Thursdays Thoughts 05/29/2008

Hello Fairview,
This past weekend we observed Memorial Day.  We remembered those that have gone before us, especially those who have served and died in war.  We sat in this moment of remembrance –a moment that called us to look backwards, and to lift up.  Days like Memorial Day put me in a reflective mood. So, today’s thoughts center around thoughts of life.  As we think about Memorial Day, we inevitably think of our own mortality.  Sometimes I take for granted this life I’ve been given.  I get caught up in the deadlines, the programs, the returning of phone calls, the scheduling, the writing, the paying of bills --the day to day.  Even as I find myself called to the spiritual life, I let the tyranny of the urgent run my life.  Sometimes we get wake up calls that jolt us out of the schedule and remind us that we’re alive.  This life really is a gift.  And I find that when I take a moment to look at my life from a different perspective I literally become awed at the miracle of living.  Sometimes, even just the fact that we breathe in and out, that our heart beats without having to tell it to do so, that we blink when we need to –all of this can amaze me.  We form these relationships with each other, almost without thinking or realizing it.  We are drawn to one another.  We desire community, we long to be with each other, to form bonds, to make connections.  Isn’t it amazing that we have people to love, and that people love us.   This life we’ve been given is incredible.  And yet for some of us, it is incredibly difficult.  Even our ability to empathize is a remarkable human characteristic. We can sympathize. We can feel each other’s pains.
As I reflect upon life, I consider how God works in our lives.  Time after time, I come back to my own experience of God living and working in creation –in the human beings I interact with.  Life is hard, for so many it is nearly unbearable.   But when we allow God to act in our lives, when we allow ourselves to become God’s hands, when we let the Spirit of the Living God into our souls, we have the ability to touch people in ways we cannot fully understand.  God is able to transform from within us –touching our own soul, as we inevitably touch others.  Incredible, isn’t it?  Miraculous, I believe.
 
And so, this Thursday’s Thoughts offer you the opportunity to stop, pause, reflect and feel.  Where are you?  Physically, first of all.  Mentally? Emotionally?  Spiritually?    Where is God working in your life?  Where are you called to be God’s hands in this world?   How is the Spirit working in your life?  You are more than the deadlines, and the shopping lists, and the debt.   You are more than the worries you carry, more even than the responsibilities you shoulder.   How is the Spirit working in you today?   Now, thank God you’re alive!
 
Be sure to check out the lists of events below.  There’s a lot going on! Mark your calendars for next month’s return of Fantastic Fridays –Friday June 13th.  All children are invited to church for an evening of games, crafts, and good times and all the adults (even those of you without kids!) are invited to Acapulco’s on Harbor and Adams for fellowship and fun.  See you on Sunday!
 
 
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The Wide, Wide World of Theology!
A Life Poem
Life can seem ungrateful and not always kind.
Life can pull at your heartstrings and play with your mind...
Life can be blissful and happy and free...
Life can put beauty in the things that you see...
Life can place challenges right at your feet...
Life can make good of the hardships we meet...
Life can overwhelm you and make your head spin...
Life can reward those determined to win...
Life can be hurtful and not always fair...
Life can surround you with people who care...
Life clearly does offer its Up and its Downs...
Life's days can bring you both smiles and frowns...
Life teaches us to take the good with the bad...
Life is a mixture of happy and sad...
So...
Take the Life that you have and give it your best...
Think positive, be happy let God do the rest...
Take the challenges that life has laid at your feet...
Take pride and be thankful for each one you meet...
To yourself give forgiveness if you stumble and fall...
Take each day that is dealt you and give it your all...
Take the love that you're given and return it with care...
Have faith that when needed it will always be there...
Take time to find the beauty in the things that you see...
Take life's simple pleasures let them set your heart free...
The idea here is simply to even the score...
As you are met and faced with Life's Tug of War
Author unknown
 
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Holy One we thank you for the gift of life.
Too often we take for granted our own inhaling and exhaling,
Too often we ignore the whisper of our soul, for the shouting of society,
Too often we lose ourselves thinking instead we’re making something of ourselves.
Gather us in. Hold us close. Open our eyes to the divine life you’ve given us.
For the gift of life, we thank you.
 
Amen
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Announcements
Missed a Sunday? Catch up on your sermons by listening at home!  Just click here to listen or download now:
 http://www.ocfairviewchurch.org/podcast/sermons  or http://fairviewcc.mypodcast.com/
 
Interested in Becoming a Member?  Wonder what it means to Join the Church?
Being a member of the church is easy!  
All you have to do is come to a membership class and learn more about the church,
Our church is run by its members –so why not become one and learn about how your voice and vote can have an impact.
Ask Marge or me about coming to a membership meeting!
 
 
So… think you can sing?   Afraid you can’t?
If you answered yes to either of these questions… Sean wants to meet you!
He’ll take the singers and help them shine, and he’ll take the non-singers and teach them to sing!
Come out to the sanctuary tonight and every Thursday at 7:30pm and sing!
Sean will be gone for the next two weeks but his friend/colleague Caterie will be substituting. Join her this evening!
 
 
Divine on the Vine: Word and Wine on Wednesdays!
Wednesday, June 4th at 7:00pm here at church
Join us for Wine, Juice, Cheese and Goodies! 
Join us for Bible Study, lively conversation, spiritual and mental growth and fun!
 
FANTASTIC FRIDAYS are BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
FRIDAY, June 13th, July 11th, and Aug 15th
There’s fun for everyone!  Children will have crafts, games and snacks!
And adults can join together at Acapulcos restaurant on Adams in Costa Mesa!
Whether you’re a kid, and adult with a child, or an adult who wants to socialize—Fridays are Fantastic!
Join us on June 13th for return of FANTASTIC FRIDAYS!
 
 
The Book Club will Continue to read OUT OF EGYPT.  If you missed the last meeting –no problem!
We’re still reading it – so come out next month to discuss!
This month’s book:  Out of Egypt by Ann Rice
 
 
In Reflection,
Sarah
 
 
 
 
Reverend Sarah Halverson
Fairview Community Church
2525 Fairview Road
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 545-4610
http://www.ocfairviewchurch.org