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Advice From a Bear Part 5 - Take a Good, Long Nap!

Hello everybody!

I am writing this on Thursday afternoon after very early start to my day, and boy, does taking a good, long nap sound like great advice from our friend the BEAR! How much would you love to curl up in a den, grab a fuzzy blanket, a comfy pillow and take a good snooze right now?

If you're wired anything like me - you might be saying "I'm too busy to take a nap." Being busy is one thing, but refusing to take a nap because of it is not a good thing!!!! In fact, because you are so busy is probably the BEST reason to take a nap! Besides, it's SCRIPTURAL!!!!!!!

The writer of Hebrews shares this with us:

• There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.
  Hebrews 4:9-10

Now, for the most part, the writer is referring to eternal rest with God in heaven for the faithful. However, what about rest here on Earth? God took a Sabbath rest on the 7th day when He finished His creation. Jesus took a Sabbath rest when He needed to; why do we often feel like we don't need one?

I think this may be a faith issue - and not so much our faith in God, but faith in others. At least for me it was. I remember working my fingers to the bone in the past because I didn't believe that anyone else could do what I could do. I liked having my hand in EVERYTHING because I didn't trust others to do as good of a job as me. Arrogant, to say the least, I must say. And my arrogance ended up creating a very tired, very burnt-out person. And that was not good for myself or anyone around me. How is that for a good and faithful servant??????

I have had to learn to take time off. I have had to learn how to let go. It does not come naturally to me. I am still not that great at it. But taking Sabbath time - resting, just being, spending quiet time with God, is not only refreshing for the body, it is also refreshing for the soul. I pray we can all remember that the next time we take on too much, or think that the world is going to fall apart if we take a break.

This Sunday we are going to talk about our first spiritual discipline - prayer and meditation. This is a great place to start in our efforts to take Sabbath time! I hope you will take the message to heart.

I think our friend the Bear is right on the money with this one. He goes and takes a good, long nap without another care in the world, and comes out in the Spring all rested and refreshed! Doesn't that sound wonderful?

Let's make a deal - Sunday after church we all go home and take one! What do you think about that?

Love in Christ,

Pastor Kathi

 

Hi friends! It’s Friday! I hope you were able to take some time to reflect on the Scriptures and the video I gave you to watch last week. Let’s continue on this joyful trek together!

We are fragile creatures, aren’t we? We are filled with joy one minute, and then we are frustrated the next when things don’t go our way…..or is it just me? But the Archbishop Tutu tells us “it is from this weakness that we find the possibility of true joy.” How can that be? He says, “discovering more joy does not save us from hardship or heartbreak. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. If we are filled with true joy, we will cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily too.” I love this part – he says “Perhaps we are just more alive!”

Have you ever laughed until you cried? Have you ever cried at a sad part in a movie? How about a happy part? My daughter Kim and I tease each other all the time because we are both so sappy about that. And it’s funny because we compare notes and even when we are not together watching it, we find out we both have cried at the same exact spots. Kindred spirits, she and I.

Think about how that makes you feel - to cry and to laugh, or to laugh until you cry! We will learn more as we go along, but I think that feeling is the core of what we are going to get to----how do we live life feeling like THAT every day? How might we have hardship, but have it without becoming hard and bitter? How might we have heartbreak, but have it without becoming completely broken?

What does God have to say about this? Today we turn to the Book of James 1: 2-3. This passage is about faith and wisdom. 2 My brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

What do you think about when you read this passage? I have a friend named Rebecca who has shared her thoughts on this book with those of us that are in a Clergywomen’s group on Facebook, who said, “My first thought is that endurance had better be worth it. Be joyful in the midst of your trials because they will produce endurance??" How do you feel about that?
Rebecca said “I think in order for us to understand, let us better define three words found in the passage. Let's start with "what is joy?" It most likely isn’t what we think it is.

“Joy” is not superficial or shallow. It’s not happiness that comes from getting a new car, or eating your favorite cake that we talked about last week. It runs deep from within. The Bible refers to joy as “contentment” – not in the things of this world, but in Christ above everything else. “Endurance” is very similar - we can keep going, keep putting one foot in front of the other because we are confidently rooted in Christ; and all of our confidence comes from belonging to him and being dependent on him instead of ourselves. “Faith” is believing that the promises of God will some day come true, even if we can’t see or feel them as a reality quite yet. My friend said "Yes, what James is saying is that it will be worth it. All of it – every pain, every sorrow, every frustration will be worth it."

I cannot imagine friends, all of the personal issues in your life that are a complete struggle. I know some of you have struggled with loss of loved ones this year. Some of you struggle with illness – and not just a cold, but life-threatening illnesses. Some of you are in a bad financial spot right now. Some of you struggle with being separated from friends and family and you fight loneliness. Where is the joy in all of that? Do you ever ask why? I know I have, more than once.

What’s the point in all of this? Jesus. Jesus is the point.

How has Jesus worked in your life? How has Jesus set you free from some of your burdens? How many opportunities would you have never had if Jesus hadn’t given you new life?
We talked last week about joy being a choice, but we can only choose the joy that the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu talk about if it comes from God.

Have you ever been to an all you can eat buffet? I love Fred’s – if you go there, make sure you don’t eat for like three days beforehand. I love picking and choosing from this amazing plethora of goodies. Fried chicken, crunchy bacon, sausage gravy and biscuits, eggs, cheese grits. Oh my goodness! I go through the line and just choose it all at random as I feel the urge.
I tell you all of this, not to make your mouth water, but to understand that choosing joy is quite the opposite from that. We can’t just choose to take it when we feel like it. It’s not like a light switch that we can just turn on and off in our minds and hearts. Again, joy runs deep.

The Dalai Lama says "From the moment of birth, every human being wants to discover happiness and avoid suffering. From the very core of our beings, we simply desire joy and contentment. But so often those feelings are fleeting and hard to find, like a butterfly that lands on us, and then flutters away. The ultimate source of joy is within us.”

For us, this ultimate joy is Jesus Christ. And this, my friends, is where faith and endurance come in to play. God can do the miracle of changing our hearts. God can has given us the gifts of faith and joy. We all have the ability to see the point of all our pain if we just look to Jesus. And if we look to Jesus, we will know, that somehow, somewhere, whatever suffering we endure is somehow working for our good and the good of others. This is a game changer! If we can stay rooted in Him, we can endure the most difficult of circumstances. Our hope is not in the things of this world. Only if God causes our hearts to endure will we be able to rest joyfully even when our world is falling apart around us. Only if He does all of these things in our hearts can we “choose joy” in our suffering.

So what do we do????? Pray! To pray for eyes of faith and hearts that endure. Seek God in our sufferings, and ask Him for the faith to know that He is in the fire with us, and have the joy to believe that this is enough. This is our hope.

Here’s more Scripture passages for you to read this week: Hebrews 10:36, Romans 5:3, 12:12, 15:5, Philippians 4:13
And, a music video by Jason Gray called “Bring It All”
https://youtu.be/pFdWBAUhhYY
Bring it all Jason Gray

Love to all,

PK

 

Saturday March 26 Classic Car Cruise in and Family Fun Day
at Keystone United Methodist Church. 930AM early roll in
10AM to 1PM
Pastor Kathi Sheehan
Keystone United Methodist Church
16301 Racetrack Road
Odessa, FL. 33556

Next to the BIG White Cross

813-920-5153 Office
813-787-6198 Cell

keystoneunitedmethodistchurch dot com

 

Last minute for Aug 20 KMC....
Congratulations to John Bertalan on getting your 2006 Red Corvette on the inside cover of Motoring Tampa Bay Magazine. It looked so good I thought it was a newer one! I'm holding back some copies for autographing and for your next car display.
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As per member suggestion:
There will be FREE Do-It-Yourself Root Beer Floats at registration while they last!
and Ice cold bottled water for $1 donation. We are bringing in 96 pounds of ice for the drinks,
and I sure hope someone arrives thirsty! .......or I will have to drink 40 bottles of ICE COLD WATER and 60 cans of A&W Root Beer!......Burp... ...but not on site..... lol
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We got some donated straws that look like small souvenir umbrellas for the Root Beer Floats, just like the beach drinks....and a bunch of spoons., napkins, etc.
We will do the ceremonial "pouring of the sand" at 11AM so bring some sand to registration.....no joke!
and.......If you wear a Parrot or any kind of bird when you sign in, you get a years worth of
Keystone Motor Club car shows absolutely FREE! OK, OK....also if you have a shirt with an alligator... lol
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Danni Wells has secured ice cream for the RB floats. We have also been promised a cruise ship background for photographs as well as a beach backdrop.
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Friday night Cruise-in at Tropical Smoothies 8019 Citrus Park drive 6-8PM.
Get 10% off 24 OZ smoothie........ Across from Smoky Bones...We have the place to ourselves, so don't tell anyone.... shhh.
Take a pic of your car, show it to the cashier and get 10% off a 24 OZ smoothie of your choice.
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Latest pictures are up thanks to Dan and Gail Holsen. at
Facebook: Keystone Motor Car Club Members.....

Coming soon: Instagram!
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If anyone has a cordless weed wacker to loan for some trimming, let me know.
I can pick it up and return it. Thanks.
-Bob

Have a great day! bobfixesitup@yahoo.com 813-839-4281

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