Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-07-10
Friday 12 July 2020
Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
The only driver who never gets a ticket? Mary Gritten guessed right: a screwdriver. I hope to re-introduce my corney jokes in my next Monday emailer.
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Here’s a borrowed essay from Su Voz, produced by friends in our Cuba Partnership:
GOD IS ALWAYS HERE
Psalm 34:4 and Isaiah 66:3
“I sought the Lord and he answered me…”
Psalm 34:4a (CEB)
My mother was always someone very special to me due to all of the love and kindness with which she taught me. When my father was dying, I was with him, observing how he agonized. Desperately my mother read the Bible and passed her hands through his hair, kissing his forehead and praying. Until this moment I had never accepted that God existed, that there really was a living and all-powerful God.
Something happened within me–I remembered the Lord’s Prayer that I had learned as a girl and I began to repeat it without stopping, over and over. Instantly I saw this great God’s answer, and my father was full of much peace and gently left this world.
I left from that hospital room, looked for a place to sit under the stars of the dawn, a soft breeze surrounded me and an almost imperceptible drizzle touched me. There was God in a sweet caress, saying to me: “You are not alone. You called to me and I responded: I love you.”
Dios siempre está ahí
Salmo 34:4 e Isaías 66:3
“Busqué a Jehová y Él me oyó…” Salmo 34:4
Mi madre fue siempre alguien muy especial para mí por todo el amor y ternura con que me educó. Al partir físicamente yo estaba junto a Él observando cómo agonizaba. Desesperadamente mi madre le leía la Biblia y le pasaba la mano por sus cabellos, besaba su frente y oraba. Yo hasta ese momento nunca había aceptado que Dios existía, que era realmente un Dios vivo y todopoderoso.
Algo ocurrió dentro de mí que recordé el Padre Nuestro que había aprendido de niña y comencé a repetirlo sin cesar una y otra vez. Al instante vi la respuesta de ese Dios tan grande que tenemos, mi padre fue lleno de mucha Paz y partió apaciblemente de este mundo.
Salí de aquella sala de Hospital, busqué un lugar para sentarme bajo el cielo estrellado de la madrugada, una brisa muy suave me envolvía y una llovizna casi imperceptible me tocó. Ahí estaba Dios en una dulce caricia, diciéndome: No estás sola. Clamaste a mí y te respondíí, yo te amo.
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We need humor, human touch, and ice cream to survive. I’m a little nervous to share these “Mom” jokes that were shared with me. I don’t want to be guilty of ‘micro-aggressions’ against either women or moms. I have a beloved mom and I married a beloved woman. If I’ve stepped out of line, I trust you to tell me. (Seriously.)
I hope you enjoy these.
You are beautiful when you smile.
Why God Made Moms
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions.
* Why did God make mothers?
1. She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
*How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
*What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
*Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We’re related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s mom like me.
*What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
*What mom needed to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
*Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats alot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.
*Who’s the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
*What’s the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
2. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power ’cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
3. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
*What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don’t do spare time
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
*What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.
*If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.
2. I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
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See you on Sunday. Invite a friend.
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Pay attention to God’s activity in the world around you.
Be amazed.
Tell somebody.
PEACE,
Matt Matthews
864.386.9138
More
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From your Nurture Team — Congrats to Kathy Schoeffmann for being the first to correctly recognize last week’s photo of Bill Marble!
Here’s this week’s photo challenge.
Visit http://fb.com/groups/
Please join in the fun! We would like you to select a photo from your younger years (grade school, high school or early adulthood). Photos need not be professional. Candid shots are welcome. Please send your photos to photos@
Saturday Evening French Prayer Service 6 pm
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
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Friday Night at the Movies: What movies do YOU recommend? Send me the name of one of your favorites. I’ve shared with you mine. (I hope I told you about Local Hero and O Brother Where Art Thou?)
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Two very different songs for your Friday concert.
Prayer…
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
…and, from our friends at Stax Records, dancing…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
