did it really?) Growing up I remember when I found myself asking too many questions (never understood what that means) that the grownups started saying, “You know, Jon, curiosity killed the cat.” It only took a few times of hearing that statement before becoming conditioned to stop asking questions out of my own curiosity. My curiosity was often stifled and discouraged. As an Enneagram 9 (see…
Seasons of Change
March 8, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, This week, my younger child turned 13. I remember people telling me that the time would fly by. Most days it didn’t feel like that. So much of parenting is the little moments, the daily routines, the consistent showing up to the needs that are happening in the present moment. It’s slow and steady and repetitive kind of work. So many days I felt like a broken record repeating the same…
Learning in Community
February 22, 2023A Note from Beth Palmer Dear Friends, I have always loved school. I can remember all my elementary school teachers’ names. I loved learning and being with my friends. I still remember the satisfaction I felt at coming up with an enormous list of homonyms in about third grade (words that sound the same but are spelled differently, remember?). I still have some of my artwork. High school wasn’t my favorite, but I remember a great physics class…
The Bible
January 15, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, I’ve had an evolving relationship with the Bible over my life. As a child, I found the stories presented to me on flannel boards mildly interesting. Aside from the story of Jonah and the whale (a favorite of mine), I wasn’t particularly drawn in by the church services or Sunday School lessons. Jesus seemed like a nice guy, but very distant from my actual life. I did, however, read my Bible…
Anxiety
February 1, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, Over the years, I’ve started to notice the telltale signs in my body that indicate that things are off. Achy shoulders and a stiff neck? Usually I’m feeling SAD. Headache and sinus pressure? Usually I’m OVERWORKED and need a break. Tightness in my lower back or trouble breathing? Usually I’m feeling ANXIOUS. It took me a long time to admit to myself that anxiety was something I struggle with. I used…
All Will Be Well
January 18, 2023A Note from Pastor Jon Dear Friends, In August 2020 I wrote a Letter of Encouragement that shared my struggles with a troublesome mantra that I had learned during Basic Training in the US Army. It was three words that for so long defined the way I took on any objective or project put before me: KILL THE HILL. Kill the Hill: Revisited I invite you to go back and read that reflection from 2020. We were in…
A New Year
January 4, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, Happy New Year, friends! I’ve always loved the ritual of turning the calendar into a new year. The energy that January brings with it offers a fresh start, and a chance to look ahead with renewed hope about what this year might hold. For many years now, I’ve been in the habit of taking some time to reflect on the prior year and thinking ahead into the new one. This year,…
A Blessing for the New Year
December 28, 2022A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, As we turn toward a new year this Sunday, we offer a word of blessing from one of my favorites, Jan Richardson. May this year be filled with blessings, and may each of us be ready with open hearts to receive… Blessing the Threshold This blessinghas been waiting for youfor a long time. While you have beenmaking your way here,this blessing has beengathering itself,making ready,biding its time,praying. This blessing has beenpolishing…
The Art of Listening
December 21, 2022A Note from Ginny Fisher Dear Friends, What does it mean to really listen? How do we listen? Why do we listen? How can we improve our listening ability? These are some of the questions that the Art of Listening class has been diving into over the past seven weeks, with the guidance of Kay Lindahl and her book The Sacred Art of Listening. True Listening Kay tells us that truly listening to someone (even yourself!) requires an…
I knew it was a God thing…
December 7, 2022A Note from Debbie Detrick Dear Friends, This past Sunday, we shared the announcement that I’ll be retiring on January 8 as the organist/pianist/accompanist at HUMC. I’m sitting here at my computer and thinking about many things I would like to say. I have loved my time here at Hilliard Methodist Church. Thirty-seven years ago, I was invited here as a substitute organist when the former organist was on vacation. When he resigned and I auditioned for the permanent…
Growing Older & Loving Every Minute of It
October 5, 2022A Note from Marilyn Hoeflinger Dear Friends, In November I will celebrate 70 years on this earth. I’m not sure what 70 feels like, honestly. In my mind I am 20, wait, 35, no, most likely 42. I’m not sure why I settle on that number, but when I think of what I want to do and how to do it, it is the body I had when I was 42. When I could sit crisscross applesauce in…
Beginner’s Mind
September 28, 2022A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, When it rolled around two weeks ago, I didn’t expect this birthday to be as hard as it was. I’m halfway through my 40s… halfway to 90. It wasn’t so much that I was feeling old… (After all, 45 is the new 35 or something?) Instead, I was pondering the reality that there’s a good chance I’ve already lived more than half of my life. In one of my favorite Richard…
- 1
- 2