Five years ago, we created the Michigan Conference, bringing the West Michigan and Detroit Conferences together. We were able to accomplish some of what we hoped to achieve for this new conference. Unfortunately, like many of our faith communities, COVID changed the path we wanted to take. As we launch the new Michigan Conference, we will continue to celebrate whose we are, as we learn more about who we are.
We will be creating new relationships with congregations, laity and clergy from churches that are joining the new East Winds District. We will also be saying goodbye to churches which have had to make a decision to close or separate from the United Methodist family. May we continue to pray for our sisters and brothers as they begin a journey along a new path of ministry, mission and their answer to our Lord’s call upon our lives.
As I travel around the District, I hope to learn about the ways you are sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in your faith communities and the surrounding neighborhoods. I want to get to know what’s bringing you joy and also what questions and struggles you may have. During our journey together, I’d like to share some of my faith journey which is renewed every morning. For the first article I was asked to include 5 topics. Please know each one is only a conversation starter.
I hope that you dedicate a part of each day to reading the Bible. The living Word of God continues to speak to us, revealing God’s presence in our lives in so many ways. One of my favorite Bible verses is Matthew 25:40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ This verse inspires me to always ask what more can I do to serve God and answer the Lord’s call.
One of the reasons the title of my articles (or blogs) is called The Puzzler’s Corner is that working jigsaw puzzles is one of my favorite hobbies. Puzzle time is also meditation and reflection time. I first started working puzzles when I was three years old, and I have been doing them for over a semicentennial. I am currently working on a 32,000 piece puzzle and hope to finish it by Christmas, 2023.
I am also an avid fan of movies. Often, when I puzzle far past my bedtime, I am also watching a classic film, family favorite or adding another horror feature to my seen it list. I spend many Sabbath days at the movies, so I couldn’t possibly name just three favorites. (Though I do have a fondness for the first Star Wars Trilogy: 4, 5 and 6, any Katherine Hepburn film, the John Wick quad and even the Fast and Furious 10, or 11 if you include Hobbs and Shaw).
My favorite snack is Cool Ranch Doritos, though I don’t eat them as often as I used to. I am in search of the perfect cinnamon roll and there is an unending supply of atomic fire balls in my snack jar. My day usually begins, and sometimes ends with a cup of tea, sometimes brewed from loose leaves.
I believe the most exciting thing about all that I do, is how much our Lord speaks to me, as I work on a puzzle, am touched by what unfolds in a movie, inspired by new insights which are revealed as I read the Bible and learn from conversations how God is moving in each of our lives. We are truly blessed. And Amen.