A Different Kind of Blessing

Well, I've got my ideas together for this weeks sermon. I'm going to be talking about "A Different Kind of Blessing." With this message, I'll be exploring the life, ministry, and death of John the Baptist. I'll be talking about how the modern church seems to be spending a lot of time talking about being blessed and how to become more blessed. There are a lot of messages out there that if we "just have more faith" we'll magically be blessed. Well, I'm going to talk about the other side of being blessed. John the Baptist was blessed, though his earthly life may not have appeared that way. Join us at church on Sunday morning and you can get the whole thing.

From the Onion Desk Calendar

So, this morning when I got into the office, I read my Onion calendar for Friday and Saturday in order to catch up to today. Well, I thought Saturday's was pretty good. I just want to know when they'll start doing this to pastors that who have bored adults! Here it is:

Lutheran Minister Arrested On Charges of Boring Young Children

Peru, IL- St. Luke's Lutheran Church was rocked by scandal Tuesday, when Rev. Bob Tillich, the church's pastor of 12 years, was arrested on suspicion of boring as many as 23 children within the congregation. "reverend Bob always seemed like the sweetest man, " parishioner Vera Crandall said following the arrest. "When my son said he made him watch three 1975 film strips about the suffering of Job, I was shocked." In the wake of the arrest, seven former Sunday-school students, dating as far back as 1989, have stepped forward with charges that Tillich subjected them it inappropriately tedious parables.

(for those that don't know...or didn't pick up on it...The Onion is a satire publication)

Are You Kidding Me?

Last night, I watched the finale of American Idol. All season long, we’ve watched solid vocalist and performers get voted off…while folks like Federov and Carrie Underwood stayed alive.

Imagine my surprise when Carrie Underwood actually won the competition. And, Simon & Randy both picked her to win??? I think it’s rigged. They know Bo Bice will get a record deal and sell records without winning. Carrie Underwood, on the other hand, would never get a record contract outside of American Idol. She’s not got a good singing voice…she forces everything and ends up sounding like garbage. And, she’s got the stage presence of a piece of wood. She’s boring to watch and painful to listen to.

Poor Bo Bice. By far, he was the best performer. There were better singers. But, he’s the best performer. Of course, it was like the last couple of Presidential elections…voting between the lesser of two evils. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when America got this wrong. We just can’t figure this voting thing out. Some day we will figure it all out.

Which Religion Should You Practice

I came across this test this afternoon. By answering some questions, it will put out some percentages of what religion you line up with the most. Here are my results:

Christianity- 96%
Buddhism- 63%
Paganism- 50%
Judaism- 33%
Islam- 29%
Hinduism- 25%
Atheism- 21%
Satanism- 13%
Agnosticism- 8%

Well, I'm glad to see that I'm mostly Christian! 96% seems pretty good! I'd be interested to find out where some of the rest of you line up! Feel free to share your results.

Religion Quiz

Interesting Thought

"Love God and do whatever you like." - St. Augustine

In doing my reading today, I came across this phrase from St. Augustine. Isn't it interesting? "Love God and do whatever you like." Sounds like a license to do just about anything we can imagine. It almost sounds like Augustine is giving us permission to sin.

However, we know that Augustine wasn't telling the believers that they could do evil in the world. In fact, the opposite is true. What Augustine was communicating here is that if we REALLY love God, we will want to do the "right" things.

What are the right things? Well, the right things are those actions (physical, mental, spiritual) that are pleasing to the Father. Augustine calls us out. If we really love God, we will naturally do the things that He would find pleasing. If we really love God, then every thought and action would be focused on Him. If we really love God, we won't be able to do anything that would go against His ways. We would live lives of worship!

Now, the truth is that none of us have this down yet. But, each day we are called to give it the old college try. We are called to become more and more like Christ. The nearer we draw to Him, the more we will resemble who we truly are intended to be in Him.

So, "love God and do what you like!"

Coffee Is Good For The Soul!

Something to Think About

In doing my daily studies, I came across these verses that made me stop and think...how am I encouraging others in my life on a daily basis?

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Civilized Christianity

In reading Erwin McManus' book, The Barbarian Way, I've been encouraged that I'm not crazy. Throughout the book, Erwin talks about how Christianity has become a civilized religion and how that seems like the polar opposite of the call to follow Jesus. He portrays the call to follow Christ as the call to live as a barbarian. It's an excellent read and confirmed to me that I'm not the only one out there that thinks the current state of the church is a bit off from how Christ would have it. Here's a passage that really spoke out to me:

"Somewhere along the way the movement of Jesus Christ became civilized as Christianity. We created a religion using the name of Jesus Christ and convinced ourselves that God's optimal desire for our lives was to insulate us in a spiritual bubble where we risk nothing, sacrifice nothing, lose nothing, worry about nothing. Yet Jesus' death wasn't to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of death. Jesus came to liberate us so that we could die up front and then live. Jesus Christ wants to take us to places where only dead men and women can go. I wonder how many of us have lost our barbarian way and have become embittered with God, confused in our faith because God doesn't come through the way we think He should. Is it possible that the transforming power of the church has been lost because we keep inviting people to step into the comfort , safety, and security of Jesus Christ? We've created a religious culture in which - even though we're the most blessed society in the history of the planet - our best-selling literature still focuses on how we can be more blessed. Maybe we need to step way back to the beginning of this movement. The original call of Jesus was so simple, so clean, so clear: 'Follow Me.' He wants us to surrender our lives to Him and follow Him into the unknown. And if it means a life of suffering, hardship, and disappointment, it will be worth it because following Jesus Christ is more powerful and more fulfilling than living with everything in the world minus Him. Have we forgotten this? Have we become so refined and so civilized that the benefits of our faith have become more precious and more valuable to us than the Benefactor of our faith?"

Thinking About Sermon Topics

This morning, I'm doing a bit of brainstorming. I'm preaching on June 5th, which I realize is a couple of weeks away. But, I'd like to get a head start so I can do my best to pull together some visuals, illustrations, etc. Next week will be a short work week with Memorial Day. So, I'm trying to get headed in the right direction this week.

I was thinking about doing something along the lines of "What Happens When We Get a Flat" or "A Bump in the Road." The idea behind it will be to talk about being on the right road to the right destination, but we hit a bump that requires us to stop and recoup. Instead of focusing on 5-steps to a happy life, I'm thinking it'd be good to talk honestly about how disasters do happen to faithful people that are doing the "right things." In doing this, I'd address how God uses those times that we're forced to pull over to build us up and focus us for the rest of the journey.

I have also thought about speaking about Eutychus. I know, some of you are saying to yourselves, "Euty-who?" There are about 6 verses in the Bible that tell the story of Eutychus. It's not a long story, but it's one of my favorites.

I've also thought about talking about Bar-Jesus. He was sort of a road block. I'd talk about identifying our road blocks and identifying how we are road blocks. I have some pretty fun visuals that go along with Bar-Jesus' story.

And, then, I've thought about talking about worship...how it's more than what we do on Sunday morning...how it's more than the 15 minutes of singing we do together as a congregation...how it's the entirety of our lives...it's how we live out every minute of every day.

Well, if you want to find out what I'm going to talk about you'll have to show up to church on June 5th.

One of Those Days

Well, you're never going to believe this...

This morning, Em and I decided not to go to the Y. We agreed to have a simple, quiet, relaxing morning. I said I'd make breakfast while she was getting ready. It was going to be a great start to a great day! Until...

Emily comes into the bedroom and says, "We've got a problem." I'm thinking, "Great, now what?" She says, "We've got a dog in the pool!" To which, I reply, "No way. You're kidding!"

Well, she wasn't kidding. And for the second time, we had a dog stuck in our pool. Well, this one we were able to get out on our own.

So, here in a minute I'm off to Lowe's to get something to fix the hole where the dogs are entering our back yard.

Well, after all of this, I decided to start taking the insulation board out of our pool house. The grand plan is to turn it into a Tiki Bar & Lounge for the summer pool parties. Well, as I got to the back half of the little shelter, I uncovered a ton of rotted wood. It's awful. Now I know why the previous owner put the insulation board up...to cover up the rotting wood.

Maybe the thing will get struck by lightening and we'll get a new one from the insurance money! We can only hope!

After all of this, I'm definitely heading down to the Heorot for a pizza and a pint of Guinness!

Looking at a Purple Suit

Currently, I'm sitting at the Blue Bottle in downtown Muncie. I'm enjoying a cup of mediocre coffee. I will say, it's better than what we got from the gas station this morning. But, there are definitely better places to get a cup of java in Muncie. I really enjoy Sumatra coffee, but this version is pretty bland...it makes me wonder if it's been sitting out for a while.

Anyway, as I'm sitting here looking out towards Walnut, I spy a pretty freakin' cool light purple suit with a matching hat. This is the kind of suit that T.D. Jakes or Deion Sanders would wear...not something a short white guy from Muncie could wear. However, if I were to ever wear a suit, this would be the one! Well, maybe. I'm not sure that it would really look right on me. But, the thought of cruising down the street in a sweet suit and hat like that is quite intriguing.

Well, in all honesty, I do my best to never wear suits. I no longer own a suit. I used to own some, but I gave them away to people that would actually use them. I don't like suits. I'm not comfortable in suits. So, I don't wear them...which probably disappoints some who think a person in my position should be in a suit at least once a week. Sorry, I'm just not that guy.

Anyway, if your in downtown Muncie anytime soon, check out the purple suit in the store right next to Vera Mae's...my favorite Muncie restaurant.

Brownies & Coffee...The Breakfast of Champions

This morning led me down the road of temptation. After working out at the Y, Emily and I stopped off and got some big ol' cups of coffee. I then dropped her off at Sutton and returned to the house to do some reading before I went to visit the chiropractor.

My plan was to go home, toast a bagel, and have my breakfast while watching the news. This is where the temptation comes into play...

Last night, I made some homemade brownies...not the kind that come in a box, but the kind where you put it all together yourself...from scratch. I used Ghiradelli cocoa, so they are extremely rich. Honestly, these brownies are incredible! Emily and I probably could have eaten the whole pan. But, we practiced some self-control!

Well, as I began to make the preparations to have a bagel, the brownies caught my eye. That was pretty much the end of the bagel and the beginning of a brownie. Now, I did limit myself to one brownie.

Giving into the tempting powers of the brownie was everything I thought it could be and so much more! Of course, now I'm thinking to myself, "Self, I should not have done that! Why do I go to the Y? It's not so I can eat brownies. It's so I can be healthy."

But, then I started justifying my actions by saying things like, "Well, I would have put a bunch of butter and jelly on the bagel. So, it would have been just as bad for me as the brownie."

Isn't it nice how I can justify eating a brownie first thing in the morning?

Well, that's all! Stop by the house and help us finish off the brownies before we do!

Easy Christianity? The Cost of Following Christ

If you’re like me, you see the words “easy Christianity” and you laugh! On a recent trip to one of our local Christian bookstores, I noticed several of the best-selling books were things that reduced huge concepts of Christian living into 5, 7, or 12 easy steps. These books give the idea that if we just do these steps we’ll be on the right track. It sounds like easy Christianity to me! All I have to do is follow what this author tells me to and I’ll be okay. Ha! When did we ever get the idea that a life of following Christ was supposed to be easy? When did we ever get the idea that following Christ could be condensed down into a handful of steps?

My guess is that it started with those of us in the church. One of the things that the church has been guilty of (me included) is reducing the daily sacrifice of following Jesus into a set of tasks to be checked off a master list. We’ve comprised a wonderful list of do’s and don’ts. We want to know that if we do certain things (attend church regularly, pray, read the Bible from time to time, etc) that we’ll get into heaven. This just seems so backwards! Shouldn’t following Christ be about more than just getting into heaven? And, it seems like it requires so little sacrifice from us. It seems like there should be more to this life of following Christ.

Jesus calls us to a life of faithful obedience. It is true that when we are obedient He will bless us in return. And, it’s true that we are saved by our faith and not our deeds. However, it should be noted that our faith should produce good works. Following Christ and being obedient to the call He has placed on our lives does not mean that we will be without pain or suffering. We don’t like to talk about that much, but it’s a reality that all followers will encounter. I wish I could say that if we would just have more faith that God would bless us and we would be free from struggle, pain, loss, or suffering. But, the truth is, that may not be the path God has chosen for us to take. The Scriptures never guarantee that being a follower would be easy. In fact, it seems the opposite is true.

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

"When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? 'A servant is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you.” (John 15:18-20)
Following Christ requires more than following 5,7, or 12 steps. It requires sacrifice. Are you willing to put yourself aside, pick up your cross, and follow? Are you willing to face the hatred and persecution of the world? This is part of the cost of following Christ! Sounds easy enough, right?

This Seems Odd...Where's the Truth? Only the Bishop & Those Involved Know

Church trial of Jeffersonville pastor cancelled

May 18, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana United Methodist Bishop Michael J. Coyner announced this morning that the church trial of a Jeffersonville, Ind. pastor, the Rev. Larry Martin has been cancelled. The unique church trial charging Martin with sexual harassment was set to begin Thursday morning, May 19 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in New Albany, Ind.

In his announcement to trial participants, Coyner said, “By mutual agreement of the parties involved, the charge of sexual harassment against the Rev. Larry Martin has been withdrawn by The South Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church. No church trial will be held. There are no charges or complaints against Rev. Martin.”

Coyner also said, “Part of our agreement is, as usual in these cases, not to disclose the terms of the mutual agreement.”

The trial was part of a lengthy judicial process which began months ago when complaints were first considered by the Rev. Michael Biggs, New Albany District Superintendent of the church. Without resolution, the complaints were heard next by then-Bishop Woodie W. White.

Without resolution, the complaints went to the United Methodist South Indiana Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. One of those complaints was considered a chargeable offense for United Methodist Ordained Ministers under the church’s law book know as The Book of Discipline.

Martin was charged on March 6 and suspended from all pastoral duties. Coyner then called upon retired Bishop Joseph E. Pennel Jr. of Franklin, Tenn. to be the Presiding Officer (judge) of the case against Martin and May 19 was set as the trial date. Ministers facing church trial are presumed innocent. If convicted, the most severe judgment a minister can received is loss of his or her credentials or being defrocked and no longer a minister of the church.

At any point in the process resolution can be made. All parties in this judicial process continued to talk as the trial approached. On Tuesday, May 17 a mutual agreement was finally reached averting the trial which was scheduled for tomorrow, May 19.

Out of the Heart

"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34).

That's a powerful statement from the Gospel of Matthew. As I read it, I ask myself, "What is my heart speaking?"

It's been said of Charles Spurgeon that if someone had cut him open he would bleed the word of God. Isn't that interesting? But, isn't it something that you'd like to have someone say about you? How incredible it would be to be so in love with the word of God that it becomes our heart.

My Great Aunt Lee has that going for her. Even though her mind is not as sharp today as it was in the past, the Scripture is still flowing from her heart. Just about any time someone starts to read or quote a Scripture, she can finish the verse. The Scripture was so important to her that she read it, memorized, and let it come into her heart in such a way that even when she can't remember what town she's in, she can recall the glorious word of God. It's pretty cool and very inspiring.

So, what comes out of your mouth? Is it good or bad? Is it the word of God or something else?

Have Nothing To Do With Them

This morning, I was reading the book of Titus. For those of you not familiar with the Bible, that's where the book of Titus is found. Titus is a short book (three chapters), but it's got a lot of really good stuff in it.

Well, today, as I was reading, I was challenged to re-think how I view church discipline. For years, I've talked about how I think church discipline is something we need to recapture. We've gotten away from taking a stand and calling each other out. The other day, a friend and I were talking about how the modern church has done a really good job at building fellowship and community among the believers. But, we've done a pretty lousy job with discipline. We've done a pretty lousy job with accountability. It seems like people don't get called out on their actions unless they've done something horribly wrong that is going to be noticed in public. For example, in the United Methodist Church in Indiana, a pastor is currently on trial for sexual harassment. Now, I definitely think he should be in his current situation. But, what about the pastors that are gluttons, adulterers, and so on? What do we do we these men and women? I know a UM pastor that had recently gone through a divorce. Rather than having the pastor take a sabbatical to get counseling and in the right place spiritually, the pastor was appointed to a larger church in another town. He was given a fresh start. Now, does that seem right? I don't know all of the details...but, it just seems a bit odd. And what about all these pastors we see that are obvious gluttons? The Book of Discipline spells out that ordained ministers in the UMC should be committed to living a healthy lifestyle...keeping themselves in shape. Hmmm...Well, it's obviously hard to listen to a pastor give a sermon on self-control when they are stuffing Twinkies down their throat every three minutes. Anyway, that's not really what I wanted to rant about.

I really wanted to address church discipline on the local church level...within the congregation. I think Emily has helped me start to think about how we approach people. She gets strong convictions about the need to call people out. Usually, I encourage to just stay quiet because of my position in the church and not wanting to cause problems. Sometimes I tell her to share her feelings with the senior pastor or staff parish chairperson so they can address the issue. But, I think I should just encourage her to confront people...in love, of course. Why this sudden shift? Well, as I was reading Titus 3 today, I came across some verses that reminded me of why we need to hold one another accountable and why we need to sometimes excuse people from the fellowship.

"Warn divisive people once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned." Titus 3:10-11

Divisive people can be like a cancer to the body of believers. Divisive people drive a wedge in the midst of the ministry that can cause people to stumble or even fall away from the faith. These verses give us a great guideline...Give the person two chances and then they are out. There are other New Testament passages that talk about confronting person once individually. Then, if nothing happens, take two or three people. It still nothing changes, the issue should be brought before the church. And, if that doesn't lead to change, the person is expelled from the community. This seems like it would help deal with the issues a lot better than confronting people over and over and over with no consequences. The truth is, sometimes people need to be asked to leave and find another community of faith that might be a better fit for them. It can be beneficial for the church and the individual.

I know this seems harsh. But, if a church is to be faithful and to continue moving forward, it needs to deal with the issues. I believe divisive people can stunt the growth of the church. In fact, I believe that it is nearly impossible for a church to grow, spiritually and numerically, as long as divisive people are allowed to continue on without any kind of repercussions for their divisiveness.

Okay, I know I'm just really ranting here. But, I think that's a good time. Sometimes we read a passage of Scripture that brings to light some situations and gives us a fresh view. And, sometimes with that fresh view we find freedom...Freedom to actually carry out the Scripture and live the life that has been set before us.

A Bit of Rambling

I've been doing a lot of reading today. Mainly, the reading has centered around two things...worship and faith.

As I've been reading about worship, I've really been struggling with the way we use the term. In many Christian circles worship has become what we do on Sunday mornings (or Saturday or Wednesday or whatever day of the week your church gathers). And, in all actuality, many Christian circles have reduced worship to that portion of the service where we sing songs together (this is especially true in churches that have contemporary worship services). This whole idea just bothers me. Worship is supposed to be a way of life. Worship is supposed to be an every minute of every day thing. Worship is something we do with every breath. Well, I shouldn't get started on church terminology...I could go on for hours about words like "church, worship, lost, saved, salvation" and the like. I'll just wrap up my comments on worship with this...maybe we should stop calling our Sunday gatherings as worship services. Maybe we should refer to these as gatherings of the Body. The way we talk about what we do in our church services has largely communicated the idea that worship is something we go to and not something that we are.

Then there's faith. Throughout my readings, I've wrestled with the concepts of faith that we seem to have. I wrote about this a while back when I ranted on about the prosperity gospel. Many are reducing our faith to a results-based concept. If we have faith we will get ______ (fill in the blank). If we have faith we will prosper, we will be successful, we will get what we want out of life. Hmm...Now, it is true that faith is a means to an end. If we have faith, if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we repent, we will be with Him in heaven. But, faith does not necessarily mean our lives will produce the kind of fruit that many television preachers are telling us it should (financial success, morally sound children, etc). So, what about all the people in the Bible who had great faith and ended up dying for their faith. Today, I read about John the Baptist. He believed Jesus was the One. He had faith that Jesus was the Messiah. Though he questioned if Jesus was the One while he was in prison, we know more of his great faith than of his moment of doubt. So, Jesus basically said, "John, you already know that I'm the One...You knew that in your mother's womb." And, John's faith was confirmed. Yet, he wasn't rescued from prison. He wasn't rescued from having his head chopped off. So, his faith led to death! But, we don't talk about that much. We in the church like to focus more on the positive side of faith. We like to focus on the aspect that if we have faith and choose to follow Christ, good things will happen. While this might be true, it is also true that our faith may lead to our death. Our faith may lead to adversity. Our faith may lead to us leaving the desires of this world and choosing a simpler way of life. But, if we have faith, but we don't "prosper" in the way modern Christian culture defines the concept, does that mean that we really don't have faith? I don't think so.

Well, that's enough for today. Okay, one last thing. I think it's interesting how today's readings led me from worship to faith. Worship is a direct result of our faith. The two tie in together very well. Okay...that's it.

I just started reading this book by Erwin McManus. I posted it here to encourage the people that stop by this site to read something by Erwin McManus. I think he is a fresh voice for today's church. He has some great insight and can really connect with his readers. After reading his books, I always come away refreshed, renewed, and encouraged. So, take some time and head over to your local bookstore and skim through some McManus books and buy one that best fits you...it will be worth it.  

Repent or Resign

At the end of this post, I will post a link to an article about a church who took their politics too far.

So, what's this all about? Well, it seems that an over-zealous, right-wing pastor allowed his political convictions and opinions divide a church. This pastor crossed some lines by telling church members how to vote and that they needed to "repent or resign" if they voted for John Kerry. Why? Well, because their church stands against abortion and if you voted for Kerry you were voting for abortion. So, it's an issue of church discipline. However, I wonder if that's true??? And, is abortion the only issue that should be of concern to Christians? What about peace? What about holding our leaders to telling the truth? What about welfare, Social Security, feeding the hungry, etc? Well, the church said that people that were asked to leave the church were not asked to leave because of their politics. Instead, according to an interview on CNN, they were asked to leave because they "cussed and shot birds in the church." So much for the church being a "hospital for sinners" (I never liked that description anyway).

The pastor was urging people to take their religious convictions with them when they voted. That makes perfect sense. And, he apparently made it quite clear which way God would want Christians to vote. Anyone that wants to learn about God's politics should read Jim Wallis' book, "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It." He clearly shows how both sides of the political spectrum have it all wrong. And, here's something I struggle with...Why does a free, democratic nation only have two strong political parties? Anyway...

It's very clear the the American Evangelical church has been pushing conservative politics and morality in the modern day. Many churches make it clear that to be a Christian is to be a conservative Republican. Interesting...I sat in a room the day of the last Presidential election and had a fellow ministry leader in Muncie say, "Well, I'm not sure how the rest of the world voted today. But, at least I can be sure that everyone in this room voted for the right person." Wow! I didn't realize everyone else voted for Ralph Nader! Hahaha!

I guess, for me, I don't really want to be in a church that tells you God's way of voting for political candidates. I want a church that tells me the truth of the Gospel and lets me figure it out for myself. I want a church that gives clear, Biblical statements regarding morality and living as a Christian in the world. I don't want a church that tells you you're out if you aren't just like them.

Anyway, I'll let you read the article.

Pastor Resigns

Christ Not Speaking to the Press

This article is hilarious...Some people...My goodness.

Jesus Christ in Legal Battle to Get License

The Lost Son

Luke 15:11-32 tells the story of the lost son. If you're a Christian or if you've been to church on a Sunday morning other than Christmas or Easter, there's a good chance you're familiar with this parable. It's the story of a son who truly had every thing, but rejected it to pursue his own selfish ambitions in the world. Of course, his world comes crumbling down. So, he decides to go back to his father...He's planned out their first conversation: He will apologize and ask for a position as one of the helpers, basically giving up his position as a son. Well, the father welcomes the boy with open arms. In fact, he greets the boy before he even gets home. When he saw him coming he immediately began running towards him. Then, he threw a big party for his lost son that now is found.

For years, I treasured this as my favorite passage in the Bible (these days, the wedding at Cana tends to be my favorite...Jesus starts his ministry there with the water into wine thing...Pretty cool stuff). It seems so true to life. Many of us have been in the shoes of the lost son. We've been close to the Father and then lost contact...We've gone off on our own. And, then when we return to the Father, He greets us with love, grace, mercy, forgiveness...And He throws us a huge party. It's a beautiful story. And, if we are to be totally honest, it's one we probably play out on a daily basis.

Gary Moon, in his book "Falling for God", says this about the famous passage of Scripture from Luke 15:

"Because I know this story is timeless, I can confess to God and to you that my soul is darkly stained by the choice of Adam and Eve. I've made the same wrong choice, and continue to make it, hundreds of times each day. Even though I've read the script written by the prodigal son, I continue to play his role myself. And as if this weren't bad enough, I've accepted the forgiveness of my heavenly Father, felt his embrace, only to get up the next morning, pack my bags, and leave again and again and again. Maybe seventy times seven. Maybe more. Over and over I choose control, perfectionism, drive for success, and myself over trust, acceptance, enjoyment of the present moment, and God."

Let us thank God that even though we may play the role of the prodigal son day after day He always welcomes us home with open arms. Every time we sin, it's like we've packed our bags and gone out on our own. I pray that today we will all be able to focus on Him and stay at home with our Father.

Fan Into Flame

Sometimes I wonder if I'm using the gifts God has given me in appropriate ways. What I mean in saying "appropriate ways" is, I wonder if I'm using my gifts the way God wants me to...that I'm not slacking off. God gifts each believer and wants...no, expects each of us to use those gifts to help bring about His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. We aren't given gifts to use them here and there...We are given gifts to use them in any way possible, at all times. If we neglect our gifts, they can become stale. We are to put our gifts into practice. It's sort of like swimming or riding a bike...If you don't swim or ride for a while, you don't necessarily forget how to do it. But, you're not as fast, you don't have the endurance, and you wear out easily. I remember getting back into the swimming pool for my first workout in years. In my head, I knew what I should be doing for a good workout. I knew what I was capable of doing years ago. So, I set out thinking to myself, "Self, it can't really be that hard to get back into this." Well, after getting about a quarter of the way through my workout, I realized I needed to slowly work my way back into this. I had become rusty. And, that same thing happens when we put our gifts aside. It takes us a while to get back to where we once were. So, we are not to neglect these gifts, but to use them faithfully. I don't know...I was just thinking along these lines while drinking a cup of coffee this morning. Can you imagine the kind of impact we believers could have on the world if we all sought to use our gifts to bring about the Kingdom each and every moment of every day?

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

God wants us to go out and make a difference in the world, using our gifts by the power, love, and self-discipline of His spirit. How are you using your gifts today?

Hilarious!!! Hahahahahahahahaha!!! 

Cinco de Mayo

Isn't it great? Even the dogs are celebrating Cinco de Mayo this year!!! Mas cerveza por favor!

Your "Sneaky" Man Mitch

I'm going to try and be as polite as I can possibly be...But, I just have to say that "Your Man Mitch" and his fellow governmental leaders down at the state house (that would be all of our various representatives) are a bunch of turds!

I just read an article from the Indy Star about the closing of 12 License Branches around the state. This will save about $1 million a year. Both past and present governors have state that the BMV needs to clean up its act and save money. Well, there were two things that bothered me about this...

One, in the article, it states that several residents and, more importantly, state representatives were livid and furious. Why does this upset me? Well, I don't really remember any articles talking about our representatives being outraged, livid, or furious when Daniels announced his massive cuts to our educational system. The number of people affected by the educational cuts (students- larger class sizes, less attention; parents- less funding, larger classes = dumb children; teachers- many will be without a job) will largely out weigh the effects of the closing of the license branch (fewer jobs lost, the government will still get their money from our plates). Well, the lawmakers are more furious about the timing of all of this...which leads to my second issue.

The BMV announced these cuts and put their plan into action while lawmakers are out of town. Honestly, it seems like a pretty good idea. Our lawmakers were in town for several weeks, accomplishing very little (the whole DST thing was a mess at worst, a joke at best). So, why should the BMV do anything that might sidetrack our highly effective state representatives (please note...sarcasm intended). Well, it turns out that "Your Man Mitch" encouraged (he "gave the green light") for the BMV chief to make this little sneaky move!

Ah, our state government...it's fantastic!

Indy Star Article on BMV Closings

The United Methodist Church...

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the United Methodist Church. God has placed a call on my life to serve the United Methodist Church (at least at this point in time). However, as I write this, I'm extremely agitated with the UMC. Why? Because I'm currently jumping through the preliminary hoops for ordination as a local pastor. It's ridiculous! It seems like for every form and every committee I have to write out the same thing over and over and over. I wish they could streamline the process and only have you fill out one form that everyone can use (all of the forms are pretty much the same). Then, there are the committee's themselves. They aren't exactly the most helpful. For example, there is one committee that I need approval from in order to attend a local pastor school in June. Well, it took 3 weeks and a couple of complaints to the District Superintendent to even get the head of the committee to respond to any of my phone calls, e-mails, or letters. And, now, I'm waiting to receive a form from the DS that was sent our early last week. I just don't understand what takes so long. Oh, and I have to answer all of these ministry questions for one particular committee. Boy, they don't even know what they're in for...So far, every answer has taken up at least 2 pages in 12pt Times font. The thing is, the committee will probably just thumb through every thing, not really read it, and then ask me to answer the same questions that I wrote out when I interview. Depending on my mood, I might just say, "Well, if you'll refer to page three, paragraph 4 of my answers to the ministry questions, you will see where I stand on that issue. Now, if you'd like to ask me any questions that are not included in the written questions I have already answered, I would welcome them." Boy, if that's my attitude, I probably won't get through this stuff. No, I will. It's just a bigger pain. It seems like the people that should be working with me to help me get through this are sort of slowing me down. Pastor Rusty and I are ready and waiting for our next step in this process. Oh yeah, Rusty is my mentor through the whole process. Pretty exciting! Anyway, I guess I'm just writing this because I'm tired of writing out my responses to the ministry questions.

It's May 1st!!!

Woo Hoo!!! It's the 1st of May! Aren't you excited? Why not? It's the first day of the month of May! Doesn't that just get you going? Well, maybe not.

There's really no point to this entry. I just figured, hey, it's May 1st, might as well write something. But, I really don't have anything to say. And, any thing I probably would say would most likely be some kind of arrogant critique of modern Christianity, pious televangelist, or Ball State Football (or the lack thereof).

So, instead, I'll just let you imagine that I wrote something extremely profound or funny that brightened your day!