Reflections From Sunday Evening

This has been an amazing few days. Today Ginger preached a very engaging sermon! I found it encouraging to be reminded that we may have the opportunity to "start over" if need be! Not only was the sermon really good -- the youth band was super. These young people just started working on this a few months ago and here they were leading our church in worship. What talent! I really appreciate everyone who participates and those who give themselves so generously to bring out the best in our young people.

That is not all that keeps my heart thumping. I am still jazzed about Christmas Eve. We had a great evening. There is nothing like hearing the Christmas Story, singing the carols and lighting a candle. Each service was alive with the Spirit and well attended. I appreciate everyone who worked so hard to provide worship opportunities for over 1900 people.

As if our worship experiences were not enough about 20 people gathered at the church on Christmas morning and prepared Christmas dinner plates for 46 people who were working at convenience stores or other businesses that were open on Christmas Day. Somehow I think some of the younger children will remember this type of service as they grow up.

So the church has been alive and well in worship and service. God keeps blessing us abundantly.
We have had a really good year. We ended well. I'll be getting some information out about how we have done with attendance, finances and things like that but for now simply know God has been good. Now we get ready for the start of a brand new year. I'll be getting some thoughts together regarding what may be in store for us! I have a feeling God is going to keep the Spirit stirring and continue to refresh our souls.

It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day -- and sense the Spirit of the Lord around you and in you.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

In spite of the bitter cold we had a really good day at church. As always the music was inspiring. Everyone who is sharing the litanies and lighting Advent candles are a tremendous blessing. I believe God is making us ready to celebrate the gift of His Son at Christmas.

Another reminder of our Christmas Eve services.

• 3:00 p.m. Curtis and Angie will lead us in a service designed for children and families. This has become a popular service.
• At 5:00 we will have two services. The sanctuary is generally full for this service. This year instead of using Memorial Hall as "overflow" we will be having a youth-led service concurrent with the sanctuary service. The youth band will lead the music. The sermon will be video of the sanctuary service. It has great potential.
• The other services will be at 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00. Plan to worship the Lord in carols, communion and candles!

Keep warm -- if possible. This morning I saw two dogs with jumper cables trying to get a rabbit started!

It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.

Christmas is Coming!

One week from today is Christmas Eve. We are putting the finishing touches on our plans for the five Christmas Eve services. We begin with Curtis and Angie leading our children's/family service at 3:00 p.m. At 5:00 we are trying something slightly different this year. We are inviting our youth and their families to worship in Memorial Hall with a live worship service (youth praise band) and the sermon on video. Hopefully this will help take a little of the overflow from the sanctuary. The 7:00; 9:00 and 11:00 services will follow the same format. I'll be preaching at each service. In addition we will sing Christmas carols, have communion and light a candle. (Everyone likes to light a candle on Christmas Eve.)

At our services we will give everyone an opportunity to make a Christmas offering. God has blessed us this year and we want to use this offering to make it possible to bless others. All of our Christmas Eve offering will go to our "discretionary fund." This is used to help people in need. We track every request and our response. The need grows greater each year. I anticipate an increasing number of requests in the coming year. It is heartbreaking when we face the reality that we cannot do everything! We make a special effort to guarantee that any of our members who have specific needs are cared for. In addition we want to do all we can to provide food and other essentials to those outside our faith community. It is so important to focus on the needs of others. So I encourage everyone to plan to give generously (extravagant generosity!) at our Christmas Eve service. You will be sharing in ministry to others in a significant way.

There is a little publicized ministry that a number of our people do on Christmas Day. A group of people get together and put together plates of food that are then delivered to people who are working on Christmas. These meals are received with great appreciation.

This is a tremendous season of the year! Jesus Christ is born! Join us this weekend, be with us Christmas Eve -- keep being present into the new year! May God bless you.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Is our music ministry great or what? Today was the Christmas Cantata. The choir actually did this three times this weekend. I certainly hope everyone involved feels great about the wonderful ministry they provided this weekend. Thanks to Walter and everyone involved.

One of the things we do each Sunday morning is gather in the prayer room to pray for our services. Our pastors along with Gene and Thelma Pease and Nancy Sitzmann gather to pray. Whoever is preaching that day kneels at the altar and the others gather round, lay hands on the preacher and pray. Today we invited Nancy to kneel and allow the rest of us to pray for her as she represented the entire music ministry. This is just another way we see our church come together and seek the Lord's power in our midst. I certainly believe our prayers were answered this morning!

Later in the day Curtis led a new member group as we got acquainted and talked about the ministry of PWUMC and what we expect of our people. There was a great group of people seated around those tables. Each person has a story of faith and has found their way to our church. I pray these and many more will find great fulfillment in the Christian life through the ministry God is inspiring and we are enjoying.

The temperature has dropped and it is cold enough to hurt your face if you go out and walk the dog! The Chiefs invented yet another way to lose a game. (I still can't figure out how they managed that.) But all in all it has been a good day. God has blessed us in many ways. It's been a good day. I pray and trust that you have had a good day too.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

You missed it! At least if you weren't a parent or grandparent of one of our children in the music and arts program this afternoon, you missed it. Here is what you missed. A whole lot of smiles! A whole lot of joyful singing. Dancing. All you had to do was look into the faces of children and you saw something wonderful. Life. Love. Happiness. Joy. Excitement. I could use many other words but I think you get the point.

Personally I am glad I did not miss it. Along with many others I was able to catch a glimpse into the Gospel. I believe Jesus certainly knew what he was talking about when he commended the little children and told the disciples not to keep them from coming to be blessed.

When we gathered this afternoon we witnessed an extension of the joyful worship we had experienced all weekend. Candles lit -- worship in song -- prayers of the people -- the Word read and proclaimed. It was one of those days where you go home thinking I know God was there today. And then the children. Grace. Goodness. Gospel.

It was a good day. I hope you had a good day too.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Friday night we went to the Missouri Rep and saw A Christmas Carol. Cindy and I have seen this production a number of times through the years. It is one of those things I really enjoy. I know the story but there are always new slants to the way it is told. Some characters remain the same for a number of years and some change. The sets are always similar but there will be something a bit different each year.

Sometimes the actors change and there may be a different interpretation of certain scenes or characters but A Christmas Carol is always the story of redemption and salvation.
Dickens was a social reformer. His story of Scrooge reveals his belief that people may change. Even hard-hearted Scrooges may have their hearts changed and experience new life.

That is the gospel. Not only do I believe people "may" change -- People "MUST" change. We are simply too self-centered to honor God if something does not happen! But the good news is that God initiates the change we call conversion. We respond to God's initiative and experience the New Birth. (That's Wesleyan terminology for conversion.) God continues to change lives today.
Events, characters and interpretations of life may change but the message remains. Jesus Christ has changed my life. I want to share this great hope with you and everyone! It's been a good day. I hope you have a good day too.

Thanksgiving

A good day. I was one of a few thousand who got out this morning and ran around a 5k course! I wa pretty happy with it. My pace for a little over 3 miles was under 11 minutes. (All the real runners can stop grinning or laughing out loud in a couple of minutes and we will go ahead.) It is a good crowd of people. There are a lot of walkers. There are families jogging around together. There are little kids who are having a lot of fun. I probably was not the oldest person there! Oh there are those hard core runners. I was about 7 minutes into the race (remember when you start at the back it takes a few minutes to actually get to the starting line). About seven minutes in and I look up and here come the leaders heading toward the finish line! It's pretty amazing. My son Bobby was not winning the race but he ran it in about 20 minutes. So I was only about 12 and one-half minutes behind him!

I always note some of the younger runners. They might pass me four times during the race! But then I would come along and there would be one of those youngsters walking. They run fast and walk, run fast and walk. On the other hand I hardly varied my pace. I started slow and stayed that way! But I was consistent.

I actually try to live the Christian life this way. Consistent. Not running too far ahead. Not stopping. Staying the course. Staying the pace. Consistent. At least that is the goal.

In addition we had the family over for Thanksgiving dinner. Dad said the prayer. I know God heard. We ate. We visited. We watched a Bill Cosby (old time comedy) routine. Watched some football. Basically enjoyed being together.

I don't need a lot to be happy. Today was a day filled with blessings. Nothing huge. Everything significant. Much to be thankful for. I had a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.

Why we do what we do

We keep talking about practices in the church. Why do we put focus on radical hospitality, passionate worship, risk-taking mission and service, intentional faith development and extravagant generosity? Is it merely because Bishop Schnase wrote this book ... or are there other reasons?

I appreciate the emphasis upon these practices because they help us be more intentional about living the Christian life. When we begin to pay greater attention to these various aspects of our faith we find ourselves being drawn closer to Christ. The practices help us experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. It does not happen all at once but over time we find our lives changed and become more Christ-like.

I do hope we never lose sight of the reasons we practice the practices! We do not ask people to practice extravagant generosity so the church can get more money. We do so because Christians are geared to give. We practice giving so we develop joy in giving. We could make similar comments about any of these practices.

It is really important to know that we practice the Christian life for growth in faith and discipleship. We don't do these things for "institutional maintenance."

But what we are really talking about here is ordering our lives so we may more effectively reach out to people and share in the process of others becoming followers of Jesus Christ. We need to realize that the world's needs are much deeper than not having a supportive fellowship to enjoy. We need to be forgiven. We need to experience grace. We need to realize that this Christian life business is even more than life and death -- faith in Jesus Christ has eternal dimensions. When we rediscover the eternal issues at stake it certainly helps us realize more fully why we do what we do. We care. We love. We want everyone to live fully now and eternally in Christ!

Reflections From Sunday Evening

It is actually Monday morning. I wanted to wait until our annual church conference last night and that lasted longer than I anticipated. We had a good group join with four other churches to highlight some of our ministries. There are some great ideas out there! I loved Liberty UMC's strong emphasis upon Vacation Bible School and the great number of children they reach (especially those who do not have a church home). Good Shepherd is doing great work with their food pantry. It is great to be part of something (a connectional church) where so many of our churches are involved in vital outreach.

We also took care of some business. These are the meetings where leadership is elected and salaries are confirmed. We had worship. Our district superintendent led us well. It was a good evening.

I also reflect on our services this weekend. It is amazing how consistent we are. There was a lot going on this weekend. 900 people came out Saturday evening for the Turkey Dinner. The youth and all their supporters did a fantastic job. It was really neat. Worship seemed especially alive this weekend. We are always blessed with the great music Walter shares. Through the whole weekend I got this sense that God was with us. It is a good sense to have!

We are moving toward Thanksgiving Day with the blessings of God upon us and all around us. I pray you have a blessed day. It really helps when we have had the experince of God's Spirit stirring our souls in worship.

I've had a great day. I hope you have too.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Church was an "upper" today. There are days when the people's faces and the atmosphere in worship makes preaching seem natural to me. Today was one of those days. It was an absolute joy to preach about God inviting us to share in the ministry of reconciliation because we are ambassadors for Christ. This is all made possible because we are "new creation" people. God is really good and it is a joy to respond to the grace offered. Thanks to all for making worship a spirit-filled experience today.

That's not all I did today. After church Cindy and I headed out with Reuben and Shirley and went to Arrowhead for the Chiefs game. Got there about midway in the second quarter. It was a beautiful day. The 1-8 Chiefs gave it a shot but like they have all year, came up short. So now we are 1-9. But the crowd was still wearing red and into the game (at least for awhile). I'm going to keep being a Chiefs fan in case some day they get good -- then I want to be able to say I stayed with them in the down years.

But back to better things. We have even better support than you see at Arrowhead at church. When things are going well you will find people at worship. When times are tough you will find people at church. We really do have a great ministry of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ representing the interests of the kingdom of God and of our Lord in the world. We are these things because we are "new creation" people. We are people empowered by the Holy Spirit to break down barriers of separation between people and God. We build bridges to cross the chasm separating people from God. We are in a ministry of reconciliation. It was great being in church today. It was fun being at Arrowhead today. It was a good day. I hope you had a good day too.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

There has been so much going on this last couple of weeks I can't figure out where I would start sharing. I've never seen the church so alive. Everywhere I turn I see our people being involved in some type of ministry.

Visiting the sick....Calling on new mothers and their babies....Bringing food laced with love for a memorial service dinner.....Praying....People at worship....Groups singing....Administrative work (finance has put together a budget)....If it were not so energizing it would be exhausting!
So I guess this evening I am simply enjoying the work of God in and through our church. It comes down to people who have been touched by grace. It is a joy.

On another note. We have really gotten in to preparation for our "blessing project." We are going to offer a personal touch to each of our members. That is not just the folks who are most regular in attendance. That is everybody. We have an opportunity to touch around 2500 families with a simple message.
"I pray God bless you with a long, abundant and fulfilling life that brings glory and honor to God and peace and joy to many."

To touch our people with this simple blessing will require at least 100 of you to help. On Tuesday evening, November 18, I walk through the process with you and turn you loose to bless people in the name of Christ.

Seeing everyone in church today and seeing so many offer a ministry of love at the memorial service today assures me that we will be a continuing blessing to many people. In the midst of all the busy days it has been a great day. I hope you had a good day.

What a Country

The day after election day 2008. I've talked with some today who are practically giddy over the results of the presidential election. I've talked with others who are troubled. This is not about that.

I simply look at our country with amazement. Zimbabwe had an election. The President lost so he said the election did not count! That went over well.

Most nations do not have peaceful transfers of power.

The United States of America is amazing. The presidential campaign was long and hard fought. But today we are all Americans. In January a new president will take office. We will all move ahead.

We had great numbers of people participate in democracy. We voted. We counted. We accept the results.

Now we pray that God rest His hand of grace upon all our elected leaders.

This weekend we will preach on Transitions Pt. II. With the election past we turn to building the agenda for the future. I believe Christians have a vital role in setting the course for the nation. I believe Christians will call our leaders forth and they will accomplish great things because they find themselves in great causes -- held forth by people of faith -- you and me.

It's amazing. I watch our democracy in action and see it at its very best on election day. 2008 is no different.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Thirteen names. Thirteen names that represent a person, a life, a variety of experiences, family, friends, faith, hope, dreams, pain, joy, peace, tears, laughter.

Thirteen names. Thirteen names of people who lived and died. Thirteen names of people who stood before Platte Woods UMC at one time and said yes to Jesus Christ.

Thirteen people who professed faith. Thirteen people who sang in the choir, shared in a Sunday School Class, taught young people, fixed meals, gave to the needs of others, volunteered in the office. Thirteen names.

Today we named thirteen people -- members of our church -- who have passed on to glory in the last year. Today we remembered thirteen people. They were husbands and wives. They were all someone's child. They were children of God.

We read their names -- people across the congregation stood in remembrance and honor of them -- we rang a bell -- we gave thanks.

Today we remembered the lives of thirteen people who have gone before us and showed the way of life and faith. We gave thanks for the lives lived.

It was a meaningful day for me. I felt a great appreciation for people today. Their faith made me feel good. It was a good day. I hope you had a good day too.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Hospitality. Radical Hospitality is what we are calling it. It has to do with our invitational spirit. One thing we seek to do is be inviting. That means we want our atmosphere to be welcoming. When someone comes to our church we want them to be greeted by friendly, gracious, Spirit-filled people. In addition we want people to have a nice, neat facility.

But there is more. Radical Hospitality does not begin merely when someone drives into the parking lot or walks in the door. An invitational spirit extends outward into the community. The more enlivened we are by the Holy Spirit the more "contagious" we become. Contagious with the grace of God! We find ourselves naturally thinking and speaking about what God is doing in the church. We naturally speak up for Christ when we are in conversation with people outside the walls of the church. Radical Hospitality extends outward to welcome others.

Sometimes opportunities for hospitality jump right up in front of us. When the election board called and asked if we would consider being a voting place for the upcoming election we did not have to think about it. It is obviously an opportunity to exercise radical hospitality. There are 1800 registered voters involved. A large turnout (80%?) is expected. That means over 1400 people could walk through the door of our church on election day. My guess is that over half of them will be walking in for the first time. This is our opportunity to show radical hospitality to everyone who enters our church. People will be met with kindness and grace. I'll let you know how many people we need to fill "hospitality" slots sometime this week. What an opportunity.

We are already showing some great signs in radical hospitality. Last night there must have been 700 people served at the Scout chili supper. What a joy to be able to host such a great event. At the same time Memorial Hall was filled with people joining together for an Emmaus Gathering. What a joy to host such a great group. While all that was going on we also held a memorial service for one of ours. The congregation consisted primarily of people who are not members of our church. Many came down from the Narcotics Anonymous group that meets here. It was a special time: I would consider it radical hospitality.

So I say to Platte Woods UMC -- good job. You continue to show real signs of radical hospitality. There is more to come. It excites me to think of all that God seems to be up to around here. It's been a good day of reflecting on our hospitality. I hope you've had a good day too.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Yesterday my son and I went back to Baker U. where we went to college. I had not been back for about three years so we took the opportunity to make the trip. The main thing was watching Baker play football against Evangel. Well, maybe MU, KU and KSU all got beat yesterday but my team put a "whoopin" on the Crusaders!

Anyway, we were standing down in the corner of the end zone watching the game. (You can do that at small college games but don't try it at a big time place.) A Baker defensive back intercepted a pass. Here he came right our way. He got knocked out of bounds at the 1 yard line. He hit the turf and the ball bounced toward us. As a matter of fact the ball rolled right to my feet.
If that had happened when I was a kid in grade school I would have picked it up, looked around for who to throw it to and figured that would make my top ten highlights of the year! To touch the game ball would have been amazing.

In Jr. High I would have done about the same thing. I would have been a little "cooler" I'm sure, but I would have gotten excited getting to toss the game ball back into play.

In High School I'd have had it all figured out. I'd have picked up the ball but I'd have been really cool then. I'd have thrown a perfect spiral to the ball boy and taken my bows.

So what do you do when you are all grown up and find yourself looking down at the game ball? In essence I felt like a little kid. The game ball. Right there at my feet. I didn't even try to be cool. I just picked the ball up and tossed it (underhand spiral) back to the field. My throw was a little short. It bounced away from the ball girl and she went and picked it up. Bobby looked at me. It sort of hurt but I was in the game so all was well.

I have to think about how I feel when I find myself getting close to the Christian game. We are invited to not only get close to the field but also get in the game. With childlike wonder we are invited to take the ball and get it in play.

We get in the game in many ways. Everyone has something that touches their heart. Have you ever thought about helping someone learn how to read? Have you ever gone to visit those who are sad, sick, troubled or lonely? Have you ever wanted to heal the sick? Have you ever wanted to say just the right word to someone at just the right time? Have you ever wanted to encourage the discouraged, build up the downtrodden, or affirm the struggler? Have you ever wanted to build a house? Have you ever wanted to strengthen a marriage? Have you ever wanted to study the Bible? Have you ever wanted to learn to pray? Have you ever wanted to know that Jesus Christ was real, in your life and at work in the world? You can fill in your own have you ever......"
The ball just rolled to your feet. At our church is opportunity to get in the game in great ways. I continue to realize that and it makes me feel good. It's been a good day. I hope you had a good day too.

I have an idea

I have an idea. I actually have a couple of ideas. Well the fact is I have a lot of ideas. Let me share.

We have approximately 3,000 individuals who are members or constituents of PWUMC. I have an idea that we make a personal contact with each of them! If 100 of you will take a packet with 30 names in it and make a personal contact either face-to-face, on the phone or through e-mail or note we could reach this goal in the next three months. Listen for this one around the end of the month or the first part of November. In such a high-tech world I have an idea that we do something that is very "High-Touch."

I have another idea. We could create a "culture of call" at PWUMC. My idea is to develop a way of life here that helps young people hear God calling them to ordained ministry. I want young people to discover there is a possibility for them to spend the rest of their lives serving Jesus Christ and His church. I want young people to learn they can follow a life path that is hard yet filled with wonder. They can spend time with people when they are at their very best and very worst. They can walk through life with people through the significant events in life. They can study the Bible and the Christian faith and go interpret that to people each week. And they can get paid for it! It sounds like a great idea to me.

I've got some others but that is probably enough for now.

If these ideas are from God you will soon be getting on board and who knows what God will do!
blessings.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Well this was quite a day! Things were going really well. A great spirit in church. Worship was inspiring. Footprints Dance Troupe was a blessing. Then we decided to evacuate the sanctuary at the 11:00 service.

Even one as unaware of things as myself noticed the smell of smoke as we were about 10 minutes into the service. Glenn Ladd, who was ushering, came up and noted that it was pretty smoky in there and we should probably get people out of the sanctuary. It was amazing how orderly everyone was. We "took a break." Some made sure everyone in the education wing was aware. You did an amazing job today.

I thought about going out to the parking lot and preaching but that did not happen. I'll see if I can get the sermon on the web page this week for those of you who simply don't think you can exist without my preaching!

There was a really encouraging thing that transpired among those who evacuated the building. Ginger, Curtis and Brian Tolander (trustees chair) had people give them their offering checks to be placed in the safe! Now that is faithful.

I hung around and shared with the fire department my vast knowledge of fire, ballasts and wiring -- and caught myself talking about things I have absolutely no idea of -- and watched the experts do their work. They checked things out and determined there was no immediate danger. Of course we canceled activities for the rest of this day but will be able to resume things first thing in the morning. In less than an hour an electrician was present, beginning to check our lighting. Currently we ask people not to use the sanctuary or turn the lights on! The electrical folks will be there in the morning and we will get all this taken care of. (I should probably warn you that this might get a bit costly. We will not compromise the safety of our people.) Anyway, it was some day.

All in all things went pretty well. I hope you had a good day. Just remember you folks at 11:00 -- I am now 45 minutes ahead and will be making up that time in the future!

Look Up!

During perilous times Jesus once said, "Look up, for your redemption is drawing near." Not bad advice.

I know many of you are extremely anxious about the current financial crisis we are facing. Apparently these are the most challenging times since 1973-74. Those were tough times. Cindy and I were in college. We were coming off our second consecutive 10-loss season in football! Gas prices were at a level where we had to look for change in the couch to put gas in the car! We had another year of college left.

We came through. Actually we did not have any worries about stocks, savings and retirement. We were getting ready to head out into life. We were preparing for jobs and the life before us.
Today I want to encourage you to resist the urge to "look out!" because the whole market is falling apart.

I want to encourage you resist the urge to "look in" and get totally self absorbed in anxiety and worry.

I want to encourage you to "look up!" Your redemption is drawing near.

As your pastor I want you to know I understand the anxiety many are feeling. But I also want to let you know these are times to "look up" and see what God is doing.

Today you have an opportunity to discover something very important about the church, God and Jesus Christ. If the church is but another civic organization that helps stabilize society through a form of civil religion, we don't have much to lean on. If God is captive to the economic events of our nation and world we don't have much to look toward. If Jesus Christ is a nice idea about what good things a man could do we don't have much hope.

But here is the good news. Jesus Christ is the risen, living Son of God who has come to redeem us and save us.

God is real, alive, vital and engaged in the world and in our lives.

The church is the Body of Christ here on earth. We are not just another club. We are a spiritual force that is capable of standing in storms. We are a powerful place that offers refuge from disaster and equips us to go out and take the message of faith and grace to a lost and dying world.

We are a place and a people who have eternity on our side. We transcend the powers that be in this world. We overcome the forces that destroy. We are the people of the Living God.

This is a great time to get converted! This is a great time to move away from a "self-help" idea about God and discover the powerful, forgiving, redeeming God of the Universe. This is a great time to put true faith in Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness and eternal life.

This is a great time to look at what we believe is vital and important and move our relationship with Jesus Christ above self, family, career and nation! This is a time to put ourselves in the gracious hands of God and discover what it is to rely on Him and live on His amazing grace and blessings.

As your pastor I pledge to be in prayer for you! I pray for our nation and the economic issues facing all of us. I also long for you to "look up" and find a revitalized relationship with Jesus Christ that will sustain us in these times and lead us forward to be a blessing in the midst of this world.

This is a time to worship. Do all you can to be in church and to bring others along. Do this for the sole reason of getting yourself in the presence of God who is able to redeem and restore.
I'll see you.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

This has been a "graced" day. It was not some high holy day. We did not have one of those days where you can hardly find a seat. It was not some super Sunday. What I experienced today was a day of worship and fellowship, service and joy. It was the kind of day Christian have when we continually engage in the Christian life.
It was a day of great conversations. You know who you had that wonderful visit with today.
It was a day to sing a song and find it touching your heart.
It was a day to share in the baptism of Zaiden and Noah.
It was a day to hear a word from the Lord.
It was a day to serve. (Were you one of the 34 who were able to donate blood today?)
It was the kind of day that Christians have. We have them multiple times during the year. As a matter of fact we find our lives filled with these kinds of days. We get together. We share in a Sunday School class. We go to worship. Something that is prayed, or read, or sung or preached sticks in our mind and heart. We do this over and over again. Once in a while we have one of those "special" days. We have an electric day where the Holy Spirit seems to be hot wiring the congregation. But usually we have days like today. Good days. Grace filled days.
When these days continue to add up we discover that something is going on in our hearts. We are a bit more patient. We try harder to see an issue from another persons perspective. We find ourselves a little more eager to hear something from the Bible. We get more out of a sermon. We find ourselves really looking forward to seeing our friends at church. We look in our heart and realize that we love God more than we did at another time.
When you add these days up over a year, a few years or a life time you have a transformed life. I see it and feel it happening at our church. Another grace filled day contributes to the transforming power of Jesus Christ. When you look at it this way, What a Day!
Another good part of today -- this is Cindy's birthday. She and Andrea just left to go see the Lion King. Should be fun. It's a really good day. I hope you had a good day too.
steve

He buddy could you spare me a Trillion dollars?

I wish I had the definitive answer to the economic crisis our country is facing. I don't. But I do know something must happen. Congressman Cleaver believes the work before congress is the most significant since the declaration of war with Japan in 1941. Senator Bond reminds us that if we are not able to provide the means farmers will not be able to operate and small business' will not make payroll. Everyone on the news has pretty dire things to say about the credit freeze.
So what should we do? Let me offer one suggestion. Do all YOU can to eliminate or at least reduce debt. Isn't that what got us moving toward this mess in the first place? My economic theory says if you spend more than you have you will end up in trouble.
Now I realize that our entire economy is based on credit. We must deal with that. It does seem like I read in the Old Testament in different places that interest should not be charged (at least to fellow Israelites). You would be hard pressed to find Democratic Capitalism outlined in the pages of scripture. But I digress.
What do we do? Rather than continue to ramble on about this I have no training in let me point out something I do know something about. What if we read Matthew 6:25-34. Go ahead and read it. What if we spent some time prayerfully reflecting on the passage? What if we took it to heart? What if we believed it? What if we allowed the scriptures to guide our practice? We would not find ourselves overwhemed with worry. Worry would be replaced with trust in God.
I suppose that is the word of encouragement I would offer. You do not have to trust your 401(k). You do not have to trust the stock market. Don't trust your pension account. Thank God for all of them! But none of the above will save you. These challenges days gives us an opportunity to renew or perhaps discover trust in Jesus Christ. These could be the greatest days of faith we have ever known.
So keep praying for our elected officials. I pray God grant them wisdom and discernment. But above all trust the Lord. It makes more sense than having someone sidle up to me and say, "hey buddy could you spare me a trillion dollars!"
steve

Reflections from Sunday Evening

First the ambivalent. Paul Newman died at 83. He finally lost the battle with cancer. But still he lived 83 good years. I saw one of those things that asks what your favorite Paul Newman movie was. One of the first movies I remember him in was "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." For some strange reason they showed that at a Methodist Youth sub-district event one time. Go figure. I remember the line from "Cool Hand Luke": "What we have here is a failure to communicate." "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" came out in 1968. It sure seemed later than that. But that was probably my favorite. Of course when "The Sting" came out a few years later that was a really good follow-up. It's not like Paul Newman was one of my favorite people or anything. But there is something to be said for someone who spent his life in Hollywood. He made movies. He raced cars. He produced salad dressing! But he was also married to the same woman for over 50 years. That is pretty amazing considering the environment and culture he lived in. So maybe that's why it seems worthwhile to give a thought to a life that was apparently well-lived. I'll probably watch the movie list and watch "Butch and Sundance" one of these days.

Things get better. We gave the 3rd-graders their Bibles today. That is one of the neatest things we do. This year I asked the third-graders to read the book of Philippians. It is a short book: 4 chapters. It is a letter Paul wrote to a church he apparently really loved. It is full of good news. I'm looking forward to the 3rd-graders telling me about it!

Walter had us at a Willie Nelson concert! If you weren't there it doesn't make much sense. But if you were there ... it is amazing how God can enter into any environment and bring transforming power to change lives. Many of us went home today humming "I Saw the Light."

And then there are the Chiefs. What was up with that? Rookie cornerbacks playing like all pros. Scored 33 points. Isn't that more than we had scored in the first three games? And all against a very good (I think) Denver team. You just never know.

Maybe that's the whole idea. You never know when the day will come for this earthly sojourn to conclude and move into the blessedness of eternity. You never know what a third-grader will see in a book of the Bible. It would not surprise me to see one of these young people hear God's call into ministry. The Word is alive. You never know when something totally unexpected will happen (Chiefs victory over Denver). And as people of faith we often find the surprising grace of God bursting into our lives. Like a transforming moment at a Willie Nelson concert! So this week don't be surprised when God surprises you with grace.

It was a good day. Tomorrow holds promise too!

Preview

I had the opportunity to meet with a number of our members who came out last evening to hear where we are and where we hope to go as a church. I spent most of my time talking about purpose, mission, vision, goals, values and of course $$$$$. It is really all good news. Our debt is below $500,000 with over $700,000 outstanding pledges. With a year to go it is reasonable to believe we will pay the debt and have excess funds. Somebody asked what we'd do with extra money. It's new ground! What do you do if you oversubscribe a capital project? We promised to use all the money received for debt retirement and have been completely faithful to that commitment. I'm sure we will figure it out!

My main concern is our 2009 budget. What do we do? Obviously these are difficult financial times. We have some inflationary issues (utilities are going up significantly). We want to increase compensation for our great staff. We want to move forward with programming. Does it make sense to ask for an 11% budget increase next year? I didn't get the answers to my questions but continue to sense a positive spirit among our people.

We talked about the houses around our church. What do you do with houses that would require an investment in to rent them? Glenn Ladd worked us through some of the challenges and I felt brought us to a place where we can reasonably assume these issues will be resolved in the right way (whatever that turns out to be) toward year's end.

It's always good to have an opportunity to share thoughts and ideas with the people who make up the congregation. We'll do it again one of these days.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

We have two more weeks in the 7 Seasons of Change sermon series. I think we have the point that we live in a time of very rapid cultural change. Today we illustrated that with the different "family" television shows down through the years. We moved from "Leave it to Beaver" to "All in the Family" to "Dallas" and "Dynasty" to "The Sopranos" and "Desperate Housewives." There is a vast difference between "Leave it to Beaver" and "Desperate Housewives."

There were others we could have mentioned. Relationship shows like "Friends" and "Seinfeld" reflected the ideas of a generation. I could have gone back and looked at some other old family shows. We could have mentioned "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters" (does anyone else think Billy Donovan, the basketball coach at Florida, looks like Eddie Munster?). Of course those shows were sort of kooky.

The interesting point is that culture is reflected through the broadcast medium. The good news is that we (Christians) may always be "counter-culture" people. Our culture is the kingdom of God. Our culture is one led by the risen Lord Jesus Christ. So wherever the winds of change blow we find ourselves being the reflection of Christ in the midst of our world.

On another note ... We are getting the budget ready for next year. There is a lot to think about. I am going to be in the sanctuary this Thursday evening at 7:00 to share our vision and and talk about what might be on your minds. Where are we with our debt? Are there building ideas for next year? What does our budget need to be next year? How is the staff doing? Do we have any money in the bank? How is attendance? If you have a question please come and hopefully we will be able to work toward an answer.

Here's a thought. We should spend more time at church. Hopefully it will help take our mind off the Chiefs.

Today was a good day. I hope you had a good day.

doughnuts and pie!

First let me follow up on the great donut mystery from last Sunday. To make a long story short, we believed our donut supplier was back in business but when Sunday came -- obviously they were not. But not all was lost. I LEARNED something.

To start with I'm not a great fan of having donuts in the fellowship hall on Sunday morning. They are not the most healthy food! But the main reason is that I like them! I see them and I want to eat them. And I'm not one to cut a donut in half. Nope. I'd rather eat three of them and half of one! So when I walk past the donuts I want to eat them until they are gone. That is why I don't particularly like having them here.

But here is what I learned Sunday. I heard the word -- no donuts! I walked down to the dining hall. There was no one there. Deserted. Empty. Nothing. Then I realized how wonderful a gift donuts are. When we have them there is life in the dining hall. There are people clustered together talking. Fellowship. Joy. Children are happy! And so is everyone else. The donuts create fellowship. Be there Sunday. Donuts should be back!

I am invested in this. After all, I had a preschooler tell me it was my fault there were no donuts Sunday.

Now on to something even better than donuts. Pie. I've been doing great. A few years ago my idea of a diet was eating one piece of pie rather than the whole thing! I've cut back. I've been watching my pie intake. Then we had that pie auction last week. We bought a cherry pie and a lemon pie. I ate about half of both of them. They were good. They were Carolyn Andler pies!

Today the story took an even better turn. I got my very own special pie today. Sat it right down in front of me at staff meeting. Homemade mincemeat pie! It is great. I could offer a piece to people and not get any takers. So Reuben and I got to enjoy our pie. He is the only one I found who appreciates the finer pies -- mincemeat, gooseberry, sour cream raisin.

Anyway, I've got to go home and eat the rest of this pie so I can start cutting back again! Maybe I'm just trying to rationalize but doesn't a person need some "sacred pleasure" in life? As long as I keep working out and not eating the whole pie every week, maybe it is ok to enjoy mincement today.

God has created some wonderful things and given us these gifts for our enjoyment. It's not just donuts and pie. There are signs of fellowship, grace and love. Not guilty pleasures. Godly pleasures. I hope you discover the pleasure God is offering you today.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Oh boy. I've been watching the Chiefs since the 1960s. They were really good when I first became a fan. I was with them through the glory years. Two Super Bowl appearances in the first four. A World Championship. Then came the mid-70s when everything went south. They were simply not good. I watched them in the 90s when they were practically unbeatable at Arrowhead. Sure they disappointed us in the playoffs but they were good. Then came the high scoring years. If they could have only played a little defense. Now this. Oh boy. It takes a real fan to sit through something like this game today. Nothing. No offense. No defense. No nothing! Oh well. Maybe next week things will take a good turn and out of nowhere a great game will come forth.

There is a good side to this. If the Chiefs keep on like this I predict church attendance will pick up on those Chiefs Sundays!

Which brings me to a better thought. We had a great day today. This weekend church was meaningful. Ginger preached Saturday evening and got us off to a super start. Eveything clicked today. (With the exception of the donuts!)

Here's the thing. The donut supplier assured us they would be reopened this weekend. Well, I guess they weren't. Kenny Harper bailed us out. It's different to walk into the grocery store and tell them you'd like 10 dozen donuts!

But other than that, it was really good day. The music was uplifting. Did you notice the acolytes? Those young people walked in and brought the light of Christ into our midst and we felt it. I really like Walter putting together Amazing Grace with Peaceful Easy Feeling. I'm still hearing that one in my mind this evening. And that's a good sign.

It's good when something from church stays with us. I hope something that was sung or prayed or spoken or preached will stay with you today and through the week. That word from God is what keeps us going. That gets us through the day -- the week. That's what makes for a good day. Worship, prayer, singing, the privilege of preaching the gospel -- they outweighed a disappointing football game. It was a good day. I hope you had a good day too!

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Wow. This has been great weekend. Nineteen youth and seven adults participated in a "30 Hour Famine." Ask Roy all about it. I know they took a bus trip from downtown to the east side of town. The interaction with people they do not regularly meet was good. We should all be proud of these young disciples as they grow in God's grace.

But that's not all. Church today was really uplifting (at least it was for me!). The music ... the prayers ... the children ... communion. I looked out at the various congregations today and just know God was moving among us and touching people's lives. Isn't that was it's all about?

But that's not all. We were reminded of Saturdays 2 Serve coming this Saturday. Kathy Cole shared a number of opportunities our people will have to engage in hands-on ministry. More lives are going to be touched.

But that's not all. The Chiefs only lost by 7 points to New England. 'Nuff said.

But that's not all. God is alive. I keep bumping into Him! A little boy (Brady) excited to serve as an acolyte. New people joining the choirs. People taking time to listen and represent Jesus Christ to those in need. People serving. People giving. People praying.

But that's not all. I know there is more going on than I realize. These are exciting days to be part of the Body of Christ. These are exciting days to be part of what God is doing at Platte Woods UMC. It's been a really good day. If you were in worship today I'm pretty sure you had a good day too.

Reflections from Sunday Evening

It was a privilege to attend a welcome home event for Major John Drew this evening. John has spent the last year in Iraq and returned home this week. John and Kim and their children are part of our church. It has been a joy to watch many of our people reach out in support of Kim and the kids this past year. In addition to our church folks many others from school and other organizations and just kind people have gone an extra mile to be there in John's absence.

The joy in the room was apparent. For those of us who are not part of the military community it is hard to grasp the deep sense of support and community that exists for those serving our country. It was a privilege to be among those who could offer encouragement and above all be able to witness so many people do so much to help.

John has some very interesting things to say about the situation in Iraq. It is good to hear from someone who has actually been on the ground and involved with people. I got to offer a prayer as we concluded the evening. I would encourage you to join with others in praying for the Iraqi people, our troops and others serving there, for peace and above all for God's plans and purposes to be established in that part of the world.

It was a good day. For John, Kim and their family it was a GREAT day. I hope you had a good day too.

Ephraim

I was reading in John's gospel this morning. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Maybe he "revived" him. Somehow Jesus brought Lazarus back to life after he'd been dead. I don't think this is the same thing that happens to Jesus in the resurrection and what lies ahead of us but I am getting away from the point I want to make.

After Jesus does this miracle some religious leaders get together and decide his reward should be dying. It is somewhat amazing. Perhaps a principle uncovered is "success will turn some folks against you." I'm not trying to figure all this out. What struck me this morning was what Jesus did after the miracle and following the conflict.

"Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness and he remained there with the disciples." (John 11:54 NRSV)

So here is God's word coming to me through this verse. I (we all) need an Ephraim. That can't mean we need a vacation. This is the end of summer. Vacations are done! We don't need a place in the mountains or something like that. Ephraim is near the wilderness. We don't merely need to get alone. He remained there with his disciples.

So here is what I think our Ephraim is. It is where we go with those we love (family, friends) to collect ourselves in the midst of ministry.

Early in the week I was around some other clergy and found the opportunity to share together was renewing. I think I went to Ephraim earlier this week!

I'll keep thinking on this one. I had never given much thought to this verse before. That's another reason I always get a new Bible to begin reading in January but that is another reflection. For today let it suffice to say I recognize that if Jesus would get with his disciples and go to Ephraim it would probably be a pretty good idea for me (and you) to follow that example.

Reflections From Sunday Evening

We had a really good weekend. Every service was well attended and people were engaged. That is a great sign! I looked out at the congregation today and recognized that people were obviously feeling the presence of the Lord. The music was really neat. You can tell when lots of people are singing alone. It was especially noticeable at 9:30 when Walter was singing "If I Had a Hammer!" It was a good day to worship and the Lord was certainly with us.

After church I took Andrea (our daughter if you have not met her) to the Royals game where a friend of hers was in town. Actually I found myself with a bunch of 23 year olds! But they were gracious. The Royals won. They haven't been doing much of that lately but today was a good one for the boys in Blue!

So put the whole day together and it simply becomes a day of blessing. There were serious moments and much laughter. There was worship and there was fun. There were good people all around. And when it comes down to it what really makes a day great are the people who surround us. So this evening Cindy and I are sitting on the couch watching the replay of the USA Gold medal game from the Olympics. It's a good day. I hope you had a good day too.

Take Care of Yourself

I spent Monday in Nashville at a training event. During that time I talked with pastors from all over the country. I heard about a young pastor (52 years old) who died of a heart attack last week. The conversation went on to refer to a number of pastor in North Texas who had all had health issues this summer. It made me think, "What are we doing to ourselves?" It is not just pastors -- it is everybody.

I think about some of the things that I share with other clergy. We have this accountability thing. We as senior pastors of churches are responsible (at least to the annual conference) for a number of things. In reality we are responsible and held accountable for the church's finances. When a church falls behind the pastor gets the call. (Thankfully we are doing pretty well even though things have fallen off this summer. I don't go to sleep and wake up worrying about money!)

We pastors are also responsible to report how many people are in church each week; how many in Bible study; how many in hands-on ministry and things like that.

This is all great. It makes pastors like most everyone else. You have responsibilities and you are held accountable in many areas of work and life.

The thing that strikes me (and other clergy as I have conversations with them) is that we are responsible for things we have no CONTROL over. It goes without saying that I cannot make anyone come to church. I can work with others to create a welcoming and encouraging environment but can't make anybody come. As a matter of fact it is that way in practically all areas of ministry. Responsible but no control.

That can be pretty stressful -- unless -- we see it as an opportunity to nurture our trust in God. That is what I'm up to these days. Learning, practicing, working, thinking, praying -- Trusting God. Would you join me?

Reflections From Sunday Evening

I'm writing a bit early today. I'll be leaving for Nashville in a little bit. I'll be in a training session for Board of Ordained Ministry-type people tomorrow. The workshop actually ends at noon Tuesday but I'll be coming home late tomorrow night. Actually I've been to the last three hours of workshops and so ... I'm coming home. I really like to be home.

I'm not sure what everyone thought about Curtis and me doing the sermon together today but I figure it was memorable. I liked it. Donovan Smith spoke to me between services and commented on the way we did the sermon. What struck him was how much we are really doing here! A point well taken. I am absolutely sure anyone and everyone can find a place where they will be in position to grow in faith. Looking forward to it.

Another reason I am coming home tomorrow night instead of waiting until Tuesday is so I'll be here for our anniversary. Number 36 coming up. For those of you who have been married this long or longer you probably share in the reflections of life together. For those younger folks it probably seems like an eternity. Such is one of the great joys of aging. Your appreciation for life and the many blessings keeps being enriched.

This was a good day. Worship was super. We continue to be blessed by some great people who make this church a place where anyone may experience the presence of God. Thanks. I hope you had a good day.

Reflections from Sunday Evening

Disaster was averted today! Our donut supplier had an issue at their shop and was unable to deliver this morning. Thankfully Mike W. was here and went to Price Chopper to get substitute donuts. I did not notice anyone suffering from lack of sugar this morning and I believe everyone stayed fairly awake during the 8:30 service. It is good when people step up to help. I am convinced that if an even more serious issue should arise the people of PWUMC would be first to step forward to care for one another. It is good to be part of the family of God.

I'm thinking about next week's services. Curtis and I are going to team up for the sermon. It is "kickoff" weekend and we are going to kick things off for the new year. We will highlight our opportunities for Intentional Faith Development and encourage you to take steps to grow in the love and grace of God this year. By the way, if you are a college football fan who watches "Game Day" on ESPN there may be something familiar this week!

On another note, we celebrated our daughter's birthday today. The Cheesecake Factory was pretty good today. That is her favorite place so off we went. It was a pretty good day. I hope you had a good day as well.

what's going on?

I'm thinking about Hot August Nites (HAN) this morning. It looks cloudy. By tomorrow I'll know if everything went according to plans (Walter and the group playing while we eat ice cream and have fellowship and look at some of the various ministries offered here) or we had to scramble inside because it rained! It is one of those things you can't know until it happens.

This is what life is like. Here at the church we are working diligently to develop an environment that will produce fruitful ministry. By fruitful ministry I am thinking of reaching new people with the gospel of Jesus Christ and helping many others find ways to grow in God's grace. We plan and join for worship. We offer a variety of faith development opportunities. We provide ways for people to be involved in hands-on mission. We strategize about ways to extend radical hospitality to our community. We encourage generosity.

Here is one of my personal frustrations. I can work with everyone and do the things we need to do in order to help make disciples for Jesus Christ, but I can't produce any fruit! That should really not be a surprise to any of us. After all, an apple tree produces fruit naturally, not by trying harder. So if you are ever sitting around wondering how to pray for the preacher -- here is a thought. Pray for me to be able to lead the church to develop the greatest environment for faith disciple making that is possible. Then pray I have the faith to trust God for His faithfulness in seeing the fruit produced.

This weekend I hope everyone will begin making their way back to worship. The sermon is "What I Did This Summer." It will highlight some of my fresh thoughts about purpose, mission and vision. I'm ready to go!

Next week we have our "Kickoff" weekend. The focus will be on Intentional Faith Development. Curtis and I are teaming up for the sermon. If you are familiar with "Game Day" with a college football game you will find some similarities! (I get to be Lee Corso!)

The following weekend I will begin a sermon series on change. "Seven Seasons of Change" will look at various parts of our culture and life and seek to discover how we might thrive in the midst of this rapidly changing culture.

So there is a good bit going on. I look forward to sharing the life of grace with each of you as we move toward the end of summer and beginning of a new season.

Reflections from Sunday Evening

I introduced myself at all the services this weekend. It was good to be back in church and have the opportunity to preach. It was a good day. I especially liked the sets from VBS still up. We did have a really neat Vacation Bible School this week. A special thanks to Anne Bartholow for all she did to make VBS a great event. Also many thanks to everyone who helped make this a great week for our children. One of the things that always gets my attention is when Anne invites a child to come up and pray. When she asks hands start going up all over the place! I would usually turn to someone seated near me and we would agree that we would not have been doing that when we were kids. Most of us would rather crawl under the pew! But not our kids. Young people took the mic and thanked God for everything. One little girl thanked God for giving her the "greatest day of her life!" And some people don't think church is a great thing.

Today a fourth grader came up to me between services and asked about being a pastor. I believe we are seeing an environment being created that will find young people hearing a call to ministry. Our children's ministry is really something!

So ... I'm officially back from vacation. Saw some family. Got away from the usual. Rested. Relaxed. I did get renewed. Then I got eager to get back to church. There is simply so much going on here I can't seem to get enough. It's a joy to serve Platte Woods UMC.

Next week I will be talking about "What I Did This Summer." It is really what I've been thinking about for our purpose, mission and goals. I hope to see you this coming weekend.
I'll be sharing ideas about the upcoming sermon series on change. It promises to be a joyful challenge. I hope you had a good day.

Reflections from Sunday evening

Vacation's over. This morning Andrea and I went to church at St. Peter UMC in Blue Springs. Megan is still heckling me! Something about needing to turn up the sound so I (the old folks) could hear! I resisted the temptation to heckle back. Actually she did a very good job and seemed right at home in her new place of service.

I had been back to the church (I started it in 1982) since moving from there in 1990. But the times I had attended had been special services or there for a specific purpose. I don't think I had just gone to church there since I left. It was fun. I saw lots of people I have known for years. For some reason many of them look older than I remember! I did see one lady whose husband passed away this year. We both teared up. It was a reminder of the sense of community God had established in that place. People get connected when the Lord brings them together. It was still really good to be there.

This month I finished reading "UnChristian," "The Last Real Season" (a baseball book about the Texas Ranger in 1975 - a fun read), "Leadership Secrets of Atilla the Hun" (don't worry), "Crisis" (a medical thriller novel) and "The Millennium Matrix." This is an amazing book. It talks about the shifts in culture and communication from Oral to Print to Broadcast to Digital. It is very informative and challenging. It deals with the pace of change that we all must incorporate into our lives. It is a book anyone interested in where we go as a church should read -- "The Millennium Matrix" by M. Rext Miller.

Well that about does it for time off. I'm back to church for VBS in the morning and then off to a meeting in Columbia. There is much to do. I'll share the next sermon series with you soon. Boy have I got some ideas!

Politics?

My "conferencing" is finished for the time being. This has been my adventure in "church politics." Motions, substitute motions, amendments, point of order, ballots, negotiating, elections ... It has reminded me of some things I appreciate. The thought hit me toward the end of jurisdictional conference as we were trying to electing the final bishop that I would soon be going home to the church I serve. I would be preaching, praying and serving the people of Platte Woods UMC. It was a good feeling.

Which also reminds me of my personal opinion that affects what I preach about. I stay out of politics. I know this is the political season. We will elect a new president this year. It is very significant. There is much at stake. We all take our responsibilities in a democracy seriously. But you will not hear me endorsing some candidate. I tend not to preach about the political issues of the day. That does not mean I do not have an opinion: I simply choose not to use the pulpit to try and advance my personal opinions about such things.

I do use the pulpit to try to advance my opinions about some things. I want to influence people to have a meaningful and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. I want to influence people to trust the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and world. I could go on about this but that is material for another day.

When someone wonders why they do not hear me "take a stand" on the issues of the day it is because I feel called to preach the gospel instead of assuming the role of a mature politician. I got plenty of that in the church arena this spring. Of course, if you want to talk about that I am more than happy to do so. As a matter of fact if you want to get in a discussion about energy, the economy, war, healthcare, education or just about anything else, feel free to ask. I do have some opinions.

Sunday Reflections & Jurisdictional Conference

First, we finished electing bishops at Jurisdictional Conference. We elected Jim Dorff at 10:16 p.m. Friday night. (I think that is what my note says.) It was late. We finished up a little business and about 10:30 took a break while the committee went out to decide where the bishops would serve. They came back at 1:30 a.m. and we finished up our business. Bishop Schnase was assigned to Missouri for another four years. I am thankful for this. All the sitting bishops were returned to their area. The three new bishops were assigned to conferences in Texas. Most people in our churches don't seem to care a great deal about who is the bishop in San Antonio. I am one of a few who really gets invested in this. I am thankful for the opportunity to play a role in these matters that affect the general church.

On another note ... Cindy and I went to my home church in Appleton City this morning. They have a new preacher. He is good and going to do very well. I keep seeing some really good young preachers! Of course we are totally blessed but there are others out there. I could not help but think about a lot of things as I sat in church and listened to the sermon on grace. (Couldn't have done better myself!) The sanctuary that seemed so big to a little boy looks smaller today. The communion rail could hold about 15 people kneeling for communion. I've knelt there many times. I've seen it filled with people praying during revivals. I remembered kneeling there for my baptism and confirmation. They have remodeled the Sunday School rooms. I saw the room I used to go to for my Vacation Bible School class. The building looks really nice. Neat. Painted. Of course the best part was seeing the people. Larry and Karla, Leland and Becky, Mick and Susan were there. I grew up with these folks. Madge (Phillip's mom) was there. Ron McEwan was an usher. He is older than I am. His dad was our Sunday School teacher and one of the greatest spiritual influences on a whole group of us. Linda played the piano. She was my grade school music teacher! She has enjoyed much more success than teaching me to sing.

It was a great place to spend time this morning. I am thankful for the church that brought me along. Now I am getting ready to get back into the swing of things here. Give me a few more days and I'll do something again. It is renewing to know we are building memories and experiences here at PWUMC. Many of you can look around our church and remember. Believe me, things are happening here. This is a place where God is alive. I am grateful to be able to share some of the Spirit that touched my life years ago in new ways. It's been a good day. I hope you had a good day as well.

Jurisdictional Conference

It's Friday morning. We spent all day yesterday working and voting in our effort to elect three people to serve the church as bishops. We got one elected yesterday. It has a different feel since we do not anticipate our bishop for Missouri changing. Neither is there a person from Missouri we are working to help get elected. So we keep trying to sense who God wants doing these things.

Today we will elect two more people and finish up. Of course it may be midnight before everything is finished. Thankfully the stress level is not that high.

It is neat to seek the work being done and to have a part in it. Good people all around this place.
On another note, I wonder why they pick places to have these conferences that cost so much? I know there are probably very good reasons. About three years ago I was at a conference in Dallas and was staying in a hotel in the same area where we are this week. After a day or two I pulled my suitcase across the parking lot to a Courtyard by Marriott for lots less and free Internet! I've been tempted this week but it just would not work. So Cindy got some bread and peanut butter so we could avoid high priced breakfasts and maybe even lunch! I know that sounds tight but I like to consider it "frugal." Some day I will have to tell you how I come about this honestly! Off to what I anticipate being a good day. I hope you have a good day too.

Vacation??Update

This weekend Cindy and I went to the Royals game Saturday night (following church where Ginger preached!). It was a great game. Mark Grudzielanek got his 2000th career hit. A great accomplishment. But best of all was David DeJesus hitting a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game 5-4! Wow.

On Sunday Cindy and I went to her family reunion. We visited and had lunch. She saw some cousins she had not seen in a long time. Cindy is the middle of five children. She was remembering visits to cousins in south Missouri. I was intrigued by the tale of the Grizzell kids and their cousins throwing M-80's in a silo. I bet it did make a neat noise. Cindy and her cousin seemed to enjoy remembering that event!

It was fun. I was a little confused when one of her family started looking around for someone to pray and called on "Cynthia's son-in-law"! That was a new one for me but she was looking at me and I knew I was the one she wanted to say the blessing because she had already asked me. When she talked to me she asked if I was Cynthia's husband? Oh, well. It was a really good time.

Tomorrow we head for Dallas and the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. There are a lot of meetings and voting but it is nothing like General Conference as far as stress and anxiety (unless you are running for bishop!) so we look forward to the time. I'll try and update you on what goes on in Dallas. See you soon.

UnChristian

I finished reading a book titled "Unchristian" by David Kinnaman. He works for a research firm (Barna) and compiles the results of surveys taken that show what younger people who are not part of the church think about Christianity. I found the book very challenging. I have a pretty good idea of what I believe and why. It becomes apparent that many younger people (who are imperative we connect with Jesus Christ) have very different ideas about some things many of us accept.

Many people who are not involved in the church (even though they may have a church background) see Jesus in ways that do not draw them to Christ. There are six attitudes that are given.
1. Hypocritical
2. Get Saved (only seem to care about getting someone converted and then forget them)
3. Anti-homosexual
4. Sheltered (we seem to hang together and avoid the world)
5. Too Political
6. Judgmental

If you read the book you will understand why these issues become barriers to people outside the faith coming into the church.

The issues listed pose challenges to me. But that is fine. As a matter of fact it is good to be challenged otherwise we (I) tend to get settled and stagnant. UnChristian will help move us out of normally accepted opinions and give a fresh perspective on how people see life and where a relationship with Jesus Christ could become real. The bottom line is a challenge. Do what it takes to help someone discover a vital relationship with Jesus Christ.

Reflections from Sunday Evening (on Monday evening)

I missed being in church at Platte Woods. I love to share in our worship services. I know Curtis preached a great sermon. I would have been blessed.

But I did take the opportunity to worship in two other churches. It is a blessing to me to be able to share with friends in ministry. Although Mark Turnbough was not preaching at Liberty this week I still got to experience one of their services as well as see some friends that go to that church.

On the way home I went to church at Good Shepherd. David Israel is doing a great job there. I appreciated the opportunity to be in their worship service. I was blessed in both places. I actually got a sermon idea that you may hear some day!

It was a good day. I was blessed. At the same time I did come home being thankful. I wouldn't trade places with any preacher I know!

July 4

Do they celebrate the Fourth of July in England? ---- Of course they do - it is July 4th everywhere. I imagine you remember that little joke from those kids books we used to read (or maybe I'm the only one who liked joke books when I was a kid). What they may not do in England is celebrate losing the War and seeing America gain independence!

Today is our Independence Day. Every year I think similar thoughts. We do all the parades, cook-outs, fireworks and day off things but do we stop for a moment and breathe a prayer that says "thanks for the gift of freedom"? Might we also ask God to extend the blessing of freedom to others?

I walked around the neighborhood this morning. I went to the "Y" and worked out. I finished reading a book (more about UnChristian later). Never once have I felt my life threatened today. I did not fear a bombing at the "Y." I never thought terrorists or insurgents or anyone was going to blow up our neighborhood this morning. We have some tremendous freedoms.

I know violence is far more prevalent in our society than it should be. I know terrible things happen to people every day. But I also know we enjoy a level of security and freedom that most of the world cannot identify with.

So ... how about taking a moment when the fireworks go off tonight to say "Thanks" to God who for some strange, mysterious reason has set us on a hillside to be a light of possibility to the world. With grace comes awesome responsibility.

Sunday Reflections

It was really good to have Ginger and Angie participate in our worship services this weekend. It is obvious God is putting together a great team here at PWUMC. I am excited about what God is doing among us.

Today when I was preaching about "Staying in Love with God" I mentioned prayer as one of the disciplines that we use to stay close to God. I had to share about my meeting with a 10-year-old. He and his dad came by. The young man wanted to talk about feeling connected with God when he prayed! It was the highlight of the week. Listening to a young Christian and being able to talk with him about prayer and how it can help us experience the Lord. It is always great to be able to share with young people who are so far ahead of where I was at that age. Does this give you hope like it does me?

It was a good day.

Confession

I have a confession to make. I am very remedial when it comes to vacations. I am simply not capable of taking extended time off and enjoying it!

We have taken time off. When Cindy and I got married we went to St. Louis for a few days before heading back to college. (I had to get back for football practice.) We did start a custom of going to a conference most summers. When we go to "Aldersgate" we see old friends and have a good time. I have tried for several years to call this "vacation" but I think I have been found out!

One year we took the kids to St. Louis and went to the Zoo and Science City and all those neat things. It was a fun few days.

A few years ago Cindy and I were thinking about what to do for our 30th anniversary. I even priced airfare and hotels for San Francisco. When it came down to it I just couldn't spend the money, so we went to St. Louis! (I tried to pass that one off as "going back to the place we went when we got married.) I confess. I'm found out. I am a terrible "vacationer."

A couple of years ago we met two other couples and spent two days in Branson and enjoyed that. One year we met another couple and just hung out for a couple of days. Last year, Cindy and I went to Memphis. We drove one day and went to Beale Street that night. The next day we went to Graceland! We went to a unique Elvis concert that night. Then we drove home the next day. Just writing these things out is very therapeutic! I am a failure at vacations.

Which brings me to this summer. I am basically taking off the month of July. We are even going to get out of town for a few days. (Cindy and I are going to Jurisdictional Conference in Dallas.) I am a delegate. I will be in meetings. Does this count as vacation?

I just HAVE to come to some staff meetings in July. We do have new people coming, you know. But I will not be preaching in July. Curtis has it all under control.

I got this great idea the other day. I could write sermons in July. That way I could be ahead when I get back to preaching in August. Somehow Cindy did not think that was a good use of time. O.K., I confess. I am terrible when it comes to vacation.

So there you have my confession. Maybe this summer will be different. Maybe I will actually get away and allow the Spirit to renew and refresh me. Maybe I can get re-energized. Maybe I can rest up. Read a book that doesn't matter. Go to a ballgame. Sleep late. Stay up late. Don't work. Don't worry. Maybe this year ... but I doubt it. Vacation. Somehow I just don't get it. But they do say admitting your problem is the first step toward solving it! Hmmm.

Reflections from Sunday Evening

Today has been a blessing. Megan preached a really fine sermon this weekend. It was a great culmination of her ministry time with us at PWUMC. But that only got the day started.

Jeff Denton did a tremendous job with our volunteer (it's really "servants") dinner. Jeff's remarks were right on target as he expressed his heart and love for all those who serve so graciously and faithfully in our church. Besides that the food was really good.

The afternoon concluded with the celebration of Megan's ministry with us. We really tried to keep it light and joyful but a couple of emotional things got slipped in. But what a joy. Thanks to all those on the Staff Parish Relations Committee (Mike Cole and others) for making sure the reception went great. And thanks to Megan for sharing her life with us.

So it has been three years since Megan (and I) came to PWUMC. Where does the time go? But here is another perspective on time. I'm shifting gears here. It was 50 years ago that the Dodgers left Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles and the Giants left the Polo Grounds in New York for San Francisco. At the time St. Louis was the furthest point west in major league baseball. I'd say it was a pretty good idea to check out the west coast.

50 years. It seems like such a long time. My has the world changed in the last 50 years. It makes me wonder what the future holds. What will be taking place in the world of our kindergarten kids in 50 years? I wonder what the future of the church holds for the next 50 years? I have a very hopeful idea that 50 years from now people will be living with a clearer vision of God's perfect will and rule.

50 years ago Walter O'Malley put the finishes touches on moving his baseball team to Los Angeles. Today plans are being made and visions being shared that will take us to new places in life, ministry and service. So whether a three-year ministry like Megan's as she moves into a new chapter in her life, a celebration of 50 years for major league baseball on the west coast, or a group of people offering themselves in service through a church, seeds are being sown that will make a great impact on the world. See you in church.

Good Day

Charles Gibson signs off the ABC Evening News by saying "And I hope you had a good day." Yesterday was one of those good days. I hope you had a good day.

We had good staff meetings yesterday morning. We generally do. There is a good spirit among us. There is enough business to keep us honest but more joy to keep us encouraged.

I met with my accountability group yesterday. Each month I meet for lunch with three men. They are my accountability partners. They ask me questions about three areas of my life. They ask about my spiritual life. Am I praying? What is God saying through the scriptures? How am I doing spiritually?

They ask about my health and exercise program. Am I consistent in working out? Did I go to the "Y" today? Am I taking care of myself?

They also ask about my family. How is Cindy? What is going on with our kids? They keep me in the right perspective. I find it is essential for me to have people to depend upon who will ask me honest questions and hold me accountable for my Christian life. I had a good day.

In the evening I was able to sit in with Curtis and Megan for our latest new member class. Ten people were there who are expressing interest in becoming regular participants in our church. It was great. This keeps us going. It was a good day.

To top things off the Royals beat the Cardinals! As a bonus the Celtics won the NBA Championship by beating the Lakers. It was a good day.

I hope you had a good day.

Reflections from Sunday evening

Father's Day. When we got home from church today our son Bobby arrived. He cooked the burgers and brats! My family knows what I like to eat. Cindy even brought blackberry pie. I can go back to salads tomorrow.

Today I appreciated the fathers I saw in church. You are setting a very important example for children who are forming important memories now. Family is a really neat gift from God.

I called Mom and Dad this afternoon. It is always good to be able to tell your dad happy Father's Day.

Next Sunday our daughter Andrea will be showing up in K.C. with a U-Haul filled with her stuff. After a year in California and three years in Texas she is coming back to Missouri! Cindy and I are looking forward to having our whole family close. I count it as another gracious blessing of God for this time in life.

So as Father's Day winds down I appreciate my dad. I appreciate the blessing of being a dad. I appreciate those dads I see in church each week.

Upcoming Worship

I hope everyone will be in church this weekend. Part II of the "Three Simple Rules" series deals with the rule to "Do Good." We are talking about The Wesleyan Way of Living the Christian life.

There are obstacles to doing good. There are challenges to doing good. There are ways to apply the rule to our lives. It is also Father's Day. I hope to see you this weekend.

Next week Pastor Megan will preach. That will be her "culmination" weekend. She prepares to serve as lead pastor of her own congregation. Nothing would be better than an overflow crowd to celebrate Pastor's Megan's ministry among us.

The sermon series will conclude on June 29 when we talk about "Stay Close to God." I'll see you this weekend.

Annual Conference

The Missouri Conference met in Springfield June 6-9. Let me hit on some highlights (in my opinion) from this year's conference. The first day of conference began with a great worship service led by people from Morning Star UMC in the St. Louis area. Mike Schreiner has led this new church to about 1600 in worship over the past few years. We were able to experience the flavor of this church's worship.

In the afternoon the clergy met in our "executive session" where we do "preacher stuff." The laity met together during the same time frame.

We also spent time with ordained ministry matters and heard from Bishop Schnase and our leaders in congregational and pastoral excellence.

The banquet on Friday night featured some of our congregational development leaders and was a time to receive our church's commitments to PETS (personal energy transportation). We eventually raised over $126,000, enough to buy and distribute 509 PETS. You can learn more about these vehicles on the conference Web site.

Saturday was a day of learning as well as business. We had worship and a number of learning times. The main event for Saturday was Ordination. Our own Rev. Megan Sly was among the nine persons who were ordained elder at this year's conference. It was a very meaningful service. Congrats Megan!

Sunday was a day for more business but my high point came in the Study time at 8:00 a.m. (Yes, I get up and go to these things!) Dr. Doug Anderson shared with us some very practical ways to share the faith. You will be hearing about these in the future. (I'll wait a little while so I can try to pass the ideas off as my own!)

Sunday evening was great. We celebrated the PETS at the ballpark. It is a pretty cool thing when you are supposed to go to the ballgame!

Monday we concluded with business. We approved the conference budget of $13,341,092. This continues our trend of decreasing the conference budget and seeking to pass more money back to the local church. We elected conference leadership. (More about that in a moment.) We worked through a tough issue regarding retired ministers' health insurance. Hopefully we acted in a way that will be beneficial to all. The Bishop "fixed" the appointments for the coming year.
This is always a neat time. Pastor Megan was appointed to her new place, St. Peter UMC in Blue Springs. It is emotional to say "goodbye" but exciting to embrace new challenges. Dr. Reuben Wilbur came to our district and stood by me during this time. He has invested over 19 years of service to the Missouri conferences and now comes to a new and exciting chapter in his life. Angie Olsen and Ginger Pudenz were appointed to Platte Woods UMC. It was an exciting time.
Our church is well represented in conference leadership. Curtis Olsen was elected to chair the conference communications team. Rex Archer was elected to the social justice team. Alan Herndon was elected to the conference board of ordained ministry. I was also elected to the board of ordained ministry and then the board elected me the chairperson of the board for the coming quadrennium. Keep us all in your prayers!

That is a little snapshot of this year's annual conference. You were well represented by Alan Herndon and Brian and Evelyn Evans.

You can always find pictures and more information by going to the conference Web site.

new staff

We are preparing for annual conference. We anticipate some changes in our pastoral staff at this conference. First we anticipate Pastor Megan to be appointed the lead pastor of St. Peter UMC in Blue Springs. These transitions are always difficult but Megan is being given a tremendous opportunity and I pray God's richest blessings on her and her new congregation.

We will be receiving some new people to serve Platte Woods UMC. We anticipate Ginger Pudenz being appointed here as a "Part Time Local Pastor." This means Ginger will be assigned here with the expectation that she not spend all her time with the church. If we were looking to figure things on an hourly basis and full time equaled 40 hours we would anticipate Ginger working 20 hours. In addition to her work with us Ginger will be taking required classes for a person who is classified as a "local pastor." This Course of Study will lead to her credentials in the church.
Ginger will be appointed as our pastor of Prayer and Congregational Care. This means she will be leading our prayer ministry. Many of you realize this is what Ginger did for us before she took her own church three years ago. I am excited about seeing our prayer ministry develop and produce great blessings among us.

Ginger will also have the responsibility for Congregational Care. This means she will be doing the majority of our pastoral visitation. She will visit our shut-ins and those in nursing homes, and be the primary person for hospital visits. (The rest of us will certainly be taking a turn but Ginger gets to be in charge of this essential area of ministry).

A second part-time person we anticipate being appointed here is Angela (Angie) Olsen. She is married to Curtis. We will be blessed with a clergy couple. Angie is taking the appointment as part time for family reasons. Drew will soon be joined in their home by a new baby!

Angie will be assigned the responsibilities for "community outreach." She will be continuing to organize and give pastoral leadership to our mission outreaches (Saturdays 2 Serve, 1 Working Wednesday, etc.). She will also be bringing some special expertise to community building and helping move our church more into our community.

Angie is a "Probationary Elder" in the United Methodist Church. She will continue in the process toward full ordination.

Another person who will be coming to our staff is Dr. Reuben Wilbur. Reuben has been the treasurer (and charged with office administration) of our annual conference for the past 19 years. Reuben is choosing to take the retired relationship this year so he may come to work with us. We will call Reuben the "executive pastor." His responsibilities will include supervising the staff, working with SPRC on all our staff issues and giving hands-on attention to day-to-day operations. He will also relate to the trustees regarding all those many issues that deal with facilities and other trustee issues.

It looks to me like we are continuing to see a great staff become even greater. I encourage everyone to get well acquainted with our newest members of the staff. They will all be on board in July.

Stimulus Checks

I got a letter telling me a "stimulus check" would be coming soon. Has anyone already received theirs'? So many of us have money coming. Have you thought about what to do with it?

Since you asked let me offer a thought. You are receiving "unexpected" money. You had not planned on it. It will merely show up. So you have some freedom in how to use it. Here is my thought. Why not tithe on your stimulus check? Some people have been thinking about beginning to tithe but just cannot see how to do it. Well here is your chance. This is money you had not counted on so feel free to experiment with tithing!

While you keep asking here is another thought. Why not tithe to the church and mark it for our "Rain Garden" project? The west parsonage has some water issues and the trustees are in the process of working on them. One project includes a rain garden on the south side of the parsonage. If you will tithe (10% of the total -- I guess I forgot to say that) on your stimulus check and designate the amount to the rain garden project we will pay for it without using funds from the trustees' budget. That would be a great thing.

So here is your chance. Take the first step in tithing. Do something for the church and the environment.

Maybe tithing is not on your radar screen right now. Giving is always on a Christians mind. So I invite you to make a donation to the rain garden project whether it represents a tithe or not.
Thanks.

Reflections from Sunday evening

Following our church services and a brief administration meeting Cindy and I had lunch with Stan and Linda Shipman. Nothing quite like a peanut butter, bacon burger for lunch! Then I came home and watched the Royals win their second straight game (following 12 straight losses). It's a great day.

It's been tough following my favorite baseball team, the Kansas City Royals, for the past couple of weeks. 12-game losing streaks are not fun. But they are better than 13 losses in a row or 19 like they did three years ago. In truth the Royals have been a bit disappointing since 1985 but who keeps count.

I guess I'm still thinking about these streaks. As with so many other things in life baseball has lessons to teach. We often feel like life is a bit "streaky." We have all had those periods of time when it seems things are always going wrong. I remember the day several years ago when I was borrowing our neighbor's lawnmower to cut the grass. I borrowed her mower and in return always mowed her grass. Well the thing quit. So not wanting to leave the yard unfinished I asked the neighboring Baptist preacher if I could borrow his mower to finish the yard. Before I got done his mower broke down! Being two for two I decided to take matters in hand and go buy a new mower. I had to drive to the next town to get one. My Baptist preacher friend came through again (even though I just broke his mower). I took his pickup to go buy a mower. With the purchase made I came out of the store to find something leaking from the truck. His water pump had gone out. All this in just a couple of hours! You could say I was on a losing streak.

On the other hand we have all had those periods of life when things just seemed to click. It is a bit like worship services and our life together at PWUMC. Week after week we gather and find ourselves surrounded by people who care. We worship and experience the presence of the Lord. We pray and hear the Word read and proclaimed. We sing and feel our hearts lifted. We are not some show business extravaganza. We are the people of God at worship finding His love growing and love deepening.

I see us on a good winning streak at church. God's faithfulness continues.

"charge" conference

This Sunday we will have a special "charge" conference. Let me share the difference in a "charge" conference and a "church" conference. Each year we have an annual meeting where the district superintendent conducts the "business meeting" for the year. At that meeting, usually in the late fall or early winter, we receive reports and elect officers for the coming year. There will be a time to share the ministry accomplishments and the pastors' salaries are set. We convene this annual meeting as a "church" conference. This means all full members of the church are included and vote on all matters before the group.

There is an option of having a "charge" conference. The "charge" consists of the basic administrative body of the church. In our case this is the "Administrative Council" (Church Council). Often the "charge" conference is used to deal with administrative matters that may arise during the course of the year. This Sunday we will have a "charge" conference. Only the announced matters of business may be conducted. This "charge" conference will do two things. 1. We will be setting the pastoral compensation for the pastors who will be affected at Annual Conference. 2. We will elect a vision/building committee to begin the process of evaluating our church's needs.

Everyone is certainly invited to come to the called session of the "charge" conference. Members of the Administrative Council and retired pastors are permitted to vote. I hope this offers some explanation of what we are doing this Sunday. I'll have more to say about the vision team and our new pastors soon. Until then.

What else is on people's minds?

The last post represented some of the thoughts I figure people have when they worship. The ideas come from conversations with other pastors over the last 30 years as well as various experiences from different churches I have served. They tended to have a somewhat negative mood. But what else are people thinking when they come to church? Here are some more.

- The church is so beautiful.
- This is where I was married.
- I am so proud of my child.
- That worship service inspired me.
- I feel good about having served others this week.
- That was a great breakfast we had in Sunday School.
- I think I can win the golf tournament this year.
- I am so thankful for my wife/husband.
- How can I be a great steward in light of the promotion and raise I got?
- My teacher said I did a good job.
- I am so thankful for our church's preschool. (I heard that one this week!)
- What a youth group!
- I just love to hear him play the piano!
- God really does care about me.
- Today I know my sins are forgiven.
- I think my dog went to heaven.
- I am glad to be a Christian.
- My faith gives meaning to life.
- I feel better now.
- It is good to worship the Lord.

These are some thoughts that I am sure flow through people's minds as they find themselves in worship. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

What's on people's minds?

What’s on people’s minds when they come to church?

- Why won’t anybody talk to me?
- It’s too cold in here.
- My wife left me this week.
- My husband is having an affair.
- There is no more money in my savings account.
- I lost my job.
- I had to take a pay cut at work.
- My daughter is sexually active.
- The music is too loud.
- Where did they find that song?
- My son said he is homosexual.
- How can I kick this drug habit?
- The pastor doesn’t seem to care what is bothering me.
- I don’t think the Bible is true.
- This is the last chance I’m giving the church.
- My son got arrested last night.
- Why can’t we sing songs I like?
- I’m not sure I believe in Jesus.
- All the church cares about is money.
- How many people do I have to lay off tomorrow?
- I don’t think I can be saved.
- Why do I even come to church?
- I can’t hear the children sing.
- Why do we have the children singing again?
- Organ music is wonderful.
- Who likes organ music?
- I wonder what the score of the game is?
- I wonder if this lump is serious?
- I have surgery this week.
- Is there really a God?
- I hope God knows I’m here.

These are just some of the thoughts I imagine are present on any given day. So if you see me walking around like my head is swimming …

I’ll be thinking about this and come back later with some ideas from another perspective.