Surrendering the Future...Moment by Moment!

Let me continue thoughts from my last blog, because it has provoked several conversations between myself and others. When I speak of surrendering our lives or our will to God, that does not necessarily mean to give God our perfectly planned future…that is to say, it means exactly that, however God may not make it perfectly known to you that he wants you to be a missionary to Africa or a waitress in Lawrence County (whatever your future). While God does sometimes work in that way, more often his Spirit wants us to surrender the moment and begin a journey. Remember Abraham? God told him to pack up and go to a strange land…no indication of the final destination…no route to follow…no hint of how long the journey would take. God called Abraham to trust him that moment and to take a step. The Spirit often calls us to trust him in the moment. Has he ever called you to help someone? Did you? Has he ever called you to witness to someone? Did you? Has he ever called you to love someone or pray for someone? Did you? Has he ever called you to an altar? Did you go? These are moments of surrender that we must experience before the Holy Spirit can, or at least begins to, work thru us. Too many people in the church today have invited Jesus into their lives…they intend to maintain control, but Jesus can come along. The problem with inviting Jesus into your life is that he has promised us the Holy Spirit to guide, counsel, and strengthen us. The Spirit can get in the way big-time! And without the Spirit controlling us, we will never live the life God intended us to live.

Go Ahead-Surrender!

As I read my devotion this morning it reminded me of a song. I’m not a gambling man, but I’ll bet you’ve heard it, “Somewhere in the Middle.” Casting Crowns sings it and it’s from the immensely popular “The Altar and the Door” cd. There is a line in it that I was reminded of this morning (there are actually several good lines; if you’re not familiar with it you should listen). “Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control?” Doesn’t that sound just like us? We all know that Christ calls us to surrender…surrender our lives…surrender our will…to surrender to him and to the perfect plan of the Father. If we read Scripture at all we’ve heard that…but our goal is to inch to the point of surrender…to feel surrender…to look as if we’ve surrendered…without losing our control. We want to control everything. We want to control our lives and the lives of others…we want to control our present and our future…and unfortunately some think we can control eternity. However, salvation comes at a price…we are to trust Jesus Christ and that means turning control over to him. Seems to me if we spent the same energy on surrender that we spend on controlling, our world would look very different. Just feeling content would change many people…we might even call it heaven on earth!

Blessed Again!

Another great weekend…first, on Saturday I was blessed to lead a class on preaching for certified lay speakers. The blessing was to meet so many more gifted laity involved in our churches and their dedication. I said it to them and I will say it again…there has never been a major revival that was not laity-led. The clergy have a part to play, but it was the laity who sparked and carried the fires of revival. I believe that will also be the case for the next great revival we are to experience…the laity will be the driving force leading it. Then on Sunday we had "Trunk or Treat" here at Beulah UMC. What a joy to have so many children (of all ages) participate and for so many adults who want to see the light of Jesus Christ shine at a time that is darkened by evil in our world today. With communities sponsoring ‘haunted’ events, it is a blessing to have a safe place to show children the love of Christ. As individuals and as the church we ought to be taking every opportunity and exploring every avenue to shine our light for Jesus Christ. We know others are constantly watching us and we never know when something we do will resonate with them, winning a soul for the Kingdom. I experienced the presence of the Spirit this past weekend, and I pray you did too.

For The Beauty of the Earth

Busy, busy, busy…I know that is a phrase most everyone understands. I’ve almost caught up from being sick and out of commission for two & a half days last week and I realized this morning I almost missed something. This weekend, whatever you’re doing…STOP. Take a drive somewhere and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation! I went up to Petty School this morning for parent-teacher conferences (don’t ask) and between raindrops I noticed the glorious colors of the trees. I don’t know how it looks where you are, but here in the Wabash Valley today the colors are surely at their peak. So inspiring is the foliage at the Red Hills State Park I very nearly burst into song! “For the beauty of the earth, for the glories of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.” Pierpoint must have been looking at the fall fiolage when he penned those words. Okay, I did burst into song, but I forgot the third phrase and that caused me to come back to the church and look it up. God’s creation is gorgeous…too bad it takes the changing of the season to remind us of its beauty…but praise God, I didn’t miss it! Don’t you.

"Forgotten God"

As many of you know, I believe that unless the Holy Spirit is working thru us as believers, we are absolutely impotent. Don’t believe me just look at the Church in America today. Scripture tells us we will receive power when the Spirit comes upon us (and I conclude that indicates we will lack any resemblance of supernatural power in our lives without the Holy Spirit). ALL power comes from the Spirit and ALL power is for the glory of God. In his book “Forgotten God” published by David C. Cook (which I cannot recommend to you strongly enough), Francis Chan states the obvious. The sole purpose of our lives is to glorify God. Everyone would love to be filled with supernatural power from the Holy Spirit…but why? Why do people pray for healing? Why do people pray for traveling mercies and prosperity? Why do people pray for anything…too often with selfish motives…and why are these prayers at times not answered? James 4:3 tells us, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Chan writes, “Our desire to live should be for the sake and glory of the God who put us on this earth in the first place” (pp84). I am sorry to tell you this (not really!), but God is not concerned with our selfish desires and petty whims. Until we purpose our lives to glorify the Almighty alone we will not realize answered prayer, we will not experience healing, and we will not know the power of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us…working thru us. Figured it out yet…it’s not about you…it’s about God.

He's Still God!

I have listened and re-listened to Dr. Robinson’s address at Forged In the Fire…if you haven’t, I hope you will soon, it’s at the end of yesterday’s blog…and she repeatedly compares conditions in John Wesley’s day (late 1700’s) to conditions in our day and it would seem we haven’t learned a thing! The almost-Christian, the struggle with money, the poor and oppressed, effectively sharing the Good News and more…we struggle with these issues, believers in Wesley’s day struggled with these issues, followers in Jesus’ day struggled with these issues…what’s going on? Have we learned nothing? Are we so focused on self that we are rendered ineffective? Are we so distant from the Holy Spirit that we are impotent? Can we really expect to do anything about these things…after all Jesus told us that the poor will always be with us…or are we making great strides for the Kingdom unable to fully recognize the progress this side of eternity? This very well may be one of those glass half-full/half-empty situations. I don’t know the answer, but I do think that we must quit the gloom and doom talk and begin to speak life over our churches and those around us, believing that God wants us to move forward. Seems too many churches (of many denominations) are hopelessly stuck, struggling just to survive. We have access to the greatest power in existence yet we lack the faith to believe that God can work in our world.

I Am Alive!

Okay, I have survived…although I once thought I had died and gone to…as Anna puts it…the bad place! I did not have the flu, but did get an ear infection and a sinus infection, which in combination knocked me on my rear for three days…but I am better now. Not yet 100%, but better. And I will confess that at least a portion of my ailment resulted from the fact that I was not able to attend Forged in the Fire on Saturday. It bummed me out, ‘cause I was looking forward to the workshops, the preaching, the teaching, and the fellowship with people I call brothers and sisters and friends. It did delight me to hear the conference was great, but I squealed with joy like a five year-old girl when I saw that I was able to listen to the main speakers on the conference website. Praise God for our technology. So, having listened to two of the presentations, I commend each of them to your listening. There is good stuff here and we need to invest ourselves in stuff like this if we are going to be successful in reaching a lost world with the good news of Jesus Christ. Oh, we could brag…last Sunday we baptized another young adult who professed Jesus as her Lord and Savior…we could except there are countless others out there waiting for someone to tell them about a crucified and risen Savior who can not only knows their pains and loneliness…His greatest desire is to enter into a relationship with them! Take the time to listen to these:
Dr. Robinson’s address:

Dr. Paul Nixon’s address:

Bishop Palmer’s closing message:

Whatever It Takes!

I have recalled something about living in the country since we’ve come to Beulah. This is neither an indictment of past churches nor an endorsement of Beulah…merely an observation. Come harvest time, it is understood that one does whatever it takes. If it requires working late, you work late. If it requires extra help, you get help. If one must do without until the harvest is complete, you do without. (While this attitude sounds good, it can also translate to a reliance upon self rather than God if not kept in perspective.) I raise this because Jesus spoke to a chiefly agrarian society: fishermen, shepherds, owners and workers of vineyards and olive groves. When he stated “the fields are ripe for harvest” (John 4), those who were listening knew the physical implications of such a statement (even if they failed to see the spiritual implications). Implications that I am not sure we understand today. Regardless of whether it’s because we live in a technical or industrial age or not, it’s time to get to work! The harvest is ready, and redemption is near (Luke 21). Have you done what it takes? Worked late; secured help; done without? We need to adopt that “whatever it takes” mindset when sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, realizing we have a limited amount of time to work the fields and bring in the harvest.

Does It Represent You?

I read the following devotion recently and wanted to share it with you…not because Beulah will soon begin building a new parsonage, but because I think God expects this from us all the time.
In a particular church they experienced such growth it demanded they enlarge their facilities. It represented quite a step of faith. After much planning, praying, and working together, they decided on a new church building. It would be adequate for their expanded ministry. It was an exciting moment as together they began raising funds for this multi-million dollar project. The pastor and board made their projections, along with an appeal to the congregation to share in this need b sacrificial giving. Everyone was challenged to be part of this expansion project. After the service was over a lady came to the pastor personally and handed him a check for $50, asking at the same time if her gift was satisfactory. The pastor immediately responded, “If it represents you.” There was a moment or two of soul-searching and she asked to have the check returned. She left with it. A day or two later she returned to make an appointment to see the pastor. This time she handed the pastor a check for $5000 and again asked the same question, “Is my gift satisfactory?” Again the pastor replied, “If it represents you” As before, the truth seemed to be sinking deep into her mind and after a moment or two she asked for the check. Now the pastor was beginning to get a bit worried. Perhaps he had been too bold and had offended her. He also wondered if she would ever return. About two weeks later there was a phone call at the church office asking for another appointment with the pastor. It was the same woman. As before, she came in with a check in hand and a big smile on her face. This time the check was for $50,000. As she placed it in the pastor’s hand she said, “After earnest, prayerful thought, I have come to the conclusion that this gift does represent me, and I am happy to give it to the church for our building project.

Money and giving are touchy subjects to many people. Why? Giving and living are two things that go hand in hand in the Christian lifestyle. The Bible talks about sacrificial giving as well as cheerful giving. Just one question: Will your giving this week really represent you?

Treating Symptoms or Diseases?

Well, yesterday I completed my clergy sexual ethics training for the quadrennium (sigh). I realize its value and I believe it is necessary in our day and age (sigh again), but I am saddened when I think of the resources and time that the Church spends which is not directly related to carrying out the Great Commission. I know we live in litigious times, and I also realize that some clergy are sexual predators, but I also believe that should we (the Church) ever decide to become the people that God calls us to be, many of the struggles we and the world faces would cease to exist. I’ve said this before: if you want to end pornography, abortions, even murder…then we need to introduce people, even clergy persons, to Jesus Christ. He is the answer to their issues; he is the one who convicts; he is the one who heals. We can treat symptoms and people will likely feel better…for a while, but if we want people to experience healing, we’ve got to treat the disease! Oh well, enough preaching…I just wanted you to know I’m back wrestling with charge conference forms, bulletins, and looking forward to Forged in the Fire! I pray you will consider attending with me.

Wow!

It just seems to get better and better! This past weekend was another Spirit-filled time for me. Saturday was a long day, but we had a camp meeting and were able to accomplish 90+% of the work for next year’s Junior High Alive camp at Beulah Holiness Camp in Eldorado. Then Sunday we had communion and two more people joined the church. That’s a big deal, but it’s even bigger when you realize that these two adults bring with them five children! Then, just when I think nothing can top this…our district had the instillation of our new District Superintendent, Cindy Jones. Now the service was good…the music was good with a large variety…but the preaching was great! Bishop Palmer once again challenged the congregation gathered to “make the main thing the main thing!” I expect you will be able to hear his sermon on the conference website in a few days. We got home last night about 8:00p and I must confess that I was exhausted. But I’ll also tell you that I would not wanted to have missed a minute of this past weekend. I can only wonder how the Spirit’s gonna top this…of course Forged in the Fire-Phase 2 is coming soon!

You're Invited!

Someone saw either on the website or in our bulletin about Back to Church Sunday and I was asked just what it is (yeah!). In short it is a special opportunity for you to be the church…a Sunday for each of us to make an all out effort to invite someone you know who doesn’t regularly attend a service (but probably has been in a church before) to attend worship with you at your church. Now, I have resisted the urge to give you statistics about how people will generally respond, so that I might say it really says something about the state of the church that we must have a ‘special’ day to do what we are supposed to be doing each and every Sunday! Jesus Christ has called us to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8), but if less than 2% of us will invite someone to worship with us in a given year (sorry, putting a sign in your yard saying, "You're Invited!" doesnt count), does it surprise you that the church is facing a crisis? But let’s forget the organized church (denominations like the United Methodist Church), what about the general decline of Christianity in America? If 98% of all church-going people won’t invite someone to attend services at their church (isn’t that safe?), I do not for a minute believe any are sharing their testimony/witness with others in the workplace, or at school, or in the community! Back to Church Sunday is not a gimmick or program…it’s the chance for us to actually live out what we profess to believe…and we should celebrate it every Sunday!

The Word for Us!

Praise God for Bishop Gregory V Palmer...for sending him to the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and for his prophetic words offered to the churches of the IGRC. I just listened to his sermon preached at the installation of the Mississippi River District Conference Superintendent Gary Wilson. Church, you need to hear this! Every person in our conference…every person in every denomination needs to hear this! I could rehash it for you (and some of his points I would love to share with you), but it will impact you much better if you hear it yourselves. Take the time to listen, it is worth every moment. Here's the link to his sermon titled "Body Building."
You can find several other sermons of Bishop Palmer at the conference website (www.igrc.org) and you can hear him in person this Sunday, October 4th, at Mt. Vernon First UMC as he brings the message to our district as our new Conference Superintendent is installed. Hope you will be there...I will!