The word is…. learn
Ancient church mothers and fathers often greeted one another with the phrase, “Give me a word.” This greeting led to the sharing of insights and wisdom. Today we continue this tradition with this monthly column.
By Mandy Sayers
Pastor, Covenant UMC, Gaithersburg
We don’t know too much about Jesus’ boyhood. There’s that bit about his parents losing track of him in Jerusalem when he was 12, of course, but not too much other than that. We do know, however, that he “grew in wisdom and stature.” (Luke 2:52). He didn’t stay a babe, wrapped in swaddling
Just as Jesus grew in wisdom, we are also called to grow and learn. As we start a new year, where is God calling us to “grow in wisdom?” How can we give thanks
I tell the folks at our church that I make a dozen mistakes before breakfast, most days, but I promise them to learn from those mistakes. I tell them I will try not to make the same mistake twice. Instead, I resolve to make new ones.
I am trying hard to learn, in this work, and in my life, so that I’ll be a “better person today than I was yesterday” (something our bishop prays about himself each day). My prayer
If I’m going to make a new mistake every day, I better get busy with trying new things.
Learning is the antidote to ignorance and fear. It can help us build bridges between human beings, as we learn about the hopes, needs
In the New Year, let us not just “resolve” about things. Let’s learn, and put that learning into practice, for the sake of the new world God brought us on that first Christmas Day.
By Daryl Williams
Pastor, St. Paul UMC, Oxon Hill
One of my favorite movies of all time is “Men In Black.” It wasn’t the special effects, the plot or the acting that made me fall in love with the movie. The thing that made me fall in love with it was one speech. Early in the movie, Tommy Lee Jones’ character is speaking with Will Smith’s character and says the following: “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.”
What struck me
Being always ready to learn requires three things: desire, opportunity
Secondly, you have to have or make opportunities to learn; you have to find opportunities to learn. Sometimes that means going back to school, sometimes it simply means turning off the TV and reading a book or listening to a podcast.
Finally, you have to have exposure. We can get comfortable knowing the same people and doing the same things which
This year, become a Proverbs 18:15 person. Well-up the desire, take the
Take the next 366 days and