2009-What a Year!

I have been hearing and reading all about 2009 and what a year it was. It’s everywhere this time of year…the good; the bad; and yes, the ugly. Well I decided to do some reflecting on 2009 at Beulah (as best I could with 6 months tenure)…and what a year it’s been! Beulah lost two dearly loved members to death in 2009: a patriarch and a youth, and celebrated four births this year. One member transferred to another UM church, while six persons transferred to Beulah from other churches. We celebrated fifteen baptisms in 2009, taking place here in the church, at a pond, and at another UM church. That translates to 18 professions of faith in 2009, which equates to 24 new members this year. In December our monthly worship attendance reached an all time high (for the records I have) at 171. Our average worship attendance for 2009 now stands at 130, a gain of eight over 2008. However numbers do not tell the entire story…in 2009 Beulah voted to become a single-point charge, bucking the trend in our conference of yoking churches together. Beulah received a new clergy family in July and then, while many churches are cutting back and turning inward, voted to build a new parsonage and a storage building: a project valued at over $230,000. Say what you want about 2009…but I say satan has no power over us; God still moves among us; and Beulah is on fire for Jesus…Praise His mighty name! I can't wait to see what God will do in 2010.

Who Is My Brother?

Here's Tuesday's post.

I was involved in a conversation earlier today that repeatedly touched on community. One question I walked away with is how do we, Christians, accurately define community? I think too many churches define community as the body of believers in the church. And all too often that community looks very much like us. So where does that put those who don’t look like us…or think like us? Do they have a different or separate community of their own? Should we even broadly define community as persons with common interests, policies, or beliefs? Isn’t that limiting God’s notion of community (I know we are very good at limiting God, but should we do that)? If we define community as a specific tribe (denomination) doesn’t that limit God’s idea of community…after all, God had twelve tribes. Isn’t this the same issue the Church faced in the first century…gentiles and Jews…male or female…slave or free? Seems to me all are God’s children (at least that is how I would interpret God’s view of humanity), and any time we redefine community to be something less than ‘all’ we are building walls…walls that God never intended to be built. Unless of course, God did not mean to include everyone when John wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Don’t mistakenly define our community as those who “believe in him.” God has clearly defined it as “the world.”

Job Security...of sorts!

This text was written for posting on Monday, but our internet service has been down and was just recently restored…so better late than never!
I am grieving today and God has shown me where the pain comes from: it’s the finality. At 7:00 this morning our daughter Samantha left for California with her Prince Charming. They’ve been married for over a month now and I knew this was coming, but when they left here with their pick-up loaded full of her stuff…even the stuff that has been stored in our garage since she left for college, it hit me: my little girl’s gone…that and the fact that California is a long, long way from Sumner, IL (way over 2 hours!). Many of you know me…I welcome change; I think change is essential, but the finality is hard. It is one thing to change with the safety net of going back if it doesn’t work out…but she’s not daddy’s little girl anymore; never will be. She now has someone else to call when her car is making a noise; someone else to ‘fix’ her problems; someone else who loves her at least as much as I do: bottom line is I’ve been replaced…at least part of me has. But that’s okay…I guess…I have four other girls and the youngest will probably not ride into the sunset with her Prince Charming for another 18 to 24 years. And who knows, maybe then it will be time for a fat boy!

Good Reading!

Do you read your Christmas cards? Not just look at them…but read them…the words. I don’t get too excited about cards cause they are so expensive and are generally sent to those who know Christ, but some are really neat and could be a tremendous evangelism tool. I have shared my view on Christmas with some of you before…how it pales in comparison to Easter. Well, yesterday I received a Christmas card that says it so well. It reads, “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.” What a great card to send to someone who is more in relationship with the world around them than they are with the Savior (or to anyone!). My prayer for every person who reads today’s blog is that you will come to know the full extent of God’s love for you. Celebrate the birth of Jesus with one eye on the baby and one on the resurrected Christ. Merry Christmas!

The Perfect Gift

It’s Christmas Eve-eve and I’ve just read a devotional on gifts and giving from “God is in the Small Stuff at Christmas.” Now, suddenly my thoughts have turned toward gift-giving. No…I am not one of those husbands who would dare give his wife an ice scraper, batteries, and assorted candy bars from Casey’s (you see, anyone can learn from experience if they pay attention)! It’s just that our culture has elevated gift-giving to its highest form at Christmas. And why shouldn’t we? Christmas is when God gave the Greatest Gift ever to us. If we are created in His image, shouldn’t giving gifts to those we love come naturally? Yeah, I think so, but are you showing the love of God in your giving? If so, Bruce and Stan suggest your gifts will 1) be exactly what is needed; 2) be a gift they weren’t expecting; 3) involve a sacrifice. After all God's Gift to us meets that criteria. In the book, Harlan Miller offers this reasoning, “Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmastime with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don’t quite know how to put our love into words.” He may be on to something.

Love Came Down

I have been chasing my tail again…there are so many things going on in our lives and the life of the Church the weeks before Christmas. Last week the girls had their school program up at Petty and I must say they did an impressive job…not just my kids (though they were), but especially the third and fourth graders who did an extraordinary job of singing Handel’s Messiah (no, they did not use flash cards, they sang it!). There was also the (final) two days of work to pull off the Live Nativity…but you’ve already heard all about that. And then the Beulah family grew last Saturday morning with the birth of Hadlie Mae Scott. Perhaps the celebration of a birth is just what we need to celebrate THE birth! A miracle in itself, the birth of a child reminds us of what happened so long ago, only it took place in a stable…a dirty, smelly stable with the animals kicking up dust and…well you know why it was smelly. That is the scene our Redeemer chose to arrive in; not the sanitized view most of us hold in our minds of the manger scene. Knowing this causes a great truth to resonate with me even more: God loved us…loved us enough to endure what we don’t even want to think of…loved us so much that he sent his only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Praise God for His love made know thru Christmas.

He Was Here!

So here’s a quiz for you…What do you get when you add two days of work, over fifty volunteers (my estimate), musicians galore, dozens of animals, gobs of cookies and over 1350 visitors? Yeah, you guessed it; you get the 2009 Live Nativity at Beulah UMC. This was my first time here, as either a helper or a spectator, and it was impressive…very impressive! Now, I want you to know it wasn’t the 3 miles of luminaries, or the cutouts, or the live animals, or the scenery, or the music, or the cookies, or even the fellowship that impressed me…though each of those were certainly impressive…I was impressed by the spirit of the event, because that spirit was holy. From the beginning of Friday to the late hours of Saturday (or was it the wee hours of Sunday?) there was a powerful presence of God’s Holy Spirit moving among us. I have attended live nativities before and I’ve worked at some…but I have never felt the presence of God so real among the workers and visitors as I felt here at Beulah. Now it could just be that I was more receptive to the Spirit’s leading this year (I think being here at Beulah does that to a person!)…but early on I sensed a Spirit of purpose and surrender that took our feeble efforts and used them to point to the One whose birth we were honoring. Great job Beulah…I cannot wait to see what next year brings...I'll try to get pictures up soon on the website.

The Silent Monks

Are you stressed yet…frustrated…depressed? It seems ironic, doesn’t it, that during this season of hope so many people end up feeling hopeless? Add to that our confusion…even Christmas confusion. Did you know that Scripture never says “the lion and the lamb” will live/eat/lie together? Check it out; it’s the wolf and the lamb (Isaiah 11:6 & 65:25)! Say what you want, many people struggle this time of year…and what might be a quick fix for our condition? Well, we are told to make music in our hearts to the Lord and I am one of those who believe that laughter is great medicine…so with a Christmas theme, here’s something that is good for what ails you…musically speaking (or not!). Thanks to one of my readers who sent this to me yesterday…take six minutes and enjoy the whole thing…if you’ve not taken a vow of silence, you might even want to sing along! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSk8h1oG8nY

Too Busy to be Blessed...Never!

I’ve been busier than a…well, I’ve been busy. So many things going on this time of year, but the demand on my time has largely come from me trying to manage my blessings! Last Saturday, along with 20+ others, I worked on the luminaries for the Live Nativity…some three miles of them I was told. What a blessing to have that time of fellowship and accomplishment with others. Sunday morning worship was a tremendous blessing…Beulah’s Children’s Christmas program was, I’ve been told, the best one in years. I don’t know about that, but it was great! The singing…the speaking parts…the message…all done with precision and the end result was powerful! Then Sunday evening I was blessed with a wonderful compliment when someone told me I was a “great fit” for the church here. Wow! Then on Monday I attended a meeting…now I will confess that it is rare that I am blessed by a meeting, but this was a district youth leaders meeting. What a blessing to meet with others who want to equip and encourage the youth in our churches. The economy may be lagging, the weather gloomy, the outlook bleak…but our God still sits on the throne and walking with Him the future looks bright...and the blessings abound! Now I gotta go make room for more blessings…covenant group today.

I Love Decorations!

I’ve had several people ask me how decorating your home with Christmas decorations can be more dangerous than riding a motorcycle…well here’s the answer. Thanks to a great friend who understood my sentiments and sent me this picture. I realize the guy isn’t very bright for using that short of a ladder, but I just want to know who the jerk was who, rather than setting the ladder back up, decided to take the picture…think it was his wife?! (Actually this IS a decoration that a homeowner put up and was later advised by the local police to take down...he did after a 65 year-old woman ran up and climed the ladder to save the decoration hanging from the gutter! How clever...but stupid joke.) Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Lord, Send Me Someone Rude!

Did you read yesterday’s devotion in the Upper Room? (Here’s a link to read it: http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/default.asp?month=12&day=8&year=2009&x=105&y=11 ) Rather stinging isn’t it? I will confess that I am constantly juggling thoughts and tasks in my mind, so much so, that at times I forget what I am doing. It also seems that daily I run across people who are short or rude to me in some way or another, and while my practice is to pray for them…silently…it never crossed my mind that they might need someone to talk to! And while it only takes a moment to ask someone about their day, what a gift and witness in our busy world it is to give someone your time! Jesus said others will know we are his by our love (John 13:35), what better way to express love for someone than by caring for them! It’s too easy to silently pray for someone and it’s even easier to snap back at them. Besides, neither of those are a witness for Christ, let alone a bold witness. But to care enough to ask them if they’re okay, or if they’re having a bad day…in our day and age that is a bold witness. So here’s my prayer for each of us (including myself)…that God would put in our paths someone who is struggling and desperately needs someone to care for them, and then I pray that the Holy Spirit would give us the boldness to be a caring witness for Jesus Christ.

I Must Be Getting Old-er

I recently had a revelation. Last Friday evening I watched the final episode of Monk. I don’t watch much television…never have…but sometimes a character connects, or something, and you look forward to getting in their head. Perhaps I liked Monk because we are so much alike…perhaps it was the witty writers…at any rate the show struck a cord with me. It was the one television show (along with the news of course) that I tried to make time for. However, that has little to do with my revelation except that it was while I was watching the final episode of Monk that I realized how much I had become my father. I remember him sitting in his recliner watching the Dallas episode, “Who Shot JR?” How repulsive! It’s not that I hate my dad or anything like that, but I do remember his fascination with the series and how he absolutely could not miss it…especially that episode! To compound my revelation, I recently caught part of a show called “Crazy Christmas Lights” on one of those home improvement channels and I began to ponder just what 50 thousand twinkling Christmas lights might look like on a parsonage…too scary! I am not sure if my fascination was with the three months time investment it took to prepar the display, or the computer driven animation complete with synchronized music, or with the danger of the task (did you know decorating your home in an extreme fashion is more dangerous than riding a Harley…or any motorcycle!), regardless, my dad showed up again…if I start fertilizing the yard, someone please kick me!

Pearl Harbor Day

There is way too much swirling around in my head this morning. First of all is the snow. There’s not much…just about right…just enough for Anna and I to start our morning with a rousing rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Well, rousing might be overstating it, but we did give it our best until we realized we couldn’t finish the first verse…so we hummed a bit longer and with smiles on our faces went to breakfast. It was there the radio reminded me that today is December 7. The “day which will live in infamy,” as Roosevelt called it, is now better known as Pearl Harbor Day…and while still observed, it seems with time to be slowly slipping from our collective memories into history. Regardless of your age, if you have the time I would recommend a few minutes visiting this link. You’ll find historic photos of the devastation which was wrought upon our military base in the Pacific, along with photos of the monuments that our nation has erected in honor of the fallen. http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS329US329&q=dec+7+1941&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=yBkdS6-sOY2yNrTb2PMC&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=7&ved=0CCMQsAQwBg
I bring this up, not because I fear we will forget, but because I wonder what we’ve learned.
As for Anna and I…we will not let this tragedy destroy the spirit of the season…so now, I gotta find the words for “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!”

The Fourth Wise Man

I’ve shared this before, but I ran across this devotion again and thought it might help us as we journey toward Christmas:
The Gospels do not tell us how many wise men, or magi, journeyed to Bethlehem following the star. Popular tradition holds there were three—Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. But there is also a tradition of a fourth wise man, named Artaban. As Artaban prepared to set out and follow the star, he took with him a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl of great price as gifts to the newborn King. On his way to join the other wise men, Artaban stopped to care for a sick traveler. If he stayed to help, however, he would miss the rendezvous with his friends. He stayed, and the delay caused him to miss the departure of the caravan. Now Artaban was alone and he needed transportation and supplies to cross the desert. So he sold the sapphire to purchase camels and supplies, although it saddened him that he King would never have this precious gem. He journeyed onward and reached Bethlehem, but again he was too late. There were soldiers everywhere to carry out Herod’s command that the male children should be slain. Artaban took the brilliant ruby to bribe the captain and save the children in the village where he stayed. Children were saved, mothers rejoiced; but the ruby, also, would not reach the King. For 33 years Artaban searched in vain and finally found his way to Jerusalem on the day several crucifixions were to take place. Artaban hurried toward Calvary in order to bribe the Roman guard with the precious pearl and save a man called Jesus, for something told him he was the King of kings he has searched for so long. Just then, a young woman who was being dragged along the street toward the slave market, called out to Artaban, pleading for help. With only a slight hesitation, he gave the last jewel, the pearl of a great price, for her ransom. Now all of the jewels he had intended to present to the King were gone. Reaching the place where the crucifixions were to take place, he was broken hearted when he saw there was nothing he could do to help Jesus. But then something remarkable happened. Jesus looked down toward Artaban and said, “Don’t be brokenhearted, you’ve been helping Me all of your life. When I was hungry, you gave Me food. When I was thirsty, you gave Me drink. When I was naked, you clothed Me. When I was a stranger, you took Me in.” Some say Artaban never found Christ. Others say he was the wisest of the wise men.

Started My Journey

What a horribly cold and damp evening last night was…one would think winter is here. About the only thing a night like that is good for is sipping hot tea/chocolate/coffee (you choose) and a good…no a great movie. Seeing as how Jill was gone and Christmas is now only 22 days away, I decided the time was right to watch “A Christmas Carol,” last night…specifically the 1984 version with George C. Scott playing the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Dickens’ tale has been told and re-told way too many times (and a new animated version comes out later this month) but none can match Scott’s performance…at least in my humble opinion (though I will also say the 1951 version with Alastiar Sim runs a close second). Now days, I am no longer scared and have nightmares from the scenes with the ghosts, but I do see the significance in Dickens’ story and how it might be even more relevant in our day than it was in 1843…I guess that is why we call it a classic (and perhaps the classics should be reinterpreted every few years). Regardless, this morning I am tired, but I have now officially started my pre-Christmas ritual of ‘getting in the spirit’…now I just gotta figure out which box I packed “It’s A Wonderful Life” in!

Surrender is Key

Repeatedly in Scripture we are told “to let Jesus to carry our burdens” (Matthew 11:28), to “worry about nothing” (Matthew 6), and now as we read continue reading thru the New Testament, Peter tells us to “cast all your anxiety upon Jesus, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). These are great bits of wisdom, but why is, at least the Western world, we seem so consumed with worry…I am speaking of the Church as well as the unchurched. It seems we need a certain amount of worry/stress in order to function! In the book, “God is in the Small Stuff at Christmas,” the authors suggest we replace the worry in our lives with worship. What great advice that ought to be easily accomplished…when we are overwhelmed by events that seem out of control we need to remind ourselves that God holds sovereign power over the circumstances that swirl around us…and if we will slow down and look to Him, submit to Him, even though the waters may run deep, He will lead us thru them to the other side…if that thought does not cause one to worship our Creator and Savior, then I am not sure anything will! Remember though, He will not rescue us until we call out…and he will not lead us safely to the shore if we insist upon swimming toward deep water…we must first surrender.