Jackson Community Church

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Gratitude Daily Devotional Nov 24: Grateful for Daily Bread

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , ,

GRATITUDE
Daily Devotional

Cultivate gratitude each day this month.

Day 24: Grateful for Daily Bread

  • Scripture: Matthew 6:11: Give us today our daily bread.
  • Meditation: When our lives are balanced, our fundamental needs are met each day, both materially and spiritually. Even in tough times, some of our most crucial needs are addressed.
  • Action: Reflect on how you are nourished each day. Prepare a meal with gratitude, considering how it nourishes your body and soul.

SONGS:

Gratitude Daily Devotional Nov 23: Grateful for Vision and Dreams

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , , , ,

GRATITUDE
Daily Devotional

Cultivate gratitude each day this month.
Day 23: Grateful for Vision and Dreams

  • Scripture: Joel 2:28: I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
  • Meditation: Human minds are designed to dream. We dream at night. We imagine by day. We aspire in our lives. What visions has Love placed in your heart? What do these gifts cause you to focus on for your future?
  • Spiritual Practice: Spend time thinking about your dreams and aspirations. Write them down. Give thanks for the dreams placed in your heart and mind.

SONGS:

 

DREAMS — Mary Oliver
All night
the dark buds of dreams
open
richly.In the center
of every petal
is a letter,
and you imagineif you could only remember
and string them all together
they would spell the answer.
It is a long night,

and not an easy one—
you have so many branches,
and there are diversions—
birds that come and go,

the black fox that lies down
to sleep beneath you,
the moon staring
with her bone-white eye.

Finally you have spent
all the energy you can
and you drag from the ground
the muddy skirt of your roots

and leap awake
with two or three syllables
like water in your mouth
and a sense

of loss—a memory
not yet of a word,
certainly not yet the answer—
only how it feels

when deep in the tree
all the locks click open,
and the fire surges through the wood,
and the blossoms blossom.

Events with JCC and around town: Sat, Nov 23 – Sun, Nov 24

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Calendar, Home

SAT,  Nov 23

  • MENS BREAKFAST

    7:30am- JCC Parish Hall

    • ome for special seasonal recipe by chef Chrus
    • Stay for conversation and friendship
    • Afterward, if you’re able and available, help with small projects around the church setup for outdoor Christmas trees, hang garland over pulpit, prep Parish Hall for harvest potluck on Sunday.
  • HARVEST POTLUCK SETUP & EARLY GREENING of JCC ACTIVITIES
    10am – JCC Outside and Inside

    • Help set up for outdoor Christmas trees (test lights, install PVC holders, place trees, etc)
    • Remove pumpkin prayers display
    • Help hang garland over pulpit
    • Prep Parish Hall for pre-Thanksgiving potluck on Sunday
  • WINTER GREENS & WREATH MAKING

    1-3pm • Tin Mountain Conservation Center

  • Community Event: MAJESTIC CAFE SATURDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Kevin Dolan & Simon Crawford
    7pm • Majestic Cafe, Conway

    • Walk-ins are always welcome, but space is limited; reservations are available to guarantee your seat and to indicate a seating choice.
    • The Friday Night jazz series has a $10 per person cover charge.
    • Doors at 6 pm; music  at 7pm.
    • Come in early and grab a panini before the music starts
    • Info and tickets:: https://www.conwaymajestic.com/cafe
  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • Community Event: OPEN HOURS @ Jackson Historical Society
    9am-3pm • Jackson Historical Society

  • Community MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT around town:

SUN, Nov 24

  • INTERFAITH GATHERING
    8am • Outside or indoor at Old red Library (weather determines location)

    • Join us for poetry, prayer, and conversation
  • HARVEST POTLUCK & BLESSING WORSHIP

    10:30am • Parish Hall

    • Drop off food a few minutes early in Parish House, then gather in the sanctuary to start worship, and return to the tables in the Parish House for a morning of food, worship & conversations focused on gratitude.
    • Expect special recognition of two deacons emeritus & beloved lay ministers
    • Bring 2025 pledge cards to be blessed. Optionally, we will have pledge cards available to be filled out during harvest potluck.
    • Send images by email to add to the JCC yearbook 9retrospective of photos from past year with JCC community): jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org. As another option, text images to Rev Gail at 978.273.0308 (texting means images won’t be as high resolution and may not work as well.
    • Come with side dish or dessert to share (if you’re able) — but come regardless — there’s always an abundance of yummy foods. JCC provides main course (ala chef Sue) and beverages.
  • THANKFUL in the MOUNTAINS Ecumenical Gathering

    5pm • Gibson Center, North Conway

    • Come for a circle of reflection, song & sharing!
    • Offered by Clergy of the Eastern Slope.
    • All welcome! Free.
  • Community Event: OPEN HOURS @ Jackson Historical Society
    1-3pm • Jackson Historical Society (Also open by appointment.)

  • Community Event: ARTISAN NIGHT
    3-7pm • Red Parka Pub
  • Community MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT around town:
    • Shannon Door: Jeremy Dean • 6-9pm
    • Red Parka: Dan Parkhurst  5-8pm

GRATITUDE Daily Devotional Nov 22: Grateful for Peaceful Moments

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , ,

GRATITUDE
Daily Devotional

Cultivate gratitude each day this month.
Day 22: Grateful for Peaceful Moments

  • Scripture: Psalm 23:2-3a — He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
  • Meditation: Holy Love brings us to places of peace and restoration. Let yourself receive this gift.
  • Spiritual Practice: Take a moment today to find a quiet space to relax and reflect on the peace God offers to you. Alternately, set aside a moment of mindfulness or meditation today, and focus on such peace and what provides it for you.

SONGS:

 

Blessing for Peace — John O’Donohue
As the fever of day calms towards twilight
May all that is strained in us come to ease.
We pray for all who suffered violence today,
May an unexpected serenity surprise them.
For those who risk their lives each day for peace,
May their hearts glimpse providence at the heart of history.
That those who make riches from violence and war
Might hear in their dreams the cries of the lost.
That we might see through our fear of each other
A new vision to heal our fatal attraction to aggression.
That those who enjoy the privilege of peace
Might not forget their tormented brothers and sisters.
That the wolf might lie down with the lamb,
That our swords be beaten into ploughshares
And no hurt or harm be done
Anywhere along the holy mountain.

Gratitude Daily Devotional Nov 21: Grateful for Mentors

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , ,

GRATITUDE
Daily Devotional

Cultivate gratitude each day this month.

Day 21: Grateful for Mentors

  • Scripture: Proverbs 27:17 — As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
  • Meditation: Mr Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
    We are shaped by more than our family of origin. Sometimes a few key relationships, such as caring individuals who see our individuality and remain present to us through the ups and downs of different parts of our lives, or those who open up new experiences and ideas to us, also influence us. Who has been an honorable and significant influence in your life, beyond your family? What teachers, coaches, and mentors have guided and inspired you?
  • Spiritual Practice: Reach out to a mentor or someone you admire, expressing your gratitude for their influence in your life.

SONGS:

Theme for English B — Langston Hughes

The instructor said,

 

 Go home and write

      a page tonight.

      And let that page come out of you—

      Then, it will be true.

 

I wonder if it’s that simple?

I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.

I went to school there, then Durham, then here

to this college on the hill above Harlem.

I am the only colored student in my class.

The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem,

through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,

Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,

the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator

up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

 

It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me

at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I’m what

I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:

hear you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk on this page.

(I hear New York, too.) Me—who?

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.

I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.

I like a pipe for a Christmas present,

or records—Bessie, bop, or Bach.

I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like

the same things other folks like who are other races.

So will my page be colored that I write?

 

Being me, it will not be white.

But it will be

a part of you, instructor.

You are white—

yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.

That’s American.

Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me.

Nor do I often want to be a part of you.

But we are, that’s true!

As I learn from you,

I guess you learn from me—

although you’re older—and white—

and somewhat more free.

 

This is my page for English B.

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