The Beacon

Blue Mound UMC Month 2025

The Years Go By
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer

Where do the years go, my dear, I wonder,
Do they vanish in a cosmic blunder?
Like socks that vanish from the dryer's heat,
The years go missing, vanishing complete.
Yet still we say Happy New Year! with cheer,
As though it's victory, not loss we hear.
Perhaps, my dear, it’s simply our way
Of embracing change and finding joy each day.

Happy, happy New Year!
We wish you all the best,
Great work to reach your fondest goals,
And when you’re done, sweet rest.
We hope for your fulfillment,
Contentment, peace and more,
A brighter, better new year than
You’ve ever had before.

When I look back on 2024, I think one thing that stands out to me was the
presidential election. I don’t think it matters whether you lean more to the conservative
side, or to the liberal side, or if you consider yourself more of a centrist. The presidential
election seemed to intensify the vitriol that people expressed toward those who see things
differently.
A part of how we see things differently is what we see as the truth. There was a
day when Walter Cronkite would come on TV at night, and we trusted what he said.
Today, conservative-leaning people trust conservative-leaning media more, and liberal-
leaning people trust liberal-leaning media more, and centrists just try to look for the truth
wherever it might lie.
So, we live in a time when we’re not exactly sure where the truth lies, which drives
me back to the Bible. I believe in the truth of the Bible. This is the Christian season of
Advent-Christmas-Epiphany. One of the scriptures we read in this season comes from
Isaiah 9:6:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (KJV).
His name is Jesus, and I believe in him.
I read a devotional recently that I liked, and I’d like to share it with you. I hope you
like it too.
As the election noise gets quieter in my head and in the news, the ancient round of
the Christian tradition reminds me that no matter who holds the titles and the powers that
human rulers take on, Jesus calls to live in the eternal reign of God. Jesus says that he
came into the world to bear witness to the truth, and that everyone who is of the truth
listens to his voice (John 18:33-37).
More>>

Pastor’s Corner Page 2 of 2

The problem is, of course, that sometimes it is hard to discern what is true, especially
when in the public sphere each side of almost every question is calling the other side a
liar, or worse. And so, I ask myself what is true, right here, right now? Here is what I
know to be true as I sit today, writing in my comfortable chair:
 A haze of gold/green leaves are still clinging to the tree outside my window.
 The thirsty plants have perked up after last night’s rain.
 The flock of pigeons still whirls in the air around the plaza near my house.
 My neighbor smiles a hello as I pass her on my daily walk.
 My heart beats without my having to tell it to, and my breath flows in and out even
when I am thinking about something else.
 God is God, and I am not.
When I stop giving in to fear and simply listen, I can hear the voice of Jesus telling me
to love God, to love my neighbors, and to love myself. And I know that God’s eternal
reign of peace, justice, and love is the deeper truth, whatever else the newspaper may tell
me. – Deborah Sokolove
My prayer for us this holiday season is that we will come to believe more deeply
than we ever have just how much God loves us. And in believing how much God loves
us, we will grow in loving God back, in loving ourselves, and in loving our neighbors.
May our love grow stronger in 2025!
Peace be with you, Buster

Celebrate, January
Birthday
03 Sharon Knappe
05 Debbie Martin
11 Sondra Trietsch
Kyle Kraft
15 Linda Boyer
16 Dorothy Smith
Sandra Schertz
20 Robert Franklin
Susie Schertz
22 Linda Brandenberger
23 Dorothy Franklin
24 Eula Belle Roberson
27 Dana Wright
Lisa Smith
Joe Regan-Leaupepe
Anniversary
08 D’Lynn and Joe Ewing

Adding A Zero
What happens when we have a Birthday with a Zero added behind a number?
A decade is ten years in length. It’s one of the most standard ways to reference ten-year
periods, and we can use it to show that a certain amount of time has passed. > 10, 20, 30,
40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 years. Saying the word decade instead of 10 years sounds
so much longer.
In 2025, I find myself having a birthday with a zero behind my number. When I study
this common event, it brings to mind – 1. I am leaving a decade in the past 2. I am
entering the decade to come.
I can reflect on the last 10 years I have lived and the things that happen in those years.
And I can wonder about the next 10 years before me. Not knowing my future.
We in all our time frames, Need Always to Remember: God is with Us. -Linda

January Calendar

01 Happy NewYear
05 Holy Communion
12 Second Sunday Lunch, Noon

25 Family Fellowship Night, 6:00 pm Fun, Games, and Food.

Join Us In The New Year

Blue Mound United Methodist Church has a long history beginning in 1897 when a
group of German residents met for Sunday School in the local schoolhouse and the
following year added Worship Services.
In 1900, 10 acres were purchased and the first church was built and completed
November 17, 1901. When the bell was added, it was not only a call to worship but a
signal of gathering for community news.
In 1962, the old church was torn down and the new church erected. Since then,
other additions and remolding has been done.
In 2024, we celebrated 127 years of worship and service to the community. We want
to be Christians who permit the Holy Spirit to fill our lives so that the love of Christ
may be felt by all. We invite you to join us. It is our prayer when you leave the
service, you have been touched by the presence of God.
BLUE MOUND UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
8421 N. Interstate 35, Denton, TX 76207-1537 – (940) 382-0825
Midway between Denton and Sanger at Exit 473
Sunday School: 9:30 am, Sunday Worship: 10:45 am
Website: www.bluemoundumc.org
Linda Boyer, Newsletter Editor
Need to contact Pastor Buster Noah?
Email: pastor@bluemoundumc.org