A Move from God

God sent a move into my life. One I had not planned on. One that has humbled me, uprooted me, and changed me. I was appointed this year to serve in the Cheaha District as Pastor of Eulaton United Methodist Church in Anniston, AL.  I reacted like most people in the bible; I balked, I laughed, I cried, I pleaded, I whined and I complained. And God responded like the God of the bible with loving discipline, patience yet mercy.  I moved. And I decided to follow where God led me, after all I had committed myself to God long time ago and to the Itinerant System of the United Methodist Church. I prayed, prayed some more and I keep on praying.  God is not through with this old gal yet.

I have met some wonderful people here even as I said goodbye to the good people of Trinity in Huntsville.
God has opened some opportunities for ministry just as there were even in Huntsville.
God has provided wonderful fellowship even as there was in Huntsville.
God has provided a good home in a parsonage, although we are selling our house in Huntsville.
What is God up to?
So much more than I can even begin to imagine.

I haven't preached every Sunday in five years.
 I will now be preaching regularly every Sunday.
How do I do that?
I don't do it alone, God is there, the word is there, friends are there and the people are there.

I haven't been the sole Pastor in five years.
I am now.
What was God thinking?
I shared with one of the teams that I had to relearn how to do that and to please be patient with me.
They understood.

I am on and lead every committee.
Haven't done that in five years.
I forgot how to do some of the committees.
Its time to pull out the Discipline again and ask the teams to help me and to lead..

I am trusting God a whole lot to lead me, lead his people, speak to me, speak to his people, inspire me, inspire his people.

Stay tuned to where God is leading.

John Wesley on Prayer

John Wesley on Prayer

God's command to "pray without ceasing" is founded on the necessity we have of his grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more subsist one moment without it, than the body can without air.

Whether we think of; or speak to, God, whether we act or suffer for him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than his love, and the desire of pleasing him.

All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer, when it is done in simplicity, according to the order of God, without either adding to or diminishing from it by his own choice.

Prayer continues in the desire of the heart, though the understanding be employed on outward things.

In souls filled with love, the desire to please God is a continual prayer.

As the furious hate which the devil bears us is termed the roaring of a lion, so our vehement love may be termed crying after God.

God only requires of his adult children, that their hearts be truly purified, and that they offer him continually the wishes and vows that naturally spring from perfect love. For these desires, being the genuine fruits of love, are the most perfect prayers that can spring from it.

From A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, as believed and taught by the Reverend Mr. John Wesley, from the year 1725, to the year 1777.

The most Important means of Grace

John Wesley considered prayer an essential part of Christian living, calling it, in many of his writings, the most important means of grace. Christians were to pray constantly, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He wrote in A Plain Account of Christian Perfection:

Whether we think of; or speak to, God, whether we act or suffer for him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than his love, and the desire of pleasing him.

All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer, when it is done in simplicity, according to the order of God, without either adding to or diminishing from it by his own choice.

How have you experienced prayer in your own life? Do you agree with Wesley that it is the most important means of grace, more important than the Bible?

Some quotes on prayer by John Wesley

"I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it."—John Wesley

"The neglect of prayer is a grand hindrance to holiness."

Wesley's upbringing and practice on prayer
Wesley was born into a strong Anglican home: his father, Samuel, was priest, and his mother, Susanna, taught religion and morals faithfully to her 19 children. Religious training began as early as possible. Even before they could kneel or speak, they were taught to be quiet at family prayers, and to ask a blessing by signs. As soon as they could speak they repeated the Lord’s Prayer morning and evening. A prayer for their parents, some collects, Catechism, and Scripture, were added as soon as they were able to learn them.

It is said that he was up early before 5am for prayer and bible reading.

My Thoughts

There is certainly a lot we can learn from Mr. Wesley about prayer. It was an important part of his life, his ministry and early "Methodists." Sometimes I think we have forgotten that and have become absorbed in the business of the church. I know I have struggled with it. And I am aware that as of late God has been working on my about my prayer life, and the discipline of praying regularly. I do think it is important to the life of the church, ministry and to my own life. I seem to get busy with life before I know it. Wonder what it would have been like for Wesley if his marrriage had worked and they had children, would he have been able to spend so much time in prayer, bible reading and ministry?

Greensburg, Kansas

These pictures tell a story without words.

Whoever heard of Greensburg, Kansas until this weekend? I hadn't. Did anyone think there could be devastation like Katrina did again? Not many. But Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting of the Kansas National Guard said in some ways the damage is worse than Hurricane Katrina, because the entire city is in ruins. "There's no place to go to stage to rebuild," said Bunting, a nearly 30-year veteran of the Guard. "We'll have to create that."" The entire city in ruins. Gone. All the churches gone. Every business on Main Street was demolished, and the town’s fire engines were crushed. This morning one of my parishioners called in tears as she watched on TV the story of the Rev. Gene McIntosh. the Methodist Minister who lost everything. They were hit by an EF-5, Tornado, with winds estimated at 205 mph. Unbelievable. 10 dead. A early warning was given which probably saved many lives.

The rural homes of several members of the Trousdale United Methodist Church, which is in nearby Trousdale, also were destroyed as the same 1.3-1.7-mile-wide tornado that hit Greensburg cut a 22-mile swath across southwest Kansas.

On the following night, May 5, another tornado struck, killing two more people and damaging buildings, including the Trousdale church. Church members gathered at the building on Sunday morning, May 6, to salvage the altar, piano and some furniture. They plan to worship May 13 at the home of a member. The Rev. Elaine Lord, Trousdale pastor, said the congregation has a strong and positive spirit and is determined to go on.

UMCOR is providing on-site support through UMCOR disaster consultant Cherri Baer, who is working with Nancy Proffitt, Kansas West disaster response coordinator, to mobilize the response when volunteers are allowed into the community. As of May 7, access to Greensburg was limited to residents and a small number of disaster responders.
Plans are under way for United Methodist volunteers to staff a liquids trailer provided by the conference's Salina District, a hot foods trailer from the Hutchinson District and a tools trailer from the Wichita East District.

To contribute financially, drop checks in local United Methodist church offering plates with "UMCOR Domestic Disaster Advance #901670" written in the memo line or made payable to UMCOR and sent to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Contributions also may be made online at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/emergencies/ or by calling (800) 554-8583.
To send checks to the Kansas Area Disaster Fund, make checks payable to Kansas West Conference and indicate "Area Disaster Fund" on the memo line. Mail to Kansas West Conference, 9440 E. Boston St., Suite 110, Wichita, KS 66207. Arrangements are being made for online donations.
To volunteer, visit the Kansas West Conference Web site at www.kswestumc.org or Kansas West Village at www.7villages.com/kansaswestconference.

The United Methodist response to the disaster began by mid-morning on the day after the first tornado hit. McIntosh and Lord were making calls to their parishioners, while the United Methodist Committee on Relief released an emergency grant of $10,000 to the denomination's Kansas West Annual (regional) Conference.

Kansas Area Bishop Scott J. Jones issued a special appeal for the Kansas Area Disaster Fund, asking area churches for special Sunday offerings as the severe weather season continues. Much of Kansas is also experiencing flooding as a super cell weather system continued to generate severe thunderstorms.

Prayers for those who lost family members. Prayers for those who lost their homes. Prayers for those who were injuried. Prayers for those responding to the disaster with aid and help.

Prayers for Greensberg citizens. Prayers for the Pastors who now comfort in the midst of their own loss.

Nothing But Nets

What am I talking about? Well if you noticed, I put a little banner over on the sidebar, that if you click on, it will take you to the website, "Nothing but Nets." I could say, I'm not talking Basket ball, but that wouldn't be true, basket ball is very involved, especially the NBA. It is one of our malaria initiatives of the United Methodist Church in concert with the NBA Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, Gates Foundation, Sports Illustrated, VH-1, and American Idol. Now can you imagine all those working together to do something to help the world be a better place? Its hard to imagine but they are. And guess what this thing is catching on like wildfire from children to adults, groups, churches, and individuals.

I issued a challenge to the church for the month of May to raise funds to buy enough nets to equal the number of members on roll. You see, our conference special offering this year goes to "Nothing but Nets". Last night in the United Methodist Women's meeting, we talked about the challenge. One of the women said, if I can save a life, by doing something so simple as buying a net, I am going to do it. She said it was one of those No Brainer things. These women are caring women, involved in many ways in the church, volunteering their time, talents and money. And I can see these women raising the money for "Nothing but Nets."

The next group I am talking to is the Bible Study tonight. And then the Youth, the Men's group, and then Sunday School. But I see the same response wherever I go.

Did you know… Every 30 seconds, a child dies in sub-Saharan Africa because of malaria. 9 out of 10 deaths caused by malaria occur in Africa. You can do something about it!

Nothing But Nets is a global grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Malaria claims more than a million lives every year, mostly children. The good news is that malaria can be prevented by sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net. Bed nets are an important tool in fighting malaria because they create a barrier against mosquitoes at night, when most transmission occurs. Just one bed net can keep an entire family safe from malaria transmission for up to four years!



A $10 donation goes directly toward the purchase, distribution, and education about the proper use of an insecticide-treated bed net. That doesn’t sound like much, right? And what’s more, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match each donation, net for net. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa live on less than $1 a day and cannot afford a life-saving bed net.

the UN Foundation has been working with the UN to fight malaria for years, it was a column that Rick Reilly wrote about malaria in Sports Illustrated, challenging each of his readers to donate at least $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed nets -- and the incredible response from thousands of Americans across the country -- that led to the creation the Nothing But Nets campaign.

The reaction to Reilly's 815 words made clear that thousands of people were ready to help the million children dying unnecessarily each year of malaria. Within a few short months, Nothing But Nets raised over 1 million dollars. And so Nothing But Nets was born.

The Youth have their own Cool website for this called TheBuzzKill.net. You can even get a teeshirt to get the message across, and the money goes to the cause.



Hey, I am all about Nothing but Nets. How about you?

You can donate right now here
or you can donate here

Blogging Against Disablism Day, May 1st, 2007

Disablism n. discriminatory, oppressive or abusive behaviour arising
from the belief that disabled people are inferior to others.
(although you won’t find a definition in a dictionary)



Yes, its May Day. It is also blog against Disablism day. How many of our churches have made the necessary changes in their church to not be practicing Disablism? Our church has done a great job on making the changes to be access friendly. Many of the churches I have served have done so. The United Methodist Church itself, and the North Alabama Conference has made a concerted effort to address the matter.

Yet, I must ask myself have I practiced Disablism? Do I think that persons with disabilities are inferior to me? These are good questions to ask ourselves, and our churches. Disablism goes beyond being access friendly. It gets to the heart of the matter, of our attitudes, what we think in our inward being, and our actual practices. Jesus told the crowds one time, 'Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts.'' Jesus was most gracious, welcoming, and open to those with disabilities. Sometimes I think we the Church ( the big church) have gotten far away from Jesus' practices, because we want to look so good, to have things perfect, and that is not how Jesus lived his life or treated people.

I am not disabled. I have children with speech disabilities, you can't always tell what they are trying to say. But it is nothing like some of the other disabilities that are so noticeable.

Lord, help me be honest with you and myself and ask forgiveness for the times I have practiced disablism toward your children. Help me as a leader to follow you in how you treated others and to lead others to do so also. Make me more Christlike in my thoughts, feelings, my inward being and in my practices. Make us all who claim to be your followers more Christlike. There are certainly enough isms in the world. Let me one of the ones who you are eradicating your isms from, especially disablism.

Go to the Diary of a Goldfish to join the blogging against disblism and to read more from those who did blog.

Hat tip to Mother Laura for making me aware of this day.

Grading the candidates for ministry

For two full days the Board of Ordained Ministry of the North Alabama Conference met to interview the candidates for the various areas of Ordained Ministry. Those two days happen after a full evening of worship, training and meetings the night before. Yes, it is a working retreat, but we take time for worship, and communion. We are reminded of who we serve and who does the calling and whom is called. It is a difficult task sometimes, and easy at others. It is refreshing to be with colleagues. The Board has on it Ordained and Laity. In some cases the laity ask the harder questions, and sometimes the ordained do. Whatever we do we do it with prayer.

I was on the Team that evaluated the practice of ministry. That meant we evaluated people in areas of preaching, teaching, and pastoral skills. Each candidate had a presenter who had written a paper on each person. There are three areas evaluated, ours, then the Called and disciplined life, and theology and doctrine. Each candidate wrote a paper on each area that was read and then reported on by a reader. I read one candidate's paper on practice of ministry which means I watched a taped worship service and sermon as well as the written work in this area. I presented one person, which meant I collected all the reports on my candidate, read all his paperwork, their file, references, watched several taped sermons and worship services then collated all that in a three page report to give to the committees and teams. We read those papers and then interviewed the candidates. As I said a lot of work. After three interviews we meet as a team to discuss the three candidates and recommendation. Then the Committee meets, I forgot to tell you I was on Committee A, which had all three teams. We then discussed the three areas and the grades and decided to accept or deny the request of the candidates. Then we presented the candidates to the larger board made up of two more committees and vote on each candidate. Then we start all over again.

I have to tell you there were some very sharp, creative, risk taking individuals that came up for ordination this time. For those who were coming up for probation or our new title, Minister-in Residence, they had to show readiness. For those coming up for full connection they had to show effectiveness in all areas. Those who missed or were denied didn't miss by much, either they just were ready yet or not affective. They can come back again.

The Minister-in-Residence is a new program that will begin this year. It is based on a program at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. There will be coaches and a program for them to go through, networking, leadership training, etc., stuff you don't learn in Seminary, but before learned the hard way with no one to help you. I think this is going to be a great addition to our conference and really help the beginning pastors and deacons grow in the ministry, and perhaps be more capable of it sooner than later. It help the Board in recommending those for this level as well. I wish they had this when I was beginning.

I am on my third year and have one more year, unless the Bishop reappoints me for four more. I like serving on the Board, and think I have something to offer the Board and the church.

Believe it or not, most candidates came away saying it was a positive experience. I presented someone who had been turned down last year for full connection. Yes, they were mad, and disappointed at the time. But they talked a lot about what a good experience this year had been for them, how much they had learned, how better connected they were to others, and how they experienced God in all that. And they did a much better job this time, you could even tell the difference in the paperwork, the tapes, and just talking with the individual. He has decided he liked his training, groups, and mentor so much last year he is going to continue his work again this year. It was a really affirming process for him. I don't know if I can tell you he passed or not yet. I think that will be posted sometime at the North Alabama conference website. But the candidate knows.

As I listened to the interviewees, I wasn't sure I could do as well as some of them did. I remember fumbling for some of the answers about Wesley Theology. You know they really grilled me on that, having been a Baptist, but overall it was an affirming positive experience for me. I hope it was for those we interviewed. I sure learned some things from some of the clients, new books to read, and some ideas to think about for my ministry.

The Methodist Blues

Methodist Blues (lyrics)

by Garrison Keillor

I've been going to church every Sunday morn

Still don't know if I've been reborn

I'm sixty years old, is there something I've missed

Or is it just that I'm Methodist?

I got the Methodist blues.

The organist's mad, the pastor's unhappy

The hours are long and the pay is crappy

Troubles? O we got a whole long list

Because we are Methodists

Got the Methodist blues

The sound system's bad, there's a buzz in the speaker

The budget is busted, the collection is meager,

This great big debt load we been carryin

Maybe we oughta be Unitarian

People gossip about who did what,

The ladies circle is a pain in the butt.

Want to slap their face or at least their wrist

But I can't cause I am a Methodist

I got the Methodist blues

We're not big on shows and dances,

Mixed drinks or big romances

I've been hugged but never French kissed

That's because I'm a Methodist

I got the Methodist blues

Everybody wants to sit in the back pews

Want the sermon to reflect their views

Some of these Christians, they are the rudest

What do you say we try being Buddhist?

The same ten people always volunteer,

Half of them old, the others just weird,

How ever do we manage to persist

We do it by being Methodist

I got the Methodist blues.

People offer to help then they don't remember

It can make you almost lose your temper

Sit and steam and clench your fist

But you can't hit them, you're Methodist,

Got the Methodist blues.

God put us here to serve a mission

But people won't come if you don't air condition.

We've got the blues and we're getting more bluish

Why don't we switch to Jewish?

Everyone's afraid of change.

Don't like anything new or strange.

Or we get our underwear in a twist

That's how it is with a Methodist

I got the Methodist blues

Listen:

http://www.publicradio.org/tools/media/player/start/00:00:03:55.0/end/00:00:07:36.0/phc/2004/06/12_phc.ram

A fellow Methodist Minister sent this to me, not sure if this means he has the Methodist Blues.
But much of what Garrison Keillor sings is true. But I thought he was Lutheran, so how does he know so much about the Methodist? Maybe we all aren't so different after all? Maybe all we Methodist got the Methodist Blues. I don't feel like I do, because I am a Christian, a follower of Christ, the Methodist Church is a functional way of living it out just as any other denomination or nondenomination is. If we got the Methodist Blues how come so many Methodist churches are alive and well? How come they are becoming innovative, inspirational, and relevant? How come more people are living out their passion and gifts as laity? How come more Pastors are growing spiritually and alive in their ministry?

Yes, there are the churches who are dying. Yes there are the laity that keep doing the same old thing. Yes there are often the same ten that volunteer in some churches. And yes there is often the lack of follow through. But you have to say there are many laity, Pastors and churches who are alive, singing a new song, a song that God has given them.

Are you singing the blues or a new song that God has given you?

Tuesday morning United Methodist General Conference Blogging

Methoblog has set aside Tuesdays for blogging about the upcoming General Conference.

I am trying to discern if I should put myself on the ballot for our conference or stay out of the politics. Oh but I do love politics sometimes, the drama, the power plays, the craziness. On the other hand, I get myself so stressed out and anxious that I often lose sight of what is important. I would like to have the opportunity to go to it at least once in a lifetime. You know, like you want to go to the Holy Land at least once. But then I also have a familyof little ones, and I have a church to lead and serve. But I also think I have something to offer. So I am trying to discern whether to commit myself or not. What do you all think? Please pray for me in this discernment process.

How General Conference Works is my link for this Tuesday's General Conference Blogging.

One of the things this link tells about is that the General Conference meets every four years, and. is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. Church law states that no person or organization except the General Conference has authority to speak officially for the denomination (The Book of Discipline 1996, Par. 509.). Cost of the conference is more than $3 million.

Three million dollars?!? Wow, it gets my mind thinking about how the church could use that $3 million dollars in other ways. I like the idea of using it for evangelism, ministries, outreach, and missions. Maybe have an online General Conf meeting instead. Wonder if that is any less expensive, and better use of time and money. Then we could cut out some of the top down thinking that goes on. Some of the apportionment costs. What do you think?