November 6, 2013

Weeks ago we designated November at Wesley Church as 30 days of Thanks. Our goal is to focus upon the gratitude we have for all of God’s blessings. On November 1, I awoke and lost my balance, falling to the left as I got out of bed. As I went outside to get the paper and looked up into the beautiful sky it began to spin a little. Later in the morning I felt numbness on the left side of my face and decided that I really should not pilot a small plane. Learning that my blood pressure was 200 over 124 I decided to visit the emergency room. After EKG, blood work, an MRI, and a follow-up visit to my doctor, it is likely I had a small stroke. There is no apparent permanent damage. Further tests and observations will continue.

I am grateful for so many things. For my caring wife Audrey and her concern for my health and well being. For our son David, his wife Danelle and our daughter Bethany as their young adult lives continue to develop along healthy pathways. For Wesley United Methodist Church, including the adoption of St. Paul United Methodist Church, as we chart new territory into the Year of Jubilee and beyond.  For the medical communities of Springfield, and for each person who has invested their life in training to treat the human body and its anomalies.

And today, I am grateful for my health, and the strength to continue to serve Christ through the vocation of being a pastor. With no serious health history, the reality of surviving stroke-like symptoms gives me a new sense of awe and appreciation for the way God has created life, and all the complicated systems of the human body. Fred Luper (director of facilities at Wesley) likes to call these bodies our “earth suits.” Mine malfunctioned and thankfully it survived and did some self-repair. Now it is under closer scrutiny!

I invite you to continue this month in celebrating 30 days of thanks. Count your blessings, name them one by one. God is at work among us, and will do even greater things than we can imagine!

 

November 5, 2013

I awoke at 3:30 am, gave my body a good 30 minutes to go back to sleep, and when it didn’t, I got up. The coffee tastes delicious, my blood pressure was 125 /70, pulse 52 (on my new BP device from Walgreens) and the soreness in my throat does not seem to be severe. Upon opening the back door the house alarm went off, so I had a nice chat with the good people at the 24 hour monitoring center. Audrey was awakened, and asked me who was calling at 4:15 in the morning. Now she is back to sleep, and I have this beautiful day to serve Christ. I have read and prayed the first part of John Wesley’s prayer for Tuesday morning. I will return there after I read more in the scriptures. 

I Samuel 31, I Chronicles 10

Saul and his three sons are killed in battle on Mt. Gilboa. Saul was guilty of actively disobeying God (seeking to kill David, seeking advice from a medium) and passively disobeying God (did not consult God for direction.) There are so many lessons to be learned from the life of Saul that might be overlooked because of how quickly he becomes a villain as David becomes the hero. Leadership is learning from the mistakes and successes of others, and my main take away this morning from the life of Saul is: do not trust in yourself, in chariots, or horses, but remember the name of the Lord your God. With my 30 years of experience, my academic degrees and the gifts God has given me for pastoral leadership, today the prayer of Wesley reminds me to not think too highly of myself, but lowly, and to give to God all the praise, credit, and glory for each day, each hour, and every blessing.

From Wesley’s prayer for Tuesday morning:

“Pour into me the whole spirit of humility; fill, I beseech thee, every part of my soul with it, and make it the constant, ruling habit of my mind, that all my other tempers may arise from it; that I may have not thoughts, no desires, no designs, but such as are the true fruit of a lowly spirit. … Herein may I exercise myself continually, when I lie down and when I rise up, that I may always appear poor, and little, and  mean, and base, and vile in mine own eyes. O Convince me that ‘I have neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.’ Give me a lively sense that I am nothing, that I have nothing, and that I can do nothing. Enable me to feel that I am all ignorance and error, weakness and uncleanness, sin and misery; that I am not worth of the air I breathe, the earth I tread upon, or the sun that shines upon me. And let me be fully content when all other men think of me as I do of myself.”

I am yours, O Lord, I have heard thy voice. Use my feeble body, my weak mind and my vacillating commitment to accomplish your great purposes today. 

October 31, 2013

The Cardinals lost the 6^th game of the World Series last night 6-1, and the series 4-2. The Boston Red Sox clinched it at home for the first time in 95 years, since Babe Ruth was inserted in the 8^th inning for defensive purposes, after which they traded him away and didn’t win another World Series until 2004. Having preached a few weeks ago about how entertainment can be an idol, I have been very careful during this World Series not to give it more power or attention than it deserves in my life. I have gone to bed before the end of most games. 

I Sam 23-24; Psalm 54

I like the way my Chronological Life Application Study Bible inserts the Psalms into the narrative of David. I read I Sam 24 on January 6 of this year. As I read it this morning I imagine the scene and the setting, and the suspense of 3000 elite troops of Saul chasing David and his 600 men through the wilderness of Israel. Truly God was with David. Looking back on this from 3000 years later most of the suspense is gone. In that moment, the outcome was uncertain. 

My life is very settled. I have a nice house, a great family, a wonderful vocation, and good health. I must continue to trust God completely, to never settle or sit back (David did this as king and Bathsheba happened.) There is so much to do, risks still to take, uncertainty to embrace. I trust God completely, and this morning I renew my resolve to serve Him without reservation. 

Guide me today, most holy Lord. I am yours. I thank you for all the saints, who from their labors rest. May all of my energy and effort be invested in building your kingdom, for thine is the glory and the power forever and ever, amen. 

A Collection of Forms of Prayers for Every Day of the Week, published by John Wesley in 1733 is a helpful guide. I just prayed through the Thursday Morning prayer. It takes some work to translate it from the King’s English to modern expression, and the effort was well worth the time. I used this yesterday morning also, as recommended by Steve Harper in his Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition (1983).

October 25, 2013

Last night the Wesley Church Council voted unanimously to adopt St. Paul United Methodist Church! 16 voting council members, 3 pastors (without vote) and 30 other church members attended the meeting in Cunduff hall. There was a great spirit, good questions and comments, and a wonderful outcome. The Church Conference of St. Paul met on October 7 and voted to close as a church, handing its building, assets, members and ministries to Wesley. It is now a done deal, and we are on the way to becoming a two-campus church. There are no further official acts or votes, simply the implementation of the Transition Team to work out the details.  I am excited about the possibilities, and relieved that the process unfolded in a healthy manner. We can add our own chapter to the book on church mergers entitled Better Together!!!

October 11, 2013

Yesterday was long and arduous, and fruitful. Our Lay Leadership (Nominating) Committee meeting ran from 7 til 9:15 pm, and we accomplished much. I am up this morning at 6 am, feeling rested and ready for the day. My schedule is more open today, and there are several tasks I need to accomplish, in addition to the main task of sermon preparation.

As I prepare to read scripture, I am thankful for this record of the moving of God in the lives of people, and the accounts of how people either trusted God or did not, (trusting in themselves or idols instead.) I have been using the Chronological Life Application Study Bible this year, having received it as a gift from the Springfield Pastor Appreciation lunch last year. I like its format and arrangement for my morning devotions.

I Sam 9:21 – 10
Samuel was expecting Saul, who is simply looking for his father’s donkeys who have strayed away. Samuel anoints him and shares prophecy with him, sending him on his way. Samuel meets with all Israel and by lot selects Saul’s tribe and family and finally Saul to be the Lord’s choice for King. The Life Application Bible has a good article on Saul. It states that “From Saul we learn that while our strengths and abilities make us useful, it is our weaknesses that make us usable. Our skills and talents make us tools, but our failures and shortcomings remind us that we need a Craftsman in control of our lives. Whatever we accomplish on our own is only a hint of what God could do through our lives.”

The story of Saul, and this quote from the Life Application article give me pause to reflect. My strengths and abilities make me useful. Last week at the staff retreat we took the Meyers Briggs and it again resulted in describing my personality as being an ENFJ, which is interpreted as suitable for clergy, counselor, etc. The Strengthfinders analysis describes me as Woo, Strategic, Input, Arranger, Maximizer. Also, I am conscious of  my failures and shortcomings. I deal internally with the “ouch” of realizing my weaknesses.  Held in light of Saul, it serves the kingdom of God well to pay attention to my failures and shortcomings to remind me that I need a Craftsman in control of my life, and that whatever I might accomplish on my own is only a hint of what God could do through my life. This is a powerful thought for me this morning, giving life and energy and faith to my approach for this day, this weekend, and the future.

 Guide me Holy Lord as I surrender my life this day and everyday to Your control and direction.

October 9, 2013

It is a great morning out! I awoke at 5:30 rested and ready for the day. One of our members, Kent, was running by the house as I got the paper. We spoke briefly, as we did a couple of weeks ago when he ran by about this same time. He is running at 8 ½ - 9 minute pace. I have much to do today. I lead the staff roundtable in the morning and the executive leadership team in the afternoon. I have work to do on the adoption process, trustee approval, charge conference direction per Discipline, etc. I will write an email to Nate, Elmer, and Bart with my questions. 

My phone would not charge past 40% yesterday, but overnight it charged fully. During the last 14 months I have had trouble with it due to getting it wet while camping. I have replaced the expensive internal battery, and the next step might be to buy a used identical one, hoping it would last a couple of years. Technology is such a tool, and requires decisions and investments.

I Sam 7
Samuel leads Israel to victory over Philistines. He instructs them “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth.” (7:3) They gathered at Mizpah, poured out water from a well, and went without food all day, confessing they had sinned against the Lord. It was here at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.

After the victory over the Philistines, “Samuel took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means ‘the stone of help’), for he said, ‘Up to this point the Lord has helped us!’” (7:12) Thus the great line we sing "Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I've come. I and hope by thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home..."

This chapter relates to the message I am preparing for this weekend, with getting rid of foreign gods, going without food, and raising up a symbol of God’s help. Guide me Lord as I trust you today for your help in the work of pastoring and leading this flock.

September 24, 2013

It is good to be up and at ‘um on this Tuesday as my work week begins. I had a very good day yesterday, accomplishing many things on my checklist and ending up on the patio sitting by my fire, made with wood I cut from trees I planted in Kentucky.

Today I have much pastoral work to do, including staff prayer time, worship planning team, St. Paul/Wesley adoption conversations, a friend in distress, and my shift with the apple pie operation, operating a peeler at 4:30! I love being a pastor. These last few weeks I have experienced a level of comfort/fulfillment on Sundays and through the weeks, seemingly on a different level than in the past. I am not sure the reason or source of this new sense of being.

Judges 16
Sampson, who judged Israel for 20 years, visits a prostitute in Gaza, and pulls down the city gates at midnight, avoiding an ambush by the Philistines. He falls in love (lust) with Delilah, who is paid to discover the source of his strength. When he tells her that his hair has never been cut because of the Nazarite vow of his parents, she has his hair cut, and the Lord left him, along with his strength. He was captured, his eyes gouged out, and he was put to grinding grain in prison. The Philistines had a large festival to celebrate their god Dagon and his victory over Sampson. Sampson’s strength had returned as his hair grew out, he prayed, and God gave him victory in collapsing the building and thousands of Philistines died, along with Sampson. His family came to recover his body.

There is so much in this story to interpret. It seems the key element is that Sampson was motivated by sex above his desire to please God. This became his downfall. His strength was a rare gift from God, which was wasted in many ways. In the end he used it for God’s purposes and died along with his enemies. Guide me today, most holy Lord to use the strength and other gifts you have given me to accomplish your purposes in this generation. Guard me from anything which would be a distraction.