Asbury United Methodist Church - Cedar Rapids, IA

Merry Christmas:-)

May your Christmas Day be filled with Peace and Joy:-)

Christmas Eve Service Cancelled:-(

The snow is here and it's one of those nights that everyone needs to just stay home, stay warm, stay safe and we'll see you all Sunday.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Pastor Ed

Happy Thanksgiving:-)

I pray that you all have a wonderful day.  While Thanksgiving is often spent with family, enjoying fellowship and fantastic family traditional foods, watching parades and football, and planning out your assault on the Mall tomorrow, remember, today is a day to pause and remember the blessings God has brought into your lives.  Without Him we would have nothing.  Without God we would simply not even exist.  So, at least for today, include God in all your thoughts, activities, plans, and especially when giving Thanks.  

Come to think of it, that's not a bad plan for everyday:-)

God's Peace and Blessings

Pastor Ed

"Interactive" Seekers Service

Don't forget!  Tonight is our first "Interactive" Seekers Worship Service at 7 PM.  

We're located at 27th Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids.  This service will be shaped the questions asked by those present.  Texting questions is welcome:-)

Hope to see you there:-)

God's Peace and Blessings

Pastor Ed

How to have a civil conversation.

    Does it seem to anyone else that the tone of political, social, and personal discourse has deteriorated in the United States in the past few decades.  It started slowly but seems to be accelerating more and more, picking up speed.  When people don’t have ideas or hold dearly to ideas that aren’t working, they stop discussing the issues and start attacking the other party, the other group, or the other person.  

    Good people refuse to run for political office or participate in polite conversation because of the fear of being attacked personally.  Not their ideas being discussed, but their character being attacked.  When you don’t have anything meaningful to say, character assassination draws the attention away from your bankrupt ideas and focuses the attention on the character of the other person.  What can I say, we do like to gossip. When you are in a discussion and you’re losing, change the subject, you might not win, but you won’t lose.

    The next time you are talking with someone, or you’re listening to a politician and they start smearing someone’s character, ask them, if possible, or at least ask yourself, “what does this have to do with the issue?”    

    Watch TV, listen to discussions at work, at school, in the mall, read what your friends say on Facebook.  How often is “Character” discussed under the guise of political or theological debate?   

    Romans 12:18 “⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

    The old saying, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.”  We could for the sake of this conversation say, “Love the speaker, hate the idea.”  Or as Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build one another up”.  He goes on to say, “just as you are doing.”  Ouch!  I really don’t think he would say that to us today, do you?  

    How do we change the direction of personal attacks.  

1.  Be honest with ourselves, do we attack others.  If so, stop it!

2.  If those around you attack others, walk away or at least stop listening 

    them.

3.  If it’s on TV, change channels or better yet, turn the TV off.

4.  If it’s on Facebook, either don’t respond, or better yet, ask, “What does

    this have to do with the issue?”

5.  And then there’s the quote out of The Bible, “You shall love your 

    neighbor as yourself.”  This is written at least 9 times, maybe God is 

    trying to tell us something?  Are we listening?

God’s Peace and Blessings

Pastor Ed

Interactive Seekers Service

New Worship Service☺

“Interactive” Seekers Service

Texting encouraged!

Who:  Anyone seeking to meet or develop a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Starting Date:       October 3, 2010

When:  Sunday Nights at 7pm

Where:      Asbury UMC, 350 27^th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids

Questions:      Pastor Ed - 551-2192.

Dress:      Very Casual

BYOB:       (Bring your own bible) or one will be provided for you☺

    The vision for this worship service is that it will be very laid back and absolutely non-traditional.  Singing, praying, sharing, scripture, sermon and communion will be done in a very relaxed fashion.  

    Questions and comments will be accepted and responded to at any time during the service and “Texting” will not only be allowed but be encouraged.

    Sermons will normally be on Jesus’ Gospel teachings and will be informed by the sharing and questions brought by those present.  This is what we mean by “Interactive”.       

    

Wendell Baker's Funeral

Let's remember Wendell Baker today at 2pm while his family and friends gather at Asbury to say their farewells.

Sunday

Don't forget the Free Soup Supper Sunday night at 5 pm at Asbury UMC, 350 27th. Ave SW, Cedar Rapids.  Everyone is invited, bring a friend.

At 6pm there will be a Bluegrass Acoustic Jam:-)  Bring an instrument and pick away:-)

Pickin and Grinnin

Pastor Ed

Kay Brown's Funeral

Kay Brown, long time member of Asbury UMC passed on to be with her Lord on March 13th.  Her funeral was held at Asbury UMC on March 17th.  Her family and friends miss her.

April's Pastor's Corner

  It seems so obvious, but there are so many of us that struggle with it. What we put into our mouths effect out bodies. Surprise☺ I like to say that I’m allergic to food because it causes a swelling around my waist☺ But it taste so good, and well, the next bite doesn’t make any difference, it’s the next whole bunch of bites that get me fat. It’s often comforting, it’s a habit, it’s a community thing, it can be fun to fix, it’s something I can plan and control, or it can be something I can just do spontaneously. It makes my happy, but it also makes me fat☹
I have a double whammy, I’m also diabetic so it affects my glucose levels and that affects my heart, eyes, feet, etc. But if most foods taste good, sweets taste even better. Pies, cakes, cookies, ice cream☺ But most things made with grains affect my blood sugar as well. It seems every thing I want to eat is bad for me one way or another☹
But that next little bite surely won’t hurt me? ….. will it?

You know, just like what we eat affects our bodies, what comes out of our mouths affects our souls. Oh, a word here or there surely won’t effect my soul?.... will it? I mean, it really hurt when I hit my thumb with a hammer! And that jerk that cut me off in traffic, I gave her a piece of me mind. I surely I wasn’t gossiping, I was just telling a friend of mine what I heard about another friend of mine. I wasn’t trying to hurt my wife’s feelings, I was just pointing out what she did wrong so she could do better next time. Hey, I was just being of the boys when I cursed God instead of praising Him, but He knows I love Him? ….. doesn’t He?
Our words add up, and slowly it gets easier and easier to give our mouths free rein over what we know is right.

“Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking evil.
Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:13-14 NAS)