A
fresh new year usually makes me want less---fewer pounds on the scale
or bills in the mail. But this year, 2010, I want more. More kindness
& compassion; I mean to give & not just get. That is something
the world craves & rarely rejects. Even novelist Kurt Vonnegut said
(in Player Piano) "There's only one rule that I know...you've got to
be kind."
My
friend Suzi knows this instinctively and regularly surprises people
with unexpected, thoughtful acts. And she makes others want to follow
suit. I noticed on her facebook that a friend wrote "Went for coffee
today and was thinking about what you said about paying for the person
behind so I did. I felt kinda sneaky since she didn't expect it. I
could see her trying to pay as I was driving off and they wouldn't take
her money and I giggled. You didn't say how fun it is. I may be
addicted."
Ephesians
4:32 instructs, "Be kind & compassionate to one another" as we
forget ourselves long enough to think of someone else's needs.
This
verse makes me think about my grandmother on my dad's side, Christina,
whom I never knew. She was killed in a car wreck in Nebraska in 1954.
She was working at the Lutheran Home for the Aged at the time. My dad
told me, as he understood it, there was a woman who also worked at the
home and she wanted a promotion or raise or something like that and she
asked Cristina to go along to help her when she talked with the boss.
On the way there the woman ran a stop sign. There were no seat belts in
the car & my grandmother was thrown out. My dad had spent most of
his life believing she had died instantly. His sister, Bernice, thought
so also.
Then,
a few years ago, Bernice met the man, Dick, the local postmaster, who
was first on the scene with the ambulance. He said he learned a lesson
from my grandmother that he never forgot --and that was compassion. He
gave a first hand account of how Christina was up helping the other
lady who was screaming and saying she was going to die. She was
consoling the driver even though she was mortally wounded. This was a
shock to my aunt & my dad to hear these details but they were
consoled to learn that even in her last hours their mother was helping
others and teaching a lesson to a stranger.
Julie Pauls, Remix Ministry
We are so thankful for our Sunday volunteers! We wish there was a way to truly show our thanks for all that you do. We could not provide this amazing ministry without your faithful service. May God bless you for the work that you do to enrich the lives of our church families.
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"Recipe for Joy" - Mom's Group
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Beginning January 28th,
our Special Needs Mom's Group will be meeting to explore the DVD study
"Walking by Faith- Lessons Learned in the Dark" by Jennifer
Rothschild.  Together, we will examine the practical differences
between walking by sight and walking by faith. Rothschild offers
valuable spiritual lessons on: taking risks, giving God control,
trusting in His Will, preserving through hardship, and being guided by
the Truth.
We hope that you can join us in this six week study.
Planet 56
10:00 - 11:30
Open to the community - invite a friend
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| Special Needs Ministry Events |
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Special Needs Ministry has Ways you can Serve!
Following are several opportunities to get involved:
Teachers, Shadows, Special Events, Missions, Prayer
and Retreats
We appreciate each and every person who takes a little bit of their time to bless the lives of others. Click Here for the Ways to Serve link and register to be a part of the team.
"May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord." Ruth 2:12
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The Woodlands United Methodist Church
2200 Lake Woodlands
The Woodlands, Texas 77380
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Learning Lab
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New Hours!
Monday-Tuesday-Thursday
8:30 - 5:00
Wednesday
8:30 - 7:00
Friday
8:30 - 3:00
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UCP offers respite care here on our
campus to special needs children and their siblings. October 3rd is their next Family Day Out. For information
and reservations, contact Kristie Carlisle at
kcarlisle@ucphouston.org |
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(preschool through 12 years)
