Wise Words

The other day I received an email from someone that I did not know who was inquiring about our church. We had a cordial exchange of information, and then on the last message I noticed the quote that accompanied her signature:

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did that one ever hit home! Not only do I make more than my share of daily mistakes, but my personality is such that I constantly worry about what I did not get done that day. Additionally, it is the nature of my “business” that the work is never fully accomplished. There is always one more person to visit, one more phone call to make, one more sermon to perfect. I confess that I am sometimes haunted by the imperfections of my life, and my dreams are often filled with images of what I left undone in the preceding 24 hours. With a building project and a capital campaign and an upcoming General Conference added to my agenda, the last few weeks have been even more demanding than usual.

Enter my new friend Jennifer, whom I’ve never even met personally, and the preacher gets the sermon that he needed at that particular moment. How grateful I am for her message and the words of the serenely wise Mr. Emerson. I thought of them before I went to bed last night and I slept like a baby. And I started this day with “too high a spirit to be cumbered with old nonsense.” I’m not sure if I will be able to maintain this kind of spiritual health, but I am going to work on it as faithfully as I work on staying physically fit.

Thanks, Jennifer, for the wise words. I’m passing them on to the 3,000 plus readers of this column with great confidence that there are others who need to hear them!

Don Signature
Don Underwood

P.S. Don't forget to RSVP for the Reunion, all you have to do is send an email to: reunion@cumc.com and let us know if you're coming or not.

Green Tip: Make your next cup of coffee Organic and Fair Trade. Organic means no industrial chemicals are used, and fair trade means growers are given incentives to protect local forest and tend plots sustainably.

/ DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM

The Christ UMC Disaster Response Team will be providing assistance to area homes that experienced downed trees, fences or other debris accumulated during last night's storm. If you need assistance, please contact the church office to add your name to the response list. DRT will contact you for an assessment and determine if we have the capabilities to assist you.

/ THIS SUNDAY

Sanctuary Services

8:45, 9:45 and 11 a.m.
This Sunday, Rev. Don Underwood will deliver the message, "Take The Journey."

Contemporary Service
(Christian Life Center Gym)

11 a.m.
In Full Court Worship, Rev. Abe Smith will deliver the message, "My Story. Our Story..."

/ LAST WEEK

Miss the last message?

"Easter Is Not A Dead Issue"
byRev. Don Underwood

"I Am With You"
by Rev Abe Smith