Sunday, October 28, 2012

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Today we shared that 7:14 was a reference to 2 Chronicles 7:14. "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." Our emphasis between now and "election day" will be praying. We are praying for our nation. The insight today focused on something to consider when we read the Bible. We were encouraged to search for "timeless principles" as opposed to "contextual promises." The "if my people" text is a contextual promise. Israel was promised that when times went bad and they prayed in repentance God would hear, forgive and heal their land. We should not try to emulate Israel. Rather we search for the timeless principle in the message. It is a timeless truth that when we pray God always Hears. When we seek forgiveness God always Forgives. When we ask God always Restores or Heals relationships. This is our prayer for our nation. We are putting this to practice this week. Between now and election day we will be gathering in our sancturay each morning at 7:14 A.M. to pray for our country. If you can't be physically present please join us to pray. On election day we will have a 13 hour pray vigil. (Polls open from 6:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.) People will sign up to take a 30 minute slot through the day. When the polls close we will gather for a Praise service. We do this because frankly we are not praying for our candidate, party or cause but rather we are seeking the Lord. So we focus on God rather than the outcome of an election. As people pray we become part of something larger than ourselves. When we pray and commit ourselves to a Christ honoring, Spirit-filled life we contribute to greater matters. You contribute to renewal in your family, community, church and nation. I encourage you to join in prayer. God will hear, forgive and heal. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Thanks to Nicole Brandt for working with our children's dance teams these past few years. Nicole and family will be moving and today was their last time to share in worship with us. Nicole and Hannah - thanks for sharing your gifts with our children. Only the best for your future. On another note - Ginger told a joke today. Where is the safest place to be during a tornado? Arrowhead Stadium. Why. There are not "touchdowns" there. Ha ha. Was that Romeo Crennel I saw walk out of church this morning? Guess not. Here is another - Today I saw the church in action. We had a visitor today. Homeless. Been in town and had needs. He came where God dwells. Worship. After service concluded I saw one of our best (Jack Swinney) sitting beside him with his arm around his shoulder. Being present. The next time I saw them they were outside planning how to help. You never know exactly what it going on in these situations but someone experienced the touch of grace today. I certainly did. On yet another note - Today is the 1 year anniversary of NEXT - our Sunday evening worship service. I'm looking forward to sharing with Curtis and the congregation tonight. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Reflections From Sunday Evening

This has been a busy weekned. I had the privilege of teaching a class at St. Paul School of Theology. Actually I was teaching "Theology in the Wesleyan Spirit" to a group of local pastors in the Course of Study. This is the educational requirement for those serving as local pastors. Among the group were bi-vocational ministers, some serving in a part-time role, some full-time and some in staff settings. These men and women are true servants of the Gospel They were a great group. It was a joy to be able to share in their ministry. The local pastor is very important to the United Methodist Church today. In the earliest days of the Methodist movement John Wesley and later Francis Asbury would always be looking for people like this to serve the revival. Our local pastor's have a true heart for God and are very effective in giving leadership in many of our churches, especially many of our smaller membership churches. On another note - Today at church we had a great day. It is always a highlight when our 3rd grade students receive their Bible. I believe we passed out 49 Bibles today. These young people begin reading the Word and embarking on a lifetime of Christian Discipleship. On yet another note - The call today was make a life plan. Specifically an "after" plan. The "after" refers to after you experience God stepping into your life in a redemptive, life-changing way. God has a path for you to follow. It's been a great day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Reflections From Sunday Evening

We've had a very good weekend here. Friday was Cindy's birthday. Her goal was to take a group of women from her Bible Study, church, friends, sisters and others to the Farmer's House Market and serve for 60 minutes. (for her 60th birthday) So a group took the shuttle and had a wonderful time of service and fellowship. Here is where I come in. It was suggested that perhaps I could sit at the front desk at church and answer the phones so staff members could participate. So I did. At least I tried. Sorry to those who may still be waiting to be transferred to voice mail or something like that! Actually I managed to get a few messages where they were supposed to go and it went pretty well. Here is the thing. I could not do what our staff does day after day. I hope everyone realizes how essential our staff is. They do a great job of welcoming people. They provide the right information. They are the ones who facilitate our pastoral work. They make sure our facility is clean and safe. Our people who serve do so with excellence. After friday I am even more appreciative of thsoe who serve. Thanks Mandy, Lori, Kerry and Sarah - and all the rest. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve