There is a an obscure verse in Acts 16:7. It is easy to overlook as it looks like an unimportant side-note to where the remainder of the story of Acts goes. In case you do not have your Bible handy, Luke is writing about the journey the apostle Paul and his cohort took. The line says, “When they had come opposite of Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;” (NRSV). Did you see that, they had positioned themselves to go a certain way. They had made plans and worked themselves to a place in their journey where Bithynia is a next goal for them. Nowhere did it say they ignored the leading of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus to get to that place. No one misheard the Lord. The text says, as they prepared to go to Bithyia, then they were prevented from going there by the Spirit of the Lord.

I believe this is important for us to understand how God is at work in the midst of our lives; in which we see so many otherwise “best laid plans” being delayed or lain aside. How many of us have worked to carefully get to a place right now and find our way is not open as we intended it to be? You planned, you worked for a circumstance, yet it is not happening. Now What!?

First, honestly assess where you are and how you got to “here”. If you laid your will before the Lord, and know to the best of your ability, you followed God’s leadership, then trust fully, God has this. If you did make plans based on your own will, “I want”, then this is a brilliant time to repent and turn to God with your future plans. How did you get here?

Second, in either case we are ALL in a time of pause, to discern whether God is calling you into a season of perseverance (IE: keep pressing to get to Bithynia) or a new calling/goal (going to Macedonia-IE: God called them to spread the Gospel into the continent of Europe!). Prayer, reading scripture for discernment stories (like this one in Acts 16:6-12), speaking with Christian friends, etc. will all help you gain clarity. The hard part in discernment is separating out what we want versus what God’s kingdom calls us to. If you are living for self, and you are “happy”, you probably will make another selfish decision to foster this false sense of fulfillment. Chances are you will need a season of discord to break you free to hear God’s voice. If you are seeking to love God, your neighbor as yourself, then you will only find peace when you are entering the pathway God has for you. **St. Ignatius of Loyola did great work on helping people discern decisions, email me if you would like more resources.

Third, Trust! Trust that all your efforts that led you up to the decision point, are not a waste, even if you get called in a different direction. In our example from scripture, it turned out their efforts to go to Bithynia, placed them in a port town which allowed them to go to Macedonia/Europe. While their geographical goals were changed, God called them to use all their experiences, training, learning, and more in a place far beyond their initial understanding.

The Wesley ConnectorJULY 8, 2020

Keep seeking the Lord and God will lead you to a place God needs you to be. The Yost Post

continued...

Drive-Thru Communion & Prayer Sunday, July 12. Make Sunday feel more like a Sunday with Communion & Prayer. Drive-thru for Communion & Prayer before and after our remote Sunday worship services. Two opportunities, 7:30am-9am and 11:45am-12:30pm. This is a drive-thru event. Please remain in your car. Pastor Chris and helpers will be masked.

Worship by Phone Audio format of the traditional Sunday worship is now available by phone. Call 903.361.0548 to hear the service in full. Service will be available after 1pm every Sunday.

Wedding Coordinator Wesley is seeking an individual who is willing to serve in the capacity of Wedding Coordinator. This role provides a valuable service to wedding parties and our congregation by guiding and contributing to a meaningful and pleasant experience for all who come to be married at Wesley. Contact Becky Breedlove, admin@wesleyumcgreenville.org, for more information.

Wesley member Nancy Brown passed away June 28, 2020.

Grady Nicholson, father of Wesley member Milinda Hollingsworth, passed away July 5, 2020.

Shirley Chitwood, mother of Wesley member Corey Chitwood, passed away July 6, 2020.

In Remembrance

Our thoughts and prayers of strength and comfort are with the families during this time.

Lastly, Act! We do not know how many days it took the disciples and Paul to understand the new plan, nor how long it took to make alternate arrangements. After all, it is only one line in scripture. That had to be some of the hardest few days, weeks, or maybe even months! We are ALL experiencing some form of that, aren’t we!? After however long, we see they went where God sent them.

This overlooked nugget of scripture holds so much for us in this season of life. Where we thought we were going, it is different now. One final note wrapping this up. Had they been hard headed and stuck with their first plan, they would have duplicated the Lord’s mission. You see, unbeknown to Paul and the disciples, through the historical sources we know the Apostle John was already at work in the region of Bithynia. No one was in Europe yet, so God sent them there. Not only that, the vision Paul had originally was of a male asking for help in Macedonia. This caught Paul’s attention and he went. When Paul and his entourage arrived, it was Lydia and the women she led who became the first Christians and ministers of the Gospel on the continent of Europe.

All of this to say, keep seeking the Lord and God will lead you to a place God needs you to be. May I suggest you say this simple prayer? “I trust You Jesus, I trust You Jesus, I trust You Jesus.”

I will be on vacation July 13-July 27. If you need emergency pastoral care or help, Becky Breedlove is checking voicemails twice a day at church: 903.455.1594.

In Christ,

The Yost Post continued...

Drive-ThruCommunion

Wesley United Methodist Church

Sunday, July 12th

7:30 - 9:00amand

11:45-12:30pm

Rainor

Shine

Rainor

Shine

& Prayer

Old and New, Tried and True Recipes from those who love to cook!

Peachy Chicken from the kitchen of Trena Stafford

INGREDIENTS

Drain peaches, reserving syrup. Add water, if necessary, to make 1 cup. Set aside.

Brown chicken in oil. Add syrup mixture, margarine, brown sugar, vinegar and allspice. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in stuffing and peaches. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Enjoy!

1 can sliced peaches in heavy syrup (16oz) 4 bnls sknls chicken breasts 2 tbsp oil 3 cups Stove Top chicken stuffing (in canister)

2 tbsp margarine 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp vinegar 1/8 tsp allspice

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens recommended by Susie Cox

The Day the World Came To Town by Jim Defede recommended by Robyn Owens

Untamed by Glennon Doyle recommended by Eva Green

It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst recommended by Heather Holt

Small Great Things by Jodie Picoult recommended by Jill Casto

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin recommended by Jerri Boles

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins recommended by Stefanie Moore

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt recommended by Barbara Morton

Looking for a book to read during our time of social distance? Here are some recommendations from fellow Wesley members:

Walking 4+ miles a day!John Armstrong

Patio construction!Steve Casto

Celebrating Dad’s birthday!Myra Rucker

Catching dinner!Becky Bishop

Adding to our fur family!Jeremy & Stefanie Moore

What is keeping you

busy these days?

The Williams FamilyPam and Deya

The London Family Jay, Holly, Izzy and Tatum

The Ibarra Family

Xavier, Elizabeth, Veronica, Hayden, Jaxon and Allison

Congratulations and Welcome to our new Wesley UMC members. What a wonderful way to conclude our Confirmation Sunday worship service.

New members of our Wesley family are always welcome. If you would like to join, please contact Natalie Pegg (info@wesleyumcgreenville.org or 402.578.8671) for more information.

LOGO / SHIELD, KNIGHTS, CASTLE

LOGO / DRAGON

Knights of the North Castle Virtual VBS is coming!Details coming soon...

HEY KIDS!

Mission Trips

Youth Connections kountze18 kountze08 Making Disciples In our community20 San Antonio19

Stillwell17 Daisetta16 Clarksville15 West14 Kountze13 Luling12 Vilonia11 Marble City10

Orange09

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Summer mission trips - Making disciples of christEvery year, the Wesley Youth Connections ministry spreads the words and actions of Jesus Christ by giving back through mission work. From rebuilding flooded areas and building homes to working with inner city children, love is all around them. This year, due to COVID19, Jeff will lead our youth to mission opportunities in our local area. But where have they gone spreading the good news? See if you can find the places of greatness and the year they were there below.

KOUNTZE08ORANGE09MARBLE CITY10VILONIA11LULING12

KOUNTZE13 WEST14CLARKSVILLE15 DAISETTA16STILLWELL17

KOUNTZE18SAN ANTONIO19 IN OUR COMMUNITY20YOUTH CONNECTIONS