Can you believe how time has flown this summer? I look back to my kids' last day of school and I cannot believe that we are now making arrangements for school shopping and that the new school year starts in 33 days. Our time this summer has been filled with conferences, vacation, and a multitude of wonderful ministry events here at the church.
I'm sure if you were to ask me a few times this summer if I had time to do something, I would have answered "No!" (rather emphatically) It seems that when I am in the midst of a busy time in my life, I feel I don't have the time to do anything else or add anything else to my plate. I am a person that needs my down time and my alone time and when I don't get it, I can quickly become overwhelmed.
As I reflect on this quick summer months, and in conjunction with my message in worship on Sunday, I realize that I have the same amount of time every day to do whatever it is that I need to get done. But, there are times that I don't manage myself very well when it comes to the time in my life.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr, the author of "Life's Little Instruction Book", said, "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
It isn't that we don't have the time, it is what we do with the time that we have that can either make a difference in the world around us or create chaos in the world within us. So, as we quickly approach another school season and as I look at my calendar getting full by the minute, I hear God asking me to take another look at my time and decide how I am going to use it the best. Will I use it by running frivolously from one appointment and event to another, or will I invest it in making a difference in this world for the sake of Jesus Christ?
Do you have the time?
Creator of all time, You have blessed me with this life and with the gift of time. I want to walk so close to You that I see the opportunities You place within my path and I take the time to experience my time in a new way. I want the time I have been given on this earth to make a difference for the sake of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Days of Our Lives
Greetings!
It has been another amazing week at FUMC! Our Children and Family Ministry team has done an outstanding job with Vacation Bible School. We have 69 children enrolled and 72 active volunteers! I now understand the deep emotion of Paul when he said to the church in Corinth "Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you—it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives." (1 Corinthians 1:4-6, The Message)
That is the exact emotion that springs up in my heart when I think about YOU and the ministry you are called to provide in our community! Praise be to the Lord!
Lately, we have been talking a great deal about God's call on our lives to serve Him with our gifts and talents. Our church continues to respond in amazing ways. If you are still on the fence about whether you have the time or the gifts to serve, may the reflection below be a challenge and an encouragement to you today.
There is a story of an old mountaineer and his wife. They were sitting in front of the fireplace one evening just whiling away the time. After a long silence, the wife said: “Jed, I think it’s raining. Go outside and check, will ya?” The old mountaineer continued to gaze into the fire for a second, sighed, then said, “Aw Ma, why don’t we just call in the dog and see if he’s wet.”
Sounds like one of my responses. There are times that we have a tendency to get lazy, don’t we? We want to do only what we need to and that transfers over, quite frequently, to our spiritual lives. At least I know it has for me. I have to pray that God helps me overcome my desire to be lazy in my physical life because it tends to easily influence my spiritual life as well.
I am reminded of John Wesley, the Father of Methodism. He traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years. He preached 4,000 sermons, produced 400 books, and learned ten languages. At age 83, he was annoyed that he could not write more than fifteen hours a day without hurting his eyes. At age 86, he felt ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning.
In comparison to John Wesley, my life is rather calm. It is not that we need to add more to our lives and get as busy as we can. The blessing comes with how we spend our lives. Do we spend it on ourselves or in service to God? There is much to do for the Kingdom today — none of us should be bored! Let’s get up and do something for God today, and tomorrow, and throughout every season God’s blesses us with. There’s so much work to be done!! Will you join me?
God, You and You only have created every aspect of my life. You alone know the days of my life. Protect me from apathy and laziness. Challenge me to use my days and the time you grant me for Your purposes and for the building up of Your Kingdom. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
It has been another amazing week at FUMC! Our Children and Family Ministry team has done an outstanding job with Vacation Bible School. We have 69 children enrolled and 72 active volunteers! I now understand the deep emotion of Paul when he said to the church in Corinth "Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you—it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives." (1 Corinthians 1:4-6, The Message)
That is the exact emotion that springs up in my heart when I think about YOU and the ministry you are called to provide in our community! Praise be to the Lord!
Lately, we have been talking a great deal about God's call on our lives to serve Him with our gifts and talents. Our church continues to respond in amazing ways. If you are still on the fence about whether you have the time or the gifts to serve, may the reflection below be a challenge and an encouragement to you today.
There is a story of an old mountaineer and his wife. They were sitting in front of the fireplace one evening just whiling away the time. After a long silence, the wife said: “Jed, I think it’s raining. Go outside and check, will ya?” The old mountaineer continued to gaze into the fire for a second, sighed, then said, “Aw Ma, why don’t we just call in the dog and see if he’s wet.”
Sounds like one of my responses. There are times that we have a tendency to get lazy, don’t we? We want to do only what we need to and that transfers over, quite frequently, to our spiritual lives. At least I know it has for me. I have to pray that God helps me overcome my desire to be lazy in my physical life because it tends to easily influence my spiritual life as well.
I am reminded of John Wesley, the Father of Methodism. He traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years. He preached 4,000 sermons, produced 400 books, and learned ten languages. At age 83, he was annoyed that he could not write more than fifteen hours a day without hurting his eyes. At age 86, he felt ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning.
In comparison to John Wesley, my life is rather calm. It is not that we need to add more to our lives and get as busy as we can. The blessing comes with how we spend our lives. Do we spend it on ourselves or in service to God? There is much to do for the Kingdom today — none of us should be bored! Let’s get up and do something for God today, and tomorrow, and throughout every season God’s blesses us with. There’s so much work to be done!! Will you join me?
God, You and You only have created every aspect of my life. You alone know the days of my life. Protect me from apathy and laziness. Challenge me to use my days and the time you grant me for Your purposes and for the building up of Your Kingdom. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Simply Incredible
Hello Friends and Family,
What a week it has been, personally and professionally. As I type this blog, the church is a buzz with 100 people from Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming as our church is hosting The School of Christian Mission. The staff has been fantastic meeting to the needs of our guests. Servants have offered their time to greet all of our guests and help them find rooms in the church where their workshops are taking place. Some have put together copies of packets needed at the workshops, while others helped us make paper fans on the spur of the moment (it is HOT here!).
Even while all of this is going on, we have servants coming in and out of the church getting everything ready for Vacation Bible School starting on Sunday. I am extremely proud of our church for its willingness to take on such big projects in the name of our really big God. It fills my heart with joy to see the church serving and living out of its purpose. Praise be to God!
Now onto the personal side of my week. As many of you know, my dad had a major heart attack on Sunday after church. I got the news that he was being transported by ambulance when we were at the LIFE Group celebration. My family quickly got up to leave and, as we were leaving, I could hear Pastor Emily start a prayer for my dad. In that moment, I felt the love and support of this church and it took away any anxiety about what was to come. I was reminded in that simple act that my dad was in the arms of his Creator and there was no better place for him to be (whatever the outcome).
We got to the hospital emergency room and didn't know where to go. I had stopped by the security desk and I was so impressed with the man behind the glass. He knew who my father was and my sister (who was there with my mom) and he walked with us to the elevators and told us where we could find my family. His gentle, kind, and compassionate spirit put us at ease and I thanked God for putting that man in our path on Sunday. We entered the waiting room just as the doctor was coming out and he told us that he was amazed how my dad handled the heart attack. He told us that this was one of those attacks where you typically see the person clutch their chest and fall over dead.
To make a long story short, my dad exceeded all expectations. He was released from the hospital after two days and there is no major damage to his heart. He had a stint put in the artery that was 100% blocked, but other than that he is doing very well. The doctors kept saying how they were amazed and how there was no real explanation for it. However, I know the explanation - GOD'S GRACE and the prayers of His people.
I share these stories with you because this week has reminded me and solidified my belief that we are all ministers and called to God's work. Without the gifts and willingness of the servants who have filled our church this week, FUMC would not be able to host our Conference event or provide an opportunity for children to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ through VBS. Without the gifts of prayer and faithfulness, our family would not have felt the comfort and peace in our drive to Colorado Springs. Without the gift of compassion from a security officer, we would not have experienced the extended hand of God in our time of need at the hospital.
These all seem like simple acts - but they make incredible impact when we choose to allow God to use us and when we are willing to serve Him with our lives. Thank you for serving our Lord and making an impact on my life and the life of my family.
Gracious God and Loving Savior, by Your hand we are comforted. By Your Word we are put at ease. By Your love we are filled with strength. By the willing lives of those around us, You are made real in our lives. Thank you for those people in my life that love You, grow with You, and serve You. Remind me of the seeds they have sown in me when You call me to be Your hands, feet, and voice in this world. I thank you, Lord for being simply incredible! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
What a week it has been, personally and professionally. As I type this blog, the church is a buzz with 100 people from Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming as our church is hosting The School of Christian Mission. The staff has been fantastic meeting to the needs of our guests. Servants have offered their time to greet all of our guests and help them find rooms in the church where their workshops are taking place. Some have put together copies of packets needed at the workshops, while others helped us make paper fans on the spur of the moment (it is HOT here!).
Even while all of this is going on, we have servants coming in and out of the church getting everything ready for Vacation Bible School starting on Sunday. I am extremely proud of our church for its willingness to take on such big projects in the name of our really big God. It fills my heart with joy to see the church serving and living out of its purpose. Praise be to God!
Now onto the personal side of my week. As many of you know, my dad had a major heart attack on Sunday after church. I got the news that he was being transported by ambulance when we were at the LIFE Group celebration. My family quickly got up to leave and, as we were leaving, I could hear Pastor Emily start a prayer for my dad. In that moment, I felt the love and support of this church and it took away any anxiety about what was to come. I was reminded in that simple act that my dad was in the arms of his Creator and there was no better place for him to be (whatever the outcome).
We got to the hospital emergency room and didn't know where to go. I had stopped by the security desk and I was so impressed with the man behind the glass. He knew who my father was and my sister (who was there with my mom) and he walked with us to the elevators and told us where we could find my family. His gentle, kind, and compassionate spirit put us at ease and I thanked God for putting that man in our path on Sunday. We entered the waiting room just as the doctor was coming out and he told us that he was amazed how my dad handled the heart attack. He told us that this was one of those attacks where you typically see the person clutch their chest and fall over dead.
To make a long story short, my dad exceeded all expectations. He was released from the hospital after two days and there is no major damage to his heart. He had a stint put in the artery that was 100% blocked, but other than that he is doing very well. The doctors kept saying how they were amazed and how there was no real explanation for it. However, I know the explanation - GOD'S GRACE and the prayers of His people.
I share these stories with you because this week has reminded me and solidified my belief that we are all ministers and called to God's work. Without the gifts and willingness of the servants who have filled our church this week, FUMC would not be able to host our Conference event or provide an opportunity for children to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ through VBS. Without the gifts of prayer and faithfulness, our family would not have felt the comfort and peace in our drive to Colorado Springs. Without the gift of compassion from a security officer, we would not have experienced the extended hand of God in our time of need at the hospital.
These all seem like simple acts - but they make incredible impact when we choose to allow God to use us and when we are willing to serve Him with our lives. Thank you for serving our Lord and making an impact on my life and the life of my family.
Gracious God and Loving Savior, by Your hand we are comforted. By Your Word we are put at ease. By Your love we are filled with strength. By the willing lives of those around us, You are made real in our lives. Thank you for those people in my life that love You, grow with You, and serve You. Remind me of the seeds they have sown in me when You call me to be Your hands, feet, and voice in this world. I thank you, Lord for being simply incredible! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Thursday, July 8, 2010
What do you do with the lemons?
Good afternoon!
I pray all is well. I am finally back from vacation and we appreciate the prayers while we were gone. We had a wonderful time as a family, but it is always good to be home. However, I am struggling a bit getting back into a "normal" routine. When you have 11 days off, new habits start to form. It's all good, though!
I don't know how many of you enjoy comedy, but I really enjoy listening to and watching comedians perform their craft. I find it such a wonderful gift that God has created in these individuals to bring laughter and joy to the people around them. I especially enjoy improvisational comedy and am in awe of those who do it so brilliantly.
One of the things that makes for a good comic (in my view) is the ability to surprise you by looking at a situation or event differently. To do this, the delivery has to be perfect, but when done with perfection, it can have you rolling on the floor. As I was surfing the internet this week in search of something else, I came across the beginning of a well known phrase. See if you can finish it for me: "When life gives you lemons..."
I am sure that many of you finished the phrase with, "...make lemonade". I did the same. But, on this particular occasion, I was suprised by the comedic ending that was in front of me. The whole phrase said this: "When life gives you lemons, give them away and drink a Dr. Pepper!" I loved it! It had me laughing! Not only because it mentions Dr. Pepper as the ONLY soft drink that can effectively take away the sourness of life, but because I didn't expect it and it had me thinking of that phrase in a different way.
After laughing and making sure I printed out the quote to put on the wall in my office, I got to thinking of its deeper significance. I thought about the lemons in my life. The annoyances. The distractions. The sins. The open wounds. The scars. I wondered, "What do you do with the lemons?"
The old adage of "making lemonade" is still good advice. Take the difficult situations of life and difficult experiences and turn them into something good...something that honors God. We are reminded in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
But sometimes I think that the lemons in my life are too sour, too rotten to turn into lemonade. I think there isn't enough sugar in the world to make that lemonade taste good. What do I do with those kinds of lemons?
Luke 5:37-38 tells us, "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins." 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a NEW creation, the old has GONE, and the new has COME!" (emphasis added)
There are times in which I need to discard completely the sour lemons in my life in order to experience the newness Christ wants to see in me. The new life cannot live with the old one, nor the old with the new. As the new adage says, I need to get rid of the lemons and "taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8)
So, do you have some lemons in your life? If so, you may be wondering what to do with them. You may be able to make them into lemonade, or you may have to discard them completely. But, one thing I know for sure, when you give them to God you won't have to worry about them any more!
Precious Lord, there are lemons in my life. I have been sour in my attitude, my thinking, my speaking, and my living. I have wounds that will not heal and a heart that tends to be acidic at times. Save me from the lemons in my life. Take them from me and create within me a new heart, a new mind, and a new life. Restore me and reconcile me to Your will and purpose so that I may share the sweetness of living life with You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
I pray all is well. I am finally back from vacation and we appreciate the prayers while we were gone. We had a wonderful time as a family, but it is always good to be home. However, I am struggling a bit getting back into a "normal" routine. When you have 11 days off, new habits start to form. It's all good, though!
I don't know how many of you enjoy comedy, but I really enjoy listening to and watching comedians perform their craft. I find it such a wonderful gift that God has created in these individuals to bring laughter and joy to the people around them. I especially enjoy improvisational comedy and am in awe of those who do it so brilliantly.
One of the things that makes for a good comic (in my view) is the ability to surprise you by looking at a situation or event differently. To do this, the delivery has to be perfect, but when done with perfection, it can have you rolling on the floor. As I was surfing the internet this week in search of something else, I came across the beginning of a well known phrase. See if you can finish it for me: "When life gives you lemons..."
I am sure that many of you finished the phrase with, "...make lemonade". I did the same. But, on this particular occasion, I was suprised by the comedic ending that was in front of me. The whole phrase said this: "When life gives you lemons, give them away and drink a Dr. Pepper!" I loved it! It had me laughing! Not only because it mentions Dr. Pepper as the ONLY soft drink that can effectively take away the sourness of life, but because I didn't expect it and it had me thinking of that phrase in a different way.
After laughing and making sure I printed out the quote to put on the wall in my office, I got to thinking of its deeper significance. I thought about the lemons in my life. The annoyances. The distractions. The sins. The open wounds. The scars. I wondered, "What do you do with the lemons?"
The old adage of "making lemonade" is still good advice. Take the difficult situations of life and difficult experiences and turn them into something good...something that honors God. We are reminded in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
But sometimes I think that the lemons in my life are too sour, too rotten to turn into lemonade. I think there isn't enough sugar in the world to make that lemonade taste good. What do I do with those kinds of lemons?
Luke 5:37-38 tells us, "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins." 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a NEW creation, the old has GONE, and the new has COME!" (emphasis added)
There are times in which I need to discard completely the sour lemons in my life in order to experience the newness Christ wants to see in me. The new life cannot live with the old one, nor the old with the new. As the new adage says, I need to get rid of the lemons and "taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8)
So, do you have some lemons in your life? If so, you may be wondering what to do with them. You may be able to make them into lemonade, or you may have to discard them completely. But, one thing I know for sure, when you give them to God you won't have to worry about them any more!
Precious Lord, there are lemons in my life. I have been sour in my attitude, my thinking, my speaking, and my living. I have wounds that will not heal and a heart that tends to be acidic at times. Save me from the lemons in my life. Take them from me and create within me a new heart, a new mind, and a new life. Restore me and reconcile me to Your will and purpose so that I may share the sweetness of living life with You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)