Rev Dewey's World

Using a Prayer Notebook

2012-01-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

Are you ready to learn the most important secret to my personal spiritual life?

I have a deep sense- I believe that it comes from God- that our congregation is to focus on spiritual growth for 2012. This does not mean that we will neglect worship, or mission, or the administrative parts of the church. It just means that I am going to spend the rest of this year encouraging you to grow spiritually. In reality that's the most important part of my job anyway. I am supposed to convince pre-Christians to accept Jesus and join the faith, and to get those who are already committed to the way of Christ to grow in it.

There are a lot of ways that we can do this. One of the easiest is to join in our congregational resolution of reading the New Testament this year. By reading God's word it will become clearer how we are to live, behave, think and believe. But Scripture reading focuses on the intellectual part of spiritual growth. There is more to it. We also need to be praying.

So, here is the big moment. This is the secret to my spiritual life and growth. (I hope you are sitting down as you read this.) I pray in a spiral notebook. Revolutionary, huh?

Most days I write my prayers to God on one page in a regular spiral bound notebook. I know this is anti-climactic, but it makes a huge difference in my life, and I think it could in yours as well.

Writing my prayers forces me to slow down. I write more slowly than I talk, so when I am writing my prayers I often hear God speaking to me about an answer, a solution, or even something else altogether.
Writing my prayers forces me to be a little bit organized. I cannot just sit down with my notebook and make words magically appear on the page. I am more intentional about my prayers.
I limit myself to one page of prayer. I never want praying to seem a burden or an overwhelming obligation. I write one page each day (which gives me 15-20 minutes with God) and then I close my notebook.
I use a variety of types of prayer in my notebook. On Monday I might use a prayer list and pray for needs of friends and family members. On Tuesday maybe I will write a love letter to God. Wednesdays might be used for writing Scriptures that I have memorized.
I do not limit my prayers to my notebook. I pray way more than my 20 minutes of notebook time. I pray for needs that arise throughout the day. I pray for meals and for other things. When I close my notebook I am not done praying.

Give notebook praying a try. It is pretty inexpensive and can change your life.

Favorite Books: 2011

2012-01-16T10:28:00.003-05:00

I used to make a list of my ten favorite books of the year. For the past few years, because of various things happening in my life, there has not been as much time for reading. Therefore, I could not find ten "best" or "favorite" books. I read a lot more than 10 books in these years (including 2011) but too many were unmemorable, or merely filler books.

So this year I am again offering my favorite books. These are not the best books of the year, but the ones that I enjoyed the most. That means that they made me think or feel in a new or exciting way. Most of these books were not written or released this year, but I read them for the very first time. Let me know what you think of my list. What would you add? What would you take off?

"The Simple Faith of Mr Rogers" by Amy Hollingsworth
"The Confession" by John Grisham
"The Woman Who Wouldn't" by Gene Wilder
"An Object of Beauty" by Steve Martin
"Love Wins" by Rob Bell
"Howl" by Allen Ginsberg
"Sold" by Patricia McCormick
"CS Lewis, My Godfather" by Laurence Harwood

One more thing:

I was given a Kindle for my birthday in March. I will write soon about what I see as the shortcomings to electronic reading, but for now suffice it to say that I love reading digitally. In fact, two of the books on my list of favorites were on my ereader. My reading habits are changing, and I don't foresee them ever changing back.

Favorite Movies: 2011

2012-01-12T11:48:00.002-05:00

It is time for round two of my end of the year (beginning of the year?) recap of pop culture. In 2011 I watched a lot of movies. Some were great, several were alright, and there were some that were so bad that I will deny having seen them. What follows is my list of my favorites.

These are movies that:

I saw for the first time in 2011.
Entertained me more than any other movies I saw last year.
Were not necessarily made or released in 2011.
Are not necessarily the best movies of 2011.
Are listed in no particular order.

So, here is my list of the top 10.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Cyrus
The Wrestler
True Grit
Secretariat
The Rat Pack
Bottle Rocket
Get Low
Black Swan
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Favorite Music 2011

2012-01-10T10:09:00.002-05:00

It is time once again for my year end (or beginning) analysis of the pop culture trends that caught my attention. As usual, my lists are completely subjective. I am including on this list the albums that I enjoyed most in 2011. That means that several of these- most, in fact- were not recorded or released last year. However, I heard them for the first time in 2011. (There is one album that I heard several years ago, but this year's listening was like a revelation, a completely new thing.

Another thing, I do not have any notion that these are the best albums of the year. These are merely the ones that I enjoyed the most. They made me think, or they made me happy, sad or angry. In any case, I will be listening to all of these for many years to come. Finally, I put these in no particular order.

Joan Baez- Noel
77 Sunset Strip- Soundtrack
Smith- Minus-Plus
Jim and Jesse- Berry Pickin' in the Country
Bruce Springsteen- 18 Tracks
Roots of Rock: 1945-1956 - Various Artists
The Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble- The Wild Field
Huey Lewis and the News- Soulsville
Mumford and Sons- Sigh No More
Etta James- Matriarch of the Blues

Resolutions 2012

2012-01-04T17:21:00.002-05:00

It is that time of year that I look toward goals for the coming year. Each year I try to improve my life- like many others, I am sure. Often the results are mixed at best. Recently, I have been posting my resolutions here in the hope that it will increase my accountability, and therefore, cause the likelihood of my success to improve. It has not worked over the past few years, but I am ever hopeful.

* In 2012 I will continue my 'writing the Bible' project by copying Hebrews, Habakkuk and Obadiah.

* I will read the King James Version of the Bible.

* I will attend more concerts (of all types).

* I will read more consistently than I have recently.

* I will continue to study prayer and to pray more consistently.

A New New Year's Resolution

2011-12-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. Like it or not the pressure is building to change your life, make a difference, do something new, right, better. You may have already decided what you want to do for this coming year. Hopefully you are not trying to accomplish the same thing that you failed to do last year. I resolved to lose weight for several years in a row before I finally gave up.

I have a suggestion for your resolution this year. It is something new for most of us. It will not take much time or sacrifice but it will dramatically change your life. It is simple and almost anyone can do it. In fact, if you are reading this, you are qualified to take part in a congregational resolution. I want for all of us to read the New Testament this year. There is a schedule in this newsletter to help guide you.

If you are conscientious to follow this program each day, by the end of the year you will have finished all 27 books of the New Testament. There are 260 chapters in the New Testament. That means that you will have to read less than one chapter each day. There are 7,956 verses and 138,020. Don't even ask me how many that would be each day. This seems like a very manageable challenge.

But I can already hear those who are hesitant. The resisters will argue, “I just don't have time to read the Bible.” I fully appreciate how busy people are these days. I am busier than I have ever been. But with around five minutes a day, reading the New Testament doesn't seem impossible to me. So let me give you some suggestions for getting your reading in.

Mute the television when the commercials come on and read your Bible then.
Do your daily ready while you are waiting in line at the BMV, the doctor's office or the WalMart checkout lane.
Set your alarm and get up five minutes earlier each day.
Give up reading People Magazine and devote that time to the Bible.
Do your reading while you are waiting for the movie, concert or ball game to start.
Do the daily reading as a family before anyone gets up from the supper table.
Take your Bible with you to work and read it on your lunch break.
Do your daily reading while in the restroom.
Read your Bible while waiting to pick your kids up at school.

You get the idea, right? In fact, I bet that you could come up with some suggestions of your own to accomplish this resolution. I am hoping that everyone will be reading the Bible in the New Year. I will be.

The Work of the Devil (with my tongue in my cheek)

2011-12-15T16:15:00.002-05:00

There are some things that have been invented by men, but are clearly the work of the devil. There are other things that may actually be good, but the applications with which they are used have made them prone to the work of the devil. When you read the preliminary list that I have compiled, I am sure that you will agree that these items do qualify as being unequivocally the work of the devil.

Heelies
Skateboards
4 Wheeler ATVs
Pinatas
Liver and onions

Is there anything that I am missing?

What I Believe About... the Church

2011-12-13T14:29:00.003-05:00

The Christian Church is an interesting institution. Yes, I believe it is an institution whether others think it is a movement, an organism or a tropical plant. Historically there have been times when the church has stood as the best thing in the world. At other times she has perpetrated more damage, violence and evil than even Satan himself. Overall, I believe that there is little doubt that the world is better today because of the presence of the church.

What follows is my interpretation of the current state of the church. There are a lot of warts, but here it is, as I see it.

The church has more potential for good than any other entity in the world today. With current efforts to eradicate human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and to provide clean, safe water the church is doing more than almost anyone else. And that does not include hospitals and other health care facilities, homes for orphans, abused children and seniors and educational institutions in general. The church has done great good, and continues to do so.
The church provides social interaction for millions of people around the world. The church is the place that many people (including me) met their mates or lifelong friends.
The church is the custodian of the most important message in history. With all its faults (and there are many, but more of that later) there is no greater message than one of grace, acceptance and forgiveness for all people without regard for race, education, social status or financial resources.
The church sometimes thinks it is more important than the message it teaches. Unfortunately, leaders in the church are sinful, fallen people. They sometimes become greedy for money, fame and power. It is easy for them (and often us, as well) to become consumed with maintaining power and gaining more of it. When this happens the church tends to push away the very people we are called to serve.
There is too much conflict in the church. People with different political opinions or theological persuasions can be downright mean to one another. Everyone knows someone who has had their feelings too hurt by some Christian person.
Elements of the church are definitely too judgmental of others. The Christian faith needs to be upheld by standards of belief, behavior and practice, but we should never use our 'church' as a club to beat others. It is common these days to hear people express their admiration for Jesus and Christianity but to be completely turned off by the church.
Denominational differences can be used by God- they need not be a source of division and animosity. It is my belief that there are some people who will only be Christian if they can be Baptist, or Catholic, or Methodist, or Pentecostal... God uses these differences for his glory.

I believe the church has a great future. We only need to be honest about who we are, what we have done, and where we are headed.

Limited Government vs. the Bible

2011-12-12T10:11:00.002-05:00

Here is a problem that I have: People who believe the Bible and want to severely limit government. To a certain extent I understand this. After all, governments, at least in the USA, seem to limit the reach of the church, or other faith-oriented organizations. Free exercise of religion may be tolerated, but often its advancement is impeded. This happens as the state tries to restrict the ability of public school teachers to express their faith, or even their opinions on issues of ethical or moral significance. In another instance, municipalities are prevented from displaying any form of faith expression, even as it represents the culture of the community, around holidays.

In these cases, and others like them, I agree fully that government, federal or local, should be prevented from limited any expressions of faith. We should always remember that a fundamental principle of American independence is freedom of religion, not necessarily freedom from religion. However, we must take care to not place restrictions or limits on government that will cause us to compromise our Christian, biblical principles.

Here is what I am driving at. People are bad. Christian theology is based on the biblical ideal that humans are fundamentally flawed. We all inherit sin from our ancestors, beginning with Adam. We call this original sin. The New Testament puts a specific spin on this concept. Romans 3.10 say that there is no one who is righteous. Romans 3.23 affirms that "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

And that is exactly the problem with limiting government. The Bible teaches that if we are left to our own devices we will sin. Eventually, our sin will cause harm to others. That means that your sin will eventually cause the loss of my property, health or life. We need government, therefore, for protection. Government is necessary because we are basically evil.

If our government limits itself too much, we will all suffer because of it. Anarchy will be the natural result of this. We must be wise in our calls for limited government.

The People you See...

2011-12-08T10:41:00.003-05:00

When I spend time at a fast food place, I run into a lot of different people. Some of them are truly unique, but there are also some general categories that others fall into. Let me know if you have seen any of these people at your local McDonald's.

It seems that as often as not, usually in the evenings, there is a group of loud and disrespectful teens. They are usually accompanied by loud swearing, obnoxious talk and inappropriate actions. They are in every town and almost every day.
On most mornings you will find a group of retirees. This group is almost as noisy as the disrespectful teens, but much more polite. These men and women will be a cup of coffee at 8am and then leave several hours later. I have named them members of the "Golden Arches Social Club."
There are also lonely and elderly people. These are people who live alone and for whatever reason don't participate in the retiree group. They are in a favorite restaurant almost every day, eating alone and smiling at strangers.
At lunch time you can spot salesmen and other travelers. They make a pit stop with a day planner, a newspaper and a cell phone. They keep to themselves, but waste no time.
On weekends it is not unusual to run into dads with their children for their weekend visits. You can find these most often at fast food establishments with playgrounds.

Advent Conspiracy

2011-11-28T13:23:00.000-05:00

I am trying to do something different for Christmas this year. Oh, I will celebrate Christmas, certainly. I will sing carols and attend programs. I will buy gifts and decorate the house. I will go to parties and eat too much. I am going to celebrate in some of the traditional ways that I have always celebrated. But this year I am going to celebrate a little differently as well.

I think that a part of my problem is that all of those “traditions” of Christmas, at least the ones I mentioned, do not necessarily have anything to do with the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. And the birth of Jesus seems pretty important to me (duh!). So I want to focus on the things that will remind me of Jesus, God's son. I want to remember that God came into the world as human baby. He became the perfect gift, the ultimate sacrifice for you and me.

Now, I don't want you to misunderstand. I love Santa Claus, reindeer, the Grinch, Rudolph and my two front teeth. All of those parts of the holiday are great and I enjoy them as much as the next guy. But they don't help me worship. They don't lead me to Jesus. They don't alleviate any of my problems or take away any burdens. Only Jesus can do that.

On Sundays during Advent I will be focusing on what is being called the Advent Conspiracy. Each Sunday we will talk about a different element of what we might consider re-claiming the work of God in the Christmas holiday.

Give More. We are all tempted to give at Christmas time. But we should take care in our giving. We should give to people, but we should give gifts that are meaningful to us and to the recipient. We might think about the time it takes to give, or the sacrifice involved. Our gifts should maybe be more thoughtful.
Spend Less. Somewhere along the line we began to equate quality with money. I am an advocate of the idea that we can give great gifts, throw good parties and have the best Christmas ever without making a reservation for the poor farm.
Worship Fully. It is easy to relegate worship to a secondary priority on our list of holiday obligations. And even when we do worship, we are so busy and distracted by other obligations that we don't give our best to the Lord. The truth ought to be that we give him our best, our most, our all, especially in worship.
Love All. Often we think of our family and our community first. I think that's how it should be, but we also must be careful to not forget, nor neglect others, close to home and around the world. We should be giving and loving everyone- even those that we might think are unlovable.

Join me for an Advent Conspiracy. Let's celebrate Christmas as much as we can. And as hard as we can. And as thoroughly as we can. But this year let's also remember to celebrate Advent.

NaNoWriMo

2011-11-19T19:31:00.002-05:00

I am currently working on a project called National Novel Writing Month. There is a website: http://www.nanowrimo.org . The object is to take the 30 days of November and write a novel of 50,000 words or more. So I am doing it.

I am currently behind the schedule, but I am still planning to make it to the end. With all that being said, there isn't a lot of time to put entries up here. They will be coming soon. Look for more in December.

Movies I want to see before the end of the Year

2011-11-04T15:56:00.004-04:00

The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Winter's Bone
Super 8
Crazy, Stupid, Love
30 Minutes or Less
Beginners
Tree of Life
Everything Must Go
Limitless
Win Win
Jack Goes Boating
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Source Code
Courageous
The Book of Eli
Tower Heist
The Big Year
Not Forgotten

Church Goals- Fall Winter

2011-10-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

Evaluate and enhance the adult Sunday School program.
1. Should we focus on fellowship or learning?
2. Should our classes be lecture or discussion based?
3. Should we encourage student participation, or allow for anonymity?

Personal Discipleship should be emphasized and planned.
1. Bible Reading Program for 2012
2. Prayer Emphasis
  1. Lenten Prayer Experiment
  2. Prayer Groups

Hire (initially on a temporary-basis) a children's director/ youth intern.
1. The position would start January 15, 2012.
2. Children's Director would work with Children's Council, Kid's Club, etc.

Provide Practical resources for community members.
1. Financial planning and budgeting classes/ seminars
2. Life planning and life coaching.
3. Job skills assistance (including, job search, resume writing, etc.)
4. Parenting skills assistance

Establish a Sermon work group. This group would assist the SPRC and pastor by,
1. Assisting with research for sermon topics and series.
2. Assisting in planning upcoming sermons and series.
3. Discussing and offering feedback for sermons.

Plan a Confirmation Class with confirmation on Palm Sunday, 2012.

Plan a new members class for early 2012.

Establish a pastoral visitation plan.
1. Offer parishioners an opportunity to invite the pastor to their homes.
2. Sign-ups will begin in November 2011.
3. Day and night time visits will be available.

Re-visit the Church Mission Statement.

Continue to renew the emphasis on youth ministry.

Continue to work with the Finance Committee to address and solve the financial shortfalls that are currently causing us difficulty.

Mid-Life Crisis, part III

2011-10-24T19:26:00.000-04:00

I have recently been writing about the 'mid-life crisis' that occurred near my 40^th birthday. Mine was not the normal 'rage against aging' that you hear so much about. I didn't dye my hair, buy a sports car or even run around on my wife. I felt a very distinct call from God to invest the rest of my life in valuable, kingdom-building, life-affirming activities. I believe that I have been called to spend the rest of my life changing the world.

Although I love both of those things, the thing that excites me the most is the third calling that God gave to me seven years ago. God called me to 'raise up leadership in and for the church, particularly among young people.' There are a lot of implications to that little saying.

Raising up leadership means that;

We remind people of the importance of leadership and encourage people to answer the call of God in that way.
We must not only identify leaders, but we must also train, equip, deploy and support leaders with our love, prayers and resources.
We must never view ministry, or the church, as a personal kingdom that belongs to us alone. It is God's. He is the master of it. It is God who will call and inspire others to carry on the ministry.
We cannot be offended when someone else hears God's voice in a way different from how we hear it.

A big part of this call is the church. I believe that the instrument that God has chosen to use to reach the world during our time, is the church. There are many para-church and other organizations that serve the purposes of God's Kingdom, but I am called to the church. My longing is for the church to be built up, enlarged and multiplied.

Finally, I am called to raise up young people.

Because of that, I will spend time ministering to children, teens and young adults.
I need to develop relationships with young people in the church and outside of the church.
The key to ministry to (and with) young people is investing time. We live in a world that wants to trade money for time at almost every turn. But there is no substitute for time with our youth.

I am committed to this ministry. You should be too. Together we can change the world by creating an environment that welcomes, values, encourages and trains our young people to do the work of ministry.

The Ultimate Hero

2011-09-26T16:55:00.002-04:00

I have one hero that needs to be included. This hero is the one that has had the greatest, long term, consistent influence on my life, my behavior and my beliefs. My hero is my mother. She is the best, and this is why...

She has shown me unconditional love at every point in my life. She does not get fatigued loving me. She has never "turned off her switch."
She has modeled for me what it means to live a life of integrity. I have never had any reason to believe that my mom's actions were anything less than absolutely pure.
Mom has taught to be to be a "bleeding heart." Because of her I am always interested in the needs, concerns and attitudes of others.
Mom reproduced her deep faith in me. I am a Christian man today because my mother was a Christian woman before I was born. I followed her example and have never been sorry.
She has been the best mother I could ask for. She gave me her attention when I needed and left me alone when I needed that. She gave me just enough rope at every turn. I am sure that she made mistakes, but I am hard-pressed to think of any.
She was a great influence on my father. He was in love with her and willing to change to make her happy. Because of my mom, my dad settled down, became a man of faith, a good husband and a great father.

Anything that I have done in my life, everything that I have accomplished, all of the good in my life is because my mom was good in my life first.

Mid-Life Crisis, part II

2011-09-25T15:20:00.000-04:00

Last month I wrote about my “mid-life crisis” when I turned 40. At that time I asked God to reveal to me what I should be doing with the rest of my life. I am very concerned that I do not waste my time, my energy, or the gifts that God gave to me. I want to be found worthy of God's call on my life and to do his work with all my heart.

To that end, God gave me the mission to do three things with the rest of my life. I wrote about the first of those last month, “Renewing worship in the church.” Today, let's turn to the second part of this renewed call; “Teaching the Bible and instilling a love for God's Word in God's people.”

A big part of what I have devoted my life too is learning God's word. I read the Bible every day. I have made a commitment to read it through at least once each year for the rest of my life. I regularly read books about the Bible. I take classes and listen to sermons on the Bible. I am resolved to base my sermons, lessons and writings on God's Word. It will be the basis from which I orient my priorities in living, teaching and planning for the future.

This is all true partly because,

The Bible is the best place to get information on how to live in God's will. Without a foundation source, we cannot really know what God wants, or how to measure ourselves.
The Bible comes to us as the actual, revealed Word of God. God has spoken to us so that we can know his ways, his works and his will.
The more we know and study the Bible, the more we will want to know and study God's word. Knowing about the Bible causes us to want to know more about the Bible. Reading His word, makes us want to study it more. We will learn that we can never know too much Biblical information. God's word is addictive, in a good way.
The Bible reveals to us how we can grow in our faith. There are too many Christians who struggle just to maintain their faith experience. Many more have no clue how to experience the abundant life that Jesus promises (John 10.10). To grow in your faith, spend time with God studying his Word.

I promise you, that to the best of my ability, I will teach you what God teaches in the Scriptures. I will challenge you to read, study and meditate on the Bible so that you can experience God in new ways. How about joining me on this journey into God's Word?

My (Other) Heroes

2011-09-18T17:11:00.002-04:00

First there was my list of heroes. Those were the ones who are still living who have influenced my life. They have- and usually still are- making a difference for me and for others. But there are other heroes who are no longer with us. These are sometimes historical people, other times they are family members or friends who are deceased. They are all men and women who made me (and are making me) who I am.

Pauline Welsh (Othermom). This is the woman who made it possible for me to be a Christian. She prayed for me. She loved me. She still serves as an inspiration and pattern for my faith and life. Her affection for me knew no limits or conditions. She taught me to love others and to love God in the same way.
Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was our greatest president. (I will have a conversation about this one, but I guarantee that you cannot convince me otherwise.) He stood up to those who opposed him, even to the point of death. He was not afraid to keep trying, even in the face of disappointment and defeat. He cared more for the union of our country than he did for political expediency or popularity. (Today's politicians would do well to learn some of those lessons.
CS Lewis. I am a great fan of Lewis because of his writing, but that is not all. He was a thinker. He evaluated all options before making decisions, but was not afraid to make the right choice, even if it meant reversing an earlier position.
Thomas Jefferson. Washington and Franklin get all of the attention, but it was Jefferson that made America happen. A brilliant thinker, Jefferson was a renaissance man long after the renaissance. Although his attitudes and personal life make him politically incorrect today, we should honor him as a great man in American history.
John Wesley. Not only was Wesley the founder of Methodism, he was a tireless organizer, leader and preacher. His movement continues to be one of the most important Christian groups in the world. Wesley influence goes beyond his churches to protestants around the world.

My (Living) Heroes

2011-09-08T09:27:00.004-04:00

I have been thinking a lot about how to live my life recently. I believe that we should try to learn from others as much as possible. There is no need- usually- to re-invent the wheel. Therefore, I have been thinking of people that I would like to pattern my life after. This post will be followed on future days by my historical heroes and others. What follows then, are some of my living heroes.

Jimmy Carter. Although his presidency was less than what most of us would have desired, since leaving the White House he has become the standard by which all former-presidents will be measured. Almost always without regard to partisan politics he has fought disease and oppression throughout the world. He advocates for peace, for dignity for all and for free and fair elections in all societies. His Carter Center is an international force for good; his work with Habitat for Humanity is well-know; and he is unafraid to speak out about his faith.
Billy Graham. Often referred to as a spiritual adviser to world leaders, including several US Presidents, he is much more than that. Graham has shared the message of Jesus with more people than any other individual- ever. He is consistent, filled with integrity, humble and completely ethical. The world is a better place because of Billy Graham and the example that he has set for religious leaders of all stripes throughout the world.
Jeff Newton. Jeff is a pastor, but more than that. He was serving a comfortable church as a pastor, when he heard the calling to leave that setting to take up ministry in an inner-city setting. He left security, for insecurity. He put the Kingdom of God, and ministry to others above his own comfort, or desires. Jeff continues to serve the least of these as he works to feed, clothe, inspire and educate the poor in his community.
Dewey Miller (not me). My dad has served as an example for me for my whole life. He loves his family and lives for them. He has always been one to come to the aid of his children and grandchildren. There has never been a request too great for him. He has been steadfast in his commitments, loving in his example and filled with integrity in his relationships. I want to be like him.

Some Pet Peeves

2011-09-04T19:28:00.002-04:00

I have held my tongue for long enough. I can't take it anymore. There are some things that are driving me crazy. People (and I am sure that I can be included in this) say things that they do not even think about. It is really starting to get on my nerves.

The other day, as I was leaving a store, the clerk said to me, "Have a good one." I am sure that he meant well, but what did he mean? I got out of the store and wondered aloud, "A good what?" Did he want me to have a good dinner, a good cry, or a good bottle of one?

And what about this one, "You're fine." This is usually a response to "Excuse me," or "I'm sorry." You know, you bump into someone- and I mean that you make actual, inadvertent, physical contact- at the supermarket and so you excuse yourself. The current, popular response is, "You're fine." I just want to know, how do you know if I'm fine or not. I may be sick, worried, anxious, depressed or exhausted. I might not be fine. I just bumped you.

One more, "It's the same difference." What does that mean? If it is the same it is not different. If it is different, it definitely is not the same. This seems to be a perfect example of an oxymoron.

And while I am on the subject of things that people say that also drive me crazy, how about the trite, Christian cliches that are so popular? If you don't know what I am talking about, just remember to never say any of the following:

Let go and let God.
Wise men still seek him.
Jesus is the reason for the season.

Back to Church Sunday

2011-08-30T12:04:00.001-04:00

September 18 may be the greatest Sunday of 2011 for those of us who call Argos United Methodist Church home. Back to Church Sunday is intended to create a non-threatening, low pressure occasion for people to come back to church.

There are many people who have left church. There are some who never were a part of our congregation, or any other. Many of us have loved ones, friends and family members who do not know Jesus. Back to Church Sunday is for all of those people.

On September 18 there are many exciting things happening. We are going to have a great attendance goal for worship. This goal will be announced in worship on September 4. Additionally, Pastor Dewey will begin a series of sermons entitled, “How to…” The first sermon, taken from Genesis 3.1-7, is called, “How to Sin.”

As it happens, Back to Church Sunday falls on the same day as our Sunday School Grand Re-Opening. There will be classes for all children. The Nursery will be staffed and there will be a pre-school class, as well as classes for Kindergarten- 2^nd Grade, and 3^rd-5^th Grades. Pastor Dewey will be leading a special, six week Sunday School class for adults that will study the New Testament. This class is called, “Things You Didn’t Learn in Sunday School.” This class is designed for people who currently do not attend a Sunday School class, but all are welcome.

Mid-Life Crisis, part 1

2011-08-29T11:15:00.001-04:00

When I turned 40 years old (it was several years ago) I had what could be considered a mid-life crisis. I didn’t have an affair, use drugs, start a rock band or buy a sports car. I didn’t get overly ambitious or dangerously slothful. I am pretty unusual, so I prayed. I knew that my life-expectancy ought to be around 80 years. That meant that at 40, I was half way finished with this world. I prayed about what I should be doing with the rest of my life.

I believe that the Lord gave me three answers. There are three things that I am supposed to do with the rest of my life. Everything I do, propose, think about or support should lead toward the accomplishment of one or more of these three things. None of my three things are especially unique or special; they are just the things that God is calling me to do. So, part one of my life’s calling is:

I am to facilitate a renewal in worship in my congregation, and in the United Methodist Church.

Let me explain this briefly. Often we think of worship as a set of practices that we participate in at a prescribed time (Sunday morning) and place (a church building). Although I agree with that definition, it does not go nearly far enough. Worship cannot be contained in our traditional ways of thinking.

We need to view worship as a relationship, rather than an event. Worship is not what happens for an hour on Sunday morning, it is a lifetime of speaking to and listening to God. It is an ongoing conversation throughout the week, and throughout our lifetimes.
We need to think of worship not in terms of style, but substance. There are many people who get worked up about the type of music, style of prayer, etc in the worship service. But God is not limited to our stylistic preferences. He can speak to us in hymns, gospel songs, choral anthems or even hip-hop.
We need to remember that worship is something that happens (or does not happen) based on our attitudes. When we worship we must be prepared to meet God, not thinking about how we are fulfilling some sort of obligation. If our priority is our Sunday afternoon tee time, then worship on Sunday morning will be more difficult.
We need to think of worship as an experience rather than an obligation. We don’t “have to” worship, we “get to” meet with God.

It will take some adjustment, but renewal in worship is possible, and preferable.

(heart)+(peace sign)= (smiley face)

2011-07-05T09:14:00.000-04:00

So I stopped at a gas station awhile back. I pumped my gas and headed into the station to pay my bill. As I was walking through the lot toward the door, I had to wait for one particular car to go past. This car was nothing special, but it was moving fast and paying no attention to any pedestrians. I had to watch out for myself.

As I waited for the car to pass, I noticed that someone- I assume it was the driver- had painted a message on the back window. It was interesting and a little uplifting. With well-known symbols the message was: Love and peace make happiness. WOW! It made my day. I watched the car go by and meditated on the message of peace, love and happiness. What a great Christian message for the day.

After the car passed, I continued toward the building to pay when I realized that I had not paid attention to my pump number. I turned to see if the gas pump was marked, when a girl getting out of that same car looked at me. She shouted at me across the parking lot, "Sir, please stop looking at me."

I was dumbfounded. Her message of love was a ruse. She did not love me. She did not want me to be happy. In fact, she was working not to create peace, but to disrupt it. I was embarrassed, hurt, disappointed and a little bit angry. The uplift that I got initially was shot to heck.

I'm afraid, however, that this is my story all too often. I look like a Christian. I believe like a Christian. But unfortunately, often I am impatient, unloving and judgmental. I want to be all that Christ calls me to be, but I am not. My attitudes and actions are not always consistent with the Christian image that I want to portray.

God help me to be what he wants me to be. God forbid that I be a hypocrite.

To My Friends at Howe and Pretty Prairie

2011-06-26T18:01:00.000-04:00

There is no chance that we can adequately thank you all for your kindness, grace and love to us. For 10 years you have treated us as though we belonged here, and for that amount of time we have belonged here. You have been patient when I made mistakes and you have cared for us when we were ill. You prayed for us regularly and allowed us to grow in faith, even as we were leading you to do the same. This weekend (I am writing this on Sunday afternoon) you have gone completely over the top. You honored us with your presence at our Open House on Saturday, and you blessed us in worship today. We have received gifts, good wishes and heartfelt thanks. We have reminisced with you, remembering good times, silly experiences and the work of God. For all of this we thank you. We will take all of you with us to Argos and we will leave a little of ourselves here.

All Things New

2011-06-25T21:01:00.001-04:00

Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? Isaiah 43.19

There are new things happening all around us. Many people have just graduated from High School or College. There are others that are getting married during these summer months. We are celebrating the birthday of our country, which represents a new year to appreciate our freedom.

But there is one other “new thing” that is definitely going to affect my family more than any of these. In fact, most of you reading this will also be more affected by the fact that you have a new pastor than the other new things. It goes without saying that there are things for us all to learn and adjust to, but here are some of the new things that we can celebrate and anticipate together.

We can all (perhaps, especially me) look forward to learning, stretching and changing in many ways. I am coming to Argos from a two-point charge. That means that for the last ten years I have been the pastor of two churches. Both of those churches are smaller than Argos UMC. Here is where we stretch. I have to learn to be a pastor in a larger church. Likewise, you will have to put up (at least initially) with my “country boy ways.”
We can look forward to some awkward times of change and growth. I am thinking of this as a courtship. We have to get to know each other. I know that there are things that I will want to do differently than you are used to. I need to learn your traditions and stories. We will have to be patient with one another as we learn to get along.
We should anticipate God working in our ministry together. I have learned to expect God to work in wonderful, marvelous and uncomfortable ways. He has asked me to do things that I have never wanted to do. Together we should plan on God pushing us to places that we have not been before and asking us to do things that will change us for eternity.
We should expect God to change lives. I am planning on seeing God at work in Argos United Methodist Church. I know that he wants to be involved in our “new thing” together. I believe that I will grow in my relationship with him, that many people will begin new journeys of faith with Jesus and all of us will be challenged and transformed by his presence.

2 Corinthians 5.17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” I am excited to see who Jesus is going to make new in our church. God will call someone into full-time ministry. Many people will be called to deeper levels of commitment, faithfulness and life in Christ. I can’t wait to see who will become a new creation.

God is infinitely creative. He is always making things new. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.