As a pastor I have met many people with many issues and questions.
There are addictions, loss of loved ones, questions about the Bible,
questions about the nature of God, denominational inquiries and a myriad
of issues that come about every day. But maybe the hardest and most
universal issue is a chain that is very hard to break ... forgiveness.
Though we address this issue at every communion service and every time
we say the Lord's Prayer people would rather do most anything than work
to forgive. And, in truth, forgiveness is one of the most difficult
tasks we will face as human beings. I think three of the major reasons
for our inability to forgive are these ... self-righteousness ... the
clear guilt of the other person ... our unwillingness to accept God's
Word as applied truth.
We don't like to view ourselves as self-righteous. But a friend came up to me one day and said, "They will regret doing that to me!" That little phrase is filled with the pious idea that harming ME is a great sin that deserves and even greater effort on my part to keep that injustice on the front burner. It is a chain that consumes and holds us back.
Many of you are saying, "But that person is totally guilty of the injustice!" Why do we equate guilt and forgiveness? Don't we pray "forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors?" Please listen to what we are saying and praying. Our debtors actually owe us something. They are the guilty. But the prayer says we also have debts. We also are guilty. Jesus modeled this kind of forgiveness on the cross as He forgave us in the depth of our guilt, betrayal and sin. Forgiveness does not directly relate to the guilt of the other person. It relates to our mindset, our attitude and our willingness to step into the likeness of Jesus where we are all called!
And finally that last one ... he/she is my enemy. Matthew 5:44 says "love your enemies." In His teaching from the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says that we are called to be different than the masses. His implication is that everyone loves those that love them. It is harder to love people that hate us, mean us harm and cause us grief. Why are we supposed to love them? The simple answer is that we say we are Christians. The label means those that bear Christ. If we are filled with Christ how can we not be filled with the one thing He died for ... "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29)?" It is a worthy question and one we must haggle with as we learn forgiveness.
There is a Jesus Culture song called "Break Every Chain." The words say, "there is power, in the name of Jesus ... to break every chain, to break every chain, to break every chain." Do we accept this as merely an unattainable ideal or as the truth of God to be applied to our lives? It is a good and hard question! Randy
Monday, June 18, 2018
Monday, June 11, 2018
Lessons
Proverbs 1:5 and Hebrews 12:5-6 are passages that remind us of the cumulative nature of learning. I remember learning geometry and loving the logic and structure of this mathematical discipline. In math teachers use building blocks to give you the tools to solve problems and to build a foundation for the next level of learning. When you have mastered one discipline you have the tools to go forward with the next. Without learning the discipline of each process, you get stuck and confused with the next level of learning.
Dr. Seuss observed ... "It is better to know how to learn than to know." In Dr. Seuss' view the process of learning (knowing how to learn) is the key to building worthwhile, usable and practical knowledge.
Proverbs 1:5 says the wise can become wiser because they are smart enough to receive guidance. One time a woman wrote a letter to a Bishop from another conference. The letter confronted that Bishop about something that had been allowed in violation of the United Methodist Discipline. The Bishop responded to the woman by telling her how his level of learning, study and understanding was vastly superior to all of those who criticized him. The haughty response reminded me that we, as lifelong learners, must be willing to learn from experiences, study and life. When we reach that place where we cannot receive correction, discipline and criticism then we have ignored both the Proverb (1:5) and God's teaching about learning from our father in heaven. Learning should never stop for the Christian!
Dr. Seuss observed ... "It is better to know how to learn than to know." In Dr. Seuss' view the process of learning (knowing how to learn) is the key to building worthwhile, usable and practical knowledge.
Proverbs 1:5 says the wise can become wiser because they are smart enough to receive guidance. One time a woman wrote a letter to a Bishop from another conference. The letter confronted that Bishop about something that had been allowed in violation of the United Methodist Discipline. The Bishop responded to the woman by telling her how his level of learning, study and understanding was vastly superior to all of those who criticized him. The haughty response reminded me that we, as lifelong learners, must be willing to learn from experiences, study and life. When we reach that place where we cannot receive correction, discipline and criticism then we have ignored both the Proverb (1:5) and God's teaching about learning from our father in heaven. Learning should never stop for the Christian!
I have made many mistakes in life and I am still making them. Sometimes, when I am licking my wounds from a mistake, I reflect on my father's advice that would have kept me from making that mistake. Were our earthly father's perfect? No! But we all have a heavenly father that disciplines us and corrects us. That father IS perfect. He gives us advice and a loving discipline that will help us with the big and little issues we face in daily life. These lessons sometimes challenge us, sometimes stress us and sometimes they even hurt. But Hebrews 12 says ... "My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects." We are sons and daughters of our Father and King! God disciplines because God cares about His children! THAT is great news! Randy
Monday, June 4, 2018
So What?
I have encountered many people who seem to be living inside things that are past ... things that have victimized them ... things that (in the scheme of life) don't amount to anything. For some reason we, as people, give power to things that have no power and fail to appropriate power form the sources available to us. It is an enigma, especially for people who profess to be Christians.
At Annual Conference Bishop Swanson delivered our opening message on Revelation 21, reminding us that God said, "And the sea will be no more!" John is in exile on a barren, small island called Patmos and his prison is surrounded by water. In John's message of hope he reminds us we worship a God that will destroy the barriers between us and the places God will take us. His visible, ever-present, oppressive barrier of a feared and stormy sea will be gone in an instant by the power and word of God.
What if we remembered that? What if we understood God's desire for us to live as faithful people that know God's provision and power will deliver us from the things that life throws our way? What if we believed this so strongly that we could see past the obstacles to the goodness and grace of a God that always keeps His promises? What if we lived by faith ...not by sight?
Great questions ... for God will speak and the sea will be no more! Randy
At Annual Conference Bishop Swanson delivered our opening message on Revelation 21, reminding us that God said, "And the sea will be no more!" John is in exile on a barren, small island called Patmos and his prison is surrounded by water. In John's message of hope he reminds us we worship a God that will destroy the barriers between us and the places God will take us. His visible, ever-present, oppressive barrier of a feared and stormy sea will be gone in an instant by the power and word of God.
What if we remembered that? What if we understood God's desire for us to live as faithful people that know God's provision and power will deliver us from the things that life throws our way? What if we believed this so strongly that we could see past the obstacles to the goodness and grace of a God that always keeps His promises? What if we lived by faith ...not by sight?
Great questions ... for God will speak and the sea will be no more! Randy
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
El Roi
Two things are valuable to know and remember about the Hebrew name for God, "El Roi." It means "the God who sees me." Two things are obvious I think. First, God does see us and God cares about our days, our decisions, our choices and how our lives unfold. The second it a bit more ominous ... God sees and cares about what I do on a daily basis.
In this blog I will give you what I personally think about this Hebrew term. But please remember ... it doesn't really matter what I think (or what you think) about this attribute of God. What matters is what God thinks! Let's cut to the chase.
On our trip I asked every member of the team to share thoughts about why they came and about their impressions of the work we did and the people we met. We knew we left David and Pamela Knapp (Radical Life Ministries leaders) with children we had touched, loved, taught and provided for. We knew we left them a finished roof for their workshop, a lawn mower for the property and with new relationships with a great group of people from Abbeville. And we knew we worked very hard while we were there. God saw every paint stroke, every drop of sweat, every hug we left those children and every thing we said and did. God sees.
God also sees me as I struggle, doubt, and wonder "what if?" God sees Abbeville UMC as we make decisions and I always pray our choices and directions are Jesus-centered and God-led. God sees as our annual conference gathers (next week we will meet in Montgomery) and God will see our motives as we vote. God sees us corporately as we either follow Him or try to appease societal norms. God sees us as we use made-up ways to conform to society, saying (like some of our Bishops have done) "we want to contextualize." God sees as I rationalize what is right and wrong, forgetting that Paul warned us "We are allowed to do all things, but not all things are good for us to do. We are allowed to do all things but not all things help others grow stronger (1 Cor. 10:23)." God's word (from the God who sees) gives us great guidance for life like ... "don't seek life from dead things" ... "don't be changed into the world but be transformed into what God is creating." God sees! Yes, He cares about every hair on our head. But God also cares how we tell people about Jesus ... through our choices ... through our resources ... through our words ... through our thoughts ... through how we do life in the revealing light of God! Randy
In this blog I will give you what I personally think about this Hebrew term. But please remember ... it doesn't really matter what I think (or what you think) about this attribute of God. What matters is what God thinks! Let's cut to the chase.
On our trip I asked every member of the team to share thoughts about why they came and about their impressions of the work we did and the people we met. We knew we left David and Pamela Knapp (Radical Life Ministries leaders) with children we had touched, loved, taught and provided for. We knew we left them a finished roof for their workshop, a lawn mower for the property and with new relationships with a great group of people from Abbeville. And we knew we worked very hard while we were there. God saw every paint stroke, every drop of sweat, every hug we left those children and every thing we said and did. God sees.
God also sees me as I struggle, doubt, and wonder "what if?" God sees Abbeville UMC as we make decisions and I always pray our choices and directions are Jesus-centered and God-led. God sees as our annual conference gathers (next week we will meet in Montgomery) and God will see our motives as we vote. God sees us corporately as we either follow Him or try to appease societal norms. God sees us as we use made-up ways to conform to society, saying (like some of our Bishops have done) "we want to contextualize." God sees as I rationalize what is right and wrong, forgetting that Paul warned us "We are allowed to do all things, but not all things are good for us to do. We are allowed to do all things but not all things help others grow stronger (1 Cor. 10:23)." God's word (from the God who sees) gives us great guidance for life like ... "don't seek life from dead things" ... "don't be changed into the world but be transformed into what God is creating." God sees! Yes, He cares about every hair on our head. But God also cares how we tell people about Jesus ... through our choices ... through our resources ... through our words ... through our thoughts ... through how we do life in the revealing light of God! Randy
Monday, May 21, 2018
Remembering
The word is anamnesis. It is a simple word. We even have a day for it. It means "Remembrance."
Jesus and the Jewish faith holds great stock in this word. "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy!" is the 4th Commandment from Exodus 20. "Remember the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt!" is a command from Deuteronomy 5. And Jesus tells the disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me!" in Luke 22:19. All of these relate to the idea of remembering 3 things.
The first is to remember the past event or idea that happened. The Hebrews were rescued from Egypt by God. They are brought out of slavery. The Jews are reminded that God rested on the 7th day so keep that day both holy and focused on God. Jesus reminds the disciples that He is about to pour out His blood and give up His life for them. We remember the event.
We also remember past the event to a more global meaning of that event. The Hebrews would have never come out of Egypt without the persistence, power and provision of God. The Sabbath was holy partly because it represents the modeling of God and the necessity of a day/time to reflect about the happenings of the week. The last supper reminds us and the Hebrews of the angel of death passing over the Jews and the shadow of death passing over us because Jesus' action has forgiven us.
But I think the best thing about remembering is that it removes us from self. We remember things bigger and more important than us. The God that brought the people out of Egypt has been there since the beginning and God will be there even unto the ends of the earth. That God is way bigger than my issues. The Sabbath is holy and needed much more that I need my recreation, my extra sleep and my time to be a little lazy. The idea of focusing on a God outside myself is both healthy and structural. It allows me to properly order myself and God, with God being above all. And remembering Jesus allows me to think about and give thanks for the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ ... all things bigger and more important than me.
Monday of next week is Memorial Day. We will think of that word 'anamnesis' again. We will remember those who considered country bigger than themselves. We will think of specific events when our heroes sacrificed much. We will think of the country and the idea of America ... something worth both living and dying for. And I hope our thoughts of that day will move beyond self so we can honestly ask, "is my country more important that my petty needs?" The song says it well ... "O beautiful for heroes proved, in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life!,
America! America! May God thy gold refine. Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine!" Randy
Jesus and the Jewish faith holds great stock in this word. "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy!" is the 4th Commandment from Exodus 20. "Remember the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt!" is a command from Deuteronomy 5. And Jesus tells the disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me!" in Luke 22:19. All of these relate to the idea of remembering 3 things.
The first is to remember the past event or idea that happened. The Hebrews were rescued from Egypt by God. They are brought out of slavery. The Jews are reminded that God rested on the 7th day so keep that day both holy and focused on God. Jesus reminds the disciples that He is about to pour out His blood and give up His life for them. We remember the event.
We also remember past the event to a more global meaning of that event. The Hebrews would have never come out of Egypt without the persistence, power and provision of God. The Sabbath was holy partly because it represents the modeling of God and the necessity of a day/time to reflect about the happenings of the week. The last supper reminds us and the Hebrews of the angel of death passing over the Jews and the shadow of death passing over us because Jesus' action has forgiven us.
But I think the best thing about remembering is that it removes us from self. We remember things bigger and more important than us. The God that brought the people out of Egypt has been there since the beginning and God will be there even unto the ends of the earth. That God is way bigger than my issues. The Sabbath is holy and needed much more that I need my recreation, my extra sleep and my time to be a little lazy. The idea of focusing on a God outside myself is both healthy and structural. It allows me to properly order myself and God, with God being above all. And remembering Jesus allows me to think about and give thanks for the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ ... all things bigger and more important than me.
Monday of next week is Memorial Day. We will think of that word 'anamnesis' again. We will remember those who considered country bigger than themselves. We will think of specific events when our heroes sacrificed much. We will think of the country and the idea of America ... something worth both living and dying for. And I hope our thoughts of that day will move beyond self so we can honestly ask, "is my country more important that my petty needs?" The song says it well ... "O beautiful for heroes proved, in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life!,
America! America! May God thy gold refine. Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine!" Randy
Monday, May 14, 2018
Crazy
Yep ... people have used that name when speaking about me. I hope often! Because Pentecost is a day for crazy people called Christians to celebrate. In Acts,Chapter 2, some amazing things happen. It all started in an upper room where disciples (many more than the 12) were waiting for the next step. They might have been saying, "OK, what are we supposed to do now ... just sit here?" God answered this question in a rush of activity!
The Spirit stirred those people in the room. Tongues of fire rested on the heads of the followers. They went down to the street and began to speak in all the native tongues of the people gathered for the festival of Shavuot (the feast of the wheat harvest and [more importantly] the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai). The Jews from every nation and walk of life were assembled to celebrate the giving of the law! But Jesus had made a drastic change in that law. He would speak, saying, "The law says ___ but I say." Jesus both clarified and simplified the law so that Jeremiah's words ("I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people ... and they shall know me from the least of them to the greatest.") could be fulfilled. That is the setting in Acts 2.
Now for the craziness! When Peter and the followers came out into the street people thought they were crazy. "They are drunk on new wine!" the people observed. A southern translation might be what Jed Clampett would have said ... "There's something wrong with those boys!" I have three observations about this great story.
First, the craziness and chaos of the situation would be similar today. If what happened then would happen today, we would say similar things. If we would run out into the streets of New York on New Year's Eve and start preaching in the languages of all the people gathered there, it would be a scene of chaos and we would probably be arrested for being drunk (though I will bet there is a healthy number of drunk people there already). I wonder what would happen if we, as the Church, reenacted this scene?
Second, the accusation of crazy is understandable. In 1 Corinthians 1:21-23 Paul writes "Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense." When we preach and believe what the Gospels teach, it is foolishness and crazy to the kingdom of this world. But THAT is what we are called to do.
And now the final point. Have you or we been accused of being crazy for the message of the Gospel? I hear it all the time. "Why do 'they' go to Belize and Costa Rica when there are so many needs here. They are crazy!" "Why do they spend time on those lost causes at CR. They are crazy!" "Why do they assemble backpacks and work at the Thrift Store for kids that are hungry? Their parents should feed them! Those Methodists are crazy!" "Why do they see and do good in a community that seems spiritually dead? They are crazy!" I have heard all of these statements in the last month!
I am sure serving and sweating and working and beating our heads against the wall of American apathy seems crazy. Am I truly crazy to think God can use me to do anything good or to make a dent in what I see as a giant mountain of need? Am I nuts to believe that we live not in a narcissistic, self-absorbed society, incapable of perceiving the kingdom of God, but in a "thin place" where the distance between where we are and God's blessing is so minuscule I can almost see it? Am I guilty of being crazy and believing that God's Spirit can rush out in a moment and touch our hearts so that thousands will claim Jesus as their Savior? Am I crazy to believe that races, motorcycle blessings, testimonies, feeding kids in Belize, home run derbies, Christmas boxes with tracts or any other human endeavor can make a difference in God's kingdom? I hope so! All I ask is this ... will you join in the insanity and foolishness of following a God who would rather die for us than let us perish? Will you let the Holy Spirit bring Pentecost to you? Randy
The Spirit stirred those people in the room. Tongues of fire rested on the heads of the followers. They went down to the street and began to speak in all the native tongues of the people gathered for the festival of Shavuot (the feast of the wheat harvest and [more importantly] the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai). The Jews from every nation and walk of life were assembled to celebrate the giving of the law! But Jesus had made a drastic change in that law. He would speak, saying, "The law says ___ but I say." Jesus both clarified and simplified the law so that Jeremiah's words ("I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people ... and they shall know me from the least of them to the greatest.") could be fulfilled. That is the setting in Acts 2.
Now for the craziness! When Peter and the followers came out into the street people thought they were crazy. "They are drunk on new wine!" the people observed. A southern translation might be what Jed Clampett would have said ... "There's something wrong with those boys!" I have three observations about this great story.
First, the craziness and chaos of the situation would be similar today. If what happened then would happen today, we would say similar things. If we would run out into the streets of New York on New Year's Eve and start preaching in the languages of all the people gathered there, it would be a scene of chaos and we would probably be arrested for being drunk (though I will bet there is a healthy number of drunk people there already). I wonder what would happen if we, as the Church, reenacted this scene?
Second, the accusation of crazy is understandable. In 1 Corinthians 1:21-23 Paul writes "Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense." When we preach and believe what the Gospels teach, it is foolishness and crazy to the kingdom of this world. But THAT is what we are called to do.
And now the final point. Have you or we been accused of being crazy for the message of the Gospel? I hear it all the time. "Why do 'they' go to Belize and Costa Rica when there are so many needs here. They are crazy!" "Why do they spend time on those lost causes at CR. They are crazy!" "Why do they assemble backpacks and work at the Thrift Store for kids that are hungry? Their parents should feed them! Those Methodists are crazy!" "Why do they see and do good in a community that seems spiritually dead? They are crazy!" I have heard all of these statements in the last month!
I am sure serving and sweating and working and beating our heads against the wall of American apathy seems crazy. Am I truly crazy to think God can use me to do anything good or to make a dent in what I see as a giant mountain of need? Am I nuts to believe that we live not in a narcissistic, self-absorbed society, incapable of perceiving the kingdom of God, but in a "thin place" where the distance between where we are and God's blessing is so minuscule I can almost see it? Am I guilty of being crazy and believing that God's Spirit can rush out in a moment and touch our hearts so that thousands will claim Jesus as their Savior? Am I crazy to believe that races, motorcycle blessings, testimonies, feeding kids in Belize, home run derbies, Christmas boxes with tracts or any other human endeavor can make a difference in God's kingdom? I hope so! All I ask is this ... will you join in the insanity and foolishness of following a God who would rather die for us than let us perish? Will you let the Holy Spirit bring Pentecost to you? Randy
Monday, May 7, 2018
Joining God
We all profess to want to be close to God and what God is doing. And we all have an easier time of seeing our trouble than God's provision. But we get caught in our uncertainty, our doubt and our lack of faith and say what David did ... "O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? (Ps. 10:1)." I have said both of these things without listening for God's answer. Today, I am going to try to hear the wind of the Spirit and the whisper Elijah heard from the cave. What I seem to be hearing is this:
1) When I ask God, "What are you doing?" I hope I am open to a quest for truth. It IS a really good question, if we really want God's answer. As I write this, God seems to be conversing with me, asking "Why do you want to know? Do you really want to know what I am doing or do you just want knowledge? Are you asking because you are genuinely interested in joining me in what I am doing?" WOW, God is challenging and profound. I need to examine my motives and I guess I need to decide if I want God's truth. "Lord, why do you make this so hard?"
2) When I ask God "Where can I join in?" do I want to join as a partner, co-worker or representative? God is asking me, "What kind of relationship are we in?" "When my Son, Jesus walked on the earth, He said, 'Follow Me.' Are you all into that?" I think God gets a lot of advice and help from those of us who want a 'friend in Jesus.' I wonder if we have lost the concept of God as 'Lord of all' in the process? When God shows me what He is doing and I ask how to join in, do I qualify my response? What if God is working somewhere difficult or dangerous? What if God blesses where I am working and I say, "Sorry ... I 'feel' uncomfortable."? Do I want God's real answer?
3) When I ask, "How can I offer myself to be used?" do I become what the Scripture calls a 'living sacrifice' or do I ask God to give assurances of success, affirmation for my ego and safety to help my fear? I confess that I, too often, water down God's ability to use me because I only want to be used where I feel good, get rewarded or feel safe. I offer myself within my comfortable context. Is that what God meant when Jesus said, "Follow me?" Is this what Paul meant when he said, "Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice?" Do I want God's answer?
So back to David's question ... "O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? (Ps. 10:1)." I believe one reason we seem distant from God is that we don't really want to know what He is doing. We want God to join us and we offer a meager, watered-down version of ourselves for God to use. Maybe we should reconsider the truthfulness of some of those old songs like "I Surrender All," "Where He Leads Me I Will Follow" and "I Am Thine O Lord." How about we sing (instead) "I Surrender Some," "Where He Leads Me I Will Consider" and "I Am Mine O Lord." "God ... what are you doing? Where can I join in? How can I offer myself to be used?" Great questions! But do we really want to know the answer? Randy
1) When I ask God, "What are you doing?" I hope I am open to a quest for truth. It IS a really good question, if we really want God's answer. As I write this, God seems to be conversing with me, asking "Why do you want to know? Do you really want to know what I am doing or do you just want knowledge? Are you asking because you are genuinely interested in joining me in what I am doing?" WOW, God is challenging and profound. I need to examine my motives and I guess I need to decide if I want God's truth. "Lord, why do you make this so hard?"
2) When I ask God "Where can I join in?" do I want to join as a partner, co-worker or representative? God is asking me, "What kind of relationship are we in?" "When my Son, Jesus walked on the earth, He said, 'Follow Me.' Are you all into that?" I think God gets a lot of advice and help from those of us who want a 'friend in Jesus.' I wonder if we have lost the concept of God as 'Lord of all' in the process? When God shows me what He is doing and I ask how to join in, do I qualify my response? What if God is working somewhere difficult or dangerous? What if God blesses where I am working and I say, "Sorry ... I 'feel' uncomfortable."? Do I want God's real answer?
3) When I ask, "How can I offer myself to be used?" do I become what the Scripture calls a 'living sacrifice' or do I ask God to give assurances of success, affirmation for my ego and safety to help my fear? I confess that I, too often, water down God's ability to use me because I only want to be used where I feel good, get rewarded or feel safe. I offer myself within my comfortable context. Is that what God meant when Jesus said, "Follow me?" Is this what Paul meant when he said, "Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice?" Do I want God's answer?
So back to David's question ... "O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? (Ps. 10:1)." I believe one reason we seem distant from God is that we don't really want to know what He is doing. We want God to join us and we offer a meager, watered-down version of ourselves for God to use. Maybe we should reconsider the truthfulness of some of those old songs like "I Surrender All," "Where He Leads Me I Will Follow" and "I Am Thine O Lord." How about we sing (instead) "I Surrender Some," "Where He Leads Me I Will Consider" and "I Am Mine O Lord." "God ... what are you doing? Where can I join in? How can I offer myself to be used?" Great questions! But do we really want to know the answer? Randy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)