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"Bah, HUMBUG!"

Happy Friday! Sundays sermon was titled, "Bah, HUMBUG!". The scripture was from Isaiah 9:2-6. If you missed it, you can listen to the message here: https://fb.watch/oO_qfcOxQG/ Skip to the 40 minute mark to go straight to the sermon.

It's not a new subject, or a new message. I have no questions about the message and none were submitted. "It's the most wonderful time of the year" and yet the same feelings of "Scroogeness" persist. Christmas isn't magical for everyone. Christmas can be very difficult for some people for a multitude of reasons and I think we deserve to acknowledge that. Scrooge lived alone. He was older, portrayed as bitter, selfish, miserly... What if he was just lonely and overwhelmed by all the expectations of the world? HE didn't have money troubles and could have easily been very generous. So, there's one thing he had going for him that many don't this time of year.

Fourteen years ago I read my favorite thing that I have ever read on the topic of Christmas, ever. It's by christian radio personality and author Brant Hansen. Whos books Unoffendable, The Truth About Us, The Men We Need, and Blessed Are The Misfits, I highly recommend. (New book: Life is Hard, God is Good, Let's Dance - releasing January 16th) It's from his blog: Brant's Blog of Awesomeness: The Krusty Sage. As someone who has always struggled with Christmas and the commercialism aspect and the overwhelming push to make all things "magical", I'm going to share it with you now. It's probably going to step on your toes...

The Krusty Sage Says, "Quit Buying Stuff You Can't Afford for Christmas"

(Once again, a warning about the Krusty sage: He's krusty. That means he's pretty opinionated. He plans no offense to anyone in particular, and has no one in particular in mind. If you're offended, please feel free to let me know, and I'll pass it along. He's usually easy for me to find.)

"Oh, but it's Christmas! It's a special time of the year! I know, we're in debt, overall, but it's Christmas, and that's only once a year and..."

"And..." you're nuts. Seriously.

The Sage says it in love. The Sage also says, in love, that if you spend $150 on your kid for Christmas when you don't have $150, you're not only giving your kid a neat-o Nano, you're giving your kid a gift that keeps on giving: The gift of foolishness, surrounded by beautiful lights, the scent of pine, and fudge. The gift of foolishness, on display, etched in memory. Ah.

Yes, Target and Apple and Best Buy don't advertise many $30 gifts, and they've ratcheted up the expectation level for Christmas. But-- last time I checked -- your will remains free. This means you don't have to be a doof.

Yes, your parents may have overspent every year as you grew up. Yes, they may have been Baby Boomers, seeking to atone for parental guilt, for one or another reason. Yes, there may have been stacks of presents under your tree. Yes, you think this is the way Christmas "is supposed to be".

Yes, so what.

Christmas is not "supposed to be" you, buying stuff you don't have money for. Sorry. If you're a dad, and feel bad because you can't spend hundreds on everybody, tell them you don't have the money for it, and you'll still have a great Christmas. If that makes you feel bad, man up. You're being bullied by a bunch of advertising majors.

Gee, you're in debt? How'd that happen? This is a mystery. Someone call a C.S.I. unit. Maybe they can figure out what happened. Maybe they can piece it together.

Or maybe you bought a bunch of stuff that's ultimately worthless. Maybe you should stop it. Maybe Christmas isn't special at all. Maybe it's just the latest excuse to overspend. Gee. Huh. Wow. Gosh. You think?

"Okay, we're in debt, and yeah, we did buy a $1,200 TV, but it's not that simple, because sometimes --"

No, it is that simple. Sorry. Next?

"But everyone at my kids' school gets tons of expensive gifts like 360s and Wiis and stuff and --" Are you in debt? "Well, yes, but it's not that simple, and --"

Nope. It's that simple.

"But it's not realistic to spend only $20 per person in this day and age, and --" Why? "It's just not that simple, and --"

Waah.

If you don't have the money for it, you don't buy it. Don't act like your kid "needs" a Zune, either. It has nothing to do with "needs", or even your kid, really. It has everything to do with you: Your desire to have some kind of "perfect Christmas", your guilt, your insecurities, your conflict-avoidance, your expectations, and you know, just generally... you.

Bottom line: You wish you a merry Christmas.

"But isn't 'Christmas' in the Bible, and --" No.

Sheesh.

The Krusty Sage 12/9/2008 Ancient Wisdom for No One in Particular

Now, the reason I share this is because I grew up in a home (during years spent with parents) that went big for Christmas. Going big for Christmas often meant that there would be utilities cut off in January and beyond. No phone, or heat, or some other necessity like adequate groceries. I always understood the cost of everything and grew to greatly resent the holiday as I found heat a much more pleasant thing to have in northern Illinois than say, that pair of roller skates and the other dozen items that were glittery and supposed to be fun and "magical". Which is, perhaps, why this blog post really spoke to me when I first read it fourteen years ago, why I still read it every year, and why my family and I choose to 'celebrate' Christmas much differently than your average family.

However you choose to celebrate, or not celebrate. Gift give, or not gift give. Keep joy, hope, love, and peace alive and well in your heart and then you still have the true spirit of Christmas with you.

#pastorsperspective #methodist #fumc #pastorchad #scrooge

Bring on Advent!

Advent has officially begun. I saw your Scrooge book on the table in your office and the title of your coming sermon this week is “Bah, Humbug”. How does this year's advent theme differ from last year's theme of The Heart That Grew Three Sizes?

So, the Advent theme is the same every year. Themes like Scrooge and the Grinch give Advent a bit of a dun theme to help grasp onto as well as keep it fresh and the themes allow the concepts of Advent (Peace, Hope, Love, and Joy) to be relatable in deeply practical and theological ways. Grinch and Scrooge have so much in common and yet at the same time such a different context and story for a lens to look through at the Nativity and Advent season.

Are both studies by the same person?

Both studies are by Rev. Matt Rawle of the Louisiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. He has many studies out but his big hits are developing the Advent story and Methodist theology through popular literature.

What draws you to the study you have chosen for this year?

I chose Scrooge because of how known and relatable the story is to so many people. Everyone knows who Scrooge is, and yet at the same time we don't have a clue where he came from and what’s happened in his life to make him the person he is and what he finds in the Spirit of Christmas that we can all hold in our hearts all year long.

Is A Christmas Carol one of your favorite Christmas books/movies?

It is my all-time favorite Christmas movie and story of all time. Don't get me wrong I love the Grinch, but the Scrooge and me are besties! I encourage everyone to buy the book and follow along and watch/read A Christmas Carol as well as watch the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas.

There are sooo many versions and remakes of the movie, A Christmas Carol. Which one is your favorite?

Hands down the George C. Scott version. It’s the one I grew up on and have loved for so long.

There are a lot of good ones! I liked the Mickey Mouse one when I was a kid. However, the one they came out with last year, Spirited, with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell has quickly grown into my favorite. Probably because it speaks to my sarcastic sense of humor. I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing, but I digress.

Join us on Sunday for the first Sunday of Advent, Peace. And for Pastor Chad's sermon titled, "Bah, HUMBUG!" In the meantime, have a fantastic weekend, keep warm, and enjoy this clip from Spirited!

#methodist #pastorsperspective #fumc #pastorchad #youtube #christmas #Youtube

Honoring the Saints

Hello again. This past Sunday was All Saints Sunday. A time to reflect on the people we have lost in the last year. If you missed the service, you watch it here: https://fb.watch/oei63bHY6e/

Different cultures honor their dearly departed in different ways. Typically, here in the western culture, we have funerals or memorials to honor a person’s life and to say good bye. Usually followed by a potluck where people sit around eating and sharing memories of their loved one.

In the Hawaiian culture it is traditional to wear a maile lei or an orchid lei to funerals or memorial services to celebrate the beautiful life of the deceased.

In some Native American cultures, it is customary to tie feathers around the head as a form of prayer.

In China, it is unacceptable to wear red to a funeral or while in the mourning period. However, if the person lived to be over the age of 80, then it is acceptable to wear white with pink or red as their long life is cause for celebration.

In every culture, death is painful. We miss those we’ve lost. We think of them often and it’s hard to fill the void they leave behind.

This week we remember:

Paula Jean (Curtner) Bowen, age 82, passed away Monday, November 7, 2022, at her home in Jacksboro, Texas. She was born on June 9, 1940, in Shawnee, Oklahoma to Paul and Veda Bernice (Breashears) Curtner. Paula married Brooks L. Bowen and were married for over 20 years. Together they raised two great sons, Brady and Blake Bowen. Throughout her life Paula was a former Miss Jack County, a member of the First United Methodist Church of Jacksboro, and a member of the National Cutting Horse Association. Paula was a very loving, caring, generous person and will be missed by all. Paula is preceded in death by her parents and sister Neta Jo Yates. Those left behind to cherish her memory are her children, Brady Bowen and wife Laura of Jacksboro and Blake Bowen and wife Michelle of Runaway Bay; grandchildren, Scarlett Bowen and Weston Bowen; brother, P.D. Curtner; along with many extended family members and friends.

Beverly Ann (Black) Shoun went to be with her Heavenly Father on Thursday, October 5, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. Beverly was born to William James Black and Florence Almarine (Parsons) Black on September 1, 1945. She grew up in Jacksboro, Texas and graduated from Jacksboro High School in 1963. She and her husband James Shoun were united in marriage on August 15, 1964, in the First Baptist Church of Jacksboro. She was a very devoted wife and mother and loved caring for her family. Beverly spent many years working in daycare. She loved children and they brought her much joy. Her mother established the first nursery for the First Baptist Church of Jacksboro and Beverly spent many years serving in the Church daycare. She could point out a child she cared for out of a crowd and immediately tell you how amazing and unique they were. Beverly was a proud grandmother to her one and only granddaughter, Macon Joi. She was Macon’s biggest cheerleader and found so much joy in watching her grow. Beverly was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Jacksboro and was a Past Matron of Jacksboro Order of Eastern Star Chapter No 390 and also a Deputy Grand Matron in 2011-2012. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Almarine Black; her brother William (Bill) Black and her brother-in-law, Jimmy Williams. Beverly is survived by her husband James Shoun; son Brent Shoun; daughter Brenda Shoun; son Brian Shoun; and granddaughter Macon Shoun. Also, her sisters Shirley Johnson and Lorraine Williams, and sister-in-law Barbara Black. Nephews Don Johnson, Ron Johnson, Eddy Williams, and Brad Black. Nieces Sheryl Wiles, Jennifer Williams Ansel, Belinda Black Clift, and several great nieces and nephews.

Laurendee Leigh Hearn (Fowler), lovingly known as Laurie, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Monday, September 18, 2023, in Plano, Texas. She was born on May 6, 1960, in Breckenridge, Texas to Larry Laverne Phariss and Bertha Gladys (Bayne) Pharris. Laurie was a Live Oak Baptist Church member for many years and loved to sing in the church choir. In her spare time, Laurie enjoyed spending time outdoors with her family, crocheting and making afghans, reading mystery novels, and watching John Wayne movies when she wasn’t recording her many TV shows. Most of all, she had a love for people and making them smile whenever she could. She will truly be missed by those who loved and knew her. Laurie is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Michael and Dennis; and son, Buddy Joe Fowler. Those left behind to cherish her memory include her children, Lacy Westbrook and Billy Fowler and wife Ashley; grandchildren, Brenton, Parker, Tripp, Kaden, Cohen, Kyle, Savannah, Aiden and Connor; siblings, Melissa Farris and husband Clinton and Keith Phariss and wife Becky; along with her nieces (who lovingly called her Aunt Poncho), nephews, extended family and friends.

Jennifer Lynn Miller, age 38, passed away Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Jack County, Texas. She was born on October 13, 1984, in Dublin, Texas to Larry Floyd Miller Sr. and Norma Ann Lopez. Jennifer was a hard-working mom of 4. She loved her family. She had a big personality and was full of life. She loved to cook and serve others. She always had a smile on her face and truly enjoyed helping other people. She made an impact on the lives she encountered and will never be forgotten. Jennifer is survived today by her children, Jessarae and Jasmine Soria, and Jacob and Jonathan Garza; parents, Larry Floyd Miller Sr. and Norma Ann Lopez Miller; siblings, Sherri Miller, Terri Miller, Larry Miller Jr., Pete Miller, and Chrissy Bennett; along with many extended family and friends.

Charlotte Sue Reynolds, affectionately known as Meemee, went to be with her Heavenly Father on Friday, September 8, 2023, at the age of 81. Sue was born on July 3, 1942, in Bowie, Texas to Ila Faye Cozart-Hankins and Joe Burton Hankins. At just the age of 14, she met the love of her life, Marvin Leon Reynolds Jr. They were married on July 9, 1961, at the First Baptist Church in Bowie, Texas, and were happily married until his passing in 2022. Sue and Marvin’s love story was like none other, their dedication to one another, unconditional love, and resilience are examples that will live on in the lives of the people they touched and the families they leave behind. Shortly after being married, they moved to Jacksboro, Texas in 1962 and became devoted members of the First Baptist Church in 1965. Members of First Baptist could always count on Marvin and Sue sitting in their back pew holding hands. Sue’s heart overflowed with love for God's people. She was steadfast in her calling to serve the youth of Jacksboro through her volunteer work at the First Baptist Church nursery and 20-plus years of working at Jacksboro Elementary. As a mother Sue would do anything she could for her children. From creating extravagant doll houses from cutouts of magazines, leading Girl Scout Troops, baking for every event, and holding them through their nightmares, she assured her kids had an abundance of care and love. Her devotion to care for her children was amplified through her love for her grandchildren. From sick days at Meme’s to spending every holiday at her house, her family cherishes all the memories that she made special. Sue was also a longtime supporter of all Jacksboro ISD sporting events, usually having a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild playing. Rain or shine, cold or hot, you could always find her there rooting for the Tigers and Tigerettes until her health would not allow her to attend. Although she will be so missed, her family and friends find comfort in knowing she is back in the arms of her loving husband and holding her baby boy. She is preceded in death by her husband, Marvin Leon Reynolds Jr., her son, Cody Joe Reynolds, and her parents; brothers in law, Jerry Richardson and Howard Reynolds. Those left behind to cherish her memory are her children, Dondi Leonetta Sanders and husband Billy, Tina Tyann Ward and husband Mike, Marvin Leon (Trey) Reynolds III and wife Sandra, all from Jacksboro; grandchildren, Kizzie Sanders-Bogle and husband Ryan, Bo Ward and wife Windi, Chanz Sanders and wife Tyrissa, Blaze Mathis and husband Josh, Bailey Francis and husband Cal, Ranczy Johnson and husband Bubba, Trinity Reynolds, Teagan Reynolds, Tradyn Reynolds, Tessa Reynolds, Dominic Marquez & Elijah Reynolds and Lana Reynolds; great-grandchildren, Macie and Kylie Karnes, Collynz, Eazton, and Steele Sanders, Lilly, Tripp, and Mollie Francis, Bo Monroe and Penn Ward, Tula Belle Mathis; brother, Ronnie Hankins and wife Jackie Sue Hankins; Sister in law, Patrica Richardson; brother in law, Roger Reynolds and wife Sandy; Sue is also survived by many extended family members, close friends, and neighbors.

Floyd Donald Mathis went to be with his Heavenly Father on Monday, October 23, 2023, surrounded by his loving family after a brief battle with cancer. He was born on February 12, 1938, to Floyd Lee and Juanita (Bottoms) Mathis. Donald was raised in Jack County, Texas, and graduated from Jacksboro High School in 1956. He worked as an oilfield mechanic, farmer, and rancher for many years. He was also a 64-year member of the Fort Richardson Masonic Lodge and was a Past Master. Donald is preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Juanita Mathis, and his brother, Rex Mathis. Those left behind to cherish his memory include his son Tim Mathis and wife Patricia; two granddaughters, Kalyn Qualls and husband Michael of Jacksboro, Texas, and Kassie Davis and husband Blake of Bellevue, Texas; four great-grandchildren, Carter, Emma, Kameron, and Blake; sister-in-law, Joan Mathis; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

I know these are just a few of many that have gone on to glory. These aren’t even all the names that were mentioned in the service, these were just all the obituaries that I could locate. Hug your loved ones close and say a prayer for them. I am so thankful for the time I had with people who are no longer with me…

#pastorsperspective #methodist #pastorchad #fumc

It’s Friday again! This week I had the unique experience of getting to interview, via email, the interim Pastor of The Jacksboro Parish, Rev. Linda Barnette. She and Pastor Chad shared a joint service this past Sunday over at the Parish. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/IpXMgCoosts?si=zl4OlLPNg324_L-0

Just as a means of introduction, for those of you who may not know Rev. Linda yet. (I didn’t) We decided to share with you her bio directly so you could get acquainted.

Originally from Nashville, TN, Rev. Linda Barnette took an early retirement from Human Resources and in 2007, married Barney Barnette, a 5th generation, Marine, bull-riding Texan from Houston. Rev. Linda has undergraduate degrees in Business Administration (Emphasis on Marketing), in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (Emphasis on Human Resources), and a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University (Emphasis on Academic Reference/Research. After receiving the nudge of the Holy Spirit to put her competencies and spiritual gifts to work for God. Linda graduated from Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, TX on May 12, 2018 with a Masters of Theology and Ministry, majoring in Pastoral Care and Christian Education. She has also completed six Masters level courses at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK to meet criteria for Ordination Ministerial Practices. Rev. Linda was Ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on July 10, 2021. Having done work with Domestic Violence Female Survivors as part of her corporate outreach in TN, she was recruited by the Director of I Can Still Shine in North Richland Hills TX, a Domestic Violence Survivor 501-c3 who aid battered women and their children. Rev. Linda provides public talks and employment training for those served by I Can Still Shine. Rev. Linda lost her husband on April 24, 2023 after a long seven-year bout with Interstitial Lung Disease. Now that she is no longer a care-giver, she is honored and excited that Jacksboro Parish has chosen her as their Interim Minister. This role fulfills her husband’s final wish for her: to keep sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and continue to aid congregations to thrive and grow.

I watched Sunday's service online and really enjoyed the skit that you and Pastor Chad put on about Gideon. I don't have any pressing questions about the message you were trying to convey, but I'm intrigued about the skit. What gave you the idea?

I was in many skits in high school and later, in college. I got the idea for this one because I sometimes say I am going to “spread the fleece” when I am asked to do something new.

How important is it to you to impart wisdom through laughter?

My best use of laughter is poking fun at myself. I can be quite a comedian when I tell some of my life stories, particularly stories where I was being “out of the norm”. When I preach, I generally use more “I’s” that “You’s” …get my point across without judging others.

That’s probably an important distinction! Congratulations on being installed as the interim Pastor for The Jacksboro Parish. I'm not going to pretend to know exactly what that means, but I know it means temporary, correct?

I actually began on August 1st, but it took a while for Rev. Christy to be available to do the Installation Service. Generally, an Interim is in place no longer than a year, but that can vary. There is a five-person search and call team looking for a Senior Minister, but as of yet, none of the profiles are a good fit. Being an Interim Minister is a good gig, because I mainly research topics and the Lectionary for sermon ideas, then create a draft on Tuesday’s, let it sit for a day, then on Thursday review an edit if necessary. I then create the components for an Order of Worship and submit it to the Worship Team and my admin for creating the bulletin. An Interim does not get involved in church politics, and does not make changes…they are more like a bridge between the former pastor and the future pastor.

Sounds like you get the best part of the job! Reaching people without all the red tape!

So far, what has been your favorite part?

I have a reputation for being good at visitation, and The Jacksboro Parish discovered that after I start doing visitation. Now I do it frequently.

You'll have to forgive my ignorance, what is visitation? Does that just mean visiting people?

That is visitation for some. For your Pastor Linda, it is a time to have them recite some Scripture with me, telling some of my funny stories about myself, and asking them to tell me some about their lives. I take the portable communion cups and we have communion together. After my first visit, I might take them some books after I find out what they like to read (the former Reference/ Research librarian in me!). Finally, if they are in the hospital and nurses/aids come in the room, I invite them to pray together with us. P.S. I am on the Board of Hurst Library, so I have access to lots of the ones removed from the shelves.

Oh Wow! That's wonderful! So, visitation is a big part of your personal ministry then. I love that! I also love books and am currently working my way through a new bible study, Image Restored by Rachael Gilbert. It's focused on physical health and wholeness and how it relates to scripture; how God sees us and how to deal with shame and insecurity as it relates to body image. It's a tough one for me, personally.

If you could recommend one absolute must read book to someone, what would it be? (The Bible is a given.)

Now, as a reader, I realize I have just given you an impossible task because there are seasons and categories. You can't choose just one. So, what about a list:

Favorite book to recommend to someone questioning their faith? Faith Unraveled by Rachael Held Evans – ISBN 978-0310339168

Favorite book to offer to someone grieving? “The Lives We Actually Live: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie” – ISBN 9780593193709 – ALSO, Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief by Martha W. Hickman and “It Must Have Been Moonglow: Reflections on the First Year of Widowhood by Phyllis Green” (these two were given to me at my husband’s Celebration of Life on May 20, 2023 and helped me immensely)

Favorite guilty pleasure book? “When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill” – ISBN 978-0-593-46657-5

Favorite book you read as a child that helped shape who you are as an adult? Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Wonderful! Now I have a few more books to add to my ever-growing reading list! Thank you for sharing these titles with us.

Last question (I promise), when your time has come to leave this earth, what do you hope to have left behind as your legacy for others to remember you by?

The work I do with Female Domestic Violence Survivors and their children – I do a lot of speaking to church women’s groups about the org I support, I Can Still Shine.

That is a beautiful thing. I have some experience with this so, from the bottom of my heart I just want to say Thank You for the work that you’re doing for these women and their children. It is such a difficult place to crawl out of and having someone like you come alongside to offer guidance and support often means the difference between being able to leave and being stuck.

For more information on I Can Still Shine, to see how you can volunteer, or to get the number to become a client, visit the link below.

Helping battered & abused women in Fort Worth | Dallas | Mid-Cities | Tarrant County with faith-based, supportive assistance programs! Call

To order the I Can Still Shine: Healed and Set Free Book

I Can Still Shine: Healed and Set Free [Jackson, Ms Brenda] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I Can Still Shine: Healed a

Many thanks, again, to Rev. Linda Barnette for taking time out of her week to speak with me and answer all of my questions. It was so lovely getting to know a bit about you and I look forward to researching I Can Still Shine and diving into some of those book recommendations soon!

Y’all stay safe and see you next week!

#methodist #pastorsperspective #fumc #pastorlinda

Never Walk Alone

It’s that time again. Time to reflect on things we learned from Sunday’s sermon. Things we’ve hopefully thought about throughout the week, pondered, questioned… If you missed it, you can watch the service here: https://fb.watch/nTAAwqsWLy/ A special Thank You to Mrs. Laura Rothe for assembling and directing the bell choir, The Joyful Ringers!

The message this week focused on the importance of taking care of yourself. Having balance, health, wholeness, and holiness in our lives. Of all the things you mentioned and all the ways that you suggested we use to take care of our spirit, body, and mind; I noticed one common theme and was fully prepared to ask about it. Then a funny thing happened. Someone else submitted the same question and it made me laugh because we don't get a lot of question submissions for one, and two, it was exactly what I was going to ask. So, for myself and at least one other person out there: Of all the ways you suggested self-care, you mentioned taking a walk four times. Is there some biblical significance or special importance to taking a walk?

Great question! So, certainly there was a LOT of walking in Biblical times and even Jesus demonstrates taking a walk alone at times to pray and be with God. But this was mentioned more because taking a walk is such an easy and accessible act that hits on all of the areas of Good Medicine mentioned. When we take a walk, we are acting physically, the rhythmic pattern of steps can be a pattern for prayer and finding comfort in the constant and consistent stepping. Walking allows the mind time to process in an emotionally healthy way because the act does not require full attention. The mind can process and think through emotions. Walking and crying, yelling, etc… can be very therapeutic and allow emotional health to flourish while at the same time thinking about fond memories, lost loved ones, and appreciating present loved ones can be done also which can be very powerful! As a Native I often sing Native hymns and Christian hymns while I walk, which is therapeutic and healthy on many levels! Walking is just such a great first step to finding balance and holiness.

I completely agree. This year has been a big one for me regarding self-care and walking has been at the core of it for mental, physical, and spiritual health. For all the reasons you stated. I can listen to music while doing it, be alone with my thoughts and prayers, cry, scream- if need be, or simply enjoy nature around me if I’m outdoors or the virtual sights I can see if I’m indoors. I have seen places virtually this year that I will probably never get to see in my lifetime, and have re-visited one that I have been to and it has been a wonderful adventure. If anyone is interested, I use an app called The Conqueror to take virtual hikes all over the world and have traversed 580 miles so far this year through Israel, Holland, New Zealand, Germany, Los Angeles; and am currently hiking my way through the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil via my living room treadmill. There’s a mental clarity that comes when you shut everything else out and just take a walk with yourself, with your thoughts, with God…

However you choose to take the best care of yourself in your quiet time, know that you are never alone. I know that on my walks, I am never walking alone. When you read, when you go for a drive to clear your head, when you sit by the water or just stare off into space. You are never alone. Just like the song says:

I have never walked alone I’ve never been abandoned You are my inheritance You are my strength and shield And I have confidence You go before me You’re my deliverer I know I never walk alone

So, whatever you do today, do it with the peace and confidence of someone who knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is walking right there beside you. If you enjoy contemporary worship music, please take a listen to this song from Hillsong Worship.

Never Walk Alone

#methodist #pastorsperspective #fumc #pastorchad #Youtube

The Open Table Part 2

Friday has arrived once again so, let’s dive into a discussion about last Sunday’s message. If you missed it, you can watch it here: https://fb.watch/nOwFXEC3kT/ The service was a continuation of The Open Table series of cultural services. This one focusing on LatinX culture. The guest preacher was Rev. Julia Puac Romero with guest musicians, Revs. Juan and Eliana Rios and the Trietsch UMC Choir.

Pastor Chad, we all know the difference between Mary and Martha and why we need to be more like Mary, but what are some benefits to being a Martha? Can we learn anything from being a Martha?

(Selfishly asking as a lifelong Martha...)

After the service I told Pastor Julia how much I appreciated her take on the Mary Martha text. Often, we think of this as an either-or, one or the other kind of thing. You are either a Mary and need to embrace your Martha a bit in service or are typically a Martha and need to embrace your Mary and find rest in the Lord. What I loved was that she approached this from a place of balance, how can we find balance in being both Mary and Martha? She also spoke of the importance of both women's roles. Martha represents tradition to Pastor Julia, and Mary represents innovation. In indigenous cultures that can be a hard balancing act as traditions run deep and are often hard to escape. Pastor Julia did a wonderful job of alluding to our need to embrace tradition while at the same time embracing fresh approaches to worshipping God and being disciples of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. I LOVE THIS! Her take was very refreshing and I loved that she approached this with such an emphasis on balance between the two. I think Mary and Martha are a sort of yin and yang for us Christians, encouraging us to ask ourselves how we can find balance in both types. So, in a long-winded fashion, YES! There very much is a way to embrace your Martha. We need hard workers in the life of the church, and this is where the Marthas come in. Pastor Julia did a wonderful job of highlighting the reality that Jesus did not tell Martha to not be a Martha at all, just simply that she needed to embrace what Mary was doing more.

The idea being that, in life, as with most things; moderation is key? Knowing that there is a time and a place for everything. There’s a time to sit and be Mary and there’s a time to work and be Martha. Both are needed and both exist in each of us, but we need to learn how to discern when is the most appropriate time for each of these? (This can be the hard part.)

Absolutely! So, I think the best guide for this is the Holy Spirit. I think the Holy Spirit who is with us always believe us and guidance in our discipleship in both a Mary and Martha Way. The trick is always being listen! I also think it’s important to Realize what our natural tendencies are. If we are naturally, a Martha, then we need to be watchful when we are getting tired, burned out, and overwhelmed, so we can transition into a Mary. Vice versa, as Mary’s we need to be watchful when things around us need to be done, or are not getting done, and willing to switch into Martha. The reality is there is joy in both seasons, as both Mary and Martha.

Maybe that’s the part Martha really struggled with? Her sense of duty and responsibility. The feeling that if she didn’t do all the things, the things just wouldn’t get done. There sat Jesus, wanting nothing more than to spend time with both of them, yet only one was able to let go of that and make herself available. How do we teach ourselves to recognize these moments when it would be more advantageous to surrender to our inner Mary? Sometimes we just don’t recognize them when they come.

I think what Jesus is really teaching Martha is that no one person can do all the things. And, it really shouldn’t be that way in the first place we understand God is a triangle, meaning that we have a God, who is three and one and one and three. Theologically this is very important, because it establishes who God truly is as a communal and social God. God is yes one, but also three at the same time. These three act in perfect harmony with the others. The very essence of who God is depends on the various person God is made up of. We have God, who is the father, God, who is the son, and God, who is Holy Spirit. The point being, we are not designed to be solo heroes in this world, and even more in our faith. The church, the body of Christ, is made up of many parts, and these parts, all work together for the same mission that Christ gave us. Yes, we need Martha to do the work of the church in serving, building, proclaiming, loving, and so much more. But at the same time, we have to realize that there are not certain people that are Martha, and Others that are Mary. We are all Martha and Mary! We also need Mary, time to rest to not only fill ourselves, but be there to fill others on their own spiritual Journeys.

I never thought about it like that, but it is easier to wrap my head around the concept of both persons existing in harmony inside of myself when I think about the trinity of God existing. It isn’t something that is easy to explain or even grasp, it’s just something that IS. We just accept that it IS. The same is true of knowing that these traits, these Mary and Martha traits can co-exist in all of us and all we need to do is to be aware and watch for what needs to be happening in the moments we are in. Living in the moment may be the hardest part of that assignment, I think. Being in tune and aware with what needs to be the most important thing happening in any given situation. I guess that’s why God gives us the spirit of discernment. We’re supposed to use it.

I appreciate you explaining it to me. Sometimes I need things broken down into more manageable bite sized pieces. This week I challenge us all to be more mindful of the moments we are in. To take the time to be like Mary when the situation calls for it, or to be like Martha when it’s needed. But most importantly, the challenge is to know the difference and choose wisely.

See y’all next week!

#pastorsperspective #fumc #methodist #pastorchad #latinx

The Open Table

Wishing everyone a wonderful Friday! This last Sunday we got a unique look into a Native American service. If you we unable to join us, you can watch the service here: https://fb.watch/nFqgH10mn2/ This weeks blog questions were all submitted by someone who was sitting in that service and I am delighted to have been able to send them along to Pastor Chad, and to be able to share those answers with all of you.

What can we do to spread awareness about the tragedies the indigenous people have faced/are still facing today?

I think the first step is to acknowledge them and understand what actually happened. There are so many misconceptions and unknown parts of this history so I say first educating ourselves is huge. After that be a voice for the injustice and for hope for the future. Spread the truth and find ways to stand in solidarity (MMIW, MMIP, Orange Shirt Day).

What is one stereotype about Native American people that you feel needs to stop?

I think the worst stereotype that needs to stop is that Native American people are generally uneducated and ignorant. The truth is so many people (Natives) have done so much and have been so successful and many of us are so educated in many different ways.

What's one thing about Indigenous culture or people that others can't seem to understand?

In my opinion is that we have been a spiritual people who have believes in God far before anyone brought. Christianity to our people.

What can we do to try and make up for the past? Or can we?

I think we can’t go back and redo the past but we can look to the future. There is so much injustice still happening and this is where change can happen. We are called to serve the present age and God certainly has work for us to do.

Should we feel responsible for how Indigenous people were treated by our ancestors?

Yes and no. Yes, colonialism and imperialism have impacted society so much and are still present today in many harmful ways. At the same time, we did not commit these egregious acts but need make sure these acts never repeat themselves. We can learn, appreciate, and honor others as different as they may be from ourselves.

Is there anything that Indigenous people believe, or believe in, that doesn't align with Christian/Methodist beliefs?

For the most part no, there are other religions within Native communities that don't align entirely with Christianity but for the OIMC and Baptist Native Associations others they are completely Christian and the OIMC completely Methodist.

These are fantastic questions and I am thrilled that someone took the time to ask them. Thank you! Hope to see you all back on Sunday for the special Hispanic Heritage service. Have a fabulous Friday!

#methodist #pastorchad #pastorsperspective #fumc #nativeamericans

Forgiveness

Happy Friday! The time has come again to reflect on last Sunday’s sermon with Pastor Chad. If you were unable to be with us, you can listen to the message here: https://www.youtube.com/live/b9-mi9JIsD8?si=4djpPZh_rNIv7JOg The Title of the sermon is: “Room at the Table – Judas the Betrayer” and the accompanying scripture is from Luke: 22:1-6. Skip to minute mark 37:45 to go straight to the sermon.

So, this was a heavy one… You asked a variation of the question I was thinking in the message itself, and touched on an answer briefly, but maybe you can expand on that. We're called to forgive, as God forgives us, but does that mean that we must continue to put ourselves in the path of the person, or persons, who harmed us?

Absolutely not, I was clear that we have to be very mindful of abuse and there are certainly times where we need to step away as the best choice for our own safety, health, and well-being. But that doesn't mean we hate them, and let that hate consume us. Jesus was fulfilling scripture and whether it had been Judas, the Pharisees themselves, Roman government, or you name it, this was all going to end the same way one way or the other. What Jesus demonstrates is the ability to love despite what was done to him and this is the call we have upon our lives. There is certainly a balancing act to this, but when we let love and grace drive instead of hate and anger, this is when we step into a deeper discipleship.

I see a quote go around on Facebook quite a bit from a rapper I remember from the 90s, Tupac Shakur, that says, "Just because you lost me as a friend, doesn't mean you gained me as an enemy. I'm bigger than that. I still wanna see you eat, just not at my table." In a lot of ways that really resonates with me. It's something we have lost as a society. The ability to recognize that it's not an either-or situation. It's not love OR hate. I can love you and still not have you be an active participant in my life and have healthy boundaries with you, can't I?

I love this quote, and as seen above the answer is always yes. It’s no different with the churches who have disaffiliated. They left for theological and structural differences. We don't hate them; we don't wish they would close and not bring the gospel to those who attend there. We hope for the opposite, that they will do well and spread the love of Christ to all those that go there. Sure, it may slightly different than our way and beliefs, but that’s ok. John Wesley is credited having said, “We may not think alike, but can we not love alike?” To that I say YES!!!!

Absolutely!! I read an article that spoke to this very thing. It asked the question, have you ever heard someone criticize the building of a homeless shelter in their neighborhood because they didn't want drug addicts and "those types" of people in their community? Have you heard the same kind of criticism for giving to the food pantry? The idea being, why should I give my money and my resources to people who continuously make choices that leave them without food and shelter? How would you answer them?

So, I have heard this kind of thinking from other Churches in our community, but honestly not ours. There are many people and churches in our community who feel a servant’s heart and give so freely, for them I am so thankful and love their spirit. If I had to answer those who don't share this same spirit I would simply say, “so you are in no way in need of God’s grace and don't require it daily, then?” See we like to simply think of justifying grace which is God’s grace that imparts and imputes righteousness into our lives making us right again with, or atone (at one) with God again. The truth is this is but one facet to God’s grace, sanctifying grace is the grace that moves us daily to be more like Christ after we say yes to Jesus in justifying grace. The point is this, we all need God’s grace every single day. Whether that be in a canned good or a measure of forgiveness or even a friendly smile, we are no different from anyone else in the reality that we all need love and grace (PERIOD)!

Well, I know I certainly do. Even on my worst day, thinking about the people who have hurt me the most in this life. I agree with Tupac… I still want to see them eat, just not at my table. I’m not going to share any old Tupac music with you. I’m not a rap fan, but I will share with you my favorite song on the topic of forgiveness. Aptly titled: Forgiveness by Matthew West

My favorite line:

It’s the opposite of how you feel

When the pain they caused is just too real

Takes everything you have to say the word

May all who have hurt us continue to eat and be blessed wherever they are and may all of us who were left behind to pick up the pieces be set free by forgiveness.

#fumc #pastorchad #methodist #pastorsperspective #youtube #Youtube #TabooTalk

#Dancing Generation

Here we are, we’ve come to another Friday! It’s time to discuss another sermon. If you weren’t with us, the title of Sunday’s sermon was, “The Way That Leads to Life (Hold My Mule) – Simon the Zealot “ and the scripture was from Acts 21: 17-20. You can watch the service here: https://www.youtube.com/live/9akwZ7ZpsIc?si=TEsC-EjaRvXYYxIt The sermon begins at 38:16.

Pastor Chad, I KNOW I’m going to ruffle some feathers for even thinking it, much less for asking it, but it’s the only thing I could think of while listening to the sermon. You talked about old John and how he just couldn’t help but to sing, and shout, and dance in church in praise to his God for all that he had been blessed with. Sadly, he had “joined an uptight, spiritually dead church” who sent their deacons to intervene and ask him to stop. Well, we, (the collective we as a group of people, not individuals specifically) do not shout, dance, or sing off script in church. Would we be considered an uptight, spiritually dead church?

So maybe a better way of asking it is: "How do you think our church fits with singing, shouting, and praising God in worship?"

To that, I would say we are a more traditional congregation that normally does not engage in those forms of worship practice, but I would also say I believe and hope that we wouldn't ever condemn anyone for doing these things either. I think the topic of spiritual expression is one that continually needs to be addressed in the life of the church today and in many ways has hit a bit of a dead end in some opinions. I made a shout-out to my book that is coming out this week/next week and I think this is something I address in depth as I explore the intersection of Native American and Christian spiritual living. There is a saying in Oklahoma among the Native churches up there, "We may not have much, but we make up for that with what we do have spiritually." To that, I say AMEN! This is so true, churches up there are smaller, less funded, and not near as elaborate as many others across the nation, but the spirit of the people and how they connect with God is amazing and often makes me wonder about this thing called spirituality. Yes, we should be able to sing, dance, shout, and praise God in worship how we feel moved by the spirit, but "Hold My Mule" goes much deeper than that. It is about a willingness and relentlessness to sing, praise, and shout glory to God in a society and time that isn't too keen to hear these. The thing about this singing, praising, and shouting is we don't do it for those around us, we do it for the God who gives us so much. John (from the story) wouldn't back down, he couldn't back down. He was so thankful and in love with God that he HAD to do these things because he would be dishonoring the wonderful God who had provided so much if he hadn't. I think this is the message that we need to take on in our zealous faith of God. I think of the Matt Redman Song "Dancing Generation" which goes:

"Your mercy taught us how to dance

To celebrate with all we have And we'll dance to thank You for mercy Your glory taught us how to shout To lift Your name in all the earth And we'll shout to the praise of Your glory It's the overflow of a forgiven soul And now we've seen You, God Our hearts cannot stay silent And we'll be a dancing generation Dancing because of Your great mercy, Lord Your great mercy, Lord And we'll be a shouting generation Shouting because of Your great glory, Lord Your great glory, Lord

This is who we are called to be, a singing, shouting, generation for God who doesn't hold back and is unwavering in our praise.

I love that song, and I agree with all of that, but what would you say to someone who says that they find that kind of praise, that kind of expression of worship irreverent and distracting?

I would say that we have to understand that there are two main approaches to praise, charismatic and reverent. We should be open to expressions others than our own. David danced for God in the Bible, those who encountered Jesus had a myriad of different reactions, from reverence to charismatic. Just because we may approach worship more reverent doesn't mean that’s the only way or even the better way. I think being versatile is a great approach. Being able to be reverent at times and charismatic at times can open us up to a plethora of praise expressions and help us experience God in many different ways.

It brings to mind one of my grandfather’s favorite phrases, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Which would always draw a disapproving glare and a groan from my grandmother, but that’s essentially what you’re saying. I, for one, have always felt more worshipful when sitting on the floor. People really look at you crossways when you do that in church. You learn not to do things that aren’t deemed “socially acceptable” in church and that can make it difficult to worship authentically. How do we step out of that box?

So, in the Taizé community worship like this is very custom. I think anytime we can change our perspective and worship in different ways it’s very powerful. We will get a dose of this in October as we worship in Native American and LatinX style ways. There’s great power to tradition, but exploring news ways can always open new ways for the Spirit to move. I also think we need to, again, be respectful of varying ways of worship that are not our own typical practices. Embrace and support those around us who worship differently than us. I have always found God in powerful ways when I stepped beyond my comfort zones in worship.

There you have it. Coming up in October we have a couple culturally diverse services planned for you with guest preachers and musicians designed to take us places in worship where most of us have probably never been before. I’m looking forward to it!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! Enjoy this song mentioned by Pastor Chad! I am part of the Dancing Generation!

#pastorchad #pastorsperspective #methodist #fumc #youtube #Youtube

If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place...

Wishing everyone a blessed Friday! It’s time to jump into another discussion with Pastor Chad about Sunday’s sermon titled: When Less is More – James the Lesser; and the accompanying scripture is from Revelation 21: 9-14. If you weren’t with us, you can listen in here: https://fb.watch/mWXTwblb04/ Jump to the 38-minute mark to go straight to the sermon. There were no questions this week so, the following is a merely a conversation between Pastor Chad and myself. We hope you enjoy!

There's not a lot to discuss about the apostle James even as you noted in your sermon, but a couple things did come to mind listening to the message. (Mostly songs and movie lines because that's how my brain works.) I came to have a heart for the homeless in an unconventional manner. Not nearly as profoundly as Mr. Schneidman in your sermon. No. It was a movie called With Honors from 1994 featuring Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, Moira Kelly, and Patrick Dempsey. If you haven't seen it, you should. Though I was plenty old enough to recognize that homeless people were, in fact, people by that time; the mystery that surrounded their lives was scary. What you said was very true. On the outskirts of Chicago there were many, and they did look intimidating, dirty, and scary.

This is definitely a movie I will be looking into! One that always comes to mind for me is the movie Home Alone when Kevin is in New York and befriends the 'pigeon lady' in the park and they spend time together getting to know each other and he shows a level of kindness to her that she often does not receive. At the end he gives her a turtle dove sharing the wisdom that he gained at the toy store in that turtle doves come in pairs and they are always with each other no matter how far apart because they are “a symbol of friendship and love." I think this is the calling of the Church, to a partner turtledove to those who are lost, scared, marginalized, alone, afraid, abandoned, homeless, naked, hungry, incarcerated, thirsty, sick, etc. When we can extend to the world that this church, this congregation, these people, hold and value you in a way of friendship and love, THAT is when we begin to love like Jesus loved. Myself included; we have a long way to go.

We really do! That movie altered the way I saw the world and the people around me, for the better. It made me painfully aware that we're all just a couple choices or accidents, or paychecks away from homelessness ourselves. It's not always self-inflicted. It's not always drug or alcohol related. There are so many misconceptions and stereotypes. I agree that they exist for a reason and there are many people who fit the "profile", but does it matter? Does that mean they don't deserve the same basic human dignity as everyone else? Of COURSE, they do!

To answer that with a question, do we deserve the grace we have so lovingly received from Jesus? We, who call ourselves Christians and have checkered pasts just as much as anyone else. The moment we lose sight of our own pasts, our own sins, our own transgressions just because we have found salvation is the moment that sin creeps back into our lives we should fear for our very souls. So, no I don't think it should matter at all because we all are in need of grace [PERIOD]! Many people think Native Americans are just diabetic, alcoholic, lower-class peyote-smoking know-nothings. How wrong they are! Yes, there are persons who struggle with alcoholism, diabetes, poverty, and some who are deeply devoted to other religions, but that is not true for all and at what point is any of that a bad thing? At what point does any of that negate our humanity and the fact that we are loved by God? IT DOESN'T!!!!! Love demands that we let go of our stereotypes and misconceptions and just simply love people because of the fact that they are just that, People! We don't have to agree, we don't have to like everything they do and everything about them, we just simply need to love.

That can be so, so hard! But it’s so true! We want that for ourselves, we accept that for ourselves, but we struggle so much extending that to others.

You said, "If you don't like something in your life, change it!" That's the easiest advice to give and the hardest to follow. We all acknowledge there are always circumstances standing in the way that make "just change it" not the easiest thing in the world to do and yet, it's really the only real answer, isn't it? It's not the one we want to hear, but it's the only one that's going to get results. Isn't that what they say the definition of insanity is, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? You don't like the results; you must change something. But what? What do we change?

I love this, YES, the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results. WHY ARE WE INSANE?!?!?!? A different topic for a different blog. I agree, it's the simplest and yet hardest thing in the world to do. I think there are few things to mention here. First, we must be open and honest with ourselves when we are making excuses. The cyclical patterns of life and the vicious cycles are something we have to be aware of and address. The other thing is you asked what do we change, sometimes what we need to change in our perspective. Seeing things from a different or another's point of view can sometimes make the biggest difference. Other times we need to change our expectations. Are our expectations unfair, unreasonable, and/or unrealistic? Then we might need to simply change the circumstances or context. If at the end of the day something doesn't fit these criteria "does this draw me closer to God or constantly pull me away from God," then we need to address this immediately.

Definitely a different topic for a different blog! Obviously, I'm walking through the sermon backwards this week because you began the message with exactly what we need to change. The only thing we CAN change. The only thing we have any control over. That's ourselves. "Never mind, I shall start with myself." you quoted of Elie Wiesel and in my head came the song Man in The Mirror by Michael Jackson. (But the Keke Palmer version which I like better.) There's a quote from the movie Joyful Noise (from which the version of that song comes) that I love where Queen Latifah's character says to someone who's gossiping, "My Mamma always said, 'If people swept in front of their own front porches, this whole world would be clean!'" Isn't that the truth? If we all just started with ourselves and worried about keeping our own homes, minds, lives clean and charitable it feels like the world would just sort itself out. But like most things, that would require 100% participation to work!

PREACH!!! We must start with ourselves. We can't get caught up in changing everything in the world, that can easily lead to frustration and just us giving up altogether. We strive to be the most Christlike ourselves and trust that God's grace will influence the rest. I love the song from the jungle book "Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities; forget about your worries and your strife. I mean the bare necessities, oh, mother nature's recipes that bring the bare necessities of life." What if love were the bare necessity we sought and lived on?

I can barely imagine a world where everyone simply chose love as the one bare necessity of life. Can you? Can any of us? It’s a beautiful thing to think about today though.

As I head into this weekend and beyond, I will make it my own priority to see where I can choose love more often in areas where I want to choose negativity or frustration, or bitterness or pride. Maybe you can, too.

Man in The Mirror (Keke Palmer Version)

#methodist #pastorsperspective #fumc #pastorchad #Youtube

The Beautiful Uncomfortable Awkward

Friday is here again! If you missed Sunday’s sermon you can listen to it here: https://fb.watch/mNKkjsiIQd/ Until some of you out there start asking your own questions or sharing your own thoughts, I’m afraid you’re stuck with mine. I had a good time challenging Pastor Chad this week to answer a bit of an uncomfortable series of questions, but then again, the entire message was about striving to get comfortable with the uncomfortable; was it not? We hope you enjoy our conversation about last weeks message titled: “A New Life: Matthew the Changed.” The accompanying scripture was from Matthew 9:9-13.

Pastor Chad, I know we have talked about this before, that church is supposed to be "a safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals", just like the song says. (Truth Be Told by Matthew West) But you're right when you say that those people aren't walking through our doors because they don't feel safe. So, my main question is, what are we doing about that?

This is a great question and I think we turn to our Biblical predecessors for guidance in this. We start with Jesus who went to the hungry, the hopeless, the lost, the marginalized, and brought them love, food, healing, nurture, hope, and fellowship. In our communion liturgy we say every time, “and ate with sinners.” I tend to throw in the word ‘even’ and “EVEN ate with sinners.” John the Baptist was out in the wilderness and highways and byways finding people who needed Good News in their life. Paul went and wrote to churches all over telling them to go preach and teach about the God who loves us and wants a relationship with us. And we could go on and on with examples. The idea is that we MUST look beyond our walls at what needs there are and how to address them. In the movie Of Gods and Men there is a moment where the monks speak about being birds on a branch unsure if they will fly. The lady from the community says “we are the birds you are the branch. If you leave, we lose our foundation.” We have to ask ourselves, if we leave as a church, would this community feel the same? Would they lose their foundation?

We have these wonderful ministry programs. We help feed the hungry by collecting food for the food pantry. We help community families by offering an after-school program one afternoon a week with Homework Club. We have the standard programs for kids like VBS, Youth, and Children's Church. We have the unique C3'd group that reaches out to the kids who feel marginalized or unwelcome in other church youth groups, which is fantastic. All these things are truly great, but HOW are we really reaching people beyond these walls? How would anyone know they'll be welcome here?

I think in this question lies both the challenge and the excitement of endless possibility. We do so much good here that is amazing and I feel assured God smiles down on daily. But we can never be complacent. There is always more work to be done, and must venture into the uncomfortable parts of our community and the world to continue to grow and bring Christ to those who do not yet know that God that loves them dearly. This is the work of the Kingdom, this is the praise we offer to God, this is what it means to follow Jesus.

That’s true, but you didn’t really answer the question. We want that. We hope for that. We can never become complacent and we must get comfortable with going to the uncomfortable places to reach people, but DO we? Do you think people know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our doors are open and that they would be welcome?

Well in short, no. I mean that’s the point and reason for the sermon. If we were doing this to the fullest extent then there would be no point in preaching this message. But what church CAN actually boast this? I don't think any can, which is the problem. I think this is something every church all over Christendom is working on. Because there’s room for growth, we have to address it, name it, and own it. I think we have a lot of good, but there’s so much room to grow here.

Exactly. If it seems like I’m pushing a bit, I am. Not out of disrespect or unbelief that people are welcome- I KNOW that they are. However, as someone who has been on the outside looking in as a visitor many times, in many different places; rarely did I feel that “come as you are” acceptance that we talk about. At my life’s lowest and most uncomfortable places rarely did I feel genuinely (and gently) pursued by someone who just cared enough to meet me where I was. I guess my question was what are we doing as a church to foster that for people who might not feel welcome? Or are we? Are we actually going OUTSIDE of these walls and meeting people in their uncomfortable places?

I think, again, the answer is we aren't as much as we could. Sure, it’s happening on various levels and we do attempt this, but not to the extent that Jesus did. There is always a level of how can we continue to do more and grow and be the church that goes and seeks out the hungry, lost, broken, etc… Instead of the church that just expects them to just get fed up with life and come find us. In this is the wonderful hope for the future of what we can grow into.

It’s hard. We live in a scary world. We are constantly having to be concerned with our safety as well. Stepping outside these walls poses its own set of risks and that’s something we always have to take into consideration as well. Yet, I think about Jesus and I think about how He never considered His own safety when He ministered. Well, I guess He never considered His safety, ever. His mortal ending was brutal… And He knew it would end that way. Still, He did everything that He did. It blows my mind that we (myself included) let merely being uncomfortable stop us from doing things that might help others.

*sigh*

There’s a song that I hold deep down in my heart that always brings tears to my eyes when it gets to the lines:

But when she opens up her heart nobody’s got the time

Could this be the day that you come to the rescue

She’s desperate for the light but she’s never gonna ask you

One word, one hand

Tell me is that too high a price

One awkward moment

Could be the one that saves a life

Your hurt, your scars

God will use to open up her eyes

One awkward moment

You’ll see the gospel come alive

Maybe we all need to be a lot more uncomfortable and a lot more awkward a lot more often… If you have some time today, check out One Awkward Moment by Casting Crowns https://youtu.be/W3rE_Szi6gY?si=v7hf4o9OhlLJ5Vn2

And have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. May you find a moment to be beautifully awkward.

#pastorsperspective #fumc #methodist #pastorchad

I Want To KNOW You

Another Friday is here, it’s the end of August, and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am ready to trade these 100+ degree days for a cool breeze and some fall leaves! If you need a visual break from all the scorching heat, just drop by the office. Autumn is in full swing and I am delighted to share my happy place with anyone who needs it!

Let’s hop right in, shall we? If you missed the sermon this week it was titled: Nathaniel – The Known; and the accompanying scripture was from John 1: 42-51. You can take a listen here: https://fb.watch/mEH2fxHBlH/ Skip to the 34 minute mark to get straight to the sermon. I was able to chat a little bit with Pastor Chad this week via email regarding this message. It went like this…

Stepping on toes this week, mine in particular... ouch! It's hard to admit that sometimes I don't make the time to talk with Jesus. I guess there are some obvious questions here, particularly because I am not as learned - I must assume that a lot of people out there in cyberspace (and the congregation as well) also do not hold doctorate degrees in theology. So, I'll ask the seemingly obvious questions:

Is talking to Jesus the same as talking to God?

This is such a great question and a totally fair and reasonable question. I was asked once if a person prays to Jesus are they praying to God? Are they ignoring God when they end with “In Jesus Name?” I asked them how it was they were saved, to which they answered “Jesus of course?!” I then asked, “so God doesn't save you?” They answered “Well of course God saves us!” I then asked, but you just said Jesus saved you, which is it? They answered “well both…” To which is said “EXACTLY!” This is the answer, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are persons of the trinity but more simply put are God. So, when we pray to one, we are praying to God who is each and one at the same time.

What does talking to Jesus look like, is this just prayer or something else entirely?

No, prayer is the ultimate way we have to communicate with God, but there are many means of grace (means by which God’s grace is communicated to us). Simply, any way God can speak to us is a means of grace, but there are intentional means we can make time to intentionally place ourselves in a position to hear God more clearly. These are the ways Wesley found we could hear God in our lives:

Works of Piety

Individual Practices – reading, meditating, and studying the scriptures, prayer, fasting, regularly attending worship, healthy living, and sharing our faith with others.

Communal Practices – regularly share in the sacraments, Christian conferencing (accountability to one another), and Bible study.

Works of Mercy

Individual Practices - doing good works, visiting the sick, visiting those in prison, feeding the hungry, and giving generously to the needs of others.

Communal Practices – seeking justice, ending oppression and discrimination (for instance Wesley challenged Methodists to end slavery), and addressing the needs of the poor.

How do we know when Jesus is answering?

I think mostly we will feel it, not always in the way we are expecting. It’s important to remember that the spiritual practices we do are not guaranteed moments to feel the Holy Spirit rush over us and excite our heart every single time. We cannot summon God in this way like a magic trick. Sometimes Gods answer is simply to remain silent and let us wrestle with something or to let us sit silently. Other times God’s grace may be like a hurricane of excitement as we feel excited and on fire for God. Both are acceptable responses from God. Trusting that God will answer and making time to be with God regularly is the key!

Do we just look for signs or wait for those feelings of peace? What do those answers look like?

I mentioned this before, we must be open that Gods answer may not come like we expect. Placing our expectations on things can set anyone, even God, up for failure in our eyes. God will answer, and it takes being open to receive that answer, whatever it may be, for us to find true happiness with God. God can work in a myriad of ways so it may come through the words of a friend, a family member, a song, something on t.v., the radio, a random thought, a feeling, you name it. When it happens, it will feel different and it you will know it’s God speaking.

I love that you mention the different ways that God can work and so many of them just being every day things. We want to think of God working as always being this mystical, larger-than-life, beyond all reach and comprehension experience that only few can fathom. That does happen, I’m sure, for some people. So often God just comes in the still, in the quiet, or in the mundane. The everyday tasks that need to be done and we still find God in the middle of them. We find God when that random friend sends the goofy text message right as you were feeling really down, even though they didn’t know that. We find God when the song playing on the radio is so profound that you have to pull the car over because you found yourself crying. We find God when you can’t stop thinking about a person so you call them and find out they just had a biopsy done. I find God in commercials sometimes that make me laugh or make me cry and cause me to rethink about things in a new way, such as the one you shared this past Sunday. Ironically, I also find God when I'm procrastinating writing this blog post and I scroll Facebook instead and am met by a friend posting, what else? Song lyrics of course! Which of course, leads me right back to where my thoughts need to be! Because...

You ended your message with song lyrics (a favorite of mine as well I might add) though you said it was, I want to Know You by Chris Tomlin, it’s actually, In The Secret by Mercy Me. That’s ok, 1997 was a long time ago and a number of people have covered it, including Chris Tomlin probably! I love that the lyrics are a straight and simple cry to know God more. That’s it. Just I want to know you. Another song that I love as a contrast to that would be Known by Tuaren Wells, which flips the coin and says you know me. You fully know me and you love me anyway.

I would fully encourage anyone to take ten minutes out of their day and listen to these two songs with the cry to God, I want to KNOW YOU and how amazing it is that YOU KNOW ME and you love me anyway?!

"In the Secret" recorded at NLAG Community in the Worship Concert with Steven Peters and Keba JeremiahCheck out our website for more details

#pastorsperspective #methodist #pastorchad #fumc #youtube #Youtube

Worry's Only Wasted Time

It’s Friday again! If you noticed, there was no blog post last week, I do apologize. I simply never had time within my week to accomplish it at any point and now here we are. If you missed the sermon on Sunday, you can watch it here: https://fb.watch/mvjqNfHwhY/ I was able to chat with Pastor Chad via email regarding the message and it went like this:

I wasn’t really left with a ton of questions after this message, but I have some thoughts. Obviously, things would be easier to commit to if we had some assurance that we were going to succeed at what we were trying to do. If God would show us some glimmer of the future, some shred of what's to come, that it all works out, sure, it would be so much easier to keep fighting the battles. That was the whole point though, right? We will never have that assurance? (Other than the fact that we've read the Bible and we know in the last chapter that God wins, the end.) We don't get to know all the details of how everything in our lives is going to work out, or how God is going to use our trials to better us. We are just supposed to trust that He will. Why is that SO hard though?

I think it's so hard because we want things on our terms. The human-ness of all of us wants to be in control and order all things to what we see is the best. In many ways, this is our self-idolatry or pride getting in the way of our faith. We lose sight and don't want to accept that there is a God who knows more, sees more, and is capable of more than we are. We humans (at the top of the food chain) tend to think we are the supreme beings of the land and to concede that control and order push against our human nature. Stress is a natural response to uncertainty and we want to eliminate stress by being in control of the future. The reality is we are caught up in our own perception of wants and needs that we lose sight of bigger focuses. The harsh reality is, if it were this way and there were no uncertainty we would complain and moan about the lack of spontaneity in our world. Maybe we're just unhappy people (just kidding). The trick is in seeing the beauty in the unknown, finding the excitement in the uncertainty, and growing in faith all the time.

Letting go is probably particularly difficult for women. Not to stereotype, but women are typically the keepers of schedule and order for the household, kids, etc, and carry the mental load for the family. Not knowing HOW something is going to happen is pure torture. We NEED to have the details; we NEED to plan. Or maybe that's just a me thing and I'm projecting it onto "most" women. I can't imagine having been one of the apostles trying to figure out how to feed the crowd! Let alone feeling confident in any man saying, "it'll be fine, just let me pass out these five loaves!" I mean, have you ever planned a dinner party?? I'm getting heart palpitations just thinking about it! How did the apostles know that it was going to be ok? Did they know? Do you think that even until their deaths, the apostles struggled with "believing is seeing"?

Oh, they didn't, and most scripture points to a sneaking suspicion they all had that this may end horribly. They knew from the get-go that this was radical and different, and would most likely not be perceived well by everyone. As things went along there are hints that this thing was going to end with a bang, and not necessarily a good bang. Christ himself gave several Passion Predictions where he prepared them for the worst, and as the crucifixion took place, they began to understand that their own lives would most likely end up the same. So, all of these clues, red flags, indicators, whatever we want to call them were there, and yet they still hung in there. They never gave up, they never abandoned the call, they followed it even unto death... why? The answer is simple, the grace they found and were called to share with the world was worth dying for. Not only that, it was worth living for as it changed their very lives. The love of Jesus was so powerful in their lives that they couldn't do anything else, and they didn't. I wonder how many would sign up to be Christians today if it were the same; if this faith would cost you your life at some point? The reality is that we're going to lose our lives at some point anyhow, might as well use it doing something that matters. Life itself is fleeting, what we do with it can last forever. This again comes back to giving up control and letting our faith guide our steps, not our own comforts, dreams, plans, proclivities, etc.

Man, that’s hard. I’m sure it’s harder for some than others, just like everything else we do in this life. All people aren’t designed the same, with the same strengths and weaknesses, and that’s a good thing. It’s terrifying to admit that you don’t really have control over anything when you truly think about it. Maybe the small, mundane tasks of your everyday existence, but not much else. Admitting that can be really scary. It reminds me of a song – because all things do. If you have some time today, check out this song:

Afraid by Tenth Avenue North

My favorite line is “worry’s only wasted time”. There’s so much truth in that statement. I wonder how much time the apostles wasted worrying about feeding the crowd before Jesus performed His miracle with the loves and fish? I wonder how afraid they were? Were they afraid that the crowd would turn on them? God says we don’t have to worry. We don’t have to fear. He is in control and all we have to do is let Him.

Until next time… If you have any thoughts or questions that you would like to share in our blog, send them to me via the church email, text message, call the office, tumblr message, or Facebook message me!

#methodist #pastorsperspective #pastorchad #fumc #Youtube

Jacksboro's Got Talent

It’s another HOT Friday Y’all! Time for another discussion with Pastor Chad! If you weren’t with us this past Sunday, there was no sermon. You can watch our special guests, Simple Gifts, and their wonderful musical service here: https://fb.watch/md5yp87-6f/

For having no sermon this week, what a message! I was so blessed by Simple Gifts, The Sawyer Family Band and so grateful they came to play for us. I was touched by their testimony and their overall genuine worship. It got me thinking, you probably know because you have studied extensively all things biblical. Historically speaking, was music always a part of religious services?

Oh absolutely, there are many references Biblically for music in worship:

Psalm 150:1-6

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 bring this out simply, but powerfully, telling us to sing “to God” and “to the Lord” because he is the object of our praise. Ephesians 5:19 says, “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” It is to him and about him that we sing!

Historically the church has always encompassed music in worship. From Gregorian chant to praise music, music has played a key role as an avenue for the Holy Spirit.

When was the first music incorporated into a church service and what was its purpose at that time?

The early church had canticles and chants which were the early predecessors to worship music.

Do you happen to know why some denominations don't allow instruments in their services? (I've always wondered about that.)

So, this comes from a reformation movement which was brought about by a Swiss reformer names Ulrich Zwingli and became known as Zwingli-ism. Zwingli felt that because there was concrete evidence for instrumentation instead of vocal (debatable) and that Jesus never directly addresses this, that there was no need. Zwingli’s movement was known for the mass destruction of thousands of organs at this time. This movement and other theological views have influenced this approach of no instruments in worship.

I have always felt very strongly that worship music provides a sermon all its own sometimes and we were blessed to experience a full day of that Sunday with both the morning service, and then in the evening with Rooted Worship. It was really special to witness three generations coming together simply to praise God the way they felt most comfortable. I think everyone in attendance was touched by the Dixon/Fry Family and the way that they stepped out in faith and shared their stories and songs.

What words of encouragement would you offer to someone thinking they might want to try that, but they just aren't sure?

I would say always remember Jesus’ calling is to go and serve, not to seek perfection. We aren't opening for Casting Crowns here; we are simply making a joyful noise for God. When we show our hearts and willingness to serve that is what people will see and be moved by more than anything!

There has been a call for more opportunity for us, as a church, to open our doors to the community and provide a platform and a space for people to share their talents and creativity beyond Sunday morning, and beyond Rooted worship. Are you ready to share a little bit about that?

We are SUPER excited about starting open mic nights this fall! We want to create a space where people can come and share gifts and graces with each other to support and encourage one another as we develop and share our passions and gifts. Come and share a poem, music, dance, comedy, skit, or anything else that is church appropriate. We will have fun laughing and fellowshipping and celebrating together.

Absolutely! Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 30th and come share your talent with us at our first ever community wide open mic night! We hope to see you and your favorite sock puppet there!

#methodist #pastorsperspective #fumc #pastorchad #open mic night

How Far? The Trajectory of Rooted Worship

Happy Friday Y’all! In leu of our typical sermon discussion this week Pastor Chad and I sat down to discuss the future of Rooted Worship. Join us 5pm on Sunday, July 30th!

What was your vision for Rooted?

So, the original idea for Rooted came out of the Pies with the Pastor conversations that we were having when I first started here and many people voicing the need and the want for a contemporary worship in the life of the church. At the same time, we didn’t want that to interfere with the traditional Sunday morning worship. So, we knew we were looking at an evening worship and after some conversations, Sunday evening really became what everyone felt would be the preference and the most widely open for the people in the community. The idea going in was, can we open up a contemporary worship space and opportunity in the life of the church while at the same time engaging in deep conversations around social justice topics?

As Rooted has gone on the past couple times that we have met, we’re seeing good numbers and we’re really excited by how it is going, but one of the feelings that I’ve had is it’s a lot in one setting. To engage in a social justice topic and then have that theme guide worship feels like a lot and I think in some ways it’s taking away slightly from the want to have just a contemporary style worship. So, kind of in conversations that we’ve been in on the staff side of things is, how can we sort of re focus our energies into the worship service aspect of it and kind of back out of the conversational dinner aspects? We’re going to look at different opportunities to do that elsewhere in the future but not at Rooted.

Rooted moving forward is really just going to focus on being a very powerful, contemporary worship style service. A very praise driven service. We’re going to remove the themes, we’re going to remove the dinner conversations, that’s just a LOT to do in one evening. It got to be very heavy was the feedback I was getting. So, that’s kind of what I’m envisioning for Rooted moving forward is just being a place to come and enjoy refreshments. I’m not exactly sure what that will look like each time, but there will be some food and drinks available, just not a formal dinner moving forward. We just want people to come and to worship in a different way, a very contemporary style.

How would you like best to encourage and invite people to get involved with Rooted Worship as it moves forward?

I think there are lots of ways to get involved with Rooted. Rooted is not a funded program as of right now, so our refreshments, everything is all us. We provide it. So, help with refreshments by donating. Again, we’re not going to be doing formal meals, so, finger foods and desserts, drinks, chips. Lighter options to enjoy during our fellowship time, there just won’t be that sit down meal like we’ve been doing. I think the biggest way to be a part of Rooted is, because it is mainly a contemporary worship service, is to be in prayer about where God is calling you to be involved in the worship service itself. Offer a prayer. I think offering a prayer is such a powerful way to be involved. Helping with the music. If you are in any way musically inclined, I would say Rooted is such a neat way to express your own personal worship.

… And enjoy praise and worship music …

Yes, and enjoy praise and worship music. Yes! If this is your speed, then jump in! There’s lots of ways to do it! And don’t feel like you have to do it alone. Grab a friend. We have some musicians lined up who brought in family members who are going to help them, friends who love the same style of music. They get together and say, hey, we love the same kind of music and we’re going to do this and worship together. I’m even putting together a group at the end of the year for our New Year’s Eve Rooted Party that is going to be very collaborative. It will be a praise band style format that brings in lots of people. So, I would say if you are musically inclined in any way at all in a praise and worship genre, this is a great place for you to share your worship with people.

If people have questions or suggestions, or things that they would like to see happen – added to Rooted to enhance their worship experience – how would you like them to make those suggestions?

Any and all suggestions are very welcome! We want to create an experience that feeds the people who are here. So, if there’s something that we can do differently then, absolutely, let us know. I would say email me or email the office. Email is great, that way we can bat that around to each other pretty easily. Either myself or Christina in the office, we tag team this together so, just contact one of us and we’ll get your suggestions and see what we can do.

I would like to voice that you obviously don’t have to be a member of the church to participate.

No, you do not have to be a member! This is an open worship service. It’s not “methodist”, it’s not solely FUMC Jacksboro. Other churches are involved. There are members from other churches attending and even contributing to the music. Please feel to share this with other people in our community that you think may enjoy this also. It is really just a community praise and worship service that we are offering on 5th Sunday evenings, for now. We would love it if people from the community, no matter what church they go to, or if they don’t have a church home and are looking for a place to worship, this is wonderful. All are welcome to this. You bet!

So, we are set on 5th Sunday worship leaders through the end of the year. On July 30th we have Sandra Dixon with her daughter Randi Fry, and her granddaughter Sera Fry. Then on October 29th we have Susan Damron and Marcia Jackson leading worship, they may or may not be having some other people joining their worship team, I’m not sure yet. December 31st, for our Rooted New Year’s Eve Party, you are leading that worship team and you are pulling all the people!

Yes! Anybody and everybody!

What’s the plan after the New Year?

So, after the New Year’s Eve service we have a few months before the next 5th Sunday. We are going to take that time frame to evaluate things. We’ll have three or four months before the next 5th Sunday to see where we’re at and if we want to keep this at a 5th Sunday thing or if we want to move forward with maybe more often. Maybe bi monthly or even monthly. That’s the direction, to offer this as often as people want and need this worship opportunity. If that’s every 5th Sunday then that’s great. If that’s bi monthly or monthly, then that’s wonderful, too. If we ever reach the point where this is a weekly thing that that’s wonderful in its own way. We certainly are open to wherever the Holy Spirit is driving this bus.

If you could share one song from a previous Rooted Worship with everyone, which one would it be?

Oh, definitely “How Far”. I just bawled. The message, even for me. Sometimes I forget, even as a pastor.

How Far by Tasha Layton, as Performed by The Clayton Family at Rooted Worship

#pastorsperspective #methodist #pastorchad #fumc

The Gift of Time

We have made it to Friday yet again and not melted in the Texas heat! That is something to be celebrated! I’m going to celebrate by discussing the last two sermons with Pastor Chad! Let’s jump right in. If you were unable to join us on either 7/9/23 or 7/16/23; you can listen to those messages here: https://www.youtube.com/live/9QmmjhJX-to?feature=share and here: https://fb.watch/lWzyBtAG-2/

I need to back up a little into the sermon before last, "Be The Rock: Simon Peter", and talk about how you said that we aren't called to just live passive lives and have a passive faith. I heard a pastor preach once how we should approach worship with the same vigor and excitement that we approach watching our favorite sports teams. What do you think about that?

I think there is a great deal of truth here and a wonderful way of thinking about it. We often place so much excitement on things like football and such, but wonder why we have such poor faith lives. I think it has to do with an entertainment-driven society. We expect to be entertained, and thus we expect God to entertain us and make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside and this drives our faith lives leaving us going "Where are you, God?" I wonder what would happen if we left worship service each Sunday feeling convicted and challenged to be better in our faith, not warm and fuzzy all the time and filled with all sorts of nice good feelings? The reality is that we place expectations on God that are simply not realistic or fair. God isn't JUST this constant source of hope, joy, love, and peace. God is also very much our guide in life and God convicts, corrects, challenges, and so much more. Just because faith is not necessarily fun at the moment doesn't mean that God isn't there, and just because it's hard doesn't mean that God isn't doing powerful things. We have to be careful about what expectations we approach God with.

I think that’s fair. We do need to remember that God isn’t here to entertain us, we don’t have to feel warm and fuzzy all the time, but can you imagine what church would look like on Sunday morning with people actively cheering for God? I know that happens in some places, in some denominations, but in many places church/worship/engagement like that is frowned upon as irreverent or showy, or disingenuous. So, how can we live lives on fire for God and not live passively when everyone around you is telling you to sit down and be quiet because you're not worshipping "appropriately"? How do we live authentically and worship authentically if we always have to be on guard against offending someone? I think that's part of why we have seen such a large portion of Christians now sitting on the sidelines living out their faith more passively. When you speak your faith, you often get targeted by those who don't agree with you, so it's often viewed as easier to just keep quiet. However, that leads into the sermon you just preached: "To Die For: James The Greater".

I always think worship is an interesting topic when it comes to Christian differences. As you said, I think approaching how we worship and going in with the right mentality is key. If we go into worship, much like our service, in a passive way then we should only ever expect a passive faith and worship experience. We sometimes expect the Spirit to move and THEN we feel God and are on fire to serve and worship. I think James shows us very differently. When we intentionally seek God and stay on fire and passionate, we feel the Spirit in profound ways and often ways we never expected. Similarly, we don't pray so that God will ignite in us a fire and passion for God and faith. We pray so we can see where God is already with us and for help remaining on fire. Like worship, I think we are often emotionally driven instead of Spirit-driven. Yes, sometimes worship should excite us and make us feel on fire and ready to go out and conquer the world. There are also worship times which are a time of rest, calm, peace, and reassurance. I have come out of worship services feeling more at peace and calm and thought "I didn't feel God in that worship service," when it wasn't that the Spirit wasn't moving, it just wasn't moving in the way I expected. I was the problem, not God. I tend to believe that we need to be open to what God will bring us in worship, not what we expect to receive. No matter what style of worship it is, or music choice, or sermon style, or order of worship, I feel that anyone should be able to come and receive something from God in any worship service anywhere anyhow because the focus is on receiving what God is offering NOT what we believe we should be receiving. Whether it be contemporary, traditional, or culturally styled, in any worship to God we can know and be assured the Holy Spirit is there and offering us something to take with us, no matter what expectations we try to place on things. This past Sunday I worshipped in our Sunday morning service and then went to a Native American revival service in Oklahoma. Both were amazing, and I got so much out of them both and God spoke to me in such different ways through each service. It is all about me going into worship excited about what God will offer, not what I expect to receive. I also think we should never focus on another person worshipping God, our focus and sole attention should only ever be on God, not those around us! There is no script, standard, or orthodox way of praising and worshipping God, and we shouldn't hold anyone else to our own preferences of worship and praise. I fully believe that James was this way, he worshipped and served God in the best way he knew possible and that's all anyone could ever expect. I think James was simply open each day of his life for what God would bring and that was never quite what he expected, and that is the beauty of it!

I absolutely agree with you about not being focused on others. I have often heard when other complain about what someone is wearing or doing in a service and I always think to myself that if that person’s action, or that person’s hat, or shirt were bothering you that much then you were clearly not focused on what you needed to be focused on.

The apostles were all martyred for their faith and we keep quiet because we don't want to be targeted or labeled as something we're not out of inconvenience, fear, or plain old pride, but most of us would be willing to die. I loved the story about counseling the couple who were soon to be married. He would gladly die for her, but she just wanted him to put the toilet seat down. Isn't that always how it goes? Honestly, that's the thing. Dying is the easy part. We're all prepared to die for what's important to us. Our family, our faith, defending our home or our country, and we feel noble in that, heroic even. But dying truly is the easy part. It might be torturous and brutal, but once it's over, it's over. Living is hard. Living your convictions and making the hard choices day after day, year after year... Continuing to make sacrifice after sacrifice for things you believe in. That's hard. How do we stay motivated to keep doing all the everyday little things that keep our faith alive?

I tend to believe we hold more of a "once saved always saved" theology than we tend to think. The truth is we all, to some degree, have fallen a little victim to thinking that because we believe in God and go to church on Sunday that our salvation is intact and all is well with our souls no matter how we act. This is the very theology that James' life pushes against! We cannot expect to just enter into a relationship with God and then never speak to God, never visit God but a cordial visit on Sunday mornings, and never live for God and expect to still be saved. That would be like getting married and never calling, never having dinner together, never doing things together, never speaking but maybe one day a week, and expecting everything to just be fine and stay married forever. It doesn't work that way, and our relationship with God is no different. If we only give God our very minimum, then we should expect a minimalistic faith. At the same time, you can't get married and go doing whatever you want no matter the consequences and expect your spouse to just stick around for it. That person is going to bail because you don't love them because you aren't showing love and taking the time to foster that love. This approach places the emphasis of salvation solely on the future so that it never makes room for the present, the here and now. Being saved is waking up daily so overwhelmed by God's love through Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can't do anything else but serve, honor, and be faithful and obedient to God. I heard once, "God doesn't want just weekend visits from God's children, God wants full custody." John Wesley was a huge believer that we are either growing in faith or dying in faith and that there is no stagnant in between. I think we have to intentionally wake up every single day asking, "How am I going to grow in my faith today more than where I was yesterday?"

That’s a really important parallel. My Nana always says that the most precious gift you can give anyone is your time. It’s the only thing that you can never get back, that can’t be returned, that is indeed priceless. That’s exactly what you’re talking about here. The simple act of spending time with God, with your spouse, with your loved ones. That’s really all it boils down to in the end; did I spend enough time with God and with my family? That’s something I guess I really need to sit down and think about…

Maybe we all do…

#methodist #pastorchad #pastorsperspective #fumc

Jesus Loves Me

Another Friday is here! That means another blog! If you weren’t with us, Sunday’s sermon was titled, “This I Know!” and the scripture was John 3: 16. You can listen to it here: https://fb.watch/lE87OSPRNE/

I caught up with Pastor Chad via email this week to discuss his sermon.

This week I think you hit on something really profound and important when you said that we struggle to remember who we are. This happens in a lot of different ways, in various stages of our lives. You, of course, were speaking of when we forget that we are children of God and that He loves us, when we struggle to remember that in hard times. That's very true. What are some ways, or some strategies, that we can use to keep ourselves centered into who we are when these times come?

I think spiritual practices are the best way. I currently do a morning devotional with my family and it helps tremendously to remind me daily of who I am and whose I am. Prayer, Bible study, and meditation are other great forms. I heard of one person who writes on their bathroom mirror in dry erase a verse or quote for the week to remind them when they get ready each day. I love this! I think also the crosses we wear or jewelry we wear should mean something, we wear them for this very reason. Also having people, you can go to (friends, family, pastors, support groups) to help us during trying times can be very helpful.

Covid changed us. It not only changed the way we do things, but the way we see things, the way we interact with people (and not necessarily for the better). It changed some people psychologically, and it has changed a lot of people spiritually. I, too, have heard very religious people questioning God over Covid. I have witnessed people who always looked to God for everything, suddenly start fearing more than "faithing" in the last few years. It saddens my heart, but I'm not a pastor, or a preacher. What does the average person of faith have to offer to someone who is questioning, who is scoffing, who is simply hurting over the trajectory of the last few years and can no longer bring themselves to sing Jesus loves me with the same conviction that they used to? Even if we recognize it, how can we help?

I think our very testimonies is our greatest strength as Christian people. The stories we have of how God has gotten us through hardships can mean more than we could ever imagine to someone else. The trouble is when we hesitate or refuse to share that with others. Sometimes we feel that our stories aren't deep or powerful enough, or by sharing we turn egotistical or self-centered. That’s just not true. 1) it is God who gives us strength and no story or life event is too small for God to speak through. 2) if we keep the focus on God, it can’t be self-centered or egotistical because it’s about God’s grace and mercy, not ourselves. People need us to share! The world tells us to just keep to ourselves and don't bother anyone, but we sure miss out on glorifying God that way.

That’s hard to navigate sometimes, too, though. When we share our experiences with others we can come off as trying to make things about ourselves, which is rarely the intention. Most people are simply trying to convey the message that you are not alone. I see you. I can empathize with your pain, with what you’re going through. Or at least that’s what I am doing when I share personal experiences with people. It’s difficult to articulate those stories and if I am sharing it with you, it’s because I want you to know that I hear your pain and I want you to know that you don’t have to sit alone with it. I understand it because I feel it, too.

I wholeheartedly subscribe to keeping it simple. In general, I tell people to explain things to me like I'm 5. I don't do this because I think I'm stupid. I do this because I genuinely want to understand what people are telling me. The quickest way to dissent with others is simple miscommunication and I like to avoid that whenever possible simply by communicating as effectively as possible. If that means asking people to please repeat and simplify their requests and expectations so that I can be sure that I'm understanding; well, I'd rather understand and get it right than misunderstand and get it wrong and have someone upset with me. Is there ever a time that you can think of, when keeping it simple has been ineffective for any reason?

I really can’t, to be honest. In seminary we were taught if we could teach it at children's time, we could teach it to anyone. A simple approach can be a powerful approach because it allows everyone to find a grasping point somewhere. The KISS method ensures whoever we are talking with can get something out of it. When Paul preached at the Areopagus, he did so in a way that could be understood addressing their intellect of the unknown God (Acts 17). He wrote to the Corinthians, Philippians, Romans, Colossians, Galatians and more in a way that their people would best understand in a simple way about the love of God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. A wise seminary professor once told me, “The point of preaching the gospel isn't to just preach the gospel, it’s to get the gospel heard!” I find that these words hit at the heart of the KISS method. Keep it simple and keep it about God.

That really is just about all we need to do in life; keep it simple and keep it about God. I firmly believe there’s a reason that we first teach our children the song Jesus Loves Me. It contains all the truth they need to know for the rest of their lives. Yes, as they grow that knowledge gets filled in with more adult concepts and bigger knowledge about God, the Bible, the universe, and the world we live in. However, when life gets hard (and it always does), and you strip away all the noise, all you need to hold on to is that, YES, Jesus loves me. This I know. For the Bible tells me so.

Until next week, just do like Dori from finding Nemo and “just keep swimming”!

#methodist #pastorsperspective #fumc #pastorchad

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