The antidote for scarcity is not accumulation but generosity. That is the thought that came as we completed our "Balanced" series. It becomes increasingly evident to me that generosity enlarges our heart for service, compassion, mercy, justice and witness. A generous heart overflows with the love of Christ. A generous heart overflows with love for others. A generous heart overflows with love put to action.
On another note - isn't baptism a great thing? This weekend we celebrated two young people being recognized as children of God - just like God intended. It was a joy.
On another note - football was not invented so one team could claim they are "champions" and everyone else be relegated to "loser" status. Sports are about competition, character and teamwork. Frankly the most enjoyable game I saw this year was a high school game between Park Hill and Staley High Schools. No T.V. - no big bowl on the line - no big money involved. Just good competitive participation.
I will admit I am glad the Chiefs won today in one crazy game.
On another note - Next weekend our church will participate in the Healthy Church Initiative consultation. Bob Farr from our conference will be here to work with us and Doug Anderson from Indiana will be our "coach." Join me in praying that this be a tremendous time of insight as we sense the nudge of God that will propel us into the future.
It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Reflections From Sunday Evening
Just got back from "Trunk 'R' Treat." Wow. Must have been a kazillion youngsters at church. Great to see all the youth and adult helpers. Many tables filled with treats for kids - some from church and many guests. Always good to help someone have a good experience at church.
It's been some football weekend. All my high school teams (Appleton City - my high school - Park Hill and Park Hill South) won, Baker (my college) won. MU (my preferred team) won, Chiefs won. So a perfect weekend.
Church this weekend was a joy. We may have been down a little if some of our folks ended up arrested for rushing the field at MU last night but don't know of any at this moment (just kidding on that).
This week I was getting a haircut. The girl cutting my hair looked like she was about 9 years old! In the course of conversation she referred to her boyfried. I asked where they met. She told me at a tattoo parlor. I thought that was interesting - at least it was a first for me. So we talked about tattoos for a little bit. Somehow the conversation turned to church. Ended up telling her I was a pastor at Platte Woods Church. Here is the interesting part. She did not ask if we were Protestant or Catholic, Methodist or Baptist or Lutheran, or Presbyterian. She did not ask if we did contemporary worship or traditional. What she did ask was this. "Are you one of the churches that helps people when they need things?" I was so glad to be able to say "yes." Got to talk a little bit about Faith in Action.
The conversation really gave me some insight. People all around us who do not go to church really don't care about our labels or inner issues. People - especially younger people - want to know what we do.
As we serve others in the name of Jesus Christ we extend the mission of the church - We enhance relationships - We do incarnational (represent Jesus in the world) ministry. This is the hope for the church to be difference makers in this generation.
It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
It's been some football weekend. All my high school teams (Appleton City - my high school - Park Hill and Park Hill South) won, Baker (my college) won. MU (my preferred team) won, Chiefs won. So a perfect weekend.
Church this weekend was a joy. We may have been down a little if some of our folks ended up arrested for rushing the field at MU last night but don't know of any at this moment (just kidding on that).
This week I was getting a haircut. The girl cutting my hair looked like she was about 9 years old! In the course of conversation she referred to her boyfried. I asked where they met. She told me at a tattoo parlor. I thought that was interesting - at least it was a first for me. So we talked about tattoos for a little bit. Somehow the conversation turned to church. Ended up telling her I was a pastor at Platte Woods Church. Here is the interesting part. She did not ask if we were Protestant or Catholic, Methodist or Baptist or Lutheran, or Presbyterian. She did not ask if we did contemporary worship or traditional. What she did ask was this. "Are you one of the churches that helps people when they need things?" I was so glad to be able to say "yes." Got to talk a little bit about Faith in Action.
The conversation really gave me some insight. People all around us who do not go to church really don't care about our labels or inner issues. People - especially younger people - want to know what we do.
As we serve others in the name of Jesus Christ we extend the mission of the church - We enhance relationships - We do incarnational (represent Jesus in the world) ministry. This is the hope for the church to be difference makers in this generation.
It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Reflections From Sunday Evening
Today we gave out the third-grade Bibles. Thirty-two third-grade students joined us up front. When their names were called they stepped up and received their Bible. Each year our church gives our children (third-graders) the gift of God's Word. It takes a few extra minutes but it is absolutely one of the highlights of our church year. Thanks to all the students - thanks to all their parents (if parents don't encourage, support and see to it that the family gets here we have no one to share the gift with) - thanks to all our third-grade teachers and helpers. Thanks to donors who give extra money to pay for the Bibles - Thanks to Ms. Anne for pulling this all together. But mainly thanks to our third-graders - You give us hope - you give us encouragement - you prove that we have a hope and a future - you give us joy - you give us life.
Today I invited each third-grader to read the Gospel of Luke and e-mail me with their favorite story from their reading. It could be the Christmas Story - It could be the story of the Good Samaritan - It could be the story of the Lost Sheep, Coin and Son - It could be the Emmaus Road story on the first Easter - It could be who knows what! The good news is young people are going to be reading the Bible.
When I was in elementary school we got Bibles from our church. I recall some efforts at reading the scriptures but don't really recall when I first read and leared something from scripture. However I do know a foundation was laid. Later when I was 20 or so I read the Bible from cover to cover. My first success was with the Living Bible - It has established a pattern. Today I pick a new Bible - often a translation I have not spent time with for a year or more - and beginning January 1 read the Bible through. I find that three and one-half chapters a day will get you through the Bible in one year. Frankly during the first six months or so of the year I read more than that and usually complete the Bible in the first half of the year. From that point I am able to read smaller portions and be more reflective. That's probably more information than you needed but the point is this - The foundation for study of God's Word came in my childhood. We pray and we trust this is happening with our students. I'm looking forward to hearing favorite stories.
It's been a good day (if the Chiefs had won it would have been a little better). We had a good number of people meet after church to spend a few minutes getting acquainted with me and hearing what we are about in our church. Some good questions and super to share with such interested people.
Good crowd out today - now if we could do something special every Sunday with our kids ...
Closing thought from the message this morning (it spoke to me so I guess that's why I keep coming back to this Wesleyan principle). With increase in income what should rise is not the Christian's standard of living, but the standard of giving.
As I said, it's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
Today I invited each third-grader to read the Gospel of Luke and e-mail me with their favorite story from their reading. It could be the Christmas Story - It could be the story of the Good Samaritan - It could be the story of the Lost Sheep, Coin and Son - It could be the Emmaus Road story on the first Easter - It could be who knows what! The good news is young people are going to be reading the Bible.
When I was in elementary school we got Bibles from our church. I recall some efforts at reading the scriptures but don't really recall when I first read and leared something from scripture. However I do know a foundation was laid. Later when I was 20 or so I read the Bible from cover to cover. My first success was with the Living Bible - It has established a pattern. Today I pick a new Bible - often a translation I have not spent time with for a year or more - and beginning January 1 read the Bible through. I find that three and one-half chapters a day will get you through the Bible in one year. Frankly during the first six months or so of the year I read more than that and usually complete the Bible in the first half of the year. From that point I am able to read smaller portions and be more reflective. That's probably more information than you needed but the point is this - The foundation for study of God's Word came in my childhood. We pray and we trust this is happening with our students. I'm looking forward to hearing favorite stories.
It's been a good day (if the Chiefs had won it would have been a little better). We had a good number of people meet after church to spend a few minutes getting acquainted with me and hearing what we are about in our church. Some good questions and super to share with such interested people.
Good crowd out today - now if we could do something special every Sunday with our kids ...
Closing thought from the message this morning (it spoke to me so I guess that's why I keep coming back to this Wesleyan principle). With increase in income what should rise is not the Christian's standard of living, but the standard of giving.
As I said, it's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Reflections From Sunday Evening
The Faith in Action Weekend made a great impact. You'll have to read Pastor Angie's blog to get the details but among other things we approached 1,000 hours of service, packed 903 kits for the Festival of Sharing and many other things. I had the opportunity to give away smoke alarms to residents in the northeast part of Kansas City. The people were amazing and it was a joy to interact with appreciative people. This is yet another example of lives being touched by the people of God through PWUMC.
It's been a good week. I participated in a meeting in Austin, Texas, this week. I shared my airplane story this morning. On the connecting flight from Dallas to Austin I found myself sitting across the aisle from Rick Barnes, the head basketball coach at University of Texas. I texted my son and daughter telling them that I was across the aisle from Rick Barnes. Then I added "I don't think I'll talk to him." (They encouraged me to go ahead.) Anyway at the end of the 50-minute flight we were on the ground and he looked at me, I looked at him and ended up in a conversation. In three minutes we talked about the book he was reading, other books and authors, the church he attends and part of his philosophy of discipline. I learned his son is considering the ministry and ended up with a neat interaction. Furthermore when we got off the plane he came back and had me write down a book title and another author I mentioned.
As I shared this morning, this all created an ethical dilemma for me. You see, I am not a University of Texas fan (sorry to all our UT folks in the church not to mention Bishop Schnase). I have never been a Rick Barnes fan. But now I have met him and he is a great guy. This is my problem. It was easy to cheer against an opponent until I met him and now he is no longer an opponent. I like him.
It makes me wonder what would happen if I got acquainted with some other folks too. It is lots easier to keep people at a distance and go ahead and have favorites. But it seems better to go ahead and talk to someone - it has life-changing potential.
So whether it is a nationally known basketball coach - an African mother of four living in a house with no smoke alarms - a Hispanic man whose five-year-old daughter has to communicate for him in this strange land - a new family in the church working hard to make the grounds around the church look God-honoring - or who knows what.
Go ahead and talk to them. It may change your life.
It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
It's been a good week. I participated in a meeting in Austin, Texas, this week. I shared my airplane story this morning. On the connecting flight from Dallas to Austin I found myself sitting across the aisle from Rick Barnes, the head basketball coach at University of Texas. I texted my son and daughter telling them that I was across the aisle from Rick Barnes. Then I added "I don't think I'll talk to him." (They encouraged me to go ahead.) Anyway at the end of the 50-minute flight we were on the ground and he looked at me, I looked at him and ended up in a conversation. In three minutes we talked about the book he was reading, other books and authors, the church he attends and part of his philosophy of discipline. I learned his son is considering the ministry and ended up with a neat interaction. Furthermore when we got off the plane he came back and had me write down a book title and another author I mentioned.
As I shared this morning, this all created an ethical dilemma for me. You see, I am not a University of Texas fan (sorry to all our UT folks in the church not to mention Bishop Schnase). I have never been a Rick Barnes fan. But now I have met him and he is a great guy. This is my problem. It was easy to cheer against an opponent until I met him and now he is no longer an opponent. I like him.
It makes me wonder what would happen if I got acquainted with some other folks too. It is lots easier to keep people at a distance and go ahead and have favorites. But it seems better to go ahead and talk to someone - it has life-changing potential.
So whether it is a nationally known basketball coach - an African mother of four living in a house with no smoke alarms - a Hispanic man whose five-year-old daughter has to communicate for him in this strange land - a new family in the church working hard to make the grounds around the church look God-honoring - or who knows what.
Go ahead and talk to them. It may change your life.
It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Reflections From Sunday Evening
Today I had the opportunity to speak to the Seekers Class. The topic dealt with how we listen to God. Most of us would love to hear God speak to us - a few think God just might do so. I am among those who believe God speaks to people. So here are some of the thoughts shared.
God does speak to us but not often in audible, dramatic ways.
- Read 1 Kings 19. God comes to the prophet Elijah in a "still small voice."
- In 1 Samuel God speaks to a young boy as he is trying to get to sleep. God speaks quietly.
The two words I use to help describe the manner in which God speaks are "Nudge" and "Whisper." Rather than blaring his way into our lives God moves in ways that we must be seeking after and listening for or we tend to miss it.
Bill Hybels' new book Whisper is a great read to help us discover how to discern (that's another of my key words these days) the voice of God.
So God does speak. God tends to communicate in ways that call for our attention. (Now you'll probably walk outside, the heavens will open and the voice of God will come from heaven - but if not ...)
I've come to the conclusion that God desires to speak to us and it is my responsibility to listen. With that in mind I pray like this.
"Lord, today I seek to HEAR your voice,
to KNOW (discernment is important) your voice
and for grace to OBEY your every word."
The next prayer is to be "increasingly SENSITIVE to the PROMPTINGS of the Holy Spirit."
I invite you to join me in spending intentional time with God this week. I invite you to join me in the above prayers. Furthermore I invite you to share what you hear God saying to you. We are coming to a time in the life of our church where I believe it is vitally important that more and more of us earnestly seek the Lord - with a commitment to do what God says. We live in such challenging times - we face so many challenges in the life of the church - that we must look to and listen for God.
It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)