Lean on the Spirit

Yesterday for our service on the square with First Presbyterian Church we had a jazz group lead our music. They did a wonderful job and I have heard many positive comments about the music.
So in the jazz tradition of improvisation I decided to draw a scripture out of a basket of suggested scriptures from the congregation that had gathered. I was given one song to then get my thoughts together and deliver a message.
My plan was to work up a core message to then build that message around the scripture that was drawn. However, I felt that was not true to the scripture. I would be placing the message I wanted onto the scripture, so I was not able to do that.
My second plan then was to come up with a list of stories I could share depending on the scripture that was chosen. I had a healing story, temptation or sin stories, and stories about trust or faith. Somehow I missed stories about love, which the scripture chosen was Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
I had no time to really write down any notes, so I just asked the Holy Spirit to speak and I believe the Spirit was present.
I share all of that to say it really is tough to fully rely on God. I normally put in hours of preparation for each message I deliver and I do believe the Holy Spirit is at work in those hours of preparation. So to not have that preparation was difficult for me. I get some nerves each Sunday before preaching, but yesterday was a very nervous morning for me.
This reminds me not to be too quick to tell someone just to have faith. Sometimes there is not much more I am able to do, but I tell someone just to hang in there and God will do something. Being unprepared to deliver a message is a little different than telling someone to have faith the rent will show up. The consequences are not the same. There are more nerves and uneasiness if your life and the lives of your family will be effected.
Is there a better way to respond in those times of not knowing what will come? How can we look to the future knowing God will always be with us?

Yo Estoy Seguro

Yesterday at our Christmas in June I introduced for the Mission Team a Christmas Mission Project. We will be supporting a ministry in Puerto Rico called Yo Estoy Seguro, which translates to I Am Sure. This ministry serves children between the ages of 5-12 who have faced disaster in their lives. Some face natural disasters and need food, water and shelter. Others face social disasters like domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and lack of education. "I am sure" is the goal phrase as these children are offered self-confidence and hope in the midst of their situation.
Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, but there is still plenty of people in need in this country. Of the 3.8 million people, around 1.8 million live below the poverty level. Many of these are children and families.
My challenge to the congregation is that each family give an equal gift to Jesus as they give to their family. If you spend $500 on gifts for your family, then a gift of $500 to the Christmas mission would be a wonderful gift to Jesus.
I hope this challenge will encourage everyone to give a good gift to Jesus because we have more than most people in the world. Second, I hope it will encourage us to plan ahead and simplify our Christmas. We can decide to make Christmas less about the gifts we receive and more about changing the world.
I am sure that God has big plans for this Christmas. I am sure that the world will be different at December 25, 2009 because of the generosity of people around Williamsburg, Iowa.
Are you with me? Do you have questions?

Happy Anniversary!!!

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of our first service in our new church building. We do need to celebrate all that God has done in just one year in this new church home. I believe God has touched many individuals, but He has also strengthened our St. Paul's UMC Family. I know God has more to come! (Picture of Brinkman family with me because as chair of the building committee Mark and his family were very dedicated to seeing the building become a reality.)

Feel free to leave comments about any favorite memories in the new church from this past year.

Mission Trip '09

We got back Saturday from a wonderful mission trip to Crossville, Tennessee. We had 21 of us total and we spent three days doing work with different ministries. There were many memorable times both good and bad. I will not forget getting lost in St. Louis on the way down for 2 hours because of road closures. I will also remember Jamison locking me in the trailer and two of our vehicles being broken into and stuff stolen including 4 Bibles. Not ll of the trip was bad, there were good times as well. The devotions and talks with my small groups were wonderful. Seeing the youth reading their Bibles in free time was something I did not expect. Also supporting the ministries of different groups was a blessing.Specifically we helped House of Hope, which is a home that assists children involved in drug abuse. Not that they use drugs, but their parents use drugs and therefore mistreat or neglect their children. The stories we heard of how children were treated and seeing pictures of homes they were taken from would break any one's heart.We also served Bread of Life ministries which supports adults recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. It is also a homeless shelter for Crossville.Overall, I was excited about the ministries this community had to serve those in need. To be honest it can be difficult for someone to easily get assistance in Williamsburg. There are some resources, but they are not always easy to find. My hope is that as a community we can become aware of the needs of people in Williamsburg and Iowa County and bring together our efforts to serve those people. Crossville has done a good job of churches working together to create ministries to serve those in need. I hope we can do the same to care for those among us who need God's grace and love to show up in their lives.

My New Bible

In my video message yesterday I talked about the armor of God that we are called to use to continue to grow spiritually during the summer. One piece of that armor is the sword which is the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible is a center-piece of our spiritual lives and necessary for growth.
While at Annual Conference in Ames this weekend I bought a new Bible and got to use it this morning for my devotion time. It is the new Wesley Study Bible. It is a New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible with the commentary coming from a Wesleyan perspective. It also has sidebar sections which focus on key terms used by John and Charles Wesley to understand the workings of God. Also, one of the editors was one of my professors at seminary.
I am excited to use this new Bible. I am sure as I read it I will grow in my knowledge of God and in the ways John Wesley was moved by the Spirit in God's Word. I will also recommend this to other Wesleyans as we continue to stay true first to God's Word and second to our Wesleyan heritage.

Is it Eternal?

In worship this morning Helen invited us to ask the question, is it eternal? I began to think about how this question could invite discussion about the work and ministry of our church. Are there places our work is not meeting the "eternal" standard?
The first place that came to my mind was our building and the current landscaping project. Bricks and mortar are an interesting piece of the church. We know the bricks and mortar are not eternal. They will deteriorate and need to be repaired and at times they will need to be demolished or abandoned.
But what about the eternal work that goes on inside the brick and mortar? Is a $1.2 million building worth it to bring just one person into a relationship with God? If that is what it takes then I would be satisfied with that. If our trees and bushes that will be planted soon would just lead people to Jesus then I would not need to worry so much about their cost.
Maybe I am putting more thought into this then necessary because it would probably be difficult to have a church without a building. However maybe the "eternal" question does apply when we fall into making decisions to protect or preserve the build over using it for ministry. Not that we have done that, but something to always keep in mind.
I do appreciate the work of our Trustees to be flexible and willing to do whatever it takes to make our property and facility beautiful, inviting, and a major tool for making an eternal difference in this world.

Remembering Memorial Day

Last week as I was looking for a prayer to use in our worship service this Memorial Day Weekend I found some discussion on whether or not Memorial Day should be observed in a church worship service. It is not a part of the Christian Calendar meaning it is not a religious holiday. It is more of a civic holiday.
So there are some who feel it has no place in a Christian worship service. It should be left to celebrate on Monday in a community setting. Others might go to the opposite side and create their whole Sunday service based on Memorial Day. I also saw suggestions to go in the middle and include Memorial Day remembrances in a time of prayer.
I went more in the middle and we had a nice little time to remember those who have served our country. I also used an illustration from military life in my sermon because it connected to the Scripture and to tie in this special weekend.
What are the thoughts of others out there about the role Memorial Day should play in a Christian worship service? Share why you lean one way or the other? If you choose the middle ground then tell me why you would make that decision?
P.S. I also went to the Memorial Day Service in our town square and thought the speaker did a wonderful job of calling out my younger generation to know our past and respect those who came before us.