OAKLAND IOWA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
  • HOME
  • MINISTRY ACTION PLAN
  • CALENDAR/BDAYS
  • DAILY READINGS
  • LITURGISTS
  • NEWS
  • PASTOR'S PAGE
    • Meet Pastor Kim
  • WARRIOR WORSHIP (Recordings)
  • RESOURCES
  • AUTO-GIVING FORM

The Pastor's Corner for Sept, 2021

8/30/2021

0 Comments

 
Reflections from Pastor Kim 
​  
“…let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill,… "
                                                                                                                            Proverbs 1:5
     I am a lifetime learner.  There has never been a time in my life that I can remember not wanting to know more about, well, anything!  Now, this can be both a blessing and a curse.  It means I know just enough about just about everything to be a bit dangerous.  It also means that I have spent many nights in my life (still do) reading way too late into the night, which leaves me a little bleary eyed for the day to come.  This need to continue to learn has included learning more about scripture, the Church, and my role in the midst of that. 
​  
     One thing that fascinates me is to read scripture and then dig into the context of what was going on at the time it was written.  Why was this story important to the people of the time.  What was the original words in which it was written?  Do they mean the same thing today?  Did the story have an ulterior motive or is it clearly directed by God?  So very many different things to dig into.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 
                                                                                                                           Proverbs 1:7 
     Perhaps the hardest thing I’ve found to do with knowledge is to relearn something.  An example would be to dive into new knowledge and then discern how that effects what I already know to be true, then draw new and informed conclusions to add to the knowledge bank.  The longer I’ve had the base knowledge, the harder it is to think of the  topic or situation in a different light.  Let’s think on the familiar Birth of Christ story.  In our youth as we are building the foundation of our faith, all the events of the Birth of Christ happen in one night, right?  That is, according to the annual Christmas pageant!  When we begin to age and read scripture ourselves, what an onslaught of emotion there is when we realize that our Christmas pageant story actually comes from more than one story.  Then as we get older and the realization hits that not all the Gospel writers felt the “Birth of Christ” was worthy of inclusion, but instead focused on the life and ministry of Christ, there’s another hiccup.  At that point there is yet another gut punch to our faith, or at least a realization that we may need to dig deeper; learn more.
“An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”   
                                                                                                                        Proverbs 18:15 
     What I’ve found to be particularly helpful in my journey of lifelong learning, is having people to bounce my thoughts off of as I wonder about what I’ve been learning.  That includes colleagues, friends, small groups and educators in many different levels and genres.  If I just lean on my own understanding, I miss the depth of meaning in nearly every topic known to man.  When it comes to scripture, in my mind and life, it is essential to have those folks in my life who I can question, safely debate with, and in all things, learn together. 
“Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they 
will gain in learning.” 
​                                                                                                                     Proverbs 9:9 
     How about you?  How do you learn best?  No matter what age you are as you read this, your faith can deepen.  Whether you are young, middle-aged, or in your golden years, deepening your faith is still very important.  How we read and understand the Living Word throughout our lives, is indeed the “Living” part of the Word.  Our age, our experiences and our culture all plays a part in how we experience that Living Word.  Though it is timeless, it speaks to the people of every age, in every age.  All of us can use someone to bounce our learnings off of, to help us discern is we are hearing what we think we are hearing.

​     How are you working towards learning more about scripture?  What about learning to deepen your faith?  I’d love to have a chat with you about how we can work on those things together.  Feel free to contact me at any time to dive a bit deeper or to chat about what tools I may be able to offer for your faith journey.

Above all – DON’T STOP LEARNING! 

Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!     

Pastor Kim
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Pastor Kim Dewey

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    October 2024
    August 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    October 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011

    Categories

    All
    April
    Bible
    Blog
    Church
    Corner
    Easter
    From The Pastor
    Graduation
    Hoff
    January
    Karen
    Karen Hoff
    March 2012
    May
    Methodist
    Newsletter
    Oakland
    Oakland United Methodist Church
    Oakland Unted Methodist Church
    Pastor
    Pastor Karen
    Pastor Karen Hoff
    Pastor's
    Pastor's Corner
    School
    United
    Vocation

    RSS Feed

OAKLAND IOWA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

​200 N Main St - PO #4, Oakland, IA  51560

​Phone:  (712) 482-5530

Church email: [email protected]

​
​Web site: www.oaklandiaumc.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/oakiamethchurch


Church Office Hours:  T - F   9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.


Pastor:  Kim Dewey

​Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 
 712-887-0263
Pastor Kim observes Sabbath each Monday.  In the case of an emergency,

please do not hesitate to contact her by call or text, and she will respond as

soon as possible.
​

All non-emergency calls, texts, and emails will be responded to the next day. 

Thank you for your thoughtfulness in assisting Pastor Kim with self-care in this

way.  it is greatly appreciated!


Organist:  Marilyn Hackett

​Lay Leader: Merlin Jones 712-482-3687

​Secretary:  Martha Isaacson 712-482-5530
​
​
​Custodian:  Trevor & Megan Jefferson