Give up or Pick Up?

For many years, I've heard my friends and colleagues talk about what they were going to "give up for Lent."  Everything from Cokes to chocolate to lima beans made the list.  It took me a while to understand why one would shun something for more than a month.  It seemed more as a badge of honor that one could be so disciplined.


These days I view the period of Lent differently.  I see it as a time of preparation and renewal.  In the early Church, those last 40 days before Easter were used for intense preparation.  For a period of time, baptisms only took place on Easter morning.  Some of the candidates for baptism had prepared for a year for this day.  The last 40 days were a time of even more serious preparation.  On the Saturday night before Easter, they would go to the church and, approaching the baptismal from the west, were baptized.  They would rise facing east, at dawn on Easter morning.  They entered in darkness and rose in the light of Easter.  They gave up themselves and picked up Christ Himself.  Those who were already Christians also entered into a time of reflection and preparation, remembering their own baptisms and the life they celebrate.


So this Easter, I'm not only giving up (myself at a new depth I hope), but also seeking to put on more of Christ Himself.  I going to make the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer a regular part of my daily routine.  May we together embrace the light that Christ offers anew this year.


I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.  Amen. 

Lent 2011

Many of us have different expectations or understandings of the Season of Lent. Lent can be a very meaningful time of Spiritual Growth. Lent is a time of preparation for the initiation of people into the Christian life in baptism. It is also a time for the church to journey together toward Easter and the reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant. Lent is not about being miserable, sad, and funereal in anticipation of Good Friday. The Sundays of Lent are not part of the forty days of Lent and so remain "little Easters," as are all Sundays. Fasting and giving up something can be part of Lenten disciplines, but so can taking on some things. Have you considered some ways to connect worship and daily growth in spiritual, relational, emotional, and bodily fitness?
This Lenten Season, I want to encourage to you take a new approach to this holy time. I want to encourage us to grow together again this year. Below is a great opportunity for this period of spiritual reflection.  I offer a chance for you to make a new commitment this year.  Print out this page and put it somewhere that you'll see it each day during Lent.


My Preparation for Easter
Lent is a time to prepare for Easter. It is a necessary prelude. The death and resurrection of Christ are true whether or not I prepare for Easter. However, without my heart and life being ready, I may not experience the depth and power of Christ's death and resurrection. So with my brothers and sisters, I commit myself to disciplines for conversion from sin and death to love and life in Jesus Christ. With the aid of the list below, I make the following commitments to discipline and growth for the next six weeks:
(Check the ones you desire or feel prompted to do; circle the ones you then decide to do.)


Inward and Personal Disciplines
___ Spend time in solitude each day.
___ Commit to participation in weekly worship.
___ Commit to the suggested weekly Bible readings.
___ Read twice through the Gospel of Mark.
___ Begin to keep a journal of prayer concerns, questions, reading.
___ Faithfully read and reflect upon the Lenten Devotional Guide.
___ Focus on thanksgiving, rather than on asking, in prayer.
___ Give myself a gift of three hours to do something I always say I don't have time to do.
___ Find a way to go to bed earlier or sleep in so I get enough rest.
___ Make a list of people with whom I need to be reconciled. Pray for them and let Jesus guide me in my thinking and feeling toward them.
___ Allow God to take control of my life by ______________.
___ Go to all of the Holy Week services as an act of love and waiting with Jesus.
___ Take one hour to prayerfully inventory my priorities and plan how I will reorder them.
___ Give up a grudge or a rehearsal of a past event.
___ Forgive someone who has hurt me.
___ Turn off the TV, computer, etc. for ________ hours a week that I would otherwise spend with it on.
___ Other promptings:


Outward and Social Disciplines
___ Take on some loving task:
___ Plan to visit a "shut-in" neighbor or church member weekly.
___ Agree to serve in an area of the church that God has been prompting me to do so.
___ Write a letter of affirmation once a week to a person who has touched my life.
___ Listen and respond to Christ's call to a ministry of service:
___ Go to coffee or dinner with someone I want to know better and grow together in Christ.
___ Give blood and recall the cross.
___ Call the local food pantry or homeless project and ask how I can help.
___ Say "NO" to something that is a waste of money and time.
___ Pray to God to help me resist racial prejudice and to give me courage in opposing it.
___ Decide to become a member of the church and speak to a pastor and participate in the Membership Exploration.
___ Rebuke the spirit of criticism and my own tongue out of control.
___ Find a way to live out the baptismal promise to "resist evil, injustice, and oppression" in the power and liberty God gives us by:
___ Other outward and social promptings:
As a way of being accountable, I will share my plan with at least one other faithful Disciple of Jesus and share with that person my experience of Lent during Holy Week.
(signed) __________________________ (date) _____________

Blog 2.0

I have to admit that I've neglected my blog for quite some time.  I do apologize and I appreciate those that have stopped by.

I'd like to give this another go.  In the coming weeks, I look forward to interacting with you again in the blogosphere!  Be patient with me. :)

Third Sunday in Advent--Joy

This third week of Advent celebrates the Joy that Christ brings. What is the difference between joy and happiness?

Second Sunday in Advent--Peace

Something to ponder this week:

If peace were to show up at your door, what would it look like?

First Sunday in Advent--Hope

I'd like to see if we can generate some discussion through our Sundays in Advent. Let's try something new:

Today is the First Sunday in Advent; we celebrate the Hope that comes at Christmas time. What is your deepest hope this Christmas?

Back to Basics, Part 3

We continue with week 3 of our study of the Apostle's Creed. This week we focus on Living with Jesus as Savior.

Countless books have been written about Jesus. No other life or death has affected history and humanity like Jesus' has. But what are we to do with that? The writers of the Apostle's Creed felt it was important to deal with His life, death, and resurrection as a cornerstone of the Creed. Have you notice the Creed deals with Jesus more than anything else?

It reminds me of one of my favorite passages by C.S. Lewis. I offer to you for your reflection:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Lewis, C.S. The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics. HarperCollins: San Francisco. 2002.

**You'll fin that paragraph in Lewis' Mere Christianity, Book 2, Chapter 3: The Shocking Alternative.

You can find our messages on our website: www.fairhopeumc.org or on iTunes.

Back to Basics, Part 2

Back to Basics, Week 2

In our second week of a four-week study of the Apostle’s Creed, we move to “I Believe in God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth.” There are quite a few powerful terms in that phrase.

God--Who is God? What is God to you? Who are you to God? What are you to God? What if we started to ask some of those basic questions of our relationship? How would we answer?

Father--Father is a loaded term to many of us. Father can have positive or negative connotations. What would it mean if we could call God our Father? What would He mean to you? What would you mean to Him?

Creator--What does it mean to Create? If you’ve created something, what do you leave in it? What does it do to you?

Heaven--What are your thoughts on Heaven? Is a place? A thing? A concept?

Earth--Is that the opposite of Heaven? The compliment of heaven? Both? Neither?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these. Post them here or send a message.

Would you explore these questions with me and more this week? This Sunday morning we’ll try to see what it would mean for us to live out this Creed. I hope to see you then.

Our sermons are available online at www.fairhopeumc.org and on iTunes.

Back to Basics, Part 1

Do you have a creed? Better yet, do you know what your creed is? The Oxford English Dictionary says that a creed are “those articles of belief which are regarded as essential.” What are the essentials of your belief? What are the things at your very core? Can you articulate what is at the very foundations of your belief? Have you ever tried?

It is back to school time here. This is a fun time of year of newness and excitement. I remember when school started each year, we started with the basics of our new subject. What do you need to know to learn and use the things you’ll learn?

This week we kick off a new series called “Back to Basics.” We’ll use this back to school time to examine our creed: what are the articles of belief which are essential to us? So we ask one another: what’s your creed? Why not share it with us and begin the discussion? Then let’s look at creed together this Sunday.

Get out of the Boat, Part 4

This week we conclude our four-week series “Get out of the Boat.” We’ve examined how Peter heard Christ call and got out of the boat onto a raging sea. We’ve looked at Jonah’s realization that running from God was hurting him and those around him. We’ve looked at Samuel’s call from God to lead the people of Israel.

One part we haven’t discussed yet is the group that watched Peter step out onto the water that night. What about the other disciples? What were they thinking? What would they have said? We can only speculate. But let me ask you--what would you say if you saw someone get out of the boat and onto the waters in the middle of the night? Would you applaud him? Tell him he’s crazy? Wait for him to fail? Hope you didn’t hear the call too?

Maybe it is time we examined our own lives and find out where we’d fit into that picture. Christ IS calling each and every one of us to follow him. Will we GET OUT OF THE BOAT?

You can hear our messages on our website www.fairhopeumc.org or on iTunes.

Get out of the Boat, Part 3

What do you do when you heard God call your name? Would you answer? Would you run? Would you pretend you didn’t hear Him and go about life as usual?

In The Gathering service this week, Gabe Holloway, Director of Youth Ministries, is preaching. Together we’re going to examine what it means when God calls your name. This is Gabe’s last Sunday with us. He’s headed to Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He and his wife Lynne have God called their names. They’ve answered the call to this next stage in their ministry together. Please join us in prayer for Gabe, Lynne and Sara at this very exciting time in their lives. You can hear this message, and all of our messages, on our website www.fairhopeumc.org or on iTunes.

Get out of the Boat, Part 2

Get out of the Boat, Part 2
July 25, 2010

From the time I was very young, I heard the story of Jonah in the Bible. I remember pictures in children’s books of Jonah in a boat, inside the belly of a whale. He had a candle in his hand and he looked around at this situation with great wonder and uncertainty.

I don’t remember learning as a child how Jonah came to be inside the belly of the fish. What was he doing in the water in first place? It is great that God protected him from the ocean, but how did he get there?

Sunday, July 25, we’ll examine how Jonah came to be there. We’ll also talk about the time that Jonah knew that he had to GET OUT OF THE BOAT. I wonder if we might find ourselves (or have found ourselves previously) needing to get out of the same boat Jonah left.

If you want to read it for yourself, read the story of Jonah in the Old Testament. You’ll find it in the book of…Jonah. It is just four short chapters. Then, I encourage you to compare that to Paul’s statements in Philippians 3:7-11. As always, you can listen to the messages on our website: www.fairhopeumc.org/mediapulpit or on iTunes.

Get out of the Boat, Part 1

I love the story of Peter in the New Testament. Peter was a key part of his family’s fishing business. One day, he was cleaning up the boats, just as he had done every other day and he sees a different sight. Someone new has moved to town and this new person, Jesus, is teaching a large group of people. The crowd is so large that Jesus borrows one of Peter’s boats to use a speaking platform.

The encounter that follows changes Peter’s life. He abandons the only life he has known and begins to follow Jesus. But that’s not the most amazing part. The most amazing part is when Jesus tells Peter to GET OUT OF THE BOAT. Jesus tells Peter to step out of a perfectly good boat and walk to Him. What did Peter know or see that he would get out of the boat for? What would it take for us to get out of our boats? This week let’s examine what it would take. Be sure to read it yourself. You’ll find the story in Matthew 14:22-33.

You can hear this message at www.fairhopeumc.org/MeidaPulpit or on iTunes

July 2010

I hope that you are enjoying your summer. It is a time when we tend to focus on spending time with family, enjoying lazy summer days, and hitting the road. I pray safe travels for those of you on the road. I want to encourage you to be faithful in worship this summer when you travel and especially when you're home. If you have out of town company with you, bring them to church!

On July 18 we'll begin a new series: Get Out of the Boat! We'll talk about what it means to be someone who's unafraid to put faith and action together to do the improbable or unlikely!

I look forward to seeing you in worship and out enjoying the summer.

Unseen Power Series--The Spirit Goes Before Us

The Spirit Goes Before Us
Unseen Power Series
June 6, 2010

We continue our series on the Holy Spirit. We’ve established the coming of the Holy Spirit on the consecration of the Church at the first Christian Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. Last week we discussed the nature and person of the Holy Spirit. Now we examine what happens when the Spirit is at work in our lives before we realize it.

This week church is abuzz with preparations for Vacation Bible School. Next week the children will follow the journey of Joseph as told in the Old Testament book of Genesis chapters 37-50. Joseph had dreams from God that told him that he was headed to important things. He had a vision for what was to be. However, the journey wasn’t exactly what he may have anticipated.

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery because of their jealousy of him. He was shipped off to Egypt and worked in the house of a leader there. He was framed for a crime and sent to prison. Though he was later assured of his release, he was forgotten and forsaken in prison, though he was not forsaken by God.

Through an amazing series of events, Joseph sees the fulfillment of God’s vision for his life. The relationship with his brothers is restored and he saves thousands of people from a wide-spread famine.

In the darkest parts of Joseph’s life, he may have never seen God at work in his circumstances. But Joseph would later tell his brothers: “Even though you intended to harm me, God intended it for good…” Genesis 50:20. What did Joseph know that could give him such faith? He knew the Spirit is at work before we ever know it. Let’s explore how the Spirit is at work in our lives this Sunday.

You can find our sermons online at www.fairhopeumc.org and iTunes.

Unseen Power Series

Unseen Power~The Holy Spirit

We are in the middle of a four-part series on the Holy Spirit. We’ve titled the series Unseen Power—and for good reason. The Spirit is the source of Power in our lives. He is the connection for us to one another and to the Father Himself.

On May 30, we will touch upon:

The Holy Spirit as He, not It
The Holy Spirit role in the Trinity
The Holy Spirit’s manifestation of Gifts
Realization of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives

This will be an overview of the Spirit. In the coming weeks we’ll explore these further. I hope to see you this Sunday. Remember, if you miss any of the messages, they are available on our website: www.fairhopeumc.org and on iTunes.

Blessings,
Rob

Eternal Insights Week 7--Come and See

Why the resurrection? Why was Jesus raised from the dead? Some have proposed that the Gospel message would have been powerful and impactful even if Jesus had not been raised from the dead. He lived a good life, He taught great things, He did many wonderful things. What if, when Jesus died, God opened up the heavens and said, “Well done, good and faithful Servant. Come to your eternal rest, prepared for you since the beginning of time.” What if we saw Jesus in His eternal place in Heaven and we merely waited for Him to return as He promised.

That Easter morning must have been dark and seemingly without hope. The disciples were at a loss. Jesus was gone. Mary and John and Mary from Magdala saw Him die. Along with a rich man named Joseph and Nicodemus, a member of the leading religious council, they buried Jesus. They went back to mourn. They spent the weekend in despair and confusion. How could this happen? Why here? Why now? Why me? There seemed to be no options out of this situation.

I think many of us ask those questions in life. We are sometimes at loss to understand how life could bring us this latest setback. We ask: How could this happen? Why here? Why now? Why me? There seems to be no option out of this situation. This Sunday, let’s explore the reason for the resurrection. Let’s hear a call to come together to see for ourselves.

Parade to Peril

On Palm Sunday we celebrate the King who was to free us from our oppressors. Jesus entered Jerusalem during a large feast time called Passover. The faithful would gather to remember that God had spared their ancestors from destruction in Egypt. God set them free through the sacrifice of the perfect lamb that each family sacrificed and used the blood to seal the doors of their homes.

In Jesus time on earth, the Israelites were under Roman oppression and life was hard. They wanted a leader who would set them free from the government. But Jesus came to do so much more. The problem was that the people really didn’t understand it. So on Sunday they would hail Him as their leader. On Friday they’d crucify Him as a criminal. The Parade had turned to Peril. Let’s explore together the importance of remember the road Jesus traveled that week. Hear more at: http://bit.ly/blsTbS

Eternal Insights Week 5--Nic at Night

In the Gospel of John, there is a leader of the religious establishment that comes to talk to Jesus at night. His name is Nicodemus and he has some questions for the teacher. He wants to know about a few things that Jesus has been teaching. He questions Jesus at some deep levels. Jesus has some very direct and challenging answers for him.
Nic sometimes gets a bad rap for his visit. Why did he come at night? Was he scared or was it some other reason? Why did he question Jesus in the way he did? Does God allow us to ask such questions? Shouldn’t he be punished for such “doubt”? Nic was a “good, religious” guy. Isn’t that good enough to please God? Why was Jesus so big on paying attention to “the wind” and other such “strange” things?
Let’s come together and explore these questions and more together this Sunday morning. Oh and if you want to get a head start, read over John 3:1-17 and see what you find. Maybe you have some of the same questions Nic did.

Eternal Insights Week 4--Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread. We pray it in the Lord’s Prayer. On the surface, it makes perfect sense. Why wouldn’t we take daily bread? Physically, we seek daily nourishment. What about spiritually? Sometimes we try to get a week’s worth of spiritual nourishment in an hour on one day of the week. We wouldn’t dream of trying to do the same thing physically. This week, let’s examine what it would mean to take Jesus seriously: that He is the nourishment that truly matters.

Eternal Insights Week 3--The Cause of the Effect

The Lenten Season we’re taking time to reexamine our standing in the Covenant that God has put forth through history. Looking through passages in the Gospel of John, we’re taking a good look at what it means to be a follower of Christ.

In this week’s passage, Jesus and the disciples are walking along and they see a man who has been blind since birth. The disciples ask Jesus, “Who sinned to make this man this way? Did his sin cause this or was this his parents’ sin that caused it?” (That’s my paraphrase). The disciples want to know what or who caused this. They are looking for someone to blame.

A man, blind since birth, sits before the disciples begging for a little money. The disciples want to know if this man, blind since birth, sinned to cause his blindness. That question makes me scratch my head a little. But what Jesus does in response to the Disciples’ question blows me away.

How would we answer the question? What would we do if we saw the blind man sitting there? What was Jesus answer to the question? Take a look at John 9:1-7. This Sunday let’s look at the passage together and see who really was the blind man. What caused him to be this way? What was the effect of his blindness? May God open our eyes to new Eternal Insights.

Eternal Insights Week 2--The Problem of Pride

In what do you take pride? Is it some accomplishment that you’ve done? Maybe it is that your favorite sports team won the championship or is considered the best. Do you take pride in the way you are able to do something no one else can do? Maybe you take pride in the appearance of the house or the car or the kids.

Pride is not necessarily a bad thing. We should strive to achieve the things to which we are called. It is fun to pull for our favorite teams. Of course, we should be good stewards and take care of the gifts we’ve been given—be they material things or children to raise or some other gift.

However, when pride begins to take over, we get out of balance. Pride can replace a healthy understanding of who we are and who we are called to be. It can even lead us to forget the things that are important and rely too much on the objects of our pride. In week two of our series on “Eternal Insights” let’s examine Jesus’ idea of our pride and the slavery that can come when we get out of balance in our relationship with Him, ourselves and others. (See John 8:31-36.)

God's Gift of Love

Promises. How do you react when someone makes a promise to you? With anticipation? With suspicion? What about when someone breaks a promise? Have you ever had someone break a promise to you and hurt you?

God made a promise to His people in the Old Testament. They made a promise back to Him. They said that they would follow Him always and never stray.

Well, the people broke their promises. For thousands of years, the people turned away. Oh, sometimes they followed God. But they would often turn their backs on Him again and again. How did God react to the failure to keep a promise? Would you join me this week in a look at how God reacts to promises?

Lenten Questions and Promptings

Many of us have different expectations or understandings of the Season of Lent. Lent can be a very meaningful time of Spiritual Growth. Lent is a time of preparation for the initiation of people into the Christian life in baptism. It is also a time for the church to journey together toward Easter and the reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant. Lent is not about being miserable, sad, and funereal in anticipation of Good Friday. The Sundays of Lent are not part of the forty days of Lent and so remain "little Easters," as are all Sundays. Fasting and giving up something can be part of Lenten disciplines, but so can taking on some things. Have you considered some ways to connect worship and daily growth in spiritual, relational, emotional, and bodily fitness?

My Preparation for Easter
Lent is a time to prepare for Easter. It is a necessary prelude. The death and resurrection of Christ are true whether or not I prepare for Easter. However, without my heart and life being ready, I may not experience the depth and power of Christ's death and resurrection. So with my brothers and sisters, I commit myself to disciplines for conversion from sin and death to love and life in Jesus Christ. With the aid of the list below, I make the following commitments to discipline and growth for the next six weeks:
(Check the ones you desire or feel prompted to do; circle the ones you then decide to do.)

Inward and Personal Disciplines
___ Spend time in solitude each day.
___ Share in the Lenten Series on Sunday evenings.
___ Read a book for inner growth.
___ Read twice through the Gospel of Luke.
___ Begin to keep a journal of prayer concerns, questions, reading.
___ Faithfully read and reflect upon the church’s Lenten Devotional Guide.
___ Focus on thanksgiving, rather than on asking, in prayer.
___ Give myself a gift of three hours to do something I always say I don't have time to do.
___ Find a way to go to bed earlier or sleep in so I get enough rest.
___ Make a list of people with whom I need to be reconciled. Pray for them and let Jesus guide me in my thinking and feeling toward them.
___ Take control of my life by ______________.
___ Go to all of the Holy Week services as an act of love and waiting with Jesus.
___ Take one hour to inventory my priorities and plan how I will reorder them.
___ Give up a grudge or a rehearsal of a past event.
___ Forgive someone who has hurt me.
___ Turn off the TV, computer, etc. for ________ hours a week that I would otherwise spend with it on.
___ Other promptings:

Outward and Social Disciplines
___ Take on some loving task:
___ Plan to visit a "shut-in" neighbor or church member weekly.
___ Agree to serve in an area of the church that God has been prompting me to do so.
___ Write a letter of affirmation once a week to a person who has touched my life.
___ Listen and respond to Christ's call to a ministry of service:
___ Go to coffee or dinner with someone I want to know better.
___ Begin to recycle waste from my home and workplace.
___ Give blood and recall the cross.
___ Call the local food pantry or homeless project and ask how I can help.
___ Say "NO" to something that is a waste of money and time.
___ Pray to God to help me resist racial prejudice and to give me courage in opposing it.
___ Decide to become a member of the church and speak to a pastor and participate in the Membership Exploration.
___ Rebuke the spirit of criticism and my own tongue out of control.
___ Find a way to live out the baptismal promise to "resist evil, injustice, and oppression" in the power and liberty God gives us by:
___ Other outward and social promptings:
As a way of being accountable, I will share my plan with at least one other faithful Disciple of Jesus and share with that person my experience of Lent during Holy Week.
(signed) __________________________ (date) _____________

Balancing Christmas

Balancing Christmas
An early morning quiet covers the house as I sit alone on the couch with my Bible and coffee. A steady rain falls outside. The house is dark except for my reading light.

I place my Bible on the table by the lamp & look up to see the darkened Christmas tree. My heart is thankful to God for the blessings represented by each ornament on the tree. Images in plastic, glass, paper, & ribbon colorfully adorn the evergreen in the corner of the den. Each three-dimensional picture recalls the fond memories of friends, family members, students, & others dear to us from years gone by.

I notice that the ornaments are clustered together toward the bottom of the tree again. When we hang them, Beth tries hard to help the children spread them all over the tree. She reminds Joshua & Meg to balance the decorations evenly all over the tree. It is difficult because they get excited about putting up the ornaments. Their hands work quickly when it is time to decorate—moving faster than her admonishments. When the decorating is finished, the ornaments are bunched together on the lower third of the tree. The bottom branches bend under the weight of several decorations on each branch. The tight cluster of adornments seems to stop about eye-level for the children. I smile inside. I realize that the cluster of ornaments will move up over the years. It will steadily grow a little higher each Advent. As the children grow in age & stature, so too will the
“waterline” of our ornaments rise.

The tree is crowded with ornaments. I saw a tidbit that purported the average tree to have 75 ornaments. I think we’re overachievers. But there will be a day when the children will have their own homes with their own trees. They will take many of these ornaments with them to get their own Christmas decorations started. Like taking the cuttings off of a tree to allow a new tree to take root, we will encourage Joshua & Meg to set their own roots of Christmas traditions.

Our tree may look a little bare that year. Alone, Beth & I will space out the ornaments evenly all over the tree. She’ll remind me to make sure we have a balance of sizes & colors & shapes all around the tree. We’ll even make sure to cover the back—so you can see them out the window too. And as we pick up each ornament we’ll tell a little story about them: where we got it, when we got it, & fondly recall the giver. Maybe when Beth isn’t looking I’ll cluster up a bunch of ornaments toward the bottom of the tree. I’ll remember a morning in a dark, quiet house when everyone else was asleep & our Christmas tree was beautifully and wonderfully out of balance.

Images of the Savior--Part 4

What do you give the one who has everything? Have you ever walked the aisles of stores, staring blankly at the shelves trying to find “just the right gift?” Maybe you’ve stood at the counter of the department store while the sales person showed you item after item. After what seems like hours, you still can’t decide. Your winter coat feels heavy on your shoulders and you grow warmer and warmer with the anxiety of the deadline of Christmas coming and you still don’t have a gift.
I don’t think the Magi had the same anxiety. They brought the infant Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. They seem like odd gifts to us. But they brought just the perfect gifts. So what about us today? What gift would we bring Jesus?
In The Gathering this week, we finish our “Images of the Savior” series as we examine the Christmas Story from the view of the Magi. Bring yourself—and your friends and family—as we examine the gift of Christmas.

Week 2 Picture

Some of you missed the week 2 painting. I've put it up on this post for you.
Remember that all of the paintings will come together at the Christmas Eve service for yet another, large picture.

Images of the Savior--Week 3, December 13

What if God had an important message for you? What if it came in a way that you weren’t quite expecting? What if the message was completely improbable? What would you do?
In the Christmas story, the unlikely shepherds received a message in a divine way. It was a message that just didn’t seem possible. They responded with joy and set out to tell all what they had seen.
This week, in our “Images of the Savior” series, we look at the shepherds and what they saw that Christmas night. We look at their reaction and what we can learn from it. Felicia will paint this week and next week as well. May we all be open to what God has to show us.

Snowflake (Circular?) Logic

The local weather people are talking about snow tonight. In my part of the country, snow is a very emotionally charged word. People get gleefully excited about the possibility of snow or the idea of vacationing in snowy places. Such a simple thing—frozen precipitation—that my own feelings toward it give me pause.
Growing up, I moved around a great deal. I spent most of my early years in Kentucky where winters could be mild enough to go without jackets much of the time. Other years, our winters would bring ice storms that seemed to cripple us. Snow, however, was a rarity. Just rare enough to not really be a part of childhood memory.
A few of those early years, I lived in northeast Ohio. This is where my feelings about snow were solidified. Snow was an annual part of life. You planned on it and adjusted your routine according to how much of the white stuff stood between you and the end of the sidewalk, how much stood between your car and the end of the driveway, how much of the stuff stood between you and the canceling of school or the big plans you had for Saturday.
Granted, I took advantage of the situation as best as a young boy could. I would trudge over to Barber’s Hill for sledding or snowball fights or whatever else we could invent on a crisp winter day. But even in the midst of the fun, there seemed to be a nagging feeling of hypocrisy down inside of me. You see, I don’t like snow. I don’t like spending more time bundling up than “enjoying” the time outside. I don’t like it when icy slush gets between you and your clothes. I don’t like the cold air. I don’t like trudging through snow-covered sidewalks and parking lots. I don’t like pulling my car out of snow banks. I just generally don’t like all the stuff that comes along with snow. The feelings of discomfort with winter’s white blanket begin to make their way to the front of my consciousness as a kid. Until they all came to a head one winter morning.
I was standing outside my house waiting for the bus one cold, snowy Ohio morning. A blizzard was blowing outside, as I remember it. Together the kids from the neighborhood and I waited as the cold and snow permeated deep into my bones. The cold chilled my skin and the snow seemed to taunt my feelings of disdain toward it. There was nothing I could do about either. Everyone was gone to work and I couldn’t get back in the house. I grumbled against the wind and snow and cold.
After what seemed like another ice age, another bus driver saw us still standing on the street. It turned out that our bus had succumbed to the snow and cold and was stranded. I was astonished. Our bus froze in the cold and I was still going to school. I waited outside in weather unfit for humans or machines and nobody seemed to be fazed.
It was right then and there that I decided that I was done with snow. To the fullest extent possible, I was going to separate myself from the white stuff. It didn’t really care too much about me and I was not going to hide my disdain for it any longer.
Circumstances took me back to Kentucky that following winter. I was glad to be back in the land where snow is a rarity. However, there was the nagging sense that it was lurking around the corner all the while. Like a bully waiting to strike again, snow seemed to be waiting to get the upper hand again.
One day I heard a friend discussing a business trip he’d taken to the Gulf Coast one winter. He recounted the “snow event” during his trip. It seems that the sky spit snow one day and the whole coast seemed to stop to watch the sky. It was not enough to stick, yet the people seemed to be overjoyed. He too had grown up in a snow-plagued area and laughed the people’s awestruck expressions at the novelty falling from the sky.
I grew excited about this new and wonderful land. I wanted to live in a place where snow was such a novelty. If it was that big of a deal there, then it was the place for me. It seemed only logical that I would live in such paradise. When the opportunity came for my move to the Gulf Coast, I was thrilled to be moving to a land free from frozen precipitation.
That was nearly 20 years ago. I have, for the most part, successfully avoided the snow bully since then. Our encounters have been few and far between and short-lived at that.
Our six-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son often remind me that they haven’t seen (or don’t remember seeing) snow. They do so in the spirit of a plea to present them to snow. I’m hesitant to introduce my children to one of my childhood bullies.
This morning, the local weather people are calling for a chance of snow accumulation about an hour north of here overnight. We might see some frozen stuff even falling from the sky here. My wife and children are excited about the idea. The local Christmas parade is tonight and the church Christmas Carnival is tomorrow. To them, a seemingly perfect arrangement is in the mix. All over the community, I catch snippets of conversations about how excited everyone is about the chance for snow. People like to talk about the rare and novel. Something deep inside of me cringes. Snow. Here. That’s not supposed to happen. Then I remember: people get excited about the rare chance of snow. That’s one of the logical things about living here. So maybe watching them get so excited over so little is a good thing. Perhaps I can endure this punch of snow, to see the delight of my wife and children.
One day I’ll take my wife and kids to see “real” snow. The look on their faces will be wonderful as they romp and laugh in frozen fun. I’ll wave to them through the window —from inside the lodge, next to the fire, with a cup of hot coffee in my hand. . I’ll be the one inside in a t-shirt and shorts and dreaming of someplace tropical.
As I catch the rest of this week’s forecast I get that same warm feeling. A warm front is on the way and I’ll being wearing shorts and a t-shirt next weekend. This is Dixie's Sunny Shore after all. Seems only logical to embrace it—the common and the quirky.

Images of the Savior--Part 2

We had a great experience participating in worship last week alongside artist Felicia Olds. I appreciate Felicia sharing her God-given talents in worship during the Christmas season. I’ve included some pictures of the service.

This Sunday, our Senior Pastor, Rev. Mike McKnight, will bring the message during in The Gathering service. Felicia will again paint during the worship service. Mike will look at the Christmas Story from the viewpoint of the humble man Joseph. We encourage you to look at the story from this perspective. When we look at the story from all four different points of view, we hope that all of us can see the Christmas Story as a much larger picture.

In the Sanctuary Services this week, we’ll celebrate the Christmas Season with a special music service. I am excited about participating in this special service of Lessons and Carols. I look forward to seeing you in worship this week.

Images of the Savior--Week 1, November 29

In The Gathering we launch a new series this week. “Images of the Savior” seeks to look at a familiar message through some unique lenses. First of all, we’re trying something new in worship that we’ve never done before. Alongside those of us who lead worship in word and song, we have a servant who has agreed to lead worship alongside us in a different way. You’ll like it—trust me. Come see what I mean.
This is a series that will be particularly meaningful if you’ll come each week during this advent season. Each week will be a part of the bigger picture. I encourage you to come see what I mean.
In this introductory we look at what it means to make ourselves available to God to do His work in us. Sometimes that may even appear as though it will cost us dearly. Would we/will we readily agree to God’s plan that looks like it may cost dearly? Are we ready to say to God, I trust You to work out your plan in my life? Are we ready to say to God that we’ll go where He leads, knowing that He’ll take care of us? Let’s look together at this first image of the Savior.

Home Builders—Week 5--What's My Home Worth?

What do you have that is of great value to you? Maybe a car that you love? Many people say their home is the largest investment they’ll ever make. Would you say your family? Would you pick something tangible or intangible?

Jesus taught about things of great value. He challenges the hearers of His message to consider the things of their lives that are valuable. Then He challenges them to consider their cost. That cost is something that can weigh us down or lift us up. This week’s message focuses on the worth. What is my home worth to me? What is my home worth to God? Would you join me in an honest exploration of God’s answer?

Home Builders—Week 4--The Big Reveal

Forgive me for failing to post a week 3 blog. We were away with family and did not have internet access out there in the country that week. To be honest, it was a little refreshing. :) You can listen to the message on our website's Media Pulpit www.fairhopeumc.org or you can download our podcasts on iTunes. Look for Fairhope United Methodist Church.

Week 4--The Big Reveal
What is in your heart? What is important to you? What do you value? Are you willing to build others up or try to bring them down to look better in your own eyes?
We all reveal these things everyday. We reveal them to ourselves and to others. We do so in what we say. Jesus' teaching is clear that the overflow of our hearts comes out through our mouths. It is not only what we say, but how we say it that is important. Would you examine the overflow of the heart with me this week? This Sunday's message takes a look at our mouths what powerful tools they are--for good or for evil.

Home Builders—Week 2—Trading Spaces

Last week we laid the foundation of building our homes. We said that our homes are the places where we can be ourselves. Spiritually, the home is the very core of who we are and where we have our deepest thoughts and feelings. In order to build that home, we must build it on the Wisdom of God. In week 2, we investigate “Trading Spaces.”
The news is full of stories about children and teens who are out of control. We see TV shows in which children are causing so much misery for parents that “experts” must come in to solve the problems. While most of us will never find ourselves on these kinds of shows, it does give us pause to look at a few points.
The Parent/Child relationship is the most basic of all relationships. We are all in that relationship in one form or another. Sometimes we find ourselves in some “non-traditional” places in Parent/Child relationships. In this week’s message we’ll examine how we start “Trading Spaces” to make these relationships what God has called them to be.

Home Builders Week 1--Divine Design

If you were to start to build a home, where would you begin? What kind of things would you put in it? What would be the most important things to you?
This week, we begin a five-week series called “Home Builders.” We’re going to examine what God’s Word says about our homes and His desire for them. Our homes are important to us. No matter our station in life: single, married, young or old, home is HOME. It is our place, the place where we belong, the place where we can be ourselves, the place where we’re comfortable. That’s exactly the place where God wants to talk to us. This week I want to challenge you to ask, “What would be God’s Divine Design in building my home?”

Taking Flight--The Flight of Obedience

How would our life be changed if we accepted God's promises for our lives and lived the transformed life? That is a life of Obedience.

Taking Flight Week 2--The Flight of Transformation

Jacob's story in the book of Genesis shows us what happens to a life transformed. Let's explore what it means to live a life transformed.

Taking Flight-The Flight of Faith

We launch a new three-week series in The Gathering this week. Would you go with me on a "Flight of Faith"?

To Whom Shall We Go?

To whom shall we go?
This week’s I’ve spent time examining Peter’s question to Jesus. Here’s the setup. Jesus is in Capernaum—the base of much of his ministry and certainly his ministry in the Sea of Galilee area. He’s teaching in the synagogue one day and many of those who were following at Jesus really got turned off by some of the things he was asking them to do. So they abandoned Jesus for their own ideas.
Jesus then turned to the twelve. He said, “What about you? Are you going to leave me too?” Peter says, “To whom shall we go?” I love his answer. You see, they are Peter’s home turf. All Peter had to do was to stay there with his family, wave goodbye and go back to the life he knew before. But there is something that wouldn’t let him. It was the fact that Peter had come to know that Jesus possesses the Words of eternal life. Peter had experienced the miracles and teachings of Jesus first hand. Having seen that, he knew he was following God’s Holy One. At that point, how could he do anything but follow Jesus?
The same applies to us. We may not think we’ve seen the miracles of God or that we haven’t seen his teachings. If we try to say such a thing then we’re not paying attention. Jesus offers all of us the opportunity to follow him. Some do. Some turn away. But Peter’s question remains: “To whom shall we go?” To have life, there is no other but Jesus! This week we examine what it means to be that kind of follower of Christ.

After Sunday’s service (August 23), you can find the message online www.fairhopeumc.org and on iTunes.

May We Continue

Coming off of last week’s discussion on how to remain in Christ, I’m excited about where we’re headed this week. (By the way, if you missed the “Remain” message, you can find it here: http://www.fairhopeumc.org/304124.ihtml)
This is a great week for me as the 3rd graders will get a Bible from the church. I remember as a child sitting in Dyer Hill Baptist Church in Burna, Kentucky with my grandmother. I remember the old men cleaning the dirt of the field off and putting on their good shirt to come to church. The church was small, but the message of the Bible was huge. Through a simple act of obedience to share God’s Word, a work of God’s Grace began in me when I was a small child.
The Bible says that God’s message, when it is shared among children, is not lost on them when they are old. What a powerful thing. It is sobering to know that what our kids hear remains with them.
The apostle Paul relays this when he writes to Timothy. Paul mentored the young Timothy early in his ministry. He said, “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” It is a reminder that there is something God has begun in us. It reminds us that there are others watching us. Are we diligent in that work—for the sake of the Kingdom of God and His children?

Please Excuse the Interruption

Interruptions. How do we handle those inconvenient distractions to our routines? Those unexpected phone calls, people who must speak to us NOW, and the demanding children around us can really pull us away from where we are headed at the moment.
But what about the bigger interruptions in life? What about the loss of job? What about a change in health or the loss of a loved one? What about when we were headed in a direction that we thought God was calling us and it turned out to be an absolute disaster? How do we handle those? We can throw up our hands and cry FOUL. Or we can crawl into a howl and wish it would go away. But it doesn’t always just go away.
This week’s message focuses on the time of the interruption. We talk about those who saw the interruptions and that weren’t mere opportunities. They were a trying time. But they were a time when God said simply, “Be still, and Go On.”

Where is Freedom?

Where do we find our Freedom? An interesting thing about freedom: we are free only as long as we have limitations. I speak of freedom in an earthly sense. I have Freedom because I live in the United States. However, my freedom is limited. I don’t have freedom to break into another family’s home and take their things. That would violate their freedom to live peaceably in their home. I don’t have freedom to physically harm other people simple because they disagree with me. That would violate their freedom to live peaceably without fear of harm.

What about the Christian life? Do we live a free people in a Spiritual sense? Not always as we should. Some people believe that if only they will “Live Right” then God will be happy enough with them to allow them into heaven. Maybe if they score enough good points and not enough bad points, then it will all be okay. But that is not what Jesus teaches at all. He says the only way to truly be free is to be bound. We must be bound to Jesus. Not to complex ideologies. Not to causes or ideas. But we must be bound to Jesus and Jesus alone. All else is secondary. This Sunday, as we honor those who so selflessly fought for the freedom of a nation, let’s examine what makes us free as individuals.

Thank you and Welcome

I’ve often used this forum to discuss topics of the upcoming Sunday’s message. I’m taking a couple of weeks off from sermons. My silence will be filled with messages from some important people. Fairhope United Methodist Church is changing. The Rev. Joe Bullington will retire on June 21. He’s served Fairhope faithfully for 15 years. We honor Joe and his wife Marilyn for being faithful to God’s call.
On June 28 we welcome the Rev. Mike McKnight to Fairhope. He and his wife Rene’ bring a wonderful set of gifts to this church and this community. Mike assumes the role of Senior Pastor at a very exciting time. As one person put it recently, Fairhope UMC is no long a Sunday/Wednesday church. We’re an everyday church. When we open our doors, and step out of them into the community, we bring God’s Love to a people in need. People at Fairhope are doing just that.
So my posts may be hit or miss for the summer. Nonetheless, I hope we can continue to partner in saying “thank you”, saying “welcome” and being faithful to God’s call to Reach, Equip, and Serve.

Back to the Beginning

Isn’t it interesting how precious we treat things when they are new to us? Think of the last time you bought something new. I mean a big purchase. Do you remember how you treated it delicately? How you protected it? How you spent extra time making sure it stayed “new”? Then things unplanned things happen. It gets a little nick, a ding, a scratch. Time goes by and your attention is turned elsewhere. That new thing becomes not-so-new. One day you look at it and realize that you don’t hold it in such high esteem as you once did.
This Sunday I want to invite you to go with me “Back the Beginning.” We’ll examine the excitement that the first followers of Jesus had. The church was new. The idea of living together in Christian community was new. Individual devotion to Jesus on a large scale was new. Let’s examine what it would take to recapture that “New-ness.” Let’s go Back to the Beginning.

Taking a deep breath

I want to thank all of you who have engaged in our discussion about Relationships. I know I have been blessed by the journey. I hope you have as well.

This week we take a deep breath. I won't be preaching this week. I know you will be blessed by the message that God will bring through Joe and Musial this week.

But I will be back the following week. And we're going to go Back to the Beginning. Do you remember what it was like when your most prized things in life were shiny and new? Oh how we treasured them and kept them from harm. Then life comes along and the shine wears off. Soon the objects of desire when they were new become objects of scorn when they appear old to us.

What if we went back to the beginning in many areas of our lives? What would happen if we recaptured our first love? How would we view the gifts God has given us?

So take a deep breath this week and try to go back to the beginning. I know I will.

Relationships|Healthy Conflict

What if we were to examine the conflict in our relationships in the way God intended? What if we stopped to ask God how to deal with difficult situations in our lives? In week four of our Relationship Series we talk about How to Fight Right: How to have Healthy Conflict.

Relationships|Mother and Child

This Sunday we take a look at the relationship between mother and child. Sometimes, those look like a greeting card commercial. Many times those relationships are less than perfect. What would God have us do with those relationships? What does the Bible say about how to honor those who have done so much for us?




You can hear the messages online at www.fairhopeumc.org

Relationships|Dealing with Hurts and Anger

Relationships

Who are you looking for?

Who are you looking for?

A common scene in our house is me going through drawers, looking under stacks of paper and riffling through things my children have left lying around. I’m looking for something. It might be my cell phone, a book I’ve been reading, or a scrap of paper where I wrote down a reminder. It is something of uttermost importance at that moment. And I can’t find it. I get antsy. I go crazy with the thought of losing something.
Then my wife will ask me, “What are you looking for?”
When I tell her, she usually can tell me with a high degree of accuracy. I grab the object of my search, thanking God for giving me a wife that can keep me so balanced.
On the morning that Jesus rose from the dead, a lady named Mary (who lived near Magdela) went out to the Jesus’ tomb. She probably went out there to mourn. She probably felt like she was all out of tears. Someone she loved deeply was gone. She had seen him die a horrible death on Friday. She probably spent all night Friday, all day Saturday, and all night Saturday numb from the shock. On Sunday morning she went to go see how she might cope with this pain at the tomb. When she got there, the tomb is empty. Jesus speaks to her, though at first she doesn’t recognize him. Her tears and grief are consuming her. And then Jesus asks the important question: “Who were you looking for?”
Jesus is probably the most discussed figure in history. Many times he is the most misunderstood. This Easter, who are you looking for? Are you looking for a good teacher, a moral giant, a good example of how to live? Are you looking for a scapegoat, someone to blame, or an object of someone’s wrath? Or are you looking for what Mary found: A God who loves us with such a great love that He would give his only Son to overcome that which we cannot overcome ourselves. Would you go with me to the Empty Tomb this week to look for this Jesus?

Silent Stones

The other morning my five-year-old daughter asked me if we could listen to the sunrise. She wanted to look for the sun to rise—specifically to see if it had spikes on it like in the cartoons. We watched while the sky turned from black to grey to light blue. Then she told me to listen to the sunrise. She wasn’t listening to the celestial object move across the sky. We listened to birds begin their songs. We listened to the nearby dogs and cats begin to explore in the early daylight. We listened to the wind rustle through the trees. We listened to the events of the sunrise.
I am amazed by the small things that we seem to miss when the big things go on around us. Now that it is spring time there is much to consider in this realm. Spring thunderstorms roll through our area and we all talk about the rain. But we don’t often notice the new life on the trees or the flowers of the fields that follow such rains. We may notice the days getting longer, but we don’t look for the new life that the extra hours of sun bring. When I do take time to notice such things I often wonder how I missed them before.
The Bible tells an interesting story about Jesus on the Sunday before the crucifixion. One week before Jesus rose from the dead, He rode into town on a humble donkey colt. His followers shouted his praises as He rode down into the Kidron Valley and up the opposite hill into Jerusalem. Some real self-righteous thinking religious leaders told Jesus to silence His followers. He told them He couldn’t. If they stopped praising what God was doing, then the very rocks would cry out. What if we stopped thanking God for what He has done in our midst? The stories of the Bible and history tell us that God always has a witness to speak on His behalf. As I “hear” the things of creation lift up praise to God, I wonder how loudly they would cry out if we stopped? Will we let the rocks take our rightful place?

This Sunday let's engage in a conversation about those silent stones.

We want to see Jesus

If someone asked you to show them Jesus, what would you say? What would the picture look like? How would you do it? Maybe a picture from a children’s Bible—you know the smiling Jesus who pats little kids on the head. Maybe the morose Jesus in the coffee table Bible who looks all somber and serious.

The book of John tells us about some people who were not yet followers of Jesus who came to Philip—one of Jesus closest followers. They told Philip that they wanted to see Jesus. So Philip goes to the master and tells him that he has some people who want to see him. John doesn’t tell us if Jesus invites them in or if he goes out to see them. But what he does tell us is important. Jesus responses with some vivid language on what he would do to show himself to the world. He talks about how a seed is planted. In order for it bring life, it must die. This, he says is why he came—to die to bring life.

Do you want to see Jesus? What are the things we must die to in order follow him? What is the life Jesus is trying to bring to us? We’ll talk about these things and more this Sunday. Would you join me as we go to see Jesus?

Retracing the Story--An Unequal Exchange

When I was around 10 years old or so we lived in a great neighborhood with many kids. We always had plenty of kids for a football game, complex bicycle stunt shows, or the latest club we had schemed up that week. Our street sloped up a hill and at the top of the hill was Mr. Barber’s yard. He had about 5 acres of neatly mown lawn. All the neighborhood kids were welcome to play in his yard. It was the center of all our childhood devices. Next to the open land was a small stand of woods. There we made forts and defended our neighborhood from imaginary raiders—as soon as school was out, of course.
My friend Pete’s parents were remodeling parts of their house and his dad gave us the old medicine cabinet, sink base cabinet and other cool things for a new fort in the woods. We took great pride in hauling all that stuff down the hill. We had a great fort. It was the envy of any group of kids in the whole town. After just a few short weeks, our fort was destroyed and defaced. Someone had broken all of our things and written horrible things on them. We were crushed.
In my anger I rallied the “gang” against John. John didn’t live on our street. He lived a few houses down on a connecting street. He was something of an outsider in the tight-knit group of our street. Obviously, in my warped logic, John was to blame because he wasn’t in our group right now. He must have been mad about it and destroyed our beloved fort.
John’s dad confronted me on his behalf about my accusations. I was stunned. My bluff had been called and my baseless claims were exposed. I apologized to John, but I had done damage that I don’t think I was ever undone.
Looking back, blaming John really didn’t make any sense, it was just convenient. Our little woods backed up to the fence of the Middle School. It is quite possible that someone from the school saw our hideaway and did the damage. But I wanted someone to blame—and John was nearby. The other neighborhood kids jumped on the bandwagon of blame. John was an unequal exchange—the scapegoat for crimes he didn’t commit.
This week I begin a series of sermons on “Retracing the Story” of Jesus. We begin with “An Unequal Exchange.” In my story, John didn’t bear the punishment of the crime, but we sure tried. Jesus did bear the punishment—for crimes he didn’t commit. Would you retrace the story with me? You see I want to tell John I’m sorry—and I don’t want to make such an exchange again. But I hear the crowds in Jerusalem shouting, “Punish Him! Punish Him!” And the answer is, “But he didn’t do anything.” The crowd shouts only louder, “Punish Him!” And the innocent is exchanged…and equality is mocked.

We're going to make it

I am working on a message this week about operating in God’s economy. God’s economy doesn’t work like our economy. In our economy, we can only operate on the things we see. We try to make forecasts and predictions. Everything has to make sense even before we can begin.

Not so with God’s economy. In God’s economy, we act in faith. We act with the long term in mind. We act with the interest of others in mind first. When we operate in that economy those around us are enriched. We are too are enriched—far beyond what we could ever hope or imagine.

So in the week that I’m preparing this, the stock market tanks 300+ points twice, GM says it probably won’t make it, and AIG is still looking for billions of dollars. It looks like the economy around us is falling apart before our very eyes. I have to admit that sometimes those little nagging doubts creep in my head too. “You’re preparing this message, and the visible evidence seems otherwise. Do you really believe what you’re trying to say?” That’s how it went in my head—over and over again.

The other day, a couple of friends and I were relating stories of our grandparents’ generation. We told stories of the Great Depression. How our grandparents did the best they could with what they had. They learned to use the blessings they had been given—from the simple to the profound. They knew how to rely on their sense of how to grow a garden, to rely on each other as a family, to be frugal, to remember our ultimate source of our blessings in God. And this light bulb went off in my head. It sent those shadows of doubt away. It was, quite simply, “We’re going to make it.” I’ve heard that before and I’ve said it before. But it was a truth that drove down even deeper. We’re going to make it. We aren’t the first to face tough times. We aren’t the first ones to feel uncertainty. And more importantly, we aren’t alone. God is with us.

So I pray this week that I’ll remember how to operate in God’s economy. May I act in faith, to act with the long term in mind, to act with the interest of others first. May I not get caught up in what the numbers on a TV screen say as they float around screaming “experts.” May I look to the One who is far more than I can ever hope or imagine. May I always answer those creeping doubts with this simple truth: “We’re going to make it.”