The Beacon
Blue Mound UMC March 2025
Importance of Prayer
The significance of prayer varies across cultures, religions, and individual beliefs. Everyone’s relationship with prayer is unique, and its importance can differ greatly from one person to another.
For many, prayer is a way to communicate with a higher power, seeking guidance, comfort, or simply expressing gratitude.
Prayer often provides a quiet moment for self-examination, helping individuals to focus on their values, goals, and actions. It can offer solace during difficult times, providing a sense of peace and reassurance. The practice of prayer can be calming, promoting mental well-being and reducing stress.
Praying together can strengthen common bonds and preserve fellowship.
10 Reasons Prayer is Important
- Helps Us Grow Closer to God
- Aligns Us with God’s Will
- Reminds Us that Life is Not Just About Ourselves
- Provides Strength, Hope, Wisdom and Guidance
- Brings Peace and Comfort
- Increases Faith
- Changes Our Focus
- Ushers Us into God’s Presence
- Helps to Calm Us
- Brings About Change Do you find prayer important in your life?
On Wednesday March 5 we begin the Lent-Easter-Pentecost season. Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday. The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.
Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. Christians focus on relationship with God, growing as disciples and extending ourselves, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of ourselves for others.
Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter.”
The Bible has much to say about fasting. Fasting is a sign of penitence practiced by individuals or whole people in the Old Testament. Jesus, as part of his spiritual preparation, went into the wilderness and fasted 40 days and 40 nights. He also commended fasting as an ongoing practice for his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.
While fasting is often associated with Lent, Methodists have never limited fasting to Lent. The General Rules commend “fasting or abstinence” as part of the ordinances of God upon which all Methodists are called to attend as they are able. Fasting usually means eating no food for a period of time. Abstinence means refraining from particular kinds of food, such as meat.
John Wesley fasted weekly, from Thursday at sundown until receiving communion on Sunday, as the Church of England expected its clergy to do. To Wesley, fasting or abstinence were ways to express sorrow for sin and penitence for overindulgence in eating and drinking. He commended fasting to all Methodists to allow more time for prayer, and he noted that fasting or abstinence was more meaningful when combined with giving to the poor. At the same time, he advised caution against extreme fasting and urged those in fragile health not to fast from food. >>>
Pastor’s Corner Page 2 of 2
The United Methodist Church does not have official guidance on how individuals should observe fasting or abstinence. Many choose to fast from food, but fasting or abstinence can include restriction of activities such as television watching, shopping, or social networking. Some choose to give away clothing or possessions, give time by volunteering, or increase time spent in prayer. Be sure to check with your physician before attempting a total fast (no food, water only) for more than 24 hours.
Whenever or however, we fast, United Methodists do so to reorient ourselves away from the compulsions and distractions of our lives to make more room in our lives for the love of God overflowing in love to every neighbor.
Peace be with you, Buster
Ash Wednesday March 5th to Good Friday April 18
Ash Wednesday Service 4 p.m.
Birthday
08 Lydia Schertz
12 Teddy Reynolds
14 Reese Haisler
16 John Stenger
22 Pat Allen
23 Aaron Klein
29 Jesse Miller
Michele Regan-Leaupepe
30 Vince Haisler
31 Elizabeth Snapp
Anniversary
28 Danny and Sandra Schertz
Growing Up and Growing Old Quotes
>Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen. – Mark Twain
>Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. –C. S. Lewis
>The trick is growing up without growing old.” – Casey Stengel
>You know you’re getting old when all the names in your black book have M. D. after them. – Harrison Ford
>No one tells you that the hardest part of motherhood is when your kids grow up
> Mom, why don’t you get presents on my birthday? I mean, you went through all that trouble to pop me out and all. Katherine, age 8
Kids’ Corner – Word Search Puzzle
March Calendar
02 Holy Communion
05 Ash Wednesday Service, 4 p.m.
09 Second Sunday Lunch, Noon
Daylight Savings Time Begins
20 First Day of Spring
22 Family Fellowship Night, 6:00 pm Fun, Games, and Food.
Two Great Opportunities for Bible Study
Tuesday Mornings at 10, a Study of the Book of Romans by Pastor Noah.
Seekers Study, Sunday at 9:30 a.m., Bible Studies by Linda Boyer.
Each of These Studies Encourages Us to Learn, Exchange Ideas and Explore Deeper Our Understanding of the Bible.
Discover God’s Word.
Come Join Us – Everyone Welcome!
Daylight Savings Time Begins, Sunday March 9
Spring Forward, Saturday Night March 8
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
