Free Cell, 14 Hours, and Goals
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
--Mary Oliver
Greetings!

I got a new tablet recently and loaded a program for solitaire.
Over the years, I've played a fair amount of free cell. I like the challenge, and I'm stubborn enough to keep trying every game until I win.

But this new solitaire app has an interesting feature. After the first game of the day, it asks about my goals for the day.
I haven't paid attention to the specific goals, but it did get me thinking.

So this morning, for “research” into writing this message, I played a game of free cell at about 9:20. After I won (hooray for me), the program told me I had 14 hours, 39 minutes, and 42 seconds left in the day to reach my daily goals.

I don’t set goals for solitaire(!), and I don't really set goals for each day. I make to-do lists, but those aren’t really goals.

What would be good goals for today?
Maybe one of these rings true for you:
  • Eat healthy and get some fresh air
  • Offer to help someone or do a random act of kindness
  • Spend time reading or learning
  • Get something off your long-term to-do list
  • Go to bed early
  • Not spend hours playing free cell(!)
Thinking beyond today, what about your spiritual goals for this summer or this year?

God has called us and claimed us, inviting us to live as new people. Jesus sent the first Disciples forth with new clarity and purpose, to "fish for people" which I've always understood to be a way of loving God and neighbor.

So have you ever thought about goals for yourself as a Christian, as a member of a church?
  • Become more prayerful at meals or beginning and end of day
  • Learn and practice Sabbath/rest/silence
  • Engage with the Bible or spiritual reading
  • Make weekly worship (in person or online) a priority
  • Reach out to other people; pray for them and care for them
  • Read a gospel and learn more about Jesus

That's a long list, so please DON'T try to do them all. Pick one of these or set your own. See how you do today. And then try again tomorrow and again next week.

Think about what kind of person, what kind of Christian you want to become. Set a goal, ask God for strength, and work towards it.
Be careful then how you live,
not as unwise people but as wise, 
making the most of the time....
--Ephesians 5.15-16
God has blessed us with the gift of life. What goals do you have for the rest of today? For the rest of the year?

On the journey apart but together,
Charlie
IN-PERSON WORSHIP RESUMES
Sunday, June 6

With seating limited to 85 people per service, we are returning to in-person worship! Please sign up HERE to worship with us in the sanctuary on June 6 at 9:00 am or 10:30 am. Online worship videos will continue to be offered. Read our guidelines for in-person worship HERE.

A Family Worship Bag will be available for families with children aged 3 years to 5th grade.
Pentecost Offering

To date, Covenant has raised over $1,200 for the Pentecost Offering! Let's keep it going!

40% of the funds raised through our Pentecost Offering will benefit our local mission partner, Briarpatch Youth Services, which offers a broad array of services to runaway, homeless, and at-risk youth ages 12-17.

Learn more about the PC(USA) Pentecost Special Offering on our website: covenantmadison.org/pcusaoffering.
Thank you Craig!

Covenant sends many thanks to Craig Wilson for sharing his beautiful kites and kite-flying skills with us on Pentecost Sunday. Click the photo to see more, and click HERE to see Craig's Facebook page with more gorgeous aerial photography.
Get to know our newest members!

We've been blessed with several wonderful new members over the past year apart. Click on the image to learn their faces and names so that you can greet them when you see them in-person!
Show your Covenant pride!
Use this link to order a Covenant t-shirt by Sunday, June 6.
Payment is to be made when you receive your order.
Photos from Drive-Thru Donuts + Heifer International Celebration

Our Drive-Thru Donuts + Heifer International Celebration was great fun! Covenant members raised $4,403.18 for Heifer International's important work!

In addition to coins and donuts, we shared some pretty great animal jokes:
  1. Where do sheep go on vacation? The Baaaahamas.
  2. What do you call a sad cow? Mooo-dy.
  3. What do you call a cow in an earthquake? A milkshake.
  4. What's a chicken's favorite instrument? Anything with drumsticks.
  5. What is the quietest animal on a farm? A shhhhheep.
  6. What instrument does a sheep like to play? A tube-baaa.
  7. How do you know which cow is the best dancer? The one with the best moo-ves!

Click the photo to see our Google photo album.
May 30: Julie Poehlmann-Tynan, “Effects on Children of Incarcerated Parents”
Note: This class was originally planned for May 16, but it has been moved to this Sunday, May 30. We hope you can join us!

Millions of children are affected by parental incarceration each year in the U.S. In this presentation, you will learn about risks to children's development when a parent is incarcerated, including what can be done to facilitate resilience in affected children and families. Children's at-home caregivers are essential to their well-being during and after parental incarceration, and it is important to support them because stress and stigma are common. In addition, supporting positive incarcerated parent-child communication, when appropriate, can have benefits for individuals, dyads, families, and society even after the incarceration period. Julie Poehlmann-Tynan is a Professor in Human Ecology at UW Madison. 
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This class will meet at 10:00 am via Zoom.
Gardening Help
Thank you to the eleven gardeners who helped in the hot sun on our Grounds Clean-Up Day, May 22nd!  We’d like to keep it going, so some of us will be meeting on Mondays at 9:00am to continue garden care.

If you’d like to help, but that time isn’t good for you, please contact Rosemary Jones and we’ll find a project for you to enjoy at your convenience.
Virtual Worship for Sunday, May 30

  • Trinity Sunday
  • Charlie Berthoud preaching on Romans 8:12-17, "Children of God"
  • Children's Time with Nick Von Bergen
  • Follow our blog to read Pastor Jeff's weekly reflections.

We will premiere the worship service on Facebook at 9:00 am on Sunday.