Music to His Ears

"I'd like to thank..."

2009-11-23T13:52:00.002-06:00

All eyes are on her as she humbly walks up the grand steps up to the glittering stage and is greeted by the handsomely attired power-couple (whose names the press has somewhat cleverly hyphenated). They give her the award and it feels heavy and electric in her hands. She moves forward, chin ducked just a little, trying to take it all in- the lights, the applause, the fruition of years of work- all culminating here and now. She leans into the microphone and the crowd’s cheers respectfully come to a close. “Thank you” she says, not remembering how to begin the practiced speech. She pauses, smiles, and holds the award up, and points at a few people in the audience, as a silent acknowledgement to what they have done for her. Pausing once more, she begins again. “I’d like to thank…”

We’ve seen that awards ceremony on TV, time and time again. The speeches range from an exercise of polished words to minutes of stumbling through a haze of amazement, and from seemingly sincere to disingenuous. Many of the speeches acknowledge that co-workers, bosses, and family have helped them make it to this moment.

With this week being Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help visualize the variety of thanksgiving that is done in these and other settings, both secular and faith-focused, publically and privately. Giving thanks, true thanks from the heart, is always appropriate, not just on the one day our nation sets aside for giving thanks, but each and every day. Take a moment to consider how you give thanks. Do you recognize who it is that provides you with all that you have? Do you recognize that you didn’t get to where you are all by yourself?

My family has adopted a time of acknowledging our thanks around the Thanksgiving table. It is our custom to pray before meals, but during Thanksgiving we make a point of sharing a few words about those things of which we are specifically thankful. Together, we recognize that God is our Provider, and that he has generously given us each other, to love, care for, support, and encourage each other. It is a time to talk about being content with what God has provided throughout the year.

In the good times, in the difficult times, I am steadfastly sure that God is there in the midst of things, whether he is rescuing, protecting, comforting, or binding up our wounds. I am thankful in all these circumstances. I am thankful, for my family, my family in faith, my friends, old and new, near and far. Also, I am thankful that God not only works in my life, but in theirs as well. I hope this week is full of joy for you all, and that you can find plenty of things of which you are thankful.

“I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation” (Psalm 118:21).

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:16-18)

Running. Praying. Hoping.

2009-11-18T10:15:00.001-06:00

I ran this morning. For those of you who don’t know, being an early riser is not my forte. For me, mornings are usually quiet, a time of prayer, a time of gathering my thoughts and preparing for the day. But today, I woke up earlier than normal, had some quiet, and then felt the urge to run in the morning. By the way, it is a gorgeous day out today- blue, blue sky, 54 degrees, the air is crisp and sweet, and the atmosphere seems electric, charged with thoughts of hope. Cooling down from my run and continuing with prayers and thoughts, in part for a particular friend, my phone rang. Twas that very friend. And that is one picture of how God works. He hears when we call out to Him. He does answer us, sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways. Prayer is not a one way droning recitation of names on a list. It is not just talking to a wall or speaking magical words that cause the universe to bend at your own will.

Prayer is communicating with the One who is responsible for the whole of creation and chooses US as worthy of being in not just a dialogue, but in a loving and caring conversation between the perfect nurturing parent and His children whom He loves beyond all measure and all understanding. I remember so many days during my youth, when I’d curl up in my mom’s lap and she’d ask me how my day had been. If it was good, she’d be excited for me. If it was a hard day, she’d hug me and talk with me till I felt better and ready to face the world again. There were times when I think my dad (aka “MacGyver”) knew I needed a challenge and he’d let me help him with projects in the garage. He’d listen to my questions and show me new things and new ways of overcoming obstacles- obstacles with wood, metal, and life.

My parents listened. They answered me by speaking, guiding, showing, teaching, and sometimes by sitting there silently, allowing me to work through the problem under their tutelage. I didn’t get everything I wanted, and hindsight says, “GOOD” though it was a hard thing to hear back then. Now they weren’t perfect, but God is. He listens and answers with His perfect ways- sometimes with inaudible words for my heart, sometimes with silence while I work through things under His gentle guidance, and sometimes with a clear “no” which is hard to accept at that moment.

This morning, as I ran, I prayed for family, for new and long time friends, for people nearby and across the planet, for those who follow Christ faithfully, and for those (non-Christians and Christians alike) who have yet to understand the all-encompassing unconditional love that Christ has for them, regardless of the label they wear. Today is a new day, full of hope, full of possibilities, and there is no way that I can leave this computer and go out into the world without the full head and heart knowledge that Christ lives, loves and leads no matter what happens in the next moment.

Take a moment to look around today and open up, even just a little bit, to the possibilities that are out there. What if you asked God to listen you today? What if you gave Him room and time to answer you? What if….?

Not a Bad Monday

2009-11-16T18:25:00.002-06:00

Monday gets a bad rap. Monday blues, and all those euphemisms that tell the world how much we would rather be anywhere than in the office on Monday morning. This weekend, like most, was packed with plenty to think about, pray about, talk about, plenty to plan and ponder, and plenty to do. Then comes Monday, and though I knew I had a stack of stuff waiting for me in the office, I didn’t grimace at the thought of dealing with it. Truth be told, Mondays don’t bother me and I love getting to do what I do, but paperwork has never been a particular joy.

This morning began like most, at home, with a time of quiet: prayer, getting centered, thinking about projects and people, and preparing for the day. Before I even walked out the door I had dealt with situations that tug at my heart and people that I care about who are struggling with life’s questions and problems. Part of my daily prayers are pleas for guidance in how to respond with compassion, love, wisdom and boldness. So by the time I set foot in my office today, my heart and brain were already in full forward motion.

There is so much going on around me- people with problems (some who want help and others who reject it), people with hurts, people who are upset, and all of these things have the capacity to weigh one down and usher in a feeling of hopelessness. Monday blues. Hopelessness. Those two could easily work in concert with each other and play a dreary tune in a minor key that would become an anthem of lament.

As easy as it could be to fall into that train of thought, I just can’t be pulled down today (or most days for that matter) because I am a person of hope. I see obstacles as a hurdle to jump, not a wall to smash up against. When I find a stack of papers and reports to fill out, I must find a way to overcome my enormous distaste for pencil pushing. When I’m working to plan out an event and come face to face with problems that hinder the project, I see that as a challenge to get creative and figure out how to accomplish the goals of that project or event. Mom would say I’m a little bull-headed, … but in a good way now (my homage to the wonderful teen years), yet I digress…

Say what you want about Rick Warren, but I read a retweeted comment by him saying, "Never let an impossible situation intimidate you. Let it motivate you to pray more, trust more, be more creative." I’m the glass half full girl, not in a blind-to-the-world Pollyanna “everything will be okay” kind of way, but fully realizing the reality of the world around me. I’m surrounded by artwork in my office that reminds me of HOPE and that though things are not always great, that the possibilities for them to become great are… well, great.

Today’s been a good day, full of opportunities to overcome obstacles and to pursue the heart-grabbing, awe-inspiring, grin-producing, faith-increasing moments that are there, … just waiting for me… just waiting for you. I wonder… I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Miller Time

2009-11-10T00:58:00.002-06:00

Monday 3:39 pm- I just realized that it is only 3 hours and 21 minutes till the Donald Miller book tour. I hope I’m not placing too much pressure on him to be brilliant. I’ve wanted to hear him speak ever since I finished his first book. My daughter told me I should read “Blue Like Jazz,” a “must-read” according to her. Okay, okay… I confess that I thought “how nice” and then promptly ignored it in lieu of other activities. But her continued … ahem… “encouragement” eventually moved me to make time for reading. Suffice it to say that she was right and we have since had great conversations about that book.

Time passes. Miller writes another book, this one entitled, “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.” But this time, it only takes the brief suggestion of a daughter and a friend to go get the book and devour it. I’ve read it only once (the implication here is that I will be reading it again) and I’m looking forward to hearing whatever it is Miller will be sharing tonight.
Monday 6:45 pm- Arrived at the venue and we have located seats as close to the front as possible. I pull out my notebook and pen. I don’t want to miss anything. I notice I’m not the only one with that thought.

Monday 8:54 pm- The post-tour-bus-ride-home-discussion question of “What did you think” is touched upon. There was a lot to take in tonight, some of which I converse about, some I retain and ponder awhile.

Monday 11:04 pm- I’m finally settling in to finish my thoughts, but my thoughts are still meandering about and not ready to settle down. I can only say Donald Miller’s talk was insightful, entertaining, inspirational and challenging. I appreciate his take on narrative and how we use it (cognitively or without realizing its usage), and his definition of what makes a good story. He shared that a good story has “a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.” A compelling story as a character sacrificing something for others, and it contains conflict. When you merely look at these writing “tricks” as for writers only, you miss out on the richness that it brings to the discussion of what makes a great story in real life.

For quite some time before this book even came out, I was contemplating the narrative of life and how important our stories are. This book has taken that thought to a higher plain and has beautifully described the writing process. His talk tonight connected it to the living process. Too many gems in my notes and in his book to share. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a writer wanting to write great stories, and to anyone who is ready to live a great story out there. Read it, then go live a great story.

A Nano-Second

2009-11-06T09:01:00.003-06:00

I tried to look like I was not looking. The light should have turned green at any second, and I would have only slightly rolled to a pause by then. Besides, I was in a hurry. I had just made a short trip across town to borrow a book from my daughter at her church and take it back to my church. My boss was waiting for it. I didn’t have time to roll to a complete stop and look like I was looking at him… him… the man with sign that said “hungry…”

This had nothing to do with me being afraid of or really wanting to ignore the homeless man. I’ve stopped and helped them plenty of times. It’s not that I didn’t have money in my purse. I did. You see, I was excited about getting back to the office to discuss this new book about… worship, and talk about… worship. So, time and my zeal for doing the new thing God had been showing me about… worship… had me NOT looking at the man on the corner.

Now, in my mind, this whole scenario and dialog within my head lasted an hour. In “actual” time, it lasted a nano-second. In “real” time, I pulled up toward the red light, saw the man standing there and that the light would remain red long enough that I would stop right beside him. I paused that nano-second before coming to a complete halt, and then turned to look at him. I knew, not just what I would do if I were a “good Christian”, but I knew what I really wanted to do. The window came down. “You hungry?” I asked, and he nodded I asked if there was a store on the other side that had food. He nodded and headed that direction to meet me.

Now I have to laugh at myself here, shaking my head over my nano-second hesitation. After all, for some time now I’ve been asking God for those little gems of moments where I can be out of the office and in the community at large where I can meet people and visit with them. Here, on a big in-my-face silver God-delivered platter, was exactly what I had been asking for- and I had been in a hurry to talk about… worship. Pul-eeeeze! What if the light there had been green? I have to laugh and give God a wink and a nod, because He has this way… His unique way of bringing things to my attention so that even if I take that nano-second pause, I’ll see past myself and listen to that voice, “Stop. Pay Attention. Listen. Act.”

This is the day I got to meet Alfredo. Just as I have done many times before with others, I went with this man into the store and had the honor of asking him what he needed. I handed him a basket and repeated the mantra over and over, “What else do you need?” It took a while to convince him I was serious, but finally, the basket was full, he was satisfied, the purchase was made, and we ended up outside visiting.

I say this, NOT to show how wonderful I am or to get my super-Christian points of the day (I did consider doing the “There was this woman who saw a homeless man on the curb” thing instead of “I saw this man…”). I am merely pointing out how close we come to missing out on the very things we pray about- the very things we ask God to show us and provide for us. I was a nano-second away from missing out on the conversation that came after Alfredo tucked his groceries into the recesses of his cart. I was a nano-second away from missing out on what Alfredo had to teach me. I was a nano-second away from missing out on the honor of feeding and caring for a man loved dearly by Christ.

Be diligent in prayer. Be bold in continually asking for the Spirit to guide you. Be careful to listen, and ready to act accordingly. It’s amazing what God can and will do- within a nano-second of time.

Praying is...?

2009-10-26T17:43:00.000-05:00

I read Shane Raynor’s blog about group prayer (You can too. Click here) and share his questions about why we miss out on the power of prayer. For me, prayer is hard to keep within a prescribed definition, just as it is hard to define having a conversation with someone.

My friend Brandye and I don’t get to see each other often, but we do talk on the phone and email each other. Sometimes our conversations are short, sometimes long, sometimes about our children, our joys, our frustrations. Sometimes we chat about serious heartfelt issues, and sometimes we yammer away about goofy things. It all depends upon the day, the emotions involved, and/or the subject matter. And, that is only one person in my life. Add to that my daughter and other friends and family, and the varied discussions multiply exponentially.

My prayer life is similar in that I don’t believe there is one way or style or occasion to pray. Everyday begins with a quiet time of talking to God and listening for His guidance. Then there are the concerns that others share with me, the little things that come up during the week, and the things that God has given me to pray passionately about each day. Each prayer is different. Sometimes quiet and still, sometimes joyful and running, sometimes deep and full of impassioned pleas. And each answer is different. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and sometimes…. wait.

Why do I pray? I try to put this down in concise words, but they just can’t encompass what I know and feel. Think about what it is like to spend quality time with someone whom you adore and adores you. A truly loving relationship like that has you wanting to just be there with them, talking, listening or sitting in a glowing momentary silence. You come away feeling loved, strengthened, valued, encouraged, guided, and assured of the bond between you. THAT is how I experience prayer. Enough for now… off to jog, plugged into good tunes and a good God.

Open to a New Thing?

2009-10-20T14:41:00.005-05:00

If you're lost you can look, and you will find me, time after time. If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting, time after time. -Cyndi Lauper

A friend of mine asked me to work on some music with him. It’s not for a worship service or even planned for inside the church building, but for the sheer joy of playing for other people in other settings. On our dream set list (still in progress), you won’t find a single hymn or praise song, but you will find The Police, Cyndi Lauper, and a number of very eclectic things that are new to me.

“What? No God songs?” some of you may query. Some may gasp, “Isn’t that leaving God behind?” Granted, many years ago, I set a “Christian music only” rule in my house for a while because I felt like the smarmy lyrics just didn’t benefit my daughter and me. In the years since, I’ve recognized that I can be selective about lyrics, without cutting myself off from good music with great lyrics. I’ve had youth tell me about a great “Jesus” song that merely repeated the name somewhere, and have heard hymns that were so archaic that the meaning once understood by past generations flew past me. So, can God take something old or secular and make it new? Can He take something from the today's world and use it to talk about hope, joy, peace, and the fullness of His love for us?

Jesus came to make things new. At the last supper, he sat down with His disciples for a Passover meal, a celebration that had been passed down through generations. When I say “passed down”, I mean each little detail of it, all those words, gestures, and acts which made a Passover meal, a Passover meal. Everyone knew what to expect. Everyone knew each prayer that would be said and when and how each item of food would be eaten. Traditions that one just doesn’t stray from… until…

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. -Jesus (John 13:34)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! -Paul, the Apostle (2 Corinthians 5:17)

...Jesus interrupted the flow of things by saying something that was not written in the script. He said to them, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” and "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” I can almost hear them gasp. “What? No traditional Passover prayer? Aren’t you deviating from what God said we are to do right here?”

Ahhh, but God’s plan was right on track. They didn’t understand that then. Some of us today barely understand it now. I won’t go into the cultural or theological stances on that right now (i.e., the Middle Eastern customs of sharing a meal, or Christ’s atonement, both of which are highly relevant in this discussion) but I want to take note of how Jesus stepped beyond the accepted description of a Passover meal. That celebration was never just about the format and details of the meal itself. What about the freedom from slavery to Pharaoh that God was providing Moses and the Israelites, and the freedom from slavery to sin and death that Christ offers us. The idea of freedom was taken past being a story, and into a hopeful present and future.

Jesus wasn’t ignoring God during the Passover meal that night, just because he was doing something new and different. Jesus was obeying God and telling us about God’s deep love for all of us. Just because one listens to 80’s rock or has friends outside the church, or spends time doing things that some wouldn’t label “ministry”, doesn’t mean that God is not involved. If you are seeking to love God with all that you are, and then love people the way He loves you, then chances are you don’t tend to ask God to have a seat and wait while you do “secular” things. The labels of “church” and “secular” become less important, because your relationship with Christ is constant. You want to go where He goes, wherever that is. The labels we put on proper prayer or a worship service becomes less of the focus, and the question of discovering or rediscovering Spirit-led worship becomes the central theme. In the midst of it all, something new can happen which honors God and renews His people.

The truth is that we all have struggles and issues. I know that the only way I make it through them is because I believe the Christ goes with through it with me. I feel his real presence, comfort, strength and unconditional love. Time after time, when I’m lost, falling and need to be caught, He is always there. Time after time, He waits on me, pursues me, renews me and makes things new, time after time, after time, after time…

Mom the Tech

2009-10-12T20:06:00.007-05:00

The Recoup Tour ’09 is now officially two weeks old. For those of you keeping a score card, my mom’s “ER day” was September 28^th (see my post “In the General Hospital”). Thank you for all the prayers and kind words so many of you sent in. For the past week mom has been recouping at my house (last week was my sister’s house). She’s been getting stronger day by day, and though she’s been here for the express purpose of healing, I’ve enjoyed her being here. During this time, we’ve had great talks, out of which came her decision to make the move into a more technical savvy world.

Sometime ago mom began Twitter, and has now added Facebook to her repertoire (yep, I needed another Farm Town neighbor). She’s learning about website forums and how to move easily through YouTube. She has realized that those are some of the ways that her children communicate and play, and she wants to participate in that with us. Go mom.

As a “retired” person, she could sit back on her laurels and play the “been there, done that” card. (I say “retired” parenthetically because she continues to work, travel, teach, volunteer, etc.) There are plenty of us out here in the world that, even though we aren’t of retirement age, we play that card, resigning ourselves to become stuck in the mud. But mom sets that precedent of looking for new and exciting things to do, such as signing up for new ministries at our church and our upcoming trip to Australia together next year. But doing new things means… change.

Change is hard. It’s hard for young and old alike. The alternative is to get set in your ways and stay there. It is always tempting to find comfort in whatever way you’ve always done things, and then utter the pestilent recitation, “We’ve never done it THAT way before.” However, that so called “comfort” is a deceptive comfort. Monotony and apathy follow closely behind, wanting to settle into that “comfort” mindset. I’m not saying that all the traditional things we do are wrong. Nay, nay. I’m suggesting that even those comforting traditions can become a heavy load to carry.

Christ came into the world, bringing a new message of love and hope. He was a Jew who held to the beliefs of his forefathers, yet he offered something fresh. Jesus spoke about a new teaching, a new covenant, and a new life. This new message was not inconsistent with the workings of God, as found in the Christian Old Testament, but was an extension of the love that God gave mankind in the first place.

We must also remember that just because something is new, doesn’t mean it is necessarily better. Just because something is attached to the latest fad, doesn’t mean that it has value or benefits us in the long run. The challenge here is to simply listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Really listen. Maybe it’s time to hold fast to what you have. Maybe it’s time to release your grip on the past and move forward. That goes for what happens in your church, and yes, even in your job, your schedule, your bank account, and your free time (though we claim we never find any).

How open to change are you?

Labels

2009-10-05T14:50:00.003-05:00

Labels don’t always ring true.

There’s an old practical joke that has been played on newlywed couples. They arrive home after their honeymoon, and unbeknownst to them, someone has gone through their pantry and switched all the labels from the canned goods. Dinnertime arrives and they go to open the fruit, however there’s corn inside. They wanted corn, so they open the fruit, however it is tomato soup. The labels are deceiving. Even when the labels are on the correct cans (fruit label on the fruit can), what you get when you open the can is not always what you expect. On the fruit cocktail label you see cherries covering the bowl, but when you open the can, it’s mostly peaches with a cherry or two hidden at the bottom. Do we, the church, give a true representation of who Christ is? Do we hide behind the label of “Christ follower” or is that genuine label (and the lifestyle of loving others) something that has become a natural and authentic part of our daily lives?

Labels, Labels, Labels…

I’m a daughter, mother, sister, and aunt. I’m a pianist, guitarist, composer and singer. I laugh at Monty Python, cry over Steel Magnolias, run with Forrest Gump, get adventurous following Indiana Jones, and overcome great odds with Scarlet O’Hara. I am refreshed and challenged by Holy Communion at the seashore (John 21:1-19). I am lifted up and joyful in services where contemporary Christian praise songs are sung (Ps 100:2). I am reminded of my Christian heritage found in traditional liturgy, and thankful for the saints who have come before me (Ps 52:9). I am filled with awe and wonder as I sit in a chapel listening to Bach’s notes and the people’s prayers rise up together as I contemplate the mystery of our faith (Neh 8:6).

And all that… is only a tiny fraction of who I am. How does one perfectly and succinctly describe themselves within the fullness of who they are and how they live out their lives? If I say that being a daughter is the only way to define myself, then I would miss out on the joy of motherhood. If I only play my piano and never sang again, I would feel quite empty. In our complex lifestyles, we move in so many different directions at once and can end up overloaded with information, scheduling problems, and being pulled apart by opposing ideas and values. If you and I lead such complicated lives, maybe it’s time to revisit what it really means to be one who truly follows Christ and get back to the basics of our faith.

Simplify

Is the wearing of that multitude of labels weighing you down? Are you constantly having to justify your choices regarding how you spend your time and money? Are you letting your busy life in the office, in your home, and even in your church steal your passion for Christ? I’m not suggesting that the labels in themselves are wrong. I am suggesting that life is not about the multitude of labels which can build a wall between us and Christ.

When God said that we are to love Him with everything that we are (Deut 6:5), and to worship Him using everything at our disposal (Ps 150), He is saying that He should be our focus. When we make Him the center of everything, then we begin to live our lifves using one big and enduring label, “Christ Follower.” In the simplicity of that heart-set, a new journey begins where the traveler yearns to move according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, instead of self-focused direction. The old labels still exist and many of them retain their value, but they are moved to sub-category status that easily ranks below the authentic desire to please God first.

Different Mindset

So if pleasing God comes first before all things, then my status as a preacher or mother is not the key issue. If I am putting God first, and God has called me to preach and given me the joyful responsibility of being a mother, then God honors that God-centric lifestyle and uses the my labels within His perfect plan. If we are called to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), then should the labels of “contemporary”, “traditional” or “blended” services be the focus of worship? Should they take priority over allowing the Spirit to move beyond our preconceptions and opinions?

What if the church came together to for a unified time of seeking God and praising Him without the labels, or music, or format being the drawing factor or a stumbling block? Are you ready to wear the label “Christ follower” in a bold new way by letting Him be the center of all things? Are you ready for God to do something fresh and exciting in you? … in your community of faith? … in the world beyond your church doors?

In The General Hospital

2009-09-29T05:42:00.002-05:00

Basically I’ve titled this thusly, because my daughter didn’t believe I would (And yes, General Hospital was my favorite soap back in the day). You see, today has been a day of watching the “soap opera” of my family’s life mesh with the “soap opera” that one watches and participates in when one spends a day in a hospital emergency room.

“Today” actually began yesterday. My mom spent the weekend with me and by Sunday she felt quite ill (… uhm, now that I’m reading the previous sentence, that doesn’t seem to speak too well of my hospitality). Actually, a previous condition blossomed and made it clear that mom needed medical attention, so off we went, back to her hometown and her doctor.

By 9 am we were sitting in an urgent care center (as we were advised to do) which had a giant poster with the word “Risk” prominently displayed.

By 9:30 am we had wisely moved on to the area’s General Hospital (as we were advised to do) and were sitting in the ER waiting room. I was reminded, as I looked around, that there never seem to be any Dr. Tony Gates types just hanging around when I’m in the ER (yes, I loved the show “ER”). You semi-expect someone to run through the room flinging their stethoscope around their neck yelling “stat!” However, the room was uncharacteristically quiet and still, affording me the time to be the same. I had been lifting up those little “help me” prayers throughout the morning, but my usual morning time of sitting and conversing with God had been replaced by the morning’s rush. I think God quite understands my change of venue and time frame.

By 10 am we were in an examination room. Mom was hooked up to IV’s and started on pain meds. This began an 11 hour wait for the OR. Waiting is hard to do, for patient and family. It can get tedious and worrisome, but our family history is one of facing the situation with patience and humor. This wonderful hospital offers wi-fi, and I just happened to have my laptop with me. With a sad selection of shows on the room’s TV, we turned to the internet and videos for something to take her mind off of her pain (Thank you YouTube and Tiger Woods).

When she nodded off to sleep for those blissful moments of unconsciousness, I admit that boredom raised its ugly head. I found myself considering McGyver projects with the available gloves, tape, tubing, and a stick of gum. And yes, gloves can be blown up into balloons.

By 9 pm we were told about plan…. D, or was it E? The former plan of transporting her to a hospital where there was an empty bed was replaced by the new plan of remaining at the current hospital where a bed opened up. Everything fell into place and surgery happened within the hour.

Waiting, part deaux:

Then we (my daughter and son-in-law arrived by then) were shown to the OR waiting room where we spend time relaying information to family and friends. My brother and sister live out of town and I know they wanted to be there with us, but we will each have a time to help out. As we waited, we prayed, visited, found a coffee machine, Twittered, IM’ed, emailed, jogged (for a bit of fresh air and a necessary trip out to the car), Facebooked, and connected with people that care about mom and about us. The responses to our information and requests for prayer came in overwhelmingly quick and en masse. Being on the receiving end of that compassion and care does lighten the load and make one feel loved.

Within two and a half hours of her surgery, she was in the ICU and we began settling in to the new digs there. Sleep tonight is intermittent, but we are all getting some rest as we are able. Mom is doing well in the scheme of things and is so thankful for the words of kindness and the prayers that have been offered to her and on her behalf.

So, for those of you who have been asking, those are some of the details. Her perfed ulcer is sealed up, and her gall bladder has been removed. But her attitude of gratitude and her expectation of overcoming this remains steadfast.

So now for my thoughts on the day and a couple of things that stand out to me:

Walking in their shoes: I’m being given a refresher course on what it means to sit in a hospital with someone you love. I visit hospitals every week. I’m a pastor. That’s what I do. I care about my congregation and have the honor of sitting with them during a time of struggle, fear, pain, and questions. I had major surgery a number of years ago, and that, along with this foray back into the patient’s perspective, multiplies my compassion for those whom I will visit in the future.

Making lemonade: Life happens. There are ups and downs. I remember my mom saying once that if you never had the great struggles, you wouldn’t fully appreciate the great joys. So in my family, we experience both the ups and downs, all the while knowing that God loves us through everything we face. Because we fully rely on Him, we know the joy of celebrating and also the comfort of being given His strength to persevere and overcome. Because we don’t have to be slaves to worry, we can face a day in the ER with patience, humor, and moments of growing closer together.

Dr. Tony Gates a no-show: When you watch ER, and all those other hospital shows, you see these brilliant doctors and nurses who breeze into the patient’s life with the perfect answer and cure. Everything, for the most part, ends up with a timely and tidy finish. But the reality of it is that in “real life” the doctors and nurses we meet have to earn our confidence. We step out in faith, wanting to trust them for our care. What I am experiencing here (as I and many others do every day) is the expertise and compassion of a medical staff that really do care. I watched the night nurse as she stood over my mother and offered excellent medical care and spoke and acted with gentleness and compassion.

God’s compassion and care goes beyond what we feeble humans can accomplish. Though my trust in a new doctor or situation may waiver, I am able to step out in faith and trust God for my care and for the care of my family, friends, and those whom I visit in the hospitals from week to week. God continually stands at the bedside, offering His most excellent care and He speaks peace and healing into our lives.

In all these things, I’ve witnessed God’s grace and mercy. He has moved through the actions of others, and has been present in every moment of this day. I can only move forward with confidence because I am fully aware of His Spirit filling up the room and flowing through me. So as I end my journaling of the day, I am thankful… just thankful.

... by our love?

2009-09-26T15:35:00.002-05:00

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. - James 1:22

Do you really have to SAY that you are a Christian before anyone can guess it? Is it only the voiced label of “Christian” or “church member” that makes your care for others evident? Hopefully we live our lives in a way that says we genuinely care about people, regardless of who they are or what they believe, of if they agree with our beliefs or opinions.

Am I failing Christ if I don’t hand out my church business card to every person with whom I come into contact? Is the Christian’s primary job to grow the numbers of church membership, or to be so passionate about God that we are out in our world, showing the people around us authentic love and care? I don’t mean as an exercise of “things Christians must do”, but as a natural outflowing of love, a love that reflects the grace and mercy one has received and experienced in their own life.

Some think this means you never have to talk about Jesus directly, and some think it means you use the word "Lord" 3 times in every sentence. I think that "authentic" love is demonstrated in how you boldly live out exactly what the Holy Spirit is leading you to say, to do, and perhaps sometimes, to even refrain from saying at a particular moment- and then living it out as the unique person God created you to be.

I’m not saying that we are to show Christ’s love for the sole purpose of bringing “them” into the church (I’ll rant on the “us vs them” ideology later). That is still not the point in what Christ teaches us. Do I hope that my local church will love people and share the Gospel with them, and bring them into the life of the Church? Of course, but that is the fruit of the relationship, not the sole reason for it. Love others, just for the sake and the pure joy of loving them.

Yes we are to listen (quiet time with Him is precious), but unless the church becomes dissatisfied with being pew-potatoes, and are out there “doing”, we are missing the mark. Will they really know we are Christians by our love? or… are those just lyrics of old?

Busy Again…

2009-09-21T17:10:00.002-05:00

Wow. Just… wow. This summer I was quite busy with trips to here, there and yonder. I was busy with school, vacation, family and the church, and moving in several different directions at once. Busy. So very busy that I have failed to keep up with my blog since the July 18 posting below. Yikes! But… but… I was busy.

“Busy” is one of those bothersome words- one of those words that is used far too easily as an excuse, and becomes our justification for not doing the very things which we know we should be doing. “How have you been doing?” the question that moves in tandem with questions about someone’s absence, is often met with the reply, “Oh, I’ve been so busy with ________ (insert event/activity here).”

Even though being “busy” is a pet peeve of mine, you see here that I still managed to explain away my bloglessness with my being “busy.” But I HAVE been… busy… ya know. Truth is that we are all pretty… busy… going and coming, doing and being, and before you know it, you look up and realize that you have “busied” yourself into a corner.

All the “doing” we do has a purpose. Yes? But when we fill up our lives on too much busy-ness, we are setting ourselves up to miss out on the reasons that we first chose to be “busy”. For instance, soccer mom takes the kids to practice after school, 2 days a week. The reason the kids are in soccer are because they enjoy the sport. Mom and dad want to support the kids in their enjoyment of soccer. But the kids also want to be in Scouts, dance, and the band, so the schedules are created, and the routes are driven daily. Following the after-school activities is home and homework, chores, and maybe even a family meal together… maybe.

What many families end up confessing is that in the midst of all that activity, they find that at the end of the week, they have spend a quantity of time together, in transit from one activity to another, but no quality time actually talking to each other. The things that they have loaded their calendars with are the very things that are preventing them from having face to face time with each other.

This doesn’t even take into account of the weariness and then guilt that parents feel because their own duties at home don’t begin till late at night. When do you work on your own projects or do the bills or care for the house? Something is defiantly going to suffer from lack of time and energy.

Reading back over this, it could sound as though I am urging people to refrain from sports or band rehearsals. Not so. There is no magic formula for how to raise a family or how to budget your time, energy and money. But I believe that it is so important to be purposeful in taking on that “one more thing” into your schedule. Perhaps we need to schedule in things like “spend 2 hours with Susie after school”, “play Guitar Hero with Bobby”, “take Annie to restaurant of her choice, just to chat” and so on. My daughter was a busy (there it is again) kid who loved being involved with church, school and friends, but to this day, we will both tell you that some of our favorite times were spend cuddled up on the couch on a lazy Saturday, reading aloud to each other for hours, and the long talks about important things and even the “nothing” things.

So just be intentional with creating time with those you say are important to you. Those moments are so precious. I’m going to have to schedule a trip with my daughter this week. I’d have called her earlier, but I’ve been so busy…. oops.

(Note to self... get busy posting regularly again... oh.. oops again)

Doing Nothing, Part II

2009-07-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

Let's see (she said as she pondered "doing nothing"), I think I'll finish my blog from yesterday...

One of my little peeves is the phrase “I’m busy.” The phrase itself doesn’t bother me, because, let’s face it, we are all busy. What bothers me is the instances of when it is given as an excuse for not doing something you know you should be doing. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. We’ve all used the “busy” card to not just explain, but to excuse ourselves out of doing something important or from doing something you know you shouldn’t avoid.

If something is really important, you usually find a way to do it. People don’t normally say things like “I was too busy to go to work”, “I was too busy to pick up my lottery winnings” or “I was too busy to watch the Rockets from my courtside seats.” However, I have heard comments like “I was too busy to visit my neighbor who’s been sick” (after you just heard about the shopping trip that occurred that same afternoon) or “I was too busy to go to church” (when you know they were really at an Astros game) or “I was too busy to help with the youth meeting (and they’ve shared that “their program” is on TV that night).

What does it really mean to do nothing? What does it mean to do nothing for others? What does it mean to focus on doing things that benefit yourself first and foremost?

I’m not talking about the “nothing” that we call “rest” or “recuperation.” I’m talking not talking about the “busy” that encompasses working hard to support one’s family or the act of giving your time in helping those who are less fortunate. And, I’m not here with the answer to those questions. I just submit to you the reality of how we humans, we busy, busy humans, too often surround ourselves with “busy work” that does absolutely “nothing” for the benefit of others or even, in many cases, for our own well being. We fall into the chasm of self-centeredness that allows our “busy-ness” to keep us from being the people that God created us to be.

We were created by God, the One who loves each of us unconditionally. We were created to reflect God’s love… to reflect it back to God and out to others around us. When “Busy” begins to crouch near my attitude and thoughts, I know that I have to keep “Busy” away from my vocabulary and refocus on stepping past the temptation to do nothing. But you know, “Nothing” is so boring, and “Busy” is exhausting, but the adventure of following Christ (and learning to love like he loves) is something not to be missed.

Doing Nothing, Part I

2009-07-17T16:45:00.001-05:00

Let’s see (she said late this morning as she sat up in bed to stretch), I think I’ll write for my blog today. Yea, that’d be a great idea, except…

… I just got back from traveling and I’m dog tired, and this pillow is comfortable

… I’m kinda busy washing clothes, well, at least thinking about it

… I need to call my daughter to check on plans for Sunday, but my phone charger is across the room

… I need to pray about what I sho… Oh look! Over there! Something shiny!

… I need to get up and have a bite to eat, but the kitchen is so far away

… I’d type but my fingers are too cold and need a manicure

… I’d make myself a note about finding a quote to use but my pen is the wrong shade of blue

~ ~ ~

“To do nothing is in every man’s power.”
-Samuel Johnson (18^th century writer)

~ ~ ~

… I’d write something, but I’m highly offended that Samuel didn’t say “person’s” or “gender-non-specific humanoid’s” instead of “man’s”

… I’d write something, but I’m too tired from being sarcastic, and this pillow is so very, very soft and fluffy and comfortable and …ZZZzzzzz

(shhhh… don’t wake the sleeping non-blogger… perhaps part II will be printed above this tomorrow…)

Grumbles and Hope, part II

2009-07-10T07:00:00.005-05:00

After having read part I (see below) one might get the picture of Pollyanna happily skipping through life and oblivious to the crumbling society on either side of her hopskotched décored sidewalk. I recently was amused by the post I read on a forum where Pollyanna and hope were discussed. I admit that I am a hopeful person, but that doesn’t mean that I blindly move along, ignorant of the reality of the world. When one has hope, does it mean that you must keep your head in the sand, or hope for unrealistic things? Does God intend for us to be mindless robots who trudge along with painted on smiles and singing the party line in a joyless monotone?

The Living God that I know would be bored out of His perfect mind with robotical responses to all that He is doing. Yes, He wants us to act in faith and trust in the hope that He offers, but He gave us minds and talents. He gave us the ability to reason and create. He gives us the freedom to experience His love and trust His plan to care for us. Because I trust in His love for me and all creation, I have a constant hope that, however it happens, everything is gonna workout… somehow… don’t know how… but it will.

Does that mean that I think God will wave His magical wand and make all MY plans happen the way I want them too? Do I have hope that the evil forces of the world will suddenly wake up tomorrow and decide to do good and caring deeds? My realistic side says, “Of course not” but there is that part of me that has a continual hope that they will choose to do so. I have no real expectation that the drug dealer down the corner will have a sudden epiphany tomorrow, discover that Christ loves him/her, and become a generous and loving person. That is hard to imagine. But I do have hope that new life and joy is possible for that person, because I know Christ is ever present around that person, loving that person, and waiting for that person to recognize his/her need for a better way of life through Christ. I do know that we all have struggles, but Hope is that thing that helps me put one foot in front of another. In Romans, we read:

"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

"There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" (Romans 5:1-5, The Message)

The NIV puts it this way, that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Sometime we suffer ourselves, or suffer along with someone else’s circumstances. We learn to persevere through doubt, through roadblocks. We grow in character, not mechanically compliant but ecstatically energetic and creative. And out of all this, we gain a perspective on being hopeful and trusting that God will guide us and keep us moving forward on this adventure we call life. So enjoy this day and the next by trusting in the hope that God offers and the invitation He gives you to walk along beside Him.

“I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope” (Acts 2:25-26 NIV)

Grumbles and Hope, part I

2009-07-09T11:04:00.002-05:00

It was Sunday. I was driving from Houston to Dallas for a two week stay. I was happily driving up I-45, moving easily through the light traffic, listening to great tunes, cool and comfortable and ready for the adventure ahead of me. Only one hour into the trip, traffic came to a standstill. Thirty minutes later, I had to stop for gas. Ten minutes after that, my air conditioner quit and the windows opened to the hot Texas wind. Thirty minutes after that I had to roll up my windows because of the thunderstorm that hit…

I know how to grumble. My family can tell you that I have been the self appointed Community Thermometer (“It’s too hot”), Activities Director (“This game is lame. Let’s do something else”), and the Future Forecaster (“I don’t want to go to the concert. It’s gonna be boring”). But thankfully, I’ve experienced (and am still experiencing) the journey of maturing in my faith and my attitude, and have left behind at least a few of my undesirable habits of yore. It’s not that all of a sudden I have the proper consumer label on my forehead (“New and improved. Now with 75% less grumbling”), but I have something that fills me so full, that I find fewer moments to spend on purely surely griping. I have Hope.

I tell you this because, well, I know me. I know the difference between being wrapped up in the straightjacket of complaints and the freedom of having no worries. I may have concerns about things, things that deserve one’s full attention, things that require time, discussion, debate, and the voices of a community, but worry? With Hope becoming my constant companion over the years, throat-tightening Worry just doesn’t have the authority that I used to give it.

David (of David and Goliath fame) wrote Psalm 25 and speaks about his take on having hope.

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Ps 25:1-2a,3a,4-5 NIV)

If God is in control and I live my life trusting in the hope that he offers, then I just don’t have to let life’s problems overwhelm me. Because I have hope:

… I was content and happy to be driving to Dallas. When traffic stopped, joy- I found a better road that helped me avoid the grinding halts. I had to stop for gas, but joy- the place I stopped had inexpensive gas and a spot opened up just in time. My A/C quit, but joy- the wind blowing through my hair kept me cool and the great tunes lifted my spirit. The thunderstorm made me lose the wind, but joy- I tried the A/C again and it worked. As I encountered each presumed setback, I knew that God was revealing better paths for me and giving me exactly what I needed, when I needed it. So then …no worries when your hope is in God. I’m just enjoying the ride.

(tomorrow: Grumbles and Hope, part II)

Puerto Vallarta Food Drive

2009-06-24T15:05:00.004-05:00

I’m sitting here in my office, drinking my Piña Colada Fruitista from Taco Bell, and imagining my feet dangling in a deep blue swimming pool surrounded by hundreds of Palm trees.(Wait…. Excuse my 5 second brain vacation…ahhhh. There. Okay. Done. Actually, I just got back from a week’s vacation with family in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I love going to Puerto Vallarta(or “PV” as mom calls it). Mom’s been going there on vacation for many years and I’ve had the privilege of going with her on a number of occasions. It is a beautiful place to just… be. In fact, it is one of my favorite places in the world.

Today is Wednesday, and I’ve had four days to get back into the swing of things since my vacation. Usually, the Monday after a vacation is a very blue get-back-to-work kind of day, but this week has not had one day like that. Being home is a good thing, and getting back to doing the things (well, the other things) that I like doing, has been energizing. So in short, “Veni, vidi, vici, visa” (I came, I saw, I conquered, I shopped) and then I returned refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated.

Some folks were concerned about my going to Mexico with all the Swine Flu that was supposedly everywhere. In truth, there was more Swine Flu in Houston, Texas than there was in PV (PV had no cases that I am aware of). But, as the rumor of the raging beast of Swine Flu blew through the vacation minded population, people chose not to go to Mexico. No tourists? No tourist dollars. No tourist dollars? No jobs. No jobs? No food on the table for lots of families. But I did the research and found out PV was just fine. Rumors weren’t going to stop my family from going there. But I also learned that the people in PV were working to solve the hunger issues by having food drives. I found about this at the last minute before my departure to Mexico, and put one quick email out to a short list of generous people. I let them know that only $5 would buy a packet of food that would feed a family. These kind folks came through and in only a very tiny amount of time, I had a quick $450 to take to PV. I did the math… that’s 90 families who were helped.

The video you will see here is of Chris Benson, the owner of The Coffee Cup, one of the places where people in PV dropped off money and food that would be given to families in need. I had the pleasure of visiting with Chris and here he shares just a short bit about the process and how families were affected. I wish to thank Chris for helping me out before my trip began. I wish to thank the generous folks who were so kind to offer up money and prayers for the people in PV. Too many times we forget just how blessed we are. Hope you are counting your own blessings today.

Consider the Doggies

2009-06-03T07:33:00.001-05:00

The granddogs are here. While their parents are on vacation, my granddogs are staying with me a whole week and changing the way I live. I have to come home earlier and more often, to make sure that they go outside and are watered and fed. I wake up earlier than normal and do the same. I have made my fake groans about it, but really, I like having them here. They make bad decisions sometimes, (okay, one of them presented me with a half eaten pillow), but they are good dogs that I enjoy being around.

I like watching them from my kitchen window as they play in the yard. They chase daring squirrels and nose about the vegetation. They play tag with each other and wrestle until they find something new that catches their attention. And when I bring out the leashes, they excitedly gather around me waiting for that long walk together. They are so trusting and know that grandma has rules that must be followed. They know that I will provide whatever they need. And, because I love them I give them all of those necessary things, plus those extra things (a half eaten couch pillow).

In Luke 12:22-30, Jesus tells his disciples to think about watching the birds that peck about looking for food. He tells them to consider the lilies that grow and thrive without lifting a finger (errr…, a pedal) for themselves. He then points out how God takes care of the needs of such little creations and asks the disciples to consider the fact that God will also take care of the people whom He loves so dearly.

So in watching the granddogs, I am reminded, that as much as I truly care for them, God cares for me and all his children even more. How would my life be if I trusted God with as much fervor as the granddogs trust me for all their needs? We all need to put God first and trust that He… oh, I’d finish but I need to let the granddogs inside… Have a blessed week.

A Grammar Lesson

2009-05-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

AA grammar lesson? Ick! I confess that I never learned the myriad of carefully recited grammar rules at school. That is due to the fact that my parents spoke using correct grammar and expected their children to do the same. So when it came time to make the correct multiple choice selections on the grammar test at school, I just read the sentence and selected the word that I would naturally say. Now I did memorize “i before e except after c”, but that is Spelling, and a whole different story…(…she said after silently being thankful for the ever-present computer spell checker.) …but back to grammar.

The United Methodist Church is engaged in a new thought process of what it means to be Christ’s church. This “program”, for lack of a better word, is called Rethink Church and challenges us to re-evaluate how we think, what we do, and what we DON’T do as members of the United Methodist Church (UMC).

The word “church” was originally used to mean the people, the followers of Christ. These faithful Christians gathered together on Sundays to worship in homes and wherever they could. Eventually buildings were build specifically for that time of gathering and worship, and the buildings gained the designation “church”. The word “church” moved from a noun, describing people, to a noun, describing a building. This redefinition has been the focus of many sermons and Sunday school lessons that try to bring the people back around to the understanding that we are the “church”, the body of Christ who is to be in active ministry, together.

With the advent of Rethink Church, another redefinition comes forward. The UMC has put out a series of videos and materials to explain this in more detail. One of the main challenges made is rethinking “church”, and moving from is solely as a noun, and recreating it to be an ACTIVE verb. Church then becomes less about where you go, or a label to wear, and more about what you are actively doing. The runner runs. The cook cooks. The church churches, which means the “church” (Christ followers) “churches” (behaves like Christ).

If we the Christ followers are behaving like Christ, then our complete lifestyle is filled with thoughts, words, and deeds that come together to constantly show our love to God and to the others around us.

One video states, “What if we rethink church? What if church was less about Sunday, and more about the other days of the week? What if church wasn’t just a place we go but something we do?” Instead of taking the TV remote for its nightly spin tonight, perhaps you might consider going to the UMC’s YouTube channel to discover more about this concept. There are plenty of heart-grabbing and challenging mini-movies (each of them under 10 minutes and some just minutes long) that may spark something new within you. Watching some are so great that you want to share them with someone else… kinda like evangelism… but I’ll save that for another time.

Spending Time Together

2009-05-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

“Mom, I’m kidnapping you, so clear you calendar for the whole day.” The invitation was made, and with that I was told to prepare for celebrating my birthday with her. My daughter wanted me to set aside the other things I might do that day, and spend time with her. I didn’t know her plan. I just knew that we would be in each other’s presence.

On “the day”, she brought me a beautiful card that told me we were about to embark on a journey of memories, and she told me how much she loved me. With that, we were off and down the road. That was basically our day. She took me places that were special in our lives and gave me more messages and gifts that spoke about how much she loved me. I was overwhelmed by it, and I knew she loved me. But just being in her presence that day, knowing that she really wanted to be there with me and tell me those things, touched my heart and gave me the opportunity to respond to her, telling her how much I loved and appreciated her. (Ahhh, what a lovefest.)

Let me tell you about another day- another lovefest. There is a day that I set aside each week, because I’ve been invited to just spend time with someone who loves me. I am given time to anticipate that day together and prepare for it. Then, when that day comes, there is a celebration. The Person who adores me comes to me and tells me how much He loves me and reminds me of the love and gifts that have been given to me that show me of His great love for me. The special time that we spend together is a time to listen to Him, and gives me the opportunity to respond to His great love by telling and showing Him how truly thankful I am that He is present in my life.

Of course, this goes way beyond a birthday celebration. This is what should happen as we celebrate and worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. God doesn’t demand that we worship Him just because He’s the greatest thing around (which He is). He is telling us that we are so important to Him that He wants to spend that special time together with us, AND, He wants us to want that also.

Too often we view “worship” as a block of time that we “have to do”, because we are afraid of wrath, or honor-bound to do our “duty” on that day, or simply out of habit- a habit that has lost site of the joyful anticipation of gathering with others to celebrate. Worship should be anticipated throughout the week and culminate in excitedly arriving at the church building where you enter the worship space ready to be in a communal response to God’s love. None of this arriving 10 minutes late every week because… (insert repeated excuse here). None of this half hearted singing and inward complaining about the music because… (insert gripe out too loud/ soft, too fast/slow, “we’ve done this song before”/”I’ve never heard this song before”). No quick exit afterwards to beat the church down the road to the nearest restaurant.

Instead, it is your primary concern to be there, connecting to God, connecting to one another, and preparing to go back out in the world to serve others with love. THAT… is worship… worship with a full heart of love, ready to give, ready to receive, and ready to give again. Thanks be to God.

Blue Like Jazz

2009-05-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

I like to read. I really do. But as of late I’ve been eyeball and elbow deep in reading a number of books, studying, and writing a number of papers for a course I’m taking. It is time consuming, but I happen to enjoy the topic and digging deep into understanding more about faith, grace, being the church… very Wesleyan. But though I like to read, I have very little time… strike that… I make very little time for reading just for fun in the midst of the stack of books on my desk. So when my daughter began telling me about her latest book, I was interested in her thoughts about it and made a mental note that I would have to read that book… someday. Time passed but someday hadn’t made it to my door, and then I discovered you could download Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller, as an audio book. Bingo! One can’t read while you drive (or rather one shouldn’t), but these days the thought of being stuck in traffic doesn’t really bother me. But regardless whether you prefer to read or listen, the book is worth your time.

I’ve read many many Christian books. I’ve bought Christian books I’ve not read yet and they sit there in the waiting line, queuing up to enlighten me or teach me something. Christian writers talk about Christ of course, so there is a certain expectation I have when I begin said books. But when I first began this book, it was so unlike the standard stories and thoughts in other books, and caused me to hit “pause” while I mulled over things he just said. Very out-of-the-box and marvelous. He explains his title by saying:

“I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.”

Being a musician, I was intrigued. Miller then goes on to tell about his life and how he viewed God during different periods therein. Who is God? How do we react to God? Does ignoring God make Him go away? Does God love everyone? You have probably asked those or similar questions, and may have found yourself in an ebb and flow of faith. Miller allows the reader to join him on his journey and opens up a new perspective of what it means to have faith and live a Christian life. His themes and chapters weave his personal experiences into stories about faith and surprise you with little gems that arrive suddenly from around a corner.

I haven’t finished it yet, but I will. I’m reading, savoring, pondering, and enjoying the layer it adds to my daily devotions, scripture reading and prayer. You might just check it out…

A Thousand Tongues

2009-04-30T11:38:00.004-05:00

A thousand? I don’t know what to do with one sometimes, and here is this comment that suggests what someone would do with a thousand. The hymn, “A Thousand Tongues to Sing” is pretty well known in Christian circles, and many a church goer has sung the hymn, possibly by rote, not even hearing the meaningful lyrics being sung for the umpteenth time. The hymn by Charles Wesley was prompted by a quote from the Moravian preacher Peter Boehler, who said to Charles, “If I had a thousand tongues I would praise Jesus with every one of them.” Again comes the question, “a thousand?” Wesley responded some time later by writing these words:

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.

My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad, the honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears, tat bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears, ‘tis life, and health, and peace.

His love my heart has captive made, his captive would I be,
For He was bound, and scourged and died, my captive soul to free.

He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood availed for me.

So now Thy blessed Name I love, Thy will would e'er be mine.
Had I a thousand hearts to give, my Lord, they all were Thine!

Boehler and Wesley recognized a few things here. First, that God was GOD and was so magnificent beyond our understanding that mere mortal lyrics just couldn’t do justice to praising God. Mere mortal words couldn’t speak descriptively enough to encompass the greatness of God, who He is and what He has done. Mere human hearts aren’t capable of loving God back with the same completeness with which God loves us. So the question wrestles with the concept of using finite human words and emotions to respond to the power, the greatness, and the magnitude of the unending love of our infinite God.

If I had a thousand tongues and the wisdom of the ages, could I then tell God how grateful I was for his love, and tell others about how much God means to me? My answer is “probably not” but part of the adventure of this Christian life is to keep moving forward in that conversation with my Father God (what parent doesn’t enjoy hearing that their children love them?), and keep telling others about Him in the best way I know.

What does God mean to you? What is there about Him that you would ever want to share with someone that you care about?

(To hear David Crowder's version and instructions on playing it, go here. He also adds some insight about the writing of the hymn.)

Run, JOYFULLY, With Perseverances

2009-04-25T22:19:00.003-05:00

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

Even when I was younger and athletic, I never like to run. Running was something you did in short bursts in basketball or tennis, or that long run around the bases. Running was that grind that you did around the track in the off season only because the coach’s drill-sergeant yells intimidated you and moved you forward. I never understood those who CHOSE to run and how they spoke about the freedom of being out and running free.

It’s been many years since then and, due to a change of attitude about health, I’ve begun to job. If you knew me when, you’d be quite startled. At least several times a week, I don headphones and begin to jog, and it is only now that I understand what I missed all those years. Now I’ll also admit that my jogging incorporates praise music and prayer, and between that and the actual act of jogging, I can honestly say that I relish that time as a physical and spiritual workout. The first time I experienced that joy, I was quite surprised. I should be groaning, but I just couldn’t do it. It was then I remembered an episode of the TV show “Friends”, where Phoebe went jogging. Her style of jogging was so wildly joyful that she couldn’t contain it. Not THAT was a picture of running with perseverance, and doing so with joy.

The verse from Hebrews is one of my favorites, and I always read it with the seriousness due a marathon runner, running forward with a serious face and eyes fixed on the prize. It was a test of endurance in which you grit your teeth and had your game face on. But in thinking of Phoebe, it put a different spin on the text. I now could see that joy was a major part of enduring. For those of you who are steadily involved in ministry, lay or clergy, I know that sometimes enduring and persevering are difficult positions to hang on to. I’ve set my game face and endured many a task or ministry, perhaps because I felt alone or put upon. But Phoebe’s joyful running reminds me that there is joy in the journey. I can and will endure, with joy. I pray you will too.

Mighty to Save

2009-04-18T19:30:00.001-05:00

I haven’t been in the best of spirits as of late. I’ve had bronchitis and been out of the office and haven’t accomplished the things that I had planned to have done by now. I haven’t felt good enough to continue my regular jogging. I’ve had to handle a few situations that weren’t the happiest of things to deal with. On top of that, it has rained most of the weekend. By all rights, I should be feeling blue, depressed and at my wits end. I’m guessing, yes, just guessing here, that I’m not the only one who has had to deal with difficult things in life.

As I listened to the rain today and peeked outside, I noticed how fresh and green everything looked. God renews and transforms the grass, the trees, the azalea bushes, the birds, and even me. I’m old enough to know that there will be good days and bad days. And I’m grateful that God has consistently showed me that even though there are bad days, He will carry me through it. In times of trouble, and in times where I feel lower than a caterpillar’s tummy, I have a firm foundation and know there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that no matter how low I ever feel, God is right there with me, holding me up.

While surfing YouTube, I found this video of the song “Mighty to Save.” The lyrics are wonderful reminders that God is there for us, in the good times and in the difficult times. I’ve learned over the years that even when despair is about to take me over, that I must choose to remain faithful to the One who has rescued me and continues to save me from the pit of despair. Because of his saving grace and compassion, we don’t have to live in fear, sadness, and hopelessness. If He is mighty enough to save us from everlasting death, He is mighty enough to bring me though any trouble. Because of that, I can find joy again. You can too. In Him there is hope, peace, and mercy, and the mountains we face are moved. I hope you enjoy the video and find reason after reason to rejoice always.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T08:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, a day when Christians celebrate the transforming power of Jesus Christ. To some, it is one of the two days of the year when you show up at a church building, because, well, it’s what you are supposed to do, or your family decides that it is the proper thing to do, or because it is something you used to do when you were a kid. To some, it is a Sunday, the same as any other Sunday, when you “go to church” and do the same things that you do every Sunday. And to some, it is a day like no other- a day that is not about the status quo, or being in a church facility, or having the perfect new clothes or hearing the perfect Easter music. It’s not about the noun, church, commonly defined as a institutional building, and scripturally defined as the followers of Christ. It’s about the verb, church- the movement of gathering together with joy and anticipation, simply to be unified in praising and thanking God- Christ centered worship, not “me” centered worship. It’s about the verb, church- the movement of Christ followers back out into the world and living out the Good News by loving, caring, sharing, giving- Christ centered living, not “me” centered living.

For whatever reason you entered the church building on Sunday, you were there. Hopefully you experienced the presence of the risen Christ in a way that moves you beyond your past and all the baggage attached to it, and moves you into a new understanding of what it means to be a Christian- not a “church goer”, but a Christ follower.

One of my favorite Easter songs is simply titled, “The Easter Song” (sung by Keith Green) and tells the story of what happened when Jesus’ disciples discovered he was no longer dead, but alive. The lyrics are a full blown proclamation of the overwhelming joy that comes when you realize even just a portion of the power and majesty of God that forever demolishes the perceived power of death and overcomes it with the real and tangible power of eternal life. I pray that you will invite the Holy Spirit in, to guide you to a deeper understanding of God’s love for you, and show you how to respond to His love by loving others with your words and actions. Happy Easter.

Holy Week

2009-04-05T09:50:00.001-05:00

Holy week, the time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, is intended to be a time of intentional preparation for the celebration of Easter. Palm Sunday is a day that we remember Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people cheered and welcomed Jesus into the city shouting “Hosanna!” Thursday was the Last Supper, where the disciples were told, “Do this in remembrance of me.” They learned about servanthood as Jesus washed their feet. This was followed by betrayal, and the crowd’s cheers turned into jeers. Friday was the finality of the tomb… or so they thought. But on Sunday, death and hopelessness were overcome by Christ’s resurrection. Now there was grace, redemption, life, hope, joy...

Holy week provides time to remember this journey of our faith. As we remember these events, we give of ourselves, intentionally setting aside time with the Lord just to be in his presence. On Maundy Thursday at 7 p.m., we remember Christ’s words and share the bread and the cup. We put our feet in the sandals of the disciples and are reminded about humble servanthood.

This year we will have a footwashing for those who choose to come forward and participate in this unique remembrance of how Peter told the Lord, “You shall never wash my feet” and then learned about the example that Jesus was setting for his followers (John 13:1-17).

On Friday, we enter into a time of being still before the Lord, remembering that he gave his all for us. This year our Good Friday Tenebrae service will be held at 7 p.m. in the Family Life Center. It will be multi-sensory and will use music, video, readings, and candlelight to experience the passion story of Christ. Experiencing the fullness of Holy Week leads to a better understanding of the light, life, and joy of the Easter celebration. We encourage you to make time for Holy week, not just to “be at church,” but to come together as a people of faith yearning to experience God’s presence in a real and powerful way. Holy week culminates with the joy of Easter as we will gather to celebrate God’s redeeming gift of grace.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another Heb 10:25a (read Hebrews 10:19-25),

How Majestic Is Your Name

2009-03-29T11:00:00.001-05:00

“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8

I’m out of town today at the wedding of my cousin and his finance. It was held outside at a beautiful estate near Austin, complete with 1800’s era plantation home, innumerable trees, and a sky that is barely given it’s due by the word “blue.” I know plenty of people that call this part of the world “God’s country,” as if God stopped just one extra moment to make this place more beautiful than human words can put into language.

As I took my first look at the morning, I was met by the brilliance of the bright sun, the vast sky, and the cool breeze, all I could think of was David’s words, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Yes, God speaks to us through the Bible and those words are vital to my journey of faith. However, I think that he also speaks through the beauty of his creation, a beauty that we struggle to define. I can see David looking out across the land and noticing all that God has created, trying to put it all into words. “How majestic is your name in all the earth!” All the beauty of the hills, mountains, icy glaciers, warm sandy beaches… all here for God’s children to enjoy and ponder what kind of mighty Creator brought all of this into being. What kind of Creator knit everything together with such wonder, and why would this Creator do so? In short, He did it because He loves us. Simple, really. Of course we can get into the more complex nature of it all, but for today, for this moment, I just marvel at the mystery of it all and the depth of His love for me and every single one of us, past, present, and future. Praise God!

Trading My Xbox

2009-03-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

While doing some serious YouTube surfing this week, I stumbled upon this video I found at allaboutworship.com. It is called Trading My XBOX and is a response to Darrell Evan’s song, Trading My Sorrows. It poses the question about the place that “things” have in our lives. Are all the “things” in our lives stumbling blocks to us or are they all useful to us? I’ll admit that I’m a techno-freak in the making, and left to my own devices (well, literally and figuratively), I could inch my way off the path that draws me closer to Christ. I don’t have an Xbox or gaming “things”, but I keep my iPhone on, I twitter, my laptop is ever at the ready, and spend a bit of time online every day. Not saying that as a pro or con regarding technology, but I simply pose a question: What are you doing with your technology? Does it aid in or hinder your relationship with Christ and with others we are called to love?

I figure that if nature can praise God (You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:12 NIV) that technology should too. Is your phone only used for gossip or judgmental texting about someone you dislike? Does the Xbox provide you with an excuse to ignore the other people in the room for hours every day? Does time online replace time visiting with people in your family, your friends, your community? Does the “daily Bible verse” you get in email on Sunday morning become your “out” for sleeping in instead of worshiping in a community of faith? Is your only connection to other people merely twittering?

What if… (thinking caps on now) what if we used our technology to reach out to people with words of grace, hope, comfort, encouragement, and then spend time with them in person (of course, if that is possible- doesn’t take into account folks you meet across the country/world). What if we utilize online Bible study and take that knowledge out into the world? What if we become so focused on Christ’s mission in the world (both as individuals and as a community) that our joy spilled out into everything we do, even in our day to day communications.

Jesus used everything around him to speak about the love of God: flowers, birds, vineyards, a plank, sheep. He spent time with people. He also spent time alone in prayer. Why shouldn’t Christ-followers do the same? What are you willing to trade in for time with God?

Indiana Idol

2009-03-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

This week at our Lenten Bible study, we looked Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and how there was a focus on obtaining treasures. In the opening scene of the movie (see link), Dr. Jones (Indy, for those who know him well) is risking bodily harm moving through a booby-trapped jungle and into a dangerous maze of tunnels, just to get to a golden idol. He wants the idol for the purposes of turning it in to a museum, and mostly likely also just loves the adventure of it. After successfully grabbing the golden idol, he must run for his life, away from all the danger falling around him.Yet in the end, the golden idol that he almost died retrieving, is taken away from him by the evil Dr. Belloq. Indy barely escapes with his life intact. What a picture of Jesus’ message about storing up treasures on earth.

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Mat 6:19-21, The Message)

What kind of time do we human creatures put into obtaining treasures? Whether they are good or bad, useful or not, we still spend huge amounts of time gathering in our stockpile of treasures: money, new clothes, vacations, car, the latest tech gadget, relationships with family or friends, time spent on hobbies… (add your own list here). Is money evil? No, but the love of it is “the root of all evil” (1 Tim 6:10 KJV). Are new clothes a no-no? No. They are quite necessary at times, but making them the center of your being pushes other great possibilities out of your reach.

Wait though, what about relationships with people? Isn’t that a good thing? Absolutely. We should spend quality and quantity time building and nurturing relationships with others. But how often do we put those relationships above building and nurturing our relationship with God? (e.g. “I’ll pray later, God. I’m watching TV tonight with my spouse.” “I’ll read your word later, Jesus. I’m busy reading another novel with my child.”) Again, not that those things are wrong, that is until we let it totally replace our time with God, justifying it as “family time” or “me time.” Can family or “me” time not include spiritual acts of prayer, reading the Bible, or having a lively discussion about faith? Why do we separate our waking moments into “church moments” and “everything else”, carefully keeping our life divided into sacred and secular categories?

What are the treasures in your life? Which need to become less treasured? What “things” do you think you treasure, but spend little, if any, time on? If God is our greatest treasure, how do we honor Him? I encourage you to spend time seeking the greatest treasure, a relationship with God, who created you, loves you, and offers you His grace and mercy that restores and recreates us in ways beyond our imagination.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. (Psalm 62:5 NIV)

Cracked Lives (or Illustrating Priorities, part 2)

2009-03-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

In yesterday’s post, “Illustrating Priorities”... (you might want to read that first. I’ll wait…

… I described an illustration that I used to show how we sometimes get our priorities all messed up. Using a glass jar, shells and salt, I showed how we put some things (doing bills, watching TV, jogging, etc) ahead of the things that we SAY are important (worshiping God, Bible study, prayer, family, etc).

(Cue old soap-opera organ music and whispering announcer:) “When we last left Pastor Valerie, she was holding up the perfect illustration of well ordered priorities, the glass jar filled with all the shells and all the salt, and room to spare.” (Cue ominous music: duh, duh, dummm…)

So there I was, allowing the perfect illustration to soak in and then begin discussing it with the group. I tilted the jar a bit and salt began to stream out from the jar onto the table below. I looked at the top and the salt was not spilling over the lip of the jar. For a moment I was baffled, and then I heard giggles and then laughter as I turned the jar around and saw a small hole where the salt was pouring out. Something had obviously cracked the thin layer of glass there and now there was a hole this size of a dime. The vase/life was broken. “That’s life! Sometimes we get broken” I smirked. The faux pas brought up a real point in addition to the intended and original point.

Even when we are trying to follow Christ and put God first in all things, sometimes our lives get cracked. Sometimes the “things” we have in our lives pour out uncontrollably and cause a mess. But no matter how much loss, pain, suffering, or despair we face, God remains inside us, with us at all times. (“Remain in me and I will remain in you.” John 15:4). Now, I couldn’t repair that cracked vase but God can take cracked lives and re-create them into new lives (“Behold I make all things new.” Rev 21:5).

So on my way into my office to write this piece, I was carrying a box with the remnants of the study decorations (grass skirts, fishing nets, shells..) that we used for “Cast Away.” I was busy in thought about the symbolism of the cracked vase. In the blink of an eye the box of shells crashed to the floor. Broken: the delicate ones I found in Galveston on a family vacation. Broken: the colorful ones from a Mexican beach. Broken: that special sea urchin shell (that came from my grandmother’s store) that I’ve had since I was 16. Broken and a mess.

Upon reflection I thought about the brokenness that we fear. What if I lost everything? My home, my car, my family, my piano, my friends… things that were far beyond my ability to “fix”? How could I cope? My only answer is that I couldn’t. That is, I alone wouldn’t be able to cope. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” -1 Cor 15:57. Lent is a time to remember that Christ gave His all for us and paid our debt of sin, so that we will have eternal life. Victory over death. Victory over all the cracks and holes that mar our “perfect” lives. He knows our sorrows and will never leave us to deal with them alone. He is ever present and loves us without pause or fail. Take time to give thanks to God for His ever present and renewing Spirit.

Illustrating Priorities

2009-03-08T12:01:00.001-05:00

During Lent my church is holding a Lenten Bible studies series called “Dinner and a Movie: Don’t Forget Your Change.” It focuses on the changes that come in our lives- changes that come via circumstances (both good and bad) and the changes that come when one allows the transforming power of God to re-create his people.

Our first study was about our changing priorities and based on “Cast Away.” Chuck, the Fed-Ex employee, allows “time” to run his life and misses out on important moments in life. His view of “time” changes once he is marooned on a desert island, shifting his priorities from allowing “time” to be his master, to mere survival and the hope of returning home.

As a part of rethinking our priorities, I did a short demonstration in the study, using a glass vase, sea shells and salt. The vase represented our lives, the shells were the vitally important things, and the salt was the peripheral things (both necessary and fun) that fill up our days. I began by pouring a container of salt into the jar, noting my “peripherals.” “I like to play with my nieces and nephews. I like to golf. I like to learn new things about technology. I have to wash the dishes.” and so on. The salt filled the jar about three quarters of the way. Then I began filling the jar/my life with the “important” things, and stuffing each one in as far as I could. “I need to study the Bible. I need to visit people in the hospital. I need to spend time with my family. I need to watch my health” and so on. However, by the sixth shell (6 of 15), I could fit no more in. The “prayer” shell hadn’t even made it in yet. The jar/my life obviously had no room for the things I said that were vital. Time to rethink my priorities… The illustration had their attention.

“Ahhh” I said. “If this is my life, I need to recognize that my priorities are all messed up. I need to rethink how I live day to day” as I poured out the salt and removed the few shells. With the glass vase empty, I reordered the process, putting in all the “vital” things first, and then pouring the “peripheral” things in after. In practice, I knew that all the shells and all the salt would fit now, showing that when you put God first, everything else would come together (“Seek ye first the kingdom of God…” Mat 6:33). I held up the vase and everyone could see the perfect illustration which is supposed to leave you with the thought that perhaps each of us needs to reflect on our priorities and ask God to direct us and transform us.

Yes… a perfect illustration, a perfect moment to reflect, however life is not perfect… (Wanna know the rest of the story? Watch for part 2 of this in tomorrow’s “Cracked Lives”)

During this Lenten season I encourage you sit in God’s presence, in worship, prayer, and study, and allow him to show you the changes that will transform you and bring you closer to Him.

Lent and Cardboard Testimonies

2009-03-02T09:47:00.003-06:00

Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Countless Christians across the globe attended Ash Wednesday services and my church was no different. But this service, as in many churches in our country, is not the most well-attended service. Neither is Good Friday. Contrast that with Christmas and Easter services. Why the difference? I have heard it said by some that they don’t like to focus on the subject of sin. It’s depressing. It’s one thing to celebrate birth and resurrection, and another to sit and face your failings and shortcomings for a whole hour.

To that I say sure. I understand. I don’t like re-living my past mistakes and enduring the pain of it over and over. So I don’t. That’s not what Lent is about. It’s about remembering our tendency to sin and our need for God to forgive us. It’s about God wiping our slate clean and re-creating clean hearts in us, enabling us to walk closely with Him, instead of trying to hide from Him. It’s about remembering God’s power to transform us into Overcomers and Rejoicers who live everyday excited about what new thing God will do with and through us in that day.

I recently saw (again) a video that shows the concept of sin, forgiveness, and transformation in such a powerful way that it still affects me just as strongly as the first time I saw it. I hope that you will make time for your own testimony before God, and allow His transforming power to fill you will joy for all that He has done, is doing, and will continue to do for you and in you.

Bowling for Jesus

2009-02-23T09:50:00.003-06:00

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
(1 Cor 10:31)

Does that include bowling? In my best southern drawl, it would more accurately be called, “Boh-lin’ Fer Jeee-sus.” The immediate (and cheesy) questions that people have asked and joked about are, “Is Jesus the prize that I’m bowling for?” or “Is he in the lane next to me?” Should we recoil in horror at those thoughts or use them to talk about how Jesus is God's gift of grace and His Spirit is always near.

There is and has been an ongoing discussion regarding the propriety of the role of the church in the community. Do you use worldly things and re-create your faith according to the world, or do you take your faith and force it upon the world, or is there some way to act in between those far ends. Can you only glorify God by worship or prayer? Will pew-warming suffice? Can you glorify God by being serious... by being humorous… by watching a movie …by bowling?

If we are to do all things for the glory of God, then why not bowling? My church has a bowling league that meets on Sunday afternoons for fellowship. It’s not that bowling is a holy event (I could go for the obvious puns about a holy ball, but I won’t go there), but that people who seek to be holy and follow our Holy Lord gather together. In that place, we begin with prayer, always a good place to start. It is an opportunity to invite friends, who aren’t necessarily Christian or have a church home, to come and enjoy each other’s company. We talk about our lives and what has been going on. We learn to support and encourage each other, through good scores and bad. We learn to care more about each other. Dare I say it… we learn to love one another more? Doesn’t that glorify God?

So whatever you do, be it singing, giving, laughing, running, or even bowling, do it all for the glory of God.

Australian Fires

2009-02-10T09:39:00.004-06:00

Australia

has always been a special place in my heart. When I was a young girl my grandparents lived in Perth, Australia and “the land down under” was a magical and mystical place of wonder. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved the stories of the history and the people there, and have had it on my list of places I’d love to visit one day. Since the fall of 2008 and a number of inter-related events, God has placed that nation and her people on my heart in a new way. Aussies have been on my heart and in my prayers constantly. So I was heartbroken over the tragic news that came over the weekend.

Beginning around February 6^th, there was a horrific outbreak of deliberately set wildfires that, at this moment, has more than 46 separate outbreaks, has left a wake of 750 destroyed homes and 330,000 people burned out of their communities. The current death toll stands at 181 people, and may grow to over 200 people. This is the worst disaster in Australia since the 1983 Ash Wednesday fire which killed 75 people.

Some people described the fast moving wall of flames as a fiery tsunami moving at freight train speeds. Some people simply compared it to being in hell. As one reporter described it as “hell on earth” the video showed a lone house with an orange filled backdrop of encroaching fire, which had been blue sky only 24 hours before. What terror they must have already faced and continue to face moment by moment.

I ask you to join me in prayer, to lift up the people of the state of Victoria and all the affected communities there, that they may experience God’s saving hand and witness His acts of mercy and grace. For some, it is too easy to blame God for the terrible things that happen, but I pray that God will move in such a profound way that people will go to Him, will return to Him, and will lean on Him for strength and comfort. I pray that the church there will remember God’s love for them and all people, and will share His love and compassion with every soul they meet. Pray that God will make it clear to people across the planet in how we can reach out, not only in prayer, but in other tangible ways that will support the survivors and help them rebuild their communities and their lives.

Lord have mercy.

Psalm 49, Part 2

2009-02-03T09:14:00.002-06:00

Last week's post regarding Psalm 49, was written as a type of song. If you notice there are “verses” and “interludes”, just like in songs you would hear today. Even back then people were singing about their troubles and about how they would get past those troubles. I was reminded about the song, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon. The lyrics plainly face the fact that there are troubles in our lives. It doesn’t say “IF you’re ever weary” but “WHEN you’re weary.” But you don’t have to travel that road along. Imagine the words coming from Jesus: “Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.”

And that’s exactly what He did. He laid down his life for us and rose from the grave so that we could experience true joy, hope and love, on this side of life as we know it and beyond. The fact is that we all experience tragedy, anger, and hopelessness, but we don’t have to remain there. Jesus Christ is our hope and through him we find unending peace and love. So, sing and be glad. There is much to sing about.

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon

When you’re weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I’m on your side when times get rough and friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.

When you’re down and out, when you’re on the street, when evening falls so hard I will comfort you. I’ll take your part when darkness comes and pains is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.

Sail on silvergirl. Sail on by. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way. See how they shine. If you need a friend I’m sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind.

Psalm 49, Part 1

2009-01-27T09:08:00.004-06:00

(For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.)

1 Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! 2 High and low, rich and poor—listen! 3 For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. 4 I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. 5 Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? 6 They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. 7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. 8 Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough 9 to live forever and never see the grave. 10 Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. 11 The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, 12 but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. 13 This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise.

Interlude

14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. 15 But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.

Interlude

16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. 17 For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. 18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. 19 But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. 20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.

Nothing says “good morning world. Let’s have a joy-filled day” like the last line of this Psalm: “They will die, just like animals.” This was one of the passages in my daily readings that I read this morning. Nothing fills you with hope like the reminder that we will all die and turn to dust. Yeah, right....

In a time when so many people in this country are reaching out for hope, are these words there to drag us down and keep reminding us of our dire circumstances? Actually, that’s not how I read this. I think these words are filled with insight (v.3) and plainly face the facts about life here where we walk the earth in human flesh. The fact is that we are born and we die. The end. We come into this world and then we eventually leave it behind, taking no suitcases, no treasures, no fame or status with us.

And in keeping with that thought, neither do we take sorrow, persecution, sickness, pain, or loneliness with us either. This Psalm is a reminder that we are created beings, here by the grace of God who loves each person without fail, no matter how rich, how poor, how intelligent, how foolish, how loving, how self-involved, how God-focused, or how much God is ignored. The surprise ending that God reveals about this story of mankind is that there is no dark and cold final chapter that every soul is destined to endure, because God has something far better in store for each individual. V.15 tells us, “But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.” God has already redeemed us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and has wrapped up his offer of grace like a gift above all gifts, just sitting there ready to be accepted by the recipients.

It’s God’s “just say yes” program. Just say yes and receive the gift of light and hope, joy and life, and unending love. Because of that unequaled gift, the end is not really the end. I find comfort in that.

(See part 2 next Tuesday)

The Congress on Evangelism 2009

2009-01-07T07:37:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I flew into Nashville (and boy are my arms tired… there, I said it before you punsters could think it) and arrived at this conference that I’ve been looking forward to attending. Because the only flight I could get was late in the day, I arrived in Nashville in the evening and missed most of the events of that evening. I did catch the end of worship (it’s been a LONG time since I’ve walked into a worship service late like that), but did hear the preacher remind us all that we all have a calling to go out and share God’s Good News. Not just that it’s a nice thing or a good idea, but that is the task for the church, the hands and feet of Christ who call Him Savior and live their lives believing and acting out that faith in service.

Following that, I left the huge room where we had met and walked down the hall past a myriad of tables promoting/selling all kinds of things, and I walked through the crowd of people focused on what I needed to get done back at the hotel room. In the midst of busy thoughts and being a little tired from the day, I walked past a particular table and walked a bit farther trying to ignore that I had seen that table. Then I hit a wall, not of brick, but of God’s presence and had to turn back toward that table. The reason I ignored it was only because I needed a moment to deal with an overwhelming sense of awe and time to wipe away a tear (a happy one) and control the giggle rising up in me.

One of the specific situations that God has been dealing with in me was concerning praying for the salvation of a specific group of people. On that table there was a sign that reassured me yet again that God had called me into His plan of prayer and action for these people. Had it been a neon sign saying, “Here are those people you are praying for” it could not have been any louder of God’s words upon my heart. The specifics laid out there for my eyes to witness and the conversation with the man at the booth just bowled me over. I felt God’s arms around me and heard his laughter and joyful assurance to continue trusting Him and his perfect ways beyond my understanding.

Be careful to ask God to move in you, to give you new direction, to open your eyes, or to renew you by His strength and power. God hears our prayers. I know we say that all the time and can grow lackadaisical about believing in the power of prayer and the faithful response God always gives, but God truly hears and answers us. Has your prayer life seemed small, tedious, or sporadic lately? I pray that you will just ask… just truly ask God to awaken you to His glorious presence. Ask, and you shall receive.

Joyful New Year!

2009-01-06T23:50:00.000-06:00

Actually, I guess the titled sentiment comes a bit late, as today is already the 6^th day of the new year, but it is my wish for you all the same. Last year was a good one for me overall. Like everyone I had some great times of happiness and some great struggles to overcome. Even in the struggles though, I found joy in the journey. Sounds so Pollyanna I know, like I’m happy and skipping all the time, but in fact, I’ve had such a peace in both the ups and downs and have experienced the joy of knowing that God is continually with me.

Last fall, I began experiencing s new tug on my heart concerning those who do not know Christ. Being a pastor who spends a lot of time with my congregation, I don’t know very many people who don’t claim to know Jesus. I’ve been praying for growing opportunities and for God to guide me to all the knowledge and experience I need to understand this new tugging and the words that he has been speaking to my heart. He has given me direction to pray with renewed vigor for specific situations and people, things that have seemingly been outside my usual day to day focus on my congregation and community (but have everything to do with us learning about reaching out to the people around us) and things that seemed odd at first. But as time has gone by, God has made his direction loud and clear and I am eager to step up in this journey of faith.

In one particular prayer focus, God continues to reassure me of the fact that He has absolutely called me to pray for salvation for specific people. Everyday for quite some time, there is a word or experience that bursts upon my ears or my eyes and pours over me, filling me with awe and a desire to stop and pray for the situation or person that God has laid on my heart. I do pray everyday for many things, my family, my church, and the intercessions that come across our church website, but these specific prayers and tuggings were not from any of these regular places/people. God has laid these on my heart in the mysterious way that only He can. Venturing out into new territory is an exciting adventure of faith, and when God invites you out to someplace new or different, He has a plan in place for you beyond what you can imagine.

I pray that in the new year you will ask God to renew you and help you remember the joy of your salvation. I pray that you will ask God to give you direction and the boldness to step out in faith, even when you are unsure of what the journey entails. He will provide all that you need, exactly when you need it, and in your obedience you will know joy, and yes, even ecstatic happiness along the way.

Upcoming…

This week I will be in Nashville, TN at an evangelism conference. Keep me in your prayers, and I’ll keep you updated.

Peace and Joy!

Angels, Part 2

2008-12-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

Are you a believer? Do you follow Christ? If so, are you learning about Him and His message of good news, and then sharing with others? Are you open to His guidance about when and where to share, even if it seems a bit strange or takes you out of your comfort zone? Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and even Cornelius (see scripture in part 1) found it is a bit unnerving to find themselves in the presence of God’s angels and hear a message that God was directed right at them. Taking in that sight and that sound must have taken them quite past the boundaries of their comfort zones. Even so, we read that those people found a way to pay attention and then trust the angels’ words to the point that they would heed and share the angels’ messages.

I can’t say that I’ve ever seen or heard an angel, to my knowledge, but I know without a doubt that the Holy Spirit has dealt with me in much that same manner. There have been a few times in my life when I have received a message so out of the ordinary that I spent time arguing with God about it. “Really God? You want me to what?” When I think about those times, I can envision Mary saying “I’m going to do what? …Have a baby? But I’m a virgin.” Crazy talk, right? Or, maybe not so crazy when you remember that God is powerful enough to go beyond the bounds of human understanding.

For several months, God has been dealing with me about something so very odd to me. When I first started hearing what he wanted me to do, I thought that surely I heard wrong. However He kept the subject right in front of me, giving me assurance that I was hearing correctly. Every time I began to question whether He wanted me to continue with that task, He would assure me through a wide array of unlikely messengers. So I continue to pray and to act upon what He has called me to do.

Take time this Christmas to listen to God’s message of good news and allow Him to guide you into being an active and faithful part of the body of Christ. Be aware of the messages that he sends, through Scripture, through circumstances, through feeling His presence and hearing His voice deep within your soul, and through his handpicked messengers, whether they are angelic or human. Be ready to act and share the love of God with a world in such need of hope, peace, joy, and love.

Merry Christmas.

Angels, Part 1

2008-12-23T08:53:00.001-06:00

Angels. We see them everywhere during Christmas. We see the cute little cherubs and the lovely angels with long flowing blond hair and billowing robes and beating wings, but in truth we have let these images box in the true identity of God’s angels. Angel means “messenger” and God created them to bring His messages to us. In Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20, you will read the Christmas story and how God sent His angels to deliver a message of great joy. Can you imagine being suddenly confronted by an unworldly being who gives your eyes and ears a direct message from God that is so overwhelming that it must be preceded by “Don’t be afraid”?

Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds received such a message, a message that was so powerful that they couldn’t help but act upon it. In Acts 10 there is a story about Peter and Cornelius, both of whom were given messages by God, one while praying and the other by an angel. God got their attention with His message and both men acted upon it. These are only a few examples of how God chooses to use His heavenly messengers and deliver His good news. But just because these stories are written in an ancient text, doesn’t mean that God is finished delivering His good news. God still speaks. He still sends messages of hope. He still finds new and surprising ways to tell people about His great love for them. He still sends Christ’s followers out to spread the good news, and He still reaches out to those who have yet to hear and receive that good news.

Look around you. Listen. God is here. Christ is present with us, and His Holy Spirit continues to whisper in our ears and to shout with joy the good of great joy this season. Will you receive His words of hope and peace? Will you share them?

(tomorrow, “Angels Part 2)

Tis the season to be…grumbly…NOT!

2008-12-07T20:29:00.000-06:00

Being out in the community these days is a joy, but also fodder for grumbling. What? Grumbling? Unless you’ve been in a cave since Thanksgiving, you’ve most likely been out shopping for Christmas. The tree, the decorations, the presents, and … the crowds, and where there are crowds, there is someone grumbling. I’ve heard them, you’ve heard them, and well, I confess, I’ve been one of them. When my daughter was a young girl, we would head out to ___, one of those huge stores with everything. I’d complain under my breath all the way in there. “I hate going to ___. I can’t wait to get outta here.” And the litany would continue with my daughter saying, “You always say that, but we still come back here”, which I would give the usual response, “I know. (long pause) … I still hate going to ____.” There was certainly plenty to grumble about: long lines, not enough employees to answer my questions, and the exact thing I went to go buy was either hard to find or sold out.

One day I found myself in a long line, and instead of wondering why the checker couldn’t go a little faster, I noticed the people in the lines around me. There was the hurried mother with two kids in the basket and one hanging on her leg. Her face was full of concern as she checked her watch constantly and tried to watch the checker and the two girls in the basket, find her wallet, and console the now crying leg hugger. I began to look at the faces of those around me and saw a myriad of emotions and stances that made one wonder about their stories. All around me were people; people who were precious to God; people who had their own dire struggles; people who had their own deadlines. And then it struck me that I entered the store, a busy shopper who looked past and through the other busy people around me.

Being stuck in the line then became a blessing and a time that I was forced to stop and look around. There was a new joy for me. Instead of wishing the lady with 3 children would hurry, it was an opportunity to see her face and pray for her as I stood there. It put a new slant on things to stand there, praying for her to have peace and the calmness necessary to help her care for her children.

I hope that you are able to see people from a different perspective this Christmas and will reach out to them with a smile, a kind word or act, and even a prayer.

E-comm

2008-12-03T22:38:00.001-06:00

Facebook. MySpace. Message boards, email, and yes… blogging. These are all modes of communication that have countless numbers of people communicating across our nation and even our world. Words and phrases are thrown around at the speed of light (okay, you science peeps…don’t correct me speed of light and how fast info moves- it’s just an expression) by single units of humans sitting in darkened rooms, communicating with other single units of humans sitting in other darkened rooms. (Well, maybe the rooms aren’t that dark, but you get the picture.)

Don’t get me wrong- I do like technology, but lately I’ve been pondering upon the way we cordon ourselves off away from others, so that we can communicate with others- who are far away. I love using email as a quick way to get info out to others. I can think about something that I need to tell someone, let’s say at midnight, email them and forget about it till the next day. Very simple. No fuss, no muss. However, the human touch is set aside if that’s all one uses. In Facebook, etc, one can make a statement, no matter how nice or how rotten, and back away, ready to ignore or answer the responses that come up.

My ponderment settles around the question of relying ONLY on e-communication (or e-comm) and how that affects the way we interact with others, in the old-school low-tech way. I’m afraid that regarding e-comm as THE way of communicating cheats us out of being a community that has eye to eye and hand to hand contact.

Acts 2:42-47 says: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Sounds like a real live community of faith to me. I just can’t envision how it would have worked in the electronic age. Perhaps the apostles, each sitting in their individual homes, would send out their blog, to which the faithful would respond on their Facebook page and purchase Facebook gifts to give each other. Perhaps they would all gather, on the “I Love Jesus” message board and have “worship” by talking about how great God is and how we should serve Him. Maybe they could buy stuff for the poor through ebay, pay for it with paypal, and send it fedex. Alright, maybe I’ve gone off the deep end a bit, and remember… I do like technology, but I wonder if we sometime allow e-comm to take the place of being the living and breathing community of faith that gathers together to worship together, pray together, serve together, etc. The challenge offered here (myself included) is to make that extra effort to connect or to re-connect to actual human beings, and just sit, face to face, and enjoy some old-fashioned slow-paced visiting.

If you need me, I’ll be out on the porch… rocking…and ready to visit.

Going To The Beach

2008-11-21T09:58:00.002-06:00

Ah, Friday, my day off, and a morning on which the alarm clock also takes a day of rest. As the new day dawns I can hear the traffic on yonder freeway as people head out to the office. But not me. Not today.

One of my favorite places to be is at the beach, where the sound of waves and wind restores my soul. So on days like today, with a little imagination, the smooth and steady sound of the traffic morphs into the calming swoosh of waves rolling into the shore. With eyes closed, I can be transported to an early morning beach where the sun has just fully peeked over the horizon and the waves have wiped the sand clear of all footprints, creating a clean canvas for new paths and adventures. For some folks, a mountaintop is…well... uhm, their mountaintop experience. For me, it’s the beach. And so on these quiet mornings, transported to that peaceful scene, I walk along the shore and visit with my Lord.

In Luke 6:12 we are told how Jesus would go up alone to a mountain to pray. We all need that time, time alone in the quiet peaceful presence of the Lord. A time to be still and know that He is God (Ps 46:10). We make time for all the busy-ness of our calendars, so why not make and keep an appointment on the mountain (or seashore, or East Texas woods) with Christ? A time to pour your heart out to Him; a time to sit together in quiet as you just breathe and take in the scenery; a time to patiently wait to hear what He has to say to you. Those moments were necessary for Jesus as He walked the earth, so how can they be any less important for us today?

Make time for that, because before you know it the real world will creep back…(Oops. Be right back. The phone’s ringing….) Now where was I? Oh yes,… that time is important because at some point you have to get back to doing all the …(Excuse me, someone’s at the door). Okay, I’m back…uhm, oh yes, … you have to get back to doing all those things that you need to do. So before the busy-ness of your day or your week begins, try spending time with Christ on your mountain of choice.

“I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.” -John Wesley

Philadelphia

2008-11-19T07:50:00.001-06:00

My daughter is spending part of the week in Philadelphia this week, looking into a local Christian community there to see how they live out their faith. Philadelphia- the city of brotherly love. During her stay she has sent back additional information about what she’s done during her free time, which is taking historical tours of the city. I just love history and it is awe inspiring to see pictures of the vast array of places where people gave their all so we could be free.

“Philadelphia”- what a fitting word for a city where love of country and freedom was strong enough that people chose to band together to work together on their cause. In this city, American’s love and affection for each other was countered by their hatred of the perceived evils that King George III had perpetrated against them. I guess “brotherly love” only went so far.

The word “Philadelphia” also reminds me of another situation where the meaning of the word “love” should have seemed quite clear and serve as a type of call-to-arms, but yet it caused a bit of frustration.

In John 21:15-19, the resurrected Christ appeared to the disciples on the seashore while they were fishing. After they came to the shore, they shared a meal together. Jesus then asked Peter, “…do you love me more than these?” and used the Greek “agape” for the word “love.” Jesus was asking Peter if he would love with all that he was. Peter answered, “…you know I love you” using the word “philia”, a virtuous love toward family, friends, and community. Peter was saying that he would love people with an affection that would stop before loving with a self-sacrificial love given to both friends and enemies. This conversation continued with Peter never offering “agape”, but with Jesus still expecting that Peter, and all of us, show that great love for one another.

How often do we qualify love? Love for one another… “I’d help her if…”, “I’d be nicer if…”, “If they weren’t so boring/mean/weird I would…” The same goes for Christ. “If I weren’t so busy I would pray/serve/study” “If I had more money I would give to the poor/tithe.” We’ve all done it… that is justify our shortcomings to the One who justified us. But glory to God for his unending love and his soul-cleansing forgiveness.

In this season of Thanksgiving, I think it behooves us to remember be thankful for Christ’s great love for us. It is a season to stop and allow Christ to convict us of letting go of our preconceived ideas about what WE think love is, and instead dive into our Bibles to read (and live out) what CHRIST says that love is.

YIKES, Ike! (Part 2)

2008-09-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Ike has come and gone and we are well into the aftermath of cleaning up, restoring power and locating gas stations. There are plenty of stories about the fights at gas stations or in hardware stores selling generators to only the first 20 customers in a block-long line. But, be advised that there are other stories that show the generosity and patience of good neighbors. This is certainly a time to come together and be a community that offers help to those who need it. This is a time when the church has a huge opportunity to truly be the hands and feet of Christ. I’ve seen neighbors, who rarely speak to one another, coming out into the streets and checking on the people that usually only receive an occasional wave.

My own yard was full of very large branches and one large tree that fell into my neighbor’s pool. On Sunday morning I arrived home from out-of-town “hunkering down” and stopped just to get a quick look before going on to the church for worship. I was met by a member of our church who had already started working on removing the fallen tree. After our worship service (at the church were there was no power… no electrical power anyway…) I returned home only to find seven people in my yard, nearing the end of the huge task of clearing away every single branch. Though they are members of my church, they were never asked or expected to do this. They chose to do the dirty, sweaty, and back-breaking work of cutting, moving and piling up someone else’s mess. I’m not often speechless, but for several moments, I was on that day.

Nope, I don’t like Ike, but I appreciate the opportunities that Ike brought. Yes, there is hardship in having no power or water, but there are those gems that we find while dealing with these situations. I pray that you will find a way to support one another during this time, whether you are far away and keeping us in prayer, or are here and showing Christ’s love and patience to strangers and neighbors.

YIKES, Ike! (Part 1)

2008-09-15T19:32:00.001-05:00

Four days ago, on September 11, residents of the Texas coast (and others along the Gulf Coast) were making up their minds about how to greet hurricane Ike. At that time Ike was nearing the Houston area and, like The Clash’s lyrics, many people were wondering, “Should I stay or should I go?” With a variety of reasons on either side, people began storm preparations. Some people boarded up homes and stocked up on food and water, while others packed up valuables and pets and began the trek out of town. Everyone has their own colorful story of where they “hunkered” down. (After “the” and “and”, the word “hunkered” was the most used word by journalists covering the storm.)

I was out of town during this time, watching 24 hour news coverage. In story after story, we noticed the reporter’s continual repetition of how someone was “hunkering down”, to which we found ourselves giving an automatic response of “hunker down!” Merriam-Webster defines this as settling in or digging in for a sustained period, and actually is the perfect word to describe what was happening in countless households. Some people have completed the “hunker” process and are arriving home to find that everything is just fine. But there are others who are still “hunkering” and playing the waiting game to find out when power is returned or just waiting for the opportunity to get home.

I pray that wherever you are, you are safe and finding the help you need. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and allow someone the blessing of coming to your aid. Be sure to stay in touch with your friends and family and thank God for all that He has brought you through.

They Were Astonished…

2008-09-03T10:35:00.003-05:00

When talk of Gustav first began, weathermen and women stated that it could be rated a catagory 4 or 5 hurricane that could destroy New Orleans again. As Gustav moved closer to Louisiana, computer models kept showing a strong possibility of that happening. The language used by city and state officials was strong also and sent an estimated one million people into evacuation mode. Prayers were made so that the storm would weaken or bypass that area. The threat posed by Gustav was taken seriously. So, lo and behold, the storm weakened and did not hit New Orleans directly. Instead of “Praise God for answering our prayers” the reoccurring statement being touted now is that it was foolish to evacuate or take the storm seriously. Ahem…wait a second… when you prayed to God and hoped for this very outcome, didn’t you pray and wait in expectation? Are you really upset that He answered your prayers?

When you read Acts 12:1-9, you read about how the Apostle Peter was imprisoned and how the church nearby was praying for him. The angel of the Lord rescued Peter, allowing Peter the freedom to return to the place where the church was praying. After Peter knocked on the door, a girl went to open it (v.14) but was so astonished to see him that she ran back without opening it. When they finally came back and opened the door (v.16) they were astonished. They were surprised to see him there, even after praying to God in expectation (one assumes) that God would help Peter.

It is easy to point fingers at that church, but I have felt astonished myself, and then felt astonished that I felt astonished. Standing on this side of the pages of my Bible, it is easy to ask that church, “Why were you surprised? Did you thank God for answering your prayer?” But, I can hardly point a finger at them, without pointing at myself. It is always good to get a reminder that God is always faithful in hearing and answering our prayers. It is important to pray, believing that he will answer according to His wisdom and His timing.

Like many others, I listened to the reports of an imminent strike by Gustav. I prayed that the storm would dissipate. I hope that this week, we can be in agreement as we pray and thank God that the expected disaster did not happen as forecasted. Also I hope we will also lift up those who did face trouble with the storm, and those returning home this week. God IS good, all the time…

Back to School Time

2008-08-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

What a summer it has been. Like many others, I spend most of the summer traveling about. One trip was to Pharr, Tx (full of blessings and great memories). I spend a month in Dallas at a school, where I studied, worshiped, fellowshipped, and studied some more. This was all followed up by a week’s vacation where R&R was the word(s) of the week. And now, I’m back in the office trying to get back in gear for the coming year.

All around me this week there have been students and parents getting back into their regular school-year mode. Parents took their Kindergarteners to the first day of class to begin their journey into formal schooling, where tears were shed (I think some of the children may have cried a bit too). On the other end of the spectrum, there were other parents loading up their college freshmen and leaving them on campus to begin a new journey of education. This event may be just as hard as that first day of Kindergarten.

Through all the days of my daughter’s school days, I knew that my job was to help her get to where she was able to leave my house and live on her own. It was my job to see that she made it to college and was equipped to stand on her own two feet when she got there. Her last year of high school grew harder and harder on my heart, as I knew the day was getting closer of when she would no longer be in my house every day. Even so I was proud to watch her grow and become someone who would be quite capable in the world out there.

Then the day actually came. I was going to be sooooo cool. I had it planned out to help her get settled in her room, spend the night and then take her to campus before driving off and leaving her that first day. “Bye. Have a great day” I planned to say as she got out of the car, and then I would smile, wave and drive away. No tears for me (I’m a happy crier). So I drove her to campus that morning, stopped, watched her hop out of the car and turn around to tell me goodbye. “Bye Mom, I love you” she said. Then time stopped.

The cute young woman standing before me suddenly shrank a couple of inches, sprouted long pig-tails, gained a lunchbox and an armful of books. All I could see was that little grade-school girl smiling and about to walk into the school. The tears began to well up. “Mom?” she said, waiting for my response. My cool-ness was quickly disappearing, but I managed a smile, a wave, and an “I love you too. Have a great day” before she closed the car door. Then time began to move again as I watched that confident young woman walk away.

Every new school year that comes around reminds me of days like that. Without the confidence that Jesus was at the center of her life, I don’t know how I could have left her there. My prayers right now certainly include the children and youth who are starting school again, that they may grow in wisdom, in the school and in the Sunday schools. I pray for their parents, that they may be wise in guiding their children to learn about Jesus as fervently as they worry about grades. Will you join me?

Where'd the Summer Go?

2008-08-27T16:59:00.003-05:00

Yes, yes, yes, I've been amis in my postings. I just want to take this moment to give us all the opportunity to breathe in Summer just once more. Before school is moving fast... before everyone in the office is back from vacation... before the memories of time off begin to fade... just take a moment and slip back into that hammock on the breezy side of the South Pacific island you visitied. Take just one more moment to remember and enjoy because summer is just about officially over... well in officially in one month. But still, time to mentally and physically get in the swing of things... is here.

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make”.)

10) Not following though: How often have you heard a mom with kids in tow, moving up and down the aisles in the grocery store: “Johnny, don’t do that again or you won’t get candy when we leave. Johnny, this is your last chance, don’t don that. Okay Johnny, I’m giving you one more chance. Now Johnny, I told you not to do that again or else…” And then at the check out line, of course Johnny gets the candy anyway. No should always mean no, and yes should always mean yes. I trust God because I know that His promises are steadfast. God may pronounce His divine “I’VE HAD IT!” like he did so often with Moses about those “stiff-necked” people in the desert, but God didn’t threaten anything He wouldn’t follow through on, and Moses knew that. God, in His mercy, may change His mind about things, but what He says He will do, he will do. He should be our model in this. I believe that it is a loving act for parents to give their children a solid foundation in which to trust. Following through is a way to provide children with a foundational understanding of how to trust parents, in their "yes" and their "no".

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children.

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-17T22:00:00.001-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make”.)

9) Pushing trends on kids: Okay, I confess that fashion trends are not that vital to my life. In fact, as my daughter reads this, I know she was shocked that I knew what “Jimmy Choos” are (they are shoes). But in speaking about sharing your passions, I shared my passion of music, which included that period where practicing the piano was not an option for her. But I saw her own passion and her own gift and tried my best to encourage that (yes, she is a pianist, surpassing me). Ephesians 6:4 tells fathers (and mothers too), “do not exasperate your children" even when you are correcting them, and even when you are encouraging them to use their God-given gifts. I think this verse in Ephesians is showing an expectation of parents to deal gently with their children and find ways of encouraging moral behavior and faithfulness to God, as well as encouraging them to find a passion and use those gifts for God.

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-16T23:39:00.000-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make”.)

8) Not teaching kids to fend for themselves: My papaw would say the old line, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” I think this holds true for our children. For me, this goes back to items 3 and 5 on this list. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is described as the carpenter’s son. The gospel of Mark goes on to describe Jesus as a carpenter, presumably one who had followed Joseph into the trade. Jesus certainly was given a loving earthly father who, like generations before, gave their sons the gift of a trade or knowledge. I picture little Jesus in the shop, learning year after year how to build. I picture Joseph smiling as he envisions his son being able to enjoy life because of his trade and experience.

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make”.)

7) Setting unreal expectations: After hearing my expectations (of keeping her room clean, telling the truth, coming home on time, etc) my daughter would sometimes question me, “Do you expect me to be perfect? I’m not perfect you know!”. My Wesleyan words came forth about striving for Christian perfection verses being perfect little robots. We are to “aim for perfection” (2 Cor 13:11), and to “press on” (Phil 3:12) in our imperfection. Regarding #7 on the list from msn, dreams of our children are important, but perhaps backing up to set expectations of following biblical principles and moral behavior should be a priority. If parents and children are moving together in that journey (for the most part) then helping your child reach their dreams (and not necessarily yours) is a joy.

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make”.)

6) Not being a good spouse: However you read Eph 5:22-28 which says “Wives submit to your husbands…” and “Husbands love your wives…”, the focus of this passage is not to label a “boss”, but to set up a precedent for living out a loving and Christ-centered marriage. If the husband and wife and treating each other as they would Christ, then their children will be able to appreciate the loving picture of Christ as the bridegroom and the church as the bride. They will also have a clear picture of how to treat their own spouse in the future.

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make”.)

5) Not giving kids enough responsibility: Just because children are young doesn’t mean that they are not an integral part of the family. Paul tells the young Timothy, “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim 4:12). Age should not set parameters on whether or not you have a responsibility, but how you participate responsibly. Sometimes setting a good example is a huge responsibility (my mother and grandmother’s words ring in my ear about that). Would not honoring one’s mother and father include helping them in any way that you can … just because?

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-12T23:26:00.000-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on "10 Big Mistakes Parents Make".)

4) Praising mediocrity: Praise is something set aside for great events and persons. God is worthy of our constant praise, not because he attempted to create and bring reconciliation, but because he alone is Lord of the universe who has created and is creating. Jesus is worthy of praise because he has defeated sin and death through His resurrection. In a more general sense, “praise” is a statement of greatness as when Jacob blessed Judah saying that his brothers would praise him (Gen 49:8). Praise is reserved for unparalleled greatness. When a parent doesn’t praise every step and action of their child, it doesn’t mean you are withholding love or admiration for the child. If children don’t learn the difference between greatness and mediocrity, how will they be able to appreciate the unsurpassing greatness of God, if everyone and everything is always worthy of praise?

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-11T23:30:00.001-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on msn.com’s story on “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make”.)

3) Failing to get involved at school: Deut 11:1-19 contains a call for parents to remember their experience in the desert and the lessons they learned, and then pass that on to their children. They are told to remember God’s ways and “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” What child doesn’t want to spend time with parents who offer love and support? It is the duty of parents to make sure their children are educated, especially in matters of school and faith. Moreover, it should be the joy of parents to have a hand in what their children learn and take to heart.

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-10T22:00:00.004-05:00

(The following is a continuation of my views on "10 Big Mistakes Parents Make".)

2) Inadequate discipline: Have you heard the quote, “Spoil the rod and spare the child”? For ten points, where does that quote come from? If you said the Bible, you are incorrect, as that saying is only a reference to Proverbs 13:24 which says, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” (Also read Pr. 13:1,18 and 20). I don’t believe verse 24 is a call to beat your child, and I don’t even think it is saying that spanking is or isn’t a good idea. The focus is the necessity of discipline, not a singular method of punishment. When I look back at my childhood and youth, I don’t think about the punishments I justly received, but I do appreciate the fact that they tried to teach me right and avoid wrong, for my own benefit.

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.

Perfect Parenting (or rather) Avoiding the Mistakes of Parenthood

2008-07-09T22:00:00.003-05:00

Since I am and always have been the perfect parent … (uhm, what if my daughter reads my blog…? Let me rephrase…) Since I am a parent … (and even though my daughter is in her twenties and married) articles like the one on msn.com catch my eye and give me two thoughts: 1) what kind of parent was I then? and 2) how does their list match up to biblical principles? So take a moment to look at “10 Big Mistakes Parents Make” … go ahead and look … I’ll wait …

So, now that you’re back, here are my thoughts on the list:

1) Spoiling kids: I immediately think of Veruca Salt, the spoiled rich girl in the movie, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, who begins and ends most of her diatribes with “I want it now”. Her father, like many modern parents seem to think that giving in to the “wants” is chief method of showing love. Mr. Salt is obviously afraid that his daughter will not know how much he loves her if he doesn’t give in to her constant demands. The image of a good father who gives what we need (as opposed to wants) is found in Mt 7:9-11. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Food (like bread and fish) is vital to life. The latest model donkey or toga (BMW or Jimmy Choos) is not so vital.

Take a moment to consider your relationship with your Father in heaven, with you as His child, and then your relationship (as a parent) with your own beloved children. (Watch for the rest of this list to be updated daily.)

In a Pharr Away Place

2008-07-08T22:12:00.001-05:00

In June, I was blessed to be a part of a mission trip to Pharr (near McAllen, Tx and within a stone's throw of the Mexican border) that included youth and adults from two United Methodist churches (my church and another church in our area). Most of those from our churches are well off in material things, and all of us were far from poor. The area we went to was Hidalgo County, the poorest county in the nation, and so very unlike the daily scenery that we were accustomed to. It is an agricultural society that relies on migrant workers who are paid very little and live in difficult circumstances. We went, we told the youth, not to go and "fix" problems, but to join into the society and help where we could, and learn from the people there who had so much to offer us, in a variety of ways.

The first day we gleaned (Read Ruth chapter 2) in a watermelon field for four hours. The watermelons were picked from the field and loaded into a truck which delivered them to a food bank. The next day we went to two different locations where we scraped, washed and painted two houses (a la UMARMY), while three of us went to a different neighborhood to distribute invitations to VBS. On Wednesday and Thursday, we spent the day in a colonia (a neighborhood) which was very poor by most standards, but rich love and care for others. We had prepared for a two-day bilingual VBS, complete with bilingual songs, games and crafts, and with a puppet show and movie in Spanish. The journey of preparing for this was a major event in itself and couldn't have happened without willing volunteers who practiced, gathered, and/or translated material. These two days were the best out of the week for me. Being with people who shared joy in circumstances that were so out-of-the-box for most of our group. No air conditioner, small houses with no TV and cramped living quarters, and houses with homemade plumbing and light fixtures... these circumstances seemed desperate.

However, the people shared their joy with us. The children laughed as we played "Duck Duck Goose" (or perhaps laughing with us as some of us spoke poor Spanish). Language was not a barrier, due to a few with us who served as translators, but mostly due to the shared language of caring for one another. Their faces lighted up when presented with their own coloring book and crayons. They shared their love for the Lord as they sang for us in loud gleeful voices and presented us with a "thank you" banner which they all signed. One would presume that the beneficiaries of our time and gifts were the children and their parents, but our group for Houston truly benefited in being accepted in into that community. During those days, I felt like there was no Greek, no Jew, no Anglo, no Hispanic (Gal 3:28), but that we were all enjoying being God's children together.

It was hot- VERY HOT (I don't do "heat" by choice), but as I look back, I didn't focus on that and instead enjoyed every aspect of this trip. I know the prayers of friends, family and our prayer team helped hold us all up during that time and I would whole-heartedly encourage others to consider a venture into such a Pharr away place as that. My continued prayer is that both the group that went and the people we met will remember how God moved and touched our lives, and that He will continue to move us all to serve and glorify Him with each new day.

In Dallas

2008-07-07T21:57:00.003-05:00

I have sucessfully avoided updating my blog for quite some time, but I have great excuses (don't we always?) Since January I have been regularly working on course work for four courses that I must take this year in Dallas, for which I had to have my pre-work mailed in by May. I then used May and June to do the prep work so that all the ministries for which I am responsible would have all the info and volunteers they needed while I was gone for a month in July. Also in June I went on a mission trip with the youth from our church and another church in our area. It was wonderful and worth blogging about (which I will do shortly). But the short of it is that I am now in Dallas for a month, enjoying the opportunity to study and have fellowship with other pastors. It is difficult to leave the church for that period of time, but the church doesn't and shouldn't revolve around a single person or a single ministry. On the other hand, I have no worries because there is great leadership back at the ranch and a good number of brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to step up and do the work of Christ. The journey continues ...

Perseverance

2008-06-20T08:00:00.002-05:00

Have you ever felt like you’re riding down a steep mountain, on a treacherous path, on a bicycle at 100 m.p.h.? Or can you relate to Indiana Jones (Indy reference again?... but he’s so reference worthy…) in his first movie where he is in a cave running for his life away from a giant boulder. Life comes hard and fast sometimes and we can lie down in the road or we can keep moving forward.

Life has been pretty good for me lately. Busy, busy, but good. I will be out for awhile on a mission trip near Mexico with a group of youth and adults from my church and another church in our area. I’m excited about that and focused on getting all the preparations complete and the details taken care of. I’ve also had a large list of things to prepare and delegate for the month that I’m away this summer. I’m enjoying working with the new senior pastor at our church as well as dealing with the daily business of the church. Then there are all the personal and family things I need to take care of. Busy, just like the next person.

Most of what I have described is a normal part of a day in the life of me. I remain 99% calm and enjoy all that my vocation has me doing day to day. But you know when, in the middle of doing the things that you do, one, then two, then three more things begin to land in your plate. As the days have clicked by, bringing me nearer deadlines and a departure date, I have felt moments of “What NOW?” It is especially during times like those that I must lean on the power of Christ to get me through the day (or the hour). Perseverance is vital to this walk of faith we’re on. We must hang onto Christ and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (Jam 1:2-4)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb 12:1 )

So even when that giant Indiana boulder is at your heels, keep moving. Indy kept moving through his struggle to eventual safety. As Christians, we are not promised a smooth journey, but we are promised that Christ will never leave us to travel it alone. It’s truly an adventure. I hope you enjoy yours.

Gymanny Crickets!

2008-06-06T23:57:00.000-05:00

For many of my adult years, I have conducted experiment after experiment of what it takes to lose and gain weight. In other words, I have gone on a number of diets and taken up various exercise programs. At times I’ve been successful, at least for a short while, and at other times exasperation sets in. (My dad’s expression is “Jimmany Crickets!”). A few weeks ago I took a stand and purchased a membership at a nearby gym, however I have not lost a single pound. I guess I’m going to have to actually get in the car and go there to get any good out of my purchase.

I think this same mentality shows itself in other areas of our lives. If you are like most Christians, you have at least one Bible in your house. You may even have several Bibles, a few Bible study books or Sunday school lessons as well. So then the question becomes “How much time during the week do you spend reading the Bible?” According to a Barna poll, 67% of born again Christians read their bible during the week. That’s not a bad percentage I guess, but it brings another question to the forefront: “What does read mean?”

Do you get points for opening it up during worship and reading along with the scripture reader? (This is certainly a good idea, but how common is that in your church?) If you read it during worship, do you check “read Bible” off of your list until the next service and put your Bible back on the shelf? Do you read for pleasure? Do you dive into its pages to discover what God would reveal to you? Do you study the lives of the saints and find examples of Godly living? Do you read and re-read about the life of Christ and listen to his call to follow him?

If I’m going to get physically healthier, I need to darken the door of my gym. If I’m going to grow in faith, I have to be in the Word daily and consume what the Bread of Life offers. At least in this growth I pray that the church of Jesus Christ will increase their desire to know God’s Word which sends us out to share his good news and expand the family of believers.

Indiana Jones

2008-05-25T23:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I’ve seen it now … twice, since opening day last Thursday. I admit it- I’m a fan of Indiana Jones. I remember seeing the first movie, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark in the summer of 1981. I was a sophomore in college and like a vast majority of American theater goers, I sat through that movie, wide-eyed and gripping the arm of the chair until the credits began to roll. I entered curious and exited a fan. The whole series, including the latest, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is just plain fun and tells epic stories with surprises and excitement.

So, yes, I enjoy watching them just for pure enjoyment, but I can’t escape my natural tendency to look for deeper meanings in things. For instance, I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and saw Indiana standing at the edge of the precipice contemplating the faith necessary to step out across a vast chasm toward the Holy Grail. When I think of that scene I can’t help but view that as a picture of stepping out in faith and believing in what you can’t see. There are a number of things throughout the series that offer moments of pondering the deeper things, such as the power of God, self-sacrifice and good versus evil.

Indiana’s mission was to seek out relics lost for ages. Christ came “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). Indiana went to the ends of the earth (just about) to rescue those he loved and cared about. Is that not what Christ did, come and rescue those whom he loves? So for me, beyond the sheer adventure of the series, I enjoy those moments of illumination.

So today I’m simply indulging in frivolous musings of the adventures of Dr. Jones and celebrating this final chapter in the saga. Go see it (by yourself before you decide to take the kids) and enjoy it for what it is. Then, after you’ve seen it a second time, you can begin to reflect about the meaning of Kingdom and all the mysteries that life holds, but until then… may the force be with you … (oops, that’s another series).

Prince Caspian

2008-05-20T00:28:00.003-05:00

Last Friday I attended the opening day of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It is a continuation of the story told in 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. These movies, adapted from the series of books by C.S. Lewis, are wonderful stories and I think both movies were worth watching. TLTW and TW was more of an allegorical tale that pointed to Christ’s death and resurrection. I found its allegory to be clear and showed the power and victorious nature of Christ, as well as his compassion and gentle love.

You’ll not find the same train of thought in Prince Caspian, as it contains Christian themes instead of allegory. Aslan the Lion, the Christ figure, is more prominent in the first film, but does make an appearance in the second film and retains his supreme status. If you watch (or read the book) carefully, you’ll see themes of grace, faith, and restoration that reveal themselves and offer moments of reflection. This film is worth seeing for the pure enjoyment of it, but don’t miss out on pondering over it later to think about what it says on a deeper level. The one thing I missed in the movie was the way the book detailed the interaction between Aslan and Lucy. For me, that was a great picture of walking in faith, and I wish the movie had spent a bit more time on that relationship. But in any case, it was a great movie. I hope you find time to enjoy it too.

Ron Stone: A Good Neighbor

2008-05-16T07:14:00.001-05:00

On May 13, a Houston icon passed from this life to the next. Since Tuesday there have been a multitude of stories on TV and the web about Ron Stone, who served as a news reporter and anchor in Houston on channel 11 (CBS) from 1961-1972 and channel 2 (NBC) from 1972-1992. (See channel 2 stories here.)

Co-workers and even so-called competitors called him friend and used superlative language to describe him as a person and news anchor. They tell about his skills in the news business, his penchant for history, and talent with telling stories, on screen and in print. Without fail each story talks about what a nice man he was, but the details go way beyond just being friendly.

He worked hard and he volunteered hard, giving time to causes he considered worthy, such as Muscular Dystrophy. One woman tells how she was a child with Muscular Dystrophy and met him at the telethon. He eased her fear and called her friend. Some years later, he sent a helicopter to her house because she was unable to come to the telethon that year. On air he was heard to pass along get-well messages and off the air he went to great lengths to show his concern for others. One story I found interesting was a note in a visitation book from a young man thanking Ron for being his Sunday school teacher in the 60’s, which shows he served outside of the secular path of life. One woman recounted how he offered much needed change to her while she was juggling groceries and toddlers in the checkout line. He took time to be with the common person, because he considered himself to be a common man… a neighbor.

Who is my neighbor? In Luke 10:25-37 Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan to answer that question and teaches what it means to be a good neighbor. It may take a little extra labor to be the good neighbor, but that is exactly what Christ calls us to do. The parable is an example to follow: Love your neighbor as yourself.

This week many people are offering prayers of thanks for the life of Ron Stone and the example he left for us to follow. Many have commented on his good humor, sincerity, kindness, thoughtfulness, and genuineness stating that if more people acted like Ron Stone, then the world would be a better place.

Mr. Stone’s signoff each night was “Good night neighbors”, and I offer that up for your own daily response of choosing to be a good neighbor.

“Don’t tell anyone I told you, but…”

2008-05-15T05:25:00.005-05:00

What a way to begin a conversation. Even better yet there’s the infamous, “Susie said … (blah blah blah), but said not to tell anyone.” Secrets are hard to keep, gossip is easy to spread, and neither is beneficial to the life of the church. Whether it is in person, by phone, texting or MySpace, wounding words- from Christians no less- cut deep without regard to our call to live as Christians (literally “little Christs”).

Ghandi once said, I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” He makes a point about how our actions don’t always match what we know to be Christian behavior. In Romans 7:7-25, Paul talks about our struggle with sinful behavior. There is absolutely no justification for choosing hurtful words and actions over forgiveness and love.

If you read chapter one of Romans, Paul talks about God’s wrath toward those who suppress truth. He then lists a number of depraved actions which include gossip and slander. In Galatians 5:13-20 Paul reprimands the church for back-biting, discord, etc, instead of serving “one another in love.” Too often, then and now, we “good” Christians justify our jealousy, rage, and need for revenge against those who have hurt or disagreed with us. But giving in to that only drags one down to the point of leaning on your own will and straying from the faith. Only a downward spiral follows.

The next time someone begins to spread gossip, whether in the guise of truth or not, I challenge you to boldness and to “[speak] the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Stop being a party to the spread of rumors that destroy and instead gossip the gospel. When encountering the “Susie said not to tell, but…” preface to a conversation, I have learned to interrupt with “then please don’t tell me.” Remember, whoever doesn’t keep Susie’s secrets, won’t keep yours either. And, briefly, there’s the email stories that beg to be forwarded. Try checking their validity at snopes.com and you’ll be surprised.

Those who consider themselves to be Christian need to quit kidding themselves into thinking hurtful words are acceptable in retaliation for the hurtful words they have received. We need to put child-ish and petty ways behind us and embrace God’s grace. We need to cling to a child-like faith and share forgiveness with each other as easily as God forgives us. Let us get back to the task of being transformed so that the world outside the church doors will see us and see how Christians are so very much like the Christ we preach.

Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil 7:8

Senior-itus

2008-05-06T09:17:00.003-05:00

Senior-itus: that debilitating syndrome that strikes high school and college seniors during their final year of school. You have certainly either witnessed it or experienced it in your lifetime. During my own senior year of high school, my very astute government teacher shared his observation regarding the senior’s participation in the “class yell” portion of the pep-rallies. He suggested a more realistic pep-rally cry in lieu of the traditional one, and offered, “A-P-A, T-H-Y, that’s our senior battl… (sighhhhh).” He knew the struggle of senior-itus and gave us the opportunity to recognize it enough to push through the rest of the year.

But senior-itus doesn’t just affect students. There are other strains with similar symptoms which originate outside of the realm of school. These symptoms appear about this time of year as a type of office doldrums precariously set between the memory of Christmas vacations and the hope of summer vacations. The church, full of people with these symptoms, is affected by that same struggle of being faithful, despite the times we feel tired or worn out. But if we recognize the struggle, then overcoming becomes possible.

Hebrews 12:1-3 serves as a rally cry for me, almost as a spiritual pep-rally to encourage this “team” of Christians to keep moving forward with Christ.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Message ends this section saying, “That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” When I picture that great cloud of witnesses cheering me on, I remember that others struggled like I do, needing encouragement to even ask Jesus for help. That lifts me up to refocus my eyes on Jesus, whose power enables me to not just walk, but run with perseverance. Whatever is happening in your life- great changes, or even yearning for changes- seek God first and allow Him to pull you through. And He will… every single time.

May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. (2nd Thess 3:5 NIV )

Supreme Friendship

2008-04-29T07:40:00.002-05:00

I recently watched an interview of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. No matter your opinion of him, it is an eye-opening piece with surprises. He confessed to his private conservative views, but goes on to discuss how his understanding of the Constitution keeps him from making some decisions he would like to make personally. As a Justice, his judicial understanding and beliefs win out over his own private and personal opinions. His written judicial opinions regarding Supreme Court cases are quite clear about what he thinks, including responses to his fellow Justice’s opposing opinions. One particular Justice is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal who formerly worked for the ACLU. Some of Justice Scalia’s written opinions have called her opinions “absurd” and “self-righteous”.

Two very different people with different understandings of the very same document. It might cause one to picture a court that spends their life-long appointment despising and attacking each other. However when the interviewer pointed out these judicial disagreements between these two Justices, she also noted her discovery that they were “such good friends”, on and off the court. He replied:

"I attack ideas. I don't attack people. And some very good people have some very bad ideas," Scalia says. "And if you can't separate the two, you gotta get another day job.”

His point was that your ideas, though extremely important, should not affect how you treat people and get along with them from day to day. Justice Ginsburg had very nice things to say about him, and it was said they had even vacationed together. WHAT? They voluntarily spent time together for the purposes of relaxation? What kind of an example is that....?

Jesus told his disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” John 13:34 (also 1 John 3&4). Beyond our likes and dislikes; beyond our opinions, there is something of greater, rather, the greatest importance. Jesus Christ came to show us the supreme and unending love of God, and was quite clear about the importance of us returning that love, day in and day out.

Scalia and Ginsburg on vacation together? The lion lying down with the lamb (Is 11:6)? Wherever will this go if we take Jesus’ words of love and peace to heart? Perhaps our mouths and arms are supposed to be so full of love that we can no longer carry harmful words, spitefulness, revenge or grudges, and instead leave them far behind. What will you choose to carry with you this week?

Nothing But Nets

2008-04-22T11:42:00.003-05:00

Ick! Mosquitoes! Their little buzzing sound always means that somebody’s about to be bitten. Boy am I glad I have a home that keeps those things out. But when one sneeks in I don’t rest until it is trash fodder, and then I can sleep in peace. Not everyone sleeps in peace though.

My posting this week is short as I want to point you to another site for information about the Nothing But Nets initiative. This initiative began after people read and responded to a Sports Illustrated column by Rick Reilly who wrote about the horrific malaria problem in Africa. He let out a call for readers to donate funds for the purchase of specially made malaria nets, covered in insecticide and created for families to sleep under and be protected from mosquitoes. His challenge evolved into a grassroots campaign to create a way for the nets to get to the people who desperately need them.

Since then quite a number of groups have come forward to support this effort, one of which is the United Methodist Church. To help raise funds, the Nothing But Nets website is now offering a way for you to learn and have a donation made on your behalf. At their site www.NothingButNets.net, you will find a game to play that has you delivering nets to people in the villages. After you play the game and give them your email (to keep you updated I imagine), and then confirm it, a donation of $10 will be made on your behalf. There is even a place there where you can make your own donation if you choose.

In any case, playing the game will cost you only a few minutes and not a single penny (again, you can donate in addition to that) and will make it possible for a family to sleep mosquito, and therefore malaria, free.

Dabbling in Spanish and Other Things

2008-04-15T09:32:00.003-05:00

Estudio español todas los años de mi vida, pero no cada dia. Puedo hablo espanol pero no es bueno. I clearly remember being 10 years old and finding my mother’s old Spanish textbook. My sister and I looked over the first page of vocabulary words and proceeded to recite with each other, “Hola Juan. Como esta usted?” “Bien gracias. Y usted?” I’ve dabbled in learning it ever since then. Prior to traveling to Mexico (which I love to do) I tend to begin my studying with a fresh vigor, which usually declines after I return home.

My daughter, though not fluent, reads and speaks Spanish very well. When I need help, she meets with me because she knows I learn better when there is a teacher and accountability. Sure I can read my many Spanish textbooks and listen to my tapes, but the information sticks better when I am practicing with someone else every week. I could join a class, but who has that kind of time…? I’m pretty busy…, right?

How different is that from life within and around the church? There are those who spend most of their lives in the church, but only dabble in Bible study or Sunday school classes. Some attend worship pretty regularly but view it as doing that one hour of duty to the church that week. Some attend when they feel it is necessary, especially when they need help. I’m not saying that going to church in a time of need is a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a great thing. But too often people either get their prayer answered and return to their “normal” lives, or they get discouraged that God is not answering their prayer according to their timetable or in the way they choose, so they search for answers someplace else. Sure, people can read and study the Bible on their own. They can watch the T.V. preachers on Sunday and call that worship. They can enjoy nature’s beauty at the golf course or the deer stand and call it “worship”, but these things on their own do not build one up in knowledge of God and what it means to be the body of Christ. They could join a community of faith and meet regularly with them, … but who has that kind of time…? They are pretty busy… right?

There must be a reason God set mankind up to be communal creatures. We need each other to keep each other fed, clothed and nurtured. Christ’s followers, the church, is called the body of Christ to give us a picture of how Christian believers are to be joined together as a whole and unified community of faith. Together, we share knowledge and experience. Together we have accountability and encourage each other. We even have local churches where we can regularly join together with other believers to worship, learn, mature, persevere, and love others. The local church is not a place of mere duty, but a place where the family of God comes together out of a sense of joy, responding to God’s love. So, it is not just a question of who has time for church or who has time to do anything there besides that one hour of Sunday pew-warming. Perhaps the God who loves us enough to create us in His own image, and enough to give us eternal life through His Son, and enough to continually offer us a relationship as His beloved children, … perhaps this God is worth more than one hour a week, more than a sporadic prayers for rescue, and more than the change we toss into the plate. Perhaps, if our omnipotent Father set up the church for our benefit, maybe church is a big deal after all.

Du betest. Usted ora. Vous priez. Lei prega. Pray! Take time this week to communicate with your Father in heaven and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to where He wants you to be within the body of Christ.

Take Off Your Shoes and Go

2008-04-08T08:45:00.004-05:00

This week I watched a 1998 interview of Charlton Heston in which Robert Osborne (of Turner Movie Classics) visited with the iconic Mr. Heston about his long movie career. Obviously TMC’s timely repeat of this was due to Mr. Heston’s recent death. He was a gifted actor who portrayed larger than life men such as El Cid, Michelangelo, Judah Ben-Hur, John the Baptist, and Marc Antony. But above all he will be remembered for playing Moses, the great role he undertook at the age of 31.

In this interview Mr. Osborne asked Mr. Heston about his memories regarding the making of The Ten Commandments. Heston talked about the scene where Moses had just spoken with God at the burning bush. If you look, you’ll notice that Moses is barefoot as he comes down the mountain. Heston said that he told the director, Cecil B. DeMille, that Moses should come back down without his sandals. When asked why, Heston explained his understanding of that scene. He said that God told Moses to take off his sandals and then revealed His divine plan for the Israelites. Heston thought Moses was certainly in a state of fear and awe as he obediently removed his sandals and listened to the voice of God. Once Moses finally accepted that he must obey God and go back to Egypt, Moses’ mind was reeling with all the miraculous things God had just said and done. So in this state of awe, he immediately left the bush and went down the mountain to go do exactly what God commanded him to do. Heston thought that the very last thing on Moses’ mind was to stop and pick up his sandals.

I like thinking about Moses that way, and when you read the story (Ex 3:1-4:18) you easily notice that he was not jumping for joy about this assignment. There on that mountain God told Moses the plan, told him to go (several times), and answered his questions. With our modern hindsight of this episode, we can easily judge Moses for arguing with God and bombarding Him with questions. But more likely than not, if we had been standing there with Moses, we would have done the same thing. But Heston’s thought about the sandals makes sense. When you have encountered the living God and finally give in to His call on your life, your focus changes. You may still have some fear of the unknown ahead, but God’s plan becomes the priority and sandals get left behind.

God provides. He provides the plan. He provides the materials necessary to accomplish the plan. He provides the leadership and the encouragement that we need to persevere through the plan. He empowers and equips us to boldly walk forward, by faith. And when it’s time to go out into the world with His gracious message of love, we need to get up and go as we are, even if that means leaving our sandals behind. It’s not the shoes that make the journey possible. It is the spirit of God who guides every step we take.

"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Ex 3:5)

Ex 3:10 “So now, go. I am sending you…”
Ex 3:16 "Go…”
Ex 4:12 “Now go…”

BONUS: Ten Commandments trivia (click here for all the answers)

1. What year did the movie come out?
2. Who played the baby Moses in the basket on the Nile?
3. Who played Rameses?
4. Edward G. Robinson played what part.
5. What actor was the future husband of a “10”?
6. What modern day device does Moses wear while standing on a rock?
7. In the film’s opening, the “Paramount mountain” is replaced by what?
8. Who supplied the voice of God?
9. What was used to represent falling hail?
10. The last line of the movie, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof" was taken from Leviticus 25:10. What American icon also has this printed on it?

Consider the Bluebonnets

2008-04-07T16:37:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, I ventured to Austin and witnessed one of Texas’ most beautiful sights: field after field of bluebonnets, which occasionally had just the right mix of blue, white, red and pink flowers. I even felt compelled to stop and take a few pictures before I left that area. As I drove off, “Consider the lilies” rang in my ear (Matt 6:25-34). Jesus taught that God had provided everything that the lilies needed to grow. On those Texas hillsides, God also provided everything that the bluebonnets needed to grow. Jesus’ words tell us that God values you much more than those flowers, which He carefully created and nurtured, and therefore God will provide for you in an even greater way.

God is our great provider who gives us everything we truly need. I can’t remember the last time I went a day without a meal, or had to walk to the office. My home keeps the rain outside and the perfect temperature inside. I can have hot or cold running water at a moments notice and my computer runs smooth and fast. Perhaps your own blessings include exciting vacations, your dream car, or a college education for your children. In my travels on vacation, I’ve witnessed neighborhoods where children are glad to have shoes, and the kitchen consists of a fire-heated pot on the front porch. There are those in the world who are glad to have a tiny open-air church within half a day’s walk, and happy for hard wooden benches when they arrive.

When we consider our blessings and remember that God has blessed us so we will be a blessing to others, it puts the world into a better perspective for us. As stewards of what God has given us to use, we have the opportunity to share what we have. When we tithe and give to mission trips, we enter into God’s plan for feeding, clothing and sheltering those in need. In our Christian understanding, the great joy of “having” is “giving”-giving back to God through our prayers, presence, gifts, and service. I pray that you will celebrate the God who has blessed you and respond to His love according to the Spirit’s guidance.

Enjoy the bluebonnets, smell the roses, and be faithful in worshipping and serving their creator.

Why Did the Possum Cross the Road?

2008-03-31T22:32:00.004-05:00

Today I saw a possum, presumably crossing... to get to the other side. Not that a possum is a strange sight to me. I grew up in a rural neighborhood where wildlife was prevalent, so possums and possums-on-the-half-shell (armadillos) made their homes near my house. But today’s sighting was different. I’m now in an urban setting, not far from a freeway and there’s no big wooded area nearby. There are some small sections of trees and bushes and the occasional empty lot, but that’s it. I was just surprised to see the possum walk away from one house, cross the street and into the next yard. I imagined that it was a mother possum walking home to her children to feed and protect them. I stopped to watch her eventually disappear into the bushes and wondered “How does she eat? Is she sharing the neighbor’s cat food?” I then thought about the scripture from Luke 12:22-31 where Jesus talks about the how God takes care of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. I had to smile and think that Mrs. Possum and her family would be just fine. I didn’t need to jump in and try to control the situation or whatever problem I could dream up.

Life happens. Mankind is not capable of controlling time or every single event that happens, no matter how much we try. God is in control, and when we lose sight of that fact we begin to worry and fret over how everything will play out. The little possum I saw didn’t sit in the middle of the road, biting her nails and crying “Woe is me.” She was simply headed back into the little bit of “woods” that was available for her and her family. God provided the shelter and the food for them. Jesus reminds us, with his words about the lilies and the birds, that God is our provider in all things. Yes, we have jobs and work hard to give ourselves homes, cars, clothes and food, but when we fool ourselves into thinking that we did that on our own, we miss out on the comfort of knowing that God is constantly watching over us and caring for us.

When I was a child, my family would take long trips across the country by car. As we would drive into the evening I would get sleepy. It was easy for me to sleep because I knew dad or mom was driving and in charge. I was safe no matter whether I was asleep or awake. Knowing that God is driving and in charge gives me an even higher level of comfort. If He can take care of the lilies and the birds, and the possum family, then He can certainly take care of me. Because God created all things and loves me enough to provide and care for me, I want to be faithful in responding to Him by keeping Him first in my life.

Look around your home and your neighborhood. How can you see God’s providence there? How many times have you thanked Him for helping you out of a sticky situation? Have you noticed that when there seems to be no answer to a problem and you cry out for His help and guidance, that He is faithful to answer you, even if His answer is no? He is the all-wise one, so will you let Him shelter you, feed you, guide you and protect you?

Jesus in a Cheeto

2008-03-20T17:44:00.005-05:00

Can you see Jesus in that Cheeto? (Read the story.) I came across this story on a local news station’s website and found that one of our own Methodists had noticed that his Cheeto looked like Jesus. That’s not an unknown kind of story. Who hasn’t read stories about a person who saw the face of Christ in a window smear, a peanut butter sandwich, a potato chip, or other odd places. So many of us think “kook!” and move on. Some of these “Jesus finders” are looked upon as kooky because the perception is that the window smear or food item is being revered, instead of Christ. Others of these “kooks” are snickered at for simply seeing something holy in a common object.

That is pretty kooky, to think you see God in things or situations that don’t have a lot of awe themselves. These “kooks” are not new on the planet. They’ve been here throughout the ages:

Moses thought he saw God in a pillar of fire and a pillar of clouds (Ex 13:21).
Elijah thought he heard God in a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-13).
Paul thought he saw and heard Christ in a blinding light (Acts 9:3-6).
Simeon thought he saw God in a baby (Luke 2:25-32).

Fire, clouds, voices, light, babies- all things that we see everyday. They can be created by mankind. They can be great and important or small and fragile. They can be treated with care or given little notice. As inspiring as these things can ever possibly be, they are not God and not to be worshipped. However, God can reveal Himself in them, and give us one more point of contact with Him. God can invite us into relationship with Him in anyway He so chooses, even using a Cheeto.

I love being at the beach. I enjoy walking along the sand taking in God’s presence. I see the ocean heave and roll into the shore, becoming low and bowing before the One who separated the waters from the land. I hear the waves make thunderous applause, congratulating the Creator for his mighty works. I hear the laughter of the seagulls, rejoicing at their privilege of flight. I feel the warmth of the sun and the cool brisk breeze mingling together, reminding me of the fire of the Holy Spirit and the breath of God that gives me daily guidance. Call me a kook, but I see God in all of that- in the sand, the seashells, the water, and the sky. I soak up His presence as I walk, silently singing His praise and listening for His voice. And in all of that… I know He sees me.

I pray that during this Easter season, you will have your eyes opened to seeing God. I hope you see Him in the creation around you. I hope you will see Him in the people around you and that you will love your neighbor as God has loved you.

Easter Traditions

2008-03-17T09:14:00.003-05:00

History of the Holidays: Easter

While browsing through some videos I came across this video (click on above link) from the History channel that gives a short overview of the meaning of the traditions of Easter. It begins with Christianity and moves into modern day traditions. It states that our traditions range from “spiritual” to “fun” (Does that promote the idea that “spiritual” is “boring”?). In any case, it is clear that the purpose of our Christian Easter traditions is to remember Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, and to renew our relationship with the living Christ.

During Lent, we have the opportunity to spend time reflecting on our need for God in our lives. Many Christians use Lenten devotional books to make a daily pilgrimage to a space set aside for communing with God and seeking a deeper understanding of His will. Palm Sunday is a Sunday when Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and then prepare for Holy Week, a time of remembering Christ’s betrayal and sacrifice. The reason for these Holy week church services is not to create yet one more time to “come to church”, but to allow the church to connect to a corporate remembrance of everything that leads up to Easter:

Our sin. Our need for redemption. The fulfilled promise of a Messiah. The Perfect Rabbi who taught by word and deed. The Humble Servant who led by example. The Healer who made others whole in body and spirit. The Bread of Life who offered us a new covenant and an invitation to remember Him by sharing His body and blood. The One who was denied and betrayed by friends and who asked His Father to forgive us because we didn’t realize what we were doing. The sinless Lamb of God who took our took our sin upon Himself to atone for our sin. The end of sin and death, won by the Son of God hanging upon a bloody cross.

The joy of Christmas moves into the meditative reflection of Lent. The serious heartbreak of Holy week moves into the unbounded joy of Easter. As those who are in the world, but not of it, we look for ways to celebrate coming out of darkness into light. We shop in stores filled with Easter bunnies, Peeps and chocolate candy. We have Easter egg hunts and share in Easter lunches with friends and family. I’m not advocating an abolishment of these traditions, but I encourage you to keep Christ first, especially at Easter. Teach your children the true meaning of Easter and then allow the Easter eggs to teach them about new life. Share with others the sweetness of Christ as you offer someone a chocolate rabbit. I pray that you will allow the Holy Spirit to work within you as you anticipate Easter Sunday. I pray that you will let Christ renew you and recreate you into a hurt-forgiving, faith-sharing, joy-filled and loving disciple of Christ.

Giving Your Best in Worship, Part II

2008-03-07T11:04:00.000-06:00

Recently, I left the question open as to who is responsible for preparing and participating in worship. The leader, right? Let’s look at King David, a king who took leadership seriously.

When you read chapter 6 of 2nd Samuel, you read how David, being mindful of earlier irreverent acts, wanted to give God his very best in bringing the ark to Jerusalem. David gave great sacrifices and abandoned his own thoughts about being dignified in the eyes of people. David was focused on giving the best of his energy, thoughts, and possessions to God in a display that said God was the priority. David was the leader, but he was not alone in this time of praising God. Verse 15 says that, David “and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” They were in it together. They were prepared and participating in praising God- together.

Who prepares our weekly worship? Clergy? Staff? Members of the church? While it is true that the church staff (clergy and lay people) “put together” worship, they are not alone in their responsibility. Every worshipper is responsible for preparing for worship. The average person may never be a part of selecting scriptures or hymns, but there is more to it than that. Everyone should prepare for worship by reading the scripture ahead of time. Pray about it. Meditate on it. What is God saying to you about worship and the life of the church in that scripture?

As far as participation, there are more than the clergy, the choir and the ushers who participate in the worship service. Every worshipper should come prepared and ready to participate in worship by entering the worship space with awe at God’s presence and joy for the opportunity to praise Him along with all the other voices. Every worshipper should participate by being focused in on what the readings, prayers and songs have to do with honoring and revering God, and then be ready to hear and receive what God has to say to us as individuals and as a community of faith.

Yes, those who facilitate and plan the worship service readings, sermon, and music have a large responsibility as to the flow and logistics of worship. But they can not be alone in their activity. Worship is sometimes said to be “good” when the music or the preaching went well, or when something hit an emotional high during that hour. When it goes “bad”, it is the staff who have surely missed something and not created an atmosphere where the congregation is fed and filled.

The church, meaning the clergy and the laity, the staff and the membership are responsible together for giving our best in worship. We are all responsible together for preparing an atmosphere where God is the priority and where the people come together, seeking to give their best worship, their best prayers, their best quiet time of listening, their best tithes and offerings, and their best praises to the one who gave His best, His only Son for us. What are you willing to give?

Giving Your Best In Worship- Part I

2008-03-03T16:30:00.002-06:00

(Watch for Part II on Friday)

Ask any Christian about what one should give to God and they would agree that certainly one should give their very best to God. We believe that in theory, but do we practice that belief? If we truly believe that our best is due God, then we would naturally offer our best to him in worship. Stop and ponder a moment and think about your weekly worship service and your participation in that service. How do you view that hour during the week? Is it a time for you to go and be filled? Is it a time for you to be obedient to honoring the Sabbath? Is it a time for you to sing God’s praises and teach your children?

Those are fine things to do, but when we look deeper at what worship is, we must be mindful that worship is to be God-centered, not me-centered. If the only time during the week that you are being filled with God’s presence is Sunday, there’s a problem. If you only go to worship because of duty, worship becomes a chore. If Sunday is the only time you sing God’s praise and teach your children about His love, then you are missing out. Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24 NIV). We need to pray, sing and teach all during the week and be aware of God’s omnipresence in our lives, and then, being filled, faithful and eager to join our voice to others, gather for spirit-filled worship.

But how often do we drag into the church at the last minute, scurry into a seat while something “minor” is going on, and sit there with our mind on what we just left and where we need to go next? Does that show “awe” at God’s presence? Donald English, author and New Testament scholar, reminds the church that when you lose an awareness of God’s presence, worship can lose its “life and meaning.” He says:

“Hymns become merely artistic activity; prayers are moments of human reflection; the readings an intellectual engagement; and the offering is a way of sustaining the economy of the church as a human institution.”

The next question is, “whose responsibility is it to prepare and participate in worship?”

Can You Hear Him Now?

2008-02-20T12:25:00.003-06:00

Lent is a time when many Christians acknowledge a need to “get back to praying”. This is such a strange notion when you put that thought beside what we say we believe, that daily prayer is “what Christians do.” This acknowledgment of having a pause or a break in your prayer life does recognize two important things. First, our human tendency to stray from our connection to God, and second, our concession that being connected to God is of vital importance to our lives. There are even those who don’t confess to be Christians, but have a longing in their very core for a connection to something greater than themselves. Many people throughout the world sense that God is out there, but may struggle with how to connect. Does God hear us? Does He care? In David’s Psalms, he cries out to God, “hear my prayer” (Ps 28:2, 39:12). David speaks to God knowing that God is there listening. God is always listening.

Part of the problem with prayer is that we leave it at that- talking to God. Whether it is daily and consistent prayer or just those “help me now God” prayers, we forget that we are to be in conversation with God. Prayer is not just giving God a shopping list of our needs, because God already knows what you need (Mat 6:8). Prayer is building and renewing your relationship with God.

When was the last time you heard from God? I’m not talking about a booming voice (remember when God spoke to Moses in the movie “The Ten Commandments?) coming down from the sky. God speaks to us in innumerable ways, such as in the storm and with His small still voice. He speaks to our minds, our hearts and our circumstances, but to hear Him, don’t we need to be actively listening for Him?

I’ve been reading a blog called, seekgodwithme.blogspot.com, which has been posting a series on “How to Hear God.” There are five posts that offer different ways to understand conversing with, not at, God. I hope you’ll time to mosey through these posts and perhaps gain a new or refreshed understanding of what it means to make time to listen to God.

How to Hear God, part 1

How to Hear God, part 2

How to Hear God, part 3

How to Hear God, part 4

How to Hear God, part 5

How Do I Pray to Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.

2008-02-18T16:25:00.002-06:00

Ask the question, “What is prayer” and you will get a variety of answers. To some it is something you read from a book, and to others is must come from the heart. Some define it as having a formal pattern, or consider it to be more powerful if begins with praising God. Boisterous or gentle, full of beautiful words or silent, prayer is simply a way of connecting to God and participating in a relationship with the One who created and loves us.

Many of us have been in a meeting and heard the leader offer this invitation: “Who would like to start us off with prayer?” which was then met by prolonged silence. That is too familiar for comfort. Why are we sometimes afraid to pray? We are quick to console a friend with “I’ll pray for you” and but how often do we follow through?

I grew up in a home where prayer was regular: at meals and bedtime. Years later, as a young mother, I was at work and in need of prayer. I called my friend Terri to tell her about my situation and ask if she would pray for me. She listened and then said, “Sure… Dear Lord we come before you in prayer…” I’m sure I didn’t really hear the first line of the prayer because she had thrown me for a loop. No one had ever stopped what they were doing and prayed with me on the phone like that. The problem was not that it would have bothered my boss, as we were members of the same church, but that I was surprised by the immediacy of it. She didn’t just pray for me, she prayed with me and it gave me a feeling of comfort and a reminder of God’s presence.

The Bible gives many examples of prayer and occasions when we cry out, “hear my prayer!” Sometimes a prayer is pleading, meditating, interceding, or reflecting. The person praying is sometimes praying prayers of adoration or devotion, sometimes conversing, sometimes listening. There is no “best way” to pray, but prayer is definitely the best way to grow closer to the Lord and grow in our relationship with Him. Because He first loved us, He offers us His uninterrupted time to bend His mighty ear. In response to His love and as we learn to love Him more, we can accept the gift of prayer, recognizing it as a time of conversing personally with God our Creator.

Pray out loud. Pray without words. Use prayer books and spur-of-the-moment prayers. Use Lectio Divina and pray the Psalms. All of these have a purpose and a place in our prayer lives. Maybe your prayer life has become inconsistent or the same-ole-same-ole. If so, check out the UMC prayer site at www.upperroom.org/methodx/thelife/prayermethods and you will find links that may open up a new prayer experience for you.

Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into your daily time of prayer life during this time of Lent.

WHAT IS LENT ANYWAY?

2008-02-17T17:29:00.000-06:00

In the same way that Advent marks a time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas, Lent marks a time of prayer and reflection leading to the celebration of Easter. During Lent we face the reality of our sin and our need for forgiveness and new life through Jesus Christ. The forty days of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday (see our homepage for service times) and ends the Saturday night before Easter. The Sundays during worship are celebrated as “little Easters” and not counted as a part of the forty days.

Daniel Benedict, the director of worship resources for the General Board of Discipleship for the United Methodist Church, describes the purpose of Lent in his article “Water and Ashes Do Not Mix!”

"Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. More and more congregations are including "The Imposition of Ashes" in their worship on Ash Wednesday. It makes sense to do this, given the name of the day and the service; but the truth is, many Protestant churches have held the service without the use of ashes. For many, it was seen as "too catholic." And many Protestant churches were intolerant of such symbolic gestures.

As we have moved into the post-modernism of the late twentieth century, we observe that a shift has occurred. There is growing trust and appreciation of ritual gesture and symbol in our culture. Baby boomers and baby busters who were raised in a world of television and technology are visually-oriented and sensually-oriented. Icons, like the Nike swoosh, help many people of those generations make sense of the world. Ashes on the forehead, lots of water at baptism, bread that is really bread, anointing with oil for healing, and hands raised in praise are increasingly familiar and comfortable to the people in our congregations.

Ash Wednesday is a time to begin a rich journey. The Ash Wednesday Service is a frank recognition that we are mortal people who have sinned against God and our neighbor. See The United Methodist Book of Worship, page 321. As the introduction to the service says: "Ash Wednesday emphasizes a dual encounter: we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith. The form and content of the service focus on the dual themes of sin and death in the light of God's redeeming love in Jesus Christ."

The people of Bellaire United Methodist Church invite you to take this journey of faith with us as we move into the season of Lent and look toward the celebration of Easter. If you would like more information please email us at info@bellaireumc.org with your questions and we will be glad to respond.

Commercials That Preach

2008-02-11T11:04:00.000-06:00

There are two insurance commercials out there right now that have caught my attention. They both speak volumes in such a short time frame and contain powerful messages. The first is a commercial that shows a person needing help and out of the blue, a stranger comes over and helps her. Standing nearby is a third person who just happens to see the act of kindness. Soon, this third person sees another stranger needing help and goes to their rescue with a quick act of kindness. Across the street a fourth person who has seen this act of kindness and in turn helps yet another stranger. This chain reaction of people offering help to complete strangers is repeated over and over again. A second commercial uses a tag line that caught my ear before it caught my eye: “Let’s treat people more like they’re in your home and less like they’re in your way.”

Remarkable. Are these two secular T.V. commercials really espousing the idea that we should actually jump in and help complete strangers? Are we to truly take that idea a step further and treat everyone we meet as more than just strangers- treat them as important and loved family members?

Most Christians can recite the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (found in Mat 7:12). Most can tell you that Jesus said the two greatest commandments were, to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat 22:37-38). How does our quickness in recitation compare to our resolve toward faithful action?

During this season of Lent (what is Lent? Click here) we should take time to consider the words and actions that fall short of glorifying God. Not to beat ourselves up, but to simply recognize that a course correction is needed- in our personal lives and in the lives of Christ’s church. How often do we justify our words of anger toward others and block out Christ’s call to love, even our enemies? Lent is a time to put an end to calling yourself a Christian and in the next breath speaking words that tear down instead of build up. Lent is a time to awaken from our tendency to sleep-walk though the journey of faith. It’s a time to commit senseless acts of kindness and a time to see people around you with new eyes, opened by Christ. It’s a time to make peace and mend fences. It’s a time to remember the joy of salvation and invite God to renew your spirit. Today I leave you with John’s words:

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:7-12)

Super Fans

2008-02-05T10:29:00.002-06:00

Superbowl Sunday is a day that a nation full of football fans look forward to with eagerness. In addition to those who tune in to see the game, there is the multitude that tune in just to see the commercials. That would be me. Sure the game is interesting, with the back story of the players and the question of the underdog versus the undefeated, but I know that I don’t appreciate the beauty of the game like some of my friends. I’ll see a long completed pass or run for the goal line and be wowed by the technical accuracy of it all, and then be satisfied briefly. It is an enjoyable experience, but my heart and mind aren’t focused on the game.

On Sunday, as I watched the game, I looked at the people in the stands and saw the excitement on their faces. They prepared for the game weeks and months ahead, making plans to be there. Calendars were marked, bank accounts checked, travel plans were made, tickets and reservations were paid for, bags were packed, and the game was attended and enjoyed. During the game, hands were waived, comments were shared, and shouts were lifted up. After the game, the trip was relived through telling the story to friends and family saying, “You have to go with us next year!” The crowd couldn’t help but show their excitement as they praised the team and showed awe and reverence for the game. Their zeal, focus and fervor sounds a lot like some scripture I’ve read:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Ps 100:1-2

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Ps 9:1-2

I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you. Ps 35:18

Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! Ps 66:1-3

Just imagine those Old Testament folks, joining in with King David and others, rising up to praise God and “shout with joy.” Can you hear their songs? Can you see them so full of wonder that they sink to their knees and sing of God’s awesomeness? When was the last time you participated in praise and worship that unashamedly praised God and fully offered yourself in worship of your Creator? I’m not pointing to a style of service or asking when the choir or praise band was so animated and sounded so good that you felt it was safe to “let go” a little. I’m asking: When was the last time you went to worship prepared, with your mind set on hearing God’s word, with your lips eager to sing about God’s greatness, and with your heart open to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide you into awe inspired and joy filled celebratory worship?

As a society, we are quick to celebrate our celebrities, and proclaim our political opinions, claiming “free speech”, but we clam up when it comes to honoring God and celebrating His might. It’s a momentary bobble when we find that an office mate supports the other team, but that doesn’t stop both sides from openly discussing their “beliefs” about their team. But too often, Christians shy away from being just as open about their Christian beliefs. Too often, Christians arrive at church with little enthusiasm, expecting the preacher, the musicians, and the other members to put on a “good service”, with little input from the pews.

You, church… You, body of Christ… You, people of God, are here to respond to God’s love and His saving grace. Take time during this season of Lent to rediscover God’s greatness. Take time to read Psalms of praise and join the saints throughout history as they fill the eternal stadium, shout their unending praise, lift their hands in worship, and celebrate the One who is worthy of all praise.

Ten Things I Like About You

2008-01-30T11:14:00.000-06:00

The recent news about the death of the young actor Heath Ledger made me quite sad. I hate waste- especially wasted lives. By this, I simply mean that he was a talented actor and by his friends accounts, a wonderful father. I think that his death is something that his friends, family and the entertainment industry will long count as a huge and unnecessary loss. At this writing the cause of death is inconclusive, but many are speculating that it may be an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, as he had been having trouble sleeping for quite some time. Some have wondered if he had just taken the proper dosage according to the directions, that his tragic death could have been avoided.

Rules. We all have some we don’t like and don’t follow: speed limits, tax laws, and directional signs. I watched a video once that showed a dry painted wall with the sign that said, “Dry Paint- Please Do Not Touch.” Not very many people passed the sign without stopping, looking puzzled, and then with one finger touching the wall just to make sure that it actually was dry. We tend to think those rules are there for others, not for us. We think of those rules as hindrances’, not helps. Especially the “rules” given by God that we call the Ten Commandments.

Why would a benevolent God, who has given us free will tell us that we’re not supposed to kill, lie, or cheat, and that we should put Him first in all things (as well as the other items in the list). I can understand this better when I think way back to telling my six year old daughter she couldn’t play in the street. I didn’t do it to take her fun away, but to keep her safe. God is the ultimate loving parent who gives us rules so that we can avoid harm to ourselves and others. Sometimes, especially in our teenage years, we rebel against our parents, claiming that we aren’t children anymore and can make our own decisions.

One of my favorite movies is The Patriot, with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger (I’m a history nut), and one of my favorite scenes is between the father, Benjamin (Gibson) and son, Gabriel (Ledger). After Gabriel has stumbled home wounded from a battle and then is healed enough to return to the battle, he prepares to leave the house, to his father’s great dismay. Benjamin tells his son that he is not allowed to go back into battle. “I’m not a child!” Gabriel yells at his father. Benjamin immediately, with a pained look in his eyes, yells back “But you’re MY child!” Because of his deep love, the father wanted to protect his child. Because of His deep love, God wants to protect His children. God calls out to us, "You're MY child!" Gabriel left anyway, and we sometimes do what we want anyway.

I don’t like being hemmed in by some of the rules, but I know that there is a reason for them. I am thankful that God has made a path for me that guides me to where I need to be and keeps me out of trouble… if I just listen to Him. So, I like the list of ten rules and am grateful that Jesus made those ten simpler to remember when He taught that we should first love God, and then love each other. Maybe when we adjust our understanding of God’s rules to His way (rather than the other way around) we just might find ourselves benefiting and thanking Him for His great love for us.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40 NIV)

Resources on Christian and Methodist Beliefs

2008-01-23T13:28:00.000-06:00

Links to the United Methodist Church website:

This link takes you to information on our Christian roots, Wesleyan Heritage and more.

This link takes you these documents: Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task, The Ministry of All Christians, and Social Principles.

Books on Methodist Doctrine and Wesleyan Theology:

Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials by Ted A. Campbell

Wesley for Armchair Theologians by William J. Abraham

What Do You Believe?

2008-01-23T00:30:00.000-06:00

What do you believe? Ask any child about what Santa Claus does at Christmas and you will hear all about presents, elves, reindeer and a sleigh. Ask a football fanatic about the Superbowl and they will give you details about the players and all the stats leading up to the game. Ask a dance enthusiast about who won 2007’s Dancing With the Stars, and they will be able to describe intricate steps and beautiful costumes worn by the dancers. We get excited about the things that deeply interest us, and because we are excited about these things, we easily discuss them and make them a part of our life.

So, what do you believe? What is it that you wake up thinking about and ponder before you go to bed? How often do matters of faith emerge in your thoughts during the day? That’s a lot of questions but I hope you will stop a moment and take an inventory of the books you read and the shows you watch, and then look at how they influence your daily discussions with others. Perhaps you look at your Bible during the week or even do a daily devotional, even so, what do you believe?
When was the last time you shared your thoughts about Christ with someone? Some people are hesitant to discuss their faith because they aren’t sure of what they believe. Yes, many of us can recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle's Creed, but when someone asks what it means to be a Christian, some Christians stumble after offering, “It means believing in Jesus” as their sole proclamation of faith.

I’m not suggesting that we should be prepared to give a complete theological account of Christian beliefs and Methodist doctrine at the drop of a hat. However Christians should have an understanding of why they call themselves “Christian”. If you have never read the book of John, take time to read it (or even read it again) and notice the journey of faith taken by the disciples. They followed, questioned, served, believed, doubted and then received restoration. They listened to the Risen Christ (Acts 1:8) and then went out to the ends of the earth to share what they personally knew about Christ and His saving grace.

I challenge you to read your Bible, to pray for understanding, and for the boldness to speak about what it is you believe, not as a street-corner shouter, but as a loving friend who cares enough to share what is important in your life.

(reprinted from A Note From Valerie in Bellaire UMC's "The Vine" on 1/23/08)

The Joy of our Salvation

2008-01-22T14:36:00.000-06:00

Today is my daughter’s birthday, and as a part of our tradition we make a point to retell the story of that very special day. When she was a young child, our tradition began when she came to me on her birthday and asked, “What happened the day I was born?” I then would pick her up and recount the joys of that day. As she grew older I would add more details, and as an adult she can now tell the story herself. We both find comfort in remembering the joy of that day. I enjoy our tradition, not to hold onto that image of her as a little baby, but to step back and look at her journey into becoming the person she is today.

Joy is an important part of the Christian faith. The “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10) delivered at Christ’s birth and the joy felt by the women at the tomb when delivering the news of Christ’s resurrection reveal the joy that surrounds the story of our faith. Yes there are hardships and struggles found in the life of faithful disciples, but we must be careful to remember the joy of our salvation. When was the last time you thought about the day your were baptized or confirmed? How often do you think back to that first time when you felt close to the Lord and truly loved by Him? I recently heard someone mention about how her family celebrated that act of confirmation as regularly as they celebrated birthdays.

We should remember those moments with joy, and then be renewed. We should allow the Holy Spirit to revive us out of our staid faith and remember a time when we were excited about becoming a part of the family of God. Numerous Psalms reiterate the celebration of Psalm 95:1-2. “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD. Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Sing! Shout! Worship God with everything you are and get excited! Yes, there is a time and a place for quiet contemplative worship, but too often we save our excitement for football games, cheering on the players instead of raising our hands to God, singing His praises and proclaiming His mighty works.

Take a moment today to sit in God’s lap and together remember the day of your salvation and the journey of your faith. Let Him remind you of His great love for you and allow yourself to respond to Him by growing up to become the person He created you to be.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 1:4 NIV)

Rain or Shine

2008-01-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, as I drove to visit my daughter’s church, I was welcomed into the day by a beautiful blue sky, the kind that reminds me of relaxing on a tropical beach. It was the perfect shade of blue that suggested God had carefully hand mixed the perfect hues early that very morning and spread them across the sky just to remind me of His continuing creative touch. The morning filled me with energy and an eagerness to see what the day would hold. It was especially easy to thank God for His goodness and adore Him for His handiwork. Worship that morning easily began long before I darkened the door of a church building.

Last week it rained. It was a long soaking rain that filled the day and the night with cool air and the continual sound of raindrops hitting the porch and foliage outside my windows. Some see the rain as a detriment and as the enemy of activity. It certainly stopped that day’s parade of walkers from their normal course on my street. It stops baseball games and barbeques, and is sometimes blamed as the reason people don’t go to church on Sunday. Although I have been known to pray for clear skies over an anticipated outside activity, I love the rain. I love hearing an evening thunderstorm beginning to boom in the distance and eventually move through the area. The sound of the rain on the window acts as a lullaby or becomes the background music for an evening of reading and reflection. I know that the wind clears out dead branches from my trees and the rain is regenerates the plants and nourishes all wildlife.

Today, expecting another blue sky, I opened the shades to see a gray sky. Gray days are usually “blah” days for me that make me work a little harder to get going and be productive. And when I fail to remember that the same hand that colored the sky that perfect shade of blue is the same hand that toned it down to gray, I miss out on celebrating the full range of God’s greatness. Psalm 135 begins by calling us to worship God, who “does whatever pleases him” (v.6) and “who sends lightning with the rain” (v.7). God is worthy of our worship on beautiful sunny days, restorative rainy days, and even dreary gray days, because He has something for us in each of those days. God is worthy of our praise on days that we feel joy, and on days when we feel surrounded by defeat, because He is there on all of those days, meeting us and offering us all that we need.

I hope you will see God in the good weather and the not-to-cherished weather. I hope you will find that He is there for you on your good days and not-so-great days, just waiting to connect with you and fill you with His love and grace. Can you find time to praise Him this week, rain or shine?

Happy (belated) New Year

2008-01-14T09:13:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I let this blog slip through the Christmas holidays. The church is especially busy during that time of the year, what with all the Advent and Christmas activities and special worship services. Also, I took some time off after Christmas and in the new year, but now I’m ready to face 2008.

I’ve noticed that it is taking a bit of time for more people than just myself to get going in 2008. I don’t know why, although I suspect a mixture of the afore mentioned vacation days along with the cold and flu season that has affected more than just me. I guess I have felt like the train that flew down the mountainside, only to find itself losing steam halfway up the next mountain. The beginning of January is almost an ethereal time of year between recovering from the holidays and finally putting away all the Christmas decorations and moving on to “now what do we do?”

I was recently reading through the Gospels and noticed how many times and situations Jesus told someone to “get up” out of their infirmity, struggles, and even death. He called them from their place of hardship or their deathbed back into health and life. He called them from sorrow to joy. He called them from stillness into activity. In my own struggle to regain health and strength and motivation, I hear Him calling to me, “get up” and feel His encouragement to move forward. I hear “get up” and my mind stirs from the days of sleeping off the latest dose of cold medicine back toward a clear mind that desires to study scripture.

I truly enjoyed being at my church yesterday and back among the body of Christ after being away the previous week. And now I look forward to being a part of the disciples who are ready to begin a new year serving God and His church. Are you ready?

Something to Celebrate

2007-12-17T08:15:00.000-06:00

In my previous post, I talked about my quest to find a nativity scene… (Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait…)

…but I want to be clear that I don’t think that having a nativity scene makes one yard more holy than the rest. I marvel at the beauty of the lights as I drive around, and “ooh and ahhh” over the glowing and twinkling, just like everyone else. But it is the absence of the Birthday Boy in the midst of the birthday celebration that tugs on my heart. We are to be walking and talking proclamations, mobile billboards that announce the good news of Christ. Christmas should bring out the best in us and keep us closer to being the redeemed and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ that we are meant to be.

But, … have you been at the malls yet? Have you driven in the traffic? Have you noticed how people act and respond to each other in the busyness of the season? The kindness of drivers letting you in line and the smiles of salesclerks and shoppers seems to be missing. As several incidents began happening to me, I started to take note of how often these things are happening these days.

There’s the cranky shoppers waiting in endless checkout lanes. They avoid all eye contact and stand ready to pounce forward, making it clear that all slow purchases and newcomers to the line are unwelcome. There’s the drivers who park their cars at the expense of everyone else, and create situations that take up 2 spaces at a time or make it impossible for the car in the next space to open up the doors. There’s the tired store clerks whose long schedules and loud customers have pushed them into an apathetic mode of sales. These scenes seem to cover the landscape at times and change it from vivid colors to dull gray, and from to errands of joy to chores of drudgery.

It reminds me of a story my dad tells about his cousins. His uncle, aunt and their 8 children were on a long trip down a desolate highway. The kids knew that their dad would not stop until they reached their final destination, which was quite some distance away. There was no air conditioner in the car and the open windows allowed the hot wind to blow dust and heat onto all the occupants. Everyone was grumpy and tired to the extent that few were talking. There was even an absence of “he’s touching me” and “are we there yet?” After many, many miles, the oldest girl piped up, “Daddy, I need to go wee-wee.” Now that was an unusual request from a teenager who never used those words. The common “hold it till we get there” attitude was being challenged. “Daddy”, she urged, “Pull over. I need to go wee-wee.” The younger children may have put their request in those terms, but even so, the dad decided that nature’s call was going to have to take precedence over proper language and the call of the road.

The car pulled over and ten cranky people spilled out onto the shoulder of the road. The daughter moved to the side and began spinning around and around. At the top of her voice she joyfully yelled, “Wheeeeeee, wheeeeee!” and then stopped, faced the surprised family with a smile and said, “Okay we can go. I feel much better.” After a second of realization, the whole family burst into laughter. For the rest of the trip the crankiness was gone and was replaced by giggles and happy conversations. Sometimes we need to see that change is called for and then step up to be a catalyst for transformation.

In John 17:18, Jesus prays, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” acknowledging that His mission on this earth has been passed to his disciples. That message is a message of good news. It is a message of hope, love, peace and joy. It is a celebratory “wheeeee wheeeeeee” that allows us to see past the darkness of the world and focus on reflecting The Light of the world, Jesus Christ, into communities that can not see the hope that is available to them. I challenge you to go out into the world, sharing Christ’s love. Find ways to be that catalyst, especially during this season of good news and great joy. Wheee!

Happy Mark's Birthday!

2007-12-13T07:05:00.000-06:00

Ahhh, Christmas time, when all the neighborhoods are decked out in pretty lights. Everything sparkles and shines, all in celebration of … well, it’s hard to tell.

For several years I have not put up Christmas lights outside my home. This is due in part to the time crunch that happens every December in the church and in part to not finding the yard art that I really wanted. This year I decided to search till I found something close to what I wanted. My quest began several days ago as I went to several stores, not finding a thing. As I arrived at the fourth store, a giant chain store, I was greeted by their Christmas section of yard art: a flying Santa, a tropical Santa, the Grinch, Snoopy, Sponge Bob, and a snowman village, to name a few. I stood back, changing my focus from pinpointing the perfect find to looking at the wide-shot of the whole department there. From edge to edge it was full of almost every decoration you could imagine, … almost.

In one little section, I could find wise men and a Santa “advent calendar”, but where was the Holy family? The next store had a similar section, but DID have a nativity, which was relegated to the back row and consisted of a few nativity snow-globes for you to shake up. The last store was same story, that is until I made it to the back row there, where (ta-dah!) I found it! In the far corner (the ACTUAL far corner) of the store, there was a box of Mary, Joseph and Jesus- not the size or style I wanted, not the beautifully made set I hoped for, but it only took me a second to wrestle the box onto my cart.

My heart grieves at this picture of how our society views the celebration of the birth of Christ and keeps Him far away in the back corner. Looking around each store at the abundance of lights and holiday decorations, I watched the holiday crowd who was seemingly oblivious to the reason for the season. I am usually a glass-half-full person, but in those moments I was struck by the sadness of the message that was lost.

Our houses glow with the strings of lights, but do we daily reflect the message of The Light of the world? We display and spotlight fun characters we think suitable for presentation, but do we remember The One who was displayed upon the cross in all his agony for the entire world to see? We quickly move from destination to destination, focused on completing our holiday tasks, but do we set aside time to sit silently in the presence of The One for whom the holiday is named? When I saw the video (above) I was amused by the premise, but as I saw Mark’s face change to dismay, and saw him being pushed away I was given a picture of God’s disappointment at the many times we push Him away.

But, like the good and perfect Father that He is, I know that this picture is meant to convict our hearts so we will be changed. I know I am not supposed to linger in an arena of sadness, but to persevere with proclaiming God’s good news and to be His witness in the world. JOY TO THE WORLD! In Mark 16:15, the risen Christ tells his disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” This year when you say, "Merry Christmas" let your words and actions point to Christ and reflect the joy of your salvation. I hope that you will allow the Holy Spirit to convict you and make you a bold and joyful witness for Christ this Christmas and all through the year.

Christmas Carols

2007-12-11T09:21:00.000-06:00

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:12-20 (NIV)

From the earliest days of Christianity, Christians have been charged with telling the story of God’s Good News through our words and our actions. Sometimes we even sing the story. We sing praise to God for giving us His Son. We sing about God and how he sent Jesus to the world. It’s about giving God the praise and glory for the love He gave and continues to give us. The great composer J.S. Bach said, "The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." How wonderful that in praising God, He refreshes and restores us.

Through time, the songs and styles of music have changed, but the message is the same. Jesus came into the world so that we would have eternal life. Sometimes these traditions of singing developed into songs that incorporated more secular ideas and used mythical images, merely providing entertainment. But eventually the tide would turn back to the reason for the songs which is praising God and telling the story of Christ. Reading through the lyrics of most Christmas hymns reveals a rich story that comes from scripture (Angels We Have Heard On High, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Joy to the World, and O Come All Ye Faithful ).

Singing these songs throughout this season makes us witnesses and proclaimers of who God is and the extravagance of His gift to us in Jesus Christ. Take time to look at these songs with your children and listen to their understanding of the lyrics. Think about the rich meanings in them when you sing them. When you are out shopping in the next few weeks and hear these songs in the stores, use them as a reminder of who you are in Christ, calling you to love others as God loves you. When someone cuts in front of you in the long check-out line sing to yourself, “God rest ye merry gentleman, let nothing you dismay…” and hang onto your “tidings of comfort and joy.” At night, when you are stuck in the noisy holiday traffic, sing “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright…” and remember that the Prince of Peace offers you His heavenly peace, even in the storms of life. When you find yourself entangled in conflict with yourself or with others, sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and remember that because of His “mercy mild” “God and sinners reconciled.” Reclaim God’s peace in your life.

Sing and make your heart glad. Allow God to restore your joy. Sing praise to God and allow the Holy Spirit to make you a bold witness for Jesus Christ. In the next few weeks, if you see me pushing a cart through a store singing silently along with the store’s Christmas music, just smile and nod knowingly and join me on verse two.

A Measure of Meaning: Advent

2007-11-30T13:31:00.000-06:00

I hope each one of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday last week and took a moment to thank God for all the many blessings you have enjoyed this year. I think our calendar is set up so well, in that we have a time of purposeful giving thanks right before the Christmas season . Next Sunday is the first of the four Sundays of Advent which precedes Christmas.

What is Advent you ask?
“Since the eighth century, the beginning or first season of the Christian year. Advent focuses on preparing for the coming of Christ. The term is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning to come. The season or period of Advent always includes the four Sundays before Christmas Day.” (from umc.org)

The word advent is commonly used to mean the coming or arrival of something, especially of something extremely important. The season of Advent is celebrated in the Christian calendar as a time when the Church remembers how God’s people longed for and waited for a Messiah. It is a time during which we wait for the coming of Christ and prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christ’s birth on Christmas day.

Preparation for Christmas is important. How many of you have ever taken the day before Christmas to begin buying presents for those you love? Is Dec. 24th a good time to begin the planning and cooking of a Christmas Day dinner for which you have not even invited guests yet? Of course not. The same is true for celebrations within the life of the Church.

Advent is a time of joyful expectation. I pray that you will not let the spirit of this holiday that is found in malls overwhelm you, but that you will invite the Spirit of God and the celebration of Christ’s birth to fill you with God’s perfect joy and peace. Look around. Where will His Spirit lead you to serve Him as you await the coming of the Christ child?

Guest writer: Doneeta DeTerkee

2007-11-22T10:54:00.000-06:00

In honor of our national bird, I decided to let a guest writer share an opinion today. Doneeta DeTerkee tried to fly in today to write on behalf of those who live in her coop community. However, with flight being impossible, she tried to thumb a ride, but as she has no thumbs, she just walked. She is a refugee from a nearby farm who is gobbling up every chance to turn people like you and me away from our annual feast of turkey. You may have read other similar statements under her pen name, Iyamm Knaught Deelishus. Here she is:

Hello everyone. I am trying to get the word out about how wonderful pork is. I know that traditions are important, but did you know that barbeque is much more American and patriotic than turkey? Early Americans learned how to slow cook pork from the native Americans and passed along the joy of barbequing from generation to generation. In fact, the father of our nation, George Washington enjoyed barbeque and barbequed pork was the meal of choice at many celebrations then. If you don’t like barbeque, there is always the vegetarian or the tofu route. But whatever your choice, choose to be turkey free this year. Thank you for taking time to help save the turkeys.

I’m glad Doneeta came in today. I felt like she deserved equal time, however, I need to begin cooking lunch today and put the … you-know-what into the oven. Yep, . . . I know what she said, but some traditions are too tasty to put aside this year. Besides, turkey dressing doesn’t go that great with tuna. I hope you enjoy your day.

Thanksgiving Eve

2007-11-21T15:15:00.000-06:00

I guess it wouldn’t be too improper to call today Thanksgiving Eve. Today, like many of you, I’m making final preparations for company and cooking. I’m leaving my brother-in-law in charge of the games on TV, and my sister will certainly help clean up after dinner. My niece and nephew are bringing the entertainment (piano solos and a fusion of several board games), and my mom is bringing the holy grail of desserts, the pies. Each of us has our own talents and opinions of how to do things. Some like things more lively and some appreciate the quiet. Some want the dog in the house and some don’t. Some want to run around the yard and others look forward to their nap (uhm, I mean to their football game.) I am thankful that we were raised to value each other and to get along. Even when there are those rare disagreements, we strive to use the WWJD principle so that we can quickly overcome the problem and get back to being the family God wants us to be.

No matter the differences, it is more important to get along with one another and treat one another with love, than it is to win an argument. Even in communities where there are cultural and economical similarities, problems naturally arise. The trouble is not that there is a problem, but it is in how we deal with the problem. In chapter 4 of James, the scripture is very clear about how to deal with problems in a Christian manner. Verse 1-2a begins the teaching with, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it.” Christ calls us to move past the temptation to judge others, so that we may deal with our everyday struggles with grace, humbleness, and above all, love.

Think back to the story of the first Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. They chose to help each other, bringing what they had to the table for their mutual benefit. I like the graphic of the dog and cat above because it is a picture of how we should make an effort to work together, bringing our gifts to the table and show grace regarding each other’s flaws. I hope you take time to look around at your family and the community around you and find reasons to be thankful, even thankful for the differences that we have. Enjoy Thanksgiving and make time to keep your whole community in your prayers, thanking God for all the benefits we are able to enjoy.

So... if you still need reasons to be thankful, enjoy this top ten list I found:

What To Do When The Turkey Is Burned, OR
Top 10 Reasons To Be Thankful Anyway

10. Salmonella won't be a concern.
9. No one will overeat.
8. Everyone will think it is Cajun Blackened.
7. Uninvited guests will think twice next year.
6. Your cheese broccoli lima bean jello casserole will gain newly found
appreciation.
5. Pets won't pester you for scraps.
4. The smoke alarm was due for a test anyway.
3. Carving the bird will provide a good cardiovascular workout.
2. After dinner, you can take the bird to the yard and play football.
1. You'll get to the desserts quicker!

All About Me...? Part Deux

2007-11-17T10:30:00.000-06:00

The lyrics of the song, “I am the Church” remind us that that “the Church is not a building” (see “Church” under “Measure of Meaning”). However, even though we are the Church, we must not confuse that with the misconception that the Church is all about us. All you have to do is watch and listen (to others and to the words coming from our own mouths) and you will hear the excuses we give for not participating in worship or in ministry.

“It’s too hot.” “It’s too cold.” “It’s too early.” “It’s too late.” “The guitar was too loud.” “The organ played too slow.” “Someone hurt my feelings.” “I have too many other things I’m spending my money on.” “I need to sleep late.” “I am going to the (insert sport here) game.” “I need to study.” “I can worship on the golf course/in the mall.”

I remember John Osteen (the late father of Joel) telling a story about seeing a member of his church one day and how the man began to explain why he was not going to go to church the next Sunday. He said, “I’m not coming to church. There are too many hypocrites there.” John smiled, pat the man gently on the back and said, “Might as well come on. One more won’t hurt anything.” The point made here is that we are all sinners, saved by grace, called to worship and serve God without excuses.

The Church is not about making sure we are comfortable in the building or that we might try to carve out time for “church” in our busy schedules. The Church is about humbly centering ourselves on the One Almighty God who creates, forgives, saves, restores, and calls us to love, to worship, and to serve Him as a unified body of Christ.

Because we live in a consumer era, someone has taken the time to create a church for those who do require specific elements in their church. This video shows us that rare perfect church where people have no reason to complain, or to work out struggles, or to show grace, or to grow in faith, or to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Due to technical difficulties, you'll have to click on this link to view the video.)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5552251171221986681