What We Say

Earlier this week I was replanting two lima bean plants that Benjamin and Phoenix placed into small pots.  I want them to see the real beans when they come to visit.  As I planted the beans I thought about the garbage we often tell our kids ... especially at graduation time.  I could tell you some of the cliche's we feed our kids but I want to concentrate on one.  "You can be anything you want." 

Where did we get that hogwash?  Not from God ... He says he made us carefully for His purpose.  He says we have a God-ordered purpose that is our perfect place in His plan.  What we actually are is not something we could just 'want' and it happens.  You see ... that bean plant could want anything it desired but God made it a bean plant.  Maybe if we spent some time finding out God's plan for our kids rather than setting them up to meet our expectations things might work out a little better.  Maybe if we concentrated on God's dream instead of some other dream (you can add whatever dream you like ... stardom ... power ... the American dream) our kids would get some real guidance.  We seem to fear what God will do to our kids rather than seek His will and follow Him.  So we try to make our lima bean plants morph into zucchini plants.  And we make our very special kids what we want them to be.  I was never satisfied until I found God's plan.  That is what I will pray for our graduates.  May God lead their way!.

Watercolor Ponies

Wayne Watson wrote a wonderful song a few years back.  It was about the pictures and memories that kids leave on our lives ... hand paintings on the refrigerator ... toys on the stairs ... and for us, the amazing words our kids left in our hearts.  All of the paintings and the words are proudly displayed by the kids as (Wayne Watson says) we try to lead our kids forward to a place in God's kingdom.  The song always brings a tear to my eyes as I remember the good things and the bad things I have taught my kids and the victories and mistakes I have made.  In watching over 100 children at Good News on Wednesday I am reminded of the responsibility and the blessing of those kids.  Several of these children have become close enough to come up to me and give me a hug.  They come close not knowing my struggles ... not caring that our Executive Committee will meet Monday for important church business.  I think that there is no more important church business that these children and our youth.  Maybe that is what Jesus meant when He called us all to Him as little children.

Still Crazy After All These Years

As I write this blog I am reminded of how slow we are to learn God's way and how quickly we forget His word in how we live out our Christian lives.  In Galatians Paul has a confrontation with Peter over this issue.  Peter is all chummy with the Gentile Christians until some of his Jewish buddies arrive on the scene.  Then Peter acts like the words of the old 'skinny legs song' ("Say man, don't walk ahead of that woman like she don't belong to you ... just 'cause hers got them little skinny legs you know that ain't no way to do").  Joe Tex might not have been a New testament writer, but he had seen that "I don't know you" behavior.  So ... what did Paul tell Peter?

Paul got up into Peters face and began to remind him that the point of the Christian faith isn't to get the Gentiles to become good Jews (seems we still have people trying to get folks to follow Jewish laws and traditions today).  Paul told Peter the people had been freed from the law ... released from the bondage of the law ... freed from trying to keep the law to become righteous.  Paul says our righteousness comes from dying to self and being raised with Christ as new creations ... free from our past ... able to live out our faith and our love for God and others.  He says it is not him who lives but Christ who lives in him.  So why go back to failed law and failed/replaced traditions?  The reason is that we are still crazy after all these years.

We are still caught up in our good works = righteousness.  That never worked and it doesn't work now.  We are also living in an age when legalism is viewed by some as being faithful to Christ.  A person told me a guy he knew was a 'real' Christian.  I asked him how he knew.  He began to tell me the legalistic positions taken by the other person and I realized he wasn't describing a Biblical Christian ... he was describing a Pharisee.

As I have blogged many times before, our desire and aspiration is not to become like the Pharisees ... it is to become more like Jesus.  Let's drop the craziness and become Christ-followers!  Pastor Randy

Just So You Know

This is the time of year when I start to hear folks telling me that the United Methodist Church did this or the United Methodist Church 'officially' did that.  I call these items of misinformation.  I think the real term might be 'rumors.'  Here's why.

The UM Church is in the midst of General Conference where groups from all over the world will be presenting petitions about issues that they believe relate to our church.  NOTE !!!! The General Conference is the ONLY body that is able to take an official position for the UM Church.  Not individuals.  Not congregations.  Not preachers.  Not Bishops.  They may offer (or have offered) a legislative request called a petition.  Individuals, conferences and pretty much everyone might offer a petition.  These are considered by legislative committees (which most will have a representative from our conference) and a very small percentage make their way to the floor of General Conference.  We are in the midst of this process and petitions get brought forward by such a range of people that few political, social or theological positions get left out.

When petitions make it to the floor of the General Conference they are voted on by the entire body ... which because of our neighbors from Africa, Australia, South America and our own conference tends to be pretty resistant to major changes, especially those that challenge what would be a pretty traditional Biblical perspective.

So ... when you hear one of these legislative rumors, please realize where we are in the process.  No votes have been taken yet on these social, theological or political positions.  Additionally, be in prayer for all of the delegates that they will be led by God's truth and Spirit.  And if they proceed by God's Word and Spirit and it differs with my tradition, my politics, my desires or my social views, who is right?  As always, Jesus ... God the Father ... the Holy Spirit that reveals and unfolds truth.  So ... I will be ready to change anything that is out of sorts with what God has said.  David said, "search my heart and change me if needed ... on God's standard."  I think if we took this stance, we would all be better off.  So ... don't spread rumors!  We are followers of truth, reality and a very living God.  Pastor Randy

Orange Conference 3

Last post from the Orange Conference.  Sunday will be Youth-led ... so I am devotion this post to praying for them ... for their leadership Sunday and for the fact that they will be fasting during 30-hour famine prior to their presentation on Sunday.  So ... here goes:

Lord ... for our youth ... let them learn to live before they die ... let them be assured that they are fearfully and wonderfully made ... that they were not stamped out like plastic parts ... they are formed by a God that has made them for his special purpose ... and that purpose is good.  For our adults, let us be wise enough to not teach them our prejudice, our apathy, our intolerance, our know-it-all answers that strip away the mystery of a God that is complex ... let us show them the simplicity of a Gospel that is so much more straightforward than the mumbo-jumbo we sometimes teach.  Let us show our relationship to Jesus by loving God and people ... not just talk about it.  They are hungry for the truth of the Spirit and the lived-out story of a Jesus who came into our mess and calls disciples to messy mission.  May we teach them to boldly become people who will make their world better, being the salt and light of the Gospel.  Thank you, Jesus, for listening and for the miracles we call our kids!

Live From Orange 2

WOW, what a day at Orange in Atlanta.  Wish all of you could be here to get the teaching and the practical knowledge from these great teachers. Just want to prepare all of you.  The facts and the truth of our world, how to connect with people and our responsibility to tell the greatest story ever!  These questions compel us to construct our ministries based on the goal of reaching people for Christ ... whether it makes us comfortable or not.

Did learn another interesting "Essential" today as we had communion with 10,000 people from all over the world.  But before I share that, do you realize the amazing people we have working  (as called disciples) in Children's ministry? They are here investing themselves in the kids of Good News.  They put up with lots of mess ... and that is the essential I want to share with you.  Being a disciple of Jesus is messy!  Messy when the kids are sick or dirty.  Messy when our kids express the bad behavior learned from parents.  Messy when they are looked down upon by people who think kids are a nuisance.

You see ... ministry is messy because Jesus is messy.  We will unpack this the first Sunday in May when we look at a messy death, messy church relations and messy relationships that happened because Jesus stepped out of eternity into our mess.  Yet, we expect ministry to children, youth and adults to be organized, structured and easy.  It is not!  It is messy.  Come in May and learn about a God who took upon His back all of your mess.  And thank Him, worship Him, love Him and serve Him!  Pastor Randy

Live from Orange!

This posting is live from the Orange Conference in Atlanta.  Last year Dayna won 6 passes to this Children's Conference for Good News and we will be learning new things about ministry to children today.  Then, on Sunday, all of us will be treated to the ministry of our Youth as they present our 5th Sunday worship service.  Josh will bring the message, the kids will be doing music, praying, and pointing us to the reason for our worship, a true and living God.

The test for many of us this Sunday will be an examination of why we are here.  Why do we worship?  To whom is our worship oriented?  You see ... some of us will say, "That's not my cup of tea.  I will skip this Sunday because the music or the presentation will bring me discomfort.  I will wait till next week when things are back to normal."  If that is your mantra, I will ask you one question.  Are you worshiping your comfort ... your 'normal' service ... what 'tickles your ears' ... or are you worshiping God?  If you cannot celebrate our youth one Sunday per year ... rejoice that they are learning, that they desire to bring worship of God, that they believe in the God who was and is and is to come, what does that say about us?

It is a good question.  In John's Gospel, Jesus tells a Samaritan woman that one day people will worship in Spirit and in truth.  I think He was saying that one day our worship will be focused on pointing to God ... not the things that bring us comfort.  After all ... worship is for, to, about and being in love with God.  So ... a time to apply John Wesley's three (very traditional) rules ... do no harm, do all the good that you can, and stay in love with God.  Pretty good, aren't they?  Pastor Randy