tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9050640176775670982024-03-18T08:33:32.887-07:00live from Abbeville Methodistabbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.comBlogger557125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-57416351352867499992024-03-18T08:33:00.000-07:002024-03-18T08:33:01.315-07:00Struggle<p>We are entering the last week of the Lenten season as we make our journey to the Cross and the Resurrection. I am mindful and reflective of what a struggle Jesus encountered as he made His way back to Jerusalem and back to a week of shallow praise, deep evil, and beautiful sacrifice. We will share, together, the stories of this week.</p><p>In my devotional time, I read the story of Jacob's wrestling match with God, as Jacob struggled with every aspect of life. Jacob had brother issues. Jacob had family issues. But Jacob also had an identity issue. In the wrestling match from Genesis 32, Jacob struggles with God all night. The match ends with God blessing Jacob, but also changing his name to Israel.</p><p>As I thought about this story, I thought about something that I hadn't before. Why did God change Jacob's name? Here's what I think!</p><p>The passage says, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome (Genesis 32:28)." I think this passage can apply to all who read it. We all struggle with God. We all struggle with people. We all struggle with ourselves. And, I think the greatest struggle is deciding exactly who we are and who we belong to.</p><p>Jacob's name change was a reminder that he was part of something bigger than himself and all of his little issues. Jacob had a big God with a big picture view of the world, and Jacob's life/responsibility stretched over generations and over the whole world. Israel was called as a witness and blessing to all nations.</p><p>Jacob's name change was God's claim on him. Jacob was a man with lots of problems. Israel was a father of great nations that would produce one who was the savior of that whole world.</p><p>Jacob's name change was a call to see himself as part of a great movement of God. That movement, as Jesus comes to Jerusalem, sees God's plan overcome even death, as Jesus is praised, betrayed, crucified, buried, and resurrected, all in the span of a week. And the movement of God's salvation plan moves from the temple, out into the whole world.</p><p>Are you willing to be renamed by God? Are you willing to move from your petty struggle just to exist, into God's plan to bring the whole world to Him? Can you, just for a moment, place your pride, distrust, and self on hold, so you can grasp what Paul (also a recipient of a new name) meant when he said ... "and may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is." Maybe we should grapple with that, rather than our pettiness! AMEN</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-48716623102908007952024-03-11T16:46:00.000-07:002024-03-11T16:46:54.268-07:00Renewing a PromiseHave you ever been in a high and holy moment? Not a contrived time to elicit your emotions, or a time when you are basking in something good that has happened to you. I am speaking about a time when God's presence is so evident that you can taste, feel, and touch it!<div><br /></div><div>I can think of several of these times. There was my 1st real experience with God, when I came to the altar as a 7-year-old. I knew God was there! There was a time, on a mission trip to Brazil, when we worshipped at the exact center of the South American continent, and looked out on a beautiful vista. I remember thinking, "Lord, you are truly God above all!" There have been moments in time when, in that high and holy experience, there is an intense need to reset my relationship with God and with the people God has placed in my life.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Joshua 8:30-35, we find the Hebrew people in a state of change. Moses has died, and Joshua has just achieved a great victory over the King of Ai. But that victory was not the high and holy moment. After the Hebrews had prevailed, they built an altar and offered a fellowship offering. This was done as a pause in the fight to take Canaan, the land promised by God. It was a reset to consider 1) who had brought the victory, 2) how they could continue to be connected to God as the battle continued, and 3) who they were as a people. It is very interesting how Joshua reinforced these three things.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, he built an altar, "according to what is written in the Book of the Law." I love this "first" act, because what we do first conveys what is in our hearts and minds. They had a massive worship service and made burnt and fellowship offerings, focused on a reset of their relationship with God and one another. Pretty amazing!</div><div><br /></div><div>Second, Joshua copied/re-wrote the law of Moses that had been given by God. And, they had no copy machine! All of this was in the context of a worship service.</div><div><br /></div><div>Third, the worship time continued as Joshua "read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses." I wonder if he preceded his reading with, "I've got good news and bad news." This must have taken days!</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, Joshua made sure that every human ("the whole assembly of Israel") heard what was read. Men, women and children ... foreigners living among them ... all the people.</div><div><br /></div><div>How could Joshua assemble such a group, and make sure everyone was present and listening? They were all focused on one thing ... following the commands of God. They owned the mission, owned their part in the mission, owned the leadership God had provided and they believed in the source of all, the God of Israel.</div><div><br /></div><div>How can we reset? We can renew our promise and live into God's promises! Maybe we can place the commands of God as our focus and priority. Maybe we can own the mission to "take the land God has given" by making disciples of Jesus who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. Maybe we can realize that these things happen when we are participants, and not bystanders. Maybe, we can decide to engage and encourage our leaders, and become the leaders God has called us to be. Maybe, we can become believers in Christ so much that we actually decide to follow Him!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-11712407592668995192024-03-05T06:58:00.000-08:002024-03-05T06:58:19.145-08:00Finest<p>Each year I marvel at the Missions Auction that takes place in our Family Life Center. I have learned that we can approach this event with different perspectives. Some come to this kind of auction hoping to find that 'deal' that is a diamond in the rough. I understand the attitude. Things are costly, and every dollar means something. But some come differently. They come to see how we can help out with missional needs in our community and all over the world. I am not writing to condemn one or praise the other. I have just been challenged by the Wake Up Call devotionals I have read, and am especially convicted/convinced by today's episode about bringing the finest.</p><p>The attitude of bringing the finest to God can relate to our stuff. I have a pastor friend who had a member knock on his door. When he opened the door, the man stood on the front porch with an old TV. The man said, "God told me to give this TV to the parsonage." My friend (after seeing this attitude for many years of ministry) finally broke and said, "No He did not!" "Let's see ... you are telling me that you have this old TV taking up space, and you want to get rid of it. I suspect you probably have a newer/better TV at home. So let's see ... you want to give this to the church, while you reserve the good stuff for your use?" The man left in a huff, and my friend figured he was about to be in trouble with the leadership of his church. Later that day, he heard another knock on the door. He opened the door, and there stood the man with a new TV. The man simply said, "You were right." He left the TV and walked off.</p><p>While this amusing story might give us the chance to scoff at this man and his attitude, I wouldn't be so fast to criticize. Do we give God our finest? Of our resources? Of our talents? Of our time? Of our creativity? I certainly fall short on this at times, and I am glad the Wake Up Call has reminded me that God called the Hebrews to bring the finest flour as a grain offering. The offering was given to remember the covenant made at Mt. Sinai ... this is where God claimed the Hebrews as His people and they claimed Yahweh as their God. This offering was both an act of worship and a way to provide for the priests who served God. The grain offering was to be of the finest flour and was an act of worship and ongoing relationship with God and His people.</p><p>So, how do you come to the altar we are building? For we come 1) entering God's place and presence (what an honor!), 2) rejoicing in our relationship with God, 3) excited that God has provided leadership that loves their people, 4) remembering God's kept promises, and 5) expectantly looking forward to God's work that is to come! It is worth our finest! So we bring our open hearts. We bring our repentance! We bring our humility! We bring our children! For we offer what is dear to us ... our finest! Because God gave us the very best He had ... His name was/is Jesus!</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-76380396509390126882024-02-26T08:44:00.000-08:002024-02-26T08:44:28.462-08:00Holy Is The Lord<p>There are 2 stories in Scripture that capture the nature of offering and the way we are supposed to offer freely and completely to God. They are seemingly harsh stories, because the main characters in both stories are in deep personal strife as God comes to them. The stories are both misused and misunderstood.</p><p>As I remember these 2 stories and the related Scriptures, I find myself thinking about how I offer to God. The words partial, guarded, selfish, incomplete, insufficient and comfortable come to mind. I wonder if giving the leftovers to God are the things that block God's desire to give us the blessings and abundance He offers freely? And I wonder if what we venture/invest has a direct relationship to what we receive? These are deep questions that make me squirm in the presence of God. Here are a couple of stories of 2 people who have a very different attitude than me!</p><p>In 2 Samuel 24, David is under punishment by God for disobedience. David is instructed by Gad (the prophet) to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David speaks to Araunah and tells him he will buy the threshing floor. Aranuah tells David to take it, at no cost. But David insists on paying for the floor, saying, "I will not offer to God what costs me nothing!" David understood, there is a reason the offering is called a sacrifice.</p><p>And now for that strange and misunderstood story about Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is living life with the improbable birth of Isaac, the long awaited son (Abraham was 100 years old). In Genesis 22, Abraham is commanded to sacrifice the treasured son as a burnt offering on the mountain God leads him to. The story says Abraham loaded up firewood and went "early the next morning." As Abraham places the boy on the altar, God says, "do not lay a hand on the boy." I expect in great relief, Abraham sees a ram caught in a thicket, and he sacrifices the ram as an act of devotion, thanksgiving and atonement. He calls the place, "The Lord will provide." God then speaks a blessing on Abraham and Isaac.</p><p>I will leave each of you to consider the words you will place on these stories. The first reminds me of <b>devotion</b> to a Holy God that deserves my offering that is costly. Not the last fruits, but the first fruits. The second makes me ask, "do I <b>trust</b> God so much I would offer Him anything?" Ponder these thoughts and see what God reveals to you as you allow God's word and Spirit to alter the way you serve, worship and love. AMEN</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-50593208461263335972024-02-19T08:20:00.000-08:002024-02-19T08:20:19.480-08:00Fire<p>The Bible has many references to fire as a manifestation of God's presence. The burning bush (Exodus 3), the smoke and fire on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19) and the fire of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) all come to mind. In our series about altars and being altered by the true and living God, we will talk a lot about God's presence and about intentionally opening a door of space in which God can indwell us. <i>"Lord, prepare me, to be a Sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true."</i></p><p>It is interesting to watch our children every Sunday morning. As they gather before the 2nd service, they all want the 'best' job ... to <i>bring the fire</i>. The term, bring the fire, was invented by one of our little guys way back there, and it has stuck in our minds. They are honored to be the one chosen to carry the candle lighters, and are especially intense when they are lighting the candles. I enjoy watching their faces and wonder if our adults can ever be that focused and intense when they consider the magnitude and awe of God lighting that flame in us! It is a beautiful perk of sitting near the altar each Sunday morning.</p><p>Let's focus on one instance of fire, altars and images this morning. In Leviticus 6:8-9, God's Word says, <i>"The Lord said to Moses: "Give Aaron and his sons this command: 'These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar." </i>This begs the question, "How do we keep the altar fire burning?" Here are a few ideas:</p><p> 1. Choose following vs believing - Our society uses the word 'belief' a little too lightly. In the Greek of the New Testament, the idea of belief was being invested in what you believe in. When Jesus said, "believe" Jesus meant that belief was being all in, including every sacrifice needed to "keep the fire alive." In modern terminology, a better word would be "following." Followers are not merely fans of Jesus (they like Him). Followers put all their chips out there to say, "Jesus is not only the #1 option ... He is the only option." The demons believed in Jesus. Satan believes in Jesus. We (Christians) follow Jesus wherever He goes (though we know "the son of man has no place to lay His head [Matthew 8:20]"). Following keeps the fire stoked!</p><p> 2. Choose submitting vs controlling - The passage from Leviticus expresses the will of a God who actually cares about the fire. Paul says not to "quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5)." I quench God's Spirit when I have to be in control, orchestrating all things. When we orchestrate, we get upset or disappointed when things don't happen our way. When we "let go" we allow for the mystery and beauty of God's plan. Let God bring you/me to the altar. Let God make your heart and mind a place where His good plans come in like a welcome breath of cool air on a hot summer day. Expect God to do things you can't even fathom!</p><p> 3. Choose fire vs safety - Fire isn't safe. When the fire of God's Spirit is moving and working, strange and beautiful things happen. Fire consumes (Hebrews 12:29) ... be swept away by the fire of the Spirit. Fire refines (Proverbs 17:3) ... allow God to purify your heart in His fire. God invites us to the fire of His Holy Spirit so our old self and our old desires are burnt away, leaving the refinement of sanctification.</p><p>Following and submitting to fanning the flame of God's holy fire require work, effort and intention. Aaron's sons needed to watch, work, feed and fan the fire of the Leviticus altar. Are you feeding the fire or quenching it? I hope to see you all on Sunday, where we will listen and be expectant for what God is doing! </p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-22757327288084667752024-02-12T08:24:00.000-08:002024-02-12T08:24:33.538-08:00Alterations<p>In her introduction of the series Altar'd (the one we will spend Lent exploring), Susan Kent offers an image of God as a master tailor. Most of us have experienced a time when our clothing needed to be altered. All my life I have moved in and out of my "fighting" weight (more out than in) and have seen/felt my clothing either comfortably loose or uncomfortably tight. Maybe you have too, but I think we get the picture!</p><p>Here is how my mind wraps around the image of God as a master tailor, clothing us for a righteous and holy life, in the image of Jesus. First, we must ask, "how much we trust the tailor." We live in a world of options and possibilities. What kind of fabric? Which colors do I wear? What will either attract attention or blend in? But, what if we asked the tailor, "What looks best and fits your design of me?" "How can I dress for the plans you have for me (Jeremiah 29), and for the work you will have me do (Philippians 1:6)?" Will we let the master tailor be in total charge of the design, the fabric, the color and the texture of our garment?</p><p>Second, how does the fitting happen? When you go to a tailor to get fitted for clothing, what uncomfortable thing must you do? You must stand in front of the tailor, allow the tailor to look at you, and be still while the tailor marks the fabric (Psalm 139:23-24). These things are necessary if you want the finished garment to fit properly. And, I admit, I am not very good at these things, especially that "being still" thing. "Be still and know that I am God" ... Psalm 46:10 comes to mind.</p><p>Finally, we must remember that the making of the garment is a process. "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well (Psalm 139:14)." If God is the master tailor, the master builder and our Lord, we accept "process" as part of the deal. I remember singing, "God's still working on you!"</p><p>Every week I resemble an impatient, fickle and demanding customer of the master tailor. I want the garment now. I don't want to stand still. I want to be in charge. I question my wonderful creator, rather than kneeling at His altar and saying, "You are the potter and I am the clay (Isaiah 64:8)." So I will leave this blog with a prayer ... <i>"Lord, we are made for Your purpose and Your Kingdom. Mark us so we can be clothed in Your righteousness. Clothe us so that we will be dressed for battle, helping, healing and heaven ... whatever you choose. You pick out the fabric, the design and the way You want the garment to look. For You are the potter, and the clay isn't supposed to tell the potter what to do. I trust You. Help me with my doubts, encourage me when I fail, and thank You for loving me when I fail to be still enough to know You. I give this day to Your plan and Your Kingdom. AMEN!"</i></p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-57322845184306132892024-02-04T14:52:00.000-08:002024-02-04T14:52:51.638-08:00The First StoneStones have a prominent place in Biblical teaching. There is the "Let he who is sinless cast the first stone" in John 8:7, where we learn nobody qualified to stone a sinful woman. There is "You are like living stones (1 Peter 2:5) where we learn to become places/people that mark a place where God's work/goodness happens. There is Jesus as "the stone that makes them stumble and the rock that makes them fall (1 Peter 2:8)" where we remember that failure to obey Jesus' teachings causes us to stumble and fall in our life of faith. Then, there is the stone that builds an altar (found throughout Scripture). Over the next couple of months we will be studying how to build and become an altar, built to worship, honor and point to God.<div><br /></div><div>The title of the Bible Study (we will begin this subject on Ash Wednesday [February 14th] as we enter the Lenten season) for Lent, which we will share on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, is Altar'd. The idea of this study is to 1) learn about Biblical altars, 2) get God's guidance on how we and our church can be an altar and, 3) how our devotion to Jesus can/should alter our lives. I am really looking forward to where we will go with this time together!</div><div><br /></div><div>As I begin to think about altars and stones, I remember (about four years ago) when I decided the planter areas at the house in Freeport needed more definition. They didn't look good and they were not well-defined. The plants, the mulch and the intrusive grass went pretty much where they wanted. So I went to a stone place in Dothan and loaded my truck with a lot of pretty big river rocks. I used the stones to outline and define the planter areas. The stones kept my mulch and soil where it was supposed to be. It also kept intrusive weeds and grass out of the planters. The river rocks also looked attractive. The end result made my yard look better and much easier to maintain. The project was a success.</div><div><br /></div><div>Building an altar has a similar effect on our life of faith. Altars point to who we worship and they are built for the one we worship. They are places of devotion, worship and sacrifice. They frame the places we can grow best. They hold in the fertile soil, and keep out the invasive weeds. We go there to find nourishment, but we also go there for one very important thing. The altar is where we (at least figuratively) enter the presence of God. God's presence is the only thing that makes the altars in our church holy.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week I want you to think of a word. The word is Sanctuary. Think about what this word means. And, I want you to think out of the box a bit. Think about what that word and that place might mean to God. What is God's purpose in giving us this place? How does this place further God's mission in the world He created? Why did God (from the beginning) give humans a place to both worship and meet Him? What does this say about God and His relationship with people? See you Sunday! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-56453182182814498742024-01-29T16:51:00.000-08:002024-01-29T16:51:25.957-08:00Rejection or Rejoicing?How do you react to Jesus? Do you say, "My relationship with God is personal and private, so I keep all that stuff to myself." Do you say, "That 'religious' stuff is a bunch of mumbo, jumbo ... so I just come on Sunday, maybe go to Sunday School and spend the other 166 hours (that is 1.2% of a week) doing my own thing. Or, do you consider each hour and each moment a chance to witness, serve and "never tire of doing good (2 Thess. 3:13)."<div><br /></div><div>I have an old Video study called, "They hate the Church, but they love Jesus." At first I kind of liked this thought. And then I started to think about what this says. Can we hate the bride of Christ (the one He loves, died for and will return for) and say we love Him? I don't think so. That is not how we react to Jesus, or the Church.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Luke 4, there is a story about reacting to Christ. Jesus quotes Isaiah 61, proclaiming that God's Spirit is upon Him, that He has been sent to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. I guess the crowd caught on to that last phrase, "the year of the Lord's favor," and they liked that idea, for they all thought they were God's favored (chosen) people. But as Jesus continued to talk, He began explaining that He didn't necessarily come to lift up the chosen, affirm the religious authorities and endorse the status quo. He really meant that stuff about the oppressed, the captives, the infirm and the poor. The people looked around and remembered that they missed that particular list. Then He really got them upset. He reminded them that God heals who God chooses to heal, not basing His work on the pedigree or the position of the people. The reaction? The authorities and the people in the Synagogue got so mad, they wanted to kill Him!</div><div><br /></div><div>Before you start pointing fingers, think about how Jesus is treated in this present darkness. His bride is roundly opposed and ridiculed. His teachings are ignored. His word is dismissed as archaic, outdated and mistaken. People say they love Jesus, but they tend to add a lot of corrections, modifications and misrepresentations. That is how people react to Jesus, who brings good news, freedom and healing to those who follow and accept Him.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, in the final analysis, all of the media, all of the culture and all of the naysayers really don't matter. The question is, do you follow Jesus, or do you modify Jesus to create a God you can put in a box and carry around? The question is, how do you react to His Lordship?</div><div><br /></div><div>In verse 4:34, the impure spirit reacts ... "have you come to destroy us, the Holy one of God?" In verse 4:35, that same spirit obeyed and left the person it was inhabiting. In verse 4:42, the people tried to keep Jesus from leaving them.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, is your reaction to drive Jesus away, because you don't like His message, or do you want Him to stay, because you know His word and His presence brings healing, wholeness and life? Do you reject Him, or do you rejoice?</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's unpack this on Sunday! </div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-75035700394903597562024-01-22T07:42:00.000-08:002024-01-22T07:42:21.658-08:00What's the Point?I wonder if our society/culture treats the issues of faith with a "what's the point?" attitude. I ask this question because it seems clear that several things have happened to Christians over the years. Those things can be summed-up with two words ... priority and community.<div><br /></div><div>Schools (including Christian schools) once placed the local church and local congregations at the forefront of the planning process. Now, schedules (Wednesday nights and even Sunday mornings) generally ignore the happenings in the local church. Sporting events have long ignored even the presence of a faith community. I could add the schedule pressures of recreation, pastimes, hobbies, family events to this list that has raised all of these things up above the work and worship of the one we call "our Lord." One wonders about that <i>Lordship</i> thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I saw a post last week from a pastor I know. It said, "I hope all of you are thinking about your attendance in church tomorrow!" My thought was a quote from a retired Bishop who was asked about his plans for Sunday morning. He responded, "I made those plans and those decisions when I became a Christian. I said I would support my church and my Lord with my prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness."</div><div><br /></div><div>As Paul (and his writing crew of Timothy and Silas in 51AD) writes to a confused, scattered and discouraged group of Christians in Thessalonica, Paul reminds the people of 2 things they/we must do when we get off-course in our understanding and application of faith. Paul says 1) "remember what I told you when I was with you (2 Thess. 2:5)" and 2) "Hold fast to the teachings you received (2 Thess. 2:15)." Good advice I think!</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Remember - There is a beautiful thread that runs through Scripture and our faith. It is this little word, <i>remember</i>. God tells the Hebrew people, remember what things were like in Egypt, <i>remember I brought you out of Egypt, remember I gave you a land with cisterns you did not dig and vineyards you did not plant, remember the command to not follow the gods of the nations, do this (as often as you drink it) in remembrance of me</i>. This thread of remembrance is something we can count on when life gets dicey, and something we can reference when we need guidance out of a difficult place. God's word is given to us to learn and remember. I watch the little girls on our front row in the 2nd service as they all recite the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles Creed and "the word of God for the people of God." I hope one day, when faced with choices about priorities, they will remember their foundation of faith and their solid-ground of beliefs that they learned while here in this place.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Hold Fast - Paul says hold fast to the teachings you received. God's word is our foundation. God's word is truth ... and we can count on it. God's word leads us into consistent, committed corporate gathering, worship and life. We remember and hold to this when we are making our decisions on our priorities. We remember and hold fast to God's promises as we structure our time, finances and family time. "Nothing in my hands I bring, only to the cross I cling."</div><div><br /></div><div>In the 1st service this week, we will sing a song called "Pass the Promise." The words go, "Pass the promise to our sons and daughters, God most high, God our father, we bear witness." So let me remind you of those last 3 words ... "We bear witness." How we remember and hold fast as we express our faith in the corporate body of Christ, is how they will remember and hold fast. It is our joy and our solemn responsibility. We are telling our <b>community</b> that the life, death and resurrection of Christ is important, vital and the center of our life. That's the point! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-91861231738449640972024-01-15T08:36:00.000-08:002024-01-15T08:36:59.568-08:00AppointedDo you feel appointed? Here for a reason and a purpose? And, do you wonder why grasping that purpose and reason seems both fleeting and just out of reach?<div><br /></div><div>I think we are a society, maybe a world, that is sleep-walking through time. We need direction ... we need focus ... and we need God! The Apostle Paul knew this, and he saw this attitude manifested in his world in 51AD. He wrote to the church in Thessalonica about several topics, including "the day of the Lord." And just like today, his letter was misunderstood. Where Paul was telling the people about living out Jesus' vision of life in a world that seemed to be crumbling around them, people got all excited about placing their focus on end times (after all, it is easier to dream about the days to come than it is to live in the present struggle of life). But let's read 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5, a little closer. For with Paul, remember his writings are arguments and apologetics that end in conclusions. What did Paul conclude here?</div><div><br /></div><div>"He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build each other us, just as you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11)!" Whatever we are doing and whatever life sends our way, we live in Christ! We are people of light and hope. I preached Sunday evening in Montgomery that we are the people that bring God's light into a world that sells darkness. We give away light while Satan sells darkness. We offer living water while Satan offers intoxicating delusions. Paul says, "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9)." We offer the hope of salvation through faith in Jesus, while Satan offers the illusion of pleasure through the chains of distraction, addiction and being drunk (Paul's words) on falseness.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is my last observation. Paul uses the words ... "together with Him." My question for this week is ... "What takes you/me away from being together with Jesus?" For He is found with His bride, the Church. He is found with the poor and the powerless. Wesley said He is found in the Sacraments, fellowship with other Christians, accountability with other Christians and encouraging one another, building something strong that can withstand "the day of the Lord." If (as we sing) He Is Worthy, He is worthy of our time, energy, investment, giving, presence and witness. And you are appointed to be that light that will bring Christ into every dark place.</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-83069143588250678582024-01-08T05:37:00.000-08:002024-01-08T05:55:42.250-08:00What If? A New Year's ThoughtThese days, a lot of people are talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it will either improve or destroy as it becomes more embedded into our society. AI platforms like ChatGPT and other writing assistants are being sued by the Wall Street Journal because AI isn't properly referencing plagiarized excerpts. And the ad for ChatGPT says, "Ask AI to write anything and get instant answers!" Seems to me we are awful trusting of those "instant" answers as truth! Maybe we should lean on something more solid that "intelligence" generated by a computer! What if we did?<div><br /></div><div>Here are a couple of "what ifs" I thought of as I was writing this blog (and I didn't ask AI to do it!). Here goes:</div><div><br /></div><div>- What if 2024 becomes a year of focus on our youth and our children? Do our parents actually know how to follow Proverbs 3:5-6 ... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." Do parents, grandparents and guardians realize that learning God's Word is a little like math ... one part builds on another. Consistency is important! Being there every week (not just when it is convenient) is important. Bring your children and youth to church! Bring them to learn. Bring them so that they will know the songs we will be teaching during Sunday School time. Bring them so their spiritual house will have a solid foundation and won't fall when the going gets rough! I saw a post that said, "If you are not spiritually-fed you will be emotionally-led." Trust God ... stop leaning on your own understanding ... stop the nonsense of basing your Sunday morning decisions on how you feel that day! John Wesley would ask, "Have you faith?" What if the answer was "yes" accentuated by what faith should be about ... action!? What if we choose Jesus!?</div><div><br /></div><div>- What if Jesus altered our behavior and our daily choices? I heard an amazing statistic about our habits. During 2023, according to Forbes, of the 100 top-watched programs in America, 93 were football-related. Let that sink in a moment! Where are our priorities? The old sayings are, "we eat first with our eyes" and "you are what you eat." What are we consuming? The second half of that Proverbs 3 passage is "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight." What if we did that?</div><div><br /></div><div>I give you these two thoughts because we are embarking on a year of opportunity of focusing our time, our children/youth and our lives on something of value and worth. The Agape Sunday Group is studying Proverbs. Nicey's class is into their book series. My class is studying Psalms. The Youth are studying Old Testament Foundations. On Wednesday nights we will (January till Lent) study 1,2 Thessalonians. During Lent we will study "Alter'd," which is a study on making Jesus central to your daily life of faith. Our children will be learning songs and season-based truths about Christ, to build their faith-foundation. My sermon series, between now and Easter, will be about how we build a strong altar of faith in our lives, following the "Alter'd" study series. What if we all did that?</div><div><br /></div><div>The old song, How Firm A Foundation says, "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith, in His excellent word ... what more can He say, than to you He has said, who unto the Savior, for refuge has fled." Maybe, if we build on His firm foundation, we won't have to rely on intelligence that is "artificial!" What if we trusted God and real truth? Randy</div><div><br /></div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-50969679005221803782024-01-02T07:30:00.000-08:002024-01-02T16:18:43.901-08:00Opening the Treasure<p>When I was a boy, I would roam the gentle hills around Derita, a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. There were fishing lakes, open pastures and sometimes treasure troves. One of my favorite haunts was The Brown House Lake. We called it that because a brown house was near the center of the lake. I caught many 'a fish' and ran from many 'a snake' at that wonderful place.</p><p>Above the lake, and near one of the local highways, was an old homestead. It was, at the time I knew it, (using the words of James Taylor from the song <i>Copperline</i>) "tore up, and tore up good!" One day, while scrubbing in the dirt, I discovered an old garbage pit behind the homestead. I started digging, and found rotted out tin cans, old trash that had been thrown out, and a large number of old milk bottles bearing the names of local dairies. I took one home and discovered, from my dad, that the old bottles had some value. I brought them home and dad took them down to a flea market and sold them. He gave me the money and I bought my first really good fishing reel and rod. I thought the bottles were valueless, but someone that knew more than me saw, and realized, value in them.</p><p>We live in a world that likes to bring us down. It tells us we have little or no value. Humanists tell us we are just high-level mammals with opposable thumbs. Culture tells us we should seek our value in money, fame and the approval of people ... and this de-values us even more. So, where do we find our real worth?</p><p>2 Corinthians 4:7 reminds us where to find real value. "For we have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." What does this teach us?</p><p>1. We have great treasure</p><p>2. We hold this treasure in fragile clay (our earthly bodies)</p><p>3. Our treasure has/is light and power</p><p>4. Our treasure is a gift ... it doesn't come from within, but without.</p><p>Let's talk about treasure this Sunday! How do you think our treasure is opened? What else does the Bible say about treasure and us? </p><p>Read Deuteronomy 14:2, 2 Corinthians 4, Matthew 6:21 and Matthew 13:44. We will talk! Randy</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-82728169544276157502023-12-26T06:57:00.000-08:002023-12-26T06:57:45.196-08:00Cookie<p>I will have to admit that the last thing any of us probably needs right now is another cookie. At my house we had 7-layer cookies, red velvet cookies, ginger cookies, and fudge (I guess that is cookieish). Way too many carbs, but they were sure good!</p><p>During the holidays I was watching a cooking competition, and the theme involved cookies. One of the contestants was baking gingerbread men using a cookie cutter. He carefully cut out the shapes, but as he looked at them he said, "those gingerbread men look like Leprechauns!" As the judges looked at his cookies, one of the judges did something interesting. He turned the gingerbread "man" upside down and found the problem with the whole thing. The cookie cutter, and the cookies, was actually a reindeer shape. The contestant had used the cutter upside-down!</p><p>So ... lessons from this cookie? I can think of at least three!</p><p>1. As we are immersed in the holidays, it is easy to get off-track. We see the events, the glitz, the glitter, and we become pretty disoriented. We are in a confusing mess, trying to keep up with people, places, emotions and our feelings about everything. The Christmas story says ... stop! Stop and observe Joseph as, amid great confusion and personal sacrifice, he follows God ... "and he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife ... and he gave him the name Jesus (Matthew 1:24-25)." Amid the confusion and mess, follow Jesus.</p><p>2. Laugh at your mistakes. That's what happened on the cooking show ... they all had a good laugh. It is interesting to reflect on how the judge knew what might have happened. I'll bet he knew because he had done the same thing before. You are doing life among other people who have messed up too! Romans 3 reminds us that we have all sinned and that none of us can claim righteousness, except through Jesus. Laugh at your mistakes, (people ... stop taking yourself too seriously) recognize them, and walk away. I bet the cooking show contestant won't make that mistake again!</p><p>3. Finally, we face an enemy that is telling us that "this" is all there is, that "we" are just like we are, that this "upside-down" world is the way it is supposed to be. The story in 2 Kings 6 takes place in Dothan. The king of Aram has sent soldiers to surround Elisha and his little band. Elisha's servant goes out in the morning and sees the enemy army has surrounded them and says, "Oh no, my Lord ... what will we do?" Elisha responds, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prays, "Open his eyes Lord, so he may see!" God, who knows us and this world, has come into the world to turn it right-side up! See God's work, His forces and His blessings, happening right in the midst of this messed-up world!</p><p>Don't let your fears, the demons that want to block your vision, the lies of your feelings, the deception of the enemy and the facade of overwhelming force, divert you from allowing God to turn your world right-side up. It is how God rolls! Have a cookie and smile! Randy</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-8823852699347937712023-12-20T08:13:00.000-08:002023-12-20T08:27:28.038-08:00Selah<p>In my "The Complete Word Study of the Old Testament" the word "Selah (Psalm 3)" means, pause. It was probably both a musical instruction and also a call to "stop and praise God." In reading the Wake Up Call devotional this morning, I was definitely sent to this concept of pausing as we reflect on the magnitude of Advent and Christmas. It is worth pausing ... for if we fail here, we will miss what is most important.</p><p>Wake Up Call spoke of a famous violinist (Joshua Bell) being part of an experiment in societal blindness. Bell played a $13 million Stradivarius violin in a New York subway, disguised as a street performer. He was only recognized by one person, and his take for the session of music was $37.17. Beauty, greatness and value were all missed by those walking past an experience of a lifetime. God's instruction, as we walk through the elevator music of life? Selah!</p><p>Stop and reflect upon the "bread of life" coming into a small town that is called "house of bread (Bethlehem)." Sunday afternoon and evening we will remember the "bread of life" and the "Lamb that takes away the sin of the world!" That includes your sins and my sins! Selah!</p><p>Stop and consider that in the context of history, conflict, war, poverty, strife, political unrest, God came! He came to Mary and Joseph, some livestock, some shepherds who paused, a host of angels and to all of us. Chris Rice says he, "wrapped our injured flesh around Him, breathed our air and walked our sod, robbed our sins and made us holy, perfect Son of God!" Selah!</p><p>Don't walk past the priceless! Don't invest a petty $13.17 in the most expensive gift ever ... don't miss the chance to be part of the beautiful and meaningful music of truth, faith and joy ... don't be so wrapped up in this world that you miss what Jesus said ... experience a direct view into God's Kingdom. Selah ... praise God! AMEN</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-79281340172378785842023-12-07T08:48:00.000-08:002023-12-11T06:56:02.702-08:00HatchingSome of you will remember the story of Horton Hatches an egg. It is a short little story about a lazy bird (Mayzie) that cons Horton (an elephant) into sitting on her egg while she goes off to relax, enjoy and "live the life" on the beach. Horton stays back with the egg (through rain, snow and strife) and it eventually hatches. Here's the part of the story I want us to get ... the egg hatches into a little elephant bird. It looks like the one who was with it all those very long days!<div><br /></div><div>Why is this important? Well ... "Train up a child in the way he/she should go, and when he is old, he will remember it (Proverbs 22:6)." Or, "and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18)." Here's the operative question. Are we a product of the priorities in which we are immersed? Do we look like the thing(s) in which we invest our time? If so, what do we look like? What is hatching us?</div><div><br /></div><div>Last evening I spent a lot of time with our people, the Church here in Abbeville. It was Cantata night and the day was long and tiring, but fruitful. The Church in Abbeville came in to hear some beautiful music, the real story of Christmas, and it became an amalgamation I think would honor God. I wonder if these moments and times become "hatching" to both adults and children? The Word is proclaimed when someone sings "my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior (Luke 1:46-47)." Mary is joyful for God bringing her out of obscurity and into a difficult journey of faith ... her faith and her attitude reflects her Savior, Jesus!</div><div><br /></div><div>The other day Samson, my 23lb cat, did something he loves to do. He jumped on an Amazon box. I don't know whether he does this out of curiosity or whether he just loves to crush things, but you can be assured that the box collapsed like a cheap lawn chair in an NFL locker room. I wonder if this is why we have such an epidemic of mental health issues and narcissism, as our children and grandchildren bear the weight of a world in which they are at the center. "What can we do to "blow away" or kids at Christmas?" "How can I make Christmas memorable and epic?" "Where can we go to "crush it" in the holiday season?" And we DO crush it, as the box collapses and we, our children and our grandchildren find their spiritual house built on a cultural "house of cards."</div><div><br /></div><div>Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, was an Anglican Priest in the early 1800's. He is best known for writhing a little song called, <i>Holy, Holy, Holy</i> (you might have heard it). In writing about the majesty and holiness of God, Heber wrote a lesser-known song that described both the shallowness and God's expectation of our devotion to God. It is called Brightest and Best. In the song, Heber writes ... "Say shall we yield Him, in costly devotion, odors of Edom and offerings divine, gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean, myrrh of the forest, and gold from the mines ... vainly we offer each ample oblation, vainly with gifts would His favor secure, richer by far is the hearts adoration, dearer to God are the prayers of the poor." You will hear this song at our 9am service this Sunday!</div><div><br /></div><div>We, our kids and our grandkids will become what "hatches" us. Will it be our willingness to invest in the struggle, the work, the time, the resources and the hearts adoration it takes to build His Church and His Kingdom ... or, will it be the "box" of sports, parties, stuff, frantic schedules and cultural emptiness? That "box" will get crushed when weight is added.</div><div><br /></div><div>I invite you (really the entire community) to come, kneel, leave baggage and let God fill you up with His good things every Sunday and (at a very special hallelujah moment) at 6pm Christmas Eve. Invest some heart-felt adoration. Leave some gifts for the poor. Hear the testimony of God's word. Take in the music that speaks truth into the façade we encounter in culture. Let's hatch something that reflects the likeness of Jesus, who is both the babe in the cradle and the King of Kings! This Christmas let your soul magnify the Lord and let your spirit have joy in something worthwhile ... our Savior and the Church for which He will return! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-9102820893511489162023-12-04T07:07:00.000-08:002023-12-04T07:07:31.767-08:00Changing Rivers<p>"I got peace like a river, I got peace like a river, I got peace like a river in my soul!" Sing that with me for a moment. Now think about those words. We DO have peace like a river. Moving. Sometimes tranquil pools and sometimes roaring rapids. Sometimes clear and clean, and sometimes muddy. Rivers can be gentle, flowing quietly in normal times, or they can rage with the melting snow or the pouring rain. If rivers have peace, there is usually an undercurrent, sometimes a strong one.</p><p>If you've been whitewater rafting, it will ruin this song for you. A few years back our youth went whitewater rafting. Emily was on that trip, and she did what happens a lot on those rafting trips ... she fell overboard. For a few very scary moments she was actually pinned under the boat. Ask Emily about that wonderful little song. Rivers aren't exactly peaceful ... but they can be!</p><p>In Psalm 23, David writes about something he knows ... being a shepherd. In this Psalm about God's presence during life, David describes the peace I think the little song is trying to capture. "He leadeth me beside still waters, He restoreth my soul (Ps. 23:2-3)." He know sheep, and he knows that moving or troubled water is disturbing to sheep. So the shepherd leads the flock by those waters that appear still, and they are calm and feel protected. What can we learn here?</p><p>1. There is the obvious. The shepherd knows sheep inside and out. He knows what they need and when they need it. Our Great Shepherd knows us (and we are described as sheep pretty often). Let's allow Him to lead us to those places where we can catch a deep breath and become still enough to see life around us ... to discern light from darkness and good from folly.</p><p>2. There is the unseen, but true. Sometimes the water appears still, but it is deep, moving and a nearly unstoppable force. Our society seems to be pulled along, loving the excitement of the rapids, and resting in the deep pools, thinking all is easy and quiet. But the river is still moving. It is persistent, unrelenting and always headed to a destination.</p><p>In 1863 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow came to this exact conclusion. He thought about the cannons thundering on the battlefields of civil war. His wife had died in a fire two years earlier, and his son had been severely wounded in the Civil War. Two lines of the song come to mind ... "I thought how as the day had come, the bells of all of Christendom, had rolled along, the unbroken song, of peace on earth good will towards men" ... still but unrelenting waters, that are deeper than they look. Then he writes these lyrics of despair ... "And in despair I bowed my hear, there is no peace on earth I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song, of peace on earth good will towards men." Are you in that river? Doubtful, confused and not sure of just where your peace will come from?</p><p>Isaiah writes about this ... "And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father ... Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)." From darkness to light, from death to life and from chaos and confusion to peace! How do we get there? We change rivers (kingdoms). We get out of the river of culture and into the river of our Lord. Wadsworth did just that , writing, "Then pealed the bells more loud and deep. God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. With peace on earth, good will towards men."</p><p>Change rivers! Live in the kingdom of the Prince of Peace! There will always be wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, troubles and strife. It is even happening in those "still waters" that flow relentlessly toward a destination. Change rivers to a destination of God's plan and God's rule. Wadsworth knew it! "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep!" Place your trust, your time and your life there! Our Good Shepherd leads us there! AMEN</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-67664744598767966172023-11-27T07:43:00.000-08:002023-11-27T07:43:36.935-08:00Paradox<p>Isaiah, in predicting the Christmas miracle of Jesus, makes a very paradoxical statement. <i>"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them a light has shined</i> (Isaiah 9:2)." And we, staring down into a stone cradle at a helpless child born to a poor couple, wonder, "What is Isaiah talking about?" A paradox for sure!</p><p>Each Sunday during the Advent season, 1st service will begin with a paradoxical song, "<i>He Shall Reign Forevermore</i>." The song starts like the 1972 poem by Christiana Rossetti, titled "A Christmas Carol." "<i>In the bleak midwinter, all creation groans, for a world in darkness, frozen like a stone, light is breaking, in a manger made of stone, and He shall reign forevermore</i>." Wait? How did we get from a helpless child in a manger to reigning forevermore? Do you see the paradox?</p><p>Our western eyes see everything in English, black-and-white, seeing is believing and power is status/wealth/fame/notoriety/popularity. We too easily forget that last week we celebrated Christ The King Sunday, where we lifted up the Lordship of Jesus. We now stare down at a manger, and wonder, "How can THIS be the power of God, come into the world?" How can we believe Micah 5:2 that foretells, "<i>But you Bethlehem, Ephrathah though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me the one who will be ruler over all of Israel.</i>"</p><p>We can believe because:</p><p>1. We are not "seeing is believing" people. We are people of faith who believe "faith is the evidence of things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1)." There is power and purpose in the unseen realm of God ... the one that raises up little children to become the very power of God.</p><p>2. We are not "power is status/fame/notoriety/popularity" people. We worship a Jesus who has power, even over death.</p><p>3. We ARE people who believe in the paradox of Scripture. That God's plan, however unbelievable, can happen. That a little light can cast off the darkness. That our hopeless world can be turned rightside-up by that little baby in the manger. That HE shall reign forevermore.</p><p>Come sing it with us ... "<i>Into our hopes, into our fears, the Savior of the world appears, the promise of eternal years, Christ the Messiah, and He shall reign, forevermore, forevermore</i>!"</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-35080001275492185132023-11-20T07:25:00.000-08:002023-11-20T07:25:59.745-08:00Food<p>Most of you see the title of the blog and get a little "bloated" thinking about the days to come. When Lee and I lived in Charlotte we would eat Thanksgiving lunch at my parents and then Thanksgiving dinner at her parents. That evening I felt like Joey Chestnut after a hot-dog eating contest. WAY too full!!!!</p><p>Most of us will have an abundance of food, family and friends this week, and I hope we (as expressed musically on Sunday) are "grateful for the hands we hold, gathered round the table." Lots of food, fun, football and fizz (of Alka-Seltzer after the meal).</p><p>But it isn't like that for everyone. JD Walt (Wake Up Call ... see the link at the bottom of your weekly newsletter) tells a story of being aware of the Holy Spirit as we navigate the food table this Thanksgiving. Here goes ...</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>When I was employed at the US Postal Service, I had a friend (John) with a large family, 8 with one on the way. John, shared a lunchtime Bible Study with me, an especially fulfilling part of my life. We shared prayer, life, concerns and fellowship. One day after John asked for prayer for his family, I felt the urging of the Holy Spirit. I called my wife, Stella, and asked her to purchase $100 worth of groceries for John's family. The Holy Spirit didn't just talk to me. Stella told me that $100 of groceries looked too meager, so she purchased over $200. When I got home we loaded the groceries in the trunk and went to John and Patty's home. I knocked on the door and said, "John, we are not trying to embarrass you, but are just trying to be faithful to the Holy Spirit's calling. We have a gift for you from our family and the Holy Spirit. I opened the trunk, and John and Patty embraced in tears. John took me into the house and opened their pantry door. All they had was a single bag of rice. John said, "We have already exhausted our opportunities with the food pantries in town, and this is all we have till payday, 5 days off. Thank you!!!" We watched as the kids excitedly unloaded the groceries and placed them in the food pantry. It was full! I had difficulty driving away, because of the tears that filled my eyes, and for the Spirit using His hands of provision for a family in need.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">This story makes me understand better our food pantry at church. It reminds me that God is working in small things that are often minimized by our culture infected with affluenza. It makes me both thankful and challenged that God sees, hears and acts to use us (the body of Christ) to shout God's presence into a world that is missing Jesus. It makes me think of Isaiah 40:3, "In the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord, and make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Let's take this as a challenge this holiday season. Instead of a barely-distinguishable game trail, Isaiah calls us to allow God to use us to "make a highway!" Let's shout and sing and proclaim that Christ is born and God's Spirit is here, bringing heaven to earth! Amen!</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-81535940297982098892023-11-14T08:13:00.000-08:002023-11-14T08:13:48.288-08:00Lacy, Flat Tire and a Cat<p>No ... I haven't gone totally crazy (well, maybe I have!). As you look at the blog title you might wonder what these three things have in common. You might also wonder why this title appears in a sermon series about the needed shifts in American churches that will re-center us on the message and mission of Jesus. Well ... here goes!</p><p>Lacy is the glue that binds those other two references to my mind and heart. She was a little girl that lived in the house beside us in Kentucky. She was just another little girl, living in a small town with her mama and daddy (the local Sheriff). I think she was the first townsperson I met in Mt. Olivet, and she had something to do with my first act of ministry as a Methodist pastor. We had just moved into the parsonage, and old building with ties to the Underground Railroad and that little town. I heard a knock at the door and little Lacy, forlorn, was standing on the front porch. She said, "Are you the new Methodist Minister?" I said, "Yes." She said, "My cat is in a tree." I followed her across the street, and sure enough there was a small kitten up in a tree. In true, and professional ministerial form, I climbed the tree and scooped the cat into my hand, carrying it down to a happy little girl. I learned two lessons from that story. First, ministry isn't so much about eloquence and expertise ... it is about meeting a need during a time of crisis (there was no Seminary course in tree climbing or cat scooping). Second, ministry is meeting people where they are, just like Jesus did. Jesus (Luke 19) used his pulpit (the street) to get a tax collector named Zacchaeus out of a tree, and out of a life of cheating people. When Jesus left Zacchaeus' house, salvation (Jesus' message of forgiveness) had come to that house!</p><p>My next remembrance of Lacy was a 4th of July Parade/Party in Mt. Olivet. The town (go figure) was into racing like the rest of Kentucky ... only not horses. They had built a 4x8 plywood racetrack, complete with lanes. That is where they had the terrapin (turtle) races. Little kids would catch a turtle, enter it into the race, and make noise to scare the turtle into moving. Lacy's turtle was named "flat tire" because it only had 3 legs. Flat tire was not whole, but darned if he didn't win the race! I learned two more lessons from this story. First, people are far too caught up in entertainment for their own good. That turtle race was better attended than Sunday morning church in that little community. Second, things that aren't whole can win the race. Zacchaeus was far from perfect, and he was despised by his own people for the things he had done. But Jesus chose to save him from his sins and to redeem him anyway. Zacchaeus repented and became accountable for his mistakes, and Jesus treated this social outcast like He treated anyone ... for "Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn it, but to save it (John 3:17)."</p><p>Both of these stories bring me to our shift for the week ... the shift from popularity to transformation. Jesus' statement in John 3:17 was probably not popular. People were happy to hear they were "chosen" and were also pleased that the law (the teachers/priests) condemned those who were not so popular and not so whole. Lepers, sinners, blind people and Samaritans were all looked down upon for what they had done or what their infirmity suggested they had done. Surely those hurts, pains and conditions were because they or their family had done something wrong. But (if you remember from last week's sermon) God looks at the heart.</p><p>The question is, where are our hearts? In many modern churches, the stage and musical performance has become central to the "experience" of Sunday morning. Are our hearts all into the musical ambiance, the beat, the guitar and drums ... or do God's Word and the Holy Spirit speak Jesus to us? Have we become inconvenienced by things like sharing prayers, hurts and the lives of fellow worshippers, or do we embrace the collective struggle that true faith brings? Have we sought to make our congregations convenient, compliant and culturally-correct, but forgotten that carrying our cross and following our Savior involves struggle and work?</p><p>I don't know where little Lacy is today. Her family was far more focused on parties, work and the culture of our little town than they were on church. I hope Lacy will one day remember that we are all more like a kitten up in a tree ... lost, afraid and unable to extricate ourselves from the mess we have gotten into. Maybe Lacy will remember that we sometimes need to call on someone to help. Someone who can climb up, scoop us up into His arms, and take us to the safety of solid ground. I hope Lacy found Jesus along the way! Randy</p>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-23272506814537382372023-11-06T07:50:00.000-08:002023-11-06T07:50:36.004-08:00LeaningIn western thought, we are all caught up in things like "moral equivalency," "humanistic logic" and "informed social behavior." All of these are being thrown up in the face of the world as protestors rationalize their support for Hamas, bad actors use misinformation to feed falsehoods to people/media and our enlightenment clouds our ability to think in the spiritual realm. We are headstrong and heartless as our reliance on information (often very biased from the informer) trumps our reliance on God. Paul said it this way ... "God chose the things this world considers foolish in order to shame those who consider themselves wise. He chose the things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by this world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important (1 Corinthians 1:27-28)." We see this played out on the world stage as people who demand and support rights for LGBTQ+ march in support of Hamas who hates, suppresses and even murders LGBTQ+ people. We see people who support the plight of the Palestinians while ignoring the history of terrorist and militant groups marginalizing and oppressing the Palestinians. All the while, many are believing the "information" published by a group whose name means "violence." It truly is foolishness as we, the western world, believe our "information" is superior to the information offered by groups we have categorized as outdated (like Christians and traditionalists).<div><br /></div><div>As I write this, I hear our church bells playing A Mighty Fortress is Our God, and I can't help but think of the verse, "And though the world with devils filled, will threaten to undo us, we will not fear for God hath willed, His truth to triumph through us!" How can this happen as the "devils" of war, hatred and falseness seem to have the upper hand? The song gives us a bit of help here!</div><div><br /></div><div>1. <b>Accept God's new heart and suppress reliance on our wisdom</b> - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)." Give your heart to God. You remember? That new heart from Ezekiel 36:26. That heart comes with a renewed and "right" spirit, and that heart from God will lead our heads to a proper understanding. Do you want a straight and correct path? Then place the heart God gave you into the trusted and good care of God. He will not fail you. Remember, we are not that smart, and our choices have brought us into this mess!</div><div><br /></div><div>2. <b>Accept God's truth over the attraction and emotion of the world's hype</b> - As we revel in our intelligence and correctness, we invest our attention and emotion into lots of false hype. We are blown this way and that way, and we end up asking the question Pilate asked Jesus as Pilate stood in judgment of Christ ... "What is truth (John 18:38)?" We have the same question today as we flip channels on TV. Is Hamas a terrorist group? Can our government be trusted? Should I get the new COVID booster? Are the Dallas Cowboys worthy of 90% of the coverage on sports TV this morning? What is truth? The Bible (and the song) respond to this question. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, and His emotions and physical weakness were pulling Him toward worldly logic, Jesus responded ... "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4)." His head and physical needs (and Satan) said, "Turn the stones into bread." His Father's guidance said, "Never listen to Satan ... he is the author of lies." God's truth triumphed through Jesus, and it can with us too!</div><div><br /></div><div>We can't trust the worldly heart that lives by human logic. We can't truth our human wisdom, that is often based on the hype and input from unreliable sources. But we can trust God's word and the "new heart and right spirit" He gave us when we first brought us from death to life. We can lean on Jesus and we can count on His word! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-82148397278461364502023-10-30T09:29:00.000-07:002023-10-30T09:29:58.974-07:00Life, Death and BeautyOur society is attracted to attraction! We are repelled by "ugly." And we have, sadly, adopted the societal norms of what is good, bad and ugly. What if we, today, allow God's Word to weigh in on this?<div><br /></div><div>Isaiah 53 is both a terrible and beautiful example of what God thinks is ugly, unattractive and beautiful. The Chapter is written in the form of Hebrew poetry. Hebrew verse is, in general, meant to flow in theme and rhyme very differently than we expect from Western poetry. Here is how Isaiah 53 flows:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Revelation - God is revealing His "powerful arm (v.1)"</div><div>2. Unattractive Revelation - "Nothing beautiful or attractive (v.2)"</div><div>3. Troubled Existence - "Despised and rejected (v.3)"</div><div>4. Paradox - "Yet ... He bore our weakness and sorrow (v.4)"</div><div>5. Sacrifice - "But, He was pierced for our sins, beaten so we could be whole (v.5)"</div><div>6. Atonement - "Our sin was laid on Him (v.6)"</div><div>7. A Perfect Lamb - "He had done nothing wrong, but was killed (v.7-9).</div><div>8. Part of a Perfect Plan - "It was the Lord's good plan (v.10)."</div><div>9. Accomplishment - "God's plan satisfies Him (v.11)."</div><div>10. Exaltation - "I will give Him the honor of a victorious soldier (v.12).</div><div><br /></div><div>The writer of this passage calls us to see past the ugliness, past the attitudes of people, past the torture and death, past the burial, and past the apparent uncleanness of the troubled life of Isaiah's suffering servant. Instead, Isaiah offers a beautiful poem about life, death and what real beauty looks like.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday, names will be read. All of the names are people God created. In my experience, I have found no people unscathed by the struggles, difficulties and mistakes of life ... NONE! Yet, as we encounter the pallor of death, stand underneath the weight of loss and struggle, and cower "in the shadow of death," I think we gain some perspective on Isaiah 53. We are able to put away our superficial definitions of beauty ... for beauty is defined by the good in a life. Instead of titles and accolades, give me testimony of how that life touched/blessed other lives in the name of Jesus.</div><div><br /></div><div>I expect, at his funeral, the Apostle Paul could have been remembered as a crusty, opinionated and educated curmudgeon that was often "in-your-face" on matters of the faith. I don't remember reading that Paul was beautiful or even pleasant to look at. But for congregations all over the Mediterranean rim and West Asia, who experienced the coming of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to their people, Paul was beautiful. Like Jesus (our "Suffering Servant"), "because of His experience, the righteous servant made it possible for many to be counted righteous." And because Paul knew Jesus, he introduced countless millions (in person and through his writings) to the Savior that "bore all of their sins."</div><div><br /></div><div>Life isn't always beautiful, though it can be glorious! Death is stark and terrible, but it can be atonement! And beauty is in the testimony of life well-lived in Christ, not in the fickle eye of society. That's my take! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-2341948321711724842023-10-23T08:52:00.002-07:002023-10-23T08:54:08.725-07:00Changing Our CultureJeff Greenway, in his message to Annual Conference, expressed a number of cultural shifts that we must make if we are to express the Gospel message into the world in which we live. One of these shifts is the shift from being "cultural" to becoming a Christ-centered and Spiritual Church. How can this happen?<div><br /></div><div>There are many answers to this question, but one way is to <i>throw off the yoke of Egypt</i> that has held down our congregations for over 50 years. I was reminded of this as I began to receive calls from congregations about "what do we do now?" For the longest time the people called Methodists have been directed, by the corporate church, to follow the denomination and allow the "mother church (a Bishop in our old denomination used those exact words)" to lead us. In Exodus 16:3 the Hebrews said, "At least in Egypt we sat around pots of meat and we ate as much food as we wanted." This is a fundamental lie that Satan told the Hebrews and is telling us now. If we live to have our needs met, then we are nothing more than our needs!</div><div><br /></div><div>Caedmon's Call wrote a song about the Dalit in India. The Dalit are the Untouchables, the lowest caste in Indian society, even lower than animals. The song expresses the lie of the world (culture) and the hope God has for them (God's Spirit). It says, "When we're fed that we are nothing, we'll believe it, and we'll do what we are told." That's slavery folks! But then the song says, "Spark of the divine, I see it in your eyes ... it's there behind the lies that tie you down!" That's God's hope for freedom and abundance ... you/we are sons and daughters of the King.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our church and it's people are attitudinally in Egypt. They look to the denomination to meet their needs. How about we all change that? We become churches that live in a culture of Biblical and Spirit-led values ... 1) Becoming transformed disciples that make disciples (<b>Change</b>), 2) Becoming people who share the Good News of the Gospel fearlessly (<b>Evangelism</b>), 3) Having a church-planting mindset, even inside their current congregation (<b>Newness</b>), 4) Understanding that every person is called by God to work (not be coddled) in their congregation (<b>Service</b>), 5) Hunger and Thirst for Jesus' teaching (<b>Learning</b>), and 6) Throwing off the yoke of our prejudice (<b>Seeing people through God's eyes</b>). We cannot allow culture to teach us these things! God has an opinion here, and it is not affirmation of sin, our choices, our needs, our feelings and our plans as ultimate authority.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I wrote this, a young man came into my office. His issues were life-choices and the people he associates with. He is in Egypt! But before you say "thank God I am not like that," are you/we passionately and recklessly seeking God's Spirit in the church, as we seek to follow Jesus (not the denomination)? Do we look back and say, "We had a denomination that told us what to do ... how do we live forward?" My young friend must change his culture. And we (the Church) must be willing to change our culture. We can no longer live in the lies that tie us down and tell us we are powerless to change our situation. It is a new day with Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Time to throw off the yoke of "mother church!" Time to be those called out of the culture and into the abundant life of Christ! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-48661207648663778502023-10-17T18:25:00.000-07:002023-10-17T18:25:38.253-07:00EgyptThis week Lee and I have been out of town at St. Simons Island at a church leadership meeting. So my blog will be brief. Phillip Pinyan will preach this coming Sunday and I will have the honor of hearing him speak for the first time at Abbeville Methodist. His message will be about leaving bondage, so I just had one thought to share with you.<div><br /></div><div>Over the past year or so we have been moving away from our previous denominational connection, and I wanted to remind you of one danger that occurs when you make a big change. That danger is failing to leave the "Egypt" you say you left. Moses had an easier time of getting the people out of Egypt than he did getting the Egypt out of the people. Let's be aware of this danger as we worship passionately, love extravagantly and witness boldly! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-63657702081360508252023-10-09T08:16:00.000-07:002023-10-09T08:16:57.567-07:00Shifts 3 - Politeness to HonestyI am the world's worst about avoiding conflict! I either clam up, or I just ignore the situation. It is a character flaw I am not proud of, but at least awareness allows me to work on it with intentionality. But I (and the Church) must press forward to seek truth instead of "fluff" in our relationships, our faith-walk and our culture. We are to "speak truth in love, growing to become the mature body of Him who is the head, that is Christ (Ephesians 4:15)." Paul understood that the Church is to grow to maturity if it was to become the life and world-changing entity Jesus sent out.<div><br /></div><div>I remember a story of a town in which the Town Hall caught fire one evening. The people stood around watching it burn until a family in an old, beat-up truck drove into the middle of the fire, got out, beat out the fire and saved Town Hall. The Mayor ran out, made a speech congratulating the family, and giving the mad $50 as a reward. He asked the old man, "What will you do with the money?" The man said, "First thing I'm gonna do is fix the brakes on that truck!"</div><div><br /></div><div>We are confused. We think we see things clearly, but we miss what is really going on. We are into the "fluff" of living. Football shows highlight the design of the uniforms worn by the teams. We are caught in the non-reality of reality shows. We affirm everybody and get upset when someone says, "Wait a minute ... that is wrong!" The truth-bringers that say, "Town Hall is on fire and someone needs to put out the fire!" are targeted as "storm-crows" and "alarmists."</div><div><br /></div><div>Jeremiah was truthful about the state of Judah and Jerusalem. Jeremiah said that the people had become followers of Baal, even to the point of sacrificing their children. He was called an alarmist and a "purveyor of doom!" He was ignored, and even had death threats. In 587BC Babylon destroyed Solomon's Temple and took Judah's brightest and best off into exile.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus came with a message of truth and salvation. He called-out the Scribes and Pharisees for their falseness and apostasy. You know the story ... He was crucified.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are (at least) two points here. The first point is the truth about what happens with truth-tellers. We bring the truth in love, but the response is anything but loving. A group of women who don't want to compete with biological men in women's sports are called, by some, bigots. I call them truth-tellers. A group of congregations that place the authority of Scripture above cultural norms are called "dinosaurs." I call them Bible believers. Both groups will be persecuted.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second point is more hopeful. In Matthew 16 Jesus says that those who become His Church (His followers who believe He is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God") will not be overcome, even by the very gates of hell.</div><div><br /></div><div>Town Hall is on fire. I don't think an old man and his family in a beat-up pickup truck is coming to put the fire out. But we are here. To tell the freeing truth of the Gospel. To leave our politeness and say what Paul said. We are sinners, we need salvation, we need Jesus crucified, risen and forgiving our sins. We need an intentional and everlasting God ... not an accidental hero. As I said in my message last week ... normal isn't coming back ... but Jesus is! That's the truth! Randy</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905064017677567098.post-2197478895675027662023-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:002023-10-01T12:58:20.318-07:00Shifts 2 - MaranathaFirst, I want to make a correction to my message on Sunday. Please read and re-read the Galatians passage 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. These are our "sifters" for our shift from worldly views to Spirit-led views. Ok, now for shift 2 ... asking God to "please come Lord.".<div><br /></div><div>Over the past century, at least, we have been all into membership. "How many members do you have?" "Who is 'in' your church (as opposed to those who are out)?'" "We want to grow our church by attracting new members!" Is this model Biblical?</div><div><br /></div><div>If we look at the Acts Church, we find the expression of the Gospel story and the following of God's Spirit causing God to "add to their numbers." The events that lead to these statements are not planned revivals, Gospel sings or even what we would call a worship service. They (the events) seem to happen organically out of the presence of God's Spirit mixed with contrite people who have more questions than answers. The manifestation of God's Spirit happens ... seemingly because God wants to appear and act.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the past 6 months I have increasingly seen people, congregations and what we would call 'churches' become bewildered, at a loss for what to do and in a state where there are many more questions than answers. And (this is not expected at all) the groups of believers that are seeming to thrive are those that allow God to pour into them, expectantly allowing God to lead them. They are far from an attitude of seeking members. Instead, they are having to become "The Church" rather than go "to church." I wonder if God is "making disciples" that "are added to the Church daily."</div><div><br /></div><div>Last observation (and this one is a little scary) ... maybe God is exerting Himself as He breaks out of the little box we have put him in. And as I am watching this unfold all around, I 1) want you to see and perceive it, 2) want to share this amazing story, 3) want to proclaim a truth that is true today and has been true since we were placed in Eden ... GOD HAPPENS! God happens in spite of us, but God REALLY happens when open, contrite, receptive, humble and expectant people say what the ancient Church said ... <b>Maranatha</b> ... "Come Lord!"</div>abbevilledudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09130464037842680129noreply@blogger.com0