Ten Things I Like About You

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!