Hereeeeeeee's Jesus!

Okay, so I’m the new guy here in Lawrence County, but I have found that church folk are the same all over the world…well, at least all over Southern IL. We (church folk) have a tendency to turn our interests inward and focus on ourselves and by doing so we (hopefully unintentionally) shut out the world…the same world that Christ calls us to be witnesses to (Acts 1:8). What’s that about? Is it fear…perhaps it’s apathy…maybe it’s that comfort thing…or just plain laziness! It is likely a combination of things and you may have your own excuse, but I call it sin. Yeah, it is sinful to become so wrapped up in our own church activities and comfort that we neglect the great commission…isn’t Satan clever? I know we have a need to nurture one’s self, and others, but that doesn’t negate our calling. Christ calls us to introduce others to him…to be his witnesses and like it or not we are, whether we intend to be or not. What does your witness say? You’ve probably seen this, it’s been all around the net, but it might just deserve another look. Steve Harvey introducing Jesus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCd_ANIKys. How would you introduce Him?

The Power of Surrender

We are studying The Book of the Acts of the Apostles here at Beulah, and I am again reminded of God’s will and plan for the church of the first century and the church of today. It is interesting to see how God ‘scattered’ the believers, not to punish or disillusion them, but in order to exponentially spread the Word. It reminds me that God may still work in very much the same way today, in our midst. It also causes me to wonder what might be accomplished in our world today if we were not so insistent upon having our will instead of following God’s will. Think about this just a moment…what might have happened if Philip was content with waiting on tables (Acts 6:2-5, 8:4-8, 8:26ff)? What if Ananias had said no instead of obeying (Acts 9:11)? What if Saul had run for the hills after he regained his sight (Acts 9: 18-20)? These are just a few examples from a long, long list of people in Acts who surrendered their will for God's will. Now, what about you? How might other’s lives be affected (not to mention your own) by your total surrender to the will of God? Remember, God still needs human hands to accomplish what can only be called miraculous.

All IS Well!

God has spoken to me again…he often does and I’m sure I didn’t hear him before cause I was just too busy to notice! With all my ranting about the distractions we face and those mean folks who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, I realized (by God’s grace) that they are just a miniscule minority. There are plenty of folks who are about the Lord’s business. Specifically, this week I’ve encountered two groups. One I am very familiar with: Sesser FUMC is holding its summer Vacation Bible School. I know of the effort and time that has been put into the program in the past and I can readily assume that much or more has been invested this year. To see some of the pictures from VBS click on this link: http://www.sesserfirstumc.org/VBS2009.dsp. I have also been introduced to a new group of folks and it sounds like they are doing a wonderful work for children here in Lawrence County (and I understand this is being replicated in neighboring counties). It’s called Kid’s Shopping Day and as I understand it, volunteers will ‘build’ a store at a local church and stock the shelves and then they have a shopping day for school kids whose families are struggling, helping with clothing and supplies just in time for the start of the school year. Praise God for the many, many folks who in their own special way are trying to be Jesus to someone!

Why Can't We Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing?

So, here I sit and my frustration level is rising…again! There is something disconcerting about this monster we call the Church. Let me first say that I love the Church...I would go so far to say that the Church is a necessary institution in our world, BUT (seems like there is always a ‘but’ doesn’t it?). But, this beast we call the Church takes so much of our energy and time just to maintain that, at least at times, it distracts us from our true calling: making disciples for Jesus Christ. I have been asked to participate in mentor training and clergy sexual conduct training this fall (both of these are required at least every four years even though some believe mindless, time-consuming meetings are the eighth deadly sin)…I have started receiving information and forms for our charge conference (these are our annual business meetings) and I've already begun preparing for the season of Advent. Now, let me say that all of these are necessary items that can be a good experience for both clergy and the Church, but these seem to be maintenance items (yes, even Advent!) rather than disciple making items. It is no wonder people (even some pastors) feel helplessly overwhelmed in carrying out the mission of the Church. Now that I've got that off my chest, I will confess I don’t have the answer…BUT, if we must have meetings, couldn’t they encourage as well as inform those participating (remember Forged in the Fire)?

Mean Christians Suck Too!

The following blog was recommended to me by a fellow pastor, and while it grieves me to read some of these things, I have witnessed the same behavior before by church folk. Let me know what you think after reading…right now I gotta go listen to “I Will Rise” for a couple of hours!
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=108107598009&h=5E2p3&u=wrV7e&ref=nf

Busy Monday

Music is that gift from God that touches the soul. Regardless of how bad my day is going, there are songs that can calm my soul and give me the assurance of a better tomorrow. Likewise, when I am having a great day, there are songs that remind me that a much better future lies in store for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Today I had an okay day for a Monday…just really busy since I was absent last week at camp…it seems it’s always like that. Today I visited a man who had surgery this morning, saw two other parishioners and then attended a visitation this evening. In all of my running around the area today it seems that little was accomplished…so it’s to the music. I personally think Chris Tomlin is one of the most gifted musicians of our day, and “I Will Rise” one of his best works. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf7t3P9ISrE ...I pray it makes your day better than it was before…regardless of how good it was!

Live from Jr-High Alive!

We’re still at Beulah Jr-High Alive the week has been good. It was hot one day; it rained a good portion of one day; but worship has been second to none. Harvest is providing the music and as usual Tim and the gang are doing a great job. John Brumfiel is our guest preacher and he has hit the target with his messages to the kids and adults in attendance. He has challenged and stretched each of us. There have been games, workshops, and as in the past, an abundance of food and snacks. Today we are going swimming and everyone is looking forward to that! But the best part of camp, I believe, is the time of reacquainting with those I’ve met in the past…both adults and campers. In fact, this year I was reintroduced to two campers who I had not seen for at least 6 years when I was the pastor at Shattuc UMC. These two kids have grown into young adults and it was a joy to see them again, even though I was reminded how old I must be getting. Oh well, it’s back to camp to see what type of mischief some are brewing up (without me)! I will be posting routinely next week...I promise.

Pumped!

So now I’m pumped! I have fully recovered from the trip to UIS to encourage my daughter’s transition to an institution of higher learning (and to insure she is really moving out of the house…if not off the payroll yet!) We had a great service (in my humble opinion) this morning where we boldly approached the Table of Grace. And now…now I am mentally preparing myself for CHURCH CAMP! Just think, five days with about 80 junior-high age kids, not to mention Jill and my girls are coming along. Right now they are all four wrestling on the living room floor, screaming, in hopes of getting me into that camp mood! I am not sure it is working…but I am pumped! I am not sure how reliable I will be in my blogging, though I am sure I will have plenty to say. I do hope to get to the library a few times and post, maybe even add a picture or two. So, why am I pumped? Is it the music, not really…the chapel, not entirely…the food, no…it’s the pranks! This is not Beulah, but the same often occurs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1C0JkzdOPY Don’t forget to pray for all of us at Beulah Jr-High Alive!

Good Night and May God Bless!

I am dead tired…feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck! Jill & I drove up Thursday to Springfield for Hannah’s orientation at UIS. Completed the process today and then drove back to Sumner. Iknow I'm an ex-truck driver, but that is much too much driving. The worse part is that now Hannah is a student at the University of Illinois, Springfield…talk about being in the lion’s den. So the State of Illinois is broke; lawmakers are threatening to cut services, raise taxes, or at least position themselves for re-election, but no one wants to budge for now. Two thoughts: First, I feel as if I have made a major contribution to someone’s election fund (that is a joke, and I want you to know that seeing how Illinois officials are rather sensitive nowadays...but I could buy a NEW Fatboy each year she is enrolled), and secondly, right now I am praying that they do not attempt to teach her economics, political science, or ethics. It's time for bed.

Praise Our Accessible God!

I have been frustrated these past few days by a phone company and a bank. What has frustrated me is my inability to find a warm body with just a miniscule amount of intelligence to speak with. Those cost efficient message centers with that pleasant sounding recording on the other end have me seeing red! And websites that are not interactive are the pits! I am not sure, but I have come to believe recorded messages and new menus are a ploy of Satan! All I want to do is ask a question…ever tried to do that with a recording? And when did ‘0’ cease to connect you to an operator? I just praise the Lord that our God is accessible 24/7/365. There are no message centers, no operators, no useless websites, and no delays; by calling on his name we are ushered into the very throne room of the Almighty. And not only are we immediately delivered into his presence, we instantaneously have his ear. Our Creator is ever ready to hear and respond to our prayers, or to offer us direction. Praise God! Remember that the next time you are navigating thru a circular menu that offers you no real hope of speaking to a human being. I am not sure if I will post on Thurs or Friday...we're taking Hannah toUIS for orientation.

Oh No!

Here’s a story I just read and wanted to share…would be just my luck!
The story goes that while Robert Smith was taking his afternoon walk as part of his therapy in recovering from a massive heart attack, the phone rang and his wife Delores answered. The call was from the Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes in New York. There were calling to inform the Smith family that Robert had just won $1,500,000 and that in a few days the certified check would be arriving. Well, as you can imagine, Delores was absolutely ecstatic. Now all those dreams could come true! But then she remembered her husband was just getting over his massive heart attack and the doctor had said no excitement over anything. Delores was afraid that if she told him he had won such a large sum, he would have another heart attack and die. What should she do? After some thought she decided to call their pastor and ask his advice because he had experience in breaking difficult news to families. Delores called the pastor and explained the dilemma and he agreed to help. In about an hour as Bob returned from his walk he was greeted by Delores and Pastor Baldwin in the den and had a nice chat. The pastor leans toward Bob and says, “Bob, I’ve got a problem and I need your advice.” “Sure pastor, if I can help, I’d be glad to,” said Bob. The pastor takes a deep breath and goes on, “It’s a theoretical situation regarding Christian stewardship. What would a person—take you for instance—do if all of a sudden you found out you had won $1,500,00? What would you do with the money? “That’s easy,” Bob replied, “I’d start by giving $750,000 to the church.” Whereupon, Pastor Baldwin had a heart attack and dropped dead!

True Prayer

I’ve noticed (again) as I return to a somewhat predictable schedule in my life that when we find our routines upset one of the first things that suffer is our prayer life. Not that we stop praying, but we become distracted by our disorganized lifestyle and our prayers lack the fervor they once had and sometimes our time is also limited. My prayer life has suffered during this move and as I move back to the schedule I once had, I ran across a reading in the Mar/Apr issue of Pray! Magazine that hit me right between the eyes. In part it reads: “No Christian exercise has so many counterfeits as prayer. While all would seem to practice prayer, few actually know it in truth and experience. We may say prayers, sing prayers, read prayers, and hear prayers, and yet not really pray.” Those words were written by John Robinson in 1625. He was the Pilgrim pastor who discipled a band of believers who boarded the Mayflower in 1620. Now, here’s my comment. Supposing Robinson is correct (and I believe he is), how much more difficult does our current lifestyle make communication with God? Not that God is any less accessible, but we have so many more methods of prayer and devotion and do they truly facilitate prayer? Robinson goes on to say “just as we learn the manners of our friends and increase in affection toward them by conversing with them…so it is with God.” What he is speaking of is nothing more than relationship. However, I see people in our day drifting away from true relationships in order to establish networks. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, each of these replace true relationships with a false sense of relationship we call networking, where it’s easy to have many “friends” without truly knowing any of them. Let’s take care we do not substitute a real relationship with God for the routine reading of prayers, devotions, and Scripture.

Blessings upon Blessings!

So after a week of trying to find normalcy in my life again, I am getting close to being there. I have promised myself (and some of you) that I will routinely take the time to jot down some notes and post them beginning today. This was the first day that I led worship at Beulah UMC and found some wonderful people there…and while it was a blessing, my big blessing today came from the fact that I had many of my ‘daughters’ with me. Samantha had picked Hannah and Annett up at Lambert Field on Thursday evening and brought them home...she stayed until after church today. In addition one of Sam's friends from McKendree U visited with her and she stayed for church. So, if we had been giving out prizes today, we would have scored: my family took up two pews, traveled the farthest (from Germany), and were the most precious (okay, my bias is coming thru now!). Nevertheless, it was a blessing to have most of my girls with me today. This fact becomes evident as Sam returns home, Annett leaves for Texas later this week, and on Thursday we take Hannah to Springfield for her orientation to UIS…it won’t be long until the house will be half-empty again (although probably not any quieter!). That was my blessings for today…what was yours?