John wrestles with life

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership ...

2011-04-29T09:01:00.002-05:00

In 2006 a talented leader in the church I was serving encouraged me to read works on leadership. Such has been very helpful for since then I have read and read in this area right at 100 works from both the church and business world. I suppose I am a leader seeking to go on to perfection. It is a journey that does not end.

From the church world I have read works by Bandy, Bonhoeffer, Burke, Callahan, Carter, Clinton, Clowd, Crabb, DeYmaz, Haughen, Herrington, Hybells, Job, Johnson, Maxwell, McManus, McNeal, Niebuhr, Oakes, Olsen, Richardson, Schnase, Shawchuck, Slaughter, Smedes, Tickle, Williamson, Wright, Yancey, and Young.

From the business world I have read works from Bennis, Blanchard, Boers, Buckingham, Collins, Drucker, George, Goleman, Greenleaf, Gerzon, Giuliani, Huckabee, Kopp, Kotter, Kouzes, Murphy, Neuhauser, Raines, Rock, and Senge.

Presently, I am reading John C. Maxwell's work in the title. The point is this--God uses various means to teach so never get tired of learning and apply what you learn to life as a whole.

Reflections on Psalm 31 and some of Jesus' last words ...

2011-04-20T07:32:00.004-05:00

Wow! It sure helps to read where one-liner Old Testament quotations come from in the New Testament such as Jesus' final words in Luke: Father, "Into your hand I commit my Spirit" (Luke 23:46). This morning I am reading Psalm 31 and Jesus words are quoting from Psalm 31:5a.

I believe Jesus is referring to all of Psalm 31 in those final words in Luke. And, if he is, then he is also acknowledging that help is sure to come. Indeed this psalm ends in these words:

"Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who act haughtily.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait on the Lord."

In invite you to read all of Psalm 31 ...

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.

You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror to my neighbours,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.

O how abundant is your goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you,
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of everyone!
In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.

Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
I had said in my alarm,
‘I am driven far from your sight.’
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.

Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.

Choices: Making Right Decisions in a Complex World

2011-04-18T13:18:00.004-05:00

I just finished reading a book with the same title by Lewis B. Smedes who was the professor of philosophy and integrations at the Fuller Graduate School of Theology. The chapter titles give themes of the book, but I will leave that up to you to research those titles.

The one chapter that speaks to me most today has this title: "When you can't be sure, be responsible". In this chapter he mentions rules from another ethicist, H. Richard Niebuhr, who stressed that responsible people are able to: (1) initiate action; (2) make a genuine response to the situation that they are in; and, (3) account for their actions.

In this work Lewis Smedes invites us to become discerning by seeing 'little, yet significant', things in life by taking our time in decision-making until we catch the insight that is being taught by experience. Such discernment "... takes practice, it doesn't come easy. It is a gift, and like all personal gifts it comes only with exercise. It is not a gut reaction; it comes with using our eyes, our ears, our minds, our imagination, our empathy and, yes, our intuition" (p. 97).

Good decisions indeed are made when enough time has been given for the decision-making process. Slow down, take a deep breath, get advice, and ponder. The world we live in does not allow us the time to do so but such is required for the best of all.

If I boast ...

2011-04-11T09:12:00.008-05:00

This morning's devotional included this phrase from Paul, a first-generation follower of Jesus, which is:

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness" (2 Corinthians 11:30).

Simply put, God is amazing in that he can work through both our strengths and our weaknesses.

Ministry through weakness such as a widow, who has done well in facing grief, helping another widow.

Ministry through weakness as a person with a lifetime disease assisting another under similar condition.

Ministry through weakness as a person who found another person in their organization to cover areas of their weakness.

Ministry through weakness as an individual working on strengthening one of their own weaknesses at a time while primarily building upon their strengths.

If I boast ...

Max Lucado's book, The Gospel of Matthew

2011-04-06T16:35:00.004-05:00

Max is a very popular Christian writer. The discussion questions from each of the twelve sessions provide a very open-ended discussion among who come on Wednesday night. This is one of the two times when people of the community who desire a free meal can come to Arlington UMC to eat, to talk, to discuss and learn from each other, and ultimately from God. The other time is on Sunday morning at our free breakfast at 8:30 AM. Tonight's lesson, referring to the resurrection of Jesus, is "He's Alive!" And one of the questions will be:

"If Christ was able to raise others from the dead,

and if he himself conquered death, what are the implications for us?"

Wednesday night supper and lessons begin at 5:45 PM.

Today's Life Journaling ...

2011-04-05T08:05:00.003-05:00

Scripture: "Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped ..." (Ruth 2:9a).

Observation: This is from the story of Ruth after father-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband have all died. And so she follows her mother-in-law, Naomi, to her home which is Bethlehem. There she begins to gather crops which was the custom for travelers back then for there were few, if any, restaurants. And it just so happens she is gathering crops from a field that just so happens to be a relative of her deceased husband's family whose name is Boaz.

Application: Right now I am seeking to both keep my eyes on the field of the church which I and presently appointed while I am beginning to research the community to which I am projected toward on June 28, 2011. Such is "keeping my eyes on the field".

Prayer: Lord God, whose love is limitless: for that I give you praise! Praise you for the love that you have for those to whom I am appointed--the churches and the surrounding communities. Shape my loving gifts! May my words echo your words! May my actions mirror your actions! Your Spirit is already wherever I go! Prepare the hearts of those who go to see and hear and those who are heard and seen! Blessed be your name! Amen.

Yield: To praise of God and good works for God's Kingdom.

Reading James F. Hopewell's book, Congregation: Stories and Structures

2011-04-01T08:50:00.005-05:00

Jim was one of my professors in my master's work that I finished in 1981. His lectures and procedures for learning about a congregation have been very helpful through the years.

In his book, he invites pastors to learn about their congregation and community basically by listening to the stories that are told and, particularly, to those that are retold. In a very short fashion, his point is that the retold stories can help identify the values, essentials, identifications, integrity, characteristics, and hopes of a church and community.

Immediately, I recall the retold story of the chandelier that was falling on the preacher 'who jumped over the communion rail to avoid being hit' about sixty years ago during worship. Why was it retold quite a few times by different people at this local church?

I am taking time to read again his book that was published after his death to cancer. Such prepares me to listen well and ponder the deepest meaning of the story being told.

Completion and Preparation

2011-04-01T08:19:00.001-05:00

I am in the process of completing one appointment and preparing for the next pastor appointed to Arlington. Such is a loving process in concluding months giving a healthy completion of my work primarily in listening and overseeing good preparation for the one who is being sent to Arlington UMC. Such preparation includes things such as Lay Leadership lists, church and community demographics, lists of member's contact information, etc. And I will be inviting the Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) to give me a final evaluation of my work at Arlington. Such will help me walk toward Christian perfection--becoming more like Christ Jesus.

And then there is completion and preparation for the next appointment as well. Completing research of both the church and community setting of where I am being sent in preparation for becoming a trusted friend to both the church and the community. I will need to take time to slow down and ponder what actions will be most effective there. Such is required for gaining such a trust-level that I can be a part of winning people to Jesus and teaching them to faithfully follow him. Indeed, such actions need to be custom-fit to the place and the time.

In both cases, such completion and preparation includes Scripture lessons, prayer, caring for my family, caring for myself, research of where I am going, making a rough draft of first steps after the move, coming to agreement and adjustment with the SPRC there on those first steps, and, of course, ultimately listening well to God. The dream begins.

a phrase I like ...

2011-02-11T12:08:00.000-06:00

The church has left the building ...

Wrestling with Jesus

2011-02-10T10:00:00.006-06:00

Jesus preached a lot about the kingdom of God, or the rule of God. For me, in the teaching of Jesus the rule of God boils down to love. That is, love God, neighbor, enemy, and self. For me, it is in that order for before I can love myself I believe I must love God and others. Is that because of low self-esteem? No, not for me. That is because of what I see as the model of Jesus' behavior that expressed the love of God at its highest point when he gave his entire life for love. He healed the sick, raised the dead, hung out with those that society rejected, and this radical behavior cost him his life. Somehow or another because of that fully expressed love of God alive in Jesus that love sets us free to love.

What I believe is that solely because of what Jesus did I am set right with God. Yes, that is for sure. Yet, at the same time because of that "setting right with God" act in Jesus I am called to strive at living a holy life. This, for me, is more like the striving, the journey toward holiness, godliness, a sinless existence. Do I even have a sinless existence? For me, it is a now and then, here and there experience. That is, when just for a moment -- a site -- all is right with 'the world'.

As I am wrestling with Jesus for those moments when all is right with the world I read his demanding "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew, chapters 5-7, where he says, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect".

2011-02-07T17:51:00.003-06:00

"Anger is the attack on the brother's life
for it refuses to let him live and aims at his destruction ..."

(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 1937. p. 127)

Brief ponderings of Psalm 19:7-14

2011-02-04T07:35:00.002-06:00

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.

¹¹ Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
¹³ Keep back your servant also from the insolent;^*
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

The law of the LORD? It is basic -- love God neighbor, self and enemy. Such revives, makes wise, brings joy, enlightens, and endures.

Salt, light, and law

2011-02-02T08:31:00.003-06:00

Just listening to Sunday's sermon text which is from Matthew 5:13-20. It goes like this:

‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,^* not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks^* one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Such raises in my own mind these questions:

What are the various ways salt is used? How does this add to the meaning of Jesus' words: 'you are the salt of the earth'?
What are the various sources of light? uses of light? What does this say about Jesus saying, 'you are the light of the world'?
How are we living out the law--the love--of God? What needs to be taken away or added to our behavior so that we live out the love of God for all the more?

Let's just say Jesus represents, and ultimately is, a challenging love for all.

2011-01-31T08:00:00.002-06:00

"And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God" (Exodus 29:46).

The phrase that grabs a hold of me this morning is "that I (the LORD) might dwell among them ...". The setting of this verse is a journey. The people of God are following God's leadership on their journey. The way God is leading in this setting is as a 'cloud by day' and a 'fire by night'. Questions pop into my head:

How is God leading us today?
In what directions is God leading?
What is he leading us toward?
What are the ways that God is 'dwelling' with us?

Such questions like these I do seek to answer as I walk through my mission and vision to my goals and actions. My prayers are to follow God well. May it be.

For those with a low Christmas ...

2010-12-21T07:57:00.006-06:00

But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ (John 11:37)

The setting of "some of them" is at the tomb of Lazarus. He has died and while Jesus is there outside his tomb "some of them" ask the above question, and their question raises the following question for me: 'Can impossible possibilities really be possible in Jesus?' And the answer is, "Yes!"

On a personal level that is especially good for me to hear right now as I watch a family member go through the aging process. Curiously, while watching over my family member until late hours last night I was reading parts of Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N. T. Wright. He speaks of how the resurrection can be experienced today in this life.

And in light of last night's experience and today's devotional reading from John 9-11 that ends with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, I wrote and prayed this prayer. May it ring true for you as well.

Lord God, for the daily experience of the resurrection in this life I give You thanks.
For me, such an experience gives life meaning, value, purpose, insight, hope, and empowerment to resist evil and do good through love.
Your gift of experiencing your Son's resurrection in my daily life helps me to walk through experiences like sorrow, remorse, guilt, despair and depression.
All of such is being risen from life as it is to life as it not only will be but can be here and now by just holding on to hope in you.
Again, praise be to you.
Amen.

The Misunderstood Jew ... comments ...

2010-10-27T09:38:00.002-05:00

Amy-Jill Levine is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter professor of the New Testament at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee. I have just finished her book about Jesus entitled The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus.

As just one example, it was very helpful to hear her view of Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and tax collector that is in Luke 18:9-14 as I was preparing to preach from that parable.

Honestly, she gives a view of Jesus that makes your eyebrow raise, but then did not Jesus do that as well?

Praise and Prayer Request

2010-08-23T11:06:00.001-05:00

Again, I wish to thank you and God for the “formational and spiritual growth leave” during July of this year. On the physical side I got in the habits of a healthy diet and walking. On the social side I balanced paying attention to my family together with time alone. On the mental side I journaled, dreamed, and read five works in the areas of pastoring, preaching, evangelism, and connecting with God. On the spiritual side I continued my Life Journaling (Scripture reading and reflection); and added to that reading Genesis, Matthew and Philippians.

I also did some personal property care such as washing the windows, sealing the driveway, clean and organize our garage, replace kitchen cabinet door knobs, and hang a new light in our dining area.

My leave followed this structure. For the first week I worked at getting my mind off of our work here for such is recommended in order to increase creativity. During that time I read a 100+ page work on the battle of Franklin while visiting the historic markers mentioned such as the Carter House and the McGavock Confederate Cemetery in Franklin. The next two weeks I just read and reflected on where we are and where God may be calling us at AUMC. The last two weeks I began to allow this reflection to be a means of God continuing to reshape me into the husband, father, grandfather, pastor, and leader God is seeking me to become. Such is a continuing work.

All of this is a significant part of what James S. Stewart, a classical Scottish teacher of preachers suggests in his book Heralds of God in his chapter entitled “The Preacher’s Inner Life”. Honestly, I believe this can apply to all who follow Jesus.

· Be utterly dedicated to the work God has set you aside to accomplish. This means that we are to be absorbed by our great God-given task (201).

· Be dedicated to prayer … “for every family, every soul by name” (203).

· Be one marked by humility of heart. Humility comes from the magnitude of the task … anything we achieve is God’s doing (208).

· Be a person of authority. Authority comes from the fact that it is God’s Word, not our own, that we proclaim (213).

· Be one on fire for Christ. When all is said and done the supreme need of the Church is people on fire for Christ Jesus!

Pray that I am on fire for Christ Jesus and I will give the same prayer for you as well.

The Celtic Way of Evangelism

2010-07-27T14:19:00.003-05:00

This is part of a title of one of George G. "Chuck" Hunters book. The full title is The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West (2000).

He opens by telling the story of St. Patrick who brought the gospel to Ireland in the late fourth/early fifth centuries. Patrick began by studying the community and shaping the presentation of the gospel in word and deed for the setting where it was heard and seen.

Hunter's reflections upon Patrick and his followers' 'Celtic model' of evangelism, it was shaped around three areas. They were: fellowship; ministry and conversations followed by belief; and, an invitation and commitment to Jesus. For him, this was more a 'right-brain' experience stirred from intuition, emotions, imagination, art such as music and poetry, and experience.

Who Stole My Church?

2010-07-27T13:57:00.002-05:00

I finished a day and a half reading Who Stole My Church? What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century. The author is Gordon MacDonald written in 2007.

It is a fictional work where a pastor tells the story of a congregation that is changing in order to reach the community around them. It follows the basic style of C. S. Lewis book, The Great Divorce, because each chapter in both deals with different individual response to change. And MacDonald also tells of how the pastor and others in the community of faith deal with that response.

The question in the book's title comes from a parishioner asking it because that person's present-day church is totally different from that character's past. It was worth my time to read. It includes "points to ponder" that are discussion questions in the back of the book for each chapter. I can see this as a book for various groups at church to explore and ponder.

Connecting With God: A Spiritual Formation Guide

2010-07-21T10:35:00.004-05:00

Connecting with God is a 12-week long course that explores God and God's relationship with us. The authors of this are Lynda Graybeal and Julia Roller. The introduction is written by one who is known for his work on spiritual disciplines: Richard Foster.

I have been using it during my 5-week formational and spiritual growth leave reading three lessons per week. Through it, I have been exploring areas such as living, talking, meeting, listening, hearing, perceiving, seeking, seeing, sensing, encountering, wrestling, and walking with God.

Each day begins with a devotional reading from Christian authors. And then it is followed by a 'My Life with God Exercise' that includes a Scripture lesson and four means of reflection upon that lesson until you finish with 'taking it further'. I do like the way it is structured and a prayer that pulls from both Psalm 25 and 27. It goes as follows:

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

Make me to know your ways, O LORD;

teach me your paths.

Lead me in truth, and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation,

for you I wait all day long.

"Come," my heart says, "seek his face!"

Your face, LORD, do I seek.

Give ear to me words, O LORD;

give heed to my sighing.

Listen to the sound of my cry,

My King and my God,

for to you I pray. Amen.

To you, O LORD; to you ... may all be to you.

Rethink Church: Change the World

2010-04-29T13:20:00.005-05:00

The United Methodist denomination like quite a few denominations is recognizing that experimenting in order to discover the best way(s) to relate to people is required. In essence, it has always been that way because no two individuals or groups are exactly alike. Even Jesus, the best of the best, used various ways to relate to people well. To one, a new acquaintance, he would listen first and then speak (John 4); and to another, a close friend, he would say (in my own words): "Come on now, you are not getting it" (Matthew 16:21-23).

Mike Slaughter, in his book Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus, speaks of his experience of rediscovering ways to reach people where they are as the Lead Pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church. It is worth the reading. It is a 118-page book that has discussion questions at the end of each chapter. To introduce you a bit to the contents the titles of the seven chapters are: missional vs. attractional; inclusive vs. exclusive; disciples vs. decisions; micro vs. macro; multiplication vs. expansion; mission vs. mortar; and courage vs. compliance.

The words of hope I see in his book that briefly tell the story of the beginning years of ministry at Ginghamsburg is a bit similar to the work of God through us at Arlington UMC in Nashville. Such are words of hope.

Unchristian: What a New Generation Really thinks about Christianity ... and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

2010-03-16T09:46:00.004-05:00

I just finished this work that was published in 2007 this morning. It is a representation of the viewpoint of people that were born between the years of 1965 and 1983 (the 'Busters') and between 1984 and 2002 (the 'Mosaics').

Their point is the Busters and Mosaics see the church as unchristian. In Kinnaman and Lyons words, "they think Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind ..." (p. 15). Whether or not it was intended this is how the church has come across to these two generations. They, the Busters and Mosaics, see us (the church) as: hypocritical; too focused on converts; anti-homosexual; too sheltered; and judgemental.

The authors of Unchristian ... not only present the descriptive definitions of how we, the church, are seen by those born between 1965 and 2002, but they also give us good advice from various leaders as we seek to engage people and the world with the love of God.

This work has helped me to realize that we, Arlington United Methodist Church, are on the right road in our vision to "change the world by loving our neighbor". That is, we are directly feeding the hungry, offering the good news of Jesus in varied styles, and listening to the community as we shape our actions. But as always Kinnaman and Lyons affirms that the shaping our action through listening and loving is never complete.

Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church by Mark Deymaz

2010-03-10T07:46:00.003-06:00

I just completed this work on Monday. It gave me a beneficial way to give reflections on where we are at the moment. 'We' refers to the staff and laity of Arlington UMC in Nashville, TN where we live in a diverse community of over 40 languages with persons from economically rich to poor.

Part One of work explores the biblical mandate to cross artificial borders. In this section he explores three areas: Jesus' prayer in John 17; the boundary crossing that occurs in Acts tying together Jewish and Gentile believers; and the letter of Ephesians that speaks of diverse people being made one in Jesus.

Part Two explores what he calls "core commitments" of a multi-ethnic church. They are as follows: embrace dependence; take intentional steps; empower diverse leadership; develop cross-cultural relationships; pursue cross-cultural competence; promote a spirit of inclusion; and mobilize for impact. In this section he challenges the theme that has been taken from Donald McGavran's work in Church Growth which does encourage us to work on attracting people just like us. To that Deymaz would ask, 'Is that what Jesus did?'

Part Three tells stories of three local churches using the "core commitments". The first illustration was a local church planted in a diverse community. The second told of how a declining church that crossed the 'boundaries' in order to grow. And the third told of a transformed homogeneous church becoming heterogeneous.

Let's say it was worth my reading. It gave me a means to determine where we are at the moment. That is we are in the areas of "empowering diverse leadership" and I am seeing the possibility of further "developing cross-cultural relationships" by requesting a leadership feedback team that crosses cultures.

View from the Balcony

2010-02-18T09:53:00.003-06:00

At one of the workshops I attended this calendar year, we were asked questions numbered 2-5 that have been very helpful to me. And to them I added questions 1 and 6.

How do you see the General Church? (This can be interpreted as the worldwide church or a particular denomination.)
How do you see your local church?
How do you see yourself personally?
How do you see yourself from a different angle?
What is your local church organized around?
Now replace the word "church" with the words "family" and the word "yourself" with "your family" and answer the same questions moving to clarifying your understanding as a family leader.

I will say that this has indeed been of help in clarifying the church and family functions of leadership. The leader at the workshop entitled these questions as having a "view from the balcony".

It is time ...

2010-02-17T11:00:00.003-06:00

Wow! It seems to be that I am on overload right now. Lent is beginning ... lessons, leadership, preparation for Easter, digesting what I have become more acquainted with about the continuing changes in our nation that applies to our locality.

It is time to walk away for a while to listen, understand, and apply the guidance of the voice of God.

Snow ...

2010-01-30T18:00:00.002-06:00

What a snow we have had in the last 24 hours. For the Nashville area having 4-6 inches is exceptional.

Lord, help us to take our time on the roads and good decisions as we drive.

Two things for New Year's Day

2010-01-01T08:43:00.002-06:00

Praise to God for giving us gifts such as friendships in 2009.

Prayers to God as we move into 2010.

This is the year ...

2009-12-31T08:01:00.003-06:00

I know the older I get the thought that another year has passed blows my mind. Tomorrow is 2010. This was the year that the Lord had made. And 2010 will be the year that the Lord will indeed make one day at a time.

Christmas

2009-12-29T11:35:00.003-06:00

Wow! It was grand to see the increase in attendance this past Christmas Eve ... double what it was the year before.

May God give us the grace necessary to empower our words and deeds to lift the human hearts and lives to God's presence.

a Christmas Eve prayer for each of us ...

2009-12-24T11:50:00.004-06:00

As I think of those who have lost lived ones or faced various difficult moments such as job loss, facing cancer, or serving our nation in war, to my attention came this prayer in this morning's liturgy:

God our Father, great builder of the heavenly Jerusalem,

you know the number of the stars and call each of them by name.

Heal hearts that are broken,

gather together those who have been scattered,

and enrich us all from the plenitude of your eternal wisdom.

Turn to us, LORD, make haste to help your people ...

2009-12-23T11:10:00.001-06:00

Wow! tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Again, you are invited to be our guest. Christmas Eve services at 3:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

Blessings ...

2009-12-21T08:17:00.002-06:00

I want to thank those who 'remodeled' our commons area. My early morning devotional time there this morning was full of song, readings, and praise. Thanks be to God at work through God's people.

Prayers

2009-12-19T12:34:00.003-06:00

Prayers for you during this season when we can too easily get too busy to slow down and take time to listen to God.

May you surprisingly discover such a time. By the grace of God, I was given a pause for coffee and reading.

Blessings ...

Reflections on 2009

2009-12-16T06:54:00.003-06:00

The ‘support, guidance, and training to the lay membership’ that I have seen at AUMC in 2009 has continued to revolve around two areas:

(1) the general mission of the Church which, in our own words is ‘to make disciples of Jesus Christ’; and,

(2) our God-given Vision for Arlington UMC which is ‘Changing your world by loving your neighbor.’

For now, this process is in the establishment of our visionpaths whose overall objective is to set all our goals and actions of all our work areas and committees based upon our vision.

Here are some of the observed effects of “changing your world by loving your neighbor” as of December 15, 2009:

· An average of 32 persons per week have been fed through our food closet which is a lay-led effort of local churches and businesses;

o Those assisted are also invited to be a part of our community of faith by being told of our worship hour and meal times;

· And, as necessary, people are eating free at both our Wednesday night supper and Sunday morning breakfast;

o The Wednesday night supper (6:00 PM) has intentionally moved to a more inviting scene for our guests by moving from an educational series that builds off of each other to a stand-alone Christ/guest-centered midweek worship time at the table using resources such as “Evening Prayer” or “Night Prayer” in the United Methodist Book of Worship or The Liturgy of the Hours;

§ And a separate educational time for children and youth has been established by our children/youth director;

o The Sunday Morning Breakfast (8:30 AM), presently known as “The Gathering”, begins with a meal, and after about 25 minutes, is led into singing, prayers, readings and testimony. Honestly, we don’t know yet if this will become more like ‘worship’ or ‘Sunday School’; or a mixture of both. In the last month the average attendance at this event is 30. This is becoming another means of God's grace reaching the community through the gifts of members and non-members.

· In 2009, by the grace of God, a child has entered as a baptized member, and twelve persons have united with AUMC. Of the twelve, eight have come as ‘professing members’ making decisions to unite with a local church, the body of Christ, for the first time.

· Organizations outside AUMC continue to receive our financial and/or volunteer support such as 61^st Ave UMC; Habitat for Humanity; Room in the Inn; and Community Care Fellowship; and,

· We are coordinating the work of our Child Development Center with the work of bringing people to Jesus Christ.

Thanks goes to God and the people of God for doing the impossible.

Wow!

2009-12-15T06:52:00.002-06:00

Wow!

This week I am just grateful to God for his work through the laity of AUMC.

More to come ...

looking forward ...

2009-12-09T06:47:00.001-06:00

"The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall be living in curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good"
Isaiah 7.14b-15

the psalm-prayer ...

2009-12-08T06:57:00.003-06:00

The psalm-prayer for this morning after the reading of Psalm 65 began with this phrase:

"Lord God, hope of all the earth ..."

Indeed, such is true: God is the hope of all the earth. God is hope for the end of war; hope for the feeding of the hungry by providing humanity the means to do so; hope of people putting down their own lives of control to servanthood of the good of all.

And my prayer continued: "Pour out your Spirit on us so that our lives may bear fruit abundantly. To you, O God, our praise is due ..."

Amen ... so be it.

Let all ...

2009-12-07T07:21:00.001-06:00

Let all who thirst come; let all who desire it, drink from the life-giving water (Revelation 22:17).

The life-giving water is Jesus, the Son of God. All one must do is ask that Jesus quench one's thirst.

Further reflections

2009-12-04T06:55:00.003-06:00

The vision of AUMC, "Changing your world by loving your neighbor", for me has a ring to it that is for real and motivating.

The "for real" part refers to the "loving your neighbor" for this can refer to loving one neighbor in the name of Jesus Christ. That love can be expressed in varied ways of friendship from listening to eating together to being empathetic. Such are things already occurring.

The "motivating" part is in "changing the world". Such includes changing the world one person at a time as well as changing the world through our apportionment ministries. Honestly, AUMC has overall been resistant to this second portion of loving the world but there are signs that this resistance to doing so may be weakening. A couple of months ago our Church Council voted to commit a tithe of our 2010 weekly offerings to pay apportionments. Such will be a beginning of doing so. And such is a part of changing the world.

And, of course, "Changing your world by loving your neighbor" is walking down the road of life with Jesus who 'loved his neighbor as himself'.

just a bit of journaling ...

2009-12-03T12:05:00.003-06:00

The first 2.5 years at Arlington UMC have been years in which we have done two basic things.

The first was to write the mission of the universal church after reading both Acts and section IV of the UM Discipline on the mission and ministry of the Universal Church. Our wording of it is "to make, or followers, disciples of Jesus Christ".

The second was to write what we believe God's vision of Arlington UMC is after researching both local church and community demographics, community leader interviews, congregational questionnaires and interviews with persons who have joined or left AUMC in the last five years. From that came our vision:

"Change your world by loving your neighbor",

A couple of weeks ago the chairs of our various leadership groups met together to rejoice ways our vision is coming to life and to begin the further process of setting goals and activities based upon our vision. This was a little bit more of changing our world by loving our neighbor.

Thanks be to God.

2009-12-02T15:19:00.002-06:00

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.

Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

May it be so ...

2009-12-01T06:43:00.004-06:00

This morning I was reading from Psalm 33. One short line jumped out of the psalter and grasped me. It was this:

"May your love be upon us, O LORD, as we place all our hope in you"

Such is always true.

Holiness ...

2009-11-28T08:59:00.000-06:00

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. (Romans 12:14-16)

preparing the soil, preparing the soul

2009-11-26T04:00:00.000-06:00

"When a farmer prepares to till the soil he must put on clothing and use tools that are suitable. So Christ, our heavenly king, came to till the soil of (hu)mankind devastated by sin. He assumed a body and, using the cross as his plowshare, cultivated the barren soul of (hu)man(s). He removed the thorns and thistles which are evil spirits and pulled up the weeds of sin. Into the fire he cast the straw of wickedness. And when he had plowed the soul with the wood of the cross, he planted in it a most lovely garden of the Spirit, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most peasant fruit of every kind."

--Saint Macarius, bishop

(The Liturgy of the Hours, IV. p. 596).

The day begins ...

2009-11-25T04:00:00.001-06:00

"I implore you to love with me and, by believing, to run with me; let us long for our heavenly country, let us sigh for our heavenly home, let us truly feel that here we are strangers. What then shall we see? Let the gospel tell us: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God ... When we part from one another, let us not depart from him"

(from 'a treatise on John by St. Augustine, bishop' in The Liturgy of the Hours: IV, 593)

The Liturgy of the Hours

2009-11-24T04:00:00.005-06:00

I have to use differing means of grace (ways that God gets his grace to me) and there are times when such needs to change. In 2003 I was given a gift that I used a couple of years for the spiritual disciplines of study, prayer, and meditation. The title of this work is The Liturgy of the Hours that is a 4-volume means by which you use up to six times a day. The source is our Roman Catholic and Episcopal brothers and sisters.

A part of the Monday mornings readings from The Liturgy ... came from 1 Peter 1:1-11, part of a sermon by Pope Leo the Great speaking of justice and judgment as coming from the "wisdom and instruction and piety from the Lord", and the following prayer was suggested and prayed:

LORD, increase our eagerness to do your will

and help us to know the saving power of your love.

Grant this through our LORD Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever. Amen.

The days of this week have had a good start. Such does make a significant difference.

Lord God, who provides ...

2009-11-23T04:00:00.001-06:00

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25).

Lord God, who provides. Use us as a means of grace to provide for those who will not have a meal on Thanksgiving. In that sense, we will rid them of their worry by you using us to provide. Amen.

what is important ...

2009-11-22T04:00:00.000-06:00

But he (Jesus) answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’

Matthew 4:4

These words are the reply of Jesus to the Tempter who tempts him to turn stones into bread during his time of fasting and prayer. As Jesus does regularly, he pulls from the teaching of God. In this place he is referring to Deuteronomy 8:3 where Israel's leader, Moses, is reminding them of how God continually looked after them by giving them food during their journey to Israel.

Jesus realizes theses things: (1) God will provide; and (2) what is important for the moment. And the importance for that time that Jesus had alone was fasting and prayer.

May you realize, may we realize, what is important today.

through weakness ...

2009-11-21T04:00:00.005-06:00

Scripture: "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness ... I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:9b-10).

Observation: Paul, as virtually always, keeps his focus upon the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here, because Paul sees God's use of the execution of Jesus to the benefit of all the human family, he sees his own personal weaknesses as ways through which God may work (means of grace).

Application: See your own weaknesses as a means of God's grace. How can God use your weaknesses today as ways to reach others for Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord God, who raised your Son: Praise to you! Honoring that you used your Son's execution to save the world, please aid me to adjust my works this day that your goodness of love will be seen even in my weaknesses. Give me the insight to do so as praise to you. Glory and Honor me to you. Amen.

Yield: How can your weaknesses be used as means of God's grace today?

You are invited to be our guest at

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

Nashville, TN 37217

(615) 361-4896

Community free breakfast and praise: 8:30 AM

Worship: 10 AM

between Briley Parkway and the airport runway that goes across Murfreesboro Road

arlingtonum.org

If it had not been ...

2009-11-20T04:00:00.003-06:00

"If it had not been ..." "If I had not been ... " "If you had not been ..."

Such a phrase catches my attention. It speaks of a central event that occured that had it not occured ...

So the psalmist reflects on either one or a number of events of the past.

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side ...

(Psalm 124:1-2)

As always, these words say that victories, whether excessively small or exceedingly great come from the LORD.

If it had not been ...

1 Corinthians 9:6-15

2009-11-19T04:00:00.002-06:00

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written,

‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures for ever.’

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Life ...

2009-11-18T04:00:00.002-06:00

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God.

Not that we are competent of ourselves

to claim anything as coming from us;

our competence is from God,

who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant,

not of letter but of spirit;

for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

(2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

Yes, we do proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ by word and by good deeds, but it is God who ultimately changes hearts. And that God-given heart-change equips a person to love God, neighbor, enemy and self. It gives a person the capability to trust God.

No purpose thwarted ...

2009-11-17T04:00:00.002-06:00

As I said, Job does not receive a direct answer from the LORD about the reasons for his suffering. In life so many times there is nor reasoning for such. All Job discovers is to not blame the LORD for tragedy and evil. And at that he says to the LORD,

‘I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
“Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?”
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
“Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.”
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.
(Job 42:2-6).

Even in suffering no purpose of God can be thwarted.

worth the reading ...

2009-11-16T04:00:00.002-06:00

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe (1 Corinthians 15:10-11).

In 1 Corinthians 15-16 Paul speaks specifically of the Jesus-resurrection while pointing to what opportunities are presented to us because of the resurrection of Jesus. Two chapters worth the reading.

Shall?

2009-11-15T04:00:00.004-06:00

And then, after the LORD reminds Job how much he cares for all creation (Job 38-39), the LORD said to Job:

‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?
Anyone who argues with God must respond.’

(Job 40:2)

At this point, Job who has been challenging the LORD to battle, is challenged by the LORD to the same as the LORD says

‘Gird up your loins like a man;
I will question you, and you declare to me.
Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be justified?
Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?

‘Deck yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendour.
Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on all who are proud, and abase them.
Look on all who are proud, and bring them low;
tread down the wicked where they stand.
Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.
Then I will also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can give you victory.

‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?^*

The LORD of questions begins to answer Job ...

2009-11-14T04:00:00.001-06:00

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7)

Some theologians, such as Paul Tillich, stated that the best we can do is to ask the right questions. I suppose they were observing God's answer to the suffering that only begins in chapter 38.

You are invited to be our guest at Arlington United Methodist Church.

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and the airport runway bridge)

arlingtonum.org

(615) 361-4806

Vision: Change the world by loving your neighbor.

a message to the Jobs

2009-11-13T04:00:00.000-06:00

No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Yes, Job, such is true. But sometimes it doesn't seem so true.

At least there ...

2009-11-12T04:00:00.001-06:00

As I am overhearing Elihu speaking to the suffering Job there are moments when I hear Elihu as correct such as his advice to the suffering in Job 37:24-29.

Remember to extol his (God's) work,
of which mortals have sung.
All people have looked on it;
everyone watches it from far away.
Surely God is great, and we do not know him;
the number of his years is unsearchable.
For he draws up the drops of water;
he distills his mist in rain,
which the skies pour down
and drop upon mortals abundantly.
Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?

Or Job 35:8 reasonably speaks to me: "Your wickedness affects others like you, and your righteousness, other human beings" (Job 35:8).

Yes, we are always to be of praise to God if for nothing else than just giving us today. And our behavior does have affect upon others. At least there Elihu is accurate.

Enough said

2009-11-11T04:00:00.006-06:00

For Job has said, “I am innocent,
and God has taken away my right;
in spite of being right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.”
(Job 34:5-6)

Elihu is continuing to speak. It is so easy to reflect on another person's trouble(s) and to say that they caused all of their troubles. Such are examples of human judgment.

Without telling too much of the book (so that others will read it) in The Shack the author tells the story of man, Mack, whose daughter was murdered. At one point in the story God gives him the opportunity to judge not only his daughter's murderer but all human beings. At that moment he responds that he cannot do so. And then he begins to identify more with God as presented in The Shack who allows humans to bring judgment upon themselves.

With that in mind it would have been better if all of Job's friends and acquaintances would have judged only themselves.

enough said ...

God aches for you ...

2009-11-10T04:00:00.003-06:00

Here Job's judge, who is an inexperienced 'youngen', speaks again when he should have been a silent observer:

‘God indeed does all these things,
twice, three times, with mortals,
to bring back their souls from the Pit,
so that they may see the light of life.
Pay heed, Job, listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
(Job 33:29-31)

Let's, for a moment, take it that "God indeed does all these things". If that is true God could be called

Earthquake God;
Hurricane God;
Tornado God;
War God;
Disease God;
Cancer God;
Death God.

Does God indeed do all these things? My answer is "No! Absolutely not!"

They are caused by a world damaged by humanity that the loving God gave the freedom to substantially screw things up. And that we have done.

So Job, don't blame God. God is indeed love -- a love that cannot be measured. And as a loving parent aches with the aches of her or his child, so God aches for you.

There you go ...

2009-11-09T07:36:00.005-06:00

Well, here comes another human judge judging with only human insight. As this person whose name is Elihu, a youngster at that, judges Job all he sees is all Job's tragedy is Job's own fault.

'There you go' (a phrase I often use).

The young one that must speak says,

I must speak, so that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and answer.
I will not show partiality to any person
or use flattery towards anyone.
For I do not know how to flatter—
or my Maker would soon put an end to me!

(Job 32:20-22)

The youngster's name is Elihu. He sees Job as a self-righteous person, and Job's other friends as incompetent judges.

'There you go'. If the youth only know as much as they think they do. Again, the source of real wisdom is God alone for all ages.

Perhaps the young Elihu of this world needs to listen to the apostle Paul who wrote:

"All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads" (Galatians 6:4-5).

OK ...

2009-11-06T04:00:00.000-06:00

Because God has loosed my bowstring and humbled me,
they have cast off restraint in my presence.
Did I not weep for those whose day was hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
But when I looked for good, evil came;
and when I waited for light, darkness came.

(Job 30:11, 26-5-26)

Job, I am tempted to say to you, "OK, life is tough. Get over it!"

Why can't life be like it was when _____________ ?

2009-11-05T04:00:00.000-06:00

In Job 28-29 that is the question Job is asking. He is recalling his healthy/wealthy past and wondering why on earth he lost it all.

He looks for the days "when I was in my prime ..." (Job 29:4a) and when "the friendship of God was in my tent ..." (4b). He looks at when in response to him the 'young men saw me and withdrew'; 'the aged rose up and stood'; 'the nobles refrained from talking'; 'the voices of princes were hushed' ... 'because I delivered the poor who cried, and the orphan who had no helper'.

In asking why everything went wrong while Job is seeking to do everything right he does a couple of things. Job still acknowledges that God is the source of wisdom and knows the way to it (28:20-28). And Job at least seeks to remain in a healthy fear of God. The fear of God in Scripture is not being scared to death of God. Rather, it is just respecting, and most of all, loving God. True love continues to love those we are upset with (such as God). And Job writes with this in mind ...

"Truly the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom;

and to depart from evil is understanding"

(Job 28:28)

Ahhh, here understanding doesn't have to be comprehending it all as much as it is just seeking to depart from evil ... which is ultimately seeking to follow after God. For me, that makes tragedy 'understanding' a bit easier.

If God is then ...

2009-11-04T04:00:00.003-06:00

Why do people always need explanations of all that occurs?

Job and all his friends are those who do want a solid explanation for all of life's events.

But does there really have to be an explanation of all that comes our way?

As God lives, who has taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
as long as my breath is in me
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
Far be it from me to say that you are right;
until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go;
my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

(Job 27:2-6)

Job, what else can be said? Is God really the cause of all? If God is the cause of all events then there is no love in God.

Then ...

2009-11-03T04:00:00.003-06:00

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered Job trying to explain the reasons he was suffering ...

‘Dominion and fear are with God;
he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his sight,
how much less a mortal, who is a maggot,
and a human being, who is a worm!’

(Job 25)

There are bits of truth for me in Bildad's words. Yes, God does rule. God does make peace. God's presence or light shines forth over all creation. And although a mortal may well be "sinless" none is like God who has always been and always will be. And with Bildad I agree that the best we humans can do is reflect the goodness of God.

But Bildad, for me, misses some truths as well. First God rules, but it is in the end of creation that God's rule will truly come forth so Job's suffering as all suffering will only end then. And God does indeed make peace but he gives humans the option to rebel and kill peace. God's presence shines over all creation but we humans can shade our experiences by distractions from what God's light of goodness shows us. We can give a grand struggle against evil but our insight is never as clear as God's insight.

Tomorrow, we will explore Job's answer to Bildad.

This morning's reading ...

2009-11-02T04:00:00.000-06:00

This morning's reading was Job 23-24.

In these two chapters he answers his accusers admitting that he is indeed very bitter over all the wrong things that happened to him. He groans so much he wants to have a down right fight with God. He sees that challenging God scene as him being his own lawyer before God arguing for his innocence. He is daring enough to claim that God would give in to him.

The talking words of Job that stick out to me are,

My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth.
But he stands alone and who can dissuade him?
What he desires, that he does.
For he will complete what he appoints for me;
and many such things are in his mind.
Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face!

(Job 23:11-17)

Although they cause trouble for Job, "What he (the LORD) desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me; and many such things are in his mind" (v. 13b-14). These words terrify Job, personally for me they give me hope. For in my mind and heart God desires only good. If only Job knew that, but he will learn ...

All Saints Day: Psalm 121

2009-11-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore.

2009-10-31T04:00:00.003-05:00

‘Agree with God, and be at peace;
in this way good will come to you.
Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored,
if you remove unrighteousness from your tents,
if you treat gold like dust,
and gold of Ophir like the stones of the torrent-bed...

(Job 22:21-24)

You know these words (that were spoken by Job's friend, Eliphaz the Temanite) sound so reasonable and good. Doesn't agreeing with God sound good. But again with all of Scripture it is good to read all around the verses that catch your attention the way these three caught mine.

When I read around these verses I saw that once again Job's friend(s) were telling the sinless Job: 'You were of no use to God because you did not do what was right and that is the reason for all the evil that has come on you (vv. 1-11); you are not to challenge God (vv. 12-20); and you must be worshiping idols! (vv. 25-30).

My message to Job: "Right now don't agree with the god that your friends are presenting. For the true God is a God of love that does not cause evil, that does not desire it to occur, but who when all evil that is in one way or another caused by the human family does happen do receive the instruction from God's mouth. The world calls God's mouth "common sense". Overall, the Church of all denominations has called this "prevenient grace" -- the mercy of God that prevenes over all creation by giving the human family common sense, or a consciousness of what is good.

OK, Lord, when evil comes again, I will listen for your voice. That I say ... that I pray. May you do so as well.

Halloween

2009-10-30T07:12:00.004-05:00

Halloween, like quite a few other worldly holidays, was claimed by the Church. Originally, Halloween was somewhat more like what you see nowadays as costumed children go seeking gifts for in ancient times people would dress up to scare away evil spirits on that day.

The Church took this day and turned it into a time to remember the faithful that had died in since the last Halloween. The date of Halloween (also known as "All Saints" or "All Hallows" Day) became November 1.

On All Saints Day in the Arlington United Methodist Church will be remembering our members who have died since last All Saints Sunday.

And we will also be naming those who have joined during this time.

You are invited to be our guest.

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and the airport runway that goes over Murfreesboro Road)

john@arlingtonum.org

Sitting with Job ...

2009-10-30T04:00:00.004-05:00

It's Friday. A Friday for Job. In Job 21 he is taking time to reflect over the events of his life and unfortunately at this point he sees a lot of crap. So he is asking his observers these questions:

"As for me, is my complaint addressed to mortals?" (v. 4a);
"Why should I not be impatient?" (v. 4b);
"Why do the wicked live on, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?" (v. 7);

And on reflecting on the rich people who are evil, he writes:

They say to God, 'Leave us alone. We do not desire to know your ways. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?' Is not their prosperity indeed their own achievement? The plans of the wicked are repugnant to me ... How often does calamity come upon them? ... How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?" (vv. 15-16, 17b, 18).

Job is asking: "Why? Why? Why?" If only he was dealing with an easier question such as, "What might I do for the good of humanity even in my own unjust situation?"

Personally, I have never found a good answer to that "why" question. Hey, Job, stop asking 'why'. Just know in your tragedy that the goodness of God is hanging around. God may, or may not be, in your friends or acquaintances that are hanging around.

Wait. Sit back, take a deep breath, and wait.

Job here speaks again ...

2009-10-29T04:00:00.004-05:00

Job here speaks again. Personally, I believe that these words have both anger and hope within them. In a proverbial perspective, such is life. The same angering circumstance can always have a bit of hope. So Job says,

‘O that my words were written down!
O that they were inscribed in a book!
O that with an iron pen and with lead
they were engraved on a rock for ever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth;
and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
then in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see on my side,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
If you say, “How we will persecute him!”
and, “The root of the matter is found in him”;
be afraid of the sword,
for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
so that you may know there is a judgement.’
(Job 19:23-29)

God is curious God. He hears prayers of anger. So if you are angry with God, please express it openly to God. God can indeed handle it well.

Where?

2009-10-28T04:00:00.002-05:00

Another friend, or I would like to think acquaintance, of Job seeks to reason out Job's suffering as if there are any legitimate reasons for suffering. The friend/acquaintance was 'Bildad the Shuhite'. To the suffering Job he says,

'Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly,
such is the place of those who do not know God.’

(Job 18:21)

Implication of course is that Job must be an ungodly man. Such is an easy explanation for suffering like lung cancer coming to a smoker. But what of the cancers, etc, that come because of no logical explanation? Or what of the sinless suffering Job?

John asks, "Job, where are we going in all this mess?"

Ready to give up?

2009-10-27T05:50:00.003-05:00

In chapter seventeen of Job he prays for relief. He has been through more than many of us put together and there is no relief in sight. And so he prays ...

If I look for Sheol as my house,
if I spread my couch in darkness,
if I say to the Pit, “You are my father”,
and to the worm, “My mother”, or “My sister”,
where then is my hope?
Who will see my hope?
Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
Shall we descend together into the dust?’

(Job 17.13-16)

Job's spirit is broken. Full of frustration, grief, anger, and physical pain he is ready to give up but soon he will find that God was with him and if nothing else God kept giving Job endurance.

Suffering and evil ...

2009-10-26T07:59:00.004-05:00

Hear me through. It is so tempting to believe in an all-controlling God ... a God who causes it all. But it is too troubling for me to believe in such a God.

Two Christian leaders of the WW II era wrestled with the reasons for evil. One was Leslie D. Weatherhead, a British preacher who lived in Britain, and the other was Jurgen Moltmann, who as a child witnessed homes and civilian lives destroyed in the allied fire bombings of Germany. Later Moltmann would become a significant Christian theologian.

Weatherhead's response was to write sermons during the war that wrestled with evil that would later be published in a book that still sells quite well: The Will of God. In it he makes clear that all tragedies are caused by the human family. And God's will, in my own brief Weatherhead summary, is to give us what it takes to walk through suffering that will, in the end, have victory with God.

Moltmann's response to human-caused suffering has been to write dozens of works about a suffering God who aches over the human family. And, again in my own words, Moltmann's belief is that somehow through the suffering Jesus, the suffering God, healing comes. And it is our responsibility to see that the message and actions of God's healing grace spread across the earth.

Unfortunately, the suffering Job had not yet experienced the healing grace of God. And, again unfortunately, he blames God for all that is evil. Such is clear in his words:

God gives me up to the ungodly,
and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
I was at ease, and he broke me in two;
he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his target;
his archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys, and shows no mercy;
he pours out my gall on the ground.

(Job 16:11-13)

Continuing our walk with Job...

Fear of God ...

2009-10-25T04:00:00.001-05:00

Fear of God--it is so misinterpreted, not translated well. The biblical 'fear of God' is a respect of God that encourages us to not only receive the love that God has for us, but also to share it with friend, enemy, and self.

Now, one of the friends of Job (who had faced tragedy) says to him in light of the fact that he had faced tragedy and was angry with God because of it:

But you are doing away with the fear of God,
and hindering meditation before God.
For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
your own lips testify against you.

(Job 15:1-3)

For Job, this was a false accusation for in spite of all the tragedy that came upon him he was still at love with God. But his love included an anger with God over all that had occurred in his life.

Again, anger is OK, as long as the expressive acts remain in love.

Arlington UMC (arlingtonum.org)

Free Sunday Breakfast (8:30 AM)

Sunday Worship; 10:00 AM

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(615) 315-8662

between Briley Parkway and the airport runway overpass

Hang in there ...

2009-10-24T04:00:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen people who were down right fussy?

Some are fussy when they are awakening, others are fussy when hungry, or when tired. Others are fussy when they have seen a rough day at work. Job was definitely fussy, but he had good reasons. Indeed, he is willing to have a boxing match with him on one side and God on the other. It is OK to be angry with God. There are numerous Scripture lessons that demonstrate this. Among them are Job 13. What follows are verses one through three and fifteen:

‘Look, my eye has seen all this,
my ear has heard and understood it.
What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
But I would speak to the Almighty,

and I desire to argue my case with God ...
See, he will kill me; I have no hope;
but I will defend my ways to his face.

Can you imagine Job shaking his fist in God's face? I can. And if you need to I dare you to do so as well. God loves even those angry with God.

Hang in there. Let us sit with Job for while longer.

Enduring ...

2009-10-23T07:45:00.006-05:00

In Job 11 and 12, he is having a conversation with a man named, Zophar, who says:

"If you direct your heart rightly, you will stretch out your hands toward him" (11:13).

Zophar is implying to the suffering Job that evidently he is not stretching his hands out to God and the result is Job's continued ailments. Isn't that what we hear all the time? That is we would do the right things, have the right attitude, have the right emotions, the correct thoughts that everything will be OK? If that is really true, then what do you say to the parents of a seven year old who was kidnapped and murdered in Florida? OK, Zophar, what do you say about that?!

Job admits to Zophar,

"With God are wisdom and strength, he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, no one can rebuild; if he shuts someone in, no one can open up. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and wisdom..." (12:13-16a).

Job admits this, but still his suffering does not make sense to him. I am sure Job is asking his neighbors, "So why, on earth or in heaven, does it make any sense to you?"

We humans want to explain everything. At times that is good when discoveries are made that heals and brings good. But there are moments when it is not time for explanations but for just enduring. And, for now, all Job is getting is a bit, a bit, of endurance.

Why?

2009-10-22T04:00:00.001-05:00

"Why?" It is a question that keeps on coming up. My first thoughts on it go back to the days when young children are asking it as in,

Grandchild: "Pop, why does the sun come up every day?"
Pop: "Because the earth turns."
Grandchild: "Why?'
Pop: "Because God made it that way."
Grandchild: "Why?"

And on and on the question continues all through life for deeper and deeper reasons. Such Job does of God after all the tragedies hit him: "Why, God, why?"

‘Why did you bring me forth from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me,
and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
Are not the days of my life few?
Let me alone, that I may find a little comfort
before I go, never to return,
to the land of gloom and deep darkness,
the land of gloom and chaos,
where light is like darkness.’

(Job 10:18-22)

Job does not yet give a clear answer to Job's "Why?" But I will hang around with Job and listen.

... with no justifiable reasoning?

2009-10-21T04:00:00.000-05:00

Job, chapters 6 & 7, record Job's reply to Eliphaz's interpretation of Job's suffering as predominantly being the 'discipline of the Almighty'. After Eliphaz's 'attempt to comfort' Job if such was possible at that moment, Job's reply is summarized in these words:

‘Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone wrong.
How forceful are honest words!
But your reproof, what does it reprove?

(Job 6.24-25)

Job, who is described in that book as sinless, sees no reasoning behind his suffering so he will continually challenge those in conversation with him who attempt to 'justify' his suffering. The story of Job will continue.

Does unjust suffering just happen with no justifiable reasoning? That is a big question. But for now I will just ask it as I continue to read Job.

Waiting for the right moment ...

2009-10-20T04:00:00.002-05:00

Eliphaz is a long-winded dude. He keeps on talking. In chapter 5 he does make a good argument. He invites the suffering Job to seek after God who "saves the needy". He even tells Job that happiness can come even in tough times. That is true!

‘How happy is the one whom God reproves;
therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
For he wounds, but he binds up;
he strikes, but his hands heal.
He will deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no harm shall touch you.

(Job 5:17-19)

But was Job ready to hear this? Was he at the point after losing his family and property to hear such a witness as what Eliphaz gave? These are key questions for those who are seeking to give witness of God.

Job will give an answers to this question whose answer should have been obvious to Eliphaz in chapters 6-7.

Timing ...

2009-10-19T07:05:00.003-05:00

A friend of Job, Eliphaz, has taken a while to observe and then he speaks as he observes the suffering Job:

"If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?

But who can keep from speaking?" (Job 4:2).

From my perspective the first question is the most important one. If one is to be heard adult to adult the one who desires to speak must be certain that the other is ready to hear. An imaginary scene I have of this is a supervisor who is working with a staff-person and says a phrase like, "Let me know when you are ready to listen".

For me, the second question of Eliphaz should have not been asked until the first one was answered. Oh well, he was an overly anxious advisor who wanted to come up with quick answers to the difficult problems of Job around the question, "Why did all this tragedy occur to me?"

Who can keep from speaking? In reality, the one who waits to be heard best.

Sitting with Job

2009-10-17T11:25:00.004-05:00

Job is a book of the bible that, from my point of view, particulary applies to the people who ask the troubling question: "Why?"

In it a rich man, Job, loses his family, possessions, wife, and health. So he asks, "Why?" I have decided to sit with Job for a while.

They (Job's friends) sat with him on the ground

for seven days and seven nights,

and no one spoke a word to him,

for they saw that his suffering was very great

(Job 2:13).

Sometimes like the friends of Job in this scene all I can do is just to be there with a friend and sit for a while. Such just may be the only friendship gift available called "presence".

Psalm 148

2009-10-16T07:34:00.001-05:00

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
He established them for ever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

a short prayer

2009-10-15T16:18:00.002-05:00

"Remember me, O my God, for good"

(Nehemiah 13:31b)

It's 'bumfuzziling' that God can do such for all the created each moment. Wow!

by faith ...

2009-10-14T07:09:00.003-05:00

This morning's reading included Acts 3. The Spirit of God has fallen upon the believing community whose lives now focused on serving Jesus Christ by proclaiming his good news of the kingdom of God. And now the church is doing the work of Jesus which is to proclaim the kingdom, or rule, of God; and to live under God's rule by teaching the love of God through their actions, by proclaiming the good news of Jesus; and by healing individuals and communities.

And then a couple of Christians are entering the place of worship and as they do so a lame man asks for financial help. They reply by saying, 'We don't have cash on us', but stand up and walk! And that he does. When they are questioned, 'How on earth did you heal that man?' a part of their response is,

And by faith in his (Jesus') name,

his name itself has made this man strong,

whom you see and know;

and the faith that is through Jesus

has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

Acts 3:16

It is amazing what trusting Jesus can give us humans the power to do for the good of God.

A couple ...

2009-10-13T07:40:00.004-05:00

A couple of passages grabbed a hold of me this morning. They are from Acts 2, a biblical chapter that tells of the birth of the Church.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability ... So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:4, 41-42).

God the Spirit gives us what it takes to give testimony for and of God. The Spirit helps us to bridge communication gaps. The Spirit changes lives -- gives the ability, the translation, for understanding, realization, guilt, desire for change, repentance, faith, and devotion. The Spirit empowers the breaking of bread and prayers.

Come on now!

2009-10-10T04:00:00.002-05:00

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the Lord.

May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.

Psalm 134

Come on now! Go to church! Hear about Jesus and experience changing the world by loving your neighbor and you just might find what you have been looking for!

Arlingon UMC

1360 Mrufreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and the airport runway bridge across Murfreesboro Road)

Breakfast at 8:30 AM

Worship at 10:00 AM

Cool ...

2009-10-09T04:00:00.000-05:00

He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him. (Ezra 7:6b)

For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10)

Pretty cool dude.

This evening

2009-10-08T17:49:00.003-05:00

This evening I am preparing to be one of the leaders in an Emmaus Walk. Emmaus is a great story of two disciples walking with Jesus down the road to a village named Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). It is a an honor to be asked to lead in this journey. The Emmaus Walk experience is a three day experience that begins on Thursday night and ends on Sunday night. During this time people will walk on a journey of exploration about the love of God. It is a grand experience even to be a part of it again. If you have never been, and want to hear more let's get together. I will even buy you a cup of coffee.

As I was preparing for the Emmaus Walk to begin this night I was reading Psalm 131. I like the imagery of that Psalm. We know that it was one of the song of ascents sung either as you approached a place of worship or as a way to begin worship once you were there.

This is the way it goes ...

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and for evermore.

And so tonight as the Emmaus Walk begins such is my personal prayer.

Blessings...

This morning ...

2009-10-07T06:58:00.002-05:00

This morning I was reading from Ezra. He wrote at a time when the people of Israel had once again gone through national disaster. They had been defeated by the Babylonian army who was using new tactics of battle.

And they had also destroyed the central place of the Jewish worship of God ... the Temple where animal, fruit, vegetable, oil and whatever else was sacrificed to God as a visible reminder to love God.

Their rich had been hauled away in slavery to Babylon. And then decades later Persia that had conquered Babylon allowed the Israelites to return home. OK, they have returned, and the Temple had been replaced with a new one that was not as 'glorious'. And even at that scene, Ezra (their religious leader) said:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of our ancestors,

who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king to

glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,

and who extended to me steadfast love before the king and his counsellors,

and before all the king’s mighty officers.

I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was upon me,

and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

(Ezra 7:27-28)

See

2009-10-06T08:48:00.002-05:00

"Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours"

(Luke 15:31b)

Jesus tells a parable of a loving father in Luke 15:11-32. There are three main characters: a loving father; an "I'll run away from home and find myself" younger son, and an "I'll earn your love" elder brother.

I confess that I relate better to the elder brother. The one who just keeps on trying to earn the free gift already given.

I invite you to also read the story and see to whom you relate best.

OK

2009-10-04T04:00:00.000-05:00

Then the master said to the slave,
“Go out into the roads and lanes,
and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.
Luke 14:23

First thought ...

2009-10-03T04:00:00.003-05:00

The first thought on my mind this morning when I thought of "gift" was a growing up memory. I was about eleven years old and it was Christmas morning. I came down the steps from my bedroom and from the steps I came down quietly because it was so early. And under the tree was a model of the USS Constitution, about a 15-inch hull sailing battleship to assemble.

I recalled that morning as I read ...

Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord...

(Zechariah 6:15a)

You are invited to be our guest at our 10:00 AM worship hour.

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and runway that goes over Murfreesboro Road)

Nashville, TN 37217

(615) 361-4896

john@arlingtonum.org

Silence

2009-10-02T04:00:00.003-05:00

Silence ... such has been a spiritual means to allow God to have conversation with people for eternity. It is so hard to do in today's world. In the city there is the sound of traffic, airplanes, helicopters, radios, televisions, ringing phones, conversations, and on and on ...

Silence.

What I will often do to is sit on the porch of Panera Bread before it opens, or I will sit alone on our patio, or I will arrive at the office early and turn off the phone for a while.

Silence.

At least annually, I will take a week away to read our lectionary lessons together with entire books of the Bible and plan sermons for the coming liturgical year.

Silence.

I would encourage you as well to find a silent time alone to read, reflect and ponder. I love that word ... p o n d e r ...

Be silent, all people, before the Lord;

for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

(Zechariah 2:13)

the finger of God ...

2009-10-01T04:00:00.001-05:00

One of Michelangelo's great paintings is of God creating humans. In the painting God is reaching our to touch the finger of a human body to give that person life. God, in the painting, looks like a grandpa figure with white hair and beard as he reaches toward the human. Brentwood UMC has a sculpture of the scene with just the hand of God and the hand of humanity seeking to touch each other.

I thought of those scenes when I read these words of Jesus:

"But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons,

then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Luke 11:20)

Preparing ...

2009-09-30T04:00:00.004-05:00

As I am preparing to preach from Hebrews, I am reading the commentary from Interpretation on that book. Of Hebrews 1:1-4, that author writes:

Hebrews is an evocative text that calls for the courage of living out the love-centered, God-centered life even in the midst of persecution;
It is a communal text where a community, not just a gathering of individuals, listens to hear God;
It is a dialogical text where all, including the preacher are in dialogue listening for God in their midst.

Such has gotten me to listen to Hebrews more attentively.

someone has testified somewhere!

2009-09-29T07:57:00.001-05:00

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains^* all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere,

‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
or mortals, that you care for them?
You have made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned them with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under their feet.’

Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,

‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Let me hear ...

2009-09-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

His name is Leander Keck known as "Lee". He is a professor of New Testament at Yale. Before he left Emory to go there I took his class that was "Christology in the New Testament" in which he presented the "pictures of the New Testament writings taken of Jesus from different angles". He was one of those lecturers that could get away with reading his lectures with face down quite a lot, and yet could end with standing ovations. There are just a few that can get away with that. We were anxious to hear what he had to say.

Such a memory came to mond when I read the words of a much more awaited speaker ...

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

Psalm 85:8

Doorkeeper

2009-09-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

The word "doorkeeper" brings a lot of images to my mind for when I think of doorkeeper I picture a greeter at the door of a business that opens it for those entering. But my mind also remembers a door we replaced in one of the parsonages in which we lived. I took the time to sand it, seal it, and place varnish used by wooden ships upon it. Or I think of the doors in my house that are all painted and the time it took to take the doors down for repair, painting and rehanging. Doorkeeper--one who keeps prepared the entrance into a building or a room.

The psalter reading for today has the word "doorkeeper" in it.

"For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

then live in the tents of wickedness."
Psalm 84:10

Luke 1:78b

2009-09-19T04:00:00.005-05:00

How do I sleep?