Jonathots Daily Blog
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Underrated:
The cheese on a pizza.
Sliding on a pair of socks which just came out of the dryer.
A plate of nachos when you’re really, really hungry.
An evening of television without politics.
The Frankenmuth United Methodist Church.
Yes, to the outside observer, the congregation meeting in Frankenmuth seems to be a small, middle-America United Methodist Church. As a society, we’ve nearly given up on such institutions.
I totally disagree.
From the minute I stepped in the door and met Pastor Scott, with his warm, inviting, gentle ways, to when I walked out to climb in my van, I was awarded the opportunity to be in the presence of untapped miracles.
By no means am I trying to tell you that the emotional environment of the Frankenmuth United Methodist Church is suited to the taste of the common person. To him or her it would still reek of religion and provincial thinking.
But the potential is there to do great things for mankind. What is missing?
Joy.
Joy is the unity of confidence and gratitude: A confidence based on the fact that we feel valuable, and a gratitude because we know a bit about our own unworthiness.
- Too much confidence appears to be arrogance.
- Too much gratitude creates a timid soul.
How do we generate joy?
Joy is when our “face shows our place.”
In other words, it bubbles out. Peter, in the Epistle, declared it “a joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
The folks in Frankenmuth still believe that their “Father, which art in Heaven” is a hard-ass. It’s just difficult to look at Him as “Daddy” when you find His demands unrelenting.
It causes them to be cautious–more fearful than appreciative–and it makes them reluctant to invite others to church because they’re pretty sure their friends would be unimpressed.
The good news is, if the Frankenmuth United Methodist Church would allow for more emotion in their worship experience, they would begin to realize why they meet together.
The better news is: when they are more certain of the reasons for their gathering, others will want to gather around their reasons.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
Jonathan’s Latest Book Release!
PoHymn: A Rustling in the Stagnant
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