Amazed

Sunday, February 15th, 2009, was absolutely glorious. We celebrated the baptism of a young child, and then welcomed over 25 unique individuals into the life and ministry of Colonial Hills United Methodist Church. The enthusiasm of the congregation was breathe-taking as we considered the multitude of gifts that these new members bring to our fchurch amily. We must remind ourselves that we can have countless numbers of elbows touching elbows, but the real invitation to true discipleship is to invite hearts touching hearts.

Following the 11:00 worship service over a 180 people gathered for a potluck dinner, and then the Rev. Sue White, Conference Evangelist, spoke to us about the importance of sharing our faith story.

I am reminded that whenever we gather in the name of Christ, we are sharing our faith story. Thanks be to God for Sunday, February 15th, 2009. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next.

Keeping the Doors Open

I serve a United Methodist congregation as the senior pastor. As United Methodists, we have a wonderful phrase that is often used to describe what we hope experience when they walk through our doors: “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors”.Through our doors, every person can enter into the presence of the living God. Through our doors, every person can discover the greatest gift ever given. Through our doors, every person can embrace unlimited possibilities for their life. Through our doors, all the dead ends that seem to get in the way come crashing to an end.But we must consider first things first. What enables these doors to stand in place? What are the two things that keep these door from crashing down? Yes! The hinges on the doors are the two things (we have very traditional doors); each hinge is located in a different place along the frame of the door. Each hinge is essential, but each one is incomplete without the other.What are the two hinges that anchor our doorway into God’s compassion and mercy? I would like to suggest to you that the two hinges are 1) the love of God; and 2) the love of neighbor.There is a story that speaks of the power of this love which comes from our nation’s history, and it is about an 18th-century American Quaker named John Woolman. Woolman was one of the most courageous and effective practitioners of tough love who ever lived.After discovering that he could not bear to assist his employer in the sale of a slave, Woolman traveled to Quaker meetings all across the colonies, and talked with people one by one about the evils of slavery. “My heart was tender and often contrite,” he wrote, “and universal love to my fellow creatures increased in me.”This was not an easy sales job, especially since many Quakers in the colonies were slave owners in the mid-1700s. But Woolman succeeded through quiet one-on-one conversations, visiting his fellow Quakers individually, on farm after farm, for most of the two decades of his adult life. He didn’t criticize people or anger them, but was clear and consistent in his message, and by the year 1770 — almost a century before the Civil War — there was not a single Quaker in the colonies who owned a slave.You might say that the American anti-slavery movement began when John Woolman discovered, and started to practice, the commandment of Jesus to “love your neighbor as yourself” (22:39). And if there had been a John Woolman in every religious denomination, the institution of slavery could possibly have been eliminated without the Civil War.Woolman understood the importance of “these hinges” of our faith that opened the door into God’s heart. May each one of us consider how we might play an important part in opening the doors of faith to all persons.

It Has Been A While

A missionary society in London wrote to Dr. David Livingstone and asked, "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send men to join you." Livingstone wrote back, "If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

This short conversation from the historical record of the great missionary Dr. David Livingstone hits me right between my "disciple" eyes. I must confess that I am part of that generation of boomers who has had a propensity to consume rather than contribute--take rather than give. In fact, the author Marva Dawn in her book entitled, "Reaching Out without Dumbing Down" says it well: "The boomers search for a church to meet their needs of instead of commitment to the church through which to serve."

Now that my own confession is complete, let me share with you that God's grace has so enlivened my heart that I no longer seek after the good road, and I am not afraid of the difficult road. My prayer is that I will simply walk the path that Christ sets me on, and trust that God gives me the strength, the courage, and the grace to remain faithful, thus to become fruitful.

I have heard it said recently, "It is more difficult to climb a smooth mountain to the top rather than a rugged mountain." Why do we prefer the smooth path when it so easy to slide down whatever mountain we are called to climb in life.

Colonial Hills United Methodist Church Mission and Values

At the March Church Council meeting we continue the very importnat conversation regarding the revision of our congregation's mission and value statement. We agreed to post a preliminary statement on this blog, and then to create dialogue among us regarding these statements.

I am praying that God will bless our efforts.

Mission Statement:

To be a family of disciples for Jesus Christ that radiates God’s healing and transforming love and grace to all people for the transformation of the world.

Core Values

-Being Christ-centered disciples with bold faith and faithfulness.
-Inviting all people into our church as home.
-Embracing all people as an open, welcoming, caring community.
-Offering spiritually vibrant, diverse, celebrative worship experiences.
-Focusing on Spiritual Formation through small groups for all ages.
-Reaching people who are not yet connected or committed to Christ.
-Expressing the gospel through Christian service that seeks to offer both acts of mercy and works of justice
-Preserving our rich heritage of Wesleyan Distinctiveness.
-Striving for excellence in every area of our ministry.

Let the conversation begin

rrpm

Everything Must Change

I have been engaged in reading a book written by Brian McLaren entitled, ‘Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope, and I would recommend the read for those asking the question, "If you had a few years left, what kind of life would you want to live?"

He suggests that the core message of Jesus is concerned about today’s global problems. In fact, I find his book to be a very hopeful testament. Jesus’ message is not just about personal redemptions, but it is also about the recreation of the human family and the planet. His message is not simply about the afterlife, but for life in this world too. Jesus does not simply offer a way of life, but a new way of life that changes everything—personally and socially, individually and globally.

I encourage you to read his book, and let’s begin the conversation. There is a website: everythingmustchange.org

Easter Revisited

As Christians we are promised
that when we trust and believe in this way,
that when we believe in the power and the love of God, a power and love that can raise the dead to life,
that our lives will be blest, and that we will be a blessing to others.

We are promised that what we believe will make a difference to us ---
And indeed it does....

Let me tell you a true story:

In Russia a few years ago a railway worker accidentally locked himself
in a refrigerator car. Unable to escape or to attract attention, he
resigned himself to his fate. As he felt his body becoming numb he
took a pencil out of his pocket and recorded the story of his
approaching death. He scribbled on the walls of the car:

" I am becoming colder... still colder... I am slowly freezing... half
asleep - these may be my last words.

When the car was opened the man was found dead, but the temperature of the car was only about 56 degrees. Officials found that the freezing mechanism was out of order and that there was plenty of fresh air
available. Although there was no physical reason that they could find for the man had died. It was concluded that he had died because he had believed that he would die.

My friends, what you believe to be true affects you to the core of your being, it shapes you and makes you what you are,
- it either blesses you because it opens you up to the power of God,
or it afflicts you because it blinds you to what you could be and what God is trying to do for you.

The Jewish Philosopher Martin Buber shares this important insight in his book entitled, “I and Thou”: You know, always, in the depths of your hearts, that you have need of God, more than of anything else. But do you know that God also has need of you; that (God), from the fullness of (God’s) eternity needs you.

Indeed the promise of Easter is that God so loved (so needed) the world that he gave his only. God needs you for desires a relationship with all of creation. God seeks to redeem creation; to bring it back to wholeness so that the “Shalom” which the early Hebrews spoke of becomes a reality in our living.

Oh What A Day

I have been attempting to write a daily devotional for my congregation, but today I struggled to get my priorities arranged so that I could complete the task in the morning.
I thought that I might share with you the devotional for Thursday, February 20, 2008 which I did finally complete this afternoon:

My Lenten devotion is late today, and I don't have a very good excuse. The excuse that I could provide you would convict me even more; therefore, it is better to simply say "I am late" Too often we find ourselves moving from one activity to the next without pausing for that all important moment to capture our "God breathe"; the breathe that links us to God's sacred and Holy Spirit.

There is a story that I love to share which might give you a little insight on how my morning went:
Rabbi Levi saw a man running in the street, and asked him, "Why do you run?" He replied, "I am running after my good fortune!" Rabbi Levi tells him, "Silly man, your good fortune has been trying to chase you, but you are running too fast."

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that our faith journey ought to be more like this South American tribal story:
"A tribe went on a long march, day after day, when all of a sudden they would stop walking, sit down to rest for a while, and then make camp for a couple of days before going any further. They explained that they needed the time of rest so that their souls could catch up with them."

How difficult is it for you to find that time when you can allow your "soul to catch up."? Life has always been and will continue to be temporary, but life lived according to God's time is always evolving, becoming and eternal. Today's devotional has caused me to slow down a let my soul catch up with my life, and to live in God's time.

Thanks for reading along the way. I hope that you are able to glean something from this blog. By the way, I encourage you to listen to the Michael W. Smith song, "Breathe" (Youtube clip at the bottom of the blog) Grace and Peace!

P.S.

I haven't had an opportunity to stop by "Wildfire Coffee" for the last three days, and I do miss my friends.