“Till It Hurts”
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
“Okay, so you’re going to hold it like this, and raise the bar over your head and as far back as you can, until it hurts. Then try and go just a little bit further.”
This is how pretty much every exercise is introduced to me at physical therapy. Go until it hurts, then go just a little bit further. I don’t like this instruction. I’ve always thought that pain was the body’s way of saying: “Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Stop what you’re doing before we all get hurt!”
Now, we’ve all been taught the old saying, “No pain, no gain,” but most of the time, we don’t like it. But there’s so much truth in that pithy little saying. My therapist was stretching my shoulder this afternoon and could see the grimaces of discomfort (and pain) on my face. At one point she even stopped and said, “I’m sorry. I know this hurts.”
It occurred to me (I’m a little slow) that causing me discomfort and pain is her job. (Insert joke here about PT actually standing for Physical Torture.) If she told me to stop at the first sign of pain, if she stopped stretching my shoulder at my first feeling of discomfort, I would never get my range of motion back. The kind of healing I’m looking for doesn’t happen on its own. It takes hard work, discomfort, and sometimes outright pain.
That’s the way it is with growth. We are not going to get the growth we desire for ourselves without pushing through, without perseverance, and even some discomfort. Our spiritual growth is the same way. If I seek to go deeper with God, if I want to become a more mature Christian, if I want to press on to be more fully formed and to more fully embrace who I was created to be, I’m going to have to be ready for some pain. That pain might include forgiving a hurt I’ve been holding onto for years (or decades). That pain might include seeking forgiveness from someone we hurt years ago. That pain might include seeking deliverance from a habit or addiction we know is not God-honoring. It might require sacrificing our financial resources, our time, or our own comfort. The growth we truly want never comes without a cost.
As I told my therapist when she apologized for my agony, “I’m not going to get where I want to be without this.” If we want the breakthroughs in our life, if we want true maturity and a closer walk with God, we’re not going to get there without a little pain. But, just like the pain in my PT, it will be worth it.
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 continue our series, “Dreamer: Lessons from a Life You Wouldn’t Choose, but God Still Used.” Our Scripture focus this week is Genesis 39 verses 1 – 6.
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him from there.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.“
Our services will begin with the song Glory, Glory, God Is Able by Crowder. Our opening song at the 8:00 service will be God Will Take Care of You. The Praise Band will lead the 10:20 service in Made For More. Additionally we will sing Open My Eyes, That I May See, and we will close the service with In His Time.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, our service will be live-streamed. We are moving our livestream to YouTube. Our YouTube channel is Nelson Memorial UMC. We will post a link to our Facebook page once the service begins. The service will start at approximately 10:2o am with our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our messages to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
Red Cross Blood Drive – Our next Red Cross Blood Drive is coming up on Monday, June 2 from 2 – 6 pm. Our goal is to have 20 units donated at this drive, and we need your help to meet this goal. You can register to give or get more information here.
VBS 2025 – Mark Your Calendars! “Saddle up, Partners! Get Ready for a rootin’ tootin’ hoe-down show-down with Outlaws for God…an Adventure in the Wild West and the World” VBS 2025. June 30-July 2, 9am – 11:30 am.
Recognizing Our Graduates – We are putting together our list of graduates from high school and college for our recognition upcoming worship service. Our working list includes: High School: Baron Davis Fleming, Alexander McGruder, Cooper McGruder, Rebecca Shaw, and Garrett Snyder. College: Noah Rogers, Jordan Schler, Doctorate of Audiology. Please let us know who else we need to add to the list by emailing the church office at boonvillemethodist@gmail.com. Thank you.
Upper Room Devotional Books – Spend time each day in God’s Word with thought-provoking devotions to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ. “Upper Room” devotional books have arrived, please help yourself to one in the back of the sanctuary.
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.
Events this week:
Saturday, May 10: Methodist Men, 8:30 am, Lounge
Monday, May 12: TOPS – 9:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, May 13: PEO – 6:00 pm, Lounge
Wednesday, May 14: Women’s Bible Study – 10:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, May 15: Baby Grace Distribution – 5:00 pm, Annex
Choir Rehearsal – 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Friday, May 16: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Saturday, May 17: Youth Group – 10:00 am, Jackson Home
Closing Words of Wisdom:
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” ― Maya Angelou