Reflections From Sunday Evening

I got a new razor the other day. That may not sound like a big deal but stay with me a moment. I started shaving when I was kid. I was maybe a freshman in high school, I do not really remember. I had to choose the shaving system to use when I started. My dad used a safety razor. Those were the ones with a blade you put in the razor and were what people generally used in those days. I knew a straight edge razor was not for me. I only saw those at the barbershop and never picked one up. But there was a new system on the market when I was starting to shave. The Trac II came along. It was pretty safe and had 2 blades. That was what I started with. Through the years I tried an electric razor. Never liked it. I used different shaving creams. In addition I tried different after shave lotions. Anyone remember High Karate or Jade East? Of course there was Old Spice. I settled on Brut. (Confession: that is what I still use.) Through the years razors and blades have changed. We went from one blade to two blades to three and I'm not sure how many blades get stuck on these things anymore. I would say progressed but I am not sure that would be accurate. What has progressed is the price. What I use now ends up costing about $4.00 per blade. So here is how I came to get a new razor the other day. I kept seeing this ad on Facebook. I generally ignore those but this one kept appearing. Then one day I checked it out. Then I checked it out again. I discovered this was not a hoax. I figured out there was a new razor, cream and blades on the market. So I decided to order from "Harry's." Maybe I just like the looks of the razor. I'm not sure. I just decided to try something different. Besides the blades are $2.00 apiece so it sounded like a decent idea. I got my "Harry's" set last week. I've used it for a week. I must say I am happy with it so far. I may stay with it. I may re-order blades one of these days. But here is why I went to the trouble to tell you all this. Yesterday I got an email from "Katie". She said she was on the Harry's team. She was reaching out to say thanks for supporting Harry's. Then came something that really captured my attention. She said, "You are important to us and I am here to personally help you however I can. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any thoughts or questions about our products. Also if you ever want more blades or shaving cream I'd be more than happy to take care of that for you." Katie then provided her contact information and another thanks. A razor company wants a personal relationship with me just for trying their product! Now here is why I really went to all the trouble to write all this and if you have taken the trouble to read this far now you get the point. Each week people who have become aware of our church make the decision to attend worship. It is usually after a number of exposures to the Church. Here is my question. When someone visits the church could we treat them as well and personally as a razor company does a customer? What if we had a group of people who constituted a follow-up team with those who visit our church? We actually have a system in place to reach out. We do some good things. We deliver a coffee mug. We write a note. We make a phone call. But what if we added someone in addition to staff people who would make a contact and thank someone for visiting and then offer to answer any questions or receive any thoughts the guest may have had? What if someone became the first time visitors support team? I will be sharing this idea with others in the next few days. Don't be surprised if one day in church you get invited to be on the support team for our first time guests. If people can sell razor blades like this we can certainly offer the life of faith in Christ. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Last week Cindy and I spent time in Colorado. I was taking part in a church meeting until Friday noon and then we met our daughter and her husband along with his parents in Georgetown, Colorado. It was a great place to spend a couple of days. It is a fascinating old mining town about an hour west of Denver. I could go into all there is to do but many of you know much more about that than I. But I did realize a couple of things while we were there. I am not sure if it was the altitude or if I was just worn out but by Saturday evening about all I could do was sleep. On Sunday while others headed off to another mountain I hung out around Georgetown. The first thing I realized was churches need to do a great job of letting people know what time they meet. I had seen a Catholic church, an Episcopal church and a Presbyterian church the day before. I was thinking about walking into town and being a Presbyterian but when I finally located their website there were no service times listed. They missed me and I missed them so I walked along a creek and enjoyed my time with God that way. The second thought occurred to me. The plans for that day were pretty specific. They planned to leave by such and such a time; drive to Keystone; take the ski lift up the mountain; hike; eat; ride back down and return to G-Town. It dawned on me that on weekends, especially Sunday's, my schedule is pre-planned. But then it hit me that many people plan their Sunday's and take into consideration many options. There are plans for sports activities, plans for family dinners, trips or other events. There are plans to go places. There are plans to meet people. Sometimes there are plans to go to church. That would be pretty specific. Get up; eat breakfast; take the kids to Sunday School and go to church. So here are my take away's on this. Understand that people come to church very intentionally. When people come give them our best. We plan to provide the most meaningful, relevant and compelling experience possible. Second let's do what we can to help people make going to church their default plan. I believe we were wired for worship. We do all we can to help people live into their growing relationship with the Lord. I loved being in worship this weekend. It was absolutely great to be with you today. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

We have been looking at Jesus' parables in Luke 15. We saw how Jesus teaches us that if there are 99 sheep safe in the fold and one goes missing that the shepherd goes in search of the lost until he finds it. Jesus also tells about a woman with 10 silver coins who finds one missing and then shines a light and sweeps the house until the lost coin is found. The point is God searches for that which is lost. When we talk about the "lost" we are talking about those who are lost from God's intended purpose and place in the heart of God. We refer to those who find themselves separated - by varying degrees - from the love of God. Jesus would make statements like "the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost." Certainly Jesus would not use derogatory terms to refer to anyone but he will do everything to find those who are missing from God's intended purpose and grace. The Church can do no less. Today I referenced John Wesley's words to his preachers...We have nothing to do but save souls. We search for those who are lost to God's purposes. We are charged with the cure of souls. The church is a place where hope rises. The church is a place where wholeness is experienced. The church rejoices when the lost are discovered and saved. We can spend some time thinking of ways to shine the light of truth and grace into a dark world. We can think of ways to sweep and stir up the dust until the lost coins are found. It truly is good news to know we have a God who loves us, searches for us and will not stop until He finds us. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections from Sunday Evening

I made it to Nashville, Tn. a few minutes ago. The flight was delayed (glad not to know why) for over 2 and one-half hours. But here I am. I will be attended a Directors meeting with the General Board of Higher Education for those working with the Course of Study program. Hoping to glean some new insights and gain clearer understanding of the process. On another note... Today was one of those very nice summer days. We have many people travelling and we woke to steady rain throughout the morning. Still we had a significant number of people join for worship. We worshipped. (It was really uplifting today!) We baptized. We received members. We had first time visitors. It was a great day. On another note... Cindy and her sisters hosted a wedding shower for our future daughter-in-law, Leslie Jones. From all reports they had a super time. Wedding day draws closer. On another note... There is a freshness of Spirit in church. I sense it when we meet, when we worship, when we have fellowship with one another. I sense the Spirit stirring when I look upon the congregation. You represent so much. Certainly there are many needs present when we gather - it is an amazing thing for a pastor to look out upon the congregation and see the faithful witness of so many who are also going through a number of struggles. But God is faithful. It is amazing to look upon the congregation and see so many gifted individuals. It is amazing to look upon the congregation and see so many people involved in mission and ministry. It is amazing to look upon the congregation and see so many Christ followers! You make my life amazing! It's been a good day. I trust you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections from Sunday Evening

It seems like the world is boiling over. A 24 hour cease fire between Israel and Hamas may or may not be honored. CNN reported that 52 Christian families left the city of Mosul with only the clothes on their backs. The ultimatum from ISIS was "convert to Islam, pay a fine or face death." Christians and Muslims fight in Africa. Churches are burned. Retaliation follows. There is strife in Egypt. We know of the battles in Syria. People - innocent people - suffer. Tension builds. It would be easy to lose heart. However we dare not give in to the strife and pain all around. We are called to pray. How might we stand in solidarity with Christian brothers and sisters around the world? How will we care for and support God's people in distress? Perhaps we might begin by giving thanks for the peace we enjoy. With great blessings such as we experience come great requirements. Jesus would indicate to us that "to whom much is given much is required." How could this apply to anyone if not us? So we live in peace while brothers and sisters lose possessions, freedom and perhaps even life itself. But we must not lose heart. Listen afresh to the words of Luke 21:28. "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." The Living Translation says it this way. "So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near." The point is we who have the Spirit of the Lord never lose hope. How will we share the hope of Christ with those who suffer? We may not go around the world and save refugees, but there will arise some way to assist them. We may walk across the street and show mercy to one in need. We may offer hope to the struggling. I am sure God will provide opportunity to us as we seek His heart and reach out to those in need. On a different note...We completed our "God on Broadway" series today. I cannot thank our music team, led by Walter Bryant, nearly enough! Each week the music touched our hearts. This is so exciting since a changed heart is a great step toward a changed life! It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Today Alan, Elisha, Reese and Jake Herndon were with us the Sunday before they move to Kansas. Alan and Elisha are not only great members of PWUMC but also one of those families that have become true friends. Alan and I have served together on our conference Board of Ordained Ministry and made many trips back and forth to Columbia, Mo. for meetings. We have had opportunities to share in a number of events and ministries in the Church. I have known Alisha since she was about 3 years old. On our first Sunday at Platte Woods she came up to Cindy and me and asked if we recognized her. When she told me who she was it was a joy. Her mom and dad were serving the Christian Church in Waverly, Mo. when we moved there in 1978. Great friends. Anyway, the Herndon family means a lot to me. Alan has accepted the position of President of the Kansas United Methodist Foundation. It is a great opportunity and he will serve well. Reese pointed out that her dad is the "President" and her mom is the "first lady." Absolutely. It seems to be the nature of life these days. People move around and have a series of new experiences in life. There was another person who came to church today asking me if I knew who she was. She looked familiar but I was at a loss. When she told me, Carolyn Morgan, I could hardly believe it. It was a surprise. Carolyn and her family used to live in Blue Springs and were some of the earliest members of the church we started there. As a matter of fact Carolyn was the first adult baptism in that church. What a great memory. She was visiting in the area today and came to church. Life is filled with great relationships, new and old. It puts things is a different perspective when one of us takes a new step in life. We get reminded that our relationships are not dictated by proximity but rather spirit. Each week I witness new relationships being formed. There are people who come to church for the first time. There are others who have become consistent. There are many who have been here for years. Together we make a pretty amazing place where grace prevails and love is the foundation of our relationships. It's been a really good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

The Christian life is like a stream continually flowing. That is certainly the image we may claim for our personal Christian life. The stream of the Holy Spirit is an everflowing stream of grace, power and love. The Spirit flows with a gentle ripple or sometimes as a fast current. Sometimes the Spirit seems very peaceful and gentle. There are other times the Spirit moves like a white water rapid. The Spirit ebbs and flows continually. We see the Spirit move in and through the Church. The constant factor is that the Spirit never stands still. There is always something new, creative and redemptive moving. We witness this in our church. Last week we had Vacation Bible School. Over 400 children participated along with approximately 150 adult leaders and helpers. The Spirit was moving in the lives of children. Today we bridged children and adults with worship. The Holy Spirit was active in lifting Jesus to the forefront. The Spirit moves. This week 50 young people will be attending Church Camp. It is difficult to explain how the Spirit moves in the hearts and lives of children and youth in a camp setting. We fully anticipate more Spirit stirring this week. In addition to that on Thursday a group from our church will be heading to Honduras for a week. Once again the Spirit is moving. I pray the Spirit move in your life today. That is what we experience. This is what we expect. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve