WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND?

As each person opens their Facebook page they are greeted with the question, "What is on your mind." With that prompt, we share everything that's going on at the moment; anything from our eating in some restaurant to a selfie taken on the beach or in front of some point of interest in our travels.  Judging by the pictures posted, many of us have our children and grandchildren on our minds.  Obviously there is much more on our minds than the fun things we share on our Facebook page.  The human mind has the amazing capacity to have many things "on it" at the same time.  So what else is on your mind that you didn't or maybe couldn't share?  The possibilities are infinite.

My purpose here is to provide some food for thought out of the Word of God.  Let your mind think on these things.

Isaiah 26:3-4:
                         "You will keep in perfect peace
                          him whose MIND is steadfast
                          because he trusts in You.
                          Trust in the Lord forever,
                          for the Lord, the Lord,
                          is the Rock eternal."

Mark 12:30  
                        "Love the Lord your God
                         with all your heart
                         and with all your soul,
                         and with all your MIND,
                         and with all your strength."

Romans 8:5-9
                       "Those who live according to the sinful nature
                        have their MINDS set on what that nature desires;
                        but those who live in accordance with the Spirit
                        have their MINDS set on what the Spirit desires.
                        The MIND of sinful man is death,
                       but the MIND controlled by the Spirit is Life and Peace;
                       the sinful MIND is hostile to God.
                       It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
                       Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God,
                       you, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature
                       but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you."

Romans 12:1-2
                       "Therefore, I urge you, in view of God's mercy
                        to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and
                        pleasing to God -this is your spiritual act of worship.
                        Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
                        but be transformed by the renewing of your MIND.
                        Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -
                        His good, pleasing and perfect will."

I Corinthian 2:14-16
                       "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that
                       come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,
                       and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
                       The spiritual person makes judgments about all things...
                       But we have the MIND of Christ."

Let these words find a place in your mind.  The next time you are asked, "What's on your mind?", you can share Christ.



               
                       

JESUS CHRIST IS GLORIFIED

Jesus faced persistent and ever-increasing opposition throughout His life and ministry. On many occasions His life was in danger. Although fickle crowds hung on His words and marveled at His miracles, there was very little that hinted of good times ahead for Jesus.

Evil men relentlessly encircled Him to question Him, trying to trap Him in His answers, to challenge His authority and impugn His character and motives. Finally they closed in for the kill to rid themselves of the threat they perceived Him to be. From His wilderness temptation until He lay dead in the tomb, evil relentlessly pursued Jesus in an effort to bring Him down and assure that he had an ignoble end. Evil saw Jesus rejected, betrayed, denied, and condemned, and then shamefully and painfully crucified, dead and buried. Yet, as Jesus looked forward and saw these horrendous events approaching, rather then being horrified He announced, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23) “Glorified?” How could that be?

J.R.R. Tolkien, a friend of C.S. Lewis, and the one who led Lewis in his conversion from Atheism to faith in Jesus Christ, is best known to this generation as the author of The Lord of The Rings. He served as a soldier in WWI, and as Britain struggled against the Axis powers in WWII he wrote to his son:

“I sometimes feel appalled at the thought of the sum total of human
misery all over the world at the present moment: And the products
of it all will be mainly evil – historically considered. But the historic
vision is, of course, not the only one. All things have a value in them-
selves, apart from their ‘causes’ and ‘effects.’”

Then Tolkien added:
“No man can estimate what is really happening in the light of eternity. All we do know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, is that evil labors with vast power and perpetual success – in vain: preparing the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.”

Tolkien was right. Time has shown and eternity will prove that evil is hopelessly destined to advance the will of God in spite of its most doggedly persistent and most demonic efforts to oppose God. “The sprouting of unexpected good out of evil’s belabored soil” is a profound and eternal law of life, written into the universal order of things by the very finger of God.

We see this law at work in the life of Joseph. He was sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers who would later have to come to him seeking food for their starving family. Joseph removed their fear of his revenge by saying to them,

“Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you,
you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order
to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
(Genesis 50:19-20, NKJV)

The most potent example of this law at work is seen in the events of Jesus’ life, especially during that period we now observe as Holy Week, which ends with His crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter morning. As Jesus saw these events approaching He declared, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” And what glory it is.

Someone will suggest that if evil is destined to serve the will of God by preparing the soil for God’s will to sprout and grow in, why then resist evil? Why not participate fully in evil in order that the will of God be done? God forbid!

To paraphrase Paul in Romans 6:1-7,12
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on doing evil so that God’s will may be done? By no means! We died to evil; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of evil might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to evil — because anyone who has died has been freed from evil....Therefore do not let evil reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.”

Evil, by definition, is in opposition to and contrary to God’s will. Evil always labors for its own selfish ends and will not, indeed cannot, will one will with God. To willfully cooperate and collaborate with God in the accomplishment of His Divine will is by definition holiness and righteousness, the opposite of evil. Evil’s desired ends are always frustrated by the resulting good. Thus evil never rejoices in the good, nor enjoys the benefits of the bountiful yield God’s will provides.

So with evil closing in all around Him, Jesus knew that all authority had been given to Him by His Father and that He was firmly in control. Given the magnitude of evil’s schemes He saw coming together at that time, Jesus easily recognized that the hour had come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Social Justice is a term that is Biblical and has deep Judeo/Christian roots. Jesus taught us that serving the needs of others is serving Him. Unfortunately the term “social justice” is not exclusive to Biblical revelation. Therefore, to call into question the intent behind the use of the term is not to call into question Biblical revelation.

When the term "social justice" is hijacked by those who would create a government entitlement program resulting in a dependent class that looks to the government for their very livelihood, and mandates the same by law and taxation, the term ceases to possess the same character as that rooted in Biblical revelation. Therefore, the warning against such abuse of the term "social justice," be it by the church or by the state, is not thereby calling into question Biblical truth.

But also remember this, Jesus Christ, as well as the ancient prophets, often challenged the "religious community's" interpretation of Biblical words and concepts.

WAIT

Jesus commanded His disciples “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promised “Gift of My Father, which,” he said, “you have heard from Me…you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:4-5, 8)

The word of the Lord to the disciples was to first return to Jerusalem and wait. Waiting is difficult for some, but it would have been a monumental mistake for them to have rushed out into the streets of Jerusalem and beyond without first waiting as they had been commanded to do. Their waiting was not a waste of precious time but rather their first act of obedience to their Lord. Waiting in Jerusalem was an act of obedience no less important than anything they would later do in response to Jesus’ command. In fact, what they would later accomplish in Jesus’ name was totally dependant upon events that took place during this time of waiting.

The disciples were not idle as they waited; far from it. While they waited they were more alert and vigilant than watchmen in the night waiting for the sunrise, as the Psalmist says,
“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.” (Psalm 130:5-6)

They waited with alert expectation. They trusted the word of their Lord and waited for the fulfillment of His promise – the Gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:14 tells us that they met together and were constantly praying; hardly a waste of time for a group facing the assignment that was ahead of them. They also took care of an organizational matter and selected Matthias to fill the vacancy in The Twelve left by Judas Iscariot. Otherwise they waited. But on the day God had selected, the Day of Pentecost, their waiting ended. On that day the Holy Spirit came upon them with Power. Now, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they were able to do what would have been impossible for them to do alone – “to be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The history of all the events that happened after the Day of Pentecost we know as the Acts of The Apostles. (Actually the acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles) It was later said of them that they “have turned the world upside-down.” (Acts 17:6) But first they had to go to Jerusalem and wait.

(See blog for 3 June 2006 for the rest of the story)

HOLY GROUND

Jesus called Cindy and me one late-September day in 2007 and sent us out on a holy and precious venture that lasted for twenty-one months. What we experienced was for us like a “spiritual honeymoon” of sorts. It was sheer pleasure for us as we lived in the joy of the Lord and the love of the people of Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church. It was our privilege to serve as their pastoral family – the first nine months as the “interim,” and for the past 12 months, as the “appointed” pastor. It was a “family affair.”

One source of the pleasure Cindy and I had was that all of our children and grandchildren, except one daughter, worshiped with us and enjoyed the loving fellowship of the wonderful people of Mt Vernon UMC. My sister and her husband from Cincinnati spent one weekend with us. Cindy’s brother and his wife from Virginia, her cousin and her husband from South Carolina, as well as her mom and dad, who live at Westminster Village, came to worship with us. Also during our tenure at Mt. Vernon, the church family celebrated with us as two of our children were married, and again when two more grandchildren were born. What’s more, a large number of our former church family at Dauphin Way UMC in Mobile came out to worship with us from time to time. Based upon their own personal experiences, all concur when we speak of the love of the folk at Mt. Vernon.

Our Lord gave Cindy and me such a special gift of His love in that place. The memories of the people and our brief time among them will bless us for the rest of our lives. Just as He promised He would, the Lord showed up every Sunday; and just as He said He would, every week, He provided His Word that we all needed to hear. It was truly living in the Light as He is in the Light. But really; did the sun actually shine on Mt. Vernon every Sunday we were there? It sure seemed like it.

For sure there were a few Sundays (very few) when it was raining as we set out for Mt. Vernon, and it may have rained again in the afternoon, but when church time came, the sunlight broke through the clouds and literally lit up that little church. Each Sunday, as we rounded the curve on Military Road and the church came into sight, that beautiful little white church was gleaming in the sunlight. On the weekends we stayed in the parsonage, as we opened the living room blinds or the front door first thing in the morning, we were greeted by the lovely sight of the church glowing in the early morning light. And as the sun came up, the church took on a beautiful radiance that seemed to glow brighter and brighter as the sun climbed higher. And again in the evening, as the sunset bathed the church and cemetery in its golden rays, casting its long shadows at the end of the day, it created yet another scene of serenity and peace. Although we tried, a thousand photographs could never capture the beauty our hearts saw. A watercolor by a friend, Ernest Kirkland, came closest.

As beautiful as that little white church is, that is not what makes it special. Man can build beautiful white churches. The countryside is dotted with pretty little white churches. What makes this place beautiful is the glory of the Lord and the beauty of His holiness in the place. The vibrant presence of the Holy Spirit continues to visit Sunday after Sunday. That is what sets the place ablaze. Where God shows up that place becomes Holy Ground. God has indeed shown up and has told this lovely and loving church family that He holds them in His heart and has a work for them to do. As they remain faithful and follow only Him, they will behold His glory as never before; for the best days of Mt. Vernon UMC are yet to be.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

Jesus assured His disciples that He would always be present with them as they went out into the world in His name. What an empowering comfort that was for them to know that He was not leaving them orphaned and alone. Across the centuries since, Jesus has continued to provide this same assurance in the hearts of those He calls to go in His name. He still speaks His assurance to those He calls into fields of service. From the time I heard my name called and subsequent events began nudging me toward a new commitment of service, (see the last two blog messages) I began seeking an assurance from the Lord.

Without a doubt, the events that led to my going to Mt. Vernon UMC were spiritually exciting in their own right; however, given the responsibilities of a very busy ministry I already had, as the Executive Director of the Conference’s Disaster Recovery Ministry (DRM), there were major concerns over taking on the additional duties of a pastor of a church.

Among all the things such a job would entail, I was most concerned about the precious little to no time at all, for adequate sermon preparation. If I was to preach every Sunday then I needed time to prepare. Of course I had the proverbial “preacher’s barrel” full of SAP (Sermons Already Preached); but they were sermons I had preached to my Air Force congregations years ago. There weren't many recent sermons from my ten-year tenure as the Associate at Dauphin Way UMC. Even the sermons I did have were from four to fourteen years old. So as I began feeling a tug in my heart toward taking this job, following my first visit to the church, the preaching issue loomed as one big “show-stopper” for me. I feel very strongly that preaching is the single most critical function of a pastor’s role in the church.

If going to Mt. Vernon to preach every Sunday was in God’s will for me, I wanted to understand how sermon preparation was going to work. The focus of my prayers over this matter was for clear guidance as to how God wanted me to proceed. When it seemed that the Lord clearly was guiding me toward accepting the task, I was insistent on understanding how I could do both jobs and be faithful to the task of preaching. My concern was not all selfless, there was personal pride involved too. I simply did not relish the idea of standing before a congregation each Sunday ill prepared. Turns out Christ shared my concern. He honored my request by giving me an absolute assurance that He has remained faithful to for almost a year now.

It happened one morning as I was praying and asking God how I could do what He was asking of me with such limited time to prepare. His answer was so clear I had no doubt that what I heard in my heart was from the Lord. His message was simple and to the point; “Go preach in my name, and I’ll give you what to say.”

Well, that was enough for me. I took Him at His word and agreed that same day to serve Mt. Vernon UMC. Of course I was thinking just until Annual Conference in June 2008. What I learned later was that the Lord had much more in mind. I did serve from October 2007 until Annual Conference in June 2008, at which time I was assigned as the pastor for the next year. At this writing I have had the joy of preaching at Mt Vernon UMC for almost a year now, and the best part of all is that the Lord has never failed to make good His promise. He has not only given me what to say, but has shown up to bless its delivery.

Every week the Holy Spirit has kept His promise. This partnership with the Lord in the preaching experience this past year has proven to be one of the most rewarding periods in my entire preaching ministry. With His help I not only have found time to prepare, but have thoroughly enjoyed the exercise. The true joy for me though, and the power in this preaching experience, has been the wonder and glory of His Presence with us as He continues to show up Sunday after Sunday. Praise God!

LIGHT UPON THE WAY

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) What an amazing fellowship we enjoy as we follow Jesus wherever He leads us. As we follow Him we “walk in the light as He is in the light;” and as His word promises, “we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, (God’s) Son cleanses us from all our sin.” (I John 1:7)

The Psalmist spoke of God’s word as light. But his words become all the more poignant when we see God’s Word become flesh in Jesus as that “lamp to our feet and light for our pathway.” (Psalm 119:105) How blessed we are when we realize that even though we may not be able to see or perceive the distant destination, we nevertheless follow in faith and have fellowship with our Lord as He leads us to places of service He chooses.

In the previous message I told about the day I heard my name called and a door that was opened before me, and how events quickly began to take shape that I could never have anticipated. Although I began to recognize God’s presence in the unfolding events of that day, I still felt surrounded by too many unknowns. Instinctively I yearned for more light; however, the illumination I sought was for the destination to light up and come into clear and focused view. That was never going to happen and I knew it, but I wanted it and asked for it anyway. Instead what the Lord provided was all that I needed; “a lamp to my feet and a light for my pathway” and a blessed and sweet fellowship every step of the way that is still with me to this very moment as I write about it.

The next morning, as promised, the District Superintendant of the Mobile District, Reverend Tonya Elmore, and I met and talked about the matter. I expressed my concerns and my need for “more light” on what I was looking at especially given what I was already committed to. At that point light fell on the first step and came into clear view. Tonya said, “You don’t have to say “yes” or “no” right now. How about if you just go out and preach at Mt. Vernon this coming Sunday. That way you can meet the people and they can meet you, and then you can let me know what you think on Monday.” I liked that approach and thus agreed to go and preach there the next Sunday.

It was a beautiful bright sunny October Sunday morning as my wife, Cindy, and I set out on a pleasant drive out into the countryside north of Mobile to join the people of the Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church for worship. It was a very special moment for me when I realized that for the first time in many years my wife and I were actually driving to church together. For too many years I would dash out the door alone early on Sunday mornings to go help conduct the early service and my wife would come along later. I experienced a new ray of light on my path that morning as we drove to church together.

When we arrived at Mt. Vernon we turned off the main highway and entered the community on a road named, get this, “Military Road.” As an old military guy, I already loved the name of the road we were on. It was just a little thing; or was it? But as we drove down Military Road to the church I saw a light on that particular part of my pathway that I didn’t expect to see. Too sentimental? Maybe. But in some odd way, I felt at home on that “Military Road.”

Anyone who has ever driven down a country road anywhere in Alabama has at one time or another encountered a similar beautiful sight such as my wife and I saw next. As we rounded the bend in the road what came into our view was a beautiful little white church, with the typical cemetery out back, sitting there on the corner literally glowing in the sunlight. Was I imagining things, or was that glow really falling on my pathway. I can only speak to what my heart was saying. It whispered, “Yes.” Then we spied the sign across the street that greeted us by name and welcomed us to their community and church. I couldn’t wait to park and go inside.

What was inside captivated my heart as we entered the holy space of this small sanctuary. Was it the beauty of its simplicity? Was it the rounded mahogany stained chancel rail enclosing the altar, cross and candelabra; or maybe it was the pulpit and paraments and choir loft with the lighted cross on the back wall; or was it the shape of the cross formed by the nave and transepts on each side? Was it just me, or did anyone else notice the luminescence of the room that was more than just the sunlight pouring through the large cathedral-shaped windows? It had to be the people of that small congregation that turned to greet us with broad smiles and open arms as we walked through the double doors and entered the church. It was love at first sight. The experience we had that first day we now sing about each Sunday morning at the beginning of our worship service; “There’s A Sweet, Sweet Spirit In This Place.”

With all the light that fell on my pathway that morning I was beginning to get the picture more clearly. I knew for certain that the Lord was definitely leading me and was providing all the light I needed. I even began to sense a direction to His leading. But I wanted to be absolutely sure. I felt I needed more light. My Lord honored my need and provided me with a burst of light that would cinch the deal. But that’s another story of its own. To this day, the joy of walking with Jesus my Lord in that light has not subsided. I look forward to sharing that story with you too.