Knowing God

I am not quite sure just how or when it happened, but I find my world pulled in many different directions at once. Granted our home is a bit unusual with children ages 3, 5, 16, 17, and a 22 year old in college who pops in from time to time. Yeah, I know that’s part of the problem, but even people who are retired with children no longer living at home tell me they are busier than ever. How I long to live in Mayberry where you can spend the evening on the front porch relaxing (I know it’s not perfect there…but it sure beats my routine!). This busyness is not a new phenomenon, or even unique to our day; Psalm 46:10 instructs us to “be still and know that I am God.” Be still! I am not sure I have time to be still…and there lies the problem. We have filled our lives with so much ‘stuff’ that we cannot (or will not) afford God the time it takes for us to build a relationship with God. And perhaps one of the adversary’s greatest tricks is that we often fill our lives with ‘good and necessary stuff,’ without realizing the good and necessary stuff becomes bad stuff if it pushes God out of our daily schedule. For me the answer is walking, alone, early, most mornings (still I find I must be careful to guard that time for God and not to walk for the sake of walking!). It is there that I can clear my mind and meet my Savior for a time. I know that won’t work for everyone, but let me ask you, “Where is it you are intentionally still and seek to know God?”

Blessed

God answers prayers; that you can take to the bank. However, having said that, I am not sure God answers all of our prayers. The prayer for that great parking spot, the prayer for your favorite team…not so sure. My daughter Hannah is convinced that God “blessed” her with a car; just the model and price she was looking for. I’ll confess it did seem as if this vehicle was heaven sent...but again, not so sure. I want to believe that our Creator longs to have such a relationship with each of us that we can ask for anything, and that God is so concerned with our well being that God wants to lavish us with our requests, but where do we draw the line? Can God be so focused on my wants and needs that anything goes? Can I trivialize the love God has for me to the point of asking for and expecting a parking spot close to the front door when in reality a little exercise would be the best thing for me? Doesn’t God really want the best for me? I am not sure just where God draws the line, but I do know loving parents who say no. Come to think of it, I have also known parents who never said no to the detriment of their children. God does answer prayers, and I pray that from time to time he would tell each of us “no.” And when God does say no, we are still blessed.

Worshipping in Spirit & Truth

I had the privilege of worshipping at Jesus es el Senor UMC near Cobden yesterday. I truly enjoy worshipping in a different cultural setting than my own. It can be, if we allow it, an incredible time of learning and growth. At one point during last Sunday’s service the worship leader cried out with passion, “God we need you, O God we need you!” Unfortunately, those words caught me by surprise. I am not sure in the churches I have served that those words have ever been uttered in such a way. Oh, we know we need God…but I cannot recall it confessed it in such a way. It seems to me we spend much more time trying to convince others and ourselves that we are really doing okay and don’t need God, not at this moment. I really don’t think it has as much to do with cultures as it does oppression (of course those two are closely related). We who are privileged tend to eventually believe the lie that we are in control. How unfortunate. I don’t believe anything happens by coincidence: God wanted each of us in that service for various reasons; I was once again reminded by my Hispanic sisters and brothers that we are to honestly worship God.

At It Again!

Well, we United Methodists are at it again. Right now, as every four years, we are gathered together for General Conference, which is the church’s legislative body, to tend to the business of the larger church. There are 992 delegates from 50 countries in Fort Worth, TX until May 2, and I will confess that while I see the need for General Conference, I wish the church at large would put as much energy in making disciples of Jesus Christ as we put in perpetuating the machinery of the church. At times it does seem as if the tail is wagging the dog! Nevertheless, conferences and the business of the church will go on, and we will, if we truly follow Christ, make disciples. I was pleased with Bishop Christopher’s opening address to the Conference in which she acknowledged the fact that the church in the United States is dying…we must always honestly face the facts before we can affect change. I also found hope in the fact that while we are an aging, declining denomination in the US, with the average member age of 57; the church grew by over 200% in Africa and Southeast Asia! She pointed out some of the many distractions we face, but returned to Wesley’s three rules as the foundation for our future: do no harm, do good, love God. You can go to www.umc.org for links to a daily wrap up on General Conference, or to our Annual Conference’s website: www.igrc.org for articles/blog on General Conference.

How's Your Faith?

I am in the middle of one of the most arduous tasks ever undertaken by man or beast. My soon to be seventeen year-old daughter believes she is ready for the responsibilities of owning an automobile. My task, by default as her father, is to find that slightly used low mileage vehicle, with above average safety and fuel mileage ratings being sold by an honest person who wants her to have the car so bad they would give it to her. Actually, all of that is not so difficult; the hard part is that she must like the car too! It’s like looking for that proverbial needle or Porsche in a haystack. It’s enough to challenge one’s faith. In fact, this might be a good “faith test.” If one can allow God to guide you thru the maze of purchasing a used car for your child without you getting in the way or losing your temper, your faith is strong! I am still in the maze…hoping to get thru it soon. How’s your faith?

Resisting or Responding?

I recently read a devotion by Ruben P Job, and the focus of this meditation was that we are to surrender and serve God where God wants us to serve. He quotes Eugene Peterson who pinpoints the trouble with praying: “We are often asked to respond in ways that we never intended when we first began to pray.” How very true! We often begin wanting God’s will to be accomplished, thinking we already know God’s will. Isn’t that safe! It is when we realize that God wants to do so much more, or something totally different than we imagined that we begin to renege on our life of surrender. It’s happened to me and I’ll bet it has happened to you. Why is that? Why don’t we trust God enough to go where God wants us? Why can’t we realize that our will and desires are always inferior to God’s? Where is it God is taking you? Are you preparing resist or to respond?

Changes

Last Saturday was a good day. Jill, the girls and I went to the Spring Fling at McKendree for Samantha’s last fling, as she will graduate in just a few weeks. In spite of dreary weather conditions, it was fun, and any day the girls have fun is a good day for me! However, as we enjoyed the celebration, it was an opportunity for me to reminisce. I snuck into a couple of the lecture halls, revisited the chapel, and even stopped in the bookstore. And then it hit me…that constant we call change. Several of my professors are no longer there, the campus has changed with new buildings that caused my memory to fail, and the students…the students are so very young these days. Still my hope lies in the future, not in the past, and while Saturday was a good day, my best days still lay in my future with God. That is everyone’s hope. Now, Sam will soon find her life changing. Moving from McK to the unknown and someday soon she will reminisce and wonder where the time has gone. My prayer is that she, and you, will continually look to the future.

Did You Feel It…Did You Expect It?

At 4:37am this morning I was shaken awake by a rare 5.4 magnitude earthquake that was centered about 50 miles from Sesser in southeastern Illinois. I have experienced earthquakes before, and in short order I realized what was happening. Unusual yes, but not unexpected. Not if you know anything about the New Madrid Fault Line which runs through southern Illinois. However, to my surprise, several television news anchors were astonished that southern Illinois could be the epicenter of a quake. One remarked “this just never happens here!” She is surely not a native of the Midwest. It reminds me of Paul’s words to the Thessalonians in the fifth chapter of his second letter, “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” We know that…just as we know an 8.0 quake is predicted to one day hit the New Madrid Fault Line. Still, when it happens most people will be shocked and I am sure someone will say, “We never expected it to happen here.” I wonder what the response will be when our Lord returns. Unfortunately, I imagine some will say, “We never expected anything like this!”

Honest Questions

I heard a great commercial on a Christian radio station this morning. It asked us to ponder the questions: “Why does a one-hundred dollar bill seems like way too much to put in the offering plate on Sunday morning, yet we think nothing of spending all of it when we go shopping?” “Why are we excited when a ballgame goes into overtime, yet if Sunday’s service runs long we are upset?” The questions go on and on, and you get the point. But they are good questions that deserve an honest answer. Why do we cherish front row seats at a concert, ballgame, or school program, yet we want the back pews in church? Each of these sounds like relationship questions to me…and each revolve around our relationship with our Lord. Let’s be honest, none of us would think of insulting the host when in their home, yet we cast aside the feelings of our Savior for our own selfish wants and desires. Is it that we really don’t care? Are we just too easily distracted, or are we too “of the world” instead of “in the world?” (See John 17:6-26)

Thy Kingdom come!

Have you noticed as we read through the Old Testament that God makes a point of using scoundrels in mighty ways for his glory? And not just once or twice, but repeatedly! Some of these rascals become so instrumental in the development of the Hebrew nation that we idolized them, forgetting their faults. I am not sure God intended for us to put them on pedestals, but rather to remember that God can use anyone God chooses to use for his glory. Too often we think that we are not fit for service because we lack certain gifts or skills, yet if God is able to transform and use men like Jacob, David, and others, surely God can use us! (It’s quite another issue if we are unwilling to be used by God.) If you feel led, if after prayer and searching, you are called to service, then nothing should stop us. We ought to pray as David, “I offer you my heart, Lord God, and I trust you...Show me your paths and teach me to follow; guide me by your truth and instruct me.” (Psalm 25:1, 4) If more of us would, we may just see the Kingdom here on earth.

Happy tax day!

Today is tax day: April 15th. The yearly day of rendering, if you will, when we come before the throne of Uncle Sam, placing our offering in his hands, praying we have contributed enough throughout the year. Well, perhaps that is not the best way to describe it, but it is a reality check for many taxpayers. I wonder if we all ought to have a similar “reality check,” re- examining our standing before our God. A yearly, quarterly, or even monthly time when we thoroughly examine our blessings and our contributions; a time to reconcile any discrepancies we might find. I hope it is part of your daily prayer regimen, then you will never find yourself shocked by the amount you owe (of course, we can never repay the debt…we all rely upon God’s amazing grace). Happy tax day!

Been bitten lately?

Recently at a conference a preacher preached on the sending of the seventy-two in Luke 10:1-16. But Luke 10: 3, where Jesus tells the seventy-two disciples, “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves,” kind of stuck with me. That’s really quite a statement to the sophisticated, educated, comfortable, self-sufficient disciples of our day. It is as if Jesus is sending us into danger…could that be? Well, as I interpret this passage, one really doesn’t want to be a sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves, but perhaps the passage is much more about trusting God for our provision and safety than it is about the dangers ahead. I can say that I have not trusted God before (not completely) and I have been bitten. I will also proclaim at times I have trusted God totally and I have walked thru the pack unharmed. Trust is a scary thing and it can only be learned firsthand. You can read about trust, and hear about trust, but in order to trust you must do it yourself. The passage concludes with the seventy-two joyfully proclaiming, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name,” Wow!

Have you felt it?

As we read thru the Old Testament, I will confess my fascination with the Shekinah glory of our God. The Hebrew word simply means the “presence of God” with the people. We see it leading the people of the Exodus, we see it again at the transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17), but have you noticed it lately? It is my custom, in an attempt to live a healthier life, to walk a few miles every morning. After the storms and rain of yesterday, this morning was glorious. The air smelled “fresh,” the breeze was energizing, the temperature was just right, the birds were chirping in the early morning, and then, the sun rose with a glorious display of brilliance. Sure felt to me like the Shekinah glory of our God, right here in Sesser…did you feel it?

Quadri-what?

I have recently struggled with the views of some of my brothers and sisters in the faith concerning Scripture. Why is it we do not realize (or will not admit) that we view Scripture thru the lenses of our lives? We all have that baggage that influences how we understand everything we read, including Scripture. One of the reasons I was further drawn to the United Methodist Church, so many years ago, was Wesley's quadrilateral (no it's not in the Bible). Wesley believed we understand God and living for God through Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. One might interpret a life situation with any of those resources, but the picture will be incomplete. It is by using all of them: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience that we gain a fuller, more complete understanding of life and God's plan for us...it seems so simple.

Finally here!

I have toyed with the idea of a blog for quite some time...only to do nothing for lack of time, energy or interest. I am not sure I now have any of the three, but I have decided it is time to start a blog, do here I am.
My mind has been preoccupied with the tragic events of the last week concerning Mike Rayson's family, specifically the mauling of Oliver Rayson. Knowing the difficulty of facing the anniversary of the death of a child, the Rayson's did not need to go thru this tragic event (not to mention Oliver's pain). For updates on Oliver, you can go to www.myspace.com/MikeRayson and please keep all of them in your prayers.