Two weeks after Easter, Now What? the power of God changing everything should still shape us. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do, and I invite you to reflect on this with me.
I'm convinced that what we should be doing is helping each other on the spiritual journey to find out how we can become the people God shaped in our Mother's wombs. Psalm 139 tells us that's when it began. But like most children we can choose not to follow what was the basic plan. How can I discover and keep to my journey and help you keep to your journey.
I'm convinced that spiritual formation, the shaping of our journey in a spiritual realm, requires that we learn from God what our journey is. That will happen as we are exposed more and more to the work of God that we will learn from the Word, Jesus and the experiences of those who knew Jesus very well. We can find their story in the New Testament. So I'm going to read more of what Jesus did and said and what happened to the people that he touched and talked to to see what I can do to be a good student of Jesus and a follower of his example.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be blogging about what I'm discovering. I've been challenged by Leonard Sweet to focus clearly on Jesus who invited us to serve this present age. I'm going to try to serve it, give to it, direct it as best I can. You can help me and help you if you respond with questions and thoughts you might have about making a better spiritual life out of all of this. How do we pray, how do we practice the Jesus way. How do we overcome obstacles and let God's love shape us more clearly to be the people who bless and make a real difference in our own world and into the lives of others. I think that's a real challenge and I hope you pray for me as I pray for you.
Easter is all about overcoming the worst, death into new life. All of us can move from death and the old way, into the Abundant life Jesus invited us to experience, but we are going to have to get a little more frisky, a little more adventuresome if we are going on our own journey of faith. I'll report back in on my story, I hope I hear from you.
Let the games and the resurrection of life begin. Please come with me.
I'm convinced that the purpose of our church is to help make disciples who get it. Maybe we can help you get it too.
Blessings
Pastor Jeff
PS, if you go to www.facebook.com/LGUMC15225 you will see video of our work at Liberty Grove, our special events and sermons.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Our Ultimate Purpose
Just read an interesting survey about Americans. Half of us have stopped thinking about our ultimate purpose. Those who think about it tend to go to church to get help with their questions. Those who don't seem interested don't bother with those spiritual journey issues and pursue their own course, wherever it takes them. (Lifeway Researsh Dec. 2011)
No wonder we seem to be in such a mess.
How can we work on getting somewhere if we don't have a somewhere to go. To me, that would seem a horrible nightmare. Wandering without any direction sounds pretty scary to me. I am so glad God called me and gave me something to work on. I'm so glad that call comes with help along the way too. And that can be true for you as well.
I think there is some mystic connected to pastors, that somehow we have extra stuff no one else has.And besides that, that extra stuff comes to us in unusual or mystical ways.
I hate to break it to you, but unless I follow the directions that God gives me by reading the Bible, I'm not getting anything secretly.
Now I do hear from God very convincingly from other people speaking a word of the Lord to me. But it needs to match what I've already heard from God to be a good reinforcement. I haven't heard totally new words of God that aren't already spelled out in scripture. I may not have been paying attention to the Bible like I shoud have, sometimes, but God is very helpful in that he is consistent. God won't say one thing one time and something else another time. We may think so, we may hope so, but the Word of the Lord is dependable. As Psalm one reminds us, those who look to God are like trees planted by the water, we will have fruit in due season all the time.
So the challenge is getting myself near enough to the water to be nourished. Sometimes that means leaving the desert to move closer to water. The desert could be I'm getting so busy I don't have time for Bible reading. Or I'm too wrapped up in other things and have too little time for God. I can shrivel up pretty fast, that way.
I need to get closer to the living water more regularly. I need a map to keep me heading in the right direction for the living water. This year, I've downloaded the One Year Bible plan off of the internet and printed it out and folded it up and put in in my new Common English Bible. For about 15 minutes a day, I'll read again, the whole Bible, all of it, from cover to cover. There are other plans too. if you type in one year Bible in the search window, you will get dozens of them. Biblegateway.com has many reading plans too. You can sign up to have the readings emailed to you everyday if that would help you keep near the living water more regularly.
One or two questions to ask yourself when you read, might be helpful. I've found these questions very helpful. "Is there something here in this verse, or story, I need to avoid?" then start to avoid that. "Is there something here in this verse or story, I need to emulate, or copy or do myself?" then, start to copy or do.
St. Paul reminds us that we are to mature in the faith and grow up into the likeness of Jesus. So maybe the challenge for your spiritual journey is to read more about Jesus. One chapter a day of a Gospel, means you can cover all 90 chapters in three months. You will be amazed at how much that can help you to mature and grow and bear fruit in season.
There is help to find our what our destiny is. God does not leave us as orphans, but provides the Holy Spirit to interpret the Word. And you will be blessed. The blessings will far outweigh life without a purpose, because you thought you could do better on your own.
This is a sermon. I've learned it the hard way. I'm trying to keep you from falling into a ditch, which is no fun at all. Blessings
Pastor Jeff
No wonder we seem to be in such a mess.
How can we work on getting somewhere if we don't have a somewhere to go. To me, that would seem a horrible nightmare. Wandering without any direction sounds pretty scary to me. I am so glad God called me and gave me something to work on. I'm so glad that call comes with help along the way too. And that can be true for you as well.
I think there is some mystic connected to pastors, that somehow we have extra stuff no one else has.And besides that, that extra stuff comes to us in unusual or mystical ways.
I hate to break it to you, but unless I follow the directions that God gives me by reading the Bible, I'm not getting anything secretly.
Now I do hear from God very convincingly from other people speaking a word of the Lord to me. But it needs to match what I've already heard from God to be a good reinforcement. I haven't heard totally new words of God that aren't already spelled out in scripture. I may not have been paying attention to the Bible like I shoud have, sometimes, but God is very helpful in that he is consistent. God won't say one thing one time and something else another time. We may think so, we may hope so, but the Word of the Lord is dependable. As Psalm one reminds us, those who look to God are like trees planted by the water, we will have fruit in due season all the time.
So the challenge is getting myself near enough to the water to be nourished. Sometimes that means leaving the desert to move closer to water. The desert could be I'm getting so busy I don't have time for Bible reading. Or I'm too wrapped up in other things and have too little time for God. I can shrivel up pretty fast, that way.
I need to get closer to the living water more regularly. I need a map to keep me heading in the right direction for the living water. This year, I've downloaded the One Year Bible plan off of the internet and printed it out and folded it up and put in in my new Common English Bible. For about 15 minutes a day, I'll read again, the whole Bible, all of it, from cover to cover. There are other plans too. if you type in one year Bible in the search window, you will get dozens of them. Biblegateway.com has many reading plans too. You can sign up to have the readings emailed to you everyday if that would help you keep near the living water more regularly.
One or two questions to ask yourself when you read, might be helpful. I've found these questions very helpful. "Is there something here in this verse, or story, I need to avoid?" then start to avoid that. "Is there something here in this verse or story, I need to emulate, or copy or do myself?" then, start to copy or do.
St. Paul reminds us that we are to mature in the faith and grow up into the likeness of Jesus. So maybe the challenge for your spiritual journey is to read more about Jesus. One chapter a day of a Gospel, means you can cover all 90 chapters in three months. You will be amazed at how much that can help you to mature and grow and bear fruit in season.
There is help to find our what our destiny is. God does not leave us as orphans, but provides the Holy Spirit to interpret the Word. And you will be blessed. The blessings will far outweigh life without a purpose, because you thought you could do better on your own.
This is a sermon. I've learned it the hard way. I'm trying to keep you from falling into a ditch, which is no fun at all. Blessings
Pastor Jeff
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to each of you. We have had a great 2011, and now it’s time to move into a 2012. Each of us should plan on growing in this new year, to become more faithful and to let our spiritual growth show up in our daily lives by the way we spend our time and treat each other.
I pray for us all, to become more and more a part of God’s plan to bless your surrounding communities we come from, through our actions and love of neighbors. We each touch several lives and if we are prayerful and aware, we can see ways to offer God’s love in those connections, whether at work or school at home or community or in our play and fun times. If we pray more often, “Use me O God, in this place and time, give me a word of encouragement or hope in this conversation or situation”, we will begin to see God’s miracles too.
We often wish we could have been around for a burning bush or the parting of the Red Sea or Jesus feeding thousands or walking on water or raising the dead. But the same kind of miracle is available whenever God is at work in our situations. Let’s be more mindful of those possibilities and we will see awesome evidence of God this coming year. Start by praying to hear God’s voice more clearly.
I heard God speak clearly to me a while back. I was driving home after watching the Super Bowl at my brother’s house, when I heard a voice tell me to change lanes. I was driving in the left lane of two on the road. I hate driving the curb lane because I feel like I don’t have any options available to me from there. Anyway, not once or twice but at least three times I heard, move over Jeff, move over. So when I did, the car crossing the double yellow line only hit me in the corner of my car, instead of a full impact. I was spared a life or at least a great deal of injury.
A few days later, I was very aware that God had helped me in this case, and I began to wonder what other times God had spoken to me and I hadn’t acted upon it? I still try really hard to pay attention to when God speaks to me. It isn’t always an audible voice, but the words of advice from friends and colleagues, or a word of Scripture comes to mind at the right moment. This is just as Jesus said it would happen. He said the Holy Spirit would remind us of what we needed if we let him.
So for a New Year’s Resolution, let’s all ask God to equip us with the voice of the Holy Spirit that we recognize the guidance and warnings and advice God gives us each time we need it.
The great thing about faith in God is that we can begin a new connection to God and a new way to live at any time, it just isn’t at or near midnight on Dec. 31, but anytime our hearts and soul is quickened to what God is up to.
May each of you have a great New Year and may each of you see progress in your spiritual journey this year. We follow and Awesome God. All Year Long
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving
Before I sit down with family and friends for the feast, I want to thank God for blessings and gifts and wonders that surround me today. I want all of this to be about a grateful heart. I hope it's contagious, Giving thanks, that is.
Deborah Norville, of TV reporting fame, wrote a book on Thank You Power that I found very helpful for contemplating Thanksgiving today. It's a short book, she shares her faith with us, and reports on the power of gratitude to do wonderful things. People who learn to give and share thanks with God and others, get closer to happiness and healthy lives, than those who feel they've accomplished everything by hard work and by themselves. She bases a lot of what she says on a Duke University Study on happiness and gratitude.
This blog today is not about her book, but her inspiration to give thanks. I want first to proclaim I am grateful to God for all that I have. The best is an eternal perspective that comes with a deep and personal relationship to Jesus. Knowing that God loves me, forgives me because of what Jesus did, makes everything else that much better.
I thank God for Elaine. We've been sharing thanksgivings since 1998 when we had just barely met. I dragged her to Ohio to meet the family, scared her to death in the process, but she survived that introduction and it has made giving thanks to her and for her that much better. Thank you Elaine, I hope you are feeling better real soon.
I thank God for my family, both the one that brought me here and the one I had some influence on. My dad is 92 and still going strong, and I am thankful for all that he has done as an example, and as an encouragement to me. Rocky, my Step-mom, keeps him going and out of trouble so I am thankful for her as well. Have a safe trip back from Ohio where my two brothers are celebrating together.
I thank God for my brother Bruce, Kelly too, he gets credit here too, but Bruce is a pastor and closer in geography, and we are able to encourage and motivate each other in ministry, which has been a real blessing to me too. We've also been pretty competitive, and our churches have at times been close in size, and so there has been some natural comparisons and wondering whether he is doing better than I am... That's one of the reasons to be thankful, and to be careful about, you can't build your gratitude on what you have or don't have, sorry about that, Bruce. Gratitude goes to being aware of what is reality is, and that's very important too.
Andy and Casey, my two sons, bring a great deal of gratitude into my heart as well. Andy and Maggie had Oscar who is now four. I get to be Pop Pop, and chauffer to Pre School sometimes, and that is a blast, even if it is really early in the morning. Casey was in a play for the last few weeks, that is a joy to watch him on stage, helping people to think and appreciate what we have in life. Good job Casey, you will continue to bless others with your acting. Here is a plug for your new graphic novel "All Fall Down" coming out soon.
God has blessed me with a calling and a place to share that gift at Liberty Grove United Methodist Church in Burtonsville. It's been four years of ministry together that has inspired me to thank God for such a place where we love each other, and care about the community and the world and do something about it. May God continue to pour out on us his strength and Spirit to be a blessing for others.
Food is coming and I love to eat, but it also serves as a very visual reminder of God's creative power, and the variety of food, signifies how great that love of God comes in a variety of ways, people, experiences and moments when we pause to remember how we got here, and who we really belong to.
Have a great Thanksgiving
Pastor Jeff
Deborah Norville, of TV reporting fame, wrote a book on Thank You Power that I found very helpful for contemplating Thanksgiving today. It's a short book, she shares her faith with us, and reports on the power of gratitude to do wonderful things. People who learn to give and share thanks with God and others, get closer to happiness and healthy lives, than those who feel they've accomplished everything by hard work and by themselves. She bases a lot of what she says on a Duke University Study on happiness and gratitude.
This blog today is not about her book, but her inspiration to give thanks. I want first to proclaim I am grateful to God for all that I have. The best is an eternal perspective that comes with a deep and personal relationship to Jesus. Knowing that God loves me, forgives me because of what Jesus did, makes everything else that much better.
I thank God for Elaine. We've been sharing thanksgivings since 1998 when we had just barely met. I dragged her to Ohio to meet the family, scared her to death in the process, but she survived that introduction and it has made giving thanks to her and for her that much better. Thank you Elaine, I hope you are feeling better real soon.
I thank God for my family, both the one that brought me here and the one I had some influence on. My dad is 92 and still going strong, and I am thankful for all that he has done as an example, and as an encouragement to me. Rocky, my Step-mom, keeps him going and out of trouble so I am thankful for her as well. Have a safe trip back from Ohio where my two brothers are celebrating together.
I thank God for my brother Bruce, Kelly too, he gets credit here too, but Bruce is a pastor and closer in geography, and we are able to encourage and motivate each other in ministry, which has been a real blessing to me too. We've also been pretty competitive, and our churches have at times been close in size, and so there has been some natural comparisons and wondering whether he is doing better than I am... That's one of the reasons to be thankful, and to be careful about, you can't build your gratitude on what you have or don't have, sorry about that, Bruce. Gratitude goes to being aware of what is reality is, and that's very important too.
Andy and Casey, my two sons, bring a great deal of gratitude into my heart as well. Andy and Maggie had Oscar who is now four. I get to be Pop Pop, and chauffer to Pre School sometimes, and that is a blast, even if it is really early in the morning. Casey was in a play for the last few weeks, that is a joy to watch him on stage, helping people to think and appreciate what we have in life. Good job Casey, you will continue to bless others with your acting. Here is a plug for your new graphic novel "All Fall Down" coming out soon.
God has blessed me with a calling and a place to share that gift at Liberty Grove United Methodist Church in Burtonsville. It's been four years of ministry together that has inspired me to thank God for such a place where we love each other, and care about the community and the world and do something about it. May God continue to pour out on us his strength and Spirit to be a blessing for others.
Food is coming and I love to eat, but it also serves as a very visual reminder of God's creative power, and the variety of food, signifies how great that love of God comes in a variety of ways, people, experiences and moments when we pause to remember how we got here, and who we really belong to.
Have a great Thanksgiving
Pastor Jeff
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Columbus Day
Columbus Day, a chance for some of us to get a day off, like I did, yesterday. I needed it too, it's been a crazy and exciting few weeks since Labor Day. In honor of Christopher Columbus who explored new worlds, and in memory of Steve Jobs, I bought an iPhone. It's number 4 on sale to make room for the number 4S. It took me most of the day to get up to speed, with a few Columbus mistakes along the way.
I'm writing to help us keep Christopher Columbus's plans and ideas going on into a new generation. He was convinced that the world was round and not flat, and he was willing to take the risk to find out. To explore unknown components of the world he lives in. He also was highly committed to sharing the Christian faith with those he found along the way. But he wasn't perfect.
He thought he found the way to India, and he called those he met Indians. We've been stuck with that one for a long time. He thought he had succeeded in getting around the world, he had not. I tried to load my iPod stuff into my new iPhone and not fully understanding all the challenges to that, over rode the contacts that the phone company put in for me. So, I had to go back to the nice man at ..... and ask him to load them all again. He said it wasn't uncommon for that to happen, especially for people my age..... White hair give away?
Any way, after fits and starts, I do have most of what I want in my iPhone. Because it's apple, I can use iTunes to upload songs and ringtones, so now I'm happy, but it was challenging.
Enough about iPhones, I want us to keep the Columbus spirit alive of willing to explore new things. Spiritually we must always keep exploring what God has to offer us. When we reach a point where we think we know all that God intends for us to know, we have reached a bad place in our faith journey. Be open to the Spirit to guide you to new discoveries. There are places in Scripture that will be very helpful to you from a connecting to God point of view and a connecting to neighbors point of view. We need to be refreshed with new insights, new ways of dealing with life as it changes and be newly inspired to rely on God for the help we need.
We may make mistakes like Christopher Columbus did, but he discovered far more good by trying something new. Go for it.
I'm looking forward to seeing the new Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez movie about a spiritual pilgrimage just for the inspirations sake. I've you've seen it let me know what you thought.
Keep exploring what God gives you!
Pastor Jeff
I'm writing to help us keep Christopher Columbus's plans and ideas going on into a new generation. He was convinced that the world was round and not flat, and he was willing to take the risk to find out. To explore unknown components of the world he lives in. He also was highly committed to sharing the Christian faith with those he found along the way. But he wasn't perfect.
He thought he found the way to India, and he called those he met Indians. We've been stuck with that one for a long time. He thought he had succeeded in getting around the world, he had not. I tried to load my iPod stuff into my new iPhone and not fully understanding all the challenges to that, over rode the contacts that the phone company put in for me. So, I had to go back to the nice man at ..... and ask him to load them all again. He said it wasn't uncommon for that to happen, especially for people my age..... White hair give away?
Any way, after fits and starts, I do have most of what I want in my iPhone. Because it's apple, I can use iTunes to upload songs and ringtones, so now I'm happy, but it was challenging.
Enough about iPhones, I want us to keep the Columbus spirit alive of willing to explore new things. Spiritually we must always keep exploring what God has to offer us. When we reach a point where we think we know all that God intends for us to know, we have reached a bad place in our faith journey. Be open to the Spirit to guide you to new discoveries. There are places in Scripture that will be very helpful to you from a connecting to God point of view and a connecting to neighbors point of view. We need to be refreshed with new insights, new ways of dealing with life as it changes and be newly inspired to rely on God for the help we need.
We may make mistakes like Christopher Columbus did, but he discovered far more good by trying something new. Go for it.
I'm looking forward to seeing the new Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez movie about a spiritual pilgrimage just for the inspirations sake. I've you've seen it let me know what you thought.
Keep exploring what God gives you!
Pastor Jeff
Friday, August 12, 2011
Escape from Grave Clothes
Think of the Mummy from your Halloween parties in need of unwinding. You have Lazarus just stumbling out of the tomb into bright sunshine. Jesus could have unwound him too, but he raised him back to life and invited those around Lazarus to do the unbinding. We are included in the helping those who are being transformed to come out and be made whole again. What a great gift.
On Sunday Aug. 14, we are dealing with Jesus invitation to involve us in helping to unbind the grave-clothes. We miss a great deal of power in the body of Christ, also known as church, when we let the professionals do the work that the body has been assigned to do. I was amazed that I could find 50 verses that ask us to "One Another." There is so much we can offer each other to help each of us be better followers of Jesus. This step in the Lazarus story will invite that kind of thinking.
If you are one of my readers who doesn't attend Liberty Grove UMC in Burtonsville, MD and you are too far away to get there, you ought to think about finding a church home you can go to. Not just be a part of a large crowd on Sunday morning, but become involved in a smaller group where the real "One Another" good stuff happens. That could be a Sunday School class, Bible Study, Choir, Praise Team, volunteer at a food kitchen, homeless shelter, or missions trip as well.
Jesus stressed that we are to be responsible for each other. We really need the connection of flesh and blood if we are going to reach our maximum potential the way God made us.
Facebook and other social media is great. I connect with my own family better through that than I did growing up with my relatives. All of my cousins are in my Facebook now. They are all over the country, but i keep up with what's going on with them. But as much good as a social network does, it's the face to face that really makes a difference. So let me encourage you to find a way to be in a face to face group. Weekly is best, but with hectic schedules even monthly real time connection is going to be good for the soul.
John Wesley wanted all those who followed his teachings to be in a a dynamic small group so that they could pray for each other, support each other, help each other out in business or parenting or with the challenges of being a better disciple of Jesus. If you had to answer the questions, "How goes it with your soul today? Where have you seen progress in faith? Where are you struggling and need help?" questions each week it would make you a better follower of Jesus.
Blessings on your journey. I hope and pray you can find a small group to connect to. You could start asking people you know at church to join you if you don't find one already.
Pastor Jeff
On Sunday Aug. 14, we are dealing with Jesus invitation to involve us in helping to unbind the grave-clothes. We miss a great deal of power in the body of Christ, also known as church, when we let the professionals do the work that the body has been assigned to do. I was amazed that I could find 50 verses that ask us to "One Another." There is so much we can offer each other to help each of us be better followers of Jesus. This step in the Lazarus story will invite that kind of thinking.
If you are one of my readers who doesn't attend Liberty Grove UMC in Burtonsville, MD and you are too far away to get there, you ought to think about finding a church home you can go to. Not just be a part of a large crowd on Sunday morning, but become involved in a smaller group where the real "One Another" good stuff happens. That could be a Sunday School class, Bible Study, Choir, Praise Team, volunteer at a food kitchen, homeless shelter, or missions trip as well.
Jesus stressed that we are to be responsible for each other. We really need the connection of flesh and blood if we are going to reach our maximum potential the way God made us.
Facebook and other social media is great. I connect with my own family better through that than I did growing up with my relatives. All of my cousins are in my Facebook now. They are all over the country, but i keep up with what's going on with them. But as much good as a social network does, it's the face to face that really makes a difference. So let me encourage you to find a way to be in a face to face group. Weekly is best, but with hectic schedules even monthly real time connection is going to be good for the soul.
John Wesley wanted all those who followed his teachings to be in a a dynamic small group so that they could pray for each other, support each other, help each other out in business or parenting or with the challenges of being a better disciple of Jesus. If you had to answer the questions, "How goes it with your soul today? Where have you seen progress in faith? Where are you struggling and need help?" questions each week it would make you a better follower of Jesus.
Blessings on your journey. I hope and pray you can find a small group to connect to. You could start asking people you know at church to join you if you don't find one already.
Pastor Jeff
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Don't look at the Stock Market
I hate to see us struggle so much with our economy and the latest hit to the stock market hurt me in many ways, think pension, just like millions of others. This latest one got me thinking in some different ways than I usually go with this blog. Bear with me.
We may need a wakeup call about how much we depend on ourselves for all that we have and what we want. Maybe we can use this moment to reflect on what God wants to give us. We certainly aren't getting peace of mind from the world we live in. But that's been God's point for a long time. We can't serve both God and money. Money is such a cruel master, these days especially.
So I'm think maybe we will be open to some creative ideas about stretching our resources to help us get through a tough time. I am not old enough to have been around in the Great Depression, but have heard enough from people who were. Some of these ideas may seem like a repeat of the past, but it's still worth considering.
Let's get together as churches and really make an effort to help each other out. We can swap or hand down clothes for children and take a great burden off of young parents. We can find a time to share meals together, either inviting your neighbors or church friends to pot luck suppers in your own house or maybe at the church. We could save a lot of money if we pot lucked more often. Bringing one dish to share and seeing how God can multiply the loaves and fishes might help us get through tough times.
Bring the monthly magazines you subscribe to and pass them around. I know that the publishing industry won't like that idea too much, but it might save a few trees and a couple of pounds of recycled material. Share movies/DVD's after you've seen them.
One of the things I always thought about was a tool shed at church where people could keep tools that could be signed out, to keep track of, for those once in a while jobs around the house. We probably all have drills and saws and stuff just sitting on our work bench. It would make it difficult to start a job at night, you would have to plan ahead more, but think about the ways we could stretch the resources we have. Same goes for lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc.
We could create a tool shed and you could put a few dollars in the collection plate for the privilege of taking a tool home for a couple of days. I'm sure there are people who are more creative than I am who could set up a system like this. I'm just the idea person.
So can I get you to begin to think outside your comfort zone to be more closely connected to your faith community and help you out financially? I know that communities like the Amish have this all worked out for sure. I'm just thinking it's probably going to be a struggle for a while for lots of people, maybe it's time we as the body of Christ, thought more like the body and recognize that we all have parts we can put to good use for the whole body.
If you know of someone who has pulled this off, or you are interested in brainstorming about how we can improve our community for each other, let me know. Or better yet, begin to be creative on your own. Just Do It!
There is much power in cooperating with one another. Now might be a good time to start.
May God start your creative imaginations going. Ephesians 3:20, a favorite verse, tells us that God is far more able to do beyond our imaginations that we can ever come up. Let us let God's great imagination Spirit stir us up to good works for one another and the Kingdom/Sphere of God.
Blessings, Pastor Jeff
We may need a wakeup call about how much we depend on ourselves for all that we have and what we want. Maybe we can use this moment to reflect on what God wants to give us. We certainly aren't getting peace of mind from the world we live in. But that's been God's point for a long time. We can't serve both God and money. Money is such a cruel master, these days especially.
So I'm think maybe we will be open to some creative ideas about stretching our resources to help us get through a tough time. I am not old enough to have been around in the Great Depression, but have heard enough from people who were. Some of these ideas may seem like a repeat of the past, but it's still worth considering.
Let's get together as churches and really make an effort to help each other out. We can swap or hand down clothes for children and take a great burden off of young parents. We can find a time to share meals together, either inviting your neighbors or church friends to pot luck suppers in your own house or maybe at the church. We could save a lot of money if we pot lucked more often. Bringing one dish to share and seeing how God can multiply the loaves and fishes might help us get through tough times.
Bring the monthly magazines you subscribe to and pass them around. I know that the publishing industry won't like that idea too much, but it might save a few trees and a couple of pounds of recycled material. Share movies/DVD's after you've seen them.
One of the things I always thought about was a tool shed at church where people could keep tools that could be signed out, to keep track of, for those once in a while jobs around the house. We probably all have drills and saws and stuff just sitting on our work bench. It would make it difficult to start a job at night, you would have to plan ahead more, but think about the ways we could stretch the resources we have. Same goes for lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc.
We could create a tool shed and you could put a few dollars in the collection plate for the privilege of taking a tool home for a couple of days. I'm sure there are people who are more creative than I am who could set up a system like this. I'm just the idea person.
So can I get you to begin to think outside your comfort zone to be more closely connected to your faith community and help you out financially? I know that communities like the Amish have this all worked out for sure. I'm just thinking it's probably going to be a struggle for a while for lots of people, maybe it's time we as the body of Christ, thought more like the body and recognize that we all have parts we can put to good use for the whole body.
If you know of someone who has pulled this off, or you are interested in brainstorming about how we can improve our community for each other, let me know. Or better yet, begin to be creative on your own. Just Do It!
There is much power in cooperating with one another. Now might be a good time to start.
May God start your creative imaginations going. Ephesians 3:20, a favorite verse, tells us that God is far more able to do beyond our imaginations that we can ever come up. Let us let God's great imagination Spirit stir us up to good works for one another and the Kingdom/Sphere of God.
Blessings, Pastor Jeff
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