So friends, as you all know, every week, I include a personally written devotional that’s attached to the upcoming announcements. However, moving forward, I want to mix it up a bit and include other voices besides my own who I think we can all learn from.
Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Ruthless Trust written by Brennan Manning, one of the most spiritually influential figures in my life.
*Unwavering trust (in God) is a rare and precious thing because it often demands a degree of courage that borders on the heroic. When the shadow of Jesus’ cross falls across our lives in the form of failure, rejection, abandonment, betrayal, unemployment, loneliness, depression, the loss of a loved one, when we are deaf to everything but the shriek of our own pain, when the world around us suddenly seems a hostile, menacing place—at those times we may cry out in anguish, “How could a loving God permit this to happen?” At such moments the seeds of distrust are sown. It requires heroic courage to trust in the love of God no matter what happens to us.
The most brilliant student I ever taught in seminary was a young man by the name of Augustus Gordon. He now lives as a hermit six months each year in a solitary cabin deep in Smoky Mountains above Liberty, Tennessee. The remaining half-year he travels the country preaching the gospel on behalf of Food for the Poor, a missionary outreach feeding the hungry and homeless in Haiti, Jamaica, and other Caribbean Islands.
On a recent visit I asked him, “Gus, could you define the Christian life in a single sentence?” He didn’t even blink before responding. “Brennan,” he said, “I can define it in a single word: trust.”
It has been more than four decades since I was first ambushed by Jesus in a little chapel in the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania. After thousands of hours of prayer and mediation over the intervening years, I can state unequivocally that childlike surrender in trust is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship. And I would add that the supreme need in most of our lives is often the most overlooked—namely, the need for an uncompromising trust in the love of God.
Questions to Consider: For you, what does it mean to trust in God?
Do you agree with Brennan and his student that trust is central to being a follower of Jesus? Why or why not?
How would your life be different if you lived it with “an uncompromising trust in the love of God”?
*The italicized text is taken from
Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin’s Path to God, Brennan Manning, pgs. 3-4
Church Picnic
Last week’s picnic went great, and we all had a fun time. A huge thank you to all our volunteers who helped make it all possible!
Supporting & Caring for Those Affected by Hurricane Ida
Our annual conference is hard at work, responding to the devastation brought on by Hurricane Ida. If you click on the link below, you will be taken to a webpage that details some of the ways that we can be helping people and communities rebuild.
Food Drive for Flemington Food Pantry
From August 29th to September 26th, our church is holding a Food Drive to collect food for the Flemington Area Food Pantry. There is a list in the back of the church which states what items the Food Pantry is looking for. The drop-off box is also in the back of the sanctuary.
The Power of our Words
Join us for worship this week as we continue our sermon series on the power of our words and learn more about how we can love our neighbors in what we say and how we talk to others.
Music Ministries
The Choir and Bell Choir rehearsals will be on Wednesdays in the choir room, with Bell Choir at 4:30-5:30 and Choir at 5:45-7:00. Feeling unsure about joining? Feel free to sit in on a rehearsal any time before deciding. All are welcome – no experience required!
Sunday School
In-person Sunday School has resumed during our church services. If you would like to register your child in our Sunday School program, please fill out a registration form and turn it in. If you need a form, you can email Gretchen at flemingtonumc@yahoo.com.
COVID-19: Updated Church Policy
Due to the surge of Delta variant COVID-19 cases, and the new CDC, State, and Denominational recommendations, our church now requires that all persons wear face masks regardless of vaccination status when indoors. You can find a hard copy of health & safety policies on the table at the back of the sanctuary.
Sharing Prayer Requests
If you have a prayer request, you can fill out a prayer card in the back of the sanctuary or email our Office Manager, Gretchen, at flemingtonumc@yahoo.com. We will be sure to add it to the list on the back of our bulletin. You can also email Gretchen to take off any prayer requests that are no longer relevant or needed.
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The Power of Our Words