Another Spiritual 2 X 4

I really love it when God slaps me upside the head with what I like to affectionately call the good old spiritual 2x4!

On Sunday morning I was simply exhausted. I had traveled 1200 miles in less than 6 days, found out about a new move, passed my commissioning interviews, encountered some negativity in some other meetings (and some tremendous affirmations to boot) and had been reflecting on the last 4 years of ministry. I asked myself questions regarding what is left to do prior to my move, what should have I done differently, etc. At the end of my time of reflection, I simply asked God to be present in worship that morning and to use me as a vessel of his mercy and grace.

On my way to the early service at the smaller of the two churches I serve, I was listening to praise and worship music on the radio (its what I do...both services at the churches I serve are traditional and I miss some of the more contemporary stuff from time to time) and heard Mighty to Save.

I was singing along to the song (yes, I'm that dorky...I am that guy)....Savior, he can move mountains, my God is mighty to save...He is mighty to save...forever, author of salvation...He rose and conquered the grave...yes Jesus conquered the grave...He is mighty to save...

The song resonated with me for the 22 minute drive from Edom to Mt. Sylvan...it was water to a thirsty soul.

We worshipped, I preached, and at the end of the service with only 22 people present, I almost opted not to have an invitation to discipleship...I paused and shared that Jesus said that those who are thirsty should come and they will receive a drink of living water, those who are weary they will receive rest, and so on. We began singing our hymn of invitation and I got lost in the singing. As I opened my eyes and looked up at the beginning of the fourth and final verse, I saw a couple standing at the front of the sanctuary.

The long and the short of it was that one transferred their membership from another church and the other joined by profession of faith restored after a long separation from the church (and after the spouse saying that they would never come to church!).

I thought about the events that had happened in the previous hour as I was returning to Edom for the second service. As I arrived I noticed that the parking lot was more full than it had been in a number of weeks...we had more than a dozen people above our normal church attendance that morning. I reflected again on the song from earlier in the morning: Everyone needs compassion...the love that's never failing...let mercy fall on me...everyone needs forgiveness...the kindness of a Savior...the hope of the nations...my God, he can move mountains....

I went home a little more tired and a little more refreshed than I had been when the day began.

Yesterday I was hanging out after Bible study and someone that had been wrestling with membership in our church (whether to join or not) for a while came up to me after the study to let me know that they and their spouse would be joining this coming weekend!

Again I heard the words: you're my Savior...you can move the mountains...you are mighty to save.

In months that have been lean when it comes to church growth in these two rural churches; in times that seem like we have gone through a lot of administration that seemed to have nothing to do at times with ministry; in times when we feel like nothing is happening...it is in these times that God continues to move.

It may not happen on our time table, but God is in our midst and is faithful to his Word. And that is my spiritual 2x4 this Lenten season (for those of you in my Bible study class this is just another classic duh-sciple moment!)...God is mighty to save!

So here's my question for the readers: What mountain is the Savior moving in your midst?

March 31, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O Holy One, we call to you and name you as eternal, ever-present, and boundless in love. Yet there are times, O God, when we fail to recognize you in the dailyness of our lives. Sometimes shame clenches tightly around our hearts, and we hide our true feelings. Sometimes fear makes us small, and we miss the chance to speak from our strength. Sometimes doubt invades our hopefulness, and we degrade our own wisdom.
Holy God, in the daily round from sunrise to sunset, remind us again of your holy presence hovering near us and in us. Free us from shame and self-doubt. Help us to see you in the moment-by-moment possibilities to live honestly, to act courageously, and to speak from our wisdom. In the holy and precious name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
----Author Unknown

March 30, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O Lord our God, teach us temperance and self-control,
that we may live in the Spirit
and be mindful of all that Jesus endured and sacrificed for our sakes,
and how he was made perfect through sufferings.
Help us to keep the fast that you have chosen,
that we may loose the bonds of wickedness,
undo the heavy burdens, and let the oppressed go free;
through the grace of Christ Jesus our crucified and risen Savior. Amen.
-Henry Van Dyke, U.S.A., 20th Cent., Alt. (BOW 337)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

Momma and Bailey

Here are the girls at a recent outing in the park:

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

Bailey is such a character! I wonder where she gets that from!?!

March 29, 2009 – Fifth Sunday of Lent

Here is today's prayer:

The 7th Step Prayer

My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.

-12 Steps and 12 Traditions and the Big Book of AA

March 28, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O merciful Father, in compassion for your sinful children
you sent your Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world.
Grant us grace to feel and to lament our share of the evil
that made it necessary for him to suffer and to die for our salvation.
Help us by self-denial, prayer, and meditation
to prepare our hearts for deeper penitence and a better life.
And give us a true longing to be free from sin,
through the deliverance won by Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.
-Joseph Newton, U.S.A., 20th Cent., Alt (BOW 336)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 27, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Everlasting God,
because of your tender mercy toward all people,
you sent your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ,
to take upon himself our flesh,
and to suffer death upon the cross,
that all should follow the example of his great humility.
Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of his patience
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-The Book of Common Prayer, U.S.A., 20th Cent., Alt (BOW 335)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

A Post of Thanksgiving

I tweeted (and consequently updated my Facebook status) recently with some good news. I thought that I would shoot off a brief post about the joys that we are celebrating in the Hall household.

First, I am thankful that after more than 8 continuous years of school, I will finally fulfill the minimum requirements for ordination in my denomination (more simply put, I will graduate with my MDiv degree). I think that Erica is even more thankful about this since I have been in school from the day that we met! It will be interesting to grow in our relationship without the school factor (at least for a couple of years until I begin my DMin degree!)

Second, I am thankful that I have been approved to be commissioned at our next Annual Conference in May. Who'd have thunk it!?!

Third, and this is new news for some (as it has just been made official in the last few days), Erica, Bailey, and I will be moving to Port Arthur somewhere between June 8th and 13th. My new appointment consists of 3/4 of my time as the pastor of Aldersgate Trinity UMC and 1/4 time as the associate of the United Methodist Temple. We are hopeful that during our time there we might be able to birth a Mercy Street type ministry that will permit me to work with others in recovery (and in need of recovery) from alcohol and drug addiction.

Finally, for all of the support, prayers, calls, notes, IMs, status comments, tweets, etc. that you all have sent, we are very thankful.

It seems as though someone somewhere must think I have been slacking off, because with all the celebration and change comes a ton of work the next two months. For those curious about what is coming down the pike, here is a glimpse:

This weekend will be relatively calm after more than 1000 miles traveled in the last five days.

Palm Sunday weekend we are having Shelly Wilson and Kerri Crocker in concert at our block party at Edom UMC on Saturday (April 4th) and then they will be leading worship for us on Palm Sunday (April 5th).

April 13th and 14th we will be hosting the Crafts as they come to see the community that they will be moving to in June (Jeff Craft will be Edom and Mt. Sylvan's new pastor).

April 18th and 19th will be the big April in Edom event that both the church and fire department take active roles in.

Erica, Bailey and I will be traveling and attempting to relax for a few days between April 19th and 24th.

I will be guest speaking/leading a retreat for the Chapelwood UMC singles group the evening of the 24th through Sunday the 26th.

I will be attending NCLI (boot camp for new church/ministry starts) from May 5th through 8th.

I will be graduating on the 16th.

I will be commissioned during the week of Memorial Day.

We will be moving sometime between the 8th and the 13th.

As you can see there is a lot ahead of us.

Now for you all to chime in:

Tell us what are you thankful for and what you are up to during the next couple of months.

Faith and Speech

I have been pondering the relationship between our speech, our actions and our faith. While I have often looked at these passages out of James separately, it is just recently that I have been pondering them together. Here's the passages:

James 2:14-26
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-- and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

James 3:2-10
For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue-- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

At the moment, it seems clear to me. Our faith ought to bear fruit (the works I believe that James is talking about it). Faith is transformative...faith ought to call forth recognition and love of the other in our midst to the point that we might actually feed the hungry rather than just bless them and send them on their way.

It is also clear that our mouths can get us in trouble.

But taking these passages together, it seems as though our tongues can even be the undoing of the works that faith has called forth. Whether it is by proclaiming the differences between us and others (thereby impeding the works of faith) or reversing our works of faith by allowing our tongues to get away from us.

It seems as though speech (God honoring speech) can be a catalyst for our faith and works while speech that is not God honoring can be an impediment. It seems that our actions (the works of our faith) can be an affirmation of our words or (the lack thereof) can be a negation. And it seems to me that this can be as true for an individual as it is for a group (the body of Christ in any sized expression).

What do you think?

March 26, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O God, your glory is always to have mercy.
Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways,
and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith
to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word,
Jesus Christ your Son,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-The Book of Common Prayer, U.S.A., 20th Cent., Alt. (BOW 334)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 25, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Almighty God, your blessed Son was led by the Spirit
to be tempted by Satan.
Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations.
And, as you know the weakness of each of us,
let each one find you mighty to save;
through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord. Amen.
-The Book of Common Prayer, U.S.A., 20th Cent., Alt. (BOW 333)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 24, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Prayer of Confession for a Service of Word and Table I (BOW 35)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 23, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O God of Shalom,
we have built up walls to protect ourselves from our enemies,
but these walls also shut us off from receiving your love.
Break down those walls.
Help us to see that the way to your heart
is through the reconciliation of our own hearts with our enemies.
Bless them and us,
that we may come to grow in love for each other and for you;
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
-Michael J. O’Donnell, U.S.A., 20th Cent. (BOW 493)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

Playground Fun

This week we took a trip a couple of hundred miles south of Edom and while there spent about an hour at a local park with Bailey. I love the look of determination (not complete without the wagging tongue seen here) that Bailey gets when she gets her mind set to do something. By the way, that beautiful blur in the background is Erica (she was at the other end of the tunnel attempting to get video as Bailey would first come to me and then get turned back around to go towards momma):

From Photo Blog 2009

I was really impressed with the architecture of this playground. The following two pictures are favorite shots of the park elements:

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

March 22, 2009 – Fourth Sunday of Lent

Here is today’s prayer:

The 7th Step Prayer

My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.

-12 Steps and 12 Traditions and the Big Book of AA

March 21, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

God of all nations, we praise you that in Christ
the barriers that have separated humanity are torn down.
Yet we confess our slowness to open our hearts and minds
to those of other lands, tongues, and races.
Deliver us from the sins of fear and prejudice,
that we may move toward the day
when all are truly one in Jesus Christ. Amen.
-Ruth Duck, U.S.A., 20th Cent. (BOW 492)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

General Update & Prayer Requests

This is just a crazy time in the life of this pastor. Perhaps it is because I am coming up to my final interview before commissioning. Perhaps it is because I am about to finish my MDiv degree and graduate. Perhaps it is because after this year at Annual Conference, I will no longer be considered a student pastor. Maybe it is because there has been an intense amount of administration that has had to be done in my ministry in the past few months (a land sale, a church merger, another land and church building sale). It might be because of the upcoming repairs that need to occur at my newest charge. It may just be because we are back into a season of illness with some members in our churches. There is also the added stress of having multiple deaths occurring in our community all in close proximity to one another. Oh yeah, and did I tell you about the great retreat we are leading at the end of April? Or the great concert and block party we have planned for April 4th? Or the incredible ladies we have leading worship on Palm Sunday?

The biggest change, however, is that there is going to definitely be a move in June. It will soon be time to pack, load, and haul our stuff from one place in the conference to another. As situations are still being discussed and finalized in cabinet and around the conference, it is too early to declare a landing place (that is, to let you know where we will be moving to), but as soon as the decisions are finalized, I will let you know where we will be located. It is an exciting time, but with all that is going on, there is a reasonable amount of anxiety and stress that goes along with all of these changes.

So until we can tell you more about our future home, I would ask that you keep our current churches, our future appointment, and our family in your prayers through this next couple of hectic months.

We would love to be praying for you, your family, your communities and your churches in the weeks to come. How can we be in prayer for these areas of your life?

Leave us a comment and let us know what's happening and how we can be praying!

Blessings,

Russell

March 20, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

We are reluctant, O Author of Love,
to set aside our hurt, our anger, our disappointment.
Heal us with your tender touch,
that we might be cleansed of all unclean thoughts,
all schemes of revenge, all hope of vindictive retribution.
Open our eyes to the power of love,
shown to us in the unselfish sacrifice
of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
-Michael J. O’Donnell, U.S.A., 20th Cent. (BOW 491)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights

March 19, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O merciful God,
we confess that we have not acknowledged you
as the source of our successes, our substance, our selves.
We have been far more ready to complain when things go wrong
than to praise when all is well.
We have fed our bodies a rich diet while neglecting to feed our souls.
Power and wealth have assumed greater importance to us
than sensitivity and service.
We have allowed religious words and forms to substitute
for living encounters with the persons you have called us to love.
Forgive us, compassionate Redeemer,
and grant us the opportunity to start over again.
Keep us from repeating the mistakes of the past
or from new evils that could mislead or destroy.
In the name of Christ,
we offer our earnest prayers for pardon and deliverance. Amen.
-Lavon Baylor, U.S.A., 20th Cent., Alt. (BOW 490)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 18, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Almighty and all-loving God,
through your Son Jesus Christ
you have reconciled the world to yourself.
Help us now to be reconciled with one another,
that again we might dwell in the warmth of your love.
Inspire us with your Holy Spirit
to put aside the cloak of pride and put on Christ,
that we might forgive and be forgiven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Michael J. O’Donnell, U.S.A., 20th Cent. (BOW 489)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 17, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

We confess that the circle of love is repeatedly broken
because of our sin of exclusion.
We create separate circles: the inner circle and the outer circle,
the circle of power and the circle of despair,
the circle of privilege and the circle of deprivation.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive all who have sinned against us.

We confess that the circle of love is broken
whenever there is alienation, whenever there is misunderstanding,
whenever there is insensitivity or a hardening of the heart.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive all who have sinned against us.

We confess that the circle of love is broken
whenever we cannot see eye to eye,
whenever we cannot link and to hand,
whenever we cannot live heart to heart and affirm our differences.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive all who have sinned against us.

Through God’s grace we are forgiven,
by the mercy of our Creator,
through the love of the Christ,
and in the power of the Spirit.
Let us rejoice and be glad!
Glory to God! Amen.
-Miriam Therese Winter, U.S.A., 20th Cent., alt. (BOW 488)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

Fun and Games

I love a good challenge...especially when it involves word games or puzzles.

Recently, in preparing for a lock in with the youth, I ran across this puzzle (the directions are in the puzzle):

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

I found this puzzle and a ton of other great ideas at http://www.egadideas.com/

If you need the answers, email me at acts242@hotmail.com and I will email the solution back to you.

Have fun!

March 16, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O Great Spirit (Gitchi Manitou, Most Awesome of the Awesome)
whose voice we hear in the winds,
and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear us.
We come before you as your children.
We are small and weak; we need your strength and wisdom.
Let us walk in beauty
and make our eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
May our hands respect the things you have made,
our ears be sharp to hear your voice.
Make us wise,
so that we may know the things you have taught your people,
the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
We seek strength not to be superior to our brothers and sisters,
but to live in harmony with ourselves and all of your creation.
Help us to be ever ready to come to you,
so when life fades as a fading sunset,
our spirits may come to you without shame. Amen.
-Traditional Native American Prayer (BOW 487)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

A Day in the Life of a Firefighter

This week's contribution to Photoblog 2009 is a set of pictures from a grass/wildlife fire we recently worked here in East Texas.

This first picture is of me and Lance as we are pulling up to get more water in the grass truck from the tanker that is stationed near by. Lance is the one climbing down out of the back.

From Photo Blog 2009

This is another picture of our refill:

From Photo Blog 2009

In this picture Lance and I are having a conversation with the chief (he is the one in blue jeans and no brush suit)about continued strategy as we continue our work on this fire into the second hour:

From Photo Blog 2009

This next photo is one of me putting my gloves back on getting ready to go back into the smoke and fire after a short break:

From Photo Blog 2009

This last photo is me with my lieutenant's helmet on helping Lance with the hose and standing nearby to operate the pump on the trunk (some days you are at the end of the hose with the fire and others you are at the truck...both jobs equally important).

From Photo Blog 2009

Thanks to Susan for taking such great pictures...I will post more in the weeks to come.

Asking Different Questions

A buddy and I have been having a long distance theological discussion...one that I thought I would share a little bit about with you all here on Radically Altered.

There is a question that comes up quite frequently in the circles that I run in. The basis of the question regards what God's will is for each of our lives. It comes to me in many different forms from what am I supposed to be doing with my life to what if I get it wrong. These questions often revolve around what we are (or are doing), where we are at or going, when we are supposed to this or that, or why this or that is or is not occurring in our lives.

It seems to me that we get wrapped up in determining and micromanaging the details and outcomes before we even give ourselves an opportunity to take the journey. I propose that the solution to this is to ask different questions. Instead of asking the what, when, where, and why type of questions that seem to permeate the pull ourselves up by the boot straps/do it ourselves mentality, perhaps we should begin by asking the who and the how questions first.

The who questions are all about who we are. It is not about the fact that I am a male in my late 30's of anglo descent. It is not about being an American or a Texan or anything else. At the heart of the who question is the realization that I am God's. It involves a regrounding of my identity not in worldly or cultural things, but rather it involves a firm grounding of my identity in God (the one who created me). The who I am questions can only be authentically answered in a community of sojourners seeking to understand, receive, and reflect the grace of God that forms their very identity (and we must remember that God is a member of that sojourning community). Deeply understanding who we are as sons and daughters, co-heirs of the kingdom of God (co-laborers too), brothers and sisters, a royal priesthood, a body, etc will radically alter the way that we perceive ourselves and others...and if we allow it to, it can dramatically open us to the person that God has called us to be. In this sacred space our priorities can be reordered and our wills can be brought into line with God's will.

The how questions have to do with the very core of our being. Having discovered who we are (our identities in Christ), how we are speaks to our spiritual fitness. These are the questions that ask about our relationship with God and with each other. They are tough questions. They are the places in my experience where the Holy Spirit shines a light and says, "Russell, let's take a look over here." They are places of work and transformation. These are the places where God has promised to meet us, but they are also the places that God refuses to leave us.

Another aspect of both of these lines of questions, a fruit from endeavoring down these paths, is that while these questions are about us, they are about us in relation to God and to others. As such, a journey down these paths requires that we develop skills of listening that are often under developed. If you are like me, then perhaps you have approached God and said in some way that this is who I am and this is how I see things and this is what I would like to do. It is so easy for us to think that we know ourselves and what's best for us and to just ask God to bless our efforts. It is much more difficult to travel the roads that these questions may take us down, to actually listen for and to God, and to move where God is moving in our lives rather than where we think we should be moving.

Additionally, to attempt to discern answers to the other questions (where, what, why, when) without first having answered these questions is kind of like putting the cart before the horse. When we realize that we are God's and our relationships with God and with others have been transformed, we begin to find that as long as these are maintained, the rest is relative and seems to have less of a choke hold on our lives. Does it matter if I am a teacher or a waiter? Does it matter if I make a lot of money or a little? Does it matter if I am known by many or by a few? I think that if we get these two lines of questioning right, then the rest is of little consequence. If we fully understand whose we are and how we are to be with one another and God, then we can be who we are and how we are supposed to be in any context.

This last thought does something dramatic...it takes God out of the either/or box. So many times we think that God either wants us to do one thing or the other. It is like God has placed his will for our lives in one hand and left the other hand empty. If we pick the correct hand, then we are living in God's will. This seems to limit God to an either/or entity. Really, I believe that with God, there are many times (but not all) when God is more likely both/and (otherwise, what's the point of free will---ah, but that's another post). We can be who we are and how we are called to be in any career (teacher, factory worker, accountant, public official, etc), any economic context, any situation whatsoever. At the end of our time here, I believe God is going to be more interested in who we were and how we were. If we live lives that reflect who we are called to be and how we are called to be, the choices we make about the what, when, where, and why will reflect our identities and our heart, no matter what those choices were. So in the end the what, when, where, why are of lesser significance than the who and the how.

When seeking God's will, it seems to me that Scripture makes some valuable statements about what the will of God might entail. Micah reminds us that "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (6:8)." When asked about the greatest commandment Jesus says, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt 22:37-40)" In the end, who we are and how we are shapes what we do, when we do it, where we do it and why we do it. To attempt to answer these latter questions without the foundation of who and how we are called to be, seems to risk making choices and acting in ways that are inconsistent with the will of God.

So in the end, I think it is about asking different questions in our journey towards God. If we are capable of asking better questions, perhaps we will be able to better discern what God wills for our lives.

I think that this covers one of our conversations in a nutshell (all be it a rather large nut shell!). I would be interested in continuing this dialog with you...please leave a comment and let us know your thoughts about aligning our wills with the will of God.

March 15, 2009 – Third Sunday of Lent

Here is today’s prayer:

The 7th Step Prayer

My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.

-12 Steps and 12 Traditions and the Big Book of AA

March 14, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O Lord God,
the watchers of Zion have called peace, peace,
when there was no peace.
Wherefore have you so long withheld from us
the influence of your Holy Spirit?
Why have you hardened our hearts?
It is because we have honored you with our lips,
when our hearts were far from you.

Return again to us, O Lord God,
and pardon this iniquity of your servants.
Cause your face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved.
O visit us with your salvation.
Raise up sons and daughters from Abraham and Sarah,
and grant that there might come
a mighty shaking of dry bones among us,
and a great ingathering of souls.

Be pleased to grant
that the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ may be built up;
that all nations and kindreds and tongues and peoples
might be brought to the knowledge of truth,
and we at last meet around your throne,
and join in celebrating your praises. Amen.
-Maria Steward, African American, U.S.A., 19th Cent., alt. (BOW 486)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 13, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

O God, source of all that makes life possible,
giver of all that makes life good;
We gather to give you our thanks,
yet we confess that we have often failed to live our thankfulness.
What we have we take for granted,
and we grumble about what we lack.
We have squandered your bounty,
With little thought of those who will come after us.
We are more troubled by the few who have more
than by the many who have less.
Forgive us, O God.
In this hour of worship, accept our thanksgiving;
and teach us to make gratitude and sharing our way of life;
through the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.
-Paul J. Flucke, U.S.A., 20th cent., alt (BOW 485)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 12, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

All-merciful, tender God, you have given birth to our world,
conceiving and bearing all that lives and breathes.
We come to you as your daughters and sons,
aware of your aggression and anger,
our drive to dominate and manipulate others.
We ask you to forgive us,
and by the gently touch of your Spirit
help us to find a renewed sense of compassion,
that we may truly live as your people in service to all. Amen.
-Janet Weller, England, 20th Cent., alt (BOW 484)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 11, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

God of grace and glory,
we thank you that you judge us not by the perfection of our actions,
but by our readiness to live boldly by faith.
Help us, as individuals and as a congregation,
to trust you and follow where you lead,
that in Christ your name may be glorified in all the earth. Amen.
-Ruth Duck, U.S.A., 20th Cent. (BOW 483)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

Serve God Save The Planet - A Review

I had the opportunity to hear the author of the book I am about to review speak a few weeks ago. I was down in Houston for a quick in and out planning meeting and decided that I would attend Mercy Street for an opportunity to worship without having to lead worship. Several weeks prior to my trip, I had known that Dr. Sleeth was speaking on Sunday and Monday at Chapelwood UMC (the church where Mercy Street is housed on Saturday evenings) and was saddened that my trip was going to bring me back home prior to being able to hear Dr. Sleeth. What a surprise that is was that he was speaking to the Saturday evening group! It was a huge blessing.

After the service, we had the opportunity to sit down and chat briefly (and now having read the book, I would love the opportunity to do that again!) and he signed my copy of Serve God Save the Planet. Usually books that I acquire in this manner get read right away, but since I was in the middle of finishing a couple of others, it wasn't until this past week that I was able to make my way through the pages of Sleeth's book. Here is what I found:

First, I found a real life human being wrestling with the theological and ethical issues that face our world today regarding our relationship with God, creation, and one another. There was a genuine faith that exuded from the struggles that Matthew and his family went through in discerning where God was calling them in their faith journey. I am appreciative of the authenticity and transparency in the narratives that he shared in his book.

Second, I found more than just a complaint about the way things were. All throughout the book are examples of actions that can be taken to help remedy some of the problems that we face as stewards of creation. While some of the most concise and informative items occur in their fullest glory in the appendices, the work is consistent in offering solutions throughout.

Third, there was a consistent call to action for all Christians to join together. While we were exhorted to do something, I was appreciative of the reality of this being a process rather than an event. The changes that Matthew and his family have implemented have occurred over time and there was grace extended for us to take the time to implement changes in our own lives as well. Grace, however, should not be construed as an excuse for procrastination. Dr. Sleeth is clear in his exhortation.

Fourth, while I wrestled or disagreed with a couple of the ways in which Dr. Sleeth arrived at his conclusions (either of interpretation or implication), on the whole, his premises, logic, and conclusions were well thought out and delineated.

While an energy website and a couple of other sources are alluded to throughout the text, there are places where Dr. Sleeth says things like, "Current public health statistics point to the same conclusion (pg 59)." I say this only to say that the student (and honestly the partial cynic) that rests within me would have like to have seen a complete bibliography in one of the appendices for those of us who may want to do more reading on the subject. Being better resourced may make some of the decisions and changes that we must make about our consumption of energy easier to discern...or put another way, with the rest of the information, we might be better able to discern a starting place...for one family it may be reducing the number of vehicles, while with another family it may mean composting and reducing the amount of weekly trash.

The reader needs to be aware that everything is sacred and nothing is off limits in this book. From our obsession with sports, to our SUVs, to our televisions and computers, to our choices regarding children (even having them); Sleeth touches on it all. If read carefully, it will offend you at the core (and I mean that as a compliment to the author). I think that is because the gospel is presented throughout the text and quite honestly, I have always thought that Jesus desires to radically alter our lives...even our western ideologies based on the old idiom that more is better. Quite honestly, the truth does sometimes hurt.

Perhaps Shane Claiborne said it best when reviewing the book, "Creation is groaning. And Matthew Sleeth has responded. Serve God, Save the Planet is not an alarmist call of despair, but a hopeful invitation to reimagine the way we live..."

In the end I would give this book 3.75 out of 4 stars and encourage everyone that I know to read it!

I invite you to stay tuned for future reviews. Our next book up for review is Reading the Bible with the Damned by Bob Ekblad. I should have that review up in about a week or so!

March 10, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the way of peace.
Come into the brokenness of our lives and our land
with your healing love.
Help us to be willing to bow before you in true repentance,
and to bow to one another in real forgiveness.
By the fire of your Holy Spirit, melt our hard hearts
and consume the pride and prejudice which separates us.
Fill us, O Lord, with your perfect love, which casts out our fear,
And bind us together in that unity
which you share with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
-Cecil Kerr, Northern Ireland, 20th cent. (BOW 482)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 9, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Almighty and merciful God,
we know that when we offend another, we offend you.
We are aware that we have often allowed the shadow of hate
to cloud our souls, hiding the light from our unseeking eyes.
We have said unpleasant and hurtful things to our brothers and sisters
when they failed to live up to our expectations.
Grant that we might find that spark of love that ever burns within us,
the love that you have shown to us even when we failed you.
Fan the embers of that love until it roars again
in flames of love, peace, and reconciliation.
Forgive us of our sins
and help us to forgive those who have sinned against us.
Lead us into new life through your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for the sins of all. Amen.
-Michael J. O’Donnell, U.S.A., 20th Cent. (BOW 481)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 8, 2009 – Second Sunday of Lent

Here is today’s prayer:

The 7th Step Prayer

My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.
-12 Steps and 12 Traditions and the Big Book of AA

March 7, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

We confess to you, all-knowing God, what we are.
We are not the people we like others to think we are.
We are afraid to admit, even to ourselves,
what lies in the depths of our souls.
But we cannot hide our true selves from you.
You know us as we are, and yet you love us.
Help us not to shrink from self-knowledge.
Teach us to respect ourselves for your sake.
Give us the courage to put our trust in your guiding power.
Raise us out of the paralysis of guilt
into the freedom and energy of forgiven people.
And for those through long habit find forgiveness hare to accept,
we ask you to break their bondage and set them free;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen
-England, 20th cent., alt. (BOW 480)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 6, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Almighty God,
we confess that we are often swept up in the tide of our generation.
We have failed in our calling to be your holy people,
a people set apart for your divine purpose.
We live more in apathy born of fatalism that in passion born of hope.
We are moved more by private ambition than by social justice.
We dream more of privilege and benefits than of service and sacrifice.
We try to speak in your name without relinquishing our glories,
without nourishing our souls, without relying wholly on your grace.
Help us to make room in our hearts and lives for you.
Forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen.
-Lydia S. Martinez (BOW 479)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

Fighting Fire with Fire

Sometimes, the situation is so potentially dangerous with grass and forest fires (especially if they get out beyond where they have already burned) that the best and safest thing to do is to set another fire burning back toward the fire line that is coming at you. That is exactly what we had to do with several dozen acres of woods on fire the other day.

Here are a few shots from my Blackberry once the fire line that we had started began burning in towards the fire line that is deeper in the forest (you can't see the other fire line for all the smoke):

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

Chewing Cud

Being a pastor in the middle of east Texas has some interesting requirements. Take for example this past Monday. I was sitting in the office doing paperwork and minding my own business when one of my parishioners comes in and says that we have to go get Ms. so and so's cows (they had gotten out of their fence). So we loaded up in two vehicles and went over and found three cows that were completely out and others that were headed that way.

Long story short, we rounded up the cows and got them back into the area they were supposed to be, but not before I took these shots with my Blackberry...I was guarding the hole in the fence to make sure that the two that we had wrangled and all their friends didn't get out while the third and final cow was being herded into the pasture.

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

From Photo Blog 2009

March 5, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

The Lord God is merciful and gracious,
endlessly patient, loving, and true,
showing mercy to thousands,
forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and granting pardon. Amen
-Jewish Prayer for Forgiveness, U.S.A., 20th cent.
(BOW 478b)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

Same Kind of Different as Me - A review

In their book Same Kind of Different as Me, Ron Hall (an international art dealer) and Denver Moore (a former homeless drifter) tell their story of friendship and faith. It is in many ways a story of overcoming. Prejudices, preconceived notions, misunderstandings, socio-economics, and race and ethnicity differences are just a few of the things that are addressed in this work...and they are overcome, over time, by both Ron and Denver.

Mark Clayman (the executive producer of the movieThe Pursuit of Happiness)touts that this book is: "The most inspirational and emotionally gripping story of faith, fortitude, and friendship I have ever read." Now this was a good book, but I wonder if that was taking it too far.

Let me digress for just a moment (to where you understand where I am coming from on this a little better). I spent five years studying sociology at Houston Community College and the University of Houston. In my later years, as a part of a qualitative research project I spent a lot of time in downtown and in the wards of Houston. When you begin interacting and spending much of your days and evenings with the homeless, the poor, the squatters found in these regions of a huge city, you begin to have a deeper understanding of their situation and an appreciation for their plight. If you survive a day in the wards, there is no doubt that you will be forever changed by the experience. I say this because it probably taints my view of this book...and I want to be fair. Having spent so many years researching and interacting and living with the disparity on the streets of Houston, much of what Denver shares is not new news to me...in fact, often times the reality that I am sure Denver faced isn't fully realized in the retelling of his story.

So here are a couple of my frustrations with the book:

First, I think as good a job as Denver did in expressing his world, based upon my own experiences he offered us but a glimpse into the world from which he came. I am personally grateful for that glimpse, but feel there is so much more to tell. The disparity that Denver reflects in his account is but a sliver of the reality that exists for thousands upon thousands of homeless in our country. The problem is much bigger than we might imagine.

Second, involving the overall economy of the book, I was disappointed that it took 89 pages (out of the 235 pages of text) to get to actual interaction between Denver and Ron. While the book is said to be a story between a dangerous homeless man and an international arts dealer (and a gutsy woman with a stubborn dream), there is a great deal of time discussing these characters' histories prior to ever getting to the relationship that forms between Denver and Ron. With 89 pages of history and context (and some of it never referenced again later in the book) there was less space available for the story and interaction between the 3 main characters as they wrestled with knowing each other and living into a friendship that was to be challenged not just by their histories, but also by their futures. A prime example is that there is an entire 2 page chapter dedicated to Ron's experience of Kennedy's assassination; and while I appreciate the sharing of that experience (and recognize that it was briefly---in a line or two---alluded to later in the text), I find little value of this sidebar to the story of Ron, Denver, and Miss Debbie...perhaps I missed something! The other thing about economy of the book is that I am not sure that Denver got as much time with us as Ron did (Denver would have a 2-3 page chapter followed by Ron with a 4-5 page chapter)...being a nut for social justice, I wonder if this is a fluke, or if it says something about the way that things are still today (I am praying it is just a fluke).

Finally, it should come as no surprise to some (and as plenty surprise to others) that God can use anybody in any situation for his good purposes. I believe that the book can serve as a springboard of hope to those that find themselves on either side of the socio-economic gulf that exists in our western world. I know that many organizations, including UMW, have included this book on their reading lists and I think that is a good thing. This will surely be groundbreaking awareness for some and merely further affirmation for others.

In the end, I would give this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is a good and easy read (and worth the reading). Just be careful about the hype, because depending upon where you are coming from, it may not quite live up to the fullness of expectation.

March 4, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Holy and awesome God, we stand in your presence
filled with regret for our many sins and failings.
Though there is greatness in us, and a deep longing for goodness,
we have often denied our better selves
and refused to hear your voice
calling us to rise to the full height of our humanity.
For there is weakness in us, as well as strength.
At times we choose to walk in darkness, our vision obscured.
We do not care to look within,
and we are unwilling to look beyond at those who need our help.
O God, we are too weak to walk unaided.
Be with us as a strong and wise friend,
and teach us to walk by the light of your truth.
-(BOW 478a)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

Communion with Dad - Overwhelming Gratitude

I have only been in church with my dad a few times in my life. The first one that I can remember was at mine and Erica's wedding. The others have been since I have been appointed here in Edom. He comes to visit and will stay over through Sunday morning and attend church with us here and hear me preach.

It is not a secret that my dad and I spent a number of years apart. Alcoholism, addiction and dysfunction all had parts in creating the gulf that stood between us all those years. Through numerous hunting and fishing trips, getting the families together and hanging out, our wedding, our time is worship together...all have been a part of the reconstruction of our relationship. Dad and I decided a number of years ago that our history was just that and that we had the opportunity and ability to rewrite our future...and we have.

This past weekend, although hectic, was yet another gift in this new found relationship that dad and I have together. This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Lent and also communion Sunday at the churches that I pastor.

As is usual, Bailey and Erica came to the later service at Edom and dad came along with them. The gift came at the end of the service when we consecrated the bread and juice and dad came forward to receive communion.

I looked him in the eyes as I handed him the broken bread and said, "Dad, this is the body of Christ broken for you." He received the juice from a lay person helping me serve and as he walked off to my right, he found himself a spot at the chancel rail and knelt down and prayed. I hesitated for what seemed like an eternity before continuing to serve the remaining folks in the communion line.

In that moment, there was a peace that is simply indescribable. It was the first time that dad and I celebrated communion together...It was the first time that I presided over communion and was able to serve him personally. It was an incredible gift...almost as if we have not only found ourselves within each other, but that we have found each other with and within God as well.

The only words I have for this experience are overwhelming gratitude, Thanks be to God!

March 3, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

Almighty and most merciful God, you know the thoughts of our hearts.
We confess that we have sinned against you and done evil in your sight.
We have transgressed your holy laws.
We have disregarded your Word and Sacraments.
Forgive us, O Lord.
Give us grace and power to put away all hurtful things,
that, being delivered from the bondage of sin,
we may bring forth fruit worthy of repentance,
and from henceforth may ever walk in your holy ways;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-Wesleyan Methodist Conference, England, 20th cent., alt. (BOW 477a)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 2, 2009

Here is today’s prayer:

May almighty God, who caused light to shine out of darkness, shine in our hearts, cleansing us from all our sins, and restoring us to the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, in the face of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
-The Book of Worship 1944, alt. (BOW 476c)

This prayer series is part of my ongoing ministry as Pastor of Edom United Methodist Church. As such, these prayers are offered as both a reminder to pray and models of prayers, especially of confession, pardon, and repentance during this season of Lent. Therefore, they are a teaching element here on the internet that serves to reinforce lessons that are being taught in classes and sermons throughout the Lenten season. Therefore, as a one-time reproduction I am including the following notice:
Copyright © 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship and educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.
Should you wish to use any of the prayers that are offered with this notice attached to it, please refer to the United Methodist Book of Worship for more information on rights and privileges associated with these copyrights.

March 1, 2009 – First Sunday of Lent

Here is today’s prayer:

The 7th Step Prayer

My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.
-12 Steps and 12 Traditions and the Big Book of AA