Since I am writing you from the Annual Conference of the Alabama/West Florida, United Methodist Conference you might be confused with the title. All of this order and structure ... all of the music ... all of the reports (some encouraging) ... all of the knowledge about the happenings in our area ... the videos of events and blessings at churches in the conference ... all of those preachers ... one would think that I would be immersed in the message that Jesus is Lord.
But this time has always been difficult for me. Yesterday I preached about Barnabas entering Antioch with an attitude of seeking and seeing God's blessings. Pray that I can and will do the same. Because I too often see three things that give me pause. I see preachers comparing their catches of fish in overtly numeric terms ... I wonder if God is impressed with their numbers? I hear reports that tell me how well things are going but they are sometimes factually evasive. And I meet hundreds of pastors trying to get the weeks work done as they "process" the required meetings, the services and the necessary business of the Conference. Lots of "duty" and seemingly not that much joy.
But then there is this ... as I stood last evening next to Marilyn Skipper and we sang with joy the songs of the church. I don't know about Marilyn but I couldn't tell you much that was read, preached or said at the opening worship service. But I can tell you the lyrics of a song that was shared with thousands of people and a choir of maybe 250 people. "And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come, still my soul will sing your praise unending ... 10,000 years and then forevermore." God truly does send streams in the desert ... and he brings life from death. I wonder what His plan will be ... and I pray I can just be a part of something good He is doing! Randy
Monday, June 2, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Expectations and Needs
I was down at the lake yesterday. You might have heard my story about the Blue Heron that decided to try and steal the bass I caught a few weeks ago. Yesterday he was back (the thievin', trashy thing!). He saw me fishing and expected to get something to eat ... to be fed.
One time when Jesus was teaching up around another lake (the Sea of Galilee) he got some bad news (Matthew 14). John the Baptist had just been beheaded by Herod and Jesus withdrew in a boat to be by himself. But the crowds followed Him. Jesus had compassion for them and cured them but it got late in the day. The disciples were worried about who would feed this many people (there were 5,000 men, not to mention women and children). In one of His miracles Jesus fed the people with a little bread and a few fish after healing their sick.
Here is what I was thinking yesterday. How many of us are like that heron, coming down to expect a meal? We go to church expecting to be fed and we even expect how that feeding will take place. When the food is different than we expect, when the feeding fails to meet our expectations, I wonder ... do we fly away like that heron, looking for food somewhere else? The heron is just a dumb bird, but I wonder ... as God's people and God's church, are we so caught up in how we are fed, the kind of music we hear, the style of worship, the expectation of what we want, that we sometimes fail to graciously receive the meal God desires to give us?
I don't know what the crowds of Matthew expected, but in the Gospel accounts the crowds are not presented positively ... because they always seemed to want what they expected. When that "want" was not met (the teaching got hard) John's Gospel says, many fell away from following. In Africa thousands of people will stand for hours in the hot sun to hear God's Word preached. Maybe we can learn something from them.
God desires to give us what we need ... not what we want. This week many churches in the Alabama West Florida conference of the United Methodist Church will receive new preachers. I won't chime in on my thoughts about our process except to say this. Maybe people in our churches should ask God to send them the pastor they need ... not the one they want. May we all go faithfully to our church of choice Sunday (or whatever day we worship) and listen for God to give us exactly what we need in the sermon and the music. We should be thankful for a God who sees and meets our needs, even when we fail to know them ourselves. Randy
One time when Jesus was teaching up around another lake (the Sea of Galilee) he got some bad news (Matthew 14). John the Baptist had just been beheaded by Herod and Jesus withdrew in a boat to be by himself. But the crowds followed Him. Jesus had compassion for them and cured them but it got late in the day. The disciples were worried about who would feed this many people (there were 5,000 men, not to mention women and children). In one of His miracles Jesus fed the people with a little bread and a few fish after healing their sick.
Here is what I was thinking yesterday. How many of us are like that heron, coming down to expect a meal? We go to church expecting to be fed and we even expect how that feeding will take place. When the food is different than we expect, when the feeding fails to meet our expectations, I wonder ... do we fly away like that heron, looking for food somewhere else? The heron is just a dumb bird, but I wonder ... as God's people and God's church, are we so caught up in how we are fed, the kind of music we hear, the style of worship, the expectation of what we want, that we sometimes fail to graciously receive the meal God desires to give us?
I don't know what the crowds of Matthew expected, but in the Gospel accounts the crowds are not presented positively ... because they always seemed to want what they expected. When that "want" was not met (the teaching got hard) John's Gospel says, many fell away from following. In Africa thousands of people will stand for hours in the hot sun to hear God's Word preached. Maybe we can learn something from them.
God desires to give us what we need ... not what we want. This week many churches in the Alabama West Florida conference of the United Methodist Church will receive new preachers. I won't chime in on my thoughts about our process except to say this. Maybe people in our churches should ask God to send them the pastor they need ... not the one they want. May we all go faithfully to our church of choice Sunday (or whatever day we worship) and listen for God to give us exactly what we need in the sermon and the music. We should be thankful for a God who sees and meets our needs, even when we fail to know them ourselves. Randy
Monday, May 19, 2014
Mom's Not Here
The other day Lee heard two little girls arguing in a bathroom. One said ... "Mom told me to tell you to wash your hands." The other little girl said "Mom's not here." These two beautiful and innocent little girls proceeded to discuss the subject of hand-washing with the compliant girl insisting that the other girl should wash her hands just because mama said so. The non-compliant girl is preparing to go out and lie to mom about the whole thing. It was a classic battle of how we, as people, think.
Aside from just not wanting to be told what to do (I have a little of this in me) and the compliant girl wondering why she is even bothering on this, what can we learn from this conversation? Maybe a couple of things. First, let's realize that the innocent, perfect little people we call children are naturally attuned to doing what might be called "sins against mama." I don't know how to say it except to say it direct ... kids seem to have a natural ability to lie, fib, blame others for their mistakes and generally be sneaky little folks. I have talked to many parents who had children they said would never lie about things ... they all were proven wrong and had to face the fact that kids lie (sorry parents). We, as parents, are around to make sure we tell them lying is wrong and be sure that enforced/consistent consequences follow bad behavior.
The second lesson is this. While mama might not have been there in the bathroom, mamas seem to know when we are being bad or doing wrong. And God was in that room watching those little girls sort out the hand-washing crisis. Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden, messed up and God knew what had happened. God knew the centuries of consequences this meant for all of humanity. Yes, our nature is sin. Yes, sin has consequences. Yes, God sees us when we miss the mark. But there is a final yes ... yes, God has given us a way back to His presence through the atonement and forgiveness of Jesus. God sees us and loves us anyway. Randy
Aside from just not wanting to be told what to do (I have a little of this in me) and the compliant girl wondering why she is even bothering on this, what can we learn from this conversation? Maybe a couple of things. First, let's realize that the innocent, perfect little people we call children are naturally attuned to doing what might be called "sins against mama." I don't know how to say it except to say it direct ... kids seem to have a natural ability to lie, fib, blame others for their mistakes and generally be sneaky little folks. I have talked to many parents who had children they said would never lie about things ... they all were proven wrong and had to face the fact that kids lie (sorry parents). We, as parents, are around to make sure we tell them lying is wrong and be sure that enforced/consistent consequences follow bad behavior.
The second lesson is this. While mama might not have been there in the bathroom, mamas seem to know when we are being bad or doing wrong. And God was in that room watching those little girls sort out the hand-washing crisis. Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden, messed up and God knew what had happened. God knew the centuries of consequences this meant for all of humanity. Yes, our nature is sin. Yes, sin has consequences. Yes, God sees us when we miss the mark. But there is a final yes ... yes, God has given us a way back to His presence through the atonement and forgiveness of Jesus. God sees us and loves us anyway. Randy
Monday, May 12, 2014
Good and Evil
Some seem to have difficulty with the concept of good and evil in this world. God, in Genesis, said (in creating the word and all in it) "It was very good." I believe that, but most days I need to be very intentional in accepting it. I see lots of things that make me say, "That isn't so good." Pain, poverty, disease, stress, war ... I could go on but you get the point. This world is far from perfect. What could God have possibly meant by this?
So I search and I read and I find a great book by C. S. Lewis in which he talks about how there is a battle between evil and good in the world. In "Screwtape Letters" Lewis tells the story of two tempters (devils) that are assigned to turn people toward evil. In Chapter 8 he describes the nature of the enemy of the demons. That enemy is God. It is a beautiful description of what Satan is trying to do and what God is trying to do. He says, "One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself-- creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because he has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in,, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself: the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."
Read this carefully. God draws us to Himself through the decisions and strife we face every day, giving us the chance to choose Him. He wants us to both be united to Him but remain the distinct and beautiful creations He has made us to be. It is not a perfection of action (the Pharisees had that market cornered). It is dancing in tune with God and one another through becoming the humble servants He desires us to be. And when that happens ... it is very good.
On Sunday when we sing congregational songs it is not to sing the songs in perfection of tune. It is the choir and the praise team lifting up the songs to God in a way that leads all to sing with passion and joy ... because we are all singing to one person ... God. This week, lets sing to God. Let's worry less about the perfection of matching the notes on the page and more about singing from our hearts in unison with God and our brothers and sisters. I'll bet it will be VERY good! Randy
So I search and I read and I find a great book by C. S. Lewis in which he talks about how there is a battle between evil and good in the world. In "Screwtape Letters" Lewis tells the story of two tempters (devils) that are assigned to turn people toward evil. In Chapter 8 he describes the nature of the enemy of the demons. That enemy is God. It is a beautiful description of what Satan is trying to do and what God is trying to do. He says, "One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself-- creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because he has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in,, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself: the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."
Read this carefully. God draws us to Himself through the decisions and strife we face every day, giving us the chance to choose Him. He wants us to both be united to Him but remain the distinct and beautiful creations He has made us to be. It is not a perfection of action (the Pharisees had that market cornered). It is dancing in tune with God and one another through becoming the humble servants He desires us to be. And when that happens ... it is very good.
On Sunday when we sing congregational songs it is not to sing the songs in perfection of tune. It is the choir and the praise team lifting up the songs to God in a way that leads all to sing with passion and joy ... because we are all singing to one person ... God. This week, lets sing to God. Let's worry less about the perfection of matching the notes on the page and more about singing from our hearts in unison with God and our brothers and sisters. I'll bet it will be VERY good! Randy
Monday, May 5, 2014
Mom Stories
I, like most of you, have mom stories. For some of us they can be wonderful and funny. For some of us they bring a more bittersweet taste and require us to understand that we have a God in heaven that can (and will) make up for any parental failings we have here in this life. God is always there for us.
One thought I had about mothers and Mother's Day, this weekend, is that our stories about our moms are stories we carry all of our lives. Fred Craddock writes about his mother's compassionate nature toward strangers. He would go down to the dinner table and a total stranger would be at the table eating dinner with them. Fred would ask the appropriate questions ... "Who is he?" ..."Why is he here?" ... or a statement ... "He is scary mama!" Fred said he seldom learned the name or any rational reason for the stranger's presence. His mother would simply say "He was hungry."
I think of all the times my mom and dad have been there for the needs of our family. I remember how they helped us when we moved from one place to another. I think about how my mom (who has a peculiar personality) has had us belly laughing with some statement or action that has defied the natural order of things. I am glad to know my mom will be in heaven with the saints, probably causing Jesus a sideways look as He asks, "Why did she say that?" And I am glad to imagine how, in spite of her oddities, mannerisms and quirks mom will be singing (a little off-tune) in the heavenly choir.
I say all this to remind you (and me) we are all a bubble off plumb. We all have things that are character issues we would rather keep hidden. But thank God, He sees all of those things and somehow loves us anyway. God's love isn't blind ... it is all seeing, all knowing, all understanding, and all-in to pursue our best outcome. Let's say yes to Him. And when we get to heaven, I will introduce you to my mom. Get ready to laugh ... she will do something funny! Randy
One thought I had about mothers and Mother's Day, this weekend, is that our stories about our moms are stories we carry all of our lives. Fred Craddock writes about his mother's compassionate nature toward strangers. He would go down to the dinner table and a total stranger would be at the table eating dinner with them. Fred would ask the appropriate questions ... "Who is he?" ..."Why is he here?" ... or a statement ... "He is scary mama!" Fred said he seldom learned the name or any rational reason for the stranger's presence. His mother would simply say "He was hungry."
I think of all the times my mom and dad have been there for the needs of our family. I remember how they helped us when we moved from one place to another. I think about how my mom (who has a peculiar personality) has had us belly laughing with some statement or action that has defied the natural order of things. I am glad to know my mom will be in heaven with the saints, probably causing Jesus a sideways look as He asks, "Why did she say that?" And I am glad to imagine how, in spite of her oddities, mannerisms and quirks mom will be singing (a little off-tune) in the heavenly choir.
I say all this to remind you (and me) we are all a bubble off plumb. We all have things that are character issues we would rather keep hidden. But thank God, He sees all of those things and somehow loves us anyway. God's love isn't blind ... it is all seeing, all knowing, all understanding, and all-in to pursue our best outcome. Let's say yes to Him. And when we get to heaven, I will introduce you to my mom. Get ready to laugh ... she will do something funny! Randy
Monday, April 28, 2014
Everyman
In my new message series I will be sharing about real people in real situations. But never forget that the stories of the people in the Bible are also real people who are ably representing us in their faith, their faithlessness, their struggle, their triumph and their understanding (or lack of understanding) of the living God. Their stories are OUR stories.
I have a friend named Michael Belk who has met more famous people that I will ever name ( you can check him out at http://www.journeyswiththemessiah.org/ ). Michael's story is interesting, and maybe his story is your story. During the past 30 years, Michael Belk’s
photography has appeared in fashion publications including Vogue, Elle,
GQ and Vanity Fair for clients that included Nautica, J.Crew and
others. A self-taught
photographer who never picked-up a camera until he was 20, Michael grew
up in Central Florida, working in retail clothing in high school and
college. Although he planned a career in the fashion industry and
worked as a sales executive for Gant, a popular men’s clothing line in
the ’60s and 70s, photography snagged his soul. By 42, Michael says that his life was defined by “great excitement, huge
success, but very little substance.” It was a busy life, but one
running on empty. Something was missing. That's when he had a visitor (I think His name was Jesus)
and he recalls “the absolute presence of God” in his room. God
asked, “More of your way or would you like to try Mine?” He wanted to
try “God’s way.”
Michael's photography project, Journey With the Messiah places Jesus in modern settings that will challenge and change our world. The rich young ruler stands beside a sports car, complete with a beautiful woman in the passenger seat. A broken (and broke) executive lies across the lap of Jesus with his briefcase open and the papers scattered ... there is rest for the weary with Jesus!
Michael's project is unique but his story of meeting a very alive Jesus is not. When we meet Jesus we are changed. We will still have struggles ... some that take us to our limits. But we never need to doubt that Jesus is there. Michael learned that and it took his gift for creativity and beauty in a new direction. Isaiah says that we, when God's day happens, will sing a new song. So, what is your new tune? Christ the Lord is risen. Let's get to work together! Randy
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Getting to Work
Easter was a wonderful and glorious celebration of God's goodness. Robert and Janet Hinson joind Abbeville UMC ... Katie Hinson, Jackson Blalock, Faith-Anne Hunt and Clayton Larsen became full members of AUMC through confirmation and Katie and Clayton were baptized. We held services on Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Friday (Tenebrae), a church-wide picnic on Saturday and two services (9am and 11am) on Sunday. Lots of work, energy an effort went in to these events and I would be irresponsible if I didn't thank the unsung heroes (the choir and praise team, Lucky, Mark, all the people who prepared food and schlepped back and forth to make each event a success, those that prepared communion/the tomb in the Sanctuary/the eggs for the egg hunt/etc., Ron for keeping up with all the sound system stuff, Judi (and many helpers) for the picnic, and many others who (in unseen ways) did something to make things work out. THANK YOU!
It would be easy to sit back and admire the work God did this week in the hearts and lives of the people. But what God did was not what most of us think. While all of these events were going on last week and we thought each event was an end in itself, it was not ... each event was a beginning. Let me say it another way. It is spring. I have seen many farmers and some of you out plowing your fields. Some have even planted something in those fields. So your task is done, right? NO ... your task has just started. You have planted seed. It must be watered. It must be tilled and weeded. The crop will not come till harvest time and that will be work too.
So it is with last week. God planted seed. If we are obedient and attentive we will take advantage of the times when God will water that seed. He will have that watering can out on Wednesday when John teaches at Motley men in the morning or at our Wednesday evening Bible study. He will have it out at one of the current Bible Studies or maybe the new Bible Study Fellowship I would like to start in a few weeks (more on this later). He will water, weed and till on Sunday mornings at the 9am or 11am services. Several things can happen to the seed. God's Word (Matthew 13) says God is planting seed. Some of it falls on the footpath to be consumed by the birds. Some of it falls in shallow soil where it germinates but wilts and dies. Some of it falls among thorns and is choked out. But some falls in fertile soil and produces an abundance. It is up to you to decide whether you will invest time, prayer, study, fellowship, service and sacrifice to become that seed that produces fruit. So you decide ... which seed are you? Randy
It would be easy to sit back and admire the work God did this week in the hearts and lives of the people. But what God did was not what most of us think. While all of these events were going on last week and we thought each event was an end in itself, it was not ... each event was a beginning. Let me say it another way. It is spring. I have seen many farmers and some of you out plowing your fields. Some have even planted something in those fields. So your task is done, right? NO ... your task has just started. You have planted seed. It must be watered. It must be tilled and weeded. The crop will not come till harvest time and that will be work too.
So it is with last week. God planted seed. If we are obedient and attentive we will take advantage of the times when God will water that seed. He will have that watering can out on Wednesday when John teaches at Motley men in the morning or at our Wednesday evening Bible study. He will have it out at one of the current Bible Studies or maybe the new Bible Study Fellowship I would like to start in a few weeks (more on this later). He will water, weed and till on Sunday mornings at the 9am or 11am services. Several things can happen to the seed. God's Word (Matthew 13) says God is planting seed. Some of it falls on the footpath to be consumed by the birds. Some of it falls in shallow soil where it germinates but wilts and dies. Some of it falls among thorns and is choked out. But some falls in fertile soil and produces an abundance. It is up to you to decide whether you will invest time, prayer, study, fellowship, service and sacrifice to become that seed that produces fruit. So you decide ... which seed are you? Randy
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