Cokesbury UMC - Houston TX - News

07/23/10 Newsletter is Available

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:58 CDT

July 23 Courier is now available

Covering the Situation

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:55 CDT

George fidgeted in the psychiatrist's office. "I just don't understand what's happening, Doc! I can't take it much more."

Dr. Wampas folded his hands on his desk and carefully regarded his new patient. "Well, let's see what we can do. Did you say you kept having a strange dream?"

"Yes, but actually it's two dreams. In one I'm a teepee, and the next one I've become a wigwam. Or it's the other way around - first I'm a wigwam and then a teepee. You've got to help me, Doc!"

Drm Wampas nodded slowly. "Now that I know what you're dreaming I can help you. Your problem is that you're two tents."

Whether it's an occasional nervousness or a constant sense of anxiety, tension is something we'd love to lose. Yet perhaps it's most frustrating when it affects our spiritual walk, because if we're anxious or worried then we can't concentrate on following or serving God. Of course though our tension may originate from several areas, one major cause may be because we're fearful about the future. It could be either fear of the next few days or the far future, but no matter what it is we tend to be anxious because we're not in control and that can be scary. So uncertainty breeds anxiety. So how do you handle it? I got my answer to this problem when I was browsing in a Christian gift shop and came across an interesting and reassuring sign. "Do not fear tomorrow," it said, "God is already there." And that's the answer. For if we don't know the future then he does and he's in control. So while it isn't always easy, I try to replace the tension and fear with faith. As the old staying goes, "When fear knocked, faith answered and there was nothing there!"

07/09/10 Newsletter is Available

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:16 CDT

July 9 Courier Is Now Available

Changes are On the Way!

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:54 CDT

The Publicity Team has been working for the past month to bring together the elements of our two web sites and create a unified site. That work is almost ready for deployment. You can expect to see some big changes in the next two months.

Which site address should you use? Don't worry, we will make sure that both point to the same site. Will there still be two sites since we have two addresses? No. There is only one site, but both addresses bring you to the same web pages.

We hope that you will like what you see. As always, your feedback is appreciated.

Test Message

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:40 CDT

This is a news article that is geared toward the youth of Cokesbury UMC. This is not a true news article. It is simply a test. A real article would have contained interesting information. Thank you!

06/25/10 Newsletter is Available

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:59 CDT

June 25 Courier Is Now Available

Call to the Difficult

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:35 CDT

The foreman addressed the rowers of the ancient Roman galley. "I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we'll have double rations for lunch and hour's rest after that."

"Hurray!" The men shouted.

But the foreman wasn't through. "The bad news is that after that the captain wants to go water skiing."

The "good news/bad news" is a popular source of jokes but we often experience it in our spiritual life. It comes when we realize that the good news of being able to serve God means the bad news that it's not easy. With this in mind, while we often see wonderful results of God at work in our lives, it is inevitable that when we follow him we will likely face a variety of struggles. After all, he never promised his children an easy life.

Good news and bad news - yet serving him is worth it all. As the old hymn puts it there's no crown without a cross.

06/11/10 Newsletter is Available

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:33 CDT

June 11 Courier Is Now Available

05/28/10 Newsletter is Available

Mon, 24 May 2010 13:56 CDT

May 28 Courier is now available.

Bothersome Burdens

Tue, 11 May 2010 08:46 CDT

The story goes that a government benefits clerk looked up from his desk to see a new applicant approaching. The man was walking w ith effort, and leaned on a cane as he came up to drop into a chair beside the desk. The clerk got right to business.

After he found out what the man needed and got the right form, he began with the first question. "And why are you applying for disability benefits?" He asked.

The applicant settled back in his chair. "Work injury," he said. "I was a guide for elephant hunters, and I injured my back trying to carry the decoys."

We may not have to carry that sort of load, but we certainly all carry spiritual burdens that we find just as heavy. Perhaps we carry a troublesome problem that doesn't seem to have a solution, or maybe it's a failure that we know we should straighten out but we fail to do so. However, no matter what it is we do not have to
continue to bear them alone. We can remember what Jesus promised us. "I can take your burdens," he told us, "Put them on me, and I'll carry them for you."

Then when we do, he helps us in any number of ways.
He might remove the problem, entirely, give us extra strength to handle it, or even change our attitude so the burden becomes a blessing. Yet whatever it is, and no matter how he does it, his solutions are for our
benefit and his glory.

05/14/10 Newsletter is Available

Mon, 10 May 2010 15:10 CDT

May 14 Courier Is Now Available

04/30/10 Newsletter is Available

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:05 CDT

April 30 Courier Is Now Available

Blooming Success

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:25 CDT

Every morning Fred set out for a walk through the park across from his retirement community. Since he prided himself on being well dressed, he always wore a well tailored suit, and added to the effect with a fresh flower in his lapel.

One morning he found his neighbor Horace already seated on a park bench, so he joined him. As he sat down, Horace had a question.

"Say, you wear a different flower every morning. Where do you get them?"

"Over there at the LaFleur Florist Shop. I have a standing order for a different one each morning. I've been doing it so long I think the florist sometimes has a hard time trying to come up with a different one each time." Fred explained.

Horace adjusted his glases and leaned forward. "What's this one?"

"It's a chrysanthemum."

Horace straightened up. "I looks like a rose to me."

"You need new glasses." Fred told him. "It's a chrysanthemum."

"Spell it," Fred challenged with a slight smile.

Fred paused. "Well, it's K-R-I-S...no, it's K-R-Y...No, it's C-R-I-S" - he looked down at his lapel. "You know you're right - it's a rose."

Fred certainly thought substitution would solve his problem, and sometimes I do the same when I try to insert my own ideas into God's plans for me. It often works this way: as I start a new God-directed task I suddenly get an idea that I believe will benefit the project, so I start off in that direction. That may work for a while but since I've left God out of my plans I usually get bogged down and can go no further. Then while I go off on my own, God waits in the background for me to recognize the futility of my own efforts and return to his plans for me. And of course eventually I must do just that.

Substitution worked for Fred, but it never does when serving God - and when I recognize that you might say I arose to the occasion.

Cokesbury Methodist Youth Fellowship

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:42 CDT

Cokesbury youth meet on Sunday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We eat supper, play games, and live out our mission statement. Our mission is: To help others and ourselves build a steady, sincere, personal relationship with Jesus, fellowship with other Christians, and continually broaden our mission horizons. We hope you can join us!

04/16/10 Newsletter is Available

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:11 CDT

April 16 Courier is now Available