The Week of Prayer

In this Lenten season, we are engaged in acts of love that have the power to reconcile us with God and neighbor. This week is the week of prayer. Frederick Buechner, one of my favorite writers, in Listening to Your Life, asks a series of questions designed to help us think about where we have been and where we are going. I am thinking these questions over, and I pass them on to you, hoping that one or more will spur your thinking.
When you look at your face in the mirror, what do you see in it that you most like and what do you see in it that you most deplore?
If you had only one last message to leave to the handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be, in twenty-five words or less?
Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you would most like to undo? Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?
Is there any person in the world, or any cause, that if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?
If this were the last day of your life, what would you do with it?
Frederick Buechner goes on to say: To hear yourself try to answer questions like these is to begin to hear something not only of who you are but of both what you are failing to become. It can be a pretty depressing business, all in all, but if sack cloth and ashes are at the start of it, something like Easter may be at the end." That is the hope that can be found if we walk this journey with Christ. My prayers are with you as you pray intentionally this week.

Poll of United Methodists

Thank you so much for your generosity at our Samuel’s baby shower last Saturday. As always we are overwhelmed by your love.
I want to share with you some interesting numbers from a recent poll conducted by the U.S. Religious landscape survey. The following is a sampling of responses from United Methodists. See where you fit in these questions.
• 42 percent say they attend church at least once a week; 14 percent say they seldom or never attend church.
• 59 percent say they pray at least once a day; 15 percent say their prayers are answered at least once a week; 28 percent say their prayers are seldom or never answered
• one-fourth believe the Bible should be taken “literally, word for word;” 21 percent say it’s written by men, not God; 44 percent say it’s the Word of God but probably shouldn’t be taken literally
• 82 percent believe there is more than one way to interpret their religious teachings
• 42 percent believe the U.S. should be active in world affairs; half said we should focus more on problems here at home
• 29 percent say stricter environmental laws would hurt the economy; 63 percent say it would be worth the cost
• 47 percent lean toward or are Republican; 42 percent lean toward or are Democratic
I find all of this interesting but not real surprising. United Methodists are a diverse people and I find that diversity in the right places is a strength. Overall as a denomination, we want to be a people who are every color and economic background. We want to be a people who challenge each other in community about interpreting the scriptures. The question becomes, what unites us? The answer is Jesus Christ. As United Methodists we unite around central doctrine related to the beliefs spelled out in the Nicene and Apostles Creed. We are a people that practice Open Table Communion. We are a people who offer the radical grace of Christ to everyone and believe that the doors of the church are open to all. We are a people that believe in service and public witness and involvement in the community and the nation.
This last piece is clear from this survey. Methodists are people who are concerned with society. In other words we are not a people who don’t care about the community or the world in which we live. Our founder, John Wesley, was fond of saying “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” The essentials and non essentials can be found above.
In the spirit of public witness, I’ve been invited to say the opening prayer for the start of Monday’s State Senate Session in Austin, Texas. Ironically I’ve been invited by Senator Tommy Williams of Conroe. Pray for me as I offer prayer for the leaders of our state.

Week of March 8

This week I want to share with you the news that Amanda Boyd has resigned her position as Director of Youth Ministries in order to be a full time stay at home Mom. Amanda has been praying about this decision for a couple of months now. It was a hard decision for her because of her love for the youth and for that ministry. After a period of prayer and discussion, she decided to do that and become a volunteer in various ways in our church. She has assured me repeatedly that she is as committed as ever to her church, Woodville UMC. All of us understand and respect the hard but valuable decision that Amanda has made.
This Sunday is our regularly scheduled youth sponsored Covered Dish lunch so we are making that an occasion to celebrate Amanda’s two and a half year ministry with youth. I joked with Amanda that she soared past the average length of service for a youth director, which is 18 months! With Amanda’s leadership, the core membership of our youth group has grown. For the first time we sent a church-sponsored group to Big House Jr High Mission camp and to UM Army High school camp, as well as large groups to Lakeview every summer. We even hosted a UM Army camp. We have much to celebrate about her ministry and we’ll do that together on Sunday. We invite you to write a note to Amanda to thank her; and please make a point to be here Sunday. Amanda has been a thrill to work with. She tread new ground as our first year-round paid youth director. She and I have worked together well and I am personally thankful for her friendship and the love she has for our youth. Our friendship and her love for her church will of course continue.
Sunday morning is Amanda’s last day as youth director. From there, I’ll be engaging parents to be involved even more, along with our youth Council representative, Jerry Wilson. We’ll plan Sunday nights and other youth events and move full speed ahead. The Staff Parish Relations Committee of our Church will meet and discuss the way forward. We welcome your prayers, input, questions and comments. God will no doubt lead us into even more fruitful ministry with youth.
As a part of our Lenten 40 Days of Love, we are making phone calls this week to people we need to connect with deeper. Keep writing letters if you haven’t and make a special phone call this week. It could change a life.

Have you written your letter yet?

Have you written your letter yet? I am planning on doing that today. By week’s end, I’ll be sure to have done it. I’m writing one to Bethany, one to Addie and even one to our Samuel who is on the way. The intention behind this “Week of Letter Writing” is to bring us closer to God and one another. During these 40 Days of Love, your letter could be to anyone. Maybe it will be a letter seeking or granting forgiveness. You know, forgiving and being forgiven is not solely dependent on someone else’s actions. Forgiveness is the work of God in us. It is the grace of God changing us and moving us to seek and grant forgiveness regardless of whether or not it is reciprocated from the other person.
Our confirmation youth are writing letters to God in addition to other letters they may write. Maybe you could write one to God. I am having a great time with our confirmation youth. Please lift them up in prayer during this intentional faith growing time – Madison Griffin, Riley Shaw, Sana Moran and Dylan Hampton. They are all youth who are regular worshippers with us and active in our youth ministry. They are a thinking group, asking questions and exploring.
This weekend is a very special weekend for them. I am taking them to Houston to experience multiple worship services in the Methodist tradition. The Methodist Church is a diverse church. We are rural and urban, every color, young and old, wealthy, middle class and poor. When you walk into a given United Methodist church, you could find almost any type of worship style approach. We do not all worship the same way but we worship the same God. We all practice Open Table Communion and we all believe in the power of God’s grace, along with several other United Methodist emphases.
Our plan is to experience three very different worship experiences. One is in the Woodlands, TX. It will be a service led by a worship leader playing the guitar, with a short spoken message and a drama to illustrate the Gospel story. It will be in a warehouse space with people drinking coffee during worship. The second experience will be in Houston. It will be a very traditional service with organ, choir and lots of liturgy in a gothic cathedral sanctuary. The final service will be with pastors and a congregation which is almost entirely African-American and well over half of the congregation will be homeless people. It will be a very charismatic experience. The point is, all of these people are worshipping the same God, revealed in Jesus Christ, caught up in the Holy Spirit.
I look forward to sharing this experience with them and hearing them reflect on it. This Sunday, you’ll be moved by testimonies from several people who are writing letters like you.

Essential Books for Discipleship

To all blog readers out there - along with the Bible, which 2-3 books, in your opinion, are essential reading for growth in Christian discipleship?
I'd love to receive your responses for my own faith journey and for the guidance of others in my church.
Thanks in advance!