The season of Lent is underway. We are challenging one another to "give up something and take up something for Christ." I've shared with you all what I am giving up and taking up (caffeinated drinks and exercise) and I do that so I will be held accountable. Accountability is what I want to reflect on with you this week.
I don't come naturally to accountability, many of us don't. I am self-motivated, comfortable with initiating new ideas and commitments. I can usually hold myself accountable by giving myself a good talking to when I slip or having a time of confession in private prayer when I make mistakes or don't follow through on commitments. The trick is this. We human beings can become good at staying right where we are. We say things like, "how I pray is fine, how often I worship is fine for me, my relationship with my spouse, children or friends is just as it should be, my physical health is what it is..." and so forth. We are good at consoling ourselves and not always good at challenging ourselves.
Christian accountability invites us to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ, together. If we feel led by the Spirit this Lent to try something new like fasting, or praying more or differently, we are more likely to meet that leading of the Spirit if we mention it to others. Because, you see, at the moment we mention it, we become accountable to it. The call for fellow Christians then is to gently inquire with our Christian friends - how is it with your giving up caffeinated drinks? How is it with exercise? This way, we are held accountable and we grow in grace because of it. You all have been wonderful to ask me those questions.
I heard recently a powerful word about what a true Christian friend does. They are one who "hates the sins we love, and loves the gifts we ignore." Christian accountability is not just about harshness therefore, it's not about judgementalism or critique, it's about true love. It's one that also sees the gifts of God in us.
I pray that you all have such a Christian friend. If you don't, pray for the courage to find one, to mention your Lenten commitment to someone. Ask how your friends are doing with theirs. In so doing, we grow as disciples of Jesus Christ, we walk the journey to the cross with him and find true and eternal life.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Giving Something Up, Taking Something Up, for Christ
This week is the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a centuries-old tradition of spiritual preparation for the Easter celebration. It begins on Ash Wednesday with worship centered around repentance and renewal. It continues for 40 days, not including Sundays, until Easter Sunday.
Many Christians are accustomed to living through this time just as any other and then waking up Easter morning to celebrate. While this is maybe the easier path, it is the less fulfilling and meaningful one. Lent is here to empower us to walk the journey to the cross with Jesus. When we explore the depth and riches of his journey - his teachings, his healings, his words of life, Palm Sunday, the last supper, his death - then we more powerfully experience meaning of Easter. Resurrection, new life, hope for tomorrow and forever - all of these cannot be fully realized by us if we just wake up on Sunday and think about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for that one hour of worship.
I want to encourage you as strongly as I know how, to experience Lent this year and walk it with your brothers and sisters at Woodville UMC.
In addition to all the special worship opportunities, small group studies, and mission opportunities, I want to share with you what I am doing as a Christian disciple this season. For Lent this year, I am giving up caffeinated drinks, a tough one for a young parent whose children don't always sleep through the night! However, I will drink decaf! The purpose of "giving something up" is to leave new space for prayer. So when 2pm comes and I am a little drowsy, I will pray, because afterall, God is my true strength!
Second, I and going to "take something up." I've been very neglectful with exercise. I'm not taking care of the body God gave me as well as I could. I've been talking about the need to exercise for a long time, now I'm going to actually do it.
In addition to worship, study and mission, will you join me in -
Giving Something Up and Taking Something Up for Christ?!
Many Christians are accustomed to living through this time just as any other and then waking up Easter morning to celebrate. While this is maybe the easier path, it is the less fulfilling and meaningful one. Lent is here to empower us to walk the journey to the cross with Jesus. When we explore the depth and riches of his journey - his teachings, his healings, his words of life, Palm Sunday, the last supper, his death - then we more powerfully experience meaning of Easter. Resurrection, new life, hope for tomorrow and forever - all of these cannot be fully realized by us if we just wake up on Sunday and think about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for that one hour of worship.
I want to encourage you as strongly as I know how, to experience Lent this year and walk it with your brothers and sisters at Woodville UMC.
In addition to all the special worship opportunities, small group studies, and mission opportunities, I want to share with you what I am doing as a Christian disciple this season. For Lent this year, I am giving up caffeinated drinks, a tough one for a young parent whose children don't always sleep through the night! However, I will drink decaf! The purpose of "giving something up" is to leave new space for prayer. So when 2pm comes and I am a little drowsy, I will pray, because afterall, God is my true strength!
Second, I and going to "take something up." I've been very neglectful with exercise. I'm not taking care of the body God gave me as well as I could. I've been talking about the need to exercise for a long time, now I'm going to actually do it.
In addition to worship, study and mission, will you join me in -
Giving Something Up and Taking Something Up for Christ?!
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Journey
I am enjoying the Discipleship University classes which started last week. We have just over 20 enrolled in them. We are reading a new book every 3 or 4 weeks that covers an area of discipleship. This kind of reading deepens our discipleship journey with Christ because it causes us to ask deep questions. We begin to think and discern theologically around essential questions in life. When we start reading the second book, we'll open enrollment again for these classes. Right now, we are reading The Illumined Heart: Exploring the Vibrant Faith of Ancient Christians. Let me share a few reflections from that little book.
In the first chapter, the author, Fredericka Mathewes-Greene talks about our very existence in this wild, unpredictable, exciting, God-created world. Here are some excerpts-"What is this human condition, this timeless question? To take the most global approach, we could say that it is the riddle of why none of us feels truly at home in this world....
It can take different forms in different people. For some, there's a vague, haunting feeling that we're always disappointing others; for others, it's that everyone else is always disappointing us. A lot of us feel like the whole rest of the world is in on a joke we're not getting, and we just smile awkwardly and pretend to go along. Some of us are burdened throughout our lives with guilt for a severe and genuine evil we committed. Others feel peppered daily by twinges over a host of minor offenses, pursued as by a cloud of mosquitos." Can you see your life here? Can you find your walk with God here? I can. At the base of it the author reminds us gently and powerfully "the only really important thing we can do is to live in Christ." Living in Christ means we begin and end each day with prayer, asking God to forgive and transform us by His grace. "God's love is a healing love, and healing is always uncomfortable. It heals in a surgical sense, and the scalpel can hurt."
In and through it all, God desires to see us transformed, day by day conquering sin and moving closer to God. It is a journey that cannot be done alone.
I'm thankful for a church family that seeks to be in authentic relationship with God and one another. God bless each of you this week as you walk with Him.
In the first chapter, the author, Fredericka Mathewes-Greene talks about our very existence in this wild, unpredictable, exciting, God-created world. Here are some excerpts-"What is this human condition, this timeless question? To take the most global approach, we could say that it is the riddle of why none of us feels truly at home in this world....
It can take different forms in different people. For some, there's a vague, haunting feeling that we're always disappointing others; for others, it's that everyone else is always disappointing us. A lot of us feel like the whole rest of the world is in on a joke we're not getting, and we just smile awkwardly and pretend to go along. Some of us are burdened throughout our lives with guilt for a severe and genuine evil we committed. Others feel peppered daily by twinges over a host of minor offenses, pursued as by a cloud of mosquitos." Can you see your life here? Can you find your walk with God here? I can. At the base of it the author reminds us gently and powerfully "the only really important thing we can do is to live in Christ." Living in Christ means we begin and end each day with prayer, asking God to forgive and transform us by His grace. "God's love is a healing love, and healing is always uncomfortable. It heals in a surgical sense, and the scalpel can hurt."
In and through it all, God desires to see us transformed, day by day conquering sin and moving closer to God. It is a journey that cannot be done alone.
I'm thankful for a church family that seeks to be in authentic relationship with God and one another. God bless each of you this week as you walk with Him.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Wesley Center Update
Please pray for our youth as they attend the Mid-Winter Retreat at Lakeview camp this weekend, February 5-7. We have 17 youth and 3 adults attending. This Sunday in worship we will enjoy our Children's Choir as they sing praises to God. Yolanda Griffin directs this choir with assistance from Judy Brown. They do a wonderful job.
In this space, I would like to provide an update on the progress of the Wesley Center building. As of the writing of this column, here's where we are.
The metal structure is of course up, framed, walled with ceiling. I understand that the wood framing inside is complete or close to it. If you take a look inside, you'll see a large open space on the east side. This will be our fellowship area. It will have a basketball goal on the south wall. There is plenty of storage on the bottom floor there for tables and chairs. The elevator machinery began to arrive today (February 2nd). On the bottom floor on the west side of the building, you'll find a large kitchen, parlor area and youth director's office. In addition, there are two bathrooms, men's and women's, each with two showers. This will equip us to be a shelter in case of disaster and will also be a blessing for hosting mission camps.
The second floor is located on the west side of the building and it contains four classrooms, two devoted solely to our youth ministry. They can call this space home. There is also a small restroom upstairs.
As you know there is a porte-cache drive through on the south side of the building that is covered for drop off in the Wesley Center. We were able to add this to the project without going over the approved budget, because of cost savings in other areas.
At present, the elevator is on its way, the electrician is beginning his work inside and other utilities are close to doing their work.
The brick work has begun with a great deal of progress made on the north side of the building (Walt Davis Drive) and preparations being made for the other sides. Brick will go up from the ground to just above the first story windows on every side. There will also be brick columns going higher on every side, which you can begin to see on that north side. Just a reminder that the non-bricked area will be covered with a stucco-like finish that will match the brick coloring.
We don't have an accurate "move-in" time. You can understand the contractors hesitancy to put a target date on that but if you drive by the church frequently, you'll notice that all the laborers are hard at work nearly every day of the week. We are grateful for the work of our building committee and particularly Sidney Allison its chair. Great thanks to Otis Fortenberry also, our General Contractor. Otis and Sidney go to extra lengths to make sure things are done right.
At our recent annual Church Council Leadership Retreat, we announced the formation of the Wesley Center Task Group. This group will study and make recommendations for Wesley Center ministry to the Church Council. We want to be ready to transfer exisiting ministries to that space as soon as it's open, as well as plan new ministries that this space makes possible. This group will also work with the Trustees on policies that will govern the use of the building. The Wesley Center Task Group is Gordon McCluskey, Council chair; Stephanie Smith, lay leader; Reagan Pillack, Building Committee, Dixie Jarrott, staff; Grady McCluskey, Trustees; and me. If you have ideas or questions related to Wesley Center ministry, please contact one of these folks.
Please pray for us as we work on putting together some concrete recommendations for Wesley Center ministry.
God bless you this week.
In this space, I would like to provide an update on the progress of the Wesley Center building. As of the writing of this column, here's where we are.
The metal structure is of course up, framed, walled with ceiling. I understand that the wood framing inside is complete or close to it. If you take a look inside, you'll see a large open space on the east side. This will be our fellowship area. It will have a basketball goal on the south wall. There is plenty of storage on the bottom floor there for tables and chairs. The elevator machinery began to arrive today (February 2nd). On the bottom floor on the west side of the building, you'll find a large kitchen, parlor area and youth director's office. In addition, there are two bathrooms, men's and women's, each with two showers. This will equip us to be a shelter in case of disaster and will also be a blessing for hosting mission camps.
The second floor is located on the west side of the building and it contains four classrooms, two devoted solely to our youth ministry. They can call this space home. There is also a small restroom upstairs.
As you know there is a porte-cache drive through on the south side of the building that is covered for drop off in the Wesley Center. We were able to add this to the project without going over the approved budget, because of cost savings in other areas.
At present, the elevator is on its way, the electrician is beginning his work inside and other utilities are close to doing their work.
The brick work has begun with a great deal of progress made on the north side of the building (Walt Davis Drive) and preparations being made for the other sides. Brick will go up from the ground to just above the first story windows on every side. There will also be brick columns going higher on every side, which you can begin to see on that north side. Just a reminder that the non-bricked area will be covered with a stucco-like finish that will match the brick coloring.
We don't have an accurate "move-in" time. You can understand the contractors hesitancy to put a target date on that but if you drive by the church frequently, you'll notice that all the laborers are hard at work nearly every day of the week. We are grateful for the work of our building committee and particularly Sidney Allison its chair. Great thanks to Otis Fortenberry also, our General Contractor. Otis and Sidney go to extra lengths to make sure things are done right.
At our recent annual Church Council Leadership Retreat, we announced the formation of the Wesley Center Task Group. This group will study and make recommendations for Wesley Center ministry to the Church Council. We want to be ready to transfer exisiting ministries to that space as soon as it's open, as well as plan new ministries that this space makes possible. This group will also work with the Trustees on policies that will govern the use of the building. The Wesley Center Task Group is Gordon McCluskey, Council chair; Stephanie Smith, lay leader; Reagan Pillack, Building Committee, Dixie Jarrott, staff; Grady McCluskey, Trustees; and me. If you have ideas or questions related to Wesley Center ministry, please contact one of these folks.
Please pray for us as we work on putting together some concrete recommendations for Wesley Center ministry.
God bless you this week.
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