Christmas Tree Travail

This was the pastor's letter for Christmas at our church.
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The Mix family’s Christmas tree has been a great source of amusement for us… because our cat, appropriately named Noel, keeps climbing and attempting to undecorate the tree. The truth is we don’t have many ornaments up yet… but we did put up the Hallmark Starship Enterprise decoration that Gay bought me back in the early-90’s. It plugs in and lights up.

Although not particularly Christmas-themed, it was a Christmas gift back before we were in ministry, when our family was just Gay and I. And it’s become a little part of our family tradition. The point is: the little blinking light on the starship has entranced the cat. She climbs and bats at it with her paws. She has tried to bite at it. She has successfully dislodged it several times. (I can almost hear Captain Picard shouting “Battle Stations… We’re Under Attack!”)

But I’ve also seen a spiritual lesson here as well. As Christians, we do more than just put up Christmas decorations, right? Hopefully, we put them up to also be a way of drawing attention to the real story behind Christmas… the message that Christ has come and God is With Us. The parties, the trees, the lights, the tinsel, and even Hallmark ornaments, are merely ways to help get people interested in Christmas… and then we, through our personal involvement, can share the rest of the story.

And like our cat goes out of her way to investigate our Christmas tree, our friends and neighbors (and kids and co-workers) are just as keenly aware of what we do. Just showing the Christmas spirit can be a ministry. People can get interested in what we’re doing… and maybe even want to know more.

What are you and your family doing this Christmas to involve your family in the celebration of Christmas? Can the people around you see and feel the joy you have in your music, your decorations, your giving, and the festivities you choose?

How about joining us, and invite someone to come with you, to experience the rest of the story this Christmas? Join us for Sunday worship at 8:15 am, 10:45 am, or 7:00 pm or for Christmas Eve worship at 7:00 pm, December 24th. Let’s make worship one of those festivities that become part of the ongoing family traditions of our Christmas.

Let’s celebrate Christ together!

ADVENT 5: Christmas Eve

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, Reynoldsville
ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING LITURGY
December 24, 2007

READ SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 9:6-7



READING: In this prophecy, Isaiah offers hope to the people of Galilee of the Gentiles… for out of them will come a great light shining in the darkness… a Deliverer to free them from oppression. And with those famous words: "For unto us a son is born…" God let them know that the Deliverer would be one of their own… Born into the chosen people of God who would know them and their ways and understand them in their entirety.



But the oppression the Deliverer would set them free from wasn’t just a political system… as evidenced by the names God ascribes to the Deliverer… "He will be called WONDERFUL COUNSELOR… MIGHTY GOD… EVERLASTING FATHER… and PRINCE OF PEACE." They didn’t yet realize it, but God was telling them in advance that this Deliverer would come to rule a kingdom of hearts… and set them free from the oppression of evil… And destroy the power of Satan.



As we light this last candle in our Advent Wreath, the white candle in the center that we call the CHRIST CANDLE, we remember that Jesus came as Deliverer… for them and for us… to deliver them, and us, from the oppression of evil. Thousands of years have passed, and Jesus still offers to deliver people from the effects of sin and evil… if we will allow him.
Let’s make this Christmas complete by inviting Jesus to be our Lord, our Savior, our Friend, and… our Deliverer… Let’s allow Him to reign as King and Lord of our lives.



PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we welcome you to our church, our homes, and our lives. Reign on the thrones of our hearts as our King and Lord. Deliver us from evil and help us to follow you for the rest of our lives. AMEN.

Advent 4

This is the liturgy for our fourth week of Advent Candle Lighting.

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ADVENT 4

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 9:2

READING: Isaiah offered hope to those who lived in times of spiritual darkness… There was a LIGHT that was coming… and that light would shine forth and pierce the darkness. All in darkness would be able to see the light… even those that actually lived in the midst of great darkness… even the ones that lived in the shadow of death would see the light.

Hope WOULD come!

The light WOULD shine!

HALLELUJAH!!!

As we light this fourth Advent candle, we remember that although Isaiah’s prophecy spoke about Jesus coming some 2000 years ago, it also speaks of His second coming which is yet to happen. And like that first coming, He will come as the light when there is a time of great darkness… and everyone living in darkness will have a chance to see the light… Even those who live in the darkest recesses of the darkest, most grievous shadows of death itself.

Hope IS coming!

The light WILL shine!

HALLELUJAH!!!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you said you were the light of the world and then, for those who follow you, you said we also would be light. Lord, as we live our lives we recognize more and more the deepness of the darkness around us. We need to be light like we’ve never been before… sharing the good news that YOU love us and want to save us. But ultimately Lord, it’s YOUR light that we hope for and wait for. You are coming! HALLELUJAH!!! AMEN.

ADVENT 3

This is the third reading for our Advent Candle Lighting.
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SCRIPTURE: Haggai 2:6-7

READING: In today’s Scripture lesson, the prophet Haggai shares God’s warnings about upcoming events for the people of ancient Jerusalem about rebuilding the city and His temple. But almost lost in the midst of this old prophecy is a reference to the Messiah who would one day come and be known as “The Desire Of All Nations.”

This week, as we light our third candle, we notice that it is not purple like the candles of the last two weeks. This time our candle is pink, reminding us of the HOPE and the JOY that we can look forward to in the midst of Messiah’s coming.

Jesus is the very one that All Nations Desire… even though they may not yet be aware of it yet. The peace and hope and joy the world longs for will only come when Jesus Himself comes back.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are the Desire of all nations and we pray that you will help us to be ones that desire you personally. Come quickly, Lord, Come quickly. AMEN.

ADVENT 2

This was the Advent Candle Lighting liturgy from this past Sunday.
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SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 7:14

READING: In this second prophecy about the coming Messiah, the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, has just delivered God’s message of hope to Judah’s King Ahaz… Judah will NOT be conquered by the enemies that are threatening them. God offers to give King Ahaz a sign that he’ll keep his promise… and says that Ahaz can ask for any sign he wants that God will really deliver His people.

Ahaz has always tried to be non-committal with Isaiah, trying to play it safe, and so he tries that same thing now with God… he refuses to ask for a sign… even though God has commanded him to.

So God picks… The sign will be a virgin who will conceive and then bear a son. And as that child grows, the people will be delivered from their enemies. In Ahaz’s day, there was a partial fulfillment of this. A young woman who was a virgin when Isaiah spoke these words, truly did conceive and bear a son… but it was in the normal way that sons were born. And before that son was grown, the people actually were delivered from their enemies … the two kings that Ahaz had so feared, were dead.

But God also had a deeper message of a longer lasting deliverance in mind when he prophecied to Ahaz through Isaiah: There would be another virgin who would conceive… as a virgin! And her son would not only bring deliverance to His people, but he would actually be the deliverer!

So many times in Scripture, and in our daily lives as well, we think we understand what God means and what He has said. But quite often, we only understand a portion of His word… only a part of His will is truly understood. As we light the second purple candle in our Advent Wreath, we do well to remember the apostle Paul’s words from centuries later, when he wrote "Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am known." Only when Christ comes back again, will we finally be able to see the big picture the way God sees it… and has seen it all along.

PRAYER: Father God, we read your word and hear your message, and we think we understand your will and your ways. But just like Ahaz and Isaiah, Paul and the prophets, we only see a part of what you are doing. We don’t understand your ways or what you’re trying to do. Teach us to trust You and Your Holy Spirit as you lead us and guide us… whether it makes sense to us or not. AMEN

Next Great American Band

I have friends who faithfully follow American Idol and even blog about them. I've never seen much reason to bother with such fad shows... until last night.

There's a new twist (from the same folks behind the American Idol craze I understand) where the competitors are bands, rather than individual acts. The show is on FOX on friday evenings at 9:00 and is called The Next Great American Band.

As I said, I saw part of one Americam Idol show once and I must have just caught a bad act because I've never since wanted to watch again. But my wife and I had decided we were going to attend a Christian concert sponsored by the Family Life Network with a group called Denver and The Mile High Orchestra this weekend and we found out the concert was cancelled because they were in Los Angeles for this competition.

Having heard the band's Christmas album a couple of years ago and fallen in love with their integration of Christian with Christmas performed with a big band flavor, I DEFINITELY HAD TO watch!

I also really liked the Clark Brothers and Sixwire. I thought the kids group was cute... but then realized they were boys and weren't trying to be cute. I didn't like their music... it sounded like pre-pubescent voices trying to imitate something they once heard. Which is pretty much what the judges said as well.

To tell you how much this competition caught my attention... I actually called the number on the screen and voted for Denver and his band! And I look forward to next week in order to watch again!!!

Anybody else watching this? Any thoughts?

A New Start...

Yesterday, Josh got to start school for the first time yesterday. We have a new pre-school program in our district and we went and visited on Tuesday and then he started on Wednesday.

Of course, my son has never had to line up before... and as Gay dropped him off for school the teachers were getting the kids lined up to go to the bathroom to wash their hands... and she heard Josh declare: "I'M FEELING GWUMPEE!"

The teacher later told me that he declared he was "ANGWEE" when he couldn't keep playing at the sand table. She wonderfully dealt with it and he was happy again in no time.

One of the problems I feel I had as I was growing up was that I never really learned how to express what I was really feeling inside (appropriately at least). I guess our goal of teaching him to identify and express emotion is working! (Now, how about tying shoes or picking up toys???!!!)

ADVENT 1

In our church worship services yesterday, we lit one candle of our Advent Wreath as part of the celebration of the first Sunday of Advent. Here is the devotion I wrote to accompany it. (We are using the New Living Translation for these devotions each week).

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ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING
First Sunday of Advent

SCRIPTURE: Malachi 4:1-6

READING: In today’s prophecy about the coming of Christ, God promises His people that when Christ comes down in what we now call Christmas, He will deal with the wicked. Also, those who “fear His name” will personally encounter Christ and find that He will also bring healing to their lives… healing for physical ailments, healing for mental illnesses, healing for damaged emotions, and even healing for broken relationships.

Depending on which group of people we choose to associate ourselves with, either the wicked or those who fear His name, determines how we will encounter Christ when He comes.

Part of the promise of God found here in Malachi, is the promise that God will send warnings ahead of time and send a messenger to alert us that it’s almost time for Christ to come. When Christ first came, that messenger was John the Baptist. Today, the warnings are all around us… radio, TV, books, preachers, and the written words of God found in Scripture.

As we light this candle today on the first Sunday of Advent, we remember that He is coming again… and soon! And we will meet Him when he comes… as our conqueror, if we are wicked, or as our healer, if we fear His name and serve Him as His people.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus… You are the Sun of Righteousness and you come to offer us healing, even as you prepare to destroy evil. Help us to be like John the Baptist as we warn our friends and neighbors that You are on Your way… and they get to choose how they’ll meet you. AMEN.

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Here are a couple of websites that I found helpful in explaining more about Advent Wreaths.

http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/adx/adwreath.html

http://www.crivoice.org/cyadvent.html

Cancer Update

I went yesterday afternoon for my follow-up appointment with the urologist and got the results of all the 6 month follow-up testing... just to make sure there aren't any surprises with the cancer. RESULTS: Everything looks good! No sign of anything abnormal! YAY GOD!!!

Suicide

Just a couple of weeks ago, a man in our community committed suicide in his early 30’s. He had ongoing concerns with his health and also, largely because of the health issues, had a growing problem with finances. Several members of his family are involved in my congregation and I spent quite a bit of time in the immediate aftermath with them. Ultimately, I officiated the memorial service.

THAT WAS ONE VERY TOUGH WEEK!

The father of the deceased, within his first five steps of coming home where the rest of us were gathered, asked me: “Is he in Hell for killing himself?”

You know, I grew up believing that suicide was murder (of yourself) and thus was a sin. And of course, like any sin, if you sinned you were absolutely, without question going to Hell UNLESS you repented before you died. And since you couldn’t repent before you died when you’ve just killed yourself, then it just made sense that committing suicide was an automatic one-way ticket to eternal damnation. Right?

In fact, as a pretty mixed-up teen, it was that belief that made me NOT give in to the whispers of the enemy that quite often suggested suicide as a way for me to escape from my painful situations in life.

My answer to this grieving dad, however, was ‘no.’

My reasoning is based on four things…

First, a mentor as I became a pastor had explained to me once that his own father had committed suicide. It was a comfort to him to know that God held people responsible for their decisions and behaviors based on their ability and understanding. For instance, if a severely mentally retarded person dies without having said the official sinner’s prayer, but knew they loved Jesus, would they go to Hell? No, the reasoning went, because God deals with you on the level where you are. This mentor shared that self-harm and suicide were behaviors acted out by someone who is suffering from such pain and turmoil that they are, in essence, extremely sick. In that moment of pain, when the suffering is so great, he believed that the suicidal person CANNOT properly reason out the choices anymore. Therefore, God, who deals with them in that moment like the mentally disabled person who knows no better, treats them as a sick person who just needs help.

Secondly, I took a one credit course at seminary on "Pastoral Care and Suicide" and I review my notes every so often... My answer is consistent with the teaching I received in that course.

Thirdly, I once got my hands on a audiotape teaching by Jack Hayford, a well-respected pastor and teacher in the charismatic and PromiseKeepers movements, called “The Sin Of Suicide.” In that teaching, following several suicides in the extended family of his own church, Hayford taught a similar idea. The ‘sin’ is the self-focus of suicide… the lack of considering what your action would do to those around you. Essentially: selfishness.

Lastly, my wife acted like a research assistant for me during this past couple of weeks and found an absolutely awesome webpage fashioned from a brochure put out by the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches entitled: “What should we think about suicide?” I have never read anything quite so succinct and Biblically faithful on suicide.

I’m really interested in having some other folks read through the pamphlet and share their thoughts. I would loan the Hayford tapes, as well. I want to have some conversation, online or offline, on this subject. I want to hear of others who have walked through similar situations and how you've ministered.

Any takers?

A Year To Be Thankful

“… So I will go about Your altar, O Lord, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.” —Psalm 26:7 (NKJV)

At this time last year, I was oblivious to the fact that a cancerous tumor had invaded my left kidney and had already begun the process of killing me. But a sudden kidney stone attack in the other kidney forced me to the ER where a visiting urologist just happened to be on duty… and he just happened to notice a shadow on the cat scan that prompted him to do further testing. And because of several of those “just happened” kinds of moments, the surgeons were able to remove that affected kidney and effectively killed what turned out to be a rare form of kidney cancer before it ever made it out of the collecting duct tubule where it had implanted itself. We caught it so early that I didn’t even have to do chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

Most of you already know that story. In fact, many of those who read this letter were actually ones who were actively praying for me as I went through this process. You prayed, you called, you visited, you wrote. And again, I thank you. You can’t possibly know how much healing came into my life and my family just through your love and care. I truly thank God for this congregation.

Now for the challenge that you look for in a reflection like this… As I remembered this past year, and all of the seeming coincidences and “just happened” kinds of moments, I marvel at how God was quietly working behind the scenes. In the same way that God sort of egged on Satan in the book of Job, and Job then endured testing and trials, I see a similarity here. Yes, God allowed Job to be tested by Satan, but only because He knew that Job could “pass the test.” Satan wasn’t permitted to lay a finger on Job until God knew for certain that Job would be able to face the trial of his faith successfully.

In the same way, it seems that somehow Satan got permission to afflict my body with that tumor… I hope I dealt with it as successfully and graciously as Job did with his trials. But it hit me… God set me up to find out about it. I shouldn’t have known it was there until a week or two before I died. And there would have been nothing I could have done at that point. But here I am. God set me up with the right doctor visiting at the right hospital at the right time to treat the presenting problem of a kidney stone AND to spot the secret tumor. Coincidence? I think not! God set me up!

I’m not the only one to experience this phenomenon, am I? I’ve heard different ones share stories about how there seemed to be coincidence after coincidence in their life, and they recognized it was simply God, behind the scenes, setting them up for blessings!

In the scripture passage above, the psalmist goes to the altar. Old Testament worship suggests that when they would go to the altar they presented a gift to God. And then, with the “voice of thanksgiving” he goes out to proclaim all the wondrous works God has done in his life. This year, I’m following the example of this psalmist. I’m making a special Thanks Offering and then going out and sharing how awesome our God is… and how much we can trust Him and lean on Him… in whatever circumstance we find ourselves.

How about you? How has God been working in your life? How can you offer Him thanks? How can you share the good news of His wondrous works? How about joining with us and giving your thanks?

Learning From Old Mistakes???

This was my pastor's letter in our church's monthly newsletter for this month...

My daughters and I visited the ruins of the Austin Dam earlier this summer. Located in Potter County, not far from where I grew up, the failure of the Austin Dam and the disastrous flood that resulted on September 30, 1911, was part of our local history. But what started as a quick stop to stretch our legs as we drove home from grandma’s house, became an emotionally moving experience… and a reminder of spiritual truths.


According to the “experts” of the time, when the dam was started in 1909, it was deliberately designed backwards from conventional wisdom. The flat side of the dam wall was built to face the water and the wall’s sloped section faced downstream. The idea, supposedly, was that this would provide an even greater strength to the structure. It was claimed that this would be a “dam that could not break.” In fact, when flood survivor Marie Kathern Nuschke wrote her eyewitness account of the event almost 50 years later she entitled it: The Dam That Could Not Break.


When people would question the logic and/or the safety of the dam, the engineers and owners (and even other residents) would simply laugh and say things like: “That dam will stand when you all are dead.” Nuschke wrote that there were two people who were adamant in their concerns about the dam, Sarah Willetts and William Nelson. Not only were they summarily dismissed, but most of the rest of the community laughed at them as well. And despite their misgivings, they stayed in Austin. Later, when the flood did in fact come, they were killed as well.


As I stood there in the midst of those remains, reading names of those who died in this tragedy, I was reminded of the many times we have seen such conceit and overconfidence… with equally disastrous effect.


I’m reminded of the arrogance and pride of the builders of the Titanic who claimed that “Even God couldn’t sink this ship.” And yet, sink it did. The lack of concern over the safety of the local residents reminds me of the stories of the owners of the South Fork Club that disregarded safety warnings and their dam eventually burst and wiped out much of Johnstown, Pa. in 1889.


What did the Lord speak to me in this visit? First, just because “experts” claim something is safe or “everyone else agrees” with an idea, neither makes it safe nor right. Second, Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” (NLT) Unbridled arrogance and pride, especially without compassion, is a disaster just waiting to happen. Third, I sensed a great deal of grief for those two people who had seen the danger and had tried to warn others, and yet did not escape. It reminded me that it’s not enough to know of the danger or even to tell others. We need to also take care of ourselves. Spiritually, it’s the same way. It’s not enough to know that there is a Hell or even to warn others, if we haven’t accepted Christ and established our own place in eternity then we won’t escape either.


Finally, as I left, I stopped at the little bridge that leads into the park and snapped this picture of Freeman Run, the water source the Austin Dam had tried to block to harness the power of the water. Yet without the proper respect and attention to its dangers, this tiny little brook caused the death of dozens. It was a reminder to me of the effect and importance of paying attention to the little things in our lives.


There was a lot for me to think about and pray about as I drove away from that memorial park that day. How about you? Can we learn from history? Or do we have to make our own mistakes every time?

Controlling the WORLD!!!!

I'm back!

The past month has been sort of tough. Spent some time just adjusting my own medicines (with my doctor, of course) and then a major overhaul of my basement and then my garage. And I FINALLY got the rest of the weight bench/machine set up. (It had to be taken apart for us to move in August 2006). Then in the past two weeks, there was a suicide, which made for an extremely hard funeral. And then I spent three days at a conference/continuing education event in Gettysburg. I'll share about that later on. For now, here is what caught my attention this morning from email. I can't verify the accuracy, but it's a great story!!!

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The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet,8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number.

Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US railroads.

Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lineswere built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, andthat's the gauge they used.

Why did "they" use that gauge then? Because the people who built thetramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for buildingwagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break onsome of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's thespacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the firstlong distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since.

And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts,which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagonwheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.

Bureaucracies live forever.

So the next time you are handed a Specification/ Procedure/ Processand wonder "What horse's butt came up with it?" you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough toaccommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horses' butts.)

Now, the twist to the story: When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are twobig booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol attheir factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs wouldhave preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroadline from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains,and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is
about as wide as two horses' behinds. So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is one of the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's butt. The width of a horse's butt controls almost everything the Romans did.....and today horses butts are still trying to control everything else!

I Did What You Told Me...

I did what you told me...

I sent all the emails to 10 people like you said.

I'm still waiting for that surprise & miracle to happen .

Pardon Our Metho-DUST!

If you’ve been to our church facilities in the past month you know that it’s a little crazy around here! My backyard has become the home to HUGE piles of sand, gravel, cement blocks, steel girders, and usually a back hoe or some other kind of big equipment. Josh has been having a hay day. In fact, Jack Price, trustee chair, has decided that the picture below, (where Josh is making his little “Scoop” backhoe from the Bob the Builder show make all the same moves as the big backhoe outside) needs to be called “Construction Supervisor.”

Personally, all this construction has put my allergies into overtime. Two months ago I didn’t even know I had any allergies… Now, with all of the Metho-dust around here, I’m constantly blowing my nose and sneezing. Oh yeah, and they had to take out the men’s room in order to put in the access to the elevator in the basement. That means we’re all sharing the ladies room now… Slightly inconvenient to say the least!

The construction of the new facilities isn’t the biggest inconvenience , though… It’s the destruction of the old facilities that blocks any new construction that the crew needs to do. So in order to build new, they have to tear down the old. And that’s where the biggest noises (like air-jackhammers) and the most dust, comes from.

But I know that the inconveniences of the irritated allergies, the temporary loss of our back yard, the sharing of the restroom, the presence of all the heavy equipment in our driveway, and the LOUD noise when the crew is trying to break through a hundred year old, load-bearing, two foot thick basement wall is worth it all… because I’ve seen the plans the architect has drawn up. I know what awaits us when we finish this project: a new entrance way, greater accessibility, three new bathrooms, and an elevator. The promised rewards far outweigh the current inconveniences!

That reminds me of the Bible passage where Paul reminds us of a similar eternal plan which puts our present inconveniences and sufferings of this physical life into perspective. He writes “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

Sometimes I get so fed up with the struggles and temptations of my daily life… especially the food related ones. But when I stop to realize that it is God Himself that allows those things because He knows the future plans He has for me… then it becomes easier to put up with the struggles and more meaningful when I choose to resist the temptations. He has good plans for me! And He’s not done with me yet! PRAISE GOD! And, like the construction at the church, some old things (like old habits, perhaps?) need to be ‘de-constructed’ before God can completely finish His work in me.

How about you? Have you become discouraged because it feels like you’ll never get through the ‘de-construction’ phase of your Christian life? Wondering if God will ever be done building the new you?

Then remember Paul’s comforting reminder that despite the temporary inconveniences, the best is yet to come!

Mix Pix

If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, then today will be my longest blog ever.

The first picture is my new profile picture, taken by my friend Keith as he was playing with my Palm Treo at annual conference this summer.

I think it’s one of the first pictures of me without the beard I’ve worn since the Spring of 1991. This spring, I was having so much trouble wearing the CPAP mask at night that I finally shaved off the beard just before my surgery. Because of that the mask holds a better seal and very little air can escape now… which means I sleep A LOT better! Which was pretty significant as I went into the surgery and recovery time.

And of course, here is the photographer himself, practicing his new hobby over lunch while at conference.

The final picture is of our son Josh holding a doll I bought Gay a little more than a year ago.

The ironic thing is that there were two reasons I bought her that particular doll: (1) it was called “Joshua” and (2) it looked a lot like our Joshua when he was newborn.

In fact, when it was advertised in Parade magazine in Spring 2006, friends and family from all over the place noticed the similarities and sent us the ads.

So it’s been fun for us to watch Josh sort of ‘adopt’ the “baby Joshua” and talk to him. Yesterday, baby Joshua even had to take a nap with big Joshua. And he cuddled baby Josh in his arm like Mommy has often cuddled him.

Now is that a happy child or what???!!!

Paradise Lost, Again

My friend Bob Zilhaver is the one to blame really. Or perhaps I ought to thank him!


He loaned me some teaching CD's of actual college courses from The Teaching Company and I got hooked. I've now listened through The Life & Writings of C.S. Lewis, Francis of Assisi, and The Life & Writings of John Milton. I liked the C.S. Lewis course so much I bought it and have selected some others for later. They make great company on those horribly long trips in the car.


I just finished the course on John Milton the week before last and decided that if it had really been a college course, I would be reading Milton's poetry... at least his Paradise Lost, if nothing else. So I went to the library here in Reynoldsville and asked if they had anything by Milton. The librarian actually laughed. She had never been asked for anything by Milton before.


But as part of an old set of classics from the early 20th Century that had been given to the library, she found a book of Milton's English poetry. So I checked it out.


I have literally struggled through as much as I can stand. I read every word of through all of his early works and actually appreciated his poem that dealt with time, his poem on his reflections on aging when he reached 23, and his short poem "On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough" which seemed a healthy way to express grief.


But I confess that my best hope to enjoy poetry is probably if it's set to music as lyrics. I just didn't like reading the poems. And I forced my way through almost three pages of Paradise Lost (which is a fair way into the book since he didn't write this epic poem until after the English Civil War and the time of the Protectorate).


My mind kept swimming. Now I was the one who was lost. I couldn't focus and I had the same emotions I have had when I tried to make myself eat asparagus or cooked spinach... I know it's supposed to be good for me but I just can't convince my taste buds.


SO... I didn't get much out of reading Milton's poems. But I really liked the course about him and his writings. He was fascinating!


I especially appreciated the discovery that Milton had already gone blind by the time he actually wrote his most famous works. I find that almost impossible to believe. I, on the other hand, occasionally have trouble remembering details with the help of my eyesight, my Palm Treo and its alarms, and the church calendar. He not only kept the details straight, but knew exactly where he was as he was writing. A great example is line 666 of Paradise Lost is in the middle of a section where Satan is the focus... He knew where he was at all times. WOW! What mental discipline! That's something I can admire about John Milton.


I was particularly interested in the way Milton so believed in the causes of his day that he actually set aside his poetry for awhile and wrote tracts and pamphlets to help defend his cause... which just happened to be the ouster and execution of King Charles I. He served in the Commonwealth government and when that eventually failed, and the new king was crowned, Milton could have been singled out for retribution. Blind by this point, the new King Charles (son of the one dethroned and beheaded some two decades earlier) spared his life and that's when Milton went back to his poetry. Milton had actually laid aside his life goals, and knowingly hastened his oncoming blindness, in order to further a cause he truly believed in. Even though he knew that if the Commonwealth ever failed, it would probably cost him his life.


That makes me wonder. What causes am I willing to give my attention to, that I would knowingly risk my life for? I look back in history and don't know that I would fare well if faced with the situations that confronted John Huss, William Tyndale, or Justin Martyr. They faced persecution and stood their ground... and paid for it with their life. I would like to believe I would stand up for Christ in persecution but I know the weakness in my own heart. That's something I can admire about John Milton.


But I also found a couple of sad notes as well. He didn't have a great family life. When he was 33 he married a 16 year old... but it was unhappy and she moved back home with her parents for a while. Milton then spent a lot of energy and time trying to influence the church and government to change their stand on marriage and divorce... claiming God's law and the Bible as support for his argument. He wasn't successful in this quest, and only his wife's later death freed him from his marital vows. He married again and she died as a result of childbirth, and then the child died as well. A third marriage seemed better, but time and circumstances had changed him drastically by then.


As I reflected on this aspect, I wondered how many times we seem to go to Scripture only for support for our latest behavioral choice. Milton wanted desperately to get out of that first marriage and was able to find just the right passages to convince himself that God was on his side. Thankfully, the church of his day (and the government for that matter) didn't budge in the face of attempt to 'change God's mind.' How often, today, are we (especially us pastors) willing to do the same thing that Milton did back then in order to justify something we have already decided to do. I may not admire Milton for his choice there, but I appreciate the new awareness of my own actions.


I also recognized as I learned more about his family relationships, that I quite often am faced with moments where my outside interests and my 'job' can capture my time and attention more than my family... especially my wife. I don't ever want my wife to feel supplanted by my career... and as a pastor that's way too possible. I appreciate my study of Milton for the reminder and challenge about my own priorities.


Learning about John Milton (Jr.) and his relationship with his own father (John Milton, Sr.) served as a great reminder to me as well. My own father, Donald Mix, lives away from the rest of the family and is sort of a keep-to-himself kind of guy. And too often, I just let him... Unlike Milton who tried to please his father nad seemed to allude to that desire for paternal approval, I have usually let my geographic distance be my excuse to leave that relationship on the back burner. Milton probably did this one better than I do. But I can still change that.


The other big insight I discovered as I listened, and learned, about John Milton, was that he had initially planned on heading to the Anglican Church as a priest. I don't know if he had felt a 'call' and then didn't follow it, or if he had been trying to please someone else and then steeled himself against the family pressure and decided to follow a different path or perhaps some other explanation. However, I do know that I have many times gone to God with a list of other occupational choices for which I wanted to be considered... Let's face it: sometimes being a pastor isn't very enjoyable. There's a lot of stress. I personally fought against God's call from age 17 until age 34. I sure do understand Milton opting for a different life.


From what I've supplementally read since finishing the course, it seems that Milton actually veered from what we would probably consider orthodox Christianity... it sounds like he believed something akin to Arianism... with a few twists. No matter how great his Biblical poetry was with the Fall (Paradise Lost), Jesus' temptations (Paradise Regained) and Samson's end of life struggles and final chapter (Samson Agonistes), I can't simply trust him and his writing... because his writing and his characters really do reflect his beliefs... even the twisted ones.


Ultimately, I think the greatest thing I picked up from this study of John Milton was the way his writing reflected his written argument and conversation with the 'fathers' of his field. He wrote in response and reaction to Shakespeare and others... It was like they were in conversation at times. And that's how I've found a way to truly appreciate studying Milton...


John Milton, thanks for the conversation!


Bob Zilhaver, thanks for the introduction!

Discernment

I was at a meeting yesterday of our conference's latest attempt to address the need for a governing body to meet in between annual conference sessions to oversee the ongoing ministries and carry out the wishes of the annual conference. We're calling it the Conference Connectional Network.

It was sort of a meeting... It was billed as a retreat... but Larry Homitsky, Frank Sherman, and I were the only guys NOT in a dress shirt. In fact, several guys were actually wearing ties (and one nut was wearing a collar!!!! But in fairness, Keith claimed it was because he had been at a funeral beforehand... OK, whatever!)

In any case, it was a good meeting/retreat where we were able to establish some common understandings and goals.

What has stuck with me the most, however, was towards the end when Bishop Tom Bickerton led us in the selection of officers for the new group. He set the ground rules as being a process of discernment, not nominations and elections.

We passed around the Post It notes and we each prayed and wrote down a name of one of the members of the group that we thought might be the one God Himself wanted for whatever position. No nominations were allowed. No speeches. No reminders.

And through that process, there were just a few that really seemed to "come to the top" in each category. The bishop then asked us to take another Post It note and we prayed again and wrote down the name that came to mind from that group. In that way, eventually, we were able to discern the Rev. Greg Cox as our chair, The Rev. Gary Grau as our vice-chair, and The Rev. Keith McIlwain as our secretary.

COOL PROCESS!!!

But then I remembered back to annual conference when we all claimed we wanted to use discernment as the way we were going to select our delegates to General Conference and Jurisdictional Conference. I don't think it worked as well as it was meant to... and definately not as well as last night's process.

Part of the problem lies in our conference rules that sets up a pre-nomination kind of requirement where people can "put their names in the hat" on their own by writing a summary of why they would be a good delegate. Then the different districts can nominate them or, if they don't secure that nomination, they can simply find 25 others to agree (by signing a petition to nominate them) and they still appear at the front of the list when we go to vote at the annual conference session.

Part of the problem this past year was that there were some unscrupulous folks that sent out anonymous letters campaigning for their own favorites for laity delegates. As I've said before, anonymity has no place among Christians who claim they are taking a stand for righteousness and justice. Jesus, Paul, Justin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and scores of others took stands for righteousness and justice and did it bold-faced and stood up to be counted... and IDENTIFIED. The only ones I find that took stands anonymously were folks who were on shaky ground like the folks who wore masks, hoods, and robes to cover their intimidation tactics in the middle of the night as they burned crosses. That kind of 'stand' has no place amongst those who stand up to be counted for Christ.

But I believe there was another problem this past June when we were trying to discern God's choices for delegates. When the process wasn't producing what was considered to be the right results, people were allowed to make speeches to suggest candidates... in the spirit of inclusiveness.

Now I believe in inclusiveness... to a point. We should NOT be deliberately excluding people and need to constantly be on guard to make sure that the systems and organizations we are in are accessible to all. But to claim you're seeking God's will and using a process of discernment ought to preclude all of those suggestive reminders. After all, if you're listening to GOD, then can't GOD simply tell you who is GOD's choice???

Does that mean that we were saying that God might not select the right delegates? Or are we saying that inclusiveness is more important than discernment?

And on that note... if we're really going to be inclusive, then why were we reminded to be inclusive based on skin colors? I thought United Methodists were against such labelling. Don't we say that we DON'T make decisions based on skin color? And while there were reminders of several African-American candidates, how come nobody suggested a Korean or Native-American? We have people of both of those backgrounds as well in our conference.

And come to think of it, why were we being reminded that we needed to be inclusive based on gender? I thought United Methodists were against making decisions based on gender.

And if we are really going to make inclusiveness the god that we get our discernment from, then what about the geographical representation? Did anyone check to see if the 10 clergy delegates and 10 laity delegates were truly representative of the 10 different geographic districts in our conference?

How about income? Or politics? Or age? How about the small membership churches and the big membership churches? How about those like my congregation where we're not big but definately not small? Were we represented?

How about the skinny and larger members? Was there a representative inclusiveness? How about those with green eyes and those with brown or blue eyes? Was there a representative inclusiveness?

Maybe we could really be inclusive if the clergy divided equally between those who wear collars and those who don't.

NOW... let me be clear and say that I think the whole attempt to make inclusivity the MAIN decision making factor is ridiculous. No matter how inclusive you try to be, someone is going to feel left out. Because in struggling for inclusiveness we are actually focusing on our differences and we are, in effect, making bigger divisions.

I think we, in the church, ought to be about discerning God's will... not just trying to be inclusive. If we are discerning God's will and hearing God's leading, then we can trust the process of discernment... without speeches or reminders... just like our Bishop led us in our group last night.

My Favorite Sister

I actually only have one sister... but she's still my favorite!!!

My sister Laura actually had a chance to visit here yesterday and the day before. We didn't have a lot of time to talk, but I sure did appreciate the chance to see her.

She's shown here responding to her circumstances as we were traveling back to my house from nearby Punxsutawney yesterday.

Myers-Briggs Personality Type

I have been out of the blogging for much of the summer so I just today found a personality type inventory site on my friend Keith's blog.

So I took it...



I would have described myself as somewhat stretched between the introverted and extroverted. I also would have guessed the sensing/intuitive and the thinking/feeling as a balance between the two extremes. The outcome on the judging/perceiving line really blew me away... and I'm not quite sure what it even means yet!

According to the web site judging (NOT judgmental by the way) looks like this:

Judging (J) Judging is the preference outwardly displayed. Judging does not mean "judgmental". Judging people like order, organization and think sequentially. They like to have things planned and settled. Judging people seek closure. Judging Characteristics:

• Decisive
• Controlled
• Good at finishing
• Organized
• Structured
• Scheduled
• Quick at tasks
• Responsible
• Likes closure
• Makes plans

whereas perceiving looks like this:

Perceiving (P)Perceiving is the preference outwardly displayed. Perceiving people are flexible, like to keep their options open and think randomly. They like to act spontaneously and are adaptable. Perceivers like to keep things open ended. Perceiving Characteristics:

• Adaptable
• Relaxed
• Disorganized
• Care-free
• Spontaneous
• Changes tracks midway
• Keeps options open
• Procrastinates
• Dislikes routine
• Flexible Perceiving Personality
  

OK, based on THOSE descriptions, I guess I'm more on the perceiving end of things... although I have developed strategic ways of coping with that propensity... such as regular comparing of calendars with both my wife and my secretary & using a Palm Pilot to give the alarm when I'm supposed to do something... just in case I get so involved in a project that I lose track of time.

Anyone else take this test? Willing to share? How accurate did you find it? Did it affect you in any way?

Unit Conversion

Every so often, I actually get an email that isn't a repeat and actually makes me laugh. Today was one of those times... Thanks Dorie!!!
ENJOY!!!

For all who have difficulty converting units:
Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi
2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton
1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope
Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond
Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram
Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong
16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone = 1 Rod Serling
Half of a large intestine = 1 semicolon
1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz
Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower
Shortest distance between two jokes = A straight line
453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
1 million- microphones = 1 megaphone
2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles
365.25 days = 1 unicycle
2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds
52 cards = 1 decacards
1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 Fig Newton
1000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 literhosen
1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin
10 rations = 1 decoration
100 rations = 1 C-ration
2 monograms = 1 diagram
4 nickels = 2 paradigms
2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale UniversityHospital = 1 IV League
AND.......100 Senators = Not 1 decision

Still A Good & Faithful Servant

One of the events of this summer, the day I actually returned to duty after my sick leave in fact, was the celebration of the ministry of Reynoldsville's newly designated PASTOR EMERITUS, The Rev. Leo C. Cramer. We celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his ordination as an elder in the Methodist tradition and we recognized him publicly for his ongoing invaluable ministry with , and among, and to, our congregation. We had wanted to get something into the conference newspaper, but they didn't have room. These are the comments I started with as we moved into his installation as pastor emeritus.

---------------------------------------

The idea of this celebration started shortly after I arrived and there were a lot of people with a lot of questions about what role would Leo have with this new pastor…

I had friends who had entered ministry before I did who told of coming to this church building and learning the basics of being a pastor and a preacher from Leo as he taught the Local Pastor Licensing School.

I had a DS and Pastor Hughie who had told me of Leo helping to fill in the gaps when someone was away or sick…

I had you, my new church family, telling me of times when Leo had been there for a baptism, a funeral, a graduation, or just there as a listening ear in important life moments.

And I knew that we needed to continue to involve Leo. I needed his knowledge of names… He actually, from memory, can help me figure out who someone is by explaining where they sit on Sunday morning. (In fact, he’s offered to make me a seating chart cause he knows who goes where…)

I needed his understanding of who to talk to in order to get a job done. He knows who is talented with hammers and who is expert with calculators.

I needed his help in finding those people who might need a pastoral visit who wouldn’t necessarily be comfortable calling the new preacher and asking me to come.

And with some folks, with their well-hidden homes, I needed his help to even find them… and to figure out how to get home again.

I started asking people how can we help Leo to understand that we, both the congregation and this new pastor, need him as a part of our ministry team.

Being ‘methodical,’ all pastors are listed in the conference journal with their pastoral record… so I looked him up and realized, without straining too hard with the math, that it was 50 years ago this month that he had been ordained… and 60 years ago he had been licensed, ready to serve as a pastor whenever the bishop might need him.

But you know… just like the social page in the newspaper doesn’t feature just anyone who had a wedding 50 years ago, but only those who CONTINUE to be married after 50 years… so we also wanted to make a distinction here with Leo.

YES, we celebrate his ordination five decades ago… before I was even born… but that’s only a part of the picture… For we also celebrate that the ministry of Jesus Christ is advanced by the way Leo Cramer continues, even though he’s entitled to an easy retirement and has earned a rest, this man CONTINUES to minister…

And we as a church have recognized him as a pastor emeritus because we understand, and want the world around us to understand, that the ministry of First United Methodist Church, is stronger because Leo is part of our team.

When I first approached Leo about this, he laughed and said that ‘pastor emeritus’ was just a polite way of saying, “Thanks but goodbye!” sort of a “Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?”

But Leo, we declare to you today, that this title is all about a recognition of your fruitful ministry of the past and our belief that, with you on our team, we will together have a continued fruitful ministry together in the future.

Leo, we thank you.

Leo, we honor you.

Leo, we love you.

Leo, we need you.

Picture used with permission of Red Room Images, Reynoldsville, PA http://www.redroomimages.com/

Status Report

It's been a wild couple of months! By looking at my blog posts you might think I've pretty much dropped off of the face of the earth... I'm still here... just busy and somewhat preoccupied.

We've celebrated Michele's graduation with a great party with our family and some friends coming from some of our former churches to wish her well and even a family from the Corry area who lived down the street from us when we adopted the girls who knew us before we were in the pastoral ministry... that was A LOT of fun!

Sarah left July 3rd for a Leadership Development program (sort of a military school setting) and we finally were able to visit this past week. (It's over 3 1/2 hours away from us!) She's still settling in and adjusting to the different routines.

Josh is finally 'getting it' with this whole potty training thing. PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

My mom is going through intensive chemotherapy to deal with her lung cancer... I guess the doctor says they've pretty much wiped it out... now they just simply want to try and make sure it never comes back (as best as anyone can ensure that at this point in medical history). She has a GREAT attitude and has become quite an inspiration for me.

Our church has just come through Vacation Bible School... a joint VBS with the Presbyterian and Christian Missionary Alliance churches in town (along with a stray Lutheran who just wanted to help out). They did SONFORCE KIDS where the theme is centered on the idea that we are all called to be special agents for Jesus Christ. Phenomenal excitement with those kids! (And they even had classes for the teens and the adults!) Last year I got to come each night for their VBS and it was just as wonderful and energy packed. One of the neatest things is to hear some of the music being hummed or sung by kids (and adults) afterwards!

We have finally finished the preliminaries of our building project... Any day we expect to have the permit in hand and break ground for our elevator/entranceway project on the church building. In anticipation, we have been cleaning out storage closets and garages so that we can compact our 'stuff' and be able to get to everything we might need when a whole section of our building becomes inaccessible because of construction. I am AMAZED at how much STUFF can be collected. Thus far, we've filled two huge dumpsters (the big roll off kind)... and of course, we weren't throwing away everything... so that gives you some idea of how much stuff we'd accumulated!

I've now been back to work just over a month and am pretty much back to the full swing of things. Having missed two complete months, I've had A LOT to do in the office end of the ministry, but I have gotten back to some visitation. Part of my problem is that I still get tired easily... so I do what I can and then back off for a little bit and then go again. A couple of times I've simply laid down for a nap when Josh does.

One more note: The Mix family has bought a camper... it's a pop-up style and I get to pick it up later today and we're taking it to Cherry Run Camp for what remains of the 2007 campmeeting. When our last pop-up reached the point where it needed more help than either gay or I could give it, we sold it. That was about 2001. We've tried the tent thing somce then, but with the changes in our health (especially in the sleeping) the tenting just wasn't working. Hopefully this allows us to use our days off and the occasional vacation to get out of the parsonage and "Be Still" and take some "Sabbath Rest."

That's the way things are here...

God's Workman

Lord God, you have placed me in your church. You know how unsuitable I am. Were it not for your guidance I would long since have brought everything to destruction. I wish to give my heart and mouth to your service. I desire to teach your people, and long to be taught your work. Use me as your workman, dear Lord. Do not forsake me; for if I am alone I shall bring all to nought. Amen.

--Dayton Mix (2007) & Martin Luther (early 1500's, as quoted in the April 6th entry of The One Year Book of Personal Prayer, Tyndale, 1991)

End of the Beginning...

On Thursday evening, June 7th, my daughter Michele graduated from the DuBois Area High School.

There were 300 or so in her graduating class, so of course she didn't know all her classmates, but in the four years she attended DuBois (since our arrival in DuBois in 2003) she had worked hard to establish some friendships and to meet the requirements to succeed in school.



Michele has a mild learning disability, inherited from both of her biological parents. She's a smart girl, it's just that she simply has to really want it in order to succeed. She has to work harder than the so-called 'normal' kids in order to learn what comes so easy to others.

Three Peas in a Pod: RoseAnn, Lyndsay, & Michele

The thing is... my Michele, despite her disability, did it! She knew what she wanted (a high school diploma) and she kept working and trying and even asking for help when she needed it from Mom, Dad, friends, or teachers. I can't tell you how much pride I felt when they called her name and awarded her that diploma. Like so many others, I was one of those camera happy daddies running around taking pictures... from various spots in the gym... because I was so proud of her! (I won't post ALL of them, but if anyone wants to see them all I'd be happy to show you!!!!!)

At one point we got into a conversation about why do they call graduation "commencement?" After all, commencement means to start something, not end something, right?

And of course, we talked about her years in elementary school, middle school, and high school were just the beginning of her learning years... not the end of her learning. Graduation night was simply the beginning (or commencing) of her role as an adult learner responsible for her own lessons and her own mistakes.

Already, some opportunities in life are closed to her. She didn't join gymnastics while in school (at any age), so being an Olympic gymnist is out. It's just not going to happen. She didn't go out for the football team, so the NFL is out of the question. It's too late to change those choices... those outcomes have already been determined for the rest of her life because of the choices she did, and did not, make while a student in school.

I share all of this, not just to brag about my fantastic kid (although I'm enjoying that part!), but because it's made me think some.

As pastors, we often get to preside over funerals, which could be compared to a 'commencement' of a new chapter in a person's eternal life. Just like graduation is more than an ending, but rather a much bigger beginning, so also is death (and the ceremony that follows) more of a new beginning than just an ending of a life.

And in the same way that a person's choices in high school affect the outcomes and opportunities available to them after graduation... so also a person's choices in this life affect the outcomes and opportunities available to them after death. We are all heading for Hell unless we choose to make a change in direction while here in this life. IF while we are here, we yield control of our lives to Jesus Christ, and allow Him to direct us and lead us, then, according to the Bible, our faith in Christ will be the 'ticket' into Heaven.

We don't know a lot of the details about Heaven or Hell. Even the Bible doesn't tell us much. The biggies are that Hell is being separated and alone... from everyone else and separated and alone from God. Eternity in isolation... just remembering our regrets and our 'could have' moments. And the Bible says that it's more painful and tormenting than being burned non-stop in sulfur.

The Bible also tells us about Heaven a little bit. A place where we are with God and embraced by the hosts of heaven and all those who have died before us who had chosen Jesus as the one they would follow, rather than just do things their own way while living this life. Heaven is described as joy and peace and a sense of God's Presence... and never being alone again.

We read that Heaven was God's plan for everyone... and Hell was His invention to keep the devil and those who rebelled against God away from Him... Not just as a punishment, but because they each had personally chosen to break fellowship with God and go their own way... so there was no place in Heaven where they could be away from Him...

If I read the Bible right, then it teaches that God never meant for anyone to go to Hell... but for those who rebel against God and choose to do things their own way, He allows us the free-will to walk away from Him... even though that means they walk away from Heaven as well.

The problem is, we ALL have rebelled against God. We ALL have walked away and done our own thing. There is no room in Heaven for ANY of us... without some help.

Just like my daughter had a disability that meant that she needed to ask for help in order to be successful in school, so also each of us needs to ask for help in order to change the direction of our eternal life... we need help if we're going to change and stop being rebels against God.

Knowing that, Jesus made all the arrangements we would need... We simply ask Him for help! He has taken care of everything... all we have to do is believe in Him and ask Him to help us... to 'save' us.

In school, Michele learned that she couldn't do it on her own and she asked for help... and won the prize of a high school diploma. In life, I hope that each one reading these words realizes they too need help if they are going to change from being rebels against God to being friends of God... and all we need to do is ask Jesus for help... and we change the outcome of our life after death in that moment.

Update & Address Change

Since my last post, I've been to Annual Conference... and I have many thoughts and opinions that I'm STILL not ready to publicly post... let's just say that I was made to think during the conference... and God continues to speak! My daughter Michele has graduated from high school and my daughter Sarah is doing a leadership development program... somewhere between a boot camp and a military school setting. Josh continues to run and play... and has begun to explore more (including starting to climb out of his bedroom window after a toy one night after evening church). Gay continues to work as a counselor and I'm back to work... and doing pretty much a full day every day. And our church has publicly welcomed and celebrated the Rev. Leo C. Cramer on the 50th anniversary of his ordination as an elder in the Methodist connection... AND recognized him as "Pastor Emeritus." I have LOADS of posts running through my head about most of these events... but I'm still in "catch up" mode after being on sick leave for two months... so I want to share an inspirational email I received from a friend. Particularly appropriate at this time of moves and transitions in the Methodist clergy realm...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I wanted to let everyone know that I have moved, and to give you my new address. I have moved from Beggars' Alley located on Poverty Lane at the corner of Bleak and Busted Circle. As of today, I have a brand new home.

My new address is: Living Well Drive in the Abundance Subdivision, located at the corner of Blessings Street and Thankful Peak.

You get there by taking the Praising Him Interstate, which runs North, South, East and West. No Longer will I allow myself to travel on Begging Peter to pay off Paul Route, because it's located at a dead-end intersection called: I Don't Have, that crosses Borrowers' Junction.

I no longer hang out at Failures' Place near Excuses Avenue, next to Procrastination Mall. I've moved on to an upscale community called Higher Heights with unlimited potential and opportunities for me to Succeed--look at me!!

Please know that each day that HE awakens me, I am thankful to be a product of my new environment. All of my clothes are MASTER TAILOR-MADE. I am dressed in life's finest.

Let me introduce you to all of my new neighbors: CONCEIVE IT, BELIEVE IT, ACT ON IT, HAVE FAITH, BE PERSISTENT, AND ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO ACHIEVE.

Life is good because: GOD IS GOOD!!!!! HAVE YOU MOVED TOO??? If not I pray that you will be moving soon!! HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

They'll Know We Are Christians, By Our ...???

On April 3rd, I finally got so tired of people calling me and questioning me (and even a couple who wanted to take me out to lunch to talk) about what had, or had not, happened when I met with our bishop, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, that I wrote about it in a blog. I even gave my conclusions at the end that I believed he had NOT tried to be dishonest nor deceptive… but I felt, rather, he had simply misunderstood a situation and perhaps reacted differently than he might have if he had known more of the situation. As I reported then, the bishop personally apologized to me and I felt that “all was well.”

It was a very successful event in our common ministry, because we learned that we could communicate with each other… and that our common ministry and common brotherhood as fellow Christians and as fellow clergy was important enough to do the hard work of facing the uncomfortable conversations in order to clear the air… and ensure that misunderstandings didn’t come between us.

I believe we followed Jesus’ teaching that when you have something that bugs you about someone, you go to them personally and confront them, privately, face to face, and “alone” (Matthew 18:15f). If that doesn’t work, then you take someone else with you and so on… always looking for reconciliation in the relationship. Wasn’t it Paul that said that in becoming new creations, the old ways of the world were no longer our ways? As Christians, we’re different people, new creations, and “behold, all things become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Even the ways the world goes about dealing with conflict are not our ways.

And in that very next verse, the very next sentence, we are presented with the instruction that since God “has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ…” that He has now “given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Tom Bickerton and Dayton Mix did that kind of individual, private, face-to-face reconciling work… and, I believe, we both walked away feeling like brothers… CHRISTIAN brothers… not the Cain and Abel kind. I felt we were reconciled. That’s what Jesus said we were to be about. That’s what Paul said was to be our ministry.

So I am at a loss why this keeps coming up in other people’s conversations, letters, emails, phone calls, and planning.

Then there were anonymous letters sent trying to prejudice lay people against the bishop. Being clergy, I didn’t get one, but I’m told that I wasn’t named in the letter, but the background of this situation was. What was included were misunderstandings and confusion… some pieces of true information… but because they’re out of context they are not accurate.

And for the record, anonymous letters have NO PLACE in Christianity. In both Scripture and in the history of the church, the ones who were truly led of God to “take a stand” and “defend the faith” always publicly spoke out. They wrote with their names attached… regardless of reprisal… even if it meant burning at the stake, or persecution, or excommunication. Those are the ones we look back to and honor them for 'defending the faith.'

The times that so-called Christians hid behind the cover of anonymity were times of hiding under bed sheets and white hoods so that they could make a point about what was bothering them and so they created fear, division, and intimidation. Christians aren't supposed to work like that. We're supposed to do the hard work of standing up for what you believe and confronting someone who has hurt you in order to seek reconciliation.

Folks, the Ku Klux Klan mentality of anonymity is evil… it can never lead to reconciliation… it can never lead to spiritual healthiness of a church or its people. It is not Christian to attack… let alone anonymously.

Now, as we’re about to leave for our annual conference sessions where we supposedly gather to “discern” what God would have us do as a covenanted people who are all united to do His work together in this area, I received an email that thanked me for some information and the writer included a question:

“Thanks for the info. Now, how do we depose a bishop?”

WHAT?!!!!

Although there have been several bishops (and pastors and lay people as well) that I wonder how they ever made it past their own local pastor asking them the “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?” and “Do you repent of your sins?” questions when they were first joining the church as lay people, THIS bishop is NOT one of those I wonder about. I believe him to be a good and decent man who loves Jesus as Lord and takes seriously his responsibility to shepherd the church.

Yes, he can be a bit of a politician too… in that he would like to do what he can to have EVERYONE be happy. I guess I don’t see that as horrible… Jesus himself calls us to be peacemakers. Maybe he made a mistake in how he tried to keep the peace. Maybe he would do things differently if he could.

Frankly, I would have made some decisions differently if I had been in his position… But then, in MY OWN LIFE there are MANY decisions I’d make differently if I could. Therefore, I MUST show a leader, even a bishop, that same graciousness that I would want to be treated with… and HAVE been treated with, by the people of God.

What happened to the Christians who pray for and love each other? In fact, wasn’t that the very definition Jesus used as to how you could tell a REAL Christian: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35)?

For that matter, if you believe that there are some in our church that truly are “the enemy,” then why aren’t we praying for them and showing them overwhelming love like Scripture says (Luke 6:27-28)? If we consider someone to be our enemy, Jesus said that we were to ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘go the second mile’ and ‘not resist an evil person’ (Matthew 5:38-42).

As for the issues that keep dividing us… war, abortion, sexuality beliefs & practices, particular doctrines, or whatever… I come from a background where we believed that the Bible taught that “whosoever would” could come to Christ and they could come as sinners “just as they are.” Sins and all… They could accept Christ and be a part of the family of God and still screw up occasionally… The question wasn’t ‘Are you without sin yet?’ but rather ‘Do you repent of your sin?’

And even then, we recognized that we all screw up… and need to repent again! In fact, last night before bed, I downed a huge bowl of ice cream with a large scoop of peanut butter and a chocolate candy bar… and I wasn’t even hungry to start with… I SINNED!!!! I had to repent of my sin of gluttony! And no one has kicked me out of the church yet…!

What makes my sin okay, or perhaps the sin of talebearing or gossip all right, but a bishop misspeaking, or a whole congregation that doesn’t seem to “get it” the way I believe on homosexuality, NOT acceptable?

YES, there are sinners in the church… and IT'S US!!!! We’re them! ALL of us…

I’ve been looking forward to conference for months and months and months. Not so that I can make a political stand or get my way on an issue… but because I’m a follower of Jesus Christ who follows John Wesley’s example of needing to ‘conference’ with my brothers and sisters. And yes, there will be unpleasant conversations at times and things might not always go my way, but if we’re truly Christian, then we’d better be about loving each other… including our bishop and our leaders... loving each other so much so that the people around us who watch us can recognize that we truly do love one another.

Either that or or we ought to quit calling ourselves followers of Christ…