June 27, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on Jun 27, 2022 in Text Devotions |

Today’s devotion is a simple but, hopefully, meaningful focus on The First Song of Isaiah. Read and meditate on the scripture below and bring it close to who you are and who you and God hope you will become.

 

Isaiah 12:2-6
Surely, it is God who saves me;
I will trust in Him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing
from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say,
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among all the peoples;
see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things,
and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy,
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

 

This rings so truly and joyfully inside me as I do my morning meditation that I am urged to share. We know this passage perhaps. But do we know it? Be open to what is says to you today. There is a way of reading scripture known as Lectio Divina where in its essence you read the passage slowly 3 times and be mindfully aware of what might speak to you in particular in the text. If part of the text jumps out at you, then spend some time focusing solely on that.

This is merely another way in which to stay close.

 

~Shauna Weil

A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC

 

Please take a listen to a musical version of this scripture passage. Great choir pieces have been written based on The First Song of Isaiah and they are indeed worthy, majestic, beautiful and of God.

Today I have chosen a simpler version, kind of upbeat and though it is attributed to Cathedral Church of the Advent which sounds big and impressive, these people seem like you and me, who maybe have been given some gift of musical talent and they are sharing it in a very accessible way. Join them in experiencing scripture through music. There is also a youth playing in this offering and that is something that always grabs my heart and spirit.

Be blessed today, Devotioneers, and share that blessing with others. ✝️♥️
 

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June 15, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on Jun 15, 2022 in Text Devotions |

 

Today, I am going to let the marvelous writer Henri Nowen share some thoughts related to the picture and quote above from the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. But first, please read a little bit about this man who made a tremendous impact  in his lifetime and continues to influence religious thought today. 

Who was Henri Nouwen?

A Spiritual Master for Our Times

Henri Nouwen was a Dutch-born Catholic priest, professor, psychologist and prolific writer. He taught psychology at the University of Notre Dame and pastoral theology at the Divinity Schools of Yale and Harvard before leaving academia to become the pastor at L’Arche Daybreak, a community for people with intellectual disabilities. A master communicator, Nouwen wrote and spoke with great openness and vulnerability about faith, spiritual formation, prayer, social justice, and other themes related to the spiritual life. He wrote thirty-nine books that sold over one million copies in his lifetime and were translated into more than thirty-five languages. Today, book sales have surpassed seven million copies. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1996. He was 64 years old. 

Reflect again on the words Sarah Young wrote above as if Jesus is speaking directly to us. Below is the first quote from Nowen that speaks to what an undertaking it truly is to release control. Take time to think about the quote and your own personality and faith life. 

‘One of the most arduous tasks is that of giving up control and allowing the spirit of God to lead our lives.’

So, being real, Nowen acknowledges that this is not gonna be an easy thing for most of us. This next quote from him leads us deeper and asks us to learn to sit in the pain and ambiguity that life can bring to us. 

‘ It is there that God loves us deeply and pulls us into deeper communion with himself. God is a God of the present. God is always in the moment, be that moment hard or easy, joyful and painful. To learn patience is not to rebel against every hardship.’

It is in these difficult and joyful life moments that we can practice being better disciples. The next quote by Nowen shows that he believed God is really actively working in your life but is sure to let us know we have our work to do too. I love it. It’s not going to all be laid out very clearly for us – we have to learn to be observant and grow in our faith our whole lives in order to try to keep up with God. I appreciate immensely the message in the following short little quote. 

‘Pay attention to the people God puts in your path, if you want to discern what God is up to in your life.’

Finally, Nowen reveals in the quote below what we need to do to enrich our lives and partner with God under His control and with God’s Beloved everywhere. 

‘The more you are called to speak for God’s love, the more you will need to deepen the knowledge of that love in your own heart. The farther the outward journey takes you, the deeper the inward journey must be. Only when your roots are deep can your fruits be abundant.’

 

To deepening our faith together,

Shauna Weil

A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC 

 

Henri Nowen has many books on different aspects of faith. His writing is beautiful and clear and is positively inspirational as he writes often from a very personal perspective. Very accessible. Check out your favorite book buying haunts for his titles or your local library. 

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June 7, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on Jun 7, 2022 in Text Devotions |

PENTECOST!! It’s always an exciting day to celebrate and we remember the Biblical accounts of what happened as the Holy Spirit descended and we can still feel that  Spirit move among us and into us today! It takes up residence and if we follow its guidance we can be so blessed! 

Biblically, it is announced by wind and tongues of fire being present. Neither one of those things is exactly predictable. There is an element of ‘danger’ perhaps in wholly celebrating Pentecost, right? Maybe not the ‘right’ word if you don’t want your life upended. I immersed myself into this Pentecost celebration. 

I spent worship at Grand Blanc UMC providing accompaniment and celebrated with God’s family there. I learned a new communion hymn to boot. It was an easy catchy tune that Pastor Brian connected to Pentecost as well. He and the tune taught us something important. 

We are all welcome to God’s table of grace. As Pastor Brian gave his sermon he was setting up tables. Their church setting has quite a few steps up to their altar where the communion host had been prepared and was waiting for us. He proclaimed the elements were for all of us and that God’s table of Grace was certainly for all of us. You think he couldn’t set up tables that reached that altar up all those steps? Well…. you are wrong! Those tables were at all sorts of angles on those stairs and all the while he sang that song. Some of the words were just for us – this is God’s table it’s not yours or mine. 

And Pastor Brian was intentionally loud about setting up those white hard form plastic tables. It was unpredictable, for sure. He banged them on the floor, he pulled out those metal legs with a clanging will, he flipped them up onto their legs with ear shattering God-backed bravado until all was ready and the people were invited to come to the table perfect as it had landed. 

I couldn’t have predicted the manner by which he set up those tables. You could not miss the set up and all who heard came and gathered round all spots being equally perfect, up stairs and down stairs and flat on the ground stairs. It did not matter where the body and blood met them for the table was truly open for everyone with no exceptions. 

Once we finished singing the song Pastor Brian had taught us, I kept on playing as all were fed and all returned sated to their seats and the elements were taken care of. It was the most beautiful  and joyful communion service I have been part of in a long time! 

I had been well and truly blessed and went out into the slight rain of God’s new day and my new life. You can watch the service on YouTube by looking up Grand Blanc UMC worship 6/5/22. They have 2 services, I was at the 11:00. Pastor Brian has a big voice so I’m sure his message will carry to all who watch. I awoke this morning still feeling as if my relationship with God has been renewed and it is still fresh and beautiful! God’s table is not yours or mine. We don’t own it – God does – and he invites all to come and that means everybody. Period. 

Go forth and celebrate that God reigns supreme, not us. Now that is worth celebrating!

 

~Shauna Weil

A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC 

 

I have included the ‘new to me’ song we sang from YouTube. This clip was made for use in worship complete with hymn lyric slides and a song leader just so you can share in the song we all sang. Mind you, it doesn’t have the highest production value but the tempo is good. You might even be singing along by the end.
 

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June 2, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on Jun 2, 2022 in Text Devotions |

 
Lessons learned about staying close to God.
 
When Stephanie, my daughter, and I went to Utah to hike in the ‘Mighty 5’ National Parks, it was an amazing, exhilarating, exhausting adventure. One I would never give up though I pushed myself and my endurance to the limits while Steph was still boppin’ around like a billy goat.
 
We usually hiked early in the morning for our large hikes of the day and then in the afternoon we would often set out again to conquer a more minor route the park had to offer. Many times I was not ready for the second quest of the day. Steph, however, is a good and shall I say ‘persistent’ cajoler. I would eventually rise from my hotel room bed and set off with her dreading the hike’s elevation gain (out there you are either climbing up or down, only small bits of level ground), as it seemed like a brutal test of my endurance and determination. And I often whined like a puppy and had to stop. I hate to say it but respite was necessary for me to go on and I’m assuming the whining was necessary too embarrassing as it was!
 
As a child, Steph was the ‘Trail Whine Queen’ dawdling along and whining the whole time – the whole family suffered it and called her by name. Talk to Steph she has many sad stories of hikes in her childhood and youth. And it is also true that in both eras, hers and mine, it did indeed affect our pace. I say, “So what?!”
 
Steph tried many tactics on me and we always finished the adventure with me saying that was a great hike! There were beautiful sights to behold and unique things of quiet beauty to simply absorb and I ended with, I’m so glad you made me do it!
 
Above is a snap of a sight I spied on an afternoon hike and moved on past. I was the crippled leader on the trail at that point but I was thinking of the thriving bright red flower nestled in among the thorns of the cactus plant as I pushed on. I thought in a split second that that is how we should live with Jesus in our lives. With the reminder of his suffering, pain and absolute gift he gave to us so close so that we wouldn’t forget the greatest sacrifice the world has ever known. Yet, we do not have to bear any scars from living so close to the thorns that brought to mind the crowns of thorns thrust about Jesus’ head as a symbol of shame and an act of cruelty.
 
With that time spent in thought, I had gained a few feet of elevation but I turned abruptly and asked Steph to go back and get a snap of that. I just couldn’t think of letting go of the hard earned elevation I had gained because my body was tapped out and we still had several miles to go on the hike. I simply couldn’t lose that minimal smidge of elevation only to have to turn around and work to gain it again. But my energizer bunny could go back down the trail and snap the shot with no problem. She did while saying, Ohhhhh, there’s a devotion in that for sure!
 
She was right, but it has taken all this time for the devotion to have its example. How do we live this close to Jesus? How do we stay so close to God that we are there when he offers us important opportunities to say “Yes, God, here I am, I’ll go.” Though the thorns in the picture are fearful looking, they will not harm us for they are now not of man but of God and Jesus as he took the harm so we would not have to bear it. We are beloved whether we deserve it or not? So what to do? We nestle in like that amazing red flower of the desert.
 
This is what can happen if you remain just that close to the thorns he bore for us. The joy of it is beyond expressing. Here is what I mean.
 
Over the holiday weekend, I reached out to one of my mom’s dearest friends (my mom had more than one dearest friend) to remind her of the great love my mom had for her in life and what a special friendship exists among our two families. This friend is Jo Ann Miska, aka Dearie of the South. My mother was known as Dearie of the North. They often called each other this and skipped using their given names. It all started as a joke and it stuck.
 
Jo Ann lived in Ortonville to the south and Mom lived in Goodrich just barely to the north or beyond wherever they were appointed from where they met when we were appointed to Waterford church. That church ended up quickly being a Waterloo for us and the year in that congregation took a great toll on my mom and dad. My mother especially suffered from the parishioners snobbery and their cruelty as their end game was to have us go away and as quickly as possible. Out of this massive turmoil was born an enduring friendship. It saw the Dearies through years of joy and laughter with their families as we grew up and times of great sorrow with each losing a son to cancer, Billy and Stephen, far far too young for either son and leaving gaping holes in each of their lives as mothers and wide craters in the lives of each member of our respective families.
 
We texted about the nature of their friendship which is a rare thing to find and sustain in this world for as many years as they did. Dearie of the South responded with something beautiful that made me think again of the picture on my camera roll that I wanted to use in a devotion some day. She said, “Meeting your mom all those years ago truly was a thin place of God.” See! Sometimes we are actually that close to God! You know if Dearie of the South and Dearie of the North hadn’t been on their faith games – they could have missed that thin space between us and God.
 
Oh, he will present other opportunities but why miss even one when something so intensely marvelous might be born to help us and others along our hikes. Dearie of the South knows that God had a definite hand in bringing them together and binding them for life. They each cherished what was God given and nurtured the new life he brought into their world and the worlds of everyone in both of the families. For it was indeed precious!
 
My mom and Jo Ann Miska were not extra special in the eyes of God – they were and are beloved just as we each are. Such gifts are offered to us as well in life if we only but seize them and nurture God’s life force among us. So….nestle in.
 
And that’s an Amen!
 
 
~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC
 
An oldie but goldie song accompanies this devotion. You can listen to it from different vantage points; it’s an interesting meditation. Listen as yourself, as your friend, as if Jesus was the friend you had in mind or vice versa and on and on. One comment about the lyrics, no bows needed. You’ll know what I mean.
 
Here it is from the 70s by Andrew Gold – “Thank You For Being A Friend”.
 

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May 25, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on May 25, 2022 in Text Devotions |

The world has me in its grip. Should I be content in that being the primary thing that holds me? That consumes me? That causes me to consider that overused clever wording – dis-ease and it’s presence in my life? Is ‘that’ all there is? NO! It cannot be so!
 
I know God is near but not near enough in the time when there are hours yet before a ray of sunshine will light this part of our ever-traveling globe. It is dark now and the darkness seems to mimic and magnify the fears that can trace their way through my brain at a pace that seems faster than the speed at which we travel through the universe. This is probably not possible and quite possibly something that is realistically immeasurable. And beyond that, isn’t a calculation of that nature a use of time and energy that need not be expended? I mean, really! Who actually needs to know such a thing even if it could be figured out? Of what use is the answer if we gain it?
 
Aren’t we really looking for answers that lead us toward growth, toward deeper understanding, toward who we are supposed to become, toward where our next step on our journey should be placed but without the fear that one small misstep could be the undoing of all things. We are not so grand as to casually assume such power in this universe. Our Creator God has that power, not us, certainly not me, nor do I seek it.
 
I seek being present and in God’s presence.
 
I seek being a gift giver but not to be the Gift.
 
I seek to be joyous but not to be the spring from which true Joy flows.
 
I seek to love but not to be more than a servant of the true lover of my soul.
 
I seek to be humble but not to be greater than the least of those who were near to the One who first taught us what it is to live in holy humbleness.
 
I seek mercy true heartedly, whole heartedly but do not always recall that where I see failure upon failure, it is God who truly knows my heart, my nature and my intent.
 
I seek to be transparent with God in such an earnest almost silly human way as if I do not remember that my Father knows me even before I know myself.
 
I seek grace time and time again on my journey but worry that I do not always walk steadily in the assurance that it will be freely given each and every time I call out.
 
The light will come. Oh, it will come. And in that light it will be revealed that these words that came to me in the dark are indeed true:
 
‘My heart can know no other thing but that You, my sweet Lord, are everything.’
 
These words have me in their grip.
 
 
~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC
 
I had found two songs I had thought might be good for this devotion it something held me back. I was listening to the radio and Lauren Daigle came on, one of my favorites, singing Look Up Child. This is a song Kim Drobnich has shared that she hangs onto. I listened and thought of Kim hanging on and me trying to find something to hang on to and the words just crept inside me and told me what to do. Look up, child….
 

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May 20, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on May 20, 2022 in Text Devotions |

I could hear the back door of our house open and a farmer clomp in wearing barn boots, the entrance was followed by a large sigh. I knew this to be my husband Dan and something was frustrating him and causing him to lose precious minutes of work. I called out, “What’s wrong?” Thinking perhaps the sky was falling. (It does some days, you know, according to Farmer Dan and his sighs.)
 
The response: a frustrated exclamation, “I have a sliver and it’s deep.” That means we expediently go about gathering all the necessary articles, get in good light and begin our work. We differ by familial history on how to remove slivers – Weils get the sewing needle out and start digging around in the flesh with jabs and pokes. Yikes! Crumm’s, my maiden name, use tweezers to get the job done as delicately as possible. After almost 40 years, we have agreed that both instruments have their benefit. ( But no jabbing or poking allowed.)
 
The sliver was deep, so I started with the needle carefully sliding it just below the top layer of skin and peeling it away to get to the next layer and so on peeling back layer after layer. Eventually we arrived at the sliver embedded in Dan’s thumb. This is where I employ the tweezer to remove the offending intruder that was stopping Dan from work that needed to be done. Success! A moment of acknowledgment that that sliver had to come out, some time of careful, sometimes a bit ouchy work and finally the sliver was gone. Dan was ready for service again.
 
See the picture above of Dan’s thumb and the retrieved sliver lying across the tip of his thumb next to where it had been lodged. Yes, he has farmer’s hands rough and sturdy but if you look carefully, you might be able to see those layers that had to be pulled back to reveal that rascally offense to his body.
 
This was a very visceral reminder of Pastor Joel speaking on the following passage a few weeks ago.
 
Luke 6:41
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
 
Why do we do this?! I know I have been guilty of it. I’m pretty sure you have too. We can’t serve our God properly if that plank in our own eye is not removed. I can’t even talk about removing something from my eye – it’s too gruesome for me, but I can think of removing that sliver from Dan’s thumb. That sliver caused Dan to quit his work and immediately come home to seek help in removing it. Afterwards he was ready to get back to work free and clear of the thing that was hampering him.
 
Ripping the plank from our eye is not the answer, just as we did not rip Dan’s thumb open. Gather your tools first: prayer, faith, gentleness of heart, courage, steadfastness, your strong belief that God can make us whole, and your need to be able to serve that same God with as few impediments as possible. Start gently with God, the Attending Pysician present, peel back the layers that uncover just how to remove the plank properly, without hurting or damaging ourselves more in the process. God doesn’t want that but he does want us to get to the source and heal it so that we can get back to the work of praising our Savior, helping others, serving as our gifts call us, and being kind to everyone even if we see a speck in someone else’s eye.
 
I think the layers are important and require patience with ourselves in this process and patience with God; for while we remove the plank in one eye there may be another in the other eye rendering us blind to the truth that he is always with us. Here’s another way to think of it – when it’s cold outside or we’re getting ready to hike, sometimes we use the phrase, ‘layer up’.
 
Layer up means get ready by dressing with many layers so you can then peel them off as the journey demands. Begin today! Peel back the layers ever so lovingly to reveal what lies in your eye or perhaps your heart – sometimes what we have to confront is not pleasant to us and is very hard to move forward on – but lean into the hard edges for that is where we grow. If what you see is not of God – remove it. ((Not as simply done as said.) DO THE WORK! Then, similar to Farmer Dan you will be ready to continue your journey with a fresh heart and a new awareness of who you can become.
 
 
~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC
 

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May 10, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on May 10, 2022 in Text Devotions |

I’m listening this morning! I heard Austin French’s Wake Up Sleeper this morning – I liked it but made me think: Doesn’t Bach also have a Sleeper Awake? Listened to it too – it’s very pastoral as an organ piece and the cantata part was in German. I don’t do German at all so read more about it. Sleeper Awake (I also noticed there are many versions of the title based on translation from a Lutheran hymn prominently using Matthew 25:1-13 as its base but also drawing from Revelations as well. There is a strong call in the wording to BE READY! SLEEPER AWAKE!!
 
The Matthew passage is the parable of virgin brides and waiting for the Bridegroom. Take time to read it and you will see that half of the brides did not prepare properly for waiting for the Bridegroom. He was oh so long in coming, for we do not know the hour or the day, that they had run out of oil in their lamps and could not meet him. To get another idea of the theme perchance you remember the Sunday school song about Give Me Oil in My Lamp to keep it burning, burning burning!
 
To keep on track I sometimes float things out to Mark Schulte – poor guy, I didn’t know he had flown to California for work, so I sent him an early bird text unintentionally. I do this to my son Drew in LA from time to time. Ooops! Mark was as gracious as my son usually is.
 
I thought his response was not only coherent (amazing as it seems he flew in late Sunday night) but has choice morsels to help us guide our path. Read for yourself:
 
A few thoughts:😳
I’m waking up this morning in Long Beach, CA this morning. Went to sleep at 2:30am EST with the alarm set for 6:20PST. The math worked for a pretty solid night of sleep for me. Unfortunately I awoke at 4:55am PST pondering if the alarm would really go off and a host of other things. It did and then I got this text aptly focused on awakening. I wasn’t tossing and turning…I was trimming my lamp for a week of conferences. Thanks for the reminder that I need to be looking for Jesus moments this🙏😎 week. -Mark
 
I thought I had always heard in my growing up music learning years that this was Bach having fun and he wrote it as a rather quiet piece and as he played the organ at church he had some passages that all of a sudden had the organ blaring for a couple chords to catch those worshipers who just might have fallen asleep. I did not hear this at all even though the piece is so very beautiful. Perhaps it is another piece and my mind is failing me but today I am crushed by this mythbuster this late in life. It was a fun fact for almost 50 years. It would have been good, right? I mean the myth had elements of greatness even to drive home the point in catching possible church sleepers and suddenly waking them up to remind them to be ready! Music can accomplish such wonderful things – so while, in this case, it did not happen, put the idea in your thinking cap for how you may remain ready for Jesus at any time.
 
Anyway, here are the two pieces back to back for your listening pleasure. First we have the J. S. Bach chorale rendition and then a more contemporary groove from Austin French. Both are worthy. Bach is simply delicious and peaceful and Austin has an upbeat call to alertness that is hard to resist. Give praise today and stay ready! 😊🎼🎶🫁(couldn’t find an actual keyboard organ emoji so this will have to do)
 

~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC
 

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May 6, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on May 6, 2022 in Text Devotions |

My mother was fond of buying devotional materials. Even after her death, I was still dealing with things she had ordered coming in the mail that had 30 days of enjoying before you either had to pay for it or return it. I am not the best at that kind of stuff in my regular life and you can imagine as I tried to deal with my mom’s absence while working to clear her apartment without her, I had enough to think of. Many of you have been there in this way or similar ways.
 
One piece of such mail lingered longer than others – it was in the familiar cardboard box book envelope and the outside told me it was some kind of Guidepost edition, something about a 2021 calendar super duper book option. It went into a pile and I moved on to what I deemed at that moment to be more important items.

Well, eventually, sometime in the beginning months of 2021 when I unearthed it again, I opened it and could see why my mom was attracted to it. It was a daily planner set up on a weekly basis and I think the cover caught me the most. It was a serene picture of an approaching sunset down a boardwalk onto a beach with a line of water in the distance and the sky radiating beautiful evening light. My father always loved to be near water, so like him, whenever I feel the need, I go to the water too. (Isn’t it great we live in Michigan?! I am thankful for sure.)
 
Whatever it was, the certain time lapse beyond the 30 days enjoyment period or that picture on the front or the idea that my mom might have used this daily had she been alive for the year to come; I bought it with every intention of using it as one way to help myself get through the first year hurt without her. I started with good will but soon I lapsed and the book acquired a position deeper and deeper in the stack and was eventually put somewhere out of mind.
 
Recently, I unearthed it again in search of another book. Seriously, folks, this is the way life works for many of us. I took it out again and was reminded of the reasons I bought this now outdated daily planner. It’s always a quandary, isn’t it, about what to do with things such as this – too nicely made to discard, especially since it was never really used. Yes, I came to the decision to use it in this second year without my mom which is in some ways even more difficult and more painful than the first. I really need it now!
 
But, yet again, it is still something of a quandary. Do you go by date which is annoyingly one day off or do you just start in January and blaze a new trail? I found it again at the beginning of May so decided to start there but to ignore calendaring as I’m rather confused anyway at times; don’t need to be pushed over the edge. I decided to just use its setup as a devotional as mom might have been doing last year. I do love the very idea in a way that pains a tiny bit in my heart if I’m truly honest.
 
So, last year on this day looking at the calendar, I’m telling you it was National Day of Prayer – if you just have to know the true date or if it still exists you may look it up. To me every day would be good to have as National Day of Prayer, so I’m goin’ with it; stay close.
 
I tell you all of this to tell you that I was struck by the scripture passages for May 4 and 5. Why did I have to tell you all of this?Because it is my story, it is unique to me, and it is part of what I carry with me as I do life. This notion of the things we carry and some of it being rich in story which shapes and forms us comes from my journalist brother who first brought this concept to recognition for me. He is right and I am more and more aware of the things we carry and how important they can be to us and how important our stories shared are to each other. We are all both tellers and listeners if we want to be whole at this and to garner richness in our souls.
 
The following verses have been the foundation for part of my story for this week which led to me calling forth and re-examining that which I carry as who I am and how I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God the Father!
 
Ecclesiastes 4:10
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
 
Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all of the Lord’s people.
 
We just finished an all church prayer vigil. I got to work with 3 special people to bring this into being and the things they carried became part of what we created together as we set up the vigil. It took all of us and that experience is now part of each of our stories. We helped each other up and onward. I have said many prayers of thanksgiving for each of these people in the days since the vigil, what if they hadn’t been there – it was so much better that they were!
 
I especially took to heart at the end of the Ephesians verse that said, “keep on praying for ALL of God’s people.” May we all be able to do that genuinely. Continue to carry, pray, share and listen as we go through this world for our space of time together. It is our God-given time, let’s not squander it.
 
I will continue on with this rather squirrelly calendar adventure I am on – maybe it was mom’s plan in the first place – I can see her laughing while saying, “Well, it seemed to me as if one might accomplish this if one had the right heart for it.” This does feel right as I have been carrying it for a bit so I am going to carry on with my God before me always bringing along the things which I carry. I’m goin’ with it; stay close; pray close.
 
~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC
 
Listen to Jordan St. Cyr and Weary Traveler as he tells us to carry on what ever we are going through. It’s all part of the journey – we will go with it and our God will go with us. He sings of a weary traveler but we don’t have to always feel weary we can be joyful, steadfast, jubilant, story tellers and listeners of stories as we travel. It is all possible in the great mystery of God and his plans for each of us. Stay close and continue to hold close the things you carry. They are important!
 

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April 30, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on Apr 30, 2022 in Text Devotions |

I am still thinking of Pastor Joel’s celebration of Holy Humor day, traditionally celebrated the Sunday after Easter. I had no knowledge of it until last Sunday but I loved the idea. I laughed at all the jokes and witty bits of humor included in the sermon and left the church that day filled with JOY!
How wonderful is that? Thank you, thank you Pastor Joel. I love to laugh, ha, ha ,ha. Loud and long and clear – just to dive into a bit of Mary Poppins for a spot of time. Laughing releases something in our bodies that creates JOY in the LORD for us to celebrate and pass on! Try it!
I went to talk to my Aunt Dorothy last week while she was in hospice but still responding with hand squeezes. (She has since died.)All kinds of emotions were present in that room. Love, sadness, happiness that Aunt Dorothy’s journey seemed to be a peaceful one, remembrance of all the ways she mentored all of us very quietly, deep appreciation for all that is God in situations like this, hard as it is, and joy and laughter filled the room at regular intervals as stories were told and retold. Aunt Dorothy was all about family and even though she dozed off at points, I’m sure she loved to maybe hear the laughter floating her way. She always smiled as the stories flowed around the rooms of her house and laughter followed on the holidays we gathered there or at my Aunt Sharon’s house.
When I arrived to see her, two of my cousins were there and my dad’s sister also a niece to Dorothy. I did not understand until I was fairly old that though my mom and dad were only two years apart in age from my Aunt Dorothy, she was actually my dad’s aunt too, so really, she was my great aunt.
Who knew? Not me – but our generations are all mixed up – my grandma was the eldest sibling and Dorothy was the last child of a huge family. My dad grew up with her and she even lived with his nuclear family at points. My dad and mom were very close to her and her husband, Ken. Dad and mom called her Dorothy and my dad’s sister Sharon, who is much younger than my dad, called her Aunt Dorothy. Confusing for a child. What was not confusing was the laughter that always engulfed our family gatherings. The people of my dad’s family are storytellers of the first degree and, boy, did they tell them! We were all Christian of some nature, and so the family foundation was built, not without rocky times, but surely stone for stone it was built on faith and laughter and joy for the things we shared when together and even when apart.
Joel’s sermon, reminded me that my mom and I felt we were closer to God’s world when we were laughing. And laugh we did!
Do not underestimate the source from which our humor can come – it can often be a celebration of the life God provides us. Let’s relish that and never forget! I can laugh right now with joy at my Izzie dog who brings me such joy but is currently lazing and sleeping beside me as I work hard to write some worthwhile words to you. She will open her eyes soon and turn her head to check on me. And then lop back down so relaxed and sure of this family’s love for her. I laugh right now (inside myself so as not to wake Izzie) because she is so sure of our love and yet we often wonder how God could possibly love us. Yes us, his own creation! We should laugh at our silliness and laugh for the joy that God does love us.
Let’s love to laugh!
 
~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC
 
Watch a classic musical dance number about laughing, and see some pictures that show me laughter and joy.

One shows me laughing high up near Angels Landing in Zion NP with the sheer joy of being out in God’s magnificence.
One of Maxine laughing for joy as she was bounced on a ball by Great Aunt Shauna. I was happy but could not laugh as my arms were hurting so much. Even that makes me laugh now!
There’s a picture of my oldest child Nicholas sitting next to my youngest Stephanie. I call them my twins born 7 years apart, they are so much the same. The thought of that makes me laugh all the time.
Then there is a picture of my mom, who was always excited about fully dressing up for Halloween. Here she is at 93 ready for the annual party! Happy and laughing, I assure you!
And finally is a famous picture of Jesus laughing – I have long loved it. I have often thrown my head back like Jesus and laughed when I see this.
Just let yourself laugh and see moments of your own life in these simple happenings – God was there, remember that! Shouldn’t be any different going forward.

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April 22, 2022 Text Devotion

Posted on Apr 22, 2022 in Text Devotions |

Sometimes you don’t need words from me to understand God’s message. I just came upon the video below put up yesterday on YouTube by Matthew West.
 
This is a song and a man’s story that should make your heart burst and fill you with joy. But don’t be surprised if you still feel the flash of a painful sting that rises unbidden from within – God wants us to understand and care for the pain of others while still deeply knowing that all joy and peace comes from him. This man got it. Hallelujah!

Can we?
 
~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC
 
We can. You must watch and listen.
 

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