Presence

What does it mean when Scripture said, "Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:21)?"  Here's what it doesn't mean:

1. He had a perfect family.  Samuel lived in Eli's house with Eli's sons, both evil priests.

2. Israel was stable and peaceful. Israel was a country filled with corrupt leaders, and Samuel's calling would place him in difficult and dangerous conflict with some of those leaders.

3. Samuel's people were faithful followers of God.  Samuel's people envied being like the people in the land.  They had forgotten God called them to be different, peculiar, and chosen.

I wonder if God is saying something simple and profound.  Maybe 2 things:

1. God's presence rises above our circumstances.  In Philippians 4:7, Paul called it "peace that surpasses understanding."

2. God's presence lifts us out of our circumstances.   Psalm 130:1 says, "Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD."  The Psalmist goes on to say God heard the cry and lifted him up and set his feet on solid ground.

Oh, and that first word ... "Meanwhile."  Do you know God is present with his people when life is happening all around us?  Culture ... God is with us, guiding us.  Turmoil ... God is with us, teaching us.  Victory ... God is with us, keeping our heads from getting too big, or too self-centered.  Defeat ... God is picking us up, and encouraging us to go on in His perfect grace.  

Samuel, because he prayed, listened, communed with God, and lived in God's presence, saw a God that was bigger than anything he faced.  That same God was strong enough to give him the strength to live out his calling.  May we all live in that blessed place!

Pride Goeth Before a Fall

We have all heard the Proverb, "Pride goeth before destruction (Proverbs 16:18)."  Many of us have learned this the hard way, haven't we?  We revel in our situation ... our victory ... our prowess ... our superiority.  And then something happens to bring us down from our pedestal.

A man was given a medal at a church.  The medal was "To The Most Humble Man In Our Congregation."  The next week they took the medal away ... he wore it to church! That is how pride and arrogance work.  They both tell us the lie that we are better, smarter, stronger, and superior.  A Rabbi died and was given the ability to come back for a day.  A friend asked, "What does heaven think is the worst sin?"  The Rabbi responded, "Thinking you are better than other people."

Samson (Judges 16) had plenty to be proud of. He killed a lion with his bare hands. He defeated thirty Philistines. He caught 300 foxes, tied torches to their tails, and burned the Philistine crops. He killed a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. He tore the gates off the city of Gaza and carried them away. After a while, Samson must have begun to believe he couldn't be touched. Enter Delilah.

By Judges 16, Samson isn't simply flirting with a woman. He is flirting with disaster. Delilah keeps asking for the secret of his strength, and Samson keeps playing games with her. First he lies. Then he lies again. Then he gets closer to the truth. And finally, Samson tells her everything. Why? Maybe Samson had become so confident in himself that he believed even Delilah couldn't hurt him. This brings Samson to "the destruction" the Proverb mentions.  His hair is cut, but Samson wakes up and says, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free! (Judges 16:20).” Pride creates failure to see what was really going on.  Scripture says, "But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.” he apparently forgot where his power came from.  And while a blind, humiliated Samson went out in a blaze of glory, his end came quickly, not as a hero but as a fool.

Can we learn from this story?  Can we see ourselves clearly ... and see God's better path?  Can we understand where any true power we have comes from?  Can we repent and learn the humility that truth brings?  "The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord," "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8)!"  AMEN 

A Reason To Sing

So ... God chose Deborah to lead Israel.  Yep!  Controversial in that time, and apparently controversial in our time.  But there are things about Deborah that add depth to the story.  Here are a few of them.

Deborah wanted to make sure the people remembered God's goodness, God's provision, and God's greatness had delivered them from their enemies.  God, and only God, was the source of their season of prosperity and peace.  I remember the Willie Nelson lyric, "He'd rather give you a song, than diamonds or gold (referencing cowboys)."  Maybe Deborah was a cowgirl (the Hebrews were shepherds), because she writes a song of praise to God, thanking Him for what he has done and will do.  Judges 5 constitutes Deborah's song.  If you read this song, you will find it expressing Deborah's attitude about God ... and how God empowers and delivers His people.  She knew this from personal experience since she held several revered positions in the Hebrew culture.

1. Deborah was a prophet.  God spoke to and through her.  When she called upon Barak from the tribe of Naphtali to assemble 10,000 men to fight against Sisera, he said, possibly out of respect to her leadership, "If you go with me, I will go (Judges 4:8)!"  Deborah responded that she would go with him, but Barak would not receive the honor for the victory.  That honor would go to a woman but, if you read the song, she doesn't mean herself.

2. Deborah was a conduit.  Because Deborah was a faithful leader of the Hebrews (the Judge was the national spiritual and political leader of Israel), God's power and promise flowed through her into the circumstances the Hebrews faced.  Sisera sent 900 chariots against the Hebrews, which should have been sufficient to defeat them.  God sent rain, mud, and defeat to Sisera's soldiers.  God sent death to Sisera through Jael, a Kenite woman.  It was Jael who received the honor of the victory.

3. Deborah was a wise Judge.  She settled her people's disputes under "the Tree of Deborah."  God and the people respected her wisdom (that came from God) and her leadership, for which God chose and equipped her.

While the details of this story are hard to follow in the Biblical account, the message is pretty clear.  God chooses His leaders carefully and perfectly (even if they might be out-of-order with the norms of the day).  God provides victory, wisdom, and authority to those He ordains to lead.  God ignores our posturing, bickering, pettiness, and prejudice.

How can I say that?  Do you remember Philippians 2?  Verse 7 says, "He made Himself nothing."  The God who is all-powerful became nothing to bring us to Himself! So maybe God, allowing a song of praise and deliverance from a Judge, a prophet, a spiritual leader, and a woman, should have our continued praise and awe as He delivers us from our enemies and brings us to Himself!  AMEN?  AMEN!

God Things

Do you ever have something happen that you know is a God thing?  It might be something you see.  It might be a Scripture that is particularly applicable to your current situation.  It may be a person or persons.  But God is active, present, and speaking, if we will take the time to notice and/or listen.

This morning, I got to share with the ACA staff about back-to-school thoughts.  Every year, they use our facility for the first "in-service" event.  It is good to see both new and not-so-new faces, as the staff learns, shares, and fellowships together.  We shared the Scripture from Lamentations 3:22-23, in which the prophet (after many words of lament [go figure?]) breaks into praise ... "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"

In the book, Theo of Golden, the author writes, "It is better to see one thing well (in the light of truth) than to see many things poorly."  As we begin the almost fall season, let's make that positivity our mantra.  Most of you are clueless about the rest of Lamentations, and couldn't quote a single verse.  But I bet most of you remember Jeremiah's words of comfort and beauty as you sing the old song, Great is Thy Faithfulness.

"It is better to see one thing well, than to see many things poorly."  The Lamentations passage and this quote are "God things," meant to make us stop, think, look, listen, and see what God is doing.  Go thou, and do likewise!

A Temporary Lesson

Have you, as a teacher or a parent, ever thought, "I thought we covered this lesson!"  I wonder if God does the same thing as I (and we) stub our toes or totally fall down over the same obstacle?  The Hebrews found themselves learning and relearning over and over again, as they traversed the wilderness southeast of Canaan.

Kadesh Barnea was the term in Hebrew.  It meant wilderness, filled with little water and food, serpents, and uncertainty.  A generation had died off, and now Moses prepares the people for entering the land ... a land he would not be allowed to enter because of his own unlearned lessons.  Moses' preparation, and several associated sermons, are contained in Deuteronomy, called Devarim in Hebrew.  It means "these are the words." In the 1st chapter, Moses recounts the spies being sent (the 1st time) into Canaan. The trip was a resounding failure, and maybe lessons were learned (at least temporarily).  In Joshua, two spies are sent.  The spies are not told to assess the armies.  Instead, they are sent to "Go look over the land (Joshua 2)."

Let's stop here.  The first spies (12 of them) were sent to assess the power, the cities, the land, and the obstacles the Hebrews would encounter.  The report came back in a fearful tone.  "The cities are fortified." "The land is good."  "The people are large and strong."  "Why is the Lord sending us up from Egypt, only to die by the sword!"  The report, the spies, and the people failed to follow God's explicit command.

In Joshua 2, 2 spies go out.  I love what they say as they return.  "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us (Joshua 2:24)."  Even Rahab, the prostitute who hides the spies in her home, remarks, "I know the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of us (Joshua 2:9)."  

The first spies came back fearful, defeated, and rebellious.  The second spies realize that the people in the land are "melting with fear" because of the God of Israel.  Imagine that?

The very people of God, God's treasured possession, God's "kingdom of priests," and the people delivered from Egypt had seen what God did, first hand.  Yet, they faltered and reverted to their fear.  They became resistant and stiff-necked.  They were distracted by their false feelings and blinded to the truth.  40 years later, the next generation of Hebrews learned the truth.  They discovered that the people living in Canaan were terrified (more terrified than the Hebrews) of the God that brought them out of Egypt 40 years earlier!

Let that sink in.  Do we (the Church that has been told by Jesus "the very gates of hell will not prevail against us" [Matthew 16]) believe Jesus? Or do we see obstacles, barriers, fortified strongholds, and failure?  Read Psalm 18 (especially verses 6-14).  Tell me if your God is weak or strong?  Proclaim to me if your God hears, listens, and comes to His people?  Is God who He says He is, or is god who you have made him?  

The Art Of Missing Things

Last week at Art Camp, we had over 100 people (children, students, adults) in various capacities, working and serving.  They were a blessing, and the 1st Annual Abbeville Sacred Arts Initiative Summer Art Camp was a beautiful success.  God showed up, and many gifted people worked really hard.  I was blessed by going class-to-class, and I repeatedly saw the beauty, the giftedness, and the smiles of children from every walk of life!  I wanted to run around and say, "Look and see what God has done!"

During a devotional time on Friday morning, I was talking about a scene in Andy Andrews' book, The Traveler's Gift, in which Andrews paints (with words) a scene of a vast storehouse in heaven.  The main character is being led through a storehouse filled with beautiful things like inventions that would make human life better, including cures for all kinds of diseases (cancer, Alzheimer's, etc.).  The question is asked, "What is all this stuff?"  The angel answers, "These are the things that were never invented or never developed, because the person who was assigned that task missed their chance to change the world for the better."  Sometimes blessings are happening all around us, and we miss them!  

WOW, what a thought!  What if each of us could do something that would make life and the world better for everyone, but we missed our chance?  Here is where I want us/you/me to ponder our part in this!  How could we miss such an important thing?  Here are a few lessons from the experience of Hebrews travelling from Egypt to Caanan.  

1. Busyness - We get busy and think our little task is more important than what is happening right beside us.  We might not see, or care, about the connections God is trying to make.  In the Pentateuch, God is binding His people together with a braided cord of 3 strands (Eccl. 4:12) ... the individual, the community, the Lord (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

2. Fear - I wonder if people let fear overcome them to the point they freeze up and fail God?  We fear what people will say, so we avoid the altar.  We fear a response, so we either walk on eggshells or respond with bluster to show our false "lack of fear" (and we miss that 'truth in love' thing God calls us to show).  We see the magnitude of the task and say what the spies did in Numbers 13 ... "there are giants in the land, and we are like grasshoppers!"  All of these things have a common denominator.  They all rely on the power of self rather than the power of God.  So we continue in the wilderness of fear!

3. Being 'Chippy' - God, speaking to Moses said, "these people are stiff-necked (referring to bickering, being prideful, being rebellious, being "difficult). In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (of the Old Testament) the #1 thing stopping the people wasn't the enemies they encountered along the way.  It was THEM!  Moses had more than one conversation with God about God's anger with the people. God was NOT amused!  I saw a sign in a restaurant that said, "If you are difficult, demanding, or rude, you will be charged an extra $10."  God clearly notices this behavior, and God clearly doesn't like this behavior.  

Part of the reason the people wandered in the desert for 40 years is that they didn't trust God enough to follow in faith.  They missed multiple chances to receive God's blessings.

How do we keep from missing the chances God gives us?  We trust God more than bickering, busyness, and fear!  We rely on Him, not self!  We always have 2 choices.  We can choose to see, observe, notice, and buy into what God is doing.  Or, we can lean on our own understanding, failing to trust God or the people God has placed to complete His work. We can do this!  And, we can do this well!

One last comment from that devotional.  When I had finished with my story, Nicey Eller was going to pray.  She had selected a book (without any conversation with me) as her lead-in to prayer time.  It was The Boy Who Changed The World by Andy Andrews!  I asked, "Did you see that, or did you miss it?"  Most didn't recognize that God's Spirit had connected my story with Nicey's prayer.  Maybe they were focused on what they had to do.  Maybe they were fearful of the wave of children about to enter the door.  It's how we miss God's plan, God's blessings, and God's work through our coworkers and us.

I challenge each of us to see, hear, taste, listen, smell, and touch God today.  Let's become experts at these things, rather than being skilled at missing God's things!  God is not silent... we are sometimes not good listeners.  Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Could All This Beauty Be For Us?

During this week, we are all immersed in Art Camp.  Art Camp is part of the Abbeville Sacred Arts Initiative, which is a subset of the Music/Children/Youth Ministry of Abbeville Methodist Church.  Over 100 children, youth, and adults have gathered this week to pray, "May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17)."  We quoted this verse every day as part of the devotional at 8:30 each morning of camp.  It asks God's beauty to guide us and lead us as we work with our hands to bring beauty into the world! In Exodus 31, we find a beautiful example of this as God calls (and equips) Bezalel to craft items that will be part of the worship God expects from His people.

In God's calling and consecration of Bezalel for this work, God seems both happy and excited to tell Moses, "I have filled him (Bezalel) with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft."  Inspiration ... ability ... intelligence ... knowledge.  This sounds a little like heart, soul, mind, strength ... doesn't it?

Three points here:

1. Did you notice God started with "spirit?"  If we are planning to be guided by God in the work of our hands, we need to begin by opening ourselves to the spirit of God.  One of my favorite songs says it this way ... "O Spirit of the Living God, O light and fire divine ... descend upon your Church once more, and make it truly thine!"

2. Did you notice God cares deeply about this work being done skillfully?  God gives the ability and the opportunity to use our intelligence to gain knowledge.  Every child at Art Camp has/had each of these things.  God calls us to the work He has established, and then He gives us the abilities, intelligence, and skills to craft what God has designed.  What a calling!  And what a beautiful time to watch each of these children grow in something that imparts the grace of beauty upon them!  I believe God loves this!

3.  Did you notice that God is continuing to grow, expand, and express Himself in what He has called us to create, all so that we may worship Him?  

We start with God's Spirit leading ... we continue with God's gifting ... we apply skills that we invest in ... so that we may worship God.  And here is the kicker ... God is doing this FOR us!  Because when we are able to truly worship God, we can leave the bondage of culture, self, transactionism, and make a beautiful connection with a God that is beautiful, creative, and trustworthy!  Here are some words about that moment ... that thin place ... when God speaks life into us, our work, and our children ...

Into the peace of these wild things

Into the wild of this grace

Into the grace of this blessing

Speak in the peace of this place

Here in the magic hour, time and eternity

Mingle a moment in chorus

Here at the magic hour, bright is the mystery

Plain is the beauty before us,

Could all this beauty be for us?

(Andrew Peterson, Magic Hour)

You Want Us To Do What?

Scripture: Exodus 23:1–9 … "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits... Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong... Do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit... Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt." (Exodus 23:6, 2, 3, 9)

You want us to do what? There are moments in Scripture that cause us to stop reading and start staring. Exodus 23:1-9 is one of those passages.

God tells His people not to spread false reports. Don't join the crowd in doing wrong. Don't show favoritism to the rich. Don't show prejudice toward the poor. Help your enemy's wandering animal. Refuse bribes. Protect the innocent. Don't oppress the foreigner. It almost sounds impossible.

Our culture has taught us that justice means standing with "our side" and mercy means helping "our people." None of this focuses on revenge, giving our foe some of what they have given us, or demeaning others to benefit our "side." God says something radically different. He tells His people to live according to His standards, not ours.

The Hebrew word most often translated justice is mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט). Mishpat is much more than simply deciding who wins and who loses. It means rendering a judgment that reflects the very character of God. It is justice as God sees it—not merely as people perceive it. That is why Exodus 23 repeatedly warns against partiality.

Do not favor the powerful. Do not favor or penalize the poor simply because they are poor. Do not follow public opinion. Do not let emotion replace truth.

Justice is not determined by popularity, politics, wealth, or sympathy. Justice belongs to God. His people are simply called to reflect it.

The Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד) is often translated as steadfast love, lovingkindness, or mercy. Yet none of those English words fully capture its depth. Hesed describes covenant love. It is the kind of loyalty, kindness, and sacrificial commitment normally reserved for family. It is treating someone as though they belong to you. As though they carry your own name. As though they are your brother or sister. That is shocking.

God is not merely asking us to be polite. He is asking us to love people—including those who have hurt us—with the devotion we naturally reserve for blood relatives. No wonder Jesus later tells us to love our enemies. He wasn't inventing a new idea. He was revealing what had been God's heart all along.

There is a story often told about a respected judge. One day a lifelong friend stood before his bench guilty of breaking the law. The courtroom became quiet. Everyone wondered what the judge would do. Would friendship outweigh justice? The judge looked at his friend and quietly pronounced him guilty. Then he imposed the maximum fine allowed by law.

Justice had been served. But then something unexpected happened. The judge stood up. He removed his robe. Walked down from the bench. Reached into his own pocket. And paid the entire fine himself.

Justice had not been ignored. Mercy had not been abandoned. Both had been perfectly fulfilled. That is exactly what God has done for us. At the cross, God never declared sin unimportant. Justice demanded payment. So God Himself, in Christ, stepped down from the Judge's seat, entered our humanity, and paid the penalty we could never pay. The cross is where mishpat and hesed meet.

Justice satisfied. Mercy overflowing. Go, thou and do likewise!

Freedom Clichés

Every July we hear them. "Give me liberty or give me death." "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." "Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life."

"Freedom isn't free." They appear on signs, social media posts, T-shirts, and speeches. Because they are so familiar, they can become little more than patriotic clichés. But behind every one of them lies a story of sacrifice, courage, and conviction. Long before the birth of America, God was teaching these same lessons in the opening chapters of Exodus.

Israel was a nation living without freedom. A Pharaoh who "did not know Joseph" (Exodus 1:8) reduced God's people to slaves. They were forced into hard labor, their sons were marked for death, and their future seemed hopeless. Slavery was not merely an economic system—it was an assault on the image of God in humanity. Then God began to move.

He preserved the life of Moses through unlikely people—a courageous mother, a compassionate sister, and even Pharaoh's own daughter. God called Moses from the burning bush and declared His covenant name: "I AM WHO I AM." He had heard His people's cries, remembered His promises, and had come down to deliver them.  And God used an unlikely 80-year-old to keep God’s promises.  A spiritual showdown unfolds. Again and again Moses delivers God's message: "Let My people go, so that they may worship Me." Freedom, in God's eyes, is never an end in itself. It is the opportunity to worship, obey, and live under His gracious rule.

Pharaoh refuses. His heart grows harder with every encounter. The plagues begin to fall—not only as judgments upon Egypt, but as declarations that the gods of Egypt are powerless before the living God. Freedom would come, but not without conflict, sacrifice, and loss of life. That is why the saying, "Freedom isn't free," rings so true.

For Israel, freedom required God's mighty hand, miraculous signs, courageous obedience, and eventually the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. For America, freedom has required generations willing to sacrifice comfort, wealth, and even life itself for the sake of others.

For Christians, our greatest freedom came at the highest possible cost. Jesus Christ took upon Himself the judgment our sin deserved so that we might be free from sin, death, and the power of Satan. The cross reminds us that eternal freedom was purchased, not cheaply, but with the precious blood of the Son of God.

Perhaps that is why Patrick Henry's cry, "Give me liberty or give me death," still stirs our hearts. There are truths worth living for—and some worth dying for.

The Declaration reminds us that "all men are created equal." Exodus reminds us why: every person bears the image of the Creator. No Pharaoh, government, employer, or culture can erase that God-given dignity.

And the words from “America the Beautiful” —"Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life"—point us beyond patriotism to the heart of Christ Himself. He loved not Himself first, but the world He came to save.

This Independence Day, don't let these phrases become empty slogans. Remember the Hebrews crying out beneath their burdens. Remember Moses standing before Pharaoh. Remember the God who hears, remembers, sees, and acts. Remember those who purchased earthly freedom with sacrifice. And above all, remember the Savior who declared, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)

Freedom has never been a cliché. It has always been a gift worth protecting, celebrating, and using to glorify God.

Unused Gift Cards

Beside my bed is a nightstand.  The nightstand and its two drawers are the resting place of things that, at a particular moment, are not at the top of the priority list.  They are things that I want to keep and maybe use later, but are not things that I will use in the immediate future.  Screen protectors that come in a 3-pack, but I only need one now.  My little case of tiny screws that I can use to repair glasses.  A COVID-era calendar that I threw there and forgot about.  And ... gift cards with usable value, but they are in that drawer.

What will happen to those gift cards?  I might retrieve them and use them.  They may stay in the drawer till they expire.  But the longer they stay in the drawer, the longer they become forgotten, unused, and potentially wasted.

Enter Moses from the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Exodus.  He was a Hebrew born in Egypt during the time the Hebrews were slaves.  Moses, at the age of 3 months, was placed in a basket, floated down the Nile River, and was a human Hail Mary prayer as his mother hoped and prayed for his survival (if Moses had been discovered, he would have been killed).  Moses was found by the Pharaoh's daughter, nursed to health in the palace, and became her son.  Moses, as an adult, saw how his people were mistreated and, in a fit of anger, killed an Egyptian who was beating one of the Hebrew slaves.  His act is discovered, and Moses flees justice, going to Midian, where he built a life, married, and tended sheep there for his father-in-law, Jethro.  Moses is in the 'nightstand' of life!  God opens the drawer, lifts Moses out, and calls him to the work for which Moses was created.

Three things about this story:

1. Even people born into dire circumstances are born with gifts.

2. The circumstances of life and culture will place your gifts in jeopardy, telling you that they are not urgent, important, or currently usable.

3. God doesn't miss or misplace you or your gifts ... He calls you to the Holy Ground of calling.

Moses is told by God (Exodus 3), "I am (the God that exists)," "You are standing on holy ground (a place of divine encounter), and "I have seen the misery of my people."  God is real, God can make even dirt holy, and God will use messed-up people and their gifts of obedience to bring people into His plan.  He is still doing that!  AMEN!

Two Words

Some of you know I have been involved in a year-long training "huddle" of six preachers from Global Methodist Churches in the southeast.  It has been a great time of sharing ministry, concerns, gifts, stories, work, and life.  I am the oldest, and my friend, Sam, from Freeport, is the youngest.  There has been a lot of work associated with this collaborative training, and all of us have learned from one another.  In one of the sessions, we had the chance to come up with two words that we felt described our calling as Christians and as ministers.  This was hard, though we were aided by 4 (yes, 4!) personality tests.  Later in the process, we were again asked to share two words (again, after several focusing exercises) that would describe how we would call our friends, colleagues, ministry partners, and connections to become disciples of Jesus that worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.  This was hard ... very hard!

Words are important.  And they tell a story.  In the early 1900's, someone was asked to shorten a news story (several paragraphs) into six words that summarized the story.  They said, "FOR SALE, BABY SHOES, NEVER WORN").  This story, often attributed to Hemingway, amplifies that much can be said in a few words.

Sunday is Father's Day.  A Biblical father, Jacob (Genesis 46:28-34), travels to Egypt with all he has, so that his family can weather a famine.  His son, Joseph, tells him specific words to say when Pharaoh greets Jacob and Joseph's family.  "We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.’ When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds."  Joseph, always clever and calculating, knew the right words to say so that his (and also God's) purpose would be realized.  Words are important.

This Sunday, let's merge the themes "words are important," "Father's Day," and "Two Words."  What do you think your Two Words would be, if you were asked, "what are the Two Words that flow out of your life that would describe how God calls you to make disciples?"  Or, maybe, "What Two Words would God (our heavenly Father) us to describe how you are making disciples (I like that 2nd one)."

For Joseph, the words might be Providential Preservationist.  Joseph protects His family (the family that will ultimately become the great nation that saves/blesses the world), preserves God's promise, and perpetuates God's plan.  God's promise is preserved because Joseph is available, obedient, and accessible to God's perfect plan.

Ok ... now for some self-disclosure.  My Two Words (they seem to evolve a bit over time) might be, Discover and Become (I didn't count the 'and').  I want each of you to Discover who God is, His beauty, His promises, and His purpose.  I want each of you to Become the person God created you to be ... people who live out Jesus in your circles and create a place where blessing, beauty, and discipleship happen organically.

What are your Two Words?  And, for our fathers, do your Two Words fit with God's purpose to bring everyone to Himself?  Words are important, aren't they?

Fog and Opportunity

There is something beautiful about pushing a boat out into the fog on the Choctawhatchee Bay. The shoreline disappears, familiar landmarks vanish, and all you can see is a gray curtain hanging over the water. Yet there is peace in knowing the bay well enough to trust where you are headed, even when you cannot see the destination.

Life with God often feels the same way.

In Genesis 37, Joseph made what was probably a youthful mistake. God gave him dreams, but Joseph shared those self-exalting visions with his brothers, whose hearts were already growing jealous. Perhaps those dreams should have remained hidden in the fog a little longer. Instead, his brothers filled in the blanks, assuming Joseph desired to rule over them, and their jealousy set in motion years of hardship.

Dreams are funny things. Sometimes they appear through a foggy haze, much like looking through cataracts (something I understand better after recently having cataract surgery). When our vision is clouded, we often supply our own explanations, assumptions, and fears. We imagine what God must mean instead of patiently waiting for Him to reveal His purpose.

Yet some dreams are more than imagination. Some dreams are God-given visions—glimpses of a future reality that He is preparing. They are less about our own greatness and more about His unfolding plan. They become destinations toward which God gently steers us.

Several months ago, our church had such a dream: to invite children into an encounter with God through art and music. That vision formed around the beautiful prayer of Psalm 90:17:

"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands."

Last week, our planning team gathered to discuss the overwhelming logistics for our July 13–17 Sacred Arts Camp. There were schedules, volunteers, supplies, classrooms, music, and countless details that could easily make the dream seem impossible.

But something wonderful happened. The fog began to lift. The cataracts are being removed.

What once seemed confusing is beginning to come into focus as a "thin place"—a place where the distractions of this world fade, and God's reality becomes beautifully clear.

Joseph's dreams led him through opposition, obstacles, and oppression before they led him to God's purpose. Our own dreams often travel the same road. Yet if they are truly born of God, they will eventually lead us exactly where He intends.

I love that the word opportunity may be traced to the Latin expression ob portu, referring to favorable conditions for bringing a ship safely into harbor. The tide comes in, the winds align, and the captain knows it is time to make port. There is work to be done!

Perhaps that is where we are today. By following God's leading and allowing His beauty to establish the work of our hands, He is guiding us into the harbor He has prepared—a place filled with art, music, drama, goodness, grace, and children discovering the beauty of Christ.

The fog is clearing. The cataracts are being removed. And the beauty of God's dream is finally coming into focus.

Wrestling With God

I believe we have all done it!  Wrestling with God.  And it IS Biblical.  Read Genesis 32.  

This part of the Bible is not just read ... it is navigated.  There are strange stories that would make a soap opera blush.  There are Hebrew customs, traditions, and symbols that are woven through the thread of the stories.  In this combination of poetic narrative and Hebrew narrative, we find the character Jacob.  Jacob (the name) means supplanter or heel-grabber.  Jacob struggles with life from birth, grabbing Esau's heel as he is born.  His life is filled with conflict, scheming, and a constant pursuit of something I don't think Jacob even knows ... until Peniel.  There, Jacob encounters God, and there is a wrestling match.  Jacob emerges from the encounter injured, changed, and renamed. What can we learn from all this?  I'll try to unpack this a bit.

First, Jacob sends his family and everything he owns ahead, across the Jabbok River.  I am guessing Jacob had some idea that fate had caught up with him, and he might be facing his brother Esau, whom Jacob had cheated out of his birthright.  God had other plans.  The old song, "You Gotta Walk That Lonesome Valley," comes to mind as Jacob awaits what is coming.  "We gotta walk that lonesome valley ... we gotta walk it by ourselves, nobody here gonna walk it for you, we gotta walk it by ourselves."  

Second, Jacob (I think) does what he normally does.  He doesn't let go.  I say this as I experience a modern-day world of people who rationalize their way into quitting things.  We are part of a team, but quit participating because someone hurts our feelings or doesn't value us as much as we would like.  This happens on sports teams, in workplaces, and in churches.  I want to tell people, "Put on your big boy/girl pants," and reflect on what would happen if God treated us this way!  I come from a generation that looked at quitting as unacceptable social behavior.  They learned to work with and through difficult people.  Jacob hangs on to God for dear life, and if he dies, his cold, dead corpse will still be hanging on!

Third, Jacob's encounter with God causes seismic changes in his life.  He is physically injured and changed (now with an out-of-joint hip).  He names the place where this happened Peniel, which means "face of God," I believe, to remember this encounter forever.  His name is changed to Israel, now a nation known for tenacity and unwavering commitment to a mission. But more than his name, things start happening that change Jacob's life.  In the next few verses, Jacob reconciles with his brother Esau.  He is no longer running away.  He honors God with an altar to El-Elohe (The Mighty God). He follows God's instructions to live in Bethel (meaning the house of God).  

How has your encounter with God changed you?  Are you a city on a hill, doing good so that your Father in heaven is glorified?  Or are you building a tower for yourself that will reach the stars?  Jacob finally started listening to God.  How goes it with you?

Today Was Payday!

I heard a story about a Navy ship that intercepted a boat from Southeast Asia.  The boat was overloaded with almost 100 people fleeing poverty, persecution, and plight in their home country.  The people were dehydrated, starving, and desperate.  In a few more days, they would have started dying, one by one.  The sailors took the people on board, fed them,  gave them medical assistance, and saved them from almost certain death.  After the work of intake and rescue, a tired sailor said, "Today was payday!"

I know this story is being read by people who see the world with varied eyes.  Some are happy that we were being what Ronald Reagan called "a city on a hill."  Some are upset that America used military money and assets for this purpose.  Some might think this is a "feel-good" story, and they don't like this kind of story.  How do you see it?

In Genesis 12:1-3, God speaks to Abraham.  “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you."  The Old Testament clearly calls God's people (a nation Abraham founded right here in Genesis) distinct, peculiar, and different from the surrounding nations.  This passage captures a foundational part of that distinctness.  

Here are a few thoughts:

1. There is a formula for becoming a "great" nation here.  God made the Hebrews a great nation.  His presence and hand are the touch that creates that greatness.  God is the foundation here.

2. There is a transitive way of blessing here.  God is the giver/creator of blessing.  That blessing passes to the people from God.  And THAT blessing passes from God's people to "all the families on the earth."  There it is!!! Another purpose passage.  Blessing is God's plan, and we are the conduit of that blessing.  It was Abraham's calling, and it is OUR calling.

How are we doing?  Are we Reagan's (and Matthew 5:14's) city on a hill?  Are we the nation that gives light to all the houses of the world?

Two of my members came to me to offer a gift of help to someone in our community.  They want no credit ... they just want to help.  I think they know Genesis 12:1-3.  I think they have read Matthew 5:14.  And when this gift is a done deal, I think they will say ... "Today was payday!"

The Rainbow is Most Beautiful When ...

When is a rainbow the most beautiful?  After a huge storm?  When you are journeying through difficult times?  When all the colors are clear?  When a subtle rainbow shows up out of nowhere?  When the rainbow appears while it is still raining?  Maybe all of these!

In Genesis 9:12-13, God says, "Then God said, 'I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.'"  While we have made the rainbow the sign of political movements, Skittles, and that coconut rainbow candy that came out 'back in the day,' God meant the rainbow as something else.  From the song, My Deliverer, Rich Mullins said it this way ... "I will never doubt His promise, He has written it across the sky!"  For people of God, the rainbow should always remind us that God makes, and keeps, His promises!  Always!

For those of us who remember our fallen heroes this week, we can hang our hats on God's promise sent through the words of Paul ... "O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?  For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.  But thank God!  He gives victory over sin and death through our Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)!"  God makes and keeps His promises!  Always!

For all who remember that Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, we are reminded of the promise Jesus gave the Church.  "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate who will never leave you (John 14:16)."  "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised, as I told you before.  John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5)!"  God makes and keeps His promises!  Always!  

The rainbow, for Christians, is God's expression of His constant movement from what was and is to what will certainly be.  He is in the persistent, unstoppable, and beautiful business of bringing us "to Himself (Exodus 19:4).  God will do this through majestic acts (Acts 2, Pentecost) that birth new things.  God will do this through His presence, through and past our human losses.  God will do this as we, while dealing with life, come to the realization that our rainbow ... our promise ... is there, behind the mist, in the storm, even in the night, just waiting for a little light to shine and reveal that God will never break His promise, He has written it across the sky!  

A Different Butterfly Effect

You have probably heard of "The Butterfly Effect."  The law, also known as "the law of sensitive dependence on initial conditions," is part of what is known as "chaos theory."  To sum it up, the law basically holds that small, even minute, changes or happenings can have major effects on other things.  Let me say ... I believe in this principle ... because I have seen it happen!

In 2022, I was less than patient with the pace of our application to become a part of the Global Methodist Church.  There were only a few hundred churches formed at that time. Then, as is usually the case when I am impatient, I decided I needed to approach things differently.  So I asked a very dangerous question ... "If ya'll are having difficulty moving applications along, is there any way I can help?"  Eight other people and I said essentially the same thing, and we were tasked with processing applications from around the world ... yes, the entire world!  What happened has resulted in (in 2026) about 7500 churches (including many new church starts) on many continents, all over the world.  It was chaotic, exhausting, and one of the best things I have done for Jesus in my life.  A small group of people flapped their collective wings in America, and a whirlwind of churches, stories, testimonies, and new believers happened.  NOT because of us ... but because God's Spirit was in this movement!

A man named Norman Borlaug was involved in developing wheat varieties that could grow in arid climates.  You probably haven't heard of him, but his work is credited with saving 2 billion people from starvation ... you read that right, 2 billion!  One man working with a small group of scientists!  The Butterfly Effect!

Our staff here, working on the Abbeville Sacred Arts Initiative, started with 3 people, praying, dreaming, and "flapping our artistic wings."  Just a writer and two musicians.  Over the last three months, we have had Christian artists, performers, and community leaders come together in ways we could have never dreamed.  We seem to get phone calls, inquiries, and interested people every day.  We have received a CREO Arts Grant and are actively pursuing another grant.  The River Youth and Children's Center is well underway (help if you can!).  But I know that if anything good happens from all of this, it is due to the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit and the foundation of Jesus.  The Butterfly Effect!

It shouldn't surprise us.  2000 years ago (give or take) an uneducated fisherman preached a sermon before a hostile crowd.  All he had was a testimony, a relationship with Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit.  You can read his message in Acts 2.  When he finished, bewildered Jews "cut to the heart" asked, "Brothers, what shall we do?"  Peter answered, "Repent and be baptized!"  3000 people responded!  Small beginnings, a few disciples filled with God's Spirit, and a huge outpouring.  The Butterfly Effect!

Not chaos. Not turning the world upside down. But bringing things "round right" (Shaker Song).  Maybe the Lord of the butterflies knows a thing or two that we should grasp!  To God be the glory, great things He has done!  AMEN?  AMEN!

Shoot The Oxen

There is a strange story in 1 Kings 19 (actually, there are a number of strange stories in both 1st and 2nd Kings).  So ... here it is.  First,  there is the famous story of Elijah in the cave .. the one where God appears to him in a whisper.  Then, Elijah passes his mantle of prophecy to Elisha.  He just appears at the field where Elisha is plowing.  Elijah places his mantle on Elisha, and Elisha does 3 things ... he kisses his mom and dad ... he kills the oxen ... he cooks the oxen and feeds the town.  Let's unpack this:

1. Ok, it's Mother's Day.  Gotta take care of something obvious.  Never leave on an important mission without telling Mama and giving her your assurance that she is on your mind.  Share love, plans, and dreams with your mama.  Whether she agrees or not, this is important. Honor your father and mother ... not a suggestion, a commandment!

2. Shoot the oxen.  Did you ever wonder about the reason(s) Cain's offering was rejected and Abel's offering was accepted?  I wonder if the main reason was that Cain offered produce, which could be regrown by doing the same thing again.  Abel offered the whole and the first of his flock ... he had to start over with that particular sheep!  Why do our offerings, our worship, our words seem to not be accepted?  Maybe we are only offering what we can easily reproduce.  Maybe God wants us to kill the oxen ... start over ... get rid of the sacred cows ... stop going to church and start BEING the Church!  About 20 Abbeville people went to Annual Conference this week.  About 1/3 of these stayed to be trained in disciple-making (you know, that little MISSION thing we say ... Make Disciples of Jesus that worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly?).  We are jumping all in to this, and some oxen need to be killed.  Maybe we even need to name them ... time, resources, programs, empty things we do that aren't mission-focused?  What do you think? And, by the way, your little church might have had the most attendees at Annual Conference of every church except the host church!!!! Y'all truly rock!

3. Let's admit it.  We are Methodists.  And as good Methodists, we have something we really do well!  We eat!  After we kill those oxen, we celebrate our history and dream about our future.  Monday night we celebrated 10 ordinands that are either Deacons or Elders, going out to serve God.  I think they kissed mama.  I think they shot some oxen, or they wouldn't be there.  And after it all, we had a little party ... before we were all sent out!

Process this story.  What does it mean to you?  Are you ready to take on the mission?  Are you willing to do every necessary thing to become a disciple-making congregation?  This means YOU might need to shoot some oxen.  And YOU WILL need to both be and make disciples  ... all of you.  Why? Because it is what we have been told to do by Jesus!  That's good enough for me!

Not in OZ Anymore!

Last Sunday, Max read from the Book of Micah, and he graciously offered a bit of historical context before beginning. He reminded us that Micah, an 8th-century BC prophet, spoke boldly against the leaders of Israel—primarily in the Northern Kingdom. He condemned their corruption, their neglect of the poor, their willingness to follow false prophets, and their empty, performative worship.

They had created a false sense of righteousness—a curated spirituality that ignored real suffering. They lived in comfort, blindness, and denial. In many ways, it was like living in a spiritual version of The Wizard of Oz—bright, appealing, and completely disconnected from reality.

In 722 BC, that illusion shattered. The Assyrian Empire invaded and destroyed the Northern Kingdom, leaving behind only Samaria and those too poor or insignificant to be taken into exile. The leaders and the upper class—the very ones who had led the nation astray—were carried off into captivity and never returned.

There are at least two lessons for us here:

1. See the Reality Around Us

We often live in two realities at once.

I confess that I can escape into the world of sports. I can convince myself that scores, statistics, player rankings, and performance metrics truly matter. It becomes its own version of Oz—bright, exciting, and full of promise. If my team wins, it feels like I’ve arrived at the Emerald City.

But it isn’t real. And at the end of that road, there is often the same emptiness that Israel discovered in their illusion.

Meanwhile, another reality is unfolding—one that we often ignore. We tell ourselves that wealth, success, power, and competition will satisfy us. Yet God is saying—perhaps even shouting—that what truly matters is people: their stories, their struggles, and the beauty woven into creation.

There is also a deeper spiritual reality at work. Evil is not abstract—it is active. It seeks to keep us distracted, numb, and unaware. Scripture warns us in the Book of Hosea 8:7: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” Small compromises—insincerity, neglect, indifference—can grow into forces that damage entire communities.

As the cartoon philosopher Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

The path forward is not denial—it is repentance. We must turn back to the Lord.

2. Change the World Around Us

When we hear all of this, a natural question arises: What can I do?

The answer begins with where we are. We invest our time, energy, and attention in what truly matters. God is already at work—right here, right now. As the Book of Isaiah 43:19 reminds us: “See, I am doing a new thing!” And the psalmist declares in Psalms 40:2: “He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”  Open up to this beautiful activity by God!

We participate in this work by following God’s Word, seeking His presence, and trusting His promises. We learn to see and embrace the beauty God is unfolding. We love the people He places in our path. And we reject the illusion of Oz—which, in the end, is not powerful at all.

Remember the truth revealed at the end of The Wizard of Oz: the great and powerful wizard was not what he appeared to be. As he admits, “I am just a very bad wizard.”

And yet, Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion already possessed what they needed all along. So it is with us. God has already given us what we need. Let us hold fast to the beauty God is placing before us.

Let us follow Him—even when it is inconvenient—by making and becoming disciples, as commanded in the Great Commission. Let us help build the River described in the Book of Ezekiel—a river that is ever-growing, ever-flowing, ever-refreshing, and everlasting. And let us bring such beauty, grace, and truth into our community that people will recognize it can only come from God, of God, for God, and with God.  If this sounds like a prayer, it is!

Worship ... Do, Get, or Give?

The book of Micah (I have a friend who has his life verse here) is truly about worship.  Most of us think we know, or have a good idea of, what worship is all about.  While we may know what we like, I want us to explore a question.  Is worship about what WE like or about God?  I hope you think this is a valid question, because if you do, we have a good starting point.  And, I will add another question.  Do we DO worship, GET worship, or GIVE worship?

Micah's 5 parts of worship teach us something we might have missed in how worship has evolved in the Church (or might I suggest, devolved?).  Here goes:

1. Heart - In Micah's world, the church DID worship.  Sacrifices, rituals, and extravagance (Micah 6:6-7) were the earmarks of worship.  This carried through to Jesus' time as Jesus desired heart vs extravagance.  Our song, Heart of Worship, is all about focusing on entering the presence of God with an open heart, to be filled by God.  

2. Living Sacrifice - Micah railed against external worship exemplified in burnt offerings, thousands of rams, and rivers of oil.  The church and its leaders had become focused on worship as a revenue stream.  I wonder if the modern practice of "giving the people what they want" is any different?  I was advised (in a worship seminar) to ditch practices like prayer requests, reciting of creeds, and ritual, to allow more time for manipulative methods to "bring people into the feeling of worship."  True worship, just like love, is not a feeling.  It is giving up time, heart, and control to God ... not human manipulation.

3. Life Outside The Church - Worship doesn't just happen in Sunday morning services.  It is followed and preceded by God's requirements ... do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).  These things happen while living life.

4. Humility - Humility toward God and other people is an outward acts of worship that proceed from an inward attitude.  Micah 7:7 defines this as the prophet says, "But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation."  Micah is led by God ... not leading God where he desires to go.

5. Response - In March, our congregation sponsored a music program called "A Lenten Response."  I loved this title, because it places worship in the proper place ... as a response to a holy, living, and loving God.  "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity ... He delights in steadfast love (Micah 7:18-19)!"  God is faithful ... God is all suffiucient ... God is the only one worthy of our worship.

In the song, Light of the World (We The Kingdom), one line describes worship this way ... "Fall down before Him, come and adore Him, sing hallelujah, to the light of the world."  Do we do this, or do we select what we like and do what is comfortable?  Or, do we enter His gates with praise and thanksgiving, giving worship to the only one worthy of our praise?  

Needing (and worth) Saving

You might get, from the current activities at Abbeville Methodist, that we are into this thing called beauty.  Not beauty as the world sees it, but beauty that God has and is creating.  I believe that this is one of the many ways God transforms, teaches, leads, awakens, and restores us.

Do you remember when God looked at his creation and said, "It is good?"  While I am pretty sure we have done much to mar, pollute, pervert, and re-purpose this world, I am even more sure of God's creative capacity to save it.  The world needs saving, and the world is worth saving.  After all ... "God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)."  There it is, in the verse many of us know by heart.  God is in the active and persistent practice of saving the world.  He said it, and I believe it!

So ... how do we (just a faithful group of people who are in this journey together) get into where God is working, in this "saving the world" thing?  Just a few thoughts:

1. Goodness - Remember that Genesis 1 quote (above) "It is good!"  From where and whom is goodness measured?  I think it is God!  God defines good.  And how can we be, act, do good?  We can "be" God's people, we can "act" with goodness.  We can "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God."  You do remember, of course, that goodness is a fruit of the Spirit.  And we are only able to accomplish goodness by the work of the Spirit.  If we leave it up to our reactions, our controlling nature, our pridefulness, our goodness will look just like our righteousness ... filthy rags.  God wants to look at His Church and say, "It is good!"

2. Grace - Grace is an unwarranted, undeserved, and unbelievable gift from God.  We don't deserve forgiveness, but our faith/belief in Jesus (as Lord and Savior) allows us to receive this gift from God.  Grace is a byproduct of God's amazing love for us.  He loved people so much, He made a pathway for His work of salvation, and amazingly, He believes we are worth saving.  So give thanks, and pass grace along as you walk through life.

There is a song called "So Will I" that holds these words ... "As You speak, a hundred billion failures disappear, where you gave Your life so I could find it here, if You left the grave behind You, so will I.  I can see Your heart in everything you've done, every part designed in a work of art called love. If You gladly choose to surrender, so will I.  I can see your heart eight billion different ways, every precious one, a child You died to save.  If You gave Your life to love them, so will I."  Our response to God in us, in our Church, in our world, is to paint the beautiful picture of goodness and grace ... so that our Savior (who thinks we are worthy) can look out on His Church and say, "It is good!"