Friday, February 20, 2026

Held and Becoming

"Be still and know that I am God." – Psalms 46:10
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." – Philippians 1:6

This morning, many of us awakened to begin a new day carrying more than anyone can see. We carry responsibilities, worries, unanswered prayers, grief, hope, exhaustion, joy, and sometimes all of it at once. We are a congregation that loves deeply, and gives generously, yet sometimes forgets to rest in the truth that we are already held by God.

God does not love us for what we accomplish. He loves us because we are His. Before we fix anything, before we serve anyone, before we prove ourselves worthy, God tells us to, "Be still" – not because He wants us passive, but because He wants us to remember who is really in control.

Stillness is not weakness. Stillness is trust.

And here's the beautiful truth: We are not finished products. God is still working. Still shaping. Still healing. Still restoring.

The places in your life that feel incomplete or broken are not evidence of failure, they are evidence of ongoing grace.

Some of us need permission today to stop striving. Some of us need reassurance that our prayers are not wasted. Some of us need to hear that God is not disappointed in us. He is patient, faithful, and near.

You are allowed to exhale.
You are allowed to rest.

You are allowed to trust that God is doing far more than you can see.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for meeting us right where we are – not where we think we should be. Teach us to be still in a world that demands constant motion. Remind us that you are faithful to complete the work you began in us. Help us release what we cannot control and trust you with what we cannot see. Strengthen our hearts, quiet our fears, and renew our spirits as we walk forward together. We ask these things in your precious name. Amen.

Cindy Rolka

February 27, 2023

Gold Confetti

Read: Philippians 1:9-11

It’s everywhere!! Just like God’s love

At my second hotel in Dallas, I happened to notice a little gold shimmer on the floor in my room. After investigating, I discovered it was a piece of gold confetti. The same stuff we shot off in the choir loft when the children brought the Christmas message. I had the same shoes with me that I had worn that day in church. BUT- I had worn those shoes half a dozen times (at least) since that day. There was no confetti on the outside of them anywhere, but I did discover a couple more pieces inside one shoe. So – I sent a picture and text to Pam and said, “Look what I found in my hotel room” To which she replied, “It’s everywhere!! just like God’s love”

Well, it turns out confetti multiplies – just like God’s love!

I found 3 more pieces in the hallway. I do not walk around in my stocking feet in hotel hallways… so how did it find its way out of my room? (Remember I had examined my shoes and found it only on the inside.) I left the pieces in the hallway for a few days – probably because it made me smile every time I walked to my room. (In defense of the housekeeping staff, I had to use three different vacuums at church to clean it up.) The day before I checked out, I picked up the pieces and put them in the outer pocket of my suitcase, and zipped it up. My confetti pieces and I flew off to Puerto Rico.

The day before I was supposed to leave Puerto Rico, as I was starting to pack back up, something shiny caught my attention. About 20 feet from where my suitcase was parked, there on the floor was a shiny round piece of gold confetti. Trust me, I checked those shoes again. There were still pieces of confetti stuck inside them. How all those pieces got where they did may not be unexplainable, but it is a little mysterious…How God’s love follows us around no matter where we go, what we do, or how we act – that is a lot mysterious! But I’m glad it does!

Dear God, thank you for the little mysteries that remind us that we can’t get away from your love. Help us to always be aware of that, and grateful for it! Amen.

Jacki Rumpp – CGUMC