"For Such A Time As This” - PCOB Announcement And Devotion For 4/01/2020
o the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,
I was excited this morning to hear that folk are already taking Bethany Hoffer up our “Let’s Do the Wave” offer. I think the end product will be a very meaningful video, giving us a chance to wave at and see each other during this time of physical isolation and disconnection. Here’s a repeat of yesterday’s announcement about this.
I was frustrated this afternoon to learn that someone is sending out emails pretending to be me, for the purpose of tricking and scamming others. Please double check any emails that appear to come from me. I don’t think my email address has been hacked. It appears that the scammer is using publicly available information about me to phish for victims. I have reported this to Gmail, since the scammer is using a Gmail address. Here are few things to look for:
Shalom,
Dennis
I have composed today’s devotion. I hope you find it helpful.
Scripture – Mark 1:32-35
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
Thoughts
Yesterday afternoon my energy level really dropped. No worries about being sick. The phrase that crossed my mind was “jet lag.” Jet lag is “the fatigue and other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across several time zones.” It occurred to me that although most of us have not been on a plane recently, our lives have changed at such a pace in the past few weeks, and we have been working so hard to adjust to new realities, in the midst of much uncertainty, that I suspect we are all experiencing something like a physical or emotional jet lag. The best way to deal with jet lag is to take care of yourself – eat healthy foods, do some gentle stretching and exercise to relieve stress, take some time to breathe, meditate and pray, get a nap while watching a good movie or reading a good book, and do what works for you to relax and get some good nights of sleep.
In the scripture reading above, Jesus has had a hard and exhausting day. He wakes up early, perhaps, because his mind is full. He goes to a quiet place and prays. You know, if Jesus, needs a break, or needs to pray, or needs to take care of himself, then who are we to think we don’t need to take care of ourselves as well? I’m glad this story is recorded in Mark’s gospel. It is a permission giving example to all of us.
Given the pace of change right now, it is natural to feel tired and exhausted, so take care of yourself. And God bless you.
Prayer
Today’s prayer may be a familiar one. I first saw it on a plaque given to me by a friend for my high school graduation. The plaque sits in my office at the church – as a reminder. The prayer was written by Wilferd A. Peterson. Pray with me…
Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music
Of the singing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical power of sleep,
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations
Of slowing down
To look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend
Or make a new one;
To pat a stray dog;
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life
Than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my greater destiny.
I was excited this morning to hear that folk are already taking Bethany Hoffer up our “Let’s Do the Wave” offer. I think the end product will be a very meaningful video, giving us a chance to wave at and see each other during this time of physical isolation and disconnection. Here’s a repeat of yesterday’s announcement about this.
We miss seeing your bright and shining faces! Over the next week or so, we will be collecting video clips/selfies/photos of our PCoB friends and family waving to one another! Bethany Hoffer would love to arrange a drive by/walk by filming of you waving from your home or vehicle. If you would be willing to participate in this, please contact Bethany at bhoffer@palmyracob.org or call/text 937-417-5938 to set something up! (Bethany’s family does a lot of walking these days, so you may get called upon if you live close by!) If you do not live in Palmyra or are unable to come outside, we would love for you to send us a video clip/selfie/photo of you and your family waving to us! Send them to Bethany’s email address listed above.
I was frustrated this afternoon to learn that someone is sending out emails pretending to be me, for the purpose of tricking and scamming others. Please double check any emails that appear to come from me. I don’t think my email address has been hacked. It appears that the scammer is using publicly available information about me to phish for victims. I have reported this to Gmail, since the scammer is using a Gmail address. Here are few things to look for:
- Although my name might appear in the “From” line, if the email address of the sender is not my “dlohr@palmyracob” email address, it is not from me. Do not respond to them, and delete them from your inbox, your delete folder and your backup delete folder, if you have one.
- I take a lot care to compose emails that are formatted well and are grammatically correct. If the content of the email is poorly formatted and contains a lot of grammatical errors, it is not from me.
- I consistently use the same closing “Shalom”, before my name, in my emails. If this closing in not used, it is not from me.
- Finally, we use Mailchimp for our all our bulk church emails. Mailchimp offers additional security features, so if the email has our Mailchimp trademarks at the bottom, it is okay.
Shalom,
Dennis
I have composed today’s devotion. I hope you find it helpful.
Scripture – Mark 1:32-35
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
Thoughts
Yesterday afternoon my energy level really dropped. No worries about being sick. The phrase that crossed my mind was “jet lag.” Jet lag is “the fatigue and other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across several time zones.” It occurred to me that although most of us have not been on a plane recently, our lives have changed at such a pace in the past few weeks, and we have been working so hard to adjust to new realities, in the midst of much uncertainty, that I suspect we are all experiencing something like a physical or emotional jet lag. The best way to deal with jet lag is to take care of yourself – eat healthy foods, do some gentle stretching and exercise to relieve stress, take some time to breathe, meditate and pray, get a nap while watching a good movie or reading a good book, and do what works for you to relax and get some good nights of sleep.
In the scripture reading above, Jesus has had a hard and exhausting day. He wakes up early, perhaps, because his mind is full. He goes to a quiet place and prays. You know, if Jesus, needs a break, or needs to pray, or needs to take care of himself, then who are we to think we don’t need to take care of ourselves as well? I’m glad this story is recorded in Mark’s gospel. It is a permission giving example to all of us.
Given the pace of change right now, it is natural to feel tired and exhausted, so take care of yourself. And God bless you.
Prayer
Today’s prayer may be a familiar one. I first saw it on a plaque given to me by a friend for my high school graduation. The plaque sits in my office at the church – as a reminder. The prayer was written by Wilferd A. Peterson. Pray with me…
Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music
Of the singing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical power of sleep,
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations
Of slowing down
To look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend
Or make a new one;
To pat a stray dog;
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life
Than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my greater destiny.
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