Merry Christmas

What a joy to celebrate Christmas together.  Here's a link to the video we used in the Gathering service tonight:

Also, here's a copy of the story "Balancing Christmas."  God Bless You and Merry 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.

I've posted some new information and links concerning the Ecuador Mission Journey opportunity in April 2012.  Check out more information at www.fairhopeumc.org/Ecudaor.

Is God calling you to serve on this journey next year?  Contact me if you'd like to talk more.

What’s your story?

Everyone has a story tell.  Everyone. We may think that our stories are uninteresting or unimportant, but that is not so.  We all have a valuable and important story to tell.

It has been that way since the beginning of time.  The Bible is the account of the way God has acted in people’s lives.  It is the story of God’s faithfulness to His covenant that He made with His people.  Though the people turned away from that covenant, He remained true, time and time again.  Throughout the generations--around the world--God remains faithful.  The people of God continue to tell those stories.  We see the stories of the people in people like Adam, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, the prophets and many more in the Old Testament.  In the New Testament the story of God’s work comes forth in the person of Jesus Christ.  That story continues in the book of Acts people like Peter, Paul, and John.

But does the story go on?  Does the story of God working in the lives of people end after the accounts of the Bible are complete?  Is there still a story to tell today?  I resoundingly say, “YES!”  When we’ve seen God work in our lives, we have a story to tell, and we can and should tell it. We all have a story to tell.

A few years ago Steve Hartman produced a segment on CBS where he sought out people’s stories.  He did a masterful job of telling their stories to the rest of us.  One of my favorites is here.

Stories are a powerful way to teach us how God works in our lives.  We can be changed, transformed, and moved in powerful ways by the stories.

So what about you? Would you tell us your stories so that we can share them and encourage others with them?  I would love to share our stories with one another.   Would you share your story?  You can do that my an email or a comment below.  Tell it in a video or song.  Maybe it is by some other form.  But PLEASE tell us the story so that we can spur one another on and to see the ways that God is working in our lives.  

Remember, EVERYONE has a story.  And yours is worth telling.

On the Sidelines?

We are in a very exciting time of the year. Like many of you, I’ve watched several games on the grid iron. I’m often struck by the players who are on the sidelines, but want to get into the game. The desire is evident: they want to get into the game to try to make a difference. But the rules of the game won’t let them play, yet. The church, however, doesn’t have the same rules. There are opportunities for all of us to get into the game!

    

We are just a few weeks away from our culmination of the Treasures of the Transformed Life. I appreciate the way you’ve engaged in the discussion about our promise of upholding the church with our Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service and Witness. There are some great ways before us that we can continue to live out these promises. Among several others, I offer these up to you to help you get off the sidelines and into the game.

We will roll up our sleeves for another “Love Fairhope” workday on October 15. We will partner with several area churches to serve the people of our community. I will lead an “Invitation to the Old Testament” beginning October 19. This is a wonderful Bible Study that helps us see our roots in the books of the Old Testament.   We begin a new opportunity for service in Costa Rica the week of October 23. We have partnered with Ray and Lidia Zirkel for several years. This fall we expand that partnership. Please support the team with your prayers and other support: before, during, and after our trip.

No matter what your role in these opportunities, I urge you to not remain on the sidelines this fall. There are several ways for you to make a difference in the lives of others. Instead of rules that only allow 11 players in the game at a time, the Church needs EVERYONE in the game. When we all participate, amazing things happen. We don’t do this for our sake, but for the sake of Christ Himself and to fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. At Fairhope UMC, we do that when we Reach~Equip~Serve. So come, get into the game!

Worship-Part 3

Worship is also about REST.  Let’s face it, we have trouble resting. Our culture doesn’t always know how to rest.  Sometimes we even look down upon those who rest as lazy or unproductive.  To be the child of God that He has called us to be, we need to rest.  We must take a deep breath: spiritually, emotionally, physically.

Worship is a time of REST.  We REST in the arms of the God who loves us and desires that we too love Him.  He wants us to cast our cares upon Him and take rest from the burdens that the world, others, or even ourselves have placed upon us.

In our worship we can sometimes get so caught up in singing about God or reading about God or hearing about God that we forget that worship is an experience OF God.  We experience God’s love so that we too might be changed more into the likeness of Him.   Have you ever considered how you might move from all those things about God and move into a restful experience of God?

The REST in our worship is also a preparation to be a part of the ongoing work of the Kingdom of God outside the walls of our worship spaces.  As United Methodists, we affirm the priesthood of all believers and we can all minister to one another through Word, action, and deed.  The things that happen to use in worship--Power, the Joy, The Rest--are not intended to stay there.  They are not to stay in the worship space or in the time frame of our worship.

Our worship truly takes on a whole new meaning when we live our that which we say and do in worship.  We affirm that God is all powerful, that He forgive sins, that the saints are to commune together, and that our body will live on (among other things).  Do our actions reflect forgive, community, power, and a view of eternity in all that we do?

Wherever you worship this week, do so in POWER, JOY, and REST.  Do it not for your sake, but for the sake of the LORD.  You’ll be amazed at what happens--to you and to those around you.

Worship, Part 2 of 3

   In worship we have the opportunity to live out the JOY of being disciples, followers, of Jesus Christ.  He is the resurrected and living LORD.  Fully human and fully God, now ascended into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father.  That same power the raised Jesus from the dead--that made the blind to see, the lame to walk, that set the captives free--is at work in our lives in our worship of God.  

We forget that JOY when we feel pressure to pursue the status quo in worship.   When we bring our expectations of what we did last time and expect it to be the same this time.  When we worry about the questions that are secondary to our primary call we lose the JOY of worship.  

Questions like:
Are we going to sing the songs I want to sing?
Am I going to hear something that I want to hear?
Am I going to get “fed” today?
Is it going to finish when I want it to be over?
Are we going to say the things I want to say?

These questions focus too much on the "what" of worship.  Experiencing the JOY of worship is the "how."  The main thing is not necessarily WHAT we do in worship, but HOW we worship.  Christian worship never compromises the focus of Jesus Christ and the work that He did on the Cross.  As the Only Son of God, He makes the way for us to know God.  We do so today by the power of the Holy Spirit.  That is a JOYOUS thing!  Are you ready to experience that JOY?

We experience the JOY of worship when we engage fully.  We must participate with our entire being: heart, mind, body, and soul.  Remember that JOY is different than mere happiness.  Happiness is contingent upon our immediate circumstances.  JOY is an attitude.  We may not feel JOY when we come into worship.  But through our worship, we experience a JOY that is like no other--the JOY of the LORD.  We do so not for our sake, but for His.  Take the Psalms for an example of the JOY in worship. The Psalms were and still are often used in Worship.  The word “rejoice” appears no less than 55 times in the Psalms.  When we worship the LORD in Spirit and Truth we can do nothing but experience His JOY for His sake.

Worship--Part 1

The United Methodist Church’s stated mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  We fulfill that mission through participating in discipleship through our prayers, our presences, our gifts, our service, and our witness.  One of the most visible ways we do that is through our corporate worship.


Whether we are new to worship or have participated in worship as long as we can remember, it is helpful to occasionally reflect upon our worship. What happens in worship?  How should it be done?  What is our role in worship?


In my congregation we worship on Sunday morning.  We spend a great deal of time preparing for those worship services.  Every word said has been carefully prayed over.  Music has been rehearsed.  The worship space has been prepared.  


So, how do we, as members of a congregation coming to worship, prepare ourselves for worship?  Worship, believe it or not, takes some work.  It is a holy work.  It is work worth doing.  It is work that does not exhaust, but refreshes.  Whether we participate in a uniform, regular order of worship or not, we all participate in a “Liturgy.”  Liturgy literally means “the work of the people.”  Liturgy does not have to be confined to something we read through in traditional worship.  


It is indeed powerful to remember, participate, and celebrate the traditions of the centuries of worship that came before us.  But all worship: traditional, contemporary, emerging, etc. is a form of “liturgy” as a WORK OF THE PEOPLE.  Worship is not a spectator’s sport.  That refreshing work comes when the people of God prepare themselves.  True worship occurs when we bring OURSELVES to the worship of God.  This requires more than our mere physical presence.  This requires our entire being.


Worship is powerful!  There is power when the people of God come to worship.  The power is already there in the Person and Presence of the Holy Spirit.  We don’t have to force it or make it happen.  He is already there.  Sometimes we are unaware of the power the surrounds us.  It is then that our worship will feel dry and empty.


The Holy Spirit is working in worship.  The difference is how we prepare for that encounter.  We must open ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit by reverent and careful preparation.  When we come to worship we must put aside our physical distractions: the phones or other things that would take us away from the Spirit’s work.  We must put aside our expectations, our demands, or our preconceived ideas.  We cannot be concerned with making sure we “sing the right songs” or “say the right things” or “hear the right sermon.”  Instead we must be concerned how our worship of God glorifies Him alone and transforms us in the process.

What is your purpose?

How would you define your purpose?  By purpose we mean: desire, destination, determination, function, mission, objective, point, reason.  Have you ever considered your purpose?  Does everyone have a purpose?  How would you begin to find out your purpose?


Some might say to “live a long and happy life.”  How would you know when you accomplished that?  Some might say to “have fun.”  Sounds like a great goal, but is that really a purpose?  Some might say to “be a good person and take care of my family.”  How do you define a “good” person?  How do you take care of your family?


In The Gathering we are in a study of the book of Philippians.  Paul tells the church at Philippi “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Philippians 2:1-2.


What is that 1 purpose, that spirit, that love of which Paul speaks?  Later in chapter 2 he illustrates that in the example of Jesus Christ.  The One who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself to show us how to love, how to live, to show us OUR PURPOSE!


Let’s join in the discussion about purpose.  Let’s reconcile this idea together.  Let’s prayerfully seek out our purpose together.  If you miss any of the sermons, they are available online at www.fairhopeumc.org/mediapulpit or on iTunes.

A New School Year and the Blessing of the Backpacks

The new school year is about to begin.  Over the weekend, our living room floor was covered with new school supplies.  My children carefully lined up packs of paper, binders, markers, pencils, pens, and other necessities.  They carefully labeled each one and placed each in the proper holder, ready for our “meet the teacher” day.   A new energy fills the house when the school supplies show up.  Though we are sorry to see summer go, we are excited about the year that is ahead.  We seem to everything we need and just in time.

I have a feeling that this is the same in many homes across our community and across the nation.  We have prepared with school supplies, uniforms, lunch boxes and backpacks.  But have we prepared with the most important thing: Prayer?  Is prayer for our students, teachers, administrators, and support staff an afterthought or a priority?  Oswald Chambers is credited as saying, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.”

When I was teaching school I learned a great lesson from a colleague.  At the beginning of the new school year, she would call the parents of each of her 125 or so students.  She would introduce herself and ask about some extra ideas to help each child succeed.  That set the tone for a positive school environment for the whole year.  If she had to make a phone call to deal with a negative issue later, at least the first call (and the first impression) had been a positive one.

What if we all did the same thing for our TEACHERS this year?  What if we take the first step in letting our teachers, administrators and support staff know that we have prayed for our children, their teachers, and all involved in the school?  We could let the teachers know that we appreciate them and we are here to support them in a partnership in the education of our children and community.  What a wonderful way for all of us to start the school year.

At Fairhope UMC we will celebrate the beginning of the school year with a “Blessing of the Backpacks” in all services on Sunday, August 14.  We encourage all students to BRING YOUR BACKPACKS TO CHURCH!  We will pray for you, your teachers, and all involved in our schools this year.  Just as we have covered our homes in school supplies, let us cover those materials, our school, our homes, and all involved in the education of our children with prayer as well!

Recreate

Summer has always been my favorite season. I love to be on the beach, on the water, cooking out, hiking, camping, or anything else I can find to do outdoors. In the summer, my family and I like to get away for a while. We turn off our cellphones and hit the road. I like to find new places to see and experience as a family. The wonder on our children’s faces that accompanies their “WOW” is priceless.

In the middle of our summer travels and activities, I encourage all of us not only to recreate but to RE-CREATE. The Oxford English Dictionary lists several related words and phrases: “bring back to life”; “regenerate”; “reinvent”; (and my favorite) “give room to breathe.” This summer I encourage you to continually RE-CREATE your relationship with Christ. Be faithful to your daily Bible Study, to prayer, to service, to worship attendance, to giving, and to the other means of grace. When you are in town, be present and active in worship, study, and service. As you travel, find other United Methodist congregations to join along in worship. We have been blessed to see our connections with others around the country and around the world.
Hear these words from Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30, in the Message translation:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

The Aliens and Strangers (Ephesians 2:19)

There is a letter circulating among United Methodist Clergy. It deals with the recently passed HB56 that relates to people in Alabama who are not United States Citizens.  I'd love to hear your feedback and discussion on the issue:

An Open Letter to Governor Robert Bentley, Senator Scott Beason, and Representative Micky Hammon:

Forty-eight years ago, while sitting in a Birmingham jail cell, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote that, just as Christians have a moral duty to obey just laws, they also have a moral duty to disobey unjust ones. We are a group of United Methodist ministers from all across the state of Alabama who believe that HB 56 is an unjust law. Both proponents and opponents of the bill have described HB 56 as the "toughest immigration law in the country." Among other measures to halt illegal immigration, it gives police the ability to stop anyone they have a "reasonable suspicion" may be here illegally. It requires schools to verify the immigration or citizenship status of students. It denies bail to anyone arrested for being here illegally. And, it makes it a crime for a citizen to associate with someone who is here illegally, whether that be inviting them to one's home or church or giving them a ride in a car. 

We know that many who support this law are well-meaning individuals who are seeking to find the state's best interest at heart: they are people who are worried about employment in this fragile economy and some feel that the state is strained to pay for services like health care, police and fire protection, and education for those who may be here illegally.   

These are all valid concerns.  We believe, however, that many elements of this law are not in the state's best interest. Teachers and principals are already stretched thin and have suffered tremendous budget cuts. Requiring them to also verify the immigration status of students will, in all likelihood, cost rather than save money and can only distract them from their most important task: preparing our children to succeed. Prohibiting bond to people who are here illegally means that more and more people will be kept in jails that are already overcrowded and understaffed. Finally, this law will most certainly be challenged in court and could cost the state millions of dollars at a time when nearly every state board and agency must accept budget cuts in this economy. 

As Christian ministers, however, we not only believe that this law is not in the state's best interest, but we also believe it contradicts the essential tenets of the Christian faith. Scripture is filled with examples of God's people wandering as "aliens and strangers."  In the Old Testament, God reminds the people, "You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt (Exodus 22:21)." Jesus told parables about people like the Good Samaritan - someone who was not considered a true Jewish citizen - stopping to help a battered and beaten man while the leaders of the people passed him by. And the apostle Paul taught us that in Christ there is "no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, but all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)." 

We believe that God's call for the United Methodist church is to be a church for ALL people, to be in ministry to ALL people. HB 56 would define many of our churches and many people in our churches as lawbreakers. United Methodist across the state welcome all people, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, to our churches, activities, and programs. Many of our fastest growing churches are Spanish-speaking, and we do not check people's immigration status at the door. In response to Jesus' admonition in the parable of the Last Judgment to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked and welcome the stranger, many churches have ministries to care for those who are poor by providing them with food, shelter, and transportation. Again, we do not check people's immigration status before inviting them into our church vans and cars.  We United Methodist clergy will continue to be in ministry to all people and we call on all United Methodists to do the same. 

In Christ's Peace,

True to your word?

We approach the week that Christians celebrate Palm Sunday.  The Sunday before Easter, this Sunday commemorates the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem on the week that He was crucified.  People heard that He was coming and they had also heard about the miraculous things He'd done, the healings, the teaching.  They had heard that He was a king.  They were ready to make Him their King--or so they thought.  

The people were suffering under a difficult Roman rule.  They had little say-so in how things were done.  They were ready to be free and handle their own affairs.  Jesus, they thought, would be the one to give them the self-rule they desired.  On Sunday, they were ready to call Him King.  On Friday, they called Him a criminal.  They were not true to their word.  What changed?

What changed was certainly not Jesus' message.  He said that His Kingdom was not of this world.  He said that He would turn all the expectations upside down.  He said that following Him would require that we give up everything else.  

Maybe the difference was that people finally saw what Jesus meant.  They saw the Gospel demonstrated to the fullest extent: the Righteous One giving up His life for us all--even while we were yet sinners, and even before we could understand what He was doing.

You see, it is easy to SAY that we want Jesus to be our King.  But to put into action requires more than we are often willing to give.  Jesus' message is one of:

being meek when we want to be strong

being peacemakers when we want to fight

loving those who in insult us

going two miles when someone asks us to go one mile

loving our enemies and not just our friends

giving extravagantly without earthly acknowledgement or reward

following the narrow road

laying down our very life--even when others will not appreciate it

That flies in the face of everything we want to do.  That's our human condition.  But it is the Gospel's call requires us to follow this Christ, even when we don't want to or don't always understand what He's doing.

Those of us who say that we are followers of Jesus must then ask ourselves, "Are we being true to our word?"  Like those that were waving the palm branches that day, we've said that Jesus is King.  With our actions, are we being true to that word?  Or are we like those who called Him a criminal by ignoring His teaching, His words and His example?  

As we approach this Palm Sunday, it is my prayer that we would encourage one another to remember God's encouragement to us: "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one anther--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

The noise of noise

     As a teenager, I’d borrow my dad’s truck on a weekend night and head off for untold adventures.  As many teenagers will tell you, a weekend drive requires the right soundtrack.  I had collected best songs, pop in my homemade tape and crank up the volume.  Unconsciously, I’d turn up the volume throughout the evening.  The music seemed to keep us going when we were looking for that extra pickup.

However, I frequently made the same mistake upon my return home.  I’d forget to turn down the stereo when I got out of the truck.  The next morning my dad would get in and would be blasted out of his seat by my roaring stereo setting.  He’d come stomping into the house, questioning how in the world I could listen to music that loud.  He couldn’t imagine anyone’s ears surviving such a torturous volume.  I admitted that it seemed loud on Saturday morning, much louder than I remembered it Friday night.

Psychologists tell us that this is an example of desensitization.  In order for us to perceive the music to be as loud as it was previously, we have to turn it up.  Our ears grow accustomed to the noise and it must be louder than before to hear it at same level.  After a night of rest and silence, the same volume coming out of the stereo seems unbearably loud, though we never noticed it the night before.

Desensitization occurs in the human mind too.  Experiments have shown that our brains will tune out that which we hear often.  Test after test have shown that we grow accustomed to injustice or evil or oppression and we unconsciously ignore it.  What can save us from such a neglect of that which we know is right and acceptance of the wrong?  

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus was treated with injustice with evil with oppression.  He was mocked, tortured, humiliated, and forced to carry his own instrument of execution.  We may hear the story so frequently that we forget just how loud this message is.  Like that stereo, we don’t hear the sounds that normal people hear.  We’ve missed the power of the travesty of the situation.What can save us from such a neglect of that which we know is right and acceptance of the wrong?  

SILENCE.

Sometimes we need a personal silence, a personal rest.  We need to quietly empty ourselves of the noise around us.  The noise of personal agendas, of pressures from the world, of expectations must be silenced to hear the power of the story.  Maybe we will hear a new power in the story.  Maybe we will hear the story for the first time.  

As we travel together this season of Lent (a time of preparation for the remembrance of Jesus’ work on the Cross) may we find the beauty of the silence.  May we find the beauty of emptying of that which keeps us from hearing the story.  May we rid ourselves of the noise of noise. 

May we then hear the loud cries of God’s Love for us anew.

Status, access, power and stuff?

I recently heard a news story on the radio about a new way to encourage people to obey the law.  You can see the story for yourself here.  It seems that some communities are giving REWARDS for people who OBEY the speed limit.  The law-abiding citizens get to split a pot of money, if they are selected in the lottery of speed limit following drivers.  The money comes from a portion of fines levied against speeders. 

The guest for the story, Gabe Zichermann, said this type of thing is popular because we are motivated by four things: status, access, power and stuff.   Zichermann may be correct in that assertion.  But are these the principles by which we should be guided?


It is as simple as looking at the story of the Good Samaritan.  (You can read the story for yourself here.)  Jesus told the story of a man who was lying on the roadside, having been beaten and robbed, and unable to move.  The righteous and religious people passed him by--probably afraid of putting themselves in a precarious situation.  But a Samaritan stops to help.  Samaritans were despised and looked down upon by Jesus' first hearers.  A Samaritan as the hero of a story turned all their expectations upside-down.


The Samaritan picks up the victim of the road-side crime and cares for him.  Then he takes him to the an inn and pays for everything.  He puts down enough money for the man to stay as long as he needs.  The Samaritan tells the inn keeper, "Anything else he needs, put it on my tab."  


Jesus finishes the story with this charge: "Go and do likewise."  No rewards, no status, no access to special privileges, no power, no stuff.  The Samaritan decided to shun all postions of status, access, power and stuff to show true compassion and justice.


The Gospel's Call is to forgo the desires for the temporal things that come with status, access, power and stuff.  That's much easier said than done.  But Jesus commanded us to do so.  Therefore He will make the way for us to do so, when we follow His Call.  


As Brian Russell says, "The status we embrace establishes the limits of our ability to reach others with the Gospel."  Emptying ourselves of status always increases our ability to show God's compassion and justice.

What would fear drive you to do?

While waiting for a train to take him from Chattanooga to Memphis on July 4, 1956, a trip of some 400 miles, Elvis sits at the lunch counter to have some breakfast. The woman standing had ordered a sandwich for which she was waiting, but was not able to sit at the counter.

While waiting for a train to take him from Chattanooga to Memphis on July 4, 1956, a trip of some 400 miles, Elvis sits at the lunch counter to have some breakfast. The woman standing had ordered a sandwich for which she was waiting, but was not able to sit at the counter.

A part of our human condition is fear.  Fear can be a healthy thing.  It can keep us out of dangerous situations and preserve life and limb.  However, history has shown that fear can also get the best of us.  Fears, when they are out of control, can lead us to say destructive things, to hurt others, or try to eliminate entire groups of people.

Racial segregation comes quickly to mind.  We’ve suffered from this fear lived out, not just in the South, but across the nation.  We can fear that which is different from us when do not seek to understand it.  Fear of other people has lead us to war throughout time.  It led to mass persecution of Christians.  These are only to name a few.

Jesus faced the wrath of another’s fear.  In the early morning hours of the day of His crucifixion, Jesus was the subject of a farce of a trial at the home of Caiaphas the High Priest.  The religious leaders were afraid of what Jesus might be--the Messiah that did not come as they expected He should.  Jesus was so much more. They feared His words that might even condemn their self-righteousness.  They feared what His teachings might require of them. Their fears led them to condemn an innocent man to die a horrible death.

What do we do with our fears?  Do we face them with the love that Jesus taught and lived?  About this love with which Jesus responded, the Bible says: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18.

Does Agony mean Defeat?

Vinko Bogataj of Yugoslavia at a ski jumping 

event in Oberstdorf, West Germany in 1970.

From when I was a boy, I remember weekends and watching sports with my dad.  From the television, I could hear the familiar intro music to “ABC’s Wide World of Sports.”  Jim McKay promised us that they were “spanning the globe” to bring us “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”  I always made it in the room in time to see a great ski jumper have a bad run and wipe out on the slope and into the crowd.  I don’t remember his great jumps, but we remember him for his failed attempt that day.


We all face such agonies.  We have done our best time and time again, then we face a difficulty that sets us back.  Sometimes this is of our own doing.  Sometimes it is by things beyond our control.

However, agony does not have to mean defeat.  What we do in the midst of the agony determines defeat or victory.  Yes, there are agonies we bring upon ourselves: the consequences of poor choices, running after things of the world, etc.  There are agonies that happen to us beyond our control, for example a change in health, the loss of a loved one, a natural disaster like in Japan recently.  But how will we respond in those agonies?

Jesus was in agony as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane late Thursday night and early Friday morning of what we call Holy Week--the week before Easter.  He was in agony in the deepest way--praying until His sweat came like drops of blood.  His response to the agony was to throw Himself into prayer and upon the will of God, His Father.

The agony did not immediately pass, but He was sustained in the middle of it.  The will of God brought forth more victory than an immediate fix to the agony.  Though it appeared that all was lost, God never abandoned His Son.

He offers the same for us and for those in the midst of agony around us and around the world.  How will we respond?  Will we, as Jesus did, throw ourselves to the will of God?  Will we offer hope and comfort to those who are in agony now?  Will we demonstrate that agony does not have to mean defeat?

United Methodists Respond to Emergency in Japan

United Methodists respond to emergency in Japan

The United Methodist Church has been at work in Japan for several years. The United Methodist Committee On Relief is connecting with our partners to assess the damage resulting from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We are holding all affected in prayer. To support UMCOR's response to emergencies like this please give to Pacific Emergency, UMCOR Advance #3021317.

100% of your donations go directly to the relief work with

NO ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS withheld.

We continue to be respond to the needs for the months and years to come and will seek to follow God's leading to bring hope and restoration to the people of Japan.

What memories define you?

Memories are a powerful thing.  The memory of an event can alter a life.  The emotions associated with a memory can paralyze use or empower us to change the world.  How we allow those memories to define us can influence the decisions we make for a lifetime.

The Christian tradition is full of memories.  We inherit it from our roots of Judaism.  The memory is an important part of the Jewish past as well as the future.  This is apparent if you visit the Holocaust Memorials.  I’ve seen the one in Washington, D.C. and in Jerusalem. The overall message is: REMEMBER so that this will never happen again.

We also should remember certain events so that they DO happen again.  Certainly Jesus had this in mind at the Last Supper.  He was celebrating the Passover meal with His disciples.  The Passover is all about memories and tradition.  We are to remember that God’s people were slaves, but now are free.  In much the same way Jesus was declaring to the people that they were once slaves to sin and death, but He was about to set them free in ways they could never imagine.

We remember this still when we celebrate Holy Communion.  Jesus told us to do this in remembrance of Him.  He gave the disciples the cup on that Thursday night and told them it was a New Covenant offered to them.  Certainly they must have remembered the words from the prophet Jeremiah, 

31 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
   “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
   and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
   I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
   to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
   though I was a husband to them,”
            declares the LORD.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
   after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
   and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
   and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
   or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
   from the least of them to the greatest,”
            declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
   and will remember their sins no more.”

What memories define us?  Hurtful memories of the past?  Or memories of a God who gave His all for us?  What will we do with those memories and how will we let God use them to change us and the world?

I look forward to exploring these with you this Sunday.

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. :)