“Chasing Pain”
It’s been two weeks now since I broke my arm. I am one-week post-op and recovering well. I have learned a lot these past couple of weeks and have been given a lot of advice. Everyone who has been through something similar has a bit of wisdom to share, and for the most part, these suggestions have been helpful.
The piece of advice I have heard most often is “you don’t want to chase the pain.” This was a warning to keep up on the pain meds even when I wasn’t hurting, so that the pain didn’t sneak up on me. Immediately following my surgery, I experienced very intense pain and, not wanting to go through that again, I became very diligent with my pain meds. I kept track of when I took each pill and when I should take my next pill. I did all this because I had been convinced of the danger of “chasing the pain.”
By Sunday I had established a routine with my meds, and as a result my pain was under control. By Tuesday, I was surprised at how minimal my pain was but also surprised at how tired I was and how “out of it” I felt most of the day. My determination to keep the pain away had inadvertently resulted in numbing myself to everything going on around me.
That’s what we do, though, isn’t it? To avoid experiencing pain, we numb ourselves to the world around us. Have you ever worked so hard to avoid pain that you ended up numbing yourself to the world around you? I’ve found myself doing this by avoiding paying attention to the news – trying to keep from getting upset or disheartened by the events going on around us that feel so outside our control. Or maybe you closed yourself off to experiences of joy, excitement, or love out of fear that you might end up feeling pain.
The past couple of days I have cut back on my pain meds, intentionally trying to reduce my feeling of fogginess, but also opening myself up to the potential of experiencing pain. What I have found, is that the idea of the pain is (at least for now) much worse than the reality. I’ve been able to help out around the house (a little), read and get some work done, and overall participate in my life rather than just walking in a fog.
What pain have you built up in your mind? What pain have you convinced yourself needs to be avoided at all costs? In what ways or areas have you intentionally numbed yourself to the world around you to avoid the potential of pain? Sometimes we need to open ourselves to experiencing pain in order to experience the richness and fullness of the world around us. In what areas of your life might you need to risk feeling a little pain to more fully participate in what God is doing for, around, and through you?
I thank you all for all the prayers, well wishes, messages, and other acts of kindness and love. You have been a great blessing to our family.
Blessings, Chris
Mission
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Vision
Nelson Memorial UMC seeks to be a place where all God’s broken, hurting, and imperfect children discover wholeness and community while experiencing the warm and welcoming love of Jesus Christ. We seek to connect with one another to grow in our knowledge and love of God, to encourage each person to live out their unique calling to serve God, and to make a difference in the Boonville community and throughout the world.
Priorities
Developing and Nurturing Faith in Children and Youth
Fostering Growth and Community in Worship and Small Groups
Provide Opportunities to Serve God in Boonville and Beyond
Worship This Week
This Sunday we will celebrate the youth of our church as we turn over the service to their leadership. For several weeks now, the youth have been preparing all the various elements of our service, from writing prayers and preparing special music, to planning our message for the day. I hope you will make plans to join us as our youth lead us to throne of God’s grace in worship. A scripture focus for this week is from Psalm 84:1-4
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Lord Almighty, my King Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.”
Our services will begin with the song 10,000 Reasons, by Matt Redman. Our opening hymn in the 8:00 service will be Hymn of Promise. In the 10:20 service, our Praise Band will lead us in Soul on Fire. We will then sing It Is Well with My Soul and close our services with Here I Am, Lord.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, our service will be live-streamed. The service can typically be viewed on our Facebook Page. We are experiencing some issues streaming to Facebook, but hope to have those issues fixed by Sunday. If not, we have a backup plan to livestream on YouTube. If that is the case we will post a link to the stream on our Facebook page. The service will start at approximately 10:20 am with our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our messages to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
Youth Sunday – Our youth will lead our worship services on Sunday, February 23. They have been preparing special music, prayers, readings, and our message for that day. Make plans to join us for this special service as our young people lead us to the throne of God’s grace.
Thank You from Nelson Kids and Youth – Thank you to everyone who supported the Nelson Memorial Children’s and Youth Program during our annual spaghetti dinner. Your generous donations and presence made the event a success. The children and youth enjoyed the opportunity to serve and interact with our church family, and your contributions help make their continued growth and service possible. We are deeply grateful for your support and look forward to future opportunities to serve together in faith and community.
Ash Wednesday – Please be sure and join us on Wednesday, March 5th at 7:00 pm for our Ash Wednesday Service. This will be a simple service of meditation, contemplation, confession and receiving ashes.
Charles Edgar Whitten Memorial Scholarship – The intent of this scholarship is to provide one $500.00 scholarship per year for 3rd and 4th year college applicants, with preference given to Nelson Memorial United Methodist Church members and/or those who are actively involved in the church where they attend a university or college. The scholarship may be used for tuition, books, lab fees, or living expenses, as needed to help the scholarship winner continue their studies. To request an application please contact the church office at 882-6223. All scholarship applications must be received by our committee by April 14, 2025, during office hours.
Our Daily Bread and The Upper Room Devotional Books – Spend time each day in God’s Word with thought-provoking devotions to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ. “Our Daily Bread” and “The Upper Room” devotional books have arrived, please help yourself to one in the back of the sanctuary.
Pipe Organ Centennial Celebration – 2025 marks 100 years of ministry for our Pipe Organ. Donated by Margaret Nelson Stephens – our pipe organ was originally dedicated for ministry service on April 27, 1924. In honor of this Centennial Celebration, we will host a special service on Sunday, August 24 at 10:20. Dr. Jacob Hofeling, who regularly preforms with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City, will be our guest organist that day. (This celebration is being planned to coincide with the annual Missouri Festival of the Arts, hosted by the Friends of Historic Boonville. The Festival runs from August 21-23.) Make plans to join us for this special service and celebration of 100 years of music ministry at Nelson Memorial for our Pipe Organ.
Contribution Statements – Contribution statements have been prepared, and have been emailed or mailed out. If you do not receive one this week, please call the church office. Thank you all for your support of the Church and its missions in 2024.
Giving Through Venmo – We can be found on Venmo at @NelsonMemorialUMC. If you don’t know what Venmo is and would like to learn more, information about giving through Venmo can be found on our webpage at https://nelsonmemorialumc.org/give/venmo/
Events this week:
Sunday, February 23: Youth Sunday
Monday, February 24: TOPS – 9:30 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, February 25: Administrative Board – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, February 26: Women’s Bible Study – 10:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Friday, February 28: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.” ― Brené Brown