February 15, 2010

2-15-10 Monday Morning, Grayrock, 15 degrees, cloudy

I begin this journal entry with the excitement of a 30-day experiment, posting it onto the web for those who desire to read. My goal in writing a journal is to focus my mind and heart upon what God is doing and saying as I read the scripture, review the previous day, anticipate the coming day. I am looking forward to the days that lie ahead, including this week of preparing to travel to Honduras, next week being in Honduras, and the weeks following which will lead up to Easter.

Yesterday was a good Sunday. My message “Longview of a Short Life” was well received and seemed to be a great kickoff for the One Month to Live series. My hope is that many hearers will examine and adjust their lives to build with gold, silver, precious stones as I Cor 3:12 describes. Relationships are the key to eternity. For me, in addition to preaching and personal ministry, writing is a means to relate to people beyond hearing distance, and also beyond this current generation if my journals can be fruitful to future Christ-followers.

Mark Chapter 1 is the Daily Reading from the One Year Bible. It begins by quoting a prophecy from Isaiah announcing that God will send His messenger ahead to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. This messenger was John the Baptist who had a singular message – be baptized to show that you have repented of sin and turned to God to be forgiven (vs. 4). My observation is that repentance and confession precede any work of God, be it in an individual’s life, or at the beginning of a major revival. The 1970 spontaneous revival at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky started as students and faculty went to the microphone and confessed their sins.

What would it look like at Wesley United Methodist Church if during the One Month to Live emphasis people confessed and repented of sins? Guide us Holy Lord as we seek to follow you completely. Guide me as a pastor and pilgrim on this Way.