The Reverend David Wright, a Pacific Northwest Conference elder and chaplain at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State is the organizer of the effort.  Wright said the goal of the group is to prompt discussion between Sessions and his pastor and local conference.  Wright said, “I would look upon his being taken out of the denomination or leaving as a tragedy.  That’s not what I would want from this.”

This followed a resolution approved on June 9 by the Rio Texas Conference requesting the Justice Department “immediately discontinue separating children from their families due to the ‘zero tolerance’ policy.” The resolution described the separations as “child abuse, harassment and discrimination” and called them a violation of international law. The Rio Texas Conference, the resolution noted, has within its borders some of the detention centers used by authorities in carrying out the tough enforcement policy.

“The majority of these families are fleeing violence and seeking asylum in the U.S.”, said Rob Rutland-Brown, top executive for National Justice for Our Neighbors, a United Methodist immigration ministry.  “As a father, I cannot imagine the anguish parents must feel at having their child forcibly taken from them, with no knowledge of where they are being taken and no reunion in sight,” Rutland-Brown said.

The United Methodist Council of Bishops joined with other faith leaders in asking the U.S. government to stop separating immigrant families.  “Tearing children away from parents who have made a dangerous journey to provide a safe and sufficient life for them is unnecessarily cruel and detrimental to the well-being of parents and children,” the statement emphasizes.

United Methodist Women have signed on to the “Women of Faith Cry Out to Keep Families Together” letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen calling for an end to this practice. “We know the harm we are doing to children with this policy, which makes this deliberate separating of children from their parents for the intent of punishing the family particularly vile. This must stop now,” in a statement from United Methodist Women. “We call on the U.S. Justice Department to do right by the immigrant children on our borders — surely among the weakest and most vulnerable among us — and immediately end the policy of separating children from their families.”

The United Methodist Board of Church and Society urges people to speak out by calling their members of Congress, writing an op-ed piece or connecting with local immigrant advocacy and support networks. Members of the community can also reach out to immigrants on the front lines of these traumas, said the Rev. Jeania Ree V. Moore, director of civil and human rights, United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

Former First Lady, Laura Bush, a United Methodist, said the policy…”breaks my heart.”  Other critics of the policy include The Clergy Letter Project, Roman Catholic bishops, the Rev. Franklin Graham and many others.

Most of you know I don’t “do” politics but as your pastor I feel I have an obligation to call this atrocity out for the sin it is. The actions of the shooter are horrific but the sin of our society, as I see it, is our inability to address the problem. I know it’s difficult balancing the safety of a human life against the debate over gun control and the rights of a citizen. But it is a sin that since 1999 no legislation or program has been put into effect to address this issue. All we do is argue and call each other names. And while this shooter didn’t use a “bump stock”, still today they can be purchased to make a semi-automatic rifle act like a fully automatic machinegun. In fact, the stock price of companies making these devices have soared since President Trump indicated he might want to ban them. No compressive mental health program has been introduced. Schools are understaffed and under resourced but there has been no national or state program to increase school funding. Instead of working together to address this American problem we draw lines and divide into factions, driven by fear. We really don’t know what might work because we have not done anything.

Please join me in my prayer for lent that we all might come together: Republicans, Democrats, Independents, victims, parents, students, mental health professionals, gun rights groups and those who want all guns confiscated, all of us, for the safety of our children and the sake of our future.

In the coming weeks, I hope to address some of these questions as we continue a 5-week worship series entitled Leading Generously that started October 22. This series is a continuation of a story we started 4 years ago, and continues the story of the Donovan family as they learn what it means to create the legacy of a Servant Leader. Each week we see a glimpse of their journey as they wrestle with the difference between being a legend and making a legacy. You won’t want to miss a single Sunday!

We all want to know that our lives matter, that we are leaving the world a better place than we found it. My prayer is this series will prompt us to take an inventory of the opportunities we have to give ourselves away and the daily opportunities we have to invest in the eternal. As we do, I hope you will be inspired with a new awareness of the goodness of God and the gift of Christ.

At the end of the series, we will give you the opportunity to share how you have been impacted. What an opportunity for our church family to celebrate God’s generosity! Will you join me in praying that God will prepare our hearts to hear the message of ultimate generosity? I hope you will join us every week.

Never in my lifetime have I felt the Gospel more ignored by Christians then today. We, people who claim to follow Jesus Christ, cut people down without any effort to understand them. We assume others hold our opinions and when they don’t we call them names or worse, disrespect them, their opinions or their values. We have lost the way to listen to others because, I believe, we have lost the way to listen to God. For some reason efforts to open a dialogue are met with resistance as we refuse to hear what someone else has to say. I suspect the political standoff we are presently experiencing in the church is a mirror image of the discourse we are seeing in our country and the world.

We have been called to prayer for our general church conference scheduled for February 23-26, 2019. They hope to have a plan for dealing with how we read and understand scripture as it pertains to human sexuality and exploring options to strengthen the unity of the church. The truth is, we have other, pressing issues we need to address including how we lead our broken world to wholeness in Christ.

I recently attended a meeting of activists for social change. I wanted to hear what they had to say, and they said a lot. They helped me see how, by being complacent, I was also being complicit. For example, while I am not a member of the KKK or any other white supremacy group, but by not acting against them I have allowed their movement to grow. Granted, by myself I have had little impact on society as a whole but because I am among a larger group of white, middle class Americans that has not stood against such groups or the hate they spread, I have allowed their influence to grow. Further, because I have not taken a stand against them, these groups believe I support them and their ideals. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t need to march or join an activist group to stand against the sin or racial supremacy and discrimination, but I do need to speak out, identify and refuse to tolerate hate in all its forms.

Jesus did not come so we could set on the sidelines and do nothing. As Christians lets learn what Jesus said about racial discord, feeding the hungry, healthcare, sharing abundance, dealing with foreigners, fear for the future, respect for women’s rights and let’s stand with Jesus. For some of us it is going to take time to learn these things, because first we must look beyond passages that support what we already want to believe. It may be uncomfortable to learn our opinions are not His.

As you vote I would suggest you look at facts not accusations. Use legitimate news sources not just those opinions slanted by the far left or the far right. Know what and who you are voting for and why. Please don’t tell me how you voted and I’m not going to tell you how I voted. There are no perfect candidates, for everyone has sinned and fallen short. God fearing Christians, active in their faith and their study of God and the Holy Scriptures will vote for all parties, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green and so on. Please don’t let anyone tell you all Christians must vote this way or that.

Once the votes are cast and we know who the winners are, we as Christians have a God given obligation to support the elected, including and maybe especially those who were not our choice. Our nation has been divided down the middle for too long with half on one side and half on the other. If we really want to make America better we need to respect people with opinions different than our own.

John Wesley, a great theologian and the founder of the Methodist movement, wrote in his journal on October 6, 1774 some great election advice. He said:

1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy:
2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against: And,
3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

Romans 13:1-2   “Every person should place themselves under the authority of the government. There isn’t any authority unless it comes from God, and the authorities that are there have been put in place by God. So anyone who opposes the authority is standing against what God has established. People who take this kind of stand will get punished.”

 The Bible says a lot about governments and the people they place into power. It is God who established government. When Moses was sent to rescue the Israelites a governing group was established to settle disputes among the people. Deuteronomy 16:18 says we should appoint leaders to provide guidance and resolve the differences between us. 1^st Timothy 2:1-2 says as Christians we should pray for our elected officials that they would live a quiet, godly and dignified life. And Titus 3:1 says we should submit to their leadership. The Bible also says God will deal with unjust leaders and unfair nations. And Mark 3:24 says, “no divided kingdom shall stand.” If we don’t take the lead in healing our national wounds it may very well collapse. As an American citizen I want my country to be great, strong and represent democracy for all people not just the select few in power or the small vocal group struggling to be heard.

God is not an American but we are. I pledge my allegiance to God first, and it is God whom I trust. Please remember, all human governments will eventually fail but God’s reign is everlasting. God is just as powerful today as ever before. And the Bible says this about when this earth is finished, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. … From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11, 15-16)

So in conclusion, please be educated, go vote, pray and trust God. God’s got this. And remember these words from the great prophet Isaiah:

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.

(Isaiah 9:6-7)

First, I think, we need to stop and take a breath. Breathe in God’s presence, God’s hope, God’s love. Look around at all God has made; the clouds, the oceans, the mountains and the plains. During this summer of turmoil there has also been good. The world is no less fallen then it was last year. Jesus is as powerful as  he has ever been. I believe we need to trust in God and view the world through God’s eves.

Some wonderful things have happened in the last year. Babies have been born, couples have gotten married, new life is all around us.  About 3.3 million students graduated from high school in the United States this past spring and the dropout rate nationwide is dropping.* Among all the bad news there are good things happening.

If we can look past the violent demonstrations there are some significant issues that need to be addressed. The kinds of things Jesus talked about when he went to serve the least and the powerless people of his time. There will always be a few violent people looking for opportunities to hurt other people. We should not let their actions drown out everything else.

Black Lives Matter. Those three words have sure brought a firestorm in America. The people leading this movement have said and done some things I cannot support but they have brought about significant conversations. Statistically the black community represents 13% of the US population but 40% of our incarcerated population.** Blacks serve longer sentences for same/similar crimes. There are probably many reasons including poverty, lack of education and lack of resources to obtain competent legal representation. The same report indicates 70% of the hate crimes in America are against the black population. Maybe it is time to admit the racial injustice that has always been a part of our American society and take a stand against it.

Blue Lives Matter. Police officers have a very difficult job and work under immense pressure. They break up domestic disturbances only to be attacked from behind by the original victim that had called for help. They are cursed at by the driver too drunk to remember their own name. They are blamed for not preventing the break in because they were on another call. We expect every crime to be solved in a hour like they do it on television. They need to wear a bulletproof vest because you never know when it will be necessary. Recently they are being shot at just because they showed up for work today. I suspect most police officers are continually under posttraumatic stress. Yes some officers abuse their authority and some departments have become corrupt but we need to work with our local police to make our community the best it can be. It is time to support our police officers and at the same time hold them accountable.

Gay Lives Matter. The shooting in Orlando, Florida has once again demonstrated the violence of bigotry. Crimes against the LGBT community are nothing new. The number of these attacks has increased as the LGBT community has become more vocal and visible. Attackers may be homophobic or transphobic or they may just be mentally deranged and enjoy violence. They often claim cultural, political, religious or other reasons for their action. Recent gains for their civil rights have caused strife in the straight community and the church. I don’t have the answers and move away from anyone who claims they do. I am not sure how the church will get past this but I trust the Holy Spirit will provide a path that can lead everyone to God.

I could easily go on with Senior Lives Matter and Veteran Lives Matter and Teacher Lives Matter and on and on but the truth is ALL LIVES MATTER. We live in a world filled with broken people. Anger, self-righteousness, greed, fear, self-centeredness, hate, those are the symptoms of the brokenness I am talking about. The Bible calls that brokenness; sin. There is only one remedy for sin and that is God’s gift of atonement. We don’t have to remain addicted to sin, we can be liberated from death and receive life. In the face of sin, God calls upon followers to take action. Noah, Joseph, Moses, Peter, John, Paul, Timothy all took bold stances for God to stand against sin and God is calling us. God is calling us to say, LOVE MATTERS!

Wherever we go in God’s name The Spirit of the Lord will be with us.

Go in peace. Pastor Dave
*National Center of Educational Statistics
**FBI Crime Report 2015

Terrorism, shootings, demonstrations, racial unrest, fear. What is happening to our world?

This summer has certainly been eventful. The massacre in Orlando, Florida, the Black Lives Matter movement and the shootings of Police Officers in Dallas, Baton Rouge and Ballwin, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas worry all of us. Terrorist attacks in France, Libya, Iraq and India and others have become commonplace on the nightly news. Changes in the United Methodist Church have some of us wondering about the future of the church we love so dearly. First the Republicans and then the Democrats meet in their national convention claiming they have all of the answers. What are we to do?

First, I think, we need to stop and take a breath. Breathe in God’s presence, God’s hope, God’s love. Look around at all God has made; the clouds, the oceans, the mountains and the plains. During this summer of turmoil there has also been good. The world is no less fallen then it was last year. Jesus is no less powerful then he has ever been. I believe we need to trust in God and view the world through God’s eves.

Marvelous things have happened in the last year. Babies have been born, couples have gotten married, new life is all around us. The Cleveland Clinic announces several new break-threws in medicine that include a bionic eye and a new drug for hepatitis C that has delivered a 95% cure rate. About 3.3 million students graduated from high school in the United States this past spring and the dropout rate nationwide is dropping.* Among all the bad news there are good things happening.

If we can look past the violent demonstrations there are some significant issues that need to be addressed. The kinds of things Jesus talked about when he went to serve the least and the powerless people of his time. There will always be that violent few that are looking for opportunities to hurt other people. We should not let their actions drown out the voices of pain and hurt that need to be heard. Christians have been called to lead the way – Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers.”

Black Lives Matter. Those three words have sure brought a firestorm in America. The people leading this movement have said and done some things I cannot support but they have brought about significant conversations. Statistically the black community represents 13% of the US population but 40% of our incarcerated population.** Blacks serve longer sentences for same/similar crimes. There are probably many reasons including poverty, lack of education and lack of resources to obtain competent legal representation. The same report indicates 70% of the hate crimes in America are against the black population. Maybe it is time to admit the racial injustice that has always been a part of our American society and take a stand against it.

Blue Lives Matter. Police officers have a very difficult job and work under immense pressure. They break up domestic disturbances only to be attacked from behind by the original victim that had called for help. They are cursed at by the driver too drunk to remember their own name. They are blamed for not preventing the break in because they were on another call. We expect every crime to be solved in a hour like they do it on television. They need to wear a bulletproof vest because you never know when it will be necessary. Recently they are being shot at just because they showed up for work today. I suspect most police officers are continually under posttraumatic stress. Yes some officers abuse their authority and some departments have become corrupt but we need to work with our local police to make our community the best it can be. It is time to support our police officers and at the same time hold them accountable.

Gay Lives Matter. The shooting in Orlando, Florida has once again demonstrated the violence of bigotry. Crimes against the LGBT community are nothing new. The number of these attacks has increased as the LGBT community has become more vocal and visible. Attackers may be homophobic or transphobic or they may just be mentally deranged and enjoy violence. They often claim cultural, political, religious or other reasons for their action. Recent gains for their civil rights have caused strife in the straight community and the church. I don’t have the answers and move away from anyone who claims they do. I am not sure how the church will get past this but I trust the Holy Spirit will provide a path that can lead everyone to God.

I could easily go on with Senior Lives Matter and Veteran Lives Matter and Teacher Lives Matter and on and on but the truth is ALL LIVES MATTER. We live in a world filled with broken people. Anger, self-righteousness, greed, fear, self-centeredness, hate, those are the symptoms of the brokenness I am talking about. The Bible calls that brokenness; sin. There is only one remedy for sin and that is God’s gift of atonement. We don’t have to remain addicted to sin, we can be liberated from death and receive life. In the face of sin, God calls upon followers to take action. Noah, Joseph, Moses, Peter, John, Paul, Timothy all took bold stances for God to stand against sin and God is calling us. God is calling to say LOVE MATTERS.

Wherever we go in God’s name The Spirit of the Lord will be with us.

Go in peace. Pastor Dave
*National Center of Educational Statistics
**FBI Crime Report 2015

Several weeks ago I was invited to a Pastor’s Appreciation Banquet sponsored by an organization that has done a lot of good spreading the Gospel throughout the world. It’s a annual banquet that I have been invited to before but this is the first time I said Yes! I reserved 3 spots and brought with me my wife Kristina and a young man who is feeling God tug at his heart. The information said the banquet was being held at church that is at the intersection of two streets in a town a few miles away and in red bold letters it said “THE DRESS CODE WILL BE CASUAL.” The banquet was scheduled from 6:30 – 8:30.

I came from church after a busy day dressed in a polo shirt and nice shorts – casual wear on a hot summer day that had begun with a 6:30 men’s breakfast.  I did not have time to go home and freshen up.  If you know me you expect me to wear shorts on hot summer days.  My wife and our friend had on casual shirts and blue jeans.  Appropriate for a casual event, don’t you think?

When we arrived in the town we were immediately confused.  One street does not intersect with the other – one street changes names and is called the other.  Locals may know this but we didn’t and the map was unclear – so we lost about 5 – 10 minutes finding the church.  When we spotted the church there were no signs indicating where pastors like me that were coming from two counties for a special event should park or enter the building.  We parked the car near what appeared to be a main entrance but it was locked.  There were no signs telling us where to go so we walked around three sides of this large beautiful facility before we found an open door – still no signs, and we lost another 5 minutes or so.  We located the room inside the building where we thought the meeting in our honor was being held.  There were no signs and no greeters to welcome anyone. (We were admittedly a few  minutes late by now– my bad.)  There was another couple standing there at the door that said we were at the right place but none of the five of us wanted to go inside.  We could see several of the people inside and everyone we saw was wearing dress clothes, men were in suits and women in fancy dresses.  They looked so pretty but NOT CASUAL.  The couple standing outside with us was also dressed in causal attire, slacks and sport shirts.  Someone inside was singing and the meeting had already started.  A few of the people inside looked over at us, but no one made any effort to come greet us or invite us in.  One man had a look on his face like we were interrupting this meeting because we were standing at the door.  We didn’t feel comfortable going inside and the other couple looked uncomfortable too.  Our group left and had dinner at a nearby restaurant.

I wonder if anyone visiting our church has ever had a similar experience here at our church.  Have they walked in a few minutes late and found the sanctuary doors shut and no one to welcome them?  Or before worship were our greeters busy discussing things with friends and the guest who walked in wasn’t noticed?  Or could our guest not find the nursery and because they didn’t want to ask anyone they simply left?  While I know we have the “anything goes dress code” down have we done everything we can to make guests feel welcome – wanted – valuable?

We can do better than this.  The hands and feet of Jesus should be welcoming and hopeful.  We need signs, greeters and an atmosphere of hospitality.  We need to truly welcome people we don’t know.  We should really be excited about every person and especially every person we don’t know who comes inside.

Hospitality begins with the invitation, continues in the parking lot and inside the facility.  Do people have a clear accurate invitation?  Do we have proper signage and a place reserved for our guests?  Are our facilities appropriate, equipped, clean and welcoming?  Does every member of our church realize they are greeters, hosts and tour guides?  Do we come to be fed or do we come to feed others and in the process we are nourished with God’s love and grace?

I know the organization that invited us to dinner is slowly shrinking.  And in many places the church is shrinking too.  I recently read somewhere that growing churches are doing things that shrinking churches are unwilling to do.  Today I am asking myself, what am I willing to do to make my church more welcoming?  How about you?

Kristina and I love being a part of this church. You have welcomed us into your homes and into your life. Together we will continue to pray, teach, read, and wonder where God will lead us.  We are getting started with Baby Grace ministries – helping young mothers care for their children. We will take a trip to Nicaragua to meet the people and help sponsor the construction of a village. We will pay the salary of a pastor in a small village in Africa. We will receive food for the local food pantry and give that food to our neighbors. We will welcome our community as they celebrate life and as they cope with the world in which we live.   We will continue to be the church, finding new ways to reach out in love and we will fulfill the great commission Jesus gave us as we connect people to Jesus Christ.

Kyle Idleman in his book Not A Fan says a disciple is a follower. But I think most followers start as a fan so when do we become a disciple? Craig Groeschel says a Christian Atheist lives as if God doesn’t exist, so that’s not being a disciple. Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean describes what she calls “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” and she says it may be the fastest growing religion in America, again not a disciple. Some of my pastor friends say it’s a journey and the definition keeps changing because a disciple who “brags” about being a disciple isn’t. How do I know I am a follower of Jesus Christ? A disciple?

Jesus talked about a fruit tree that would be pruned to produce fruit. He condemned a tree that no longer produced fruit. He talked about vines and branches and fruit. So, I think Jesus is telling us a disciple produces fruit. So can we conclude if you’re not producing fruit you must not be a disciple? When we produce fruit we become a disciple. Jesus also gave us the process to be a disciple when he said Go and Teach others, Baptize new believers into the life of ministry which is Observing what He taught us and live with the Holy Spirit. So I guess a disciple is one who works alongside the Holy Spirit to connect people to Jesus Christ who connect people to Jesus Christ who connect others to Jesus Christ.

How are the people you have connected to Jesus Christ connecting others to Jesus Christ?