Lent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Old Testament Lesson

Jeremiah 25:8-17

God tells them that punishment is coming, but it will not last forever. Even when God punishes His people, He will not give up on them. He is doing it to bring them home. God's desire is for us to be in right relationship with Him. God simply wants us to know Him and to love Him. He so desperately wants to know us, to save us, to forgive us. He will do whatever He has to do to make that possible.

We just have to turn back to Him. And He will meet us there.

New Testament Lesson

Romans 10:1-13

This passage has to me one of the, if not the, most important passage in all of scripture. I share this passage with the people that I teach in confirmation. John Wesley said that everything needful for salvation is made clear in scripture. I think this passage makes it abundantly clear what one must do to be saved.

If you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth, you shall be saved.

That's it, that's the list. It's not about baptism, doctrine, church, communion, anything. Belief, confession = salvation. That's it.

God wants us to come home. God wants us to know Him. God wants us to be right. If we believe, and confess, we will be.

Gospel Lesson

John 9:18-41

Jesus found the man born blind after He had been cast out and revealed who He was. He told Him that He is the One. And the man worshiped. Even after all He been through that day, even after being kicked out, he worshiped. For, he had Jesus. And, in having Jesus, he had all he needed. Today, in spite of everything in life, all the concerns, needs, and fears, if we have Jesus, we have all we need.

Lent: Monday, March 30, 2009

Old Testament Lesson

Jeremiah 24:1-10

The Lord says that He will save His people. Those that are faithful, those that turn to Him, those that are His, He will save. When we turn to Him, we find His grace, we find His salvation, we find His grace.

God will not leave His people. Even when things look bad and hopeless. He is there. When we look with the eyes of faith, we find Him. Today, look with those eyes.

New Testament Lesson

Romans 9:19-33

We see that righteousness comes not from our own works, but from faith. We can't earn God's love. We can't make God love us. We can't earn being a child of God.

We don't have to. It's freely given by faith. By trusting in Him and His grace, we are made faithful. We are made righteous. We are made sons and daughters of God. But faith. By trust. By belief. Today, and each day, trust in Him.

Gospel Lesson

John 9:1-17

The blind man said about all the questions, I don't know. I simply know I was born blind and now I see. Because of Jesus. I don't know all the answers. I don't understand everything. I can't explain every ministry. I just know I used to be blind and now I see. I used to be dead and I now I live. I used to be hopeless and now I have hope.

Because of Jesus.

Today, may we each have that sight, life, and hope. Because of Jesus

Lent: Thursday, March 26, 2009

Old Testament Lesson

Jeremiah 22:13-23

The Lord warns the king - you have not done right. You have not judged correctly. You have taken advantage of others. You have done evil. And because you are the king, the leader, the one, and you have not done right; judgement is coming.

We see in this what makes the Lord the most angry is how he was oppressive the poor and needy. He did not take care of them; in fact he used them for his own gain. No where in this condemnation was he condemned for idolatry, even though he did it. His idolatry was see in how he treated others.

Our love for God, our worship of God; it is really seen in how we treat one another. How can we say we love God and not love one another? How can we say we worship God and mistreat one another? Our love for God is seen greatest and most vividly in our love for our neighbor.

New Testament Lesson

Romans 8:12-27

Paul says if we live by the spirit, we will do these things. We will put to death the old ways. We will live in new life. Not if we live by our own strength or our own might. But, by the spirit. By God's spirit. If we follow Him, if we allow the spirit to guide us, convict us, call us, transform us, change us, then we will know life.

If we think we are strong enough to do it on our own, we are wrong. But, through God's Holy Spirit, there is nothing - nothing, we cannot do!

Gospel Lesson

John 6:41-51

Jesus is the bread of life. He is the source of life. He is the way of life. He is life. We find life by turning to Him, each day. By resting in Him, trusting in Him, loving Him.

He is life. Today may we know that life that come only through Jesus.

Lent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Old Testament Lesson

Jeremiah 18:1-11

This is the famous passage of the potter and the clay. The potter shapes the clay into the vessel that he needs it to be. The clay does not exist for it's own glory, but for the glory of the potter. He shapes and molds, he builds and tears down. He softens. He works. He is patient in making the clay into just what he wants it to be.

So is God with us. He is the potter and we are the clay. He works on us. He shapes us. He molds us. He is making us into something to glorify Him. Something to be useful to Him.

Today, He is at work on you. Let Him work. Let Him mold. Let Him fix. Let Him shape. It is for your good and His glory. The potter is working us today, to make us what He wants us to be.

New Testament Lesson

Romans 8:1-11

There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Today, in Christ, you are forgiven. Whatever it is, whatever you have done, no matter how bad it might be, through Christ, you are forgiven. Though Christ you can know life and peace and joy and forgiveness. Through the world, through yourself, through the things not of God, we will never know these things. But, through Christ, through the Spirit, we can know life! We can know forgiveness.

Today, through Christ, you can be forgiven!

Gospel Lesson

John 6:27-40

Through Jesus we will never hunger again. We will never thirst again. We will find life. Think about that. Where all do we chase life? In work, in service, in our hobbies, in our families, in our goals, in all these things. Yet, each of these, even the greatness of family, leave us lacking. We know there must be more.

We are hungry for more. We are thirsty for more. We are craving more. We find what seek in one place. Jesus.

Dry Spells and Voices

I've been going through a dry spell recently. Been really busy. I was a play a month or so ago, and that took a lot time. Of course church always keeps you pretty busy. And responsibilities within our Annual Conference. Family. Etc, etc, etc.

We've all been there, haven't we? We've all had those moments in life where our souls just feel dry. Those times where we just don't hear. Don't see. Feel alone. I just have felt like my soul has been a little dry these past few weeks.

I've been watching the kids tonight. Holly is working late and I've just been hanging out with them. It's been fun. We've been to McDonald's and eaten more McNuggets than really anyone should eat. In a life time.

We've played. We've had fun.

As I watched the kids play in our small sandbox, I just started praying. God, I need to hear you now. I just need to hear your voice. I know you're there. I believe. I have faith. But, I need to hear. I need a drink of water. My soul dry.

And then I look at my kids. And I realized how lucky I am. How all I've been through in life, all the ways God has literally spared my life, all the ways He has given SO much more grace than I deserve, even at my best moment. And my life, like every one's is not a collection of my best moments. I guess that's why it's grace. We could never deserve it.

And it just hit me. God has shown His love to me every moment of life. Every instant I've been alive, God has poured out grace upon grace. And the reason my soul has been so dry is because I haven't taken time to water it.

Dr. Frank Pollard, former pastor of First Baptist Church, Jackson, MS may have been the greatest preacher I've ever heard. He used to say that prayer is the oxygen that feeds our souls. There is abundant oxygen for our souls. There is abundant water for our drought. There is amazing grace for this time.

We just have to allow God open our hearts. We have to allow Him to calm us, slow us, speak to us, and breathe in us. And fill us.

Today, the water is ready. The drought is over. Drink in. Nourish your soul. Life awaits.

Lent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Old Testament Lesson

Jeremiah 17: 19-27

God tells the people, if you listen to me, you will find life. You forefathers did not listen, and they did not find the life they were chasing. If you listen, you will find it. If you listen.

If you harden your hearts and do not listen you will not find life. Why? Why is that?

I think that the thing that hardened heart does that is the worst is that it keeps us from being able to hear God. When our heart is heart, our heart is not sensitive to God, and we can't hear or see His presence all around.

When we do not listen, when we do not open our hearts to God, we playing with fire. We do no want hardened heart. God can still soften them, but the harder they are, the harder to hear God.

New Testament Lesson

Romans 7: 13-25

Augustine once wrote that original sin is the only provable doctrine. We all know how to do wrong. We've got that part down. We have to learn how to do right. Our natural, gut reaction is to hit others back, return a curse with a curse, not forgive. What did Jesus say about those things?

No. Turn the other cheek. Give blessings for curses. Love. Forgive. But, as Paul says, that's hard. We know we ought to, but we don't. And then we find ourselves doing the very things we shouldn't do.

Thanks be to God that our salvation comes not through our works, but by His grace.

Gospel Lesson

John 6: 16-27

One of the universal messages Jesus taught was this. Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Trust. He is there. Today, in whatever storm you're in, don't fear. Don't be afraid. Trust. Have faith. He is there. Even in the storm.

Leadership

One of the things that I'm going to do @ my new blog address is do more personal thoughts and reflections.

Tonight, I've been thinking about leadership, particularly within the church. I just heard the story of preacher somewhere within the state of Mississippi that did something so incredibly stupid that it made my head hurt.

This action made me mad for a a couple of reasons. But, the main was because this person had been given a group of souls by the church, but more importantly, by God, that he was supposed to take care of. And for some reason that I don't understand, he didn't.

Why? Why do people do dumb things? Why do people not see the results of their actions? I don't know.

But, in truth we all do that. We all do dumb things. We all do not think through our actions. But, for most of us we have more common sense than the person I'm thinking about.

What does this have to do with leadership?At the core, I think leadership is about one thing. Trust. To lead Ripely FUMC, above all, my people have to trust me. They have to trust that God is leading me and that I'm listening to Him. They have to trust that I'm listening to them as well. That I value them. That I know God doesn't just speak to me, but to all of us.

And sometimes, in fact most of the time, it's not about what I teach others. It's about what they can teach me.

And maybe that's why this person did something terribly dumb. He thought He was the only source of wisdom. It was just him and God. And if the people didn't listen to him, then they weren't listening to God. He didn't trust them. And, because of that, they didn't trust him, and it all blew up.

Trust. It's hard to earn. It's easily lost. And without it, ministry, or any type of leadership is impossible. If we are going to lead, in whatever setting we are in, we have to earn the trust of others.

How? By valuing them. Loving them. Respecting them. Listening to them. Serving them. Know that we as the leader are not the only source of wisdom. Remembering that all wisdom come from God. And in that, they will trust. And we can lead.