tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75300648810508929732024-03-12T23:16:39.875-05:00In Over My HeadSometimes it's not so much about walking on water as it is about staying afloat.
"...so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ" ~Ephesians 3:8Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-48524942271089810582013-01-17T14:21:00.002-06:002013-01-25T08:02:12.308-06:00Christian Unity & Theological/Church Heritage
Tomorrow begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan18-25). A week of becoming more aware and appreciative of the great variety of ways of adoring God. "A week where people realize, perhaps for the first time, that their neighbours' ways are not so strange." Sunday evening our ministerial association will be hosting an ecumenical service, facilitated by a number of people from a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-17468696921380439662012-07-11T08:14:00.004-05:002013-01-18T11:24:42.124-06:00I Don't Feel The Need to Fight for My Right to Lead
I am blessed to serve in the Free Methodist Church, which is egalitarian by nature, holding the view, that the Bible teaches the fundamental equality of women and
men of all racial and ethnic mixes, all economic classes, and all age
groups, based on the teachings and example of Jesus Christ and the overarching principles of scripture. I believe, as does the FMCiC that all people have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-89392934615651213672012-07-10T10:39:00.000-05:002013-01-18T11:25:10.053-06:00Women Can't What!?
The women in ministry fight/debate is not one, that I have fully engaged in. It is not that I do not believe that women could, should and have historically been equipped and enabled by God to lead His people, cause I certainly do. It is simply that, as a pastor this is not the focus of the ministry God has called me to and YES God has called me to pastoral ministry, as confirmed byUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-9672203639168778622012-04-21T09:50:00.001-05:002013-01-18T11:23:12.853-06:00FOLLOWING THE LEADER - A Prayer
"You have led in Your steadfast love the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them by Your strength to Your Holy abode." ~ Exodus 15:13
God Almighty, full of grace and mercy, it is in love that You lead us, may we always follow, knowing that wherever You lead us, it is out of love for us. Help us not to get ahead of You and so drown in our own pride and foolish plans. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-40355486116075216972012-04-03T08:52:00.002-05:002012-04-05T14:38:24.099-05:00Watch and see what God will do."The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent" ~Exodus 14:14
The battles are not yours to fight, the war not yours to win. God is in control, you need only to trust in Him. Don't make situations worse by talking, gossiping, venting to others. Don't make situations worse by arguing, defending, debating your position.
Stop trying so hard! Stop and Listen.&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-77956028858898953262012-02-07T11:26:00.006-06:002012-02-07T18:13:27.354-06:00Rather give up life than give in to singleness?I believe marriage is a wonderful thing, when two people come together in such a way that love is multiplied, their joys doubled, and burdens halved. I believe marriage is a Godly thing, when each person is able, through their union, to pursue the plans and purposes God has for them. I believe marriage is fabulous, when God is the center and the relationship finds them drawing closer Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-18675162485088139582012-01-13T08:01:00.006-06:002012-01-13T09:02:35.307-06:00I'VE GOT SOME SPLAININ TO DO!I don't know when it happened. It certainly did not happen all it once. It was not even a conscious decision. Over the years I have just gradually transitioned into living a simpler life. I have always had a thread of yearning for days gone by, for things to be slower and simpler, but it certainly was not evidenced in my lifestyle. However as of late, the transition Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-39921555301821918372012-01-11T21:54:00.004-06:002012-02-07T15:15:48.978-06:00IMITATE ME?I was struck by a verse I read in my devotions. It was from Paul who said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." It caused me to consider, do I live a life, privately and publicly, such that I'd be comfortable encouraging others to follow me because I'm faithfully following the example of Christ? As a pastor, (or perhaps for you as a parent, as a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-75505804077002164082012-01-11T10:39:00.009-06:002012-01-11T22:33:42.736-06:00LEARN-LIVE-LISTEN-LOVEI am not a great pastor, though I'm trying to be, God helping me. I recently spent the afternoon in visitation with a widow of a great pastor, and I found myself longing for what seems at times, to be the wisdom and ways of days gone by. I left our time together, keenly aware of just how important certain areas of ministry really are, and trying to discern what it is that makes for great pastors.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-37017241857261354292011-11-07T22:39:00.007-06:002012-01-11T22:31:46.492-06:00O' Christmas Tree, Do We Really Need Thee?I have been thinking a lot this week, about Christmas Trees.
Perhaps it's because each time I log in to Facebook, my news feed informs me that another spirited individual has successfully planted a coniferous tree in their living room and adorned it with bright lights and sparkly tinsel. Perhaps it is the shock and look of askance I get, when people learn that I have never, in all my 18 years of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-82002127773423995322011-10-24T15:00:00.002-05:002012-01-11T22:34:44.874-06:00Not a Fan...I have never been much of a fan of "Church" curriculum, perhaps in part because when I first started in ministry I did not know there was such a thing, so I created my own (which others may not have been a fan of...lol), also because some of what I have seen has been trite or a reworked production of many that have gone before..
However at the recommendation of a pastor from our email Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-86931373945923729572011-10-10T11:41:00.006-05:002012-01-11T22:35:16.382-06:00IF YOU WANNA GO FAST YOU GOTTA SLOW DOWNWell it has been one month since I began my 36-4-36 challenge. What a month it has been, I didn't expected much to transpire this first month, but the past 30 days have been full of surprises, blessings and lessons learned. What follows are some progress highlights.
#1) Lose AT LEAST 36lbs: So far success! I have lost some weight - 13lbs since June 15th, not sure how much of that is since Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-61208943663449944012011-09-18T23:26:00.010-05:002012-01-11T22:35:54.171-06:00Kindness is Never WastedQ: What do Kickboxing, Spilled Sour Cream, Police Crashing Parties, Dan Akroyd and The Virgin Mary have in common? A: My Day
And what a day it was! It began with a sinking feeling of dread. Which was brought on by the thought of having to get out of bed on a Saturday morning to get myself to the gym for an aerobic kickboxing class (the 2nd of two classes Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-25362759401587655762011-09-14T19:31:00.025-05:002012-01-11T22:36:11.259-06:00Day 6 - Challenge #6 & a Free Pass 4 the FinaleIt's day #6 in my 36-4-36 adventure so I decided to focus on challenge #6. It's a great day! Today I took all of the indigo cards that were generously gifted to me on my birthday and purchased some of the books I would be reading in order to fulfill this commitment.
I bought 5 books that qualify for the non-academic/theology category: The one that I am most excited for I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-52601604065821457482011-09-12T15:38:00.010-05:002011-09-12T18:51:52.386-05:00Insignificant but ImportantWhat a great weekend. It is funny how a simple resolution towards change and betterment can make all the difference. I am not able to discern exactly what it was, but with the posting of my 36-4-36 list, there seemed to lift from me a heaviness of heart, a heaviness I did not recognize was even there.
Today I feel lighter. Perhaps it was the amazing weekend I just enjoyed. Initiated by a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-3638627934349519682011-09-09T07:41:00.009-05:002011-09-12T16:42:01.189-05:0036-4-36Yay! Another year older, another year filled with God's grace and blessings! Though as I reflect on this past year, I find myself unimpressed with how I lived it. Not bad, just not great. I wasted away the precious days God had given me. Sure I can come up with excuses and justifications, but none that will give me those days back.So today on my 36th birthday I am committed to living a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-35264081593398324492011-03-19T08:44:00.013-05:002012-01-11T22:36:43.271-06:00Lost Loved Ones?This past Christmas, our family did something a little bit different. It was decided that we would buy one gift and then do a white elephant gift exchange. This is where someone picks a gift and then the next person can either pick a gift that has not been opened or steal someone's gift. I was not a fan of this idea, but since most others were, I went along with it.
I realized that this wouldUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-66635212439551604042010-04-28T22:56:00.002-05:002010-05-04T21:45:38.628-05:00Don't Mistake My Meekness For WeaknessA couple girlfriends and I get together Wednesday nights to share our victories and defeats from the week, to encourage and enable each other, to pray and to study God's word. We have been doing Erwin McManus' video podcast series on the Beatitudes. This week's was on being meek. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." ~Matthew 5:5
I looked up the definition of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-21269751912255114722010-04-27T20:28:00.003-05:002010-04-27T21:54:26.888-05:00Pride & Pedastals.It's been a few days since I've written a post - that was intentional. I felt that with all that I had going on last week, and not feeling so well, that I would take a break from blogging. It was great, it cleared my mind and allowed me to focus on the moment and there were a lot of great moments! I received my Indian VISA, I spent time with some great people, and I just spent Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-19110157415121261902010-04-20T23:05:00.006-05:002010-05-04T23:08:43.933-05:00A Conversation with the Devil"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " "YouUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-22851148414093532102010-04-19T22:58:00.003-05:002010-04-19T23:13:54.905-05:00You Want the Truth?If you had a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth, would you want your friend to tell you? If you had a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe would you like someone to point it out to you?
Me too! So I wonder why we often don't appreciate it when someone in love points out to us other areas of our life that leave us looking like fools. Jack Nicholson has aUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-36335388018883660822010-04-18T22:20:00.002-05:002010-04-18T22:27:29.934-05:00Church is best defined in actionI am passionate about seeing people grow in their faith, to the point where that faith pours out into every area of their life, creating epic ripples that echo into eternity. Much of what has formed my passion is personal experience, God's word and the teachings of John Wesley among others.
I particularly hold to Wesley's biblical interpretations and theology with regards to works of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-90078393871663228372010-04-17T21:47:00.002-05:002010-04-20T07:20:24.640-05:00Better to Have Loved"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" ~Matthew 5:4.
Why? Why would those who mourn be blessed? Because mourning is a result of having loved.
If we've never mourned, it means either we have never lost something we loved, or we have never loved something we lost. The old cliche "it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all" rings true!
We Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-10475904312229674432010-04-16T22:08:00.004-05:002010-04-18T21:11:53.127-05:00Reflecting on JonahOne of the iSERVE * iPRAY challenges that participants have the opportunity to choose is "think of someone you have a hard time liking, let alone loving, and then love them in a real tangible way." If we are honest, I think we each have people in our lives we do not like, people who may upset, annoy, frustrate or disappoint us. There may even be people in our lives we feel don't deserve Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530064881050892973.post-69568725795199552982010-04-14T21:21:00.006-05:002010-04-14T21:38:01.197-05:00If They Can Do It...My friend posted the video below on her Facebook wall today. Cute story.
All of us, Lost & Found - Saint & Sinner are created in His image. It is right there in black and white on the very first page of the bible "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them" ~Genesis 1:27. Each and every person is valuable to God. God loves Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0