Memorial Day 2010

Here's the last video for Memorial Day, but his one seemed very appropriate...lest we forget.

Lest We Forget

Just in case you miss church this morning...

Lest We Forget

Sometimes we need another reminder.

Lest We Forget

As we prepare for a long holiday weekend, I pray you might more fully realize what Memorial Day is all about.

Surrender...With Every Breath!

During last night’s Bible study we wrapped up the study on the Book of Acts with an extra lesson that repeatedly took us to the word ‘surrender,’ then today I read this from Henry & Melvin Blackaby’s book, Experiencing the Spirit. “There comes a time in your life when the Lord opens your eyes to understand what the Christian life is meant to be. It isn’t just going to heaven when you die; it’s dying to self on earth and allowing Him to live through you. Once that is clear in your heart, once you’ve chosen to release everything to Him, then you’ll know freedom like never before. The burden of service dissipates, and the Spirit will carry you into the Father’s perfect will. In that place you’ll experience the mighty power of God. There are no more excuses for inactivity; there is no more justification for shallow character. There is only the Lord and our willingness to trust Him and respond to the Holy Spirit. So the question comes to each of us: Who is the Holy Spirit to me? What have I done with Him? Or perhaps better expressed, What has He done with me?
Well put, but I must struggle with one point he made and affirm another. To say ‘there comes a time in your life when the Lord opens your eyes to understand’ conveys to me that I have no control over the matter. Not so! God longs that every eye is opened, but, as hard as God tries there are some who refuse to see. Said another way, if our eyes are not opened it is not that God hasn’t tried, it’s that we haven’t complied…and God has given us the free will to choose not to see. However, Blackaby hit the nail on the head when he stated ‘once you’ve chosen to release everything to Him, you’ll know freedom like never before.’ I would go a step further and say that our minds cannot even conceive the freedom God has in store for us in Christ…but the only way to receive this freedom is to surrender what we have. For some this is scarry, but trust me, it’s a win-win situation for us!

Did You Feel It?

Grief is a powerfully debilitating emotion to wrestle with. This past weekend was a tremendous day of celebration at Beulah UMC…it was Pentecost and Confirmation rolled into one service (and shouldn’t we all confirm our faith on Pentecost?), but I had the blah’s. On Saturday I had been feeling poorly and on Sunday morning I still felt puny, but as I was having prayer prior to the service it came to mind that Monday was our daughter’s Hannah’s birthday. Now that sounds innocent enough, but that means it was also our daughter Emily’s birthday. She would have been 27, but we lost her just over four years ago. Now, I can usually contain my grief to specific days like her birthday and not the day before or after, but Sunday morning I didn’t give a rip about church or about worship. I could have easily cancelled church, that is until the service began. I am convinced the presence of the Holy Spirit (or at least our awareness of the Spirit’s presence) is directly proportional to our need and receptiveness. I was in tremendous need Sunday morning and looking back, most receptive. God spoke to me as the praise team opened the service, assuring me that I could and would lead worship, not because it was my job or because I had baptisms to perform…but because I needed to seek His face and He would give me the strength and desire to do so. And guess what, He did. I probably need to apologize for the sermon and other ramblings during the service, but as worship progressed God continued to speak and to affirm…it might have been only to me and sensed only by me, but the Spirit was moving like a mighty rushing wind.

Daily Dying To Self

Here is something I read recently from Experiencing the Spirit, by Henry & Melvin Blackaby. It’s good stuff…

“You may have given your life to Christ, but have you understood that you must yield your life to the work of the Holy Spirit? There is no such thing as a once-for-all decision in the Christian life; it’s a daily dying to self—daily seeking Him and bowing to His lordship. That Spirit-led lifestyle must start somewhere; have you made the deliberate decision to allow the Holy Spirit to have complete access to your life? That question can be answered more easily by asking it another way: do you make decisions based upon your ability to achieve the results or upon the Spirit’s leading and equipping? Don’t determine your response to God by looking at your gifts. Look at your Lord and say, “Yes, Lord! I know your Spirit is present to enable me as I obey You. Thank You, Lord!”
Ouch! That is good…but at times it hurts! Daily dying to self…I didn’t need to hear that again. Not looking at my gifts to say yes to God…isn’t that where everyone looks? Surrendering to God totally and for the moment…sounds tough, too tough. Well the truth is if Jesus is Lord there’s no need to wrestle with the decision to obey…we just need to know what is it He wants of us and then we need to trust. That must have been what John Sammis was thinking when he penned these words, “what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey.”

Beleive It!

I saw a great church sign in our area recently which read, “There is no struggle before us that is greater than the power behind us!” I love that and while it is not Scripture (though it is Scriptural) you should memorize that short phrase! Too many people today fuss and fret over the struggles, obstacles, and burdens they face. Even to the point of giving up…and I am speaking of people who claim Jesus Christ as their Savior! Why is that? I know it can be hard, but we have access to the very power that created all that is (including in one sense our struggles, obstacles, and burdens) and yet we worry over the smallest of things. Jesus told us it would not be easy being His disciples (Matthew 16:24-26)…but then if it were I guess some would still fuss…but Jesus did say that God would provide for our needs (Matthew 6:25-34), that He would be with us always (Matthew 28:20), and that the Holy Spirit would guide us (John 16:12-15). I am not sure what else we really need…except to believe what He said.

Holy Boldness!

As we draw near to Pentecost I am re-examining some of the studies I have participated in concerning both Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. I have read repeatedly that the Holy Spirit is not enthusiasm. A. W. Tozer writes in How to be Filled With the Holy Spirit, “I have found enthusiasm that hummed with excitement, and the Holy Spirit was nowhere to be found there at all; and I have found the Holy Ghost when there has not been much of what we call enthusiasm present.” I would agree, it seems that enthusiasm has become for believers since the 18th century the only benchmark of the Holy Spirit at work. However, I would like to add that when believers find themselves filled with the Holy Spirit, aware of the Spirit’s power at work within and through them, there is a boldness (enthusiasm?) that is not found in those believers who lack the Spirit’s presence. It’s a boldness (or enthusiasm) that will not cause one to shout, but rather provokes one to reach out to a complete stranger with the love and good news of Jesus Christ. It is a boldness (or enthusiasm) that exists not on its own, for its own sake, but because of the very presence of God’s Holy Spirit. It cannot be manufactured or faked; though some have tried…and in the same breath, it cannot be stifled or ignored once the Spirit has taken up residence in the believer’s heart. My prayer is that all at Beulah might experience a double portion of this holy boldness.

It's Best For You!

In reading Scripture, God has once again revealed a dramatic truth to me. In John 16:7 Jesus says, “But I tell you that I am going to do what is best for you. That is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.” What a profound statement for the believer! Jesus told his disciples that they would be better off if he left them and the Holy Spirit came…he’s saying it’s better to have the Spirit within you than to have Jesus by your side! Really! Who hasn’t dreamed of walking and talking with Jesus? Forget that…it is “best for us” that the Spirit dwells within us providing counsel, strength, guidance, & power. Don’t believe it? Just look at Peter and Pentecost. This man who walked and talked with Jesus…even argued with Jesus…was filled with the Holy Spirit and transformed into a vessel out of which the mighty power of God flowed. And it was not just Peter, but many there at Pentecost were transformed and many, many more since. Now, here’s the truth God has revealed…while God desires and has provided the very best for his children, too many believers settle for much less. What about you…been transformed yet?

Speak Lord!

I am certain that practice makes perfect…is that why so many believers are we so good at ignoring God? I mean, think back to the last time God spoke to you in a worship service through a song, a testimony, or the sermon…did you heed God’s word or suppress the need to respond? I’ll confess that there have been times when God has spoken to me and I just wanted to run and hide…the problem is you can’t hide from God. In fact, you really cannot ignore God, because He will continue to pursue you, just as Francis Thompson shared in his poem, “The Hound of Heaven.” Still, we continue to try to ignore that still small voice, that tugging of our heart, thinking that God surely does not expect me to (fill in the blank)! But He does and it is you God is speaking to…it is you God wants to use to reach out to the lost…it is you God wants to help the oppressed, the poor, the suffering…it is you God has chosen to be His hands and feet. So, what was your response the last time God spoke? Was it, “Here I am Lord, send me!” or something more like, “If I ignore Him, maybe He’ll go away.” Trust me, He won’t!

Wesleyan Covenant Prayer

Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will. Let me be employed by You, or laid aside for You, exalted for You, or brought low by You. Let me have all things, let me have nothing, I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours. So be it. Amen.

The above prayer is a covenant prayer written by John Wesley, a form of which we prayed in worship last Sunday at Beulah. But whether you prayed it in worship or just now read it, did you see what it said? What it implies? I mean, can you without reservation say, “I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.” Really…all things? This is surrender…total surrender to God. Don’t get me wrong, I have known many folks who have truly surrendered to God, but many, many more who cannot. That’s because surrender is hard…surrender removes me, my desire, and any control I thought I had. Surrender leaves me feeling helpless, vulnerable, and weak. That’s a scary place to be, yet that is where God needs us in order for Him to work thru us. Anything less just won’t do.

Power Flows From Relationship

Pentecost is just around the corner and I am starting to get excited and frustrated with the church! Why is it that countless believers seem to stand powerless before a world desperately needing what we claim to have? Why does the Church have so little impact when we’re the body of Christ on earth? There are surely many reasons, but I believe a major one is that many Christians are seeking gifts of the Holy Spirit and not the Spirit itself. They want power but not a relationship with the One whose presence gives us power. They want to do great things for God, but do not understand that greatness comes out of a relationship with Jesus Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit. It seems they are so enamored with self and with what they might accomplish that they have no idea what’s on God's heart. We must learn to understand that there are no gifts apart from an intimate relationship with our Savior and the work of the Spirit is directly connected to the lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives. Apart from the active, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit there is no possibility of any individual or church doing anything but practicing powerless religion. The spirit of religion is a demon that needs to be bound as it will cause us to think we are doing the right thing…remember satan is the father of all lies. You may be active and involved in your church, but without the fullness of the Spirit you’ll miss the power of God. God does not desire from us more activity, but a deeper relationship.

The National Day of Prayer

Yesterday was the 59th annual National Day of Prayer and in spite of US District Judge Barbara Crabb’s ruling that it violated the ban on government-backed religion it seems to have gone off without much more than a hiccup. One incident you may have heard about was that Dr. Franklin Graham was un-invited to speak at the Pentagon after some criticized him for remarking that Islam was “a very evil and wicked religion” just after the 9/11 attacks back in 2001. I mention these two incidents because we (Christians) have something to learn from them: the squeaky wheel gets all the attention. If a relatively small group of atheists and persons who hold political correctness as their god can cause Dr. Graham (or anyone) to be silenced, or perhaps change the law of the land after 59 years (the Obama administration has appealed the ruling), then we (Christians) had better learn to become vocal or risk being at fault for our loss of liberties. And of all people, we have something to be vocal about! We should be shouting the good news of Jesus Christ from every rooftop, but we have believed the lies of satan when he says, “you cannot do that.” Jesus Christ told us to be his witnesses…now I know that can and does take many forms, but I believe Jesus is more powerful than satan…I believe Jesus holds authority over Judge Crabb and President Obama…and I believe that one day every knee in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth will bow at the name of Jesus Christ and He will judge them…whether or not they acknowledge his existence or authority. Now, if you also believe that, join me in sharing with others the King of kings, and Lord of lords!

The Knot Prayer

I get a lot of emails with devotions and prayers, some days too many, and while I do read them all, most of them I choose not to forward to anyone. This one I received from a friend and it deserves a reading...in fact, read it a few times so you can get the full content of the prayer. It's one we all need to pray...daily. The author is only known to God...Thanks TAS!

Dear God,

Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart, and my life. Remove the have nots, the can nots, and the do nots that I have in my mind. Erase the will nots, may nots, and might nots that find a home in my heart. Release me from the could nots, would nots, and should nots that obstruct my life. Most of all dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart, and my life all the 'am nots' that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough. Amen.

Mother's Day Reminder!

So Mother's Day is coming up this weekend (incase you've forgotten!) and I found this promo clip of the movie "Babies" which is to be released on Friday...I don't know anything about the movie, but thought this clip is a good reminder of what many moms have to put up with every day. Now, as you view it, any of these scenes could be from our house...but none are. Enjoy, and plan something special for that special woman in your life this weekend.

Now It's Your Turn!

Well, I think everyone enjoyed Mike Rayson over the weekend. He is a blessing and has more musical talent in his little finger than I will ever have, but that isn't all…in short, he is the real deal! I am so glad to hear he blessed several and they would like to have him come back…we’re working on that, but in the meantime, there are other real Christians out there who also have blessings and gifts to share. So, please keep us in prayer as we plan events for the coming years…it’s not just about entertainment, it’s about Jesus! In fact, that is what makes Mike so amazing…not his singing or songwriting abilities…not that he plays dozens of instruments or preaches a good sermon…but that he sings, writes, plays and preaches for Jesus. He gives 110% to the Lord. Now, what about you? Whatever your gifts are (and yes you do have at least one), are you passionate about your gifts…are you using them for the glory of God…exclusively for God’s glory? If we would just realize that God wants and needs us to use our gifts with the same excitement and focus as Mike does…and if we would surrender to God’s will and do that…just that…we would generate the same type of blessings in and out of the church as Mike did this past weekend at Beulah! But it’s up to us.