A little Humor During times of Tragedy Ain’t sacrilegious!
Found this on FaceBook
It was in response to this post.
The Coronials Will have a life of their own Just like this virus
But, just in case my Haiku and pictures offend those who are in the midst of quarantine or have loved ones who are infected or family members who are the victims of this terrible pandemic, here is something on a more serious note:
My friend, Gloria, posted this on FB.
Some people are offended by the suggestion that we should dare to use the word, “Relax.” This is a time of heightened senses. A time to be on alert.
But ultimately, we know we are not in control. We know better than to believe someone who tells us he is… unless He is God.
So, God bless you, my friends. Trusting or Terrified? Afraid to make light of it? I understand.
But, a little levity is good for the soul, even in the midst of tragedy – especially when all the toilet paper is gone!
Today at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church, in Ennis, Montana, our pastor, Rev. Steve Hundley, began his sermon by telling us he had scrapped the sermon he originally planned. “It just didn’t seem to fit,” he explained to the sparsely attended congregation.
With this Coronavirus Pandemic spreading like wildfire around the world, and the first four cases being tested positive in Montana just yesterday, Pastor Steve felt God nudging him to speak to that topic.
So, here are my sermon notes from today’s message:
Terror or Trust?
We must always trust in God In the face of everyday life. We must turn to Him when We’re faced with terrifying strife.
We must trust the Mighty Fortress In the midst of Pandemic Fear. We must trust He is with us. We’re not abandoned; He is here.
Even when we learn that things Will get worse before they’re better, We still must trust the Lord. We must read His Word; believe every letter.
In Psalm 46, the Bible says The Lord All Powerful is right here. Especially in the midst of disasters, He tells us, “Do not fear!”
To really know God and believe In His love and care every single day, Takes a lifetime of faithful living With consistent prayer and walking His Way.
There will be days when we doubt Because God seems so far away. It’s days like that when we gather Together, listening to what God has to say.
We hear His Word and are reminded Of God’s faithful love and care. We believe in God’s good character And see His goodness everywhere.
We must know that God expects us To be His character witnesses today. Witness to the love of Christ, And spread it with what you do and say.
In our state of dread and insecurities, We are invited to live in the HOPE That only God can give to us. Will I become frozen in fear? NOPE!
Not only did Steve’s sermon encourage us to live in Trust (not terror), but his Prayer of Confession (printed in our bulletin) further inspired us to look deep within and examine whether or not we are:
more apathetic than active
more isolated than involved
more callous than compassionate
more obstinate than obedient
more legalistic than loving
Our Prayer of Confession continued, “Gracious Lord, have mercy upon us and forgive our sins. Remove the obstacles preventing us from being Your representatives to a broken world. Awaken our hearts to the promised gift of Your indwelling Spirit. Amen“
God Is Our Fortress God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear … “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
God Bless You! Bee safe – Bee well – Bee a Blessing TRUST and KNOW: God is with you.
What is one small act you can do to change Terror to Trust in someone’s heart today?
Protection needed! Our guardian angels are Working overtime.
Surround yourself with The love of family and friends: Your loving angels.
My friend, Maria Mendoza, gave these cuties to me.
Angels all around Reach out to bring you comfort. We all need them now!
Sanctuary lights Highlight the angelic tones – Angels softly play.
My mother-in-law created these Faberge’-like eggs
Angels sweetly pray For your safety and wellness. I pray for you, too.
Seven represents God’s number for completion. Seven angels sing.
This glass angel is a gift from Toni Bowen. She was here in this room before we bought this house.
Social distancing Suggests we sit far apart – Stand six feet away.
This ancient tiny bowl and antique carved angel with accordion are gifts from a friend in Germany
Sit in your own bowl And do not touch anything; Stay isolated!
Carry your concerns Like your heart in open hands – But wash them often.
My daughter’s mother-in-love, Denise Solioz, gave us this darling flute-playing angel.
Like the Pied Piper, Be an angel with a flute. Compassion plays here.
This lovely angel was among many in a box my mother left behind. She bought every angel in her nursing home’s gift shop before she died. I gave most of them away in her memory to the friends in her care facility. This, the largest of the collection, I kept as a reminder. BettyDeA believed in angels! She sits at the top of the circle staircase… guarding my daily coming and going.
We all need angels To guard coming and going In this Virus-age.
If you’ve followed my blog for awhile, you know that usually I post sermon notes after church on Sunday afternoons. I failed to do so last Sunday because I left behind the bulletin with my sermon notes. Today I retrieved it. So, here, my friends are my poetic notes from Sunday, March 8th.
Based on Numbers 21:4-9 and John 3:1-21; Sermon by Rev. Steve Hundley; recorded through JanBeek’s filter:
Let Your Soul Sing
Moses lifted up a bronze snake. Those bitten by a snake were saved; Not by anything they did or said, Not by the way they prayed or behaved. . It was by the grace of God that they Looked up at the statue and then The poison did not kill them. It was not by the power of women or men. . If we are to avoid being foolish, We need to admit our dependence And we need to acknowledge risk Wherever we happen to be in attendance. . We are dependent on God for life. It is He who guides our days. We, in our pride, think we’re in control – And we fools trust our own ways. . We cannot do for ourselves what’s needed To be independently self-made. We must trust and believe it’s God Who created us, and with His Son, our debts paid. . We must trust God to lift us up On the top of an eagle’s wing. His breath blows our life toward Him If we let our souls in His glory sing. . . Sing to Him today. Praise His name always.
God, You know our troubles, our concerns, our anguish. Bring peace and comfort to Your loved ones. Give us hope and assurance. Bring healing to the hurting, the sick, the lonely. Lift us on Your wing. Remind our souls to sing Your Praises and Trust in Your Promises.
I hope the link above will take you to this very inspiring post. In the face of a world-wide pandemic, our lives seem at peril. Our world is changing. So many events are being cancelled. We’re told not to shake hands and to keep our distance from others. We’re worried about whether we might be carrying and spreading the Coronavirus. The National Basketball Association just cancelled future games until further notice. Tom Hanks & his wife are filming in Australia and they just found out they have the virus.
We can live in faith or fear. The choice is ours. Be prudent. But, be positive, too. Choose happiness – and make that contagious! Go up and click on that link. It’s just what I needed to see/hear tonight.
Feeling pleased when I step off the scale I see that I am the “Biggest Loser” At my TOPS group this week. I have “Taken Off Pounds Sensibly.”
Now, the trick is to keep those pounds off! I have yo-yoed up 5 or 6 and down again For about a year now… and it’s discouraging! My body seems to like where it is, but I don’t!
I have a goal weight to return to … And when I reached it, I was the queen Queen of the Montana State TOPS Club. I felt good and fit my clothes better.
Why is it that I can gain 3 pounds in a week And then it takes three months to take them off? Do any of you have that trouble, too? At 5’0″ the weight goes right to my tummy!
I want to earn the “Best Loser” trophy weekly Until I regain that goal weight position… And then I want to KEEP IT OFF!! Do you have any tricks that work for you?
The basic structure of a tanka poem is 5 – 7 – 5 – 7 – 7. In other words, there are 5 syllables in line 1, 7 syllables in line 2, 5 syllables in line 3, and 7 syllables in lines 4 and 5.
The Tanka poem is very similar to haiku but Tanka poems have more syllables and it uses simile, metaphor and personification.
Ah, so it’s not just the syllable count that matters. The subject matter has to involve simile, metaphor and personification. Raise the stakes!!
What are Simile, Metaphor and Personification?
Simile = Both similes and metaphors are forms of comparison that compare words in a sentence. They can be used to make your sentences more interesting. How are similes and metaphors different? A simile is a word that compares words in a sentence. You can usually tell if a simile is present in a sentence when you see the words as or like. Don ate his salad like a vacuum cleaner. His arms were weak and felt like noodles. The thunder was as loud as fireworks.
Metaphor = Like a simile, a metaphor compares words in a sentence; however, instead of saying that one thing is like something else, a metaphor actually makes one thing become something very different by renaming it. A metaphor can sometimes use words like is, are, or was (and other words) to signal that a metaphor is present. However, a metaphor never uses the words like or as to compare. The smoke was cotton balls billowing from the chimney. You are my hero. The sun was a furnace.
Personification = Personification is the act of giving non-living things human characteristics. Here is a sample of a short paragraph that uses personification to describe a house:
Our house is an old friend of ours. Although he creeks and groans with every gust of wind, he never fails to protect us from the elements. He wraps his arms of weathered wood around us and keeps us safe. He’s always been a good friend to us and we would never leave him.
