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Circuit Rider JUNE 2007
GROW in personal faith Never Underestimate God For many years of my life, I thought that there were many coincidences in my life; things that happened that I could not fully explain. I attributed them to chance or luck or good fortune. Now that I walk more closely with God, I no longer consider these instances coincidences. I now attribute them to God, to the Holy Spirit. When something happens that surprises me or amazes me, I know that this is the power of the Holy Spirit that is very much alive and real in our world. Let me give you some examples. I don’t think it is by chance that several new and younger families have made Midland United Methodist Church their church home. I believe God designed it this way. I don’t think that just somehow the church building got paid off in just a little over two years. I know that God orchestrated this. When I look around Midland United Methodist Church, the people involved in Midland United Methdist Church and the many exciting things happening at Midland , I see God’s fingerprints all over the ministry that is happening! Let me share with you another movement of the Holy Spirit that I have recently observed. Last winter, in the University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni magazine, there was an article about Coach Bret Bielema, who is the head coach of the UW-Madison’s football team. In the article, the pastor of the United Methodist Church that he attended as a youth described the kind of teenager that Bret was. This article got me thinking. Maybe Coach Bielema could come to Midland UMC and speak about what values and traits today’s young people should focus on. I contacted his office and inquired about his availability. To keep the story at a reasonable length, I recently found out that Coach Bielema will be coming to Midland UMC on Sun., June 10 to share his thoughts on “Mission for Success” at 7 PM. I realize that this is rather short notice, but because of Coach Bielema’s extremely busy schedule, this was the one date this summer that he was available. And so after some prayer, I’ve decided that we should welcome him to Midland in just a few days! I would love for each one of us to think of one or two teenagers or young adults that might benefit from hearing Coach Bielema reflect upon the values that he has instilled in his life. We have a unique opportunity to invite many, many people to Midland UMC for this event; people that otherwise would not be inclined to visit Midland UMC. I pray that each one of us will think of one person to invite and give them the poster that is included in this newsletter. This event provides a very non-traditional way to welcome people to Midland UMC and hear from Coach Bielema. Please help us make sure that we have a significant crowd for this event! I’ve been wondering why the date needs to be June 10, why this was the date that worked for Coach Bielema’s schedule. I’m going to chalk it up to God and realize that I cannot underestimate the power of God. There’s a very good reason why we don’t have a lot of time to plan for this event. Nonetheless, I pray that each one of us will invite someone to come to Midland UMC on Sun., June 10 and be a part of this wonderful outreach youth event. See you at Sunday or Wednesday Worship! |