What Is "Enough

 Remember this saying, "A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot
of seeds make a big harvest."  Each of you must make up your
own mind about how much to give. But don't feel sorry that you
must give and don't feel that you are forced to give. God loves
people who love to give.  God can bless you with everything you
need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others.  The Scriptures say, "God freely gives his gifts to the poor, and always does right."

What Is "Enough"?
Too often we humans are dissatisfied with our lot. Cultural messages stoke our dissatisfaction, encouraging us to believe that "enough" is just out of reach, and that we need to keep striving for it.
It's a very old problem, one illustrated in a short story published in 1886 by Leo Tolstoy called "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" (www.katinkahesselink.net/other/tolstoy.html). Pahom, a peasant, purchases a small tract of land. The harvest is good. His debts are paid. He is content. But soon he yearns for more.
One day he hears of more land that is offered at "one thousand rubles a day." How much land that would be? "As much as you can go round on your feet in a day," Pahom is told. The next day he sets off at dawn and walks and walks without resting.
As the sun is about to set, he is still far from his starting point. He begins running, his heart beating like a hammer. He reaches his goal just in time and falls to the ground. When a servant comes to help Pahom to his feet, he is dead. "Six feet [of land] from his head to his heels was all he needed," writes Tolstoy.
The good news is that God's "more than enough" is not an offer to indulge in "more, bigger, better." Instead God's abundance turns us toward others. As the 2 Corinthians reminds us: God can bless us with more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. May you be blessed to bless others through our gracious, generous God who provides more than enough.

Together In Christ,
Pastor Lane

Discovery Weekend

 

Spiritual Entrepreneurs

begins September 23/24

During every period of renewal, the church has been univer­sally committed to six theological principles. These 6 principles for risking renewal are:

1. The Lordship Principle: a clear focus on Jesus Christ as the object of faith.

2. The Biblical Principle: scriptural truth as the primary source for what we

believe and do.

3.The Liturgical Principle: discovery of new worship forms.

4. The Covenant Principle: commitment to the integrity of membership.

5. The Priesthood Principle: equipping the laity for ministry.

6. The Leadership Principle: spiritual entrepreneurship.

The church must have Christ-centered persons; they must be spiritual entrepreneurs who are committed to these God inspired principles. Commitment to the prophetic message of these principles is essential for renewal to take place in the church today. Join us as we explore these Godly concepts in an effort to gain renewed passion and faithfulness.

Church renewal is more than an increase in numbers and budgets. Many gimmicks can be employed to persuade people to come and sit in church pews. If our only goal were to increase attendance, we could even pay people to attend church. But until people become committed to being faithful to the will of God, their attendance is no more meaningful than membership in any other human organization or club. Church renewal consists of people in community with one another, dreaming God's vision, believing Christ's victory, and living out the Spirit's work. The evidence of renewal will be seen in transformed lives. Join us for this journey of renewal.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Lane

From the Upper Room

The Lord says, "I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise." -Isaiah 43:20-21 (NRSV)

FOR the past year or more, economic conditions worldwide have been difficult. Most of us have family, friends, and co-workers who have suffered pay cuts or even the loss of jobs, and perhaps we are living under the threat of further layoffs ourselves. It seems that nobody is exempt from this crisis. Some of us get up every day questioning, "Is this the day?" We rehearse reasons why our job is more important than our fellow workers' when in fact we know that each of our jobs is vital and each of us is equally important.

As I have become more and more dispirited, I remember the biblical account of Abraham preparing to take his son Isaac up on the mountain and sacrifice him. As a result of Abraham's trust and commitment, God provided a way out for him by sending a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac.

Companies and organizations are doing all they can to survive. I firmly believe that no matter how difficult life seems, even in the throes of such a bad economy, we can trust God. We can stay committed to doing that, knowing that we are important to God and believing that God will provide "a ram in the thicket" for us.

Shawana A. Brown (Tennessee, USA)

Our Prayer
Faithful God, no matter how difficult the circumstances may get, help us to focus on who we are and to whom we belong, trusting that you alone will supply all that we need. Amen.

God, not a job or our bank account, is the source of our security.

Easter’s meaning

In a 2010 Barna Group survey, 67% of Americans surveyed knew that Easter is a religious holiday. But only 42 percent connected its meaning to Jesus’ resurrection. And only two percent of adults said they would describe Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.

Not everyone who connects Easter to religion has the facts straight. Two percent of Americans said Easter is about Jesus’ birth. Another two percent said it’s about Jesus’ “rebirth.” And one percent said it’s a celebration of his second coming. Another three percent described Easter as a celebration of spring or a pagan holiday.

“’Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven …’ (Article II – Of the Resurrection of Christ p.60) …’He is eternal Savior and Mediator, who intercedes for us and by him all men will be judged.’ (Article II – Jesus Christ p.67)” The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2008: Our Doctrinal Standards.

In the same survey, 31 percent of active churchgoers said they’d definitely invite an unchurched friend to worship with them on Easter weekend.

This Easter, share the truth and joy of the holiday with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. News of the resurrection is too good to keep to ourselves!

LENT OFFERS A TIME FOR GROWTH…

Many of us know our IQ (intelligence quotient), but what about our SQ (spiritual quotient)?

Lent is a good time to think about the quality of your spiritual life. Do you think about God often …or rarely?

Do you pray often … or occasionally? How well do you know the Bible? The Commandments? The Beatitudes? The lives of biblical heroes and heroines?

During Lent, commit to spending more time in prayer. Also consider selecting a book of the Bible or a particular Bible character to study in-depth during this period.

Some people give up particular items or habits during Lent. If used wisely, this discipline can help you abandon things that have been interfering with your relationship with God.

Seek out devotions and books that can help strengthen your spiritual life. Examples include: Show Me the Way by Henri Nouwen, A Season for the Spirit by Martin Smith, Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado, and Lent and Easter Wisdom From Thomas Merton edited by Jonathan Montaldo.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Lane

New life in Christ

New life in Christ is more than just obeying these commandments, as important as they are. New life in Christ comes as we accept the gift of God's justifying grace through Jesus Christ. February is a time for all United Methodists to affirm that gift and to offer it to everyone.

Long-term relationships go through cycles: ups and downs, hills and valleys, good times and bad. That's true in our spiritual life, too. For many of us, our spiritual life begins with a very powerfully personal relationship with Christ. We can feel like we are on top of a mountain and have laid claim to the most important thing in all the world. And that strong and powerful feeling can stay with us and propel us for months and even years.

But I don't think I have ever found anyone who has said that they have been able to maintain that state of spiritual ecstasy throughout the entire course of their life. Sooner or later, we find ourselves in a spiritual valley.

I talked to a woman the other day who explained her situation exactly like that. 'Yes, it's true,' she said, 'I've been away from church for a long time. But you know, it goes deeper than that. I've not really had much of a spiritual life for a good number of years now. I don't know why. I used to be on fire for the Lord. I couldn't get enough of church. I read the Bible all of the time and prayed all the time too. I found ways to serve Christ every single day. But I guess the 'newness' of it all wore off and I just lost interest.'

But then she said, 'I feel something stirring in me again. Could it be the Holy Spirit? And I feel like I want to come back and start walking on my spiritual journey again.'

She really put into words what all of us experience if we enter into a relationship with the Lord. It doesn't stay on the mountaintop forever. There are valleys and great stretches of desert. We could very well 'drop out' and even move in a different direction.

But those down cycles don't last forever and more often than not there come brand-new stirrings in the heart. What would it mean for you to 'fall in love all over again' with the One whom Revelation 2:4 calls our 'first love'? This is a great time to come back home to the Lord, your first love, and renew at an even deeper and more seasoned level the most important relationship any of us will ever have in life.

-Norman Neaves, 'The Church of the Servant,'

Oklahoma City, in Thrust, August 12, 1998

From the Upper Room - Jan. 25, 2011

Our Way, or God's?

Matthew 11:28-30  (NRSV)

Jesus said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I was resting on the couch in the living room when I noticed my four-year-old son in the hallway. He was crying as he struggled to open a container with a tight lid. I asked him to bring the container to me so I could help him, but he resolutely tried to open it himself. He continued to cry, and his frustration grew. When exhaustion overcame him, he finally decided to allow me to help. He then saw how easy it was for me. He could have avoided the frustration had he come to me earlier.

This incident became a spiritual lesson for me about how to handle difficult situations. Too often, rather than seeking God's help, we try our own methods to solve our problems — and we often end up frustrated or in tears. But God's promise is before us: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." God has the solution to our problems: We can believe in and trust in God's word — and ask for God's help.

Yaneth Orozco Z. (Valle del Cauca, Colombia)

Dear loving God, help us understand that with you all things are possible. We know that we can place our problems in your care and that in you we can find rest. Amen.

Go to God first.

Where God is leading you?

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…. Ecclesiastes 3:1

As we start 2011, we look forward to where God is leading us. This year we are implementing new programs and encourage all to join in on these growth opportunities. One of these is a monthly insert from the pamphlet A Year with John Wesley and Our Methodist Values,  prepared by the Board of Discipleship in response to The United Methodist Council of Bishops call that the Church engage in intensive study of and reflection on our Wesleyan theology, polity, and practice. Throughout the year we will be publishing a monthly installment that will consist of a Wesleyan Scholar teaching point on a Wesleyan theme followed by a corresponding practice reflection by Bishop Michael Coyner. Process these thought provoking articles with your spouse, your Circle, Sunday school class and others as you make these concepts authentic to your faith practice.

Another new program emphasis in 2011 is geared toward intentional faithful development thru bible study and small groups. Small groups have been an area of growth for many persons in our church in the past, and I sense a growing hunger in others to discover a more fulfilling spiritual life. On January 22 & 23 weekend services special guest preachers will share an exciting word about a dynamic spiritual growth opportunity, Discovery Sunday. Don’t miss this wonderful life changing opportunity to connect deeper with God and others.

As we look to 2011 as a new positive beginning, let us remember the encouraging words of St. Paul “….but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” Philippians 3:13

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Lane