Category: Media

During this season of Lent, I’m using the disciplines of silence and solitude. Early in the morning, when I wake up, I embrace the silence of the morning. I refrain from turning on anything that has noise. I refrain from speaking. I try to do the same thing during the day, although it is harder because of my responsibilities to other people.  My daily goal is to be observant of my own thoughts and reflective enough to invite God’s Spirit into my processing.  I want to hear the things that are normally unheard of because of all the daily noise.    Fortunately, I was able to sneak away for a few days to enjoy one of my favorite beaches. For me, practicing the disciplines of silence and solitude was definitely easier at a beach. While sitting alone, I heard the waves gently crashing on the shore. With each wave, I imagined God’s grace coming like waves over me, one after the other, never ceasing.  How peaceful those moments were. I don’t know how long I stayed there, but it was long enough to be at peace, be full of joy and gratitude, and drift in humble awe of God’s goodness.   Silence and solitude create the space needed for holy imagination.  When all other sounds are silenced, a different voice emerges; a quiet voice that whispers. In those moments by the seashore, that voice said, “My grace is like these waves, never ceasing, gentle yet powerful.”  My hope for you today is that you will silence the noise around you so that a different voice can speak to your soul. Listen for that voice, imagine the closeness and peace it brings.     This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Matthew 11, Matthew 12, Matthew 13 *Tuesday – Matthew 14, Matthew 15, Matthew 16, *Wednesday – Matthew 17, Matthew 18, Matthew 19 *Thursday – Matthew 20, Matthew 21, Matthew 22 *Friday – Matthew 23, Matthew 24, Matthew 25 Prayer Requests: *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. *Guidance for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

It is alleged that Karl Barth once said that only Christians are sinners. That’s right, only Christians. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Actually, what he meant was that only people who know how much they are loved can ever sense how much they have betrayed that love.    In Romans, Paul pondered the depths of betrayal when he said, “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). Until we first sense the grace of God in Christ Jesus, we will be unable to see that our real problem lies in our posturing and self-justification with which we are trying to earn what we already have as a gift. God has made us all somebodies though we live as if we are nobodies.    It takes strong secure people to admit that they can be wrong and then to try to right their wrongs. Weak, insecure people are constantly trying to defend themselves, make excuses, and justify their actions. Christians realize such defensiveness is unnecessary because of our need for God’s grace. Repentance can be a gift of grace, for it opens the door for one to own who they are in Christ. Real change occurs when we are first honest with ourselves, owning our words and actions, and then inviting God into that level of honesty. Transparency and authenticity are the effects of a life that follows Christ. The Gospels are filled with examples of people who, in the presence of Jesus, found forgiveness and invited into a life of wholeness; however, the first step to wholeness was honesty.      This Week’s Readings: *Monday – 2 Corinthians 7,  2 Corinthians 8, 2 Corinthians 9, 2 Corinthians 10 *Tuesday – 2 Corinthians 11, 2 Corinthians 12, 2 Corinthians 13 *Wednesday – Matthew 1, Matthew 2, Matthew 3, Matthew 4 *Thursday – Matthew 5, Matthew 6, Matthew 7 *Friday – Matthew 8, Matthew 9, Matthew 10 Prayer Requests: *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. *Guidance for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

WORDS COUNT! In any family, marriage, relationship, or organization, words count.  They matter.  What one says has the same effect as throwing a rock into a pond. The ripples continue. If the family, marital, or organizational system is full of emotional energy, then reactions will be strong and automatic. Many times, those instinctive responses are powerful as they should be because they are biologically linked to ensure safety and survival. If a person encounters a tiger in the jungle, there will be an automatic response of defensiveness (flight) so that one is safe. However, in relationships with conflict, automatic responses are not what is needed because one automatic response can lead to another and then another and before long, a couple is in the middle of a row. Many marital research gurus have documented why some marriages succeed and some falter. Both the successful and the unsuccessful will have cycles of reactivity—those automatic instinctive responses that stem from emotional conflict. It doesn’t take long for words to become arrows volleyed between accusations. After a few verbal shots, a violent argument erupts. The difference between the successful and unsuccessful is the successful stop the cycled argumentation sooner before it develops into a loss of self-control. The unsuccessful family, couple, or organization becomes wrapped up in their own automatic reactions which only keeps the cycle alive. Before long, the house is ablaze. To stop the cycle, a person needs to focus on him/herself. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians are useful, love “doesn’t insist on its own way…keeps no record of wrongs.”  One, if not all parties, need to focus on what he/she can control—only themselves and not the other person. It takes discipline to manage self—to step back, slow down, and observe not only what the other person is doing but what “he or she” is doing.  If one can manage or control themselves, one can control their responses.     The human instinct is to fire back—get the jabs in.  When a person is in the middle of a reactive situation where one is verbally attacking another or both attacking each other, explaining one’s actions, justifying, or even verbally defending will only add fuel to the fire.  Many times, withdrawing and blaming have the same effect.  What is needed is to stay engaged, but engage non-anxiously.  Here, one needs to introduce thought before acting.  Focus on what “I” can do and realize it isn’t about winning or losing. It is about staying connected and the maturity of the relationship. Jesus was a master at this. He often asked questions, and stayed connected, but did so all while he was aware of his own actions.  He knew he couldn’t control another person, but by controlling himself, he could influence others. This Week’s Readings: *Monday – 1Corinthians 12  *Tuesday – 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Corinthians 14 *Wednesday – 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 16 *Thursday – 2 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians 2 *Friday – 2 Corinthians 3, 2 Corinthians 4, 2 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 6  Prayer Requests: *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. *Guidance for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

There is an interesting sequence of events in Jesus’ life that is a little too close to home for me. Right after the raising of Lazarus (John 12:9+), many people flocked to Jesus because they wanted to be amazed. They heard what Jesus did with Lazarus, and they wanted to see it for themselves. The next day, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a coming king. Then in verse 20, there are some Greeks who went to Philip with a request to see Jesus. Obviously, they want to see for themselves the Jesus who raised Lazarus, who entered the city in glory, and, if lucky, maybe see Lazarus as well. At first glance, perhaps Jesus is going to give them what they wanted for he responded, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Awesome, thank you Jesus—we get to see the glory! However, the glory Jesus described is not something akin to Lazarus. Nope, it is his own death—one filled with suffering and pain. The reason why it hits too close to home is that I can be like the Greeks. I want to be amazed by God. I want the wow, the splendor, the glory. Yet, the glory Jesus portrayed was obscurity, rejection, sacrifice, and obedient death. I’m not sure if the Greeks stayed around for this—we don’t know for sure (John’s Gospel doesn’t tell us). I bet they didn’t. I wonder if I would have stayed or jumped on the first train out of dodge. What do you want from Jesus? A quick spiritual high, a continual mountaintop experience, the amazement and glory of God’s Beloved Son. I’m not sure someone ever fully witnesses those things without first walking a road to Calvary. Those things come for sure, but I’m not sure we see them until we first have held the obscurity, the rejection, the sacrifice, and the obedient death. This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Galatians 5, Galatians 6 *Tuesday – 1 Corinthians 1, 1 Corinthians 2, 1 Corinthians 3 *Wednesday – 1 Corinthians 4, 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians 6 *Thursday – 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Corinthians 8 *Friday – 1 Corinthians 9, 1 Corinthians 10, 1 Corinthians 11 Prayer Requests: *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. *Guidance for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

A few days ago, I was asked to sit on a panel with four other preachers and answer a couple of questions. The first question was, “How do you remain non-anxious in a season wrought with anxiety?” Each of the panelists described how they manage themselves through disciplines like prayer, meditation, and the keeping of the Sabbath (Boundaries). Regardless of one’s practice of spiritual disciplines, the goal is to manage yourself more than to manage the environment. One can only control how one will respond or react to the chaos around them. By controlling one’s own anxiety, he/she can change the environment—not the other way around. It is along those lines that I appreciate Eugene Peterson’s commentary on Jesus and prayer: “The prayers of Jesus can never be isolated from the life of Jesus. Prayer is not a subject on its own. Prayer is not a specialist activity. In a symphony orchestra, some play the clarinet, some play the oboe, some play the violin, and some play the trombone. But in the Christian life, it is not that way: we don’t have some who visit the sick, some who sing the hymns, some who read Scripture, some who give money, and some who pray. In the Christian life we do not choose aspects, get some instruction and training, and then specialize in what we like or feel we are good at…Prayer is not something we pull out of the web of revelation and incarnation and then sign on to be prayer warriors. It is more along the analogy of breathing: if we are to live, we all have to do it…we don’t single out individuals and say, ‘She (or he) is a great breather.’ Prayer is woven into the fabric of life. Prayer is woven into the fabric of Jesus’ life. The notices of Jesus at prayer are part of everything else he does. None of his praying and none of his prayers can be taken out of context and studied on its own.” I like the analogy of prayer and breathing. It is vital to life; it steadies the soul and grounds the person in the life of Christ.  Pray for inward peace and allow the Spirit of God to flow over you creating a calm spirit and a quiet mind.  This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Mark 11, Mark 12 *Tuesday -Mark 13, Mark 14 *Wednesday – Mark 15, Mark 16 *Thursday – Galatians 1, Galatians 2 *Friday – Galatians 3, Galatians 4 Prayer Requests: *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. *Guidance for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the interplay between generosity, greed, making money, and giving money.  Many times, Christ’s followers struggle with making money. Sometimes people feel guilty about prosperity.  It is interesting that the Bible never faults those who make money.  How they make money and how they spend money is a different story, but the making of it through honest and hardworking means is never faulted.  The opposite is true for it is seen as a blessing.   The key is the heart—as it is with all things. Not the blood-pumping organ in one’s chest, but the seat of one’s desire, their identity. In Luke 12, Jesus put his finger on the heart of the issue [pardon the pun, I couldn’t help myself].  Jesus addressed the crowd by telling a story about the connection between making money, spending money, and one’s heart.   Read Luke 12:13-21. The issue isn’t that the man’s fields prospered. The issue is that God ceased to be his supreme treasure. If God had been his treasure, what would he have done differently? Instead of saying, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry,” he would have said something like: “God, this is all yours. You have made my fields prosper. Show me how to express with my riches that you are my treasure, and the riches are not. I already have enough. I don’t need a bigger and bigger safety net. I don’t need better food, better drink, or better parties. I do indeed want to make merry, but not at self-indulgent parties with rich retirees. I want to make merry with the people who have been helped by my generosity. I want the fullest blessing of giving.  Because you taught me, Lord, it is “more blessed to give than to receive.” We are called to be generous which is never about a number or dollar amount. It is a lifestyle where one acknowledges God’s presence in the world and seeks to follow him by blessing others as one has been blessed. Find ways to bless someone this week!  This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Mark 1, Mark 2 *Tuesday -Mark 3, Mark 4 *Wednesday – Mark 6, Mark 7 *Thursday – Mark 8 Mark 9 *Friday – Mark 10, Mark 11 Prayer Requests: *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. *Guidance for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6