MAY 2022 EDITION
THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH
THESENIORPOINT THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH
EULOGY VIRTUES Written by Rev. Daniel Lumpee
In 2015, columnist David Brooks wrote an article for the Sunday Review in The New York Times titled, “The Moral Bucket List.” Brooks noted that he began to realize that there are certain types of people that shine a great light in our world. They’re the kind of people that light up a room when they walk in. The entire atmosphere and mood changes when this type of person is involved in a task. We all know these kinds of people. It may be a family member, a friend or a neighbor. Brooks wanted to better understand what made these people special. Here’s what he wrote: “It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral—whether you were kind, brave, honest, or faithful. Were you capable of deep love?” This special type of person is not primarily concerned with climbing the corporate ladder, making a nice life for themselves or being the center of attention. They do not think about the wonderful work they are doing because they are often not thinking about themselves at all. They live to build their eulogy virtues, not their resume virtues. What would that look like for us? This Lent at Loft, we preached a sermon series called “Mist Opportunities.” It was based on James 4:14: “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” Our lives are but a mist. The time we are given on this planet is short, and we are called to make the most of it. With that kind of mindset, we can’t help but want to strengthen our eulogy virtues and make an impact that will live beyond us. I’ve been reflecting on this thought quite a bit through the lens of my children. My wife Alex and I have two amazing little girls, Graysen (4) and Camryn (2), and we are expecting a third girl, Scottie, this summer. Sometimes Alex asks Graysen and Camryn what they love about Daddy. Not once have they praised me for my preaching ability. They’ve never mentioned how amazing it is that I can fit so many meetings into one day. They don’t even seem to care about my college and seminary degrees! What they care about is my eulogy virtues. They’re grateful that I play with them, that I’m silly and that I snuggle with them when they’re scared. I’m beginning to realize that at the end of the day, and at the end of my life, that’s what will matter. May we all live for those eulogy virtues, the impact that will live on well beyond us. This Easter Sunday we will gather because we have voices, and we want to shout: “He is risen! He is risen, indeed!”
Happy Mother’s Day!
GOD’S HEALING POWER Written by Rev. Joy Johnston
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3, NIV Illness, pain, suffering, hurt, grief and strained relationships are all part of the broken world in which we live. Yet, these are not God’s desires for us. Rather, He has chosen to provide healing in a variety of ways. Sometimes it comes by leading us to a particular doctor or medical procedure. Sometimes God’s healing is given through His presence in the form of a friend’s love and care. However, the greatest type of healing God offers is the healing of a person’s broken relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is important to understand that He can heal even when He does not cure. While we may hope and pray for a physical cure of an illness in the present, God may choose instead to heal by providing grace sufficient for us to endure our suffering with God’s abiding presence and strength (2 Corinthians 12: 7-9). Methodists have a long history of seeking and experiencing God’s healing power. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that God desired not only spiritual healing but also physical wholeness for each person. At a time when medical care was nonexistent for the poor, John Wesley produced a book of remedies called The Primitive Physick: An Easy and Natural Method of Curing Most Diseases, so medical care would be available to the poor. Methodists continue John Wesley’s tradition of providing physical healing through various Methodist hospitals, as well as facilitating God’s spiritual healing at thousands of local Methodist congregations. May God continue His healing work through our church and through our local Houston Methodist Hospital – The Woodlands.