It seems like a simple thing. Finding time to get away, turn off your phone and just...breathe. Every October, an ever-evolving group of family and friends meet at a state park in western Iowa to do just that. There are a couple of high spots in the park where mobile phone reception is possible. But at some point, your spirit reminds that the world will go on without you. Your best choice, then, is to settle back into your place around the fire pit and listen to another story.
I relish the experience of being around that fire circle. At least one anthropologist has suggested that campfires have long allowed us to be more creative and connected. When we share stories around firelight, we are more likely to understand and trust one another.
Whether it's around a campfire, a dinner table, or a gathering for worship, study or prayer, we need the experience of finding ways to connect to one another and to God. I hope you are finding those moments of connection and renewal through all that we share at Grace United Methodist Church. Being away for a short time was welcome, wonderful and something I needed.As much as I am grateful for the opportunity to be away, I'm also grateful to be back, preparing for worship and all the ways we are in ministry together.
We have many opportunities to come together in the weeks ahead. Read on for some details and make plans to find a place in one or all of the circles to which God is calling us.
Peace,
Pastor Linda