Please Pray!

I was working on a post and this came across my desk…felt it was much more important and urgent than what I was contemplating. Please be in fervent prayer for Luis, and continue in prayer until you hear different.



Prayer is requested for Luis Alvarado, 26-year-old son of Rev. Sonia Alvarado, pastor of Moline Bethel-Wesley UMC, and Rev. Julio Alvarado, pastor of Moline Bethel-Wesley and Silvis UMC's, who is stationed in Afghanistan. Earlier today, Luis and his squadron encountered a roadside bomb while on patrol. Luis took the brunt of the bomb's detonation, sustaining internal injuries. Surgeons have amputated both of his legs. Luis will be transported back to the United States as soon as his condition stabilizes. The Bethel-Wesley UMC congregation is holding a prayer vigil tonight at the church on behalf of the Alvarados and invites the wider IGRC family to join them from wherever they are. More details will be shared as they become available.

Just An Observation

I am not a sports fan, you know that, but one would have to be stranded on a desert island, in a cave, not to have heard about the Penn State football program disgrace this past week. Football assistant Jerry Sandusky was arrested for sexually assaulting what is now several young boys…Coach Joe Paterno, the winning-est coach in college football, fired after 60+ years. But sadder yet is the response of many at the college and the news networks, whose focus is upon Paterno and whether or not he should have been dismissed in such a way. All the news stories focus on the fact that Paterno was fired though he did nothing illegal. Perhaps not, but according to what I’ve read I would certainly question his ethics, though I am not qualified to be his judge. Regardless, a crime was committed here and I’ve not yet heard of any concern for the victims aside from the action of the Board of Trustees at the college. Whether they are trying to do damage control, or they believe Paterno’s inaction was as bad as Sandusky’s crime, I think they did the right thing.

Daylight Savings Time

I had a friend post this yesterday and had to share it. It rings with so much truth…and the sad part is the government is just as deceptive today.

 

2011 AC Promo

As we turn our thoughts toward Christmas...well, at least Christmas shopping, it is time once more to have a reality check. Here's the 2011 promo from Advent Conspiracy. I pray it provokes thought!

[AC] Promo 2011 from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.

Is That You, Lord?

As I work thru next year’s schedule of those yearly events we do largely out of habit, I’ve focused on January, my traditional month of prayer and fasting as we seek God’s will for the New Year. As I worked on it, this thought entered my feeble mind, “What if, instead of having regular Sunday services in January, what if we cancelled those services and entered into a time of fervent prayer and fasting for our community? What if we completely cancelled the morning services in January and instead went to the unchurched with our personal invitation and prayers on Sunday mornings?” Understand that I am not ready to suggest this thought came from God…not just yet…because my first thought was I would probably be fired just for suggesting it! But it was quickly replaced by the thought, “if they won’t come to us, why don’t we go to them?” Now, I know God doesn’t want everyone to attend Beulah…not even everyone in the area. But, are we really trying to reach them? Really? Seems God put a big emphasis in Scripture on “Go make disciples” and never once told us we were to set aside an hour of any day waiting for them to come to us. Unfortunately another thought I had was, if I were to do that, I would be shocked if over a handful would commit to “go.” It seems much easier for most to carve an hour or two out of their week to go to a comfortable, warm church in January to “do their God thing” rather than surrendering their life and investing themselves in Jesus’ ministry. Perhaps Pogo was right when he said, “We have met the enemy and he is us!” Right now I am thinking some of these thought are from God and others from satan…either way, I think God wants to move at Beulah in a powerful way in 2012.

Read!

As we sit here doing homework, specifically early American History, I have become painfully aware that my daughter thinks I experienced the settlement of Jamestown firsthand! She’s reasoned since I know at least some of the answers to the questions without reading the text and because I express interest in things that happened, as she puts it, “so very long ago,” well, obviously I must have been there. You see, Anna hasn’t yet grasped the fact that history does not change…once written it remains. The same is true of God’s word…and I suppose some people struggle with the same issue. They do not realize Scripture is not being re-written today to suit our wants or needs, although it is constantly being re-interpreted, for the Bible speaks to us just as directly and profoundly, even though our times are very different than the times in which it was first penned. They cannot grasp that an ancient text remains relevant to us. Perhaps they do not realize we struggle with the same sin nature as Adam and Eve, and every subsequent human being except Jesus. And sadly, they fail to accept that God has provided the answers to all the questions we face. So, what can we do? Seems to me the answer to both problems is the same. As I constantly tell Anna, “READ!” You should never guess at the answer or assume you know it when it is there in the text. So read…read the Bible…it’s there you will find the answers to the questions that plague you…I promise. But now, it's back to my childhood at Jamestown!

Without Prayer We Are Powerless

Today in discussion with other pastors, a common thread was the lack of some parishioners to take prayer seriously. So many people approach prayer so casually, if they approach it at all. Do they not realize the power of prayer? Are they not in relationship with Christ, or do they think the efforts are fruitless? Do they not believe in Jesus’ own words, “Ask and you will receive.”? I will confess I am blessed and have been at several churches I’ve served, as there are prayer warriors there and it makes all the difference in the world for the pastor…for the entire church! I can tell you from personal experience, not that I know much, but prayer can sustain you and empower you in any situation. The toughest thing I will likely ever do is bury a child and it was personal and intercessory prayer that not only got me thru the situation, but brought me through it stronger, more assured that my Heavenly Father listens to my every word. I wish there were a way for others to experience what I experienced without having to go through the valley, but perhaps I would have never learned except for the valley. Nevertheless, we must, if we are to grow spiritually, realize the value of prayer and put it into practice…fervently. If we are ever going to impact our world for the Kingdom, we must pray for the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.