GC Wednesday May 18

This is rather long.  I took notes throughout the day so here you go.  (By the way, this is the last update as I am flying home tomorrow to get in the car and drive to Asbury Seminary in KY to celebrate Molly's graduation.)

5/18 - General Conference, Portland Oregon

To be honest, I am getting rather weary.  These are long days.  There is a  heaviness of heart when I reflect upon where we are as the UMC and it is draining. Plus, I haven't slept too well even though I've been tired.  Got up at 4:30 this morning to go to the Good News breakfast.  It was worth it to see some like minded friends from around the country and to eat and have fellowship with them.  Plus, Maxie Dunnam shared a word with all of us which was so refreshing for me.  I've known Maxie for many years and am blessed to call him a great leader and friend.  He left us with the challenge to "feel for the power of the Holy Spirit".  Sadly, the Spirit has been "woefully missing in our movement".  Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit!
Rob Renfroe, the president of Good News then reminded us to be gracious and loving to all, to have a smile, and yes, to have a spine!

The morning worship was fantastic and powerful!  A young man blew us away as he led us in singing "How Great Thou Art!"  Awesome!   And then Bishop James Swanson preached the sermon of the conference thus far!  He was brave enough to address the fact that there is such a thing as evil and that just because we say yes to Jesus and are justified by God's grace, we are not to think that all will go well as a result.  No, it is then that the evil one attacks and subtlety cause us to doubt, and be fearful, and be weak.  No, says Swanson.  Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world.  Because of Jesus, evil has no place in our place!  It was powerful!  I hope you get a chance to listen to it.  We are the people of God who will not allow the evil one to have his way!

Sadly, immediately following worship was a silent protest by the lgbtq group who marched in and stood silently around the altar and then left after 10-15 minutes or so.  This will continue.  They are expressing their sense of pain and we must pray for them and for us.  All of us are in pain.  Continue to pray!

Bishop Ough then gave the Council of Bishop response to address the conflict in the church around human sexuality.  Defer and study.  They desire to name a commission to maintain ongoing dialogue including clear objectives and outcomes.  Continue to explore options to help the church grow in grace with one another.

Hamilton motion to follow the recommendation of the council of bishops.
Call a special 2 or 3 day GC before 2020 specifically focused on human sexuality
Defer all votes of human sexuality legislation

Chap Temple amended with the intent to continue the legislative process and vote now and then come together in 2 years.  Defeated.

Bishop Bill MCAlillie (sp?). Presiding the afternoon plenary.

Back to original motion from Hamilton.  Much debate for and against.
(Young person response - "prophetic voice" to stand in unity and not divide as a church).   Standing ovation.
After another attempt and defeat of an amendment, there is a calling of the question.
Question called.    Much (and angry) discussion.  Now voting on the motion. Defeated 438- 393.
And now a person has called the bishop out of order and accused him of single handedly high jacking the work of the council of bishops.  She demanded him to step down!  Ouch!

A recess and Africa rocked the house. Singing and dancing.  History in the making.  Africa  definitely taking the lead.  High emotion in the house.

Back to business.  The Bishop continued to preside as affirmed by the committee on presiding officers.  Several rising to support the bishop.  Obvious contention in the house.

Now continuation of the discussion regarding the proposal by the Council of Bishops.
A motion to approve the recommendation of the bishops.  (Howard option) Now discussion.  Here we go again. The question was called and approved.   And the vote on the motion is............ 428-405.  Sexuality petitions have been deferred.  Wow!!

Took a break

Returned to vote on petitions dealing with central conference concerns. Additional funding, the request for additional bishops, number of episcopal areas, etc.

Also the petition of the USA as a Central Conference. A motion to refer to the council of bishops.   The motion was not referred.  Discussion followed, much confusion on what was voted upon.  So....voted again.  Did not refer.  Based on my understanding, the petition is now dead which is good as the intention would separate the USA from the rest of the other conferences with separate disciplines, policies, etc.   If we are a global church, than we must act like a global church.

The day closed with a service of remembrance as it related to the Sand Creek Massacre of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes in Colorado in 1864.  Sadly, there was great involvement of the death of hundreds of Indians at the hands of many Methodist leaders.  You can read more about it on the GC website.

Thanks for taking some time to read these updates.  It was an honor to represent the Great Plains Conference.  By the way, I've heard that there is going to be a motion to reconsider the Council of Bishops recommendation to defer the discussion on human sexuality.  If so, it would force the delegates to make a decision at this GC.  That needs to happen so we can move forward.  Keep praying.  Watch for updates on the various sites I have mentioned.  I am flying out in the morning so I can help my daughter-in-law celebrate her graduation from Asbury Seminary in Wilmore KY on Saturday.

Bless you all!

GC. Week 2 Tuesday

Well, good morning, afternoon, or evening depending upon when you are looking at this.  Things continue to be exciting here in Portland.  Received a text before 6:00 wanting to know "what's going on?"as rumors were flying about a split or separation that was being proposed to the GC today.  So yes, lots of anxiety when I arrived at the convention center.  I knew there were some behind the scenes discussions taking place.

First, morning worship - awesome music.  Sermon by Bishop Ivan Abrahams from the World Methodist Council who called us to follow the Jesus of Palestine as opposed to the Jesus of Constantine.  He contrasted the way that the church turned when following the empire versus the church who reached out to the least, last, and lost prior to Constantine's declaration of Christianity as the official religion of the land.  He preached from the parable where Jesus left the 99 to go after the 1 lost sheep and reminded us we are called to go to those who are the poor, the down and out, the outcast, etc.  He reminded us to engage the empire, not be a part of it, lest we overlook the lost in light of favoring the haves, the rich, the powerful.

We then went to break and were told we had an hour.  Strange, as we normally are given 20 minutes which suggested to me that something was going on behind the scenes.  And yes, upon return, Bishop Ough, the chair of the Council of Bishops, was granted a moment to share a statement from the council.  He addressed the rumors of the day and shared that he/they were not supporting any type of separation.  He went on to acknowledge the great division in the body as well as acknowledging even they were not in agreement, especially on the issue of human sexuality.  Unfortunately it revealed the unwillingness of the bishops to lead us to some type of plan or proposal.  No wonder the chaos and confusion amongst our congregations.

Just so you know, later in the day, a motion led by two Great Plains clergy calling on the bishops to lead and to come up with a plan tomorrow was approved by the body.  There was much discussion and now we wait to hear from them.  (As I was writing this there was a person who wanted to make a motion to postpone this plan until Advent.  It was out of order and the original motion stands).  Now we wait and see.

After lunch we came back into the center to a "silent protest" by the lgbtq constituency.  They were singing "Blest be the tie that binds" with their hands bound which is ironic that they sang loudly while marching around the hall and disrupting our time together.  That is not the tie that binds but the untying that disrupts.  Bishop Huiey (sp) did a good job of keeping things going.  She is a pro at this stuff.  Yes, she could have chastised them but this by far was the lesser of two evils.  I imagine we'll see another protest tomorrow.

Other work on the floor:
Voted to refer time limits of bishops to the judicial council.
Approved sacramental privileges for Deacons
Miscellaneous petitions regarding special recognition Sunday's throughout the year
Other low hanging fruit petitions.

By the way, the last hour and a half I sat in for Adam Hamilton so I was able to do some of the work on the plenary floor.  What made it rather fun was the presiding bishop spoke in French so it was translated through a headset.  Pretty cool
Closed in a short time of worship

Finished the evening at an Garrett Alumni Banquet - caught up with a few friends
Bishops are working into the night to craft a proposal to move us forward.  We'll see. Pray!!

GC. Week 2. Day 1

Greetings all!  After a day of rest yesterday we are back at it today.  The Sabbath was definitely needed by all.  Now the real work begins as all the legislative proposals come to the floor this week.

Began the morning with worship, Bishop Cynthia Harvey from Lousiana preaching.  I serve on the Jurisdictional Missions Council with her and have always appreciated her leadership.  She was elected Bishop 4 years ago in OK City.  Her text was Matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding banquet.  I was rather fearful that Bishop Harvey would follow the rest of the bishops who had implicitly or explicitly politicized the pulpit.  She did speak of those on each side of the aisle (Jew and Gentiles) who had been invited to the banquet and thought they were the only ones who should be present at the table.  Thankfully she did not go down the road of making this a straight/gay invitation where only certain ones should be included, while the others are excluded.  It appeared that it might be heading down that path.  However,  she emphasized that all are to put on the robe of righteousness that all might enter and sit at the table.  Several times she emphasized that we are invited to come as we are but not stay that way.  It's only when we reject the robe of righteousness, the covering of God's grace, that we sit at the table.  In doing so, we can experience transformation.  The robe is ready so come to the party and truly celebrate.   (Prayerfully this is a positive sign for our work this week.)

During the noon hour our delegation gathered to discuss some possibilities that are before us.  It's clear the general conference is at a stalemate mostly because it seems everything seems to be filtered through the sexuality filter.  There was good and honest discussion about the realities or possibilities  as it relates to us being a "United" Methodist Church. After good discussion and the talk of possibilities I was saddened to enter the plenary to a protest.  There was a large group who broke the bar shouting "Black Lives Matter" and "Ho, ho, ho, Homophobes must go."  These, as well as other things were shouted and sung for about 20 - 30 minutes.  FYI, it costs $180,000 per hour to hold this conference so we threw out $90,000.  The protest was allowed.  I heard that the bishops were aware, which says to me this was the path of least resistance.  I anticipate more protests to come.  In fact, the leader of the protests promised more were to come.  Stay tuned.

The day also included voting on persons to fill the judicial committee, the General Conference Council, and other positions.  For the most part, there was a good representation of more traditional orthodox persons voted into those positions.  Reports were also given along the way from the UMW and also Africa University, as well as others.  You can read more about them on the GC website.

These next few days will be critical as it relates to any semblance of unity at all.  Will it purely be a stalemate with nothing accomplished like GC 2012 in Tampa?  Will there be some decisions to "go your (our) own way"? What decisions, if any, will be made to get us off dead center?  Is God pruning the vine?  I don't know but we can't keep doing this and expect to be salt and light in a world that needs to taste and see that God is good.  Friends, we need to pray.  We can't keep doing this!  Jesus help us!

GC - Day 5 Saturday

I was able to be on the conference floor this morning for worship and for the hearing of some reports - roughly 2 hours worth.  The sermon was preached by Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar who preached from Matthew 2, the account of the wise men coming to worship Jesus.  They came to Jerusalem only to find out they missed the location of the newborn king by 9 miles.  So they got on a different road, a road they had not anticipated.  And they found Jesus on this different road, a new way, if you will.  You can see where this is going.  I'm saddened that each sermon has to have an agenda behind it as it relates to "full inclusion".  We can do better.

Heard reports from youth, and overall was pleased with what they shared.  One young man who spoke was a former Muslim and placed his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  It was wonderful to hear how Jesus changed his life and how he has shared Christ with others.  Yet, the sexuality issue continues to be lifted up (as it should) but unfortunately is done in a way that purely speaks of God as love and we too should love.  What does that mean?  Does love mean anything goes? That never seems to get fleshed out.  Yet, a good report from the youth.

Legislative meetings the rest of the day.  In fact, I write this in my discipleship legislative meeting (I'm an observer).  We are about to conclude with the approval or disapproval of the petitions in our committee.  It's about 5:00 pacific time.  Many will go late into the evening/night.

Tomorrow we have a sabbath.  Pray we get some rest.  This is very tiring.  The real work/action begins on Monday.  Keep praying.  Have a great day in worship tomorrow.

By the way, check out the methodistcrossroads.org website.  Very informative regarding the "goings on" here in Portland.  Blessings!

GC - the 4th day!

Just a few thoughts about today.

Disappointed in the sermon by Bishop Sally Dyck to start the day.  You can watch it for yourself on the GC 2016 website and read the text as well.  Check it out. Read both the comments from the UMC website (UMC.org)  and other UMC websites as well as those from Good News (goodnewsmag.org) and other more conservative sites. Tell me what you think.  My take?  It was her bully pulpit to chastise those who are holding to a biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality.

The rest of the day - legislative sessions.  That work is supposed to be completed by 9:30 tomorrow evening.  Some of it will be.  Some will not and will go late into the night.  There have been problems with parliamentary procedure which has caused delays in completing the work in some of the committees.

I've really noticed the struggle for the Central Conference delegates to keep up and understand because of the language barrier.  As much as we are attempting to be a worldwide church, the realities of making it so is very difficult.  And to be honest, we may say we want to be a global church, but we like holding the upper hand.

Keep praying.  A lot of work to be completed tomorrow.  Next week will be interesting.

Day 3 - GC

Not a lot to report.  It's rather late.

As is the norm, opened with worship this morning followed by a multitude of reports.

The biggy of course was rule 44.  This was the third day that it had been addressed in some way or another.  After hours of discussion (too much to explain) it finally came down to a vote.  It was defeated 477- 355.  It would have taken a 2/3 vote to approve it.  So.......we move forward.

The rest of the day was filled with the business being addressed in the various legislative committees.  This will be the case the rest of the week.  I am sitting in on the Discipleship committee.  No matter the approvals or rejections in the legislative committees, the final say takes place on the plenary floor.  So if you hear things being approved not approved, they are only the result of the committee's vote.  So stay tuned for the outcome next week.

I continue to run into old friends from across the connection.  That has been a blessing and is part of the positive aspects of being a Connectional system.

Calling it a day.  Keep praying.

Plugging Along!

A little work on the plenary floor!

Day 2 of General Conference.  

One of the frustrations of General Conference is getting stuck in the mud when it comes to deciding and agreeing on the rules that govern the policy making body.  Once again we found ourselves wasting time and deciding that we can't decide.  I mentioned rule 44 at our prayer meeting a week ago.  Long story short, it was tabled which means no more discussion, it's put to bed, end of story.  Or so we thought.  It was brought up again in a motion to take it off the table and this time was narrowly approved.  It has now gone to the rules committee for them to bring it or not bring it to the plenary session tomorrow.  Mercy!!

Bishop Palmer did preach a powerful message this morning and confessed that we wasted a lot of time and money four years ago in Tampa.  It was non-productive and embarrassing.  He is a great preacher and in a way, chastised us, reminding us that we are "prisoners of hope" and challenged us to GO!  Time will tell our response to his challenge. 

The rest of the day was made up of the typical "play nice with one another" speeches in the legislative meetings, electing officers for the various committees, and preparation for tomorrow's real work in those meetings.

To be honest, very little has been accomplished.  We're already running behind schedule and it's only day 2.  Thankfully God is not bound by time and He can accomplish whatever He desires to accomplish, independent of our schedule.  Pray that we will follow his timetable and be productive and fruitful!    

Portland - We Have Arrived!

Just a quick GC update.  Arrived safely in Portland yesterday.  My shuttle to the hotel took an hour for them to get me but such is life.  Ate supper with Carl Nord with whom I am sharing a room.

This morning we registered and got ourselves accustomed to the convention center.  I saw several friends I've made over the years - from Arkansas, from Texas, from Indiana, and other places.  Good seeing them again.

Worship this afternoon to kick things off followed by the beginning of the business for the week.  Mostly preliminary stuff. It is clear that there is concern about the possibility of disruption and protest.  Lots of reminders of how we should treat one another, of what it means to be in covenant with each other, etc.  There were some carrying signs in support of  "full inclusion" as well as signs held by those who support scriptural authority and righteousness.  More will follow to be sure.

Overall a rather quiet day, although there was a gathering earlier this morning of those from the lgbtq community that was reported to include a ceremony of some type.  Some of the websites might be giving the details of what took place.

I was going to post some pictures but having some issues.  Oh well.  Keep praying!!   Blessings!

Testing! Testing!!

It's been awhile so I'm JUST giving this a test!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!

Well, once again ML and I find ourselves moving on down the line, "moving" being the key word here. If you would have asked us a year ago that we would find ourselves in this position, we would have never believed it.  But here we are, one day away from saying goodbye to so many good folks that we have had the privilege of ministering to over the past 5 years.  And even though it is not really "goodbye" but more like "see ya later", it does not negate the feelings and emotions that we are experiencing as a result of us moving into another role in ministry.

We have been blessed to serve the church in Mulvane.  Has the road always been a smooth one?  No.  What road is?  Has the road included a few bumps, potholes, and obstacles?  Of course.  I've never gone on a trip where I've not experienced at least one, if not all, of these.  But did I turn around and go home?  Of course not.  A destination lie before me.  The same can be said for ministry.  The devil would love for us to throw up our hands and turn the spiritual vehicle around.  But God has called us to reach a destination, and as my buddy Rob Schmutz would say, "we must keep keepin' on in Jesus!"

I'm so blessed and grateful to you at MUMC for allowing me to lead you on this journey down the road to Christian growth. What a joy to be a part of the visioning process and to see how God has guided us as we've sought to live out the vision.  What a privilege to lead Bible studies, teach Sunday school classes, teach confirmation, officiate at weddings, baptisms, and yes, even funerals.  Those are holy moments.  What a privilege to be able to pray with you in my office, in the sanctuary, over the phone, in the hallway, wherever it was needed.  What an honor to represent you as your local pastor as well as my involvement on the conference level.  I've truly enjoyed being able to sing and play my guitar and refer to all sorts of songs in my sermons or studies.  (There's always a song that ties into anything we do isn't there?) And how wonderful it has been to see people give their lives to Christ.  Awesome! And thank you for allowing me to be involved in other ministries such as The Walk to Emmaus, leading workshops, preaching revivals, etc.  That is my heart and you blessed me by supporting me in reaching out to others with the love of Jesus.

I never have been fond of the "last" Sunday because it always implies moving on.  Tomorrow is no exception.  I remember being called into ministry  (blame Steve Rankin if you'd like).  There was that "last' Sunday at Aulne before we moved to Chicago.  I remember the "last" Sunday in Chicago (red slippers and all).  I remember the "last" Sunday in Salina.  I remember the "last" Sunday in Leoti.  And now, tomorrow is the "last" Sunday in Mulvane.  But you know what?  The road we have traveled through all of these locations has been one of the greatest experiences ever.

 God used us in all those places.  We made friendships that have lasted to this day.  Both ML and I grew in our faith in each location.  Blessed beyond blessing!  Yes, we hit some roadblocks along the way.  We fell into a few potholes.  We even had a flat from time to time.  But the journey has been worth it.  And that's the joy of the journey

So, it is a bittersweet moment for me as I ponder what I will say tomorrow morning.  Will there be some emotion?  Seriously?  You know me don't you?  Will there be some laughter?  Seriously?  Of course.  Will the Word be preached?  Again, seriously?  You know that will be the case - absolutely!!

The bottom line is that we all are on the road.  We've talked about that many times.  My road happens to be taking me to another adventure in ministry as District Superintendent.  And yes, I'm sure a few bumps lie ahead of me.  But Jesus has already gone ahead of me so I'm good to go.  And Jesus has gone ahead of you as well.  You at MUMC are also on the road.  I encourage you from the bottom of my heart to keep on keepin' on in Jesus.  Set your face to following Jesus.  Don't take your eyes off lest you find yourself in the ditch, or even worse, turning back.  The road of ministry is too exciting to turn back.

All this being said, I thank you so much for allowing Mary Lou and I to be a part of your journey.  In some small way I pray we have helped provide some direction for the road upon which you are traveling.  We are ever so grateful and are excited to see how you will continue to be the church who remains true to the vision of "Inviting ALL to experience the life-transforming love of Jesus Christ!"

Bless you all!!  PR

Winter Hangs On!

Once again the weather is giving us fits.  The doors will be open tomorrow (3/2/14) and the heat will be on.  We are asking you to use good judgement as it relates to travel in the morning.  Of course, we'd love to have you join us, but we want everyone to be safe.

Blessings to you all, and no matter the weather, Jesus is Lord!!!!

Ah yes, snow.  White, white snow!  All week long we've been hearing that people are "Dreaming of a White Christmas!"  Well, it looks quite possible.  As part of the communication to you who are questioning whether or not there will be worship services in the morning, the answer is yes.  The doors will be open to any who are able to attend.  However, we in no way want you to come if you feel it is not safe for you or your family.  Please, we want all to have a safe Christmas.  But for you sure footed folks, for you who want to venture out, JUST know that the doors will be open.  We will worship the Lord, for sure.

You know how the weather is in Kansas.  By morning it may have cleared out.  You never know.

Make sure you plan on coming to the Christmas eve services on Tuesday at 7 and 10 in the sanctuary.

Merry Christmas to ALL!!

JUST sayin'!

PR, ML, Kyle and Molly (Dallas skyline in background)

Wow, has it been that long since I've blogged?  Time gets away doesn't it?  It waits on no one, that's for sure.  ML and I just returned from Dallas after spending a few days with our good friends, Steve and Joni Rankin, as well as the privilege of some time with Kyle and Molly who are working with Project Transformation once again this summer.  What a great time we had!  No set schedule, no real plans, just taking a few days with good friends and family.  That's how I like it.


This the fourth summer for Kyle to work in Dallas, the third for Molly.  What a blessing for them to work with some underprivileged kids as well as mentor and pastor the interns and others on staff.  And isn't it so "coincidental" that they happen to be working "down the road" from Steve and Joni.  Strange how these coincidences have been occurring regularly these past 30 years.

Steve was the local pastor of our little church in Aulne in 1984.  He and Joni became good friends of ours during that time.  "Coincidentally", we both moved to Chicago in August of 1988 to pursue God's calling in our lives.  Strangely enough, Joni and ML both gave birth to boys during our time in Chicago (must have been the water).  During that time, Steve served on staff of a church in Northbrook, Illinois. He and his family then moved back to Kansas to serve a church in Marquette. "Coincidentally", I was offered the vacant position that Steve left behind at the church in Northbrook.

After I completed seminary, I was appointed to a church in Salina, 30 minutes from Steve and Joni.  Strange?  Weird? Hmmm.  So, we found ourselves serving together in close proximity once again.  But, as God would have it, God called Steve and Joni to Southwestern College, where he served for over a decade.  During that time, all of their kids graduated from high school and moved on to college.  The same happened to us, as Todd and Eric graduated from Salina Central and Kyle from Leoti where we spent 8 years in ministry.

Once again, as God would have it, we "coincidentally" were appointed to Mulvane, just 30 minutes away from Steve and Joni.  (See a pattern here?)  We were excited to be close to the Rankins once again, only to realize God was calling them to SMU that year.  "Hey Steve, what the heck?"  The irony is that I received a call from a person on the campus minister search committee from SMU asking me to share "my thoughts" regarding Steve and his ministry.  Ok, I could lie and say he was a jerk, thus crippling his chances to go to Dallas.  However, I spoke the truth about Steve's ability to minister to people of all ages, his love and passion for the college age kids to come to faith in Christ, not to mention his mentoring me to the point of my saying "yes" to God's call to ordained ministry.

Next thing I know, Steve has been hired as the Campus Minister for SMU and off to Dallas he and Joni go.  'Hey, we just got to Mulvane!  What the heck?"  But, that's the way it's gone and that's the way it always seems to go.  God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.

So, here we are.  Yes, we are still in Mulvane (no plans to move to Dallas).  However, the Just connection to the Rankins is there through Kyle and Molly who are serving the Lord in remarkable ways and who "coincidentally" are based out of the SMU campus.  Mercy!

It's been a great ride this far as we've traveled the road of ministry together, although at times miles from one another.  But distance doesn't matter to God.  Obedience to Him is what matters.

So folks, open your lives to work of God.  Watch for the opportunities that come your way.  And pay attention to the "coincidences" for in reality, they are just divine appointments!

JUST sayin!

Steve and Joni, PR and ML

JUST LOOKIN' AROUND!

One of the things I remind the folks at church is to pay attention to what it is that God is doing, in and around us.  For if we don't open our eyes, we for sure will not see the work of God in our midst.  About six weeks ago I preached a sermon on God-incidences that came about because of what God was doing in the lives of some people I know - a member of the church, a peer of mine in the UMC, and a relative of mine going through some difficulty.  The first situation led to meeting a need in the lives of young adults in the church. So, as a result I sent out an invite to many of our "young adults" (mid twenties to thirty somethings) to come to our house to talk about some "God stuff".  I was overwhelmed by the response.

Last night 16 persons showed up at the house to lift up some issues that they were facing as young parents, teachers, husbands, wives, workers, etc.  The joy of it was just being in a non-threatening environment, talking openly about some struggles, looking to Scripture for some guidance, and praying for God to guide and lead through His Spirit.  (And yes, we had a snack or two accompanied by some laughter).  It was a great evening.  What also is exciting is that there are another 8-10 persons who wanted to participate but could not attend because of some other commitments.  How cool is that?

God is doing some awesome stuff.  But we must pay attention, must open our eyes and look around and then join Him in what He is doing.  For those of you in our contemporary service, we were bursting at the seams on Sunday.  What does this mean for us as a church?  What is God doing and how are we to respond?  I trust we are ready to do whatever is being asked of us as we continue to grow and move forward in the faith.

As far as the new young adult group, I am very excited about where God is leading you and am even more excited that ML and I can be a part of your journey.  We will join you as we strive to be intentional about "seeking first the kingdom of God" (See Amy's Nelson's blog).

Yes, it's great to "look around".  But once we have "looked", let us "act" upon that which we have seen.  Rock on!

SHOOTING HOOPS, SAVING LIVES!!

Have I got a deal for you.  As many of you are aware, the United Methodist Church is working alongside other agencies to save the lives of millions of Africans, mostly children and young mothers, who are dying of malaria.  Because of the success of Nothing But Nets which has provided treated mosquito nets to cover families while they sleep at night, we have reduced the number of deaths from one person every 30 seconds, in half, to that of one death per 60 seconds.  But that still is entirely too many.

We at MUMC are seeking to do our part by raising money to confront this dreaded disease which is beatable, treatable, and preventable.  The youth continue to sell mosquito swatters and "pipe cleaner" mosquitoes for donations of $10 each.  They are asking you to join their "SWAT" team to help meet our minimum goal of $5,000.  The church has got on board and has currently raised close to $3,500 which include extra donations from individuals.  How awesome is that? But wait, there's more!!

This coming Friday, Bri ( our Youth director), Brian (our Coordinator of Congregational Care) and I (yep, the pastor) will be shooting 100 free throws each to raise more money for this great cause.  We are asking you to guess how many total free throws you think we will make. We are asking for a $10 donation per guess.  The person making the closest guess will be treated to lunch by the ministerial staff.  (Exciting, or what?)  So far, we have some guesses that suggest we are lousy shooters.  We also have some guesses by persons who seem to have great faith in our free throw making ability.  Plus, numbers in between.

How about you?  Have you made your guess?  There is still time.  You can call into the office at 316-777-0125 and make your guess.  (Mary Lou or Vicky will be glad to take your call).  And you don't have to be a Mulvanite to make a guess.  In fact, I challenge you out-of-towners to give us a call and be a part of this life-saving activity.  Heck, if the Bishop can shoot 1,000 free throws next Sunday to make money to help Shoot for No Malaria, surely we can shoot 300 to sweeten the pot.  

So, will you be willing to join us in this great cause?  Not to mention, Friday will be a fun day.  Why not come by the church at noon?  That's when we will begin shooting free throws.  

In the time it took to write this blog, 15 lives were lost to Malaria.  That's not acceptable.  Will you join us as we seek to make a difference?  WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  Let's JUST  do it!!!

Thanks in advance!!!

"IF"

Yes, I know I have not blogged for some time.  Not that I havn't had any thoughts to share with you, but that I had to prioritize my time.  Besides, Facebook allows me to toss some of my thoughts out there and I have done so the last few months.  But, since I have a moment I thought I'd blog some of what is spinning around in my gray matter as of late.  And it has to do with the word "If" and questions that follow.  So, if you will indulge me for a moment or two:

IF we believe in the Great Commission by Jesus to "GO" and make disciples, why do we spend so much time trying to get people to "come to church?"  Would it not behoove us to go to where the people are?  It is evident the people are not flocking to "come" to church.

IF we say we are willing to do whatever it takes to reach people for Christ, why do we argue over styles of worship, kinds of music, colors of carpet, building usage, times of worship, etc. etc.?

IF we say the church has the answer to the questions of the youth out there, why do so many young people see church as irrelevant, as merely a gathering of old people trying to save their institution?

IF we believe God still is in the business of doing miracles, why do we not believe, act, and pray as if God is in the business of doing miracles?

IF we believe that God is continually at work in our midst, should there not always be a story to tell of His work when we gather together?

IF we say that we know Jesus, why do we not know what His Word has to say about Him?

IF we say we are a people saved by grace, why is it we have trouble explaining grace to others?

IF God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whomever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, should that not be great news?  Should that not transform lives?  Then why do so many Christians have such long faces?

IF I have these questions, surely you have questions as well.  Share them, will you?

JUST wondering!

GRACE! STILL AMAZING!!

It's somewhat of an irony, this thing called grace.  As Christians, we proclaim that we are saved by grace.  Yet in my experience, if I ask folks who go to church to tell me what that means, they can't explain it.  They search for words but struggle to find them.  Some mention love but but can't expound on it.  Some only know grace as a short prayer before mealtime.  Is it then any wonder that we find ourselves struggling when it come to dealing with the "stuff" in our lives?

We find ourselves in a culture that is all about cinching up the belt and getting after it.  Work hard and we will be successful.  Do this, do that, so we can earn ourselves a position in society.  If we just work hard enough we will achieve our dreams.  Before long, it becomes all about what we've done, our merits as a result of working hard.  Yet..........people still find themselves feeling miserable, many having little, if any, self worth.  So much for success and accomplishments.

I've just come off of another Walk to Emmaus weekend, a 72 hour period of spiritual formation that helps persons come face to face with God's grace.  And as always the case, there are those who have confused "working to earn God's love" with the reality that God's love is offered to them as a "gift", independent of anything they could ever do or say to earn it.  Scripture reminds us that we are saved by grace, through faith, lest any of us should boast.  That means that God loves us so much that he offers us his love, he lavishes his love upon us as a gift.  He loves us because he loves us.  Period.  He loves us and there is nothing we can do about it.  Our response to that love is not to be "good enough", or to "work hard enough" to earn it.  We can never earn it.  Our response is one of faith, our belief in Jesus Christ as God's gift to us as the one who has saved us from sin, forgiven us of sin, and restored us to God that we might have a right relationship with him.  But we just have trouble with this gift thing.  We keep wanting to work for it.

I find this over and over again.  Whether it is at Emmaus or whether it is in the life of the church,  people struggle to come to grips with grace.  We just can't believe that God would love us in spite of us without us "doing" something worthy of his love.  Again I emphasize that we can never do anything to earn God's love.  We merely receive it, accept it by faith in Jesus.  Sadly, we struggle to open our hearts to receive God's gift because we can't let go of the junk in our lives that have separated us from a relationship with God.  Again, I see it over and over again.  LET IT GO!  LET IT GO!  God's grace is far greater than any sin that we might have.  His grace is sufficient. Our weakness can be exchanged for his strength found in his grace.

I saw this happen at Emmaus this weekend.  The women on this particular walk were confronted with God's amazing grace.  They came to a realization that God DOES love them, in spite of them and their circumstances.  And as a result, they were able to let go of some things that only God could remove.  it was not about working for his love, for his forgiveness, or for his acceptance.  It was about receiving and experiencing God's unconditional love.

If we are going to be the church that proclaims God's grace, it would behoove us to understand what that means and then to live it out in the midst of a community of men and women, boys and girls, who so desperately need to know that God loves them.  It's not about works or merit.  It's all about God's grace.  Grace!  Still Amazing!!

THAT THEY MAY BE ONE!

 

BIND US TOGETHER LORD!

 

 I'm excited about this Sunday morning for our traditional and contemporary services will come together as one to worship the Lord. We will gather for a time of fellowship around 9:00 followed by woship at 9:45.  It promises to be a wonderful morning as we blend the great hymns of the faith with some of the more contemporary songs of praise.  The organ and piano will play, as will the guitars and drums.  The choir will sing and the praise band will lead us in worship as well.  And you can be sure the word of God will be preached!

One of the knocks on the modern day church is the fact that it is often so divisive, arguing over things that don't really matter - color of carpet, placement of pictures, length of hair, styles of clothes, styles of music, order of service, etc. etc.  In a day where people are not making an effort to go to church, they sure don't want to attend a gathering that is divided or argumentative.  Heck, they experience that all day long at work or at home.  Why deal with more of it at church, of all places?  Not to mention that the church is a terrible witness to others when we find ourselves divided. 

Jesus knows how we are - messy, conflictual, territorial, prideful, self-centered. That's why he prayed to the Father for us in John 17 that "they may be one as we are one- I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity" (vv.22-23).   So often we become so accustomed to doing what we've always done, we don't know why we do it.  Then all of a sudden we get defenseive or upset if the order of worship changes, if there is no bulletin, if the music changes, if someone sits in our seat (God forbid). 

The purpose of us coming together this Sunday is that we might gather as the unified Body of Christ, having fellowship one with the other, sharing in our joys and our concerns, singing praises to God, exalting God as the God who does not divide but unites us under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Our intent also is to show the surrounding community that we are one body made up of many different people who have different gifts and graces yet have a common goal to "Invite ALL to experience the life-transforming love of Jesus Christ." The church is always a witness, either good or bad.   It is our desire to be a good witness for Jesus Christ as we come together as His body.

So, plan to come to worship on Sunday.  The order will be a little different.  The time will be different.  You will sing an extra song or two.  You will probably sit in a different spot next to people you may not know. But know this, we will be worshiping the same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who not only suggested, but commanded that we be ONE in His name.   Let it be so!

See you on Sunday!

35 YEARS AND COUNTING!!!

Today marks 35 years of being married to my bride Mary Lou.  It was on a hot August night at the Eastmoor UMC in Marion Kansas where my grandpa, Wes Just, asked us to repeat our vows before God, our families, and our friends.  We'd memorized our vows and without hesitation we exchanged them between ourselves, promising to be true to one another til "death do us part".  Thus the journey began.

As I reflect back on these past 35 years I cannot imagine being with anyone else.  ML is my best friend, my confidant, my partner, the person who has been the epitome of being a Godly wife and mother to our children.  She has been very gracious, extremely merciful, beyond patient, and very loving to me.  I love being with her and would definitely be lost without her.

As one who officiates many weddings, I find that couples these days spend so much time preparing for the wedding day, especially the reception, that they've given little thought to the marriage.  The wedding day comes and goes, but the marriage is to last forever.  Unfortunately, we are seeing marriages fall apart because of some pie in the sky understanding that the warm fuzzy feeling of "love" will last forever with no thought that marriage is hard work, is grunt and groan, is choosing to love, even on days when one or both seem less than lovable.

ML and I have experienced many many days of wedded bliss.  And yes, we have had "our moments".  But never have we thought of throwing in the towel because we faced an obstacle in the road.  In fact, those obstacles strengthened our marriage, our love for each other.  I feel sorry for those who give up so quickly because they miss out on celebrating the victories over the difficulties and struggles as husband and wife.  Like I said, we've faced some big mountains in our marriage, but we kept climbing. As a result, we can look back and proclaim how we ascended to the top, as difficult as the climb was.

Of course, the glue that holds us together is our love for God which includes our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior of our lives and of our marriage.  He has never disappointed.  Now I confess that I've not always understood his plan for us, but he has never left us alone, never forsaken us.  As our love for God has grown, so has our love for each other.  And as the difficult times have come and gone, the fact that our marriage is grounded in our faith, we have endured.  I am so grateful.

It has been an incredible ride this far.  When we got married we were young and just happy to be together.  We did what we could do to make a living.  God blessed us with a couple boys while still living in Kansas.  For some reason, God called us into ministry.  We sold everything and headed to Chicago.  Another boy was born while in school.  Moved back to Kansas.  We've served 4 churches so far. And grandchildren, ah yes, grandchildren.  On and on!

So here we are, 35 years into our marriage.  So very blessed by God.  Mary Lou, you are the love of my life.   Here's to the next 35 years!!   

IRONING OUT THE IRONY!

I write this blog based upon that which I've seen and experienced the past 20 years or so as a pastor.  Maybe some of you clergy types can relate.  Or maybe it's JUST me.


One thing about my vocation, I did not choose it.  My wife and I were happily married, living in rural Kansas, active in our church, had great jobs, and lived close to wonderful family and friends.  Then God pulls a "Go to a land that I will show you" kind of thing.  So after leaving the previously mentioned behind, to Chicagoland we did go.  Bottom line?  Called into ordained ministry.  And that's where we find ourselves today.  Serving as the pastoral husband and wife in a local church.  Did we choose this? No!  Did God call us into the ministry?  Yes!  Without a doubt.

Now, to borrow a phrase of a pastor friend, ministry is "brutiful" - both beautiful and brutal.  Just like any other vocation, there are the good times and the "not-so-good".  But it is the irony that is found in the "not-so-good" that baffles me from time to time.

I have a deep desire for people to experience God's love, his forgiveness, his grace and mercy by virtue of placing faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  That drives me.  That is my passion, especially seeing lives transformed because of Jesus.  And I acknowledge that my passion can come across as "direct" or "pushy" or even "in your face" at times.  I own that.  Guilty as charged.  But here's where the iron comes into play.

Why is it okay for a CEO to hold accountable those whom he/she oversees?  Why is it it okay for a medical director to call into account those who administer health care to those in need?  Why is it okay for a teacher to give direction and provide discipline to his/her students in the classroom?  Why is it okay for a coach to expect his/her athletes to be responsible to train correctly and be at all practices?  Yet, why is it not okay for a pastor to hold accountable his/her parishioners to the vows they have exchanged with God and the church?

Quit "judging" me, "you're meddling", it's  "none of your business".  I've experienced this for years but let me tell you, I am so glad that a certain pastor "meddled", got in "my business", held me accountable to who I proclaimed to be.  If not, who knows what ditch I'd be in today.  Just as a coach would do, just as a CEO would do, just as a teacher would do, that pastor did, and I am grateful.

As I mentioned, my passion can get in the way of my tact.  I get that and apologize if any of you who are reading this have experienced that.  However, know this, when I stand before God on judgment day, I do not want to be accused of running way from my responsibility to those who have made vows to God and his church by upholding the church by their prayers, presence, gifts, and service.  Should I not do so would be more than irony, it would be a tragedy!