Missionary Renegade: Daily Guide/Daily Devotion grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 26 July 2015

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Daily Guide/Daily Devotion grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 26 July 2015 - "Prayer Tip"

Prayer Tip:
I am so excited for this week’s sermon! My husband and I made it a priority to see Inside Out shortly after it was released. I am still laughing about and challenged by the film. I highly suggest you watch it! As Christians, I think it is SO important to be aware of our emotional lives.
Have you ever seen a magnet or a poster with this image on it:

I used to love choosing the emotion I related to most, or that I was hoping to inhabit. Strangely enough, exhausted, anxious, depressed, sad…were never on the top of my list. They were the BAD emotions to feel. In Inside Out, Joy tries this with Sadness, the emotion she at first imagines is her archenemy. Click here to see how she goes about this.
For a long time, my understanding of the Christian faith enforced my belief that I was supposed to “put certain emotions in the corner.” As a Christian girl, I thought I should be hopeful, happy and shy all the time to maintain the status quo. One of the film’s main points is that life is a mixed bag of all the emotions. The memories that we look back on and summarize as GOOD or BAD were often made that way due a complex series of feelings at work.
In that, the film follows the wisdom of the Bible. I have found Ecclesiastes 3, particularly verse 4, helpful as I have been reflecting this week:
1 For everything there is a season,
a right time for every intention under heaven —
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to discard,
7 a time to tear and a time to sew,
a time to keep silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
This week, I challenge you to be honest with yourselves about any ways you have categorized and tried to avoid certain emotions. Try to pray each evening, and when you do, share with God what emotions you felt during the day. There is no need to feel embarrassed or ashamed. No matter what you feel, God loves you deeply. After you’ve registered this truth, take time to open your heart to God’s peace. Listen for the word of comfort God offers you.[Rev. Katherine Ebling-Frazier, Pastor of Prayer]
Weekend Sermon Title: Inside Out
Daily Scripture: Philippians 4:8 In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy. 9 Keep doing what you have learned and received from me, what you have heard and seen me doing; then the God who gives shalom will be with you.