April 24, 2020
Thought for the day: ​Comparing. ​I hear a lot of people saying things these days like "I'm sad/stressed/worried/angry/etc. but I really shouldn't complain because others are in a worse position." I thought I'd share my thoughts on this, in case it's helpful.

I've heard variations of this my whole ministry. Someone will break a leg and that broken leg hurts and they can't get around, and then they'll say "But I shouldn't complain, because it could be so much worse." True, BUT, you broke your leg. It hurts, and it's hard to get around. Just because your broken leg isn't "as bad as" someone else's situation doesn't mean you don't have a right to unload some of your suffering.

Whatever is making you sad/worried/stressed/angry, matters because it matters to you. Don’t let the fact that someone else might be having different circumstances keep you from reaching out about yours.

It's good to be grateful, to be sure, and we all should do that. But no matter how insignificant you feel your suffering is, it matters.

Pray as you Go: ​THIS ​app is one of my favorites. It’s got a great format and includes music and a text each day. I don’t listen every day, but when I do, I’m always grateful.

Loving Kindness Meditation: ​Have you heard of the loving-kindness meditation? ​HERE’S ​a link to explain it.

Magnify the Lord With Me: ​THIS ​is the song I’ve been listening to a lot recently.

Anxiety Workbook: ​Are you finding yourself full of anxiety about coronavirus? ​HERE’s ​a workbook for you to use to work through some of the anxiety, and find peace. Printer not able to handle such a large file? Let me know and I’ll print one out at the church and deliver it to you! Let’s all protect our emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Contribute to the Online Prayer Wall: ​To make a post on the prayer wall, go ​HERE​. Let’s pray for each other and share our requests.

Next Week Zoom: ​On April 29, the topic of our Zoom Meeting will be the book ​Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor. If you’ve not read the book, you’ll still be able to participate in the discussion, but if you’d like to read the book, it’s included as one of the Kindle Unlimited books. If you’re not a Kindle Unlimited member, you can try it free for 30 days. ​Here’s ​a link to the book. I think you’ll find that it speaks to these times. Here’s the link to our Zoom for April 29 ​https://zoom.us/j/515981426.

Virtual Coffee Hour: ​Join us on Zoom on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. for a quick virtual coffee hour. We’ll hop on Zoom and say hello to one another! ​https://zoom.us/j/515981426​ See you there! 
Love to all, in Christ,

Pastor Traci