Don't Panic

PK’s Corner                                                   

January 2013  

Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present^* help in trouble.

One movie I really enjoy is “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”.  Though it is fundamentally wrong on most theological points, it is still fun to watch.  In the beginning segments the narrator describes the book, “… on the back in bold comforting letters are the word’s Don’t Panic”.

Actually, this is the very description of the Bible.  Throughout the pages of God’s book is the assurance that God is in charge, thus there is no need to panic.  While we may have fun with a guide to the galaxy, we actually have a guide to life and it is comforting in that through the pages we hear God say, “Don’t Panic”.

The New Year is coming, and there is much fear.  Prices still are going up, and everything else seems to be breaking down.  We don’t know what is coming next, but God tells us through the din “don’t panic, I’ve got this.”

The question is, are you willing to let God have this, or are you going to go it alone.  Trust in God for he is the refuge and strength in our times of trouble.  God has sent his son to save us, and the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide.  With God on our side, what is there to fear?

Make a resolution for the coming year to trust in God and draw closer to him.  Make reading the bible and going to church the priority this year, and you will see God is your refuge and strength.

Amen.

The event of Advent.

PK’s Corner                                                  

December 2012          

John 3:1717 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

³⁴

The Holiday season is upon us. Black Friday is past and gone.  Soon we will be reveling in festive merry making and high spirited feasting and song.    Yeah, RIGHT!

Here is the reality folk’s; Christmas is coming, but the world is pointing us in the wrong direction.  Christmas hymns are being rewritten to advertise for large shopping chains, the holiday of Thanksgiving is now simply considered Black Friday Eve.  I join with many other voices you will hear in shouting that we have forgotten the meaning of Christmas.

The next four weeks are supposed to be about preparing for the coming of a King, not the roasting of a goose.  The next four weeks are about reflecting on why Christ came to earth, not how we are going to pay for the overabundant debt that will be incurred this season.  We are not celebrating the birth of a good man, or a great teacher, or awesome leader; we are honoring the presence of the SON OF GOD.

I implore you to seek out the one who was born in a manger, for he is calling you.  I beg you to use this time of Advent to deepen your relationship with God, and to make stronger your ties to the body of Christ.  I urge you to worship and join in the praise and thanks giving to a God that seeks the world’s salvation, not its destruction. 

We run the risk of becoming too busy for God, and that is how the devil works, but God is greater than that.  Christmas is more than presents, feasts and parties; it is about the kingdom of God.  Advent is here to allow us time prepare for the coming of Emmanuel.

Christ came so that you and I would know eternal life, not so that we could see who got the bigger TV.  Use these next 4 weeks to remember what Christ has done and is doing.

Amen

Why a Methodist?

PK’s Corner                                                   

 November 2012        

Matthew 28:19a “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” ³⁴

In Southeast Missouri, the United Methodist Church is dwarfed by the number of other denominational and non-denominational churches.  Over the past few years, I have come to question why I am a Methodist. 

Why am I a Methodist?  Because of what was started in a college “Holy Club” almost 300 years ago. 

Why am I a Methodist?   Because John Wesley decided to follow Christ’s example and become “more vile” and start preaching to the poor and outcast rather than the churched elite.

Why am I a Methodist?  Because historically, the Methodist movement has been at the fringe of society and civilization, offering the word of God to those who can’t get to a church.

Why am I a Methodist?  Because in Methodism I see a love for God that crosses denominational, philosophical, and physical barriers put up by the world.

Why am I a Methodist?  Because in my heart of hearts, I know God has called me to preach, teach and serve in this denomination. 

Why am I a Methodist?  Because the more I learn of God’s call in my life, the more I see how this denomination can help fulfill that call.

Why am I a Methodist? Because we offer an openness that opens hearts, minds and doors to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

In a country that is full of denominational angst, and in a time where denominational affiliation is not the “in thing”, Methodism still guides, leads and brings people to Christ.  And after people accept Christ, Methodism offers a path to grow closer and seek a deeper relationship with God.

Methodism is not the only way to Christ, but for me it is the right way.  I thank God for what John Wesley, Charles Wesley, Francis Asbury and others started so long ago. 

Amen

Cost of Faith

 October 2012

John 10: 39b “….Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ³⁴

What is your faith costing you?

Now there is a conversation starter.  What would happen if you asked your friends, family, neighbors this question?  Would there be an awkward silence and then a switch to a new subject?  Would we discuss the cost of discipleship or start talking about the local football team? 

But, really, what is your faith costing you?  Or is it costing anything? 

When was the last time you came to church?  Were you hoping for God’s presence rather than a comfortable seat?  When was the last time you felt God calling you to step out of your box and into a ministry?  When was the last time you actively did ministry in your church or community?

The point is, faith must cost, because unless we are willing to lay down everything for Christ, we really aren’t willing to follow Christ.  That’s right, you cannot have the world and Christ too, and you have to make a decision. 

The son’s of Thunder (James and John) were told that they would drink from the cup that Christ drank from.  Later James would be martyred and John would die in exile of old age after numerous tortures.  The reality, Faith costs, and if it is not costing you anything, then there is a pretty fair bet you aren’t in it.

Is Christ calling you to move outside you comfort zone, to start or restart a ministry?  Is the Holy Spirit laying on your heart saying “There is more to be done”?  Listen to them.  Hear what God has for you, because the true cost of discipleship, is truly no cost at all, it is the releasing of what ties us to the world.

So, what is your faith costing you?

Amen

Praise the Lord

 

 September 2012        

1 Chronicles 16:34 “³⁴O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. “

Sometimes, we get so busy in the blessings that God rains down upon us, that we forget to truly be thankful.  God is a good God and he is good all the time.  We sometimes get so sidetracked that we forget to give thanks for what God is doing in our lives.

As I look back over this summer, I see many things to give thanks for.  Not just for me personally, but especially for the church.  This past summer has seen one of the best VBS programs we have ever had, we have seen the growth of a new UMM group.  The church has taken up the charter for Scouting in Doniphan and has become the home for the scouts.  We have a new Sunday school class for adults and growth in our children’s program.  Our prayer group has now been going for a year and we have watched God work his wonder.  The 8:00 service has doubled in regular attendance.  God is truly blessing Doniphan.

This fall God has opened the mission field for us.  We welcome our sister church Neelyville UMC to the fold.  We pray that together the ministry of God will touch and change lives in both communities.  Our leadership in both churches is stepping up to lead us into a future of ministry and outreach that we have only dreamed of.  Yes, God is good, all the time.

As we go into this new season and travel together, let’s not forget to give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Amen

Strategic Withdrawal

 August 2012 

Mark 6:31 “He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”

The United States Military does not retreat; it instead does a strategic withdrawal and re-group.  The idea being that you are not leaving the field of battle, you are preparing for the next engagement.

Jesus knew the importance of retreat.  He constantly was finding a quiet place to be with his father, a place of strategic withdrawal and regrouping.  He sought a place to focus on the Father.  In this passage, Christ tries to give the same gift of withdrawal to the disciples. 

The reality is this; God knows we cannot burn with evangelistic fire 24 hours, 7 days a week.  Ministry in the church must be done with healthy, well fed souls, not worn-out, malnourished spirits.  How can you help someone have a healthy relationship with God if you don’t take time to nourish your spirit?  A healthy spirit means a healthy relationship with God.

Ministers are the worst at self-care.  We tend to try to satisfy as many people as we can, and thus neglect our own spirit.  So take it from me, self-care is important.  Christ continually calls us to a quiet place to re-group and re-focus.

Where is your deserted place, where do you find quiet and re-focus?  Do you have a quiet place?  If not, I encourage you to get one, go to it daily, make it a part of your spiritual health journey.  Find your place where you and God can converse as parent and child.

Amen

Ministry

PK’s Corner                                                   

 July 2012       

Isaiah 41:10 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God…”

On June 9, 2012, a stage in my journey of faith and ministry came to a junction.  I was ordained an Elder in full connection in the United Methodist Church.  This event was the culmination of 7 years of seminary, 4 years of preparation, 3 years of provisional status and untold hours of prayer by me and those around me.  All this was within 13 years of ministry as a local pastor.

The route to ordination is not an easy one, nor is it meant to be. It is one that requires much study and soul searching.  There are many times of disappointment, heart break and questioning of God’s call in our lives.  Yet through it all a still small voice said to me “Fear not, I am with you, be not dismayed…”  It has been a long journey, and it is just the beginning.

Now a new chapter begins, one that calls me to be more accountable, more careful, more caring and more passionate about the flock.  Now I stand not just before a congregation, but I answer for the whole church.  Now I am an authority where before I was under the authority.

The implications of ordination for me are awesome to contemplate.  The world to which  I am called to minister is bigger, the issues more profound, and the urgency more severe.  But that is the call I answered and will follow.

We are all called to ministry in the church, some to ordained, others to service, others to love, but all are called.  For me, my path is before me, to go where God calls the church to send me, to make disciples for the salvation of the world.  But what about your path, what has God called you to do.  Have you heard the still small voice that says “fear not”?  Have you trusted in God to hear his call for your life?

I challenge you to listen to God and to his call for your life.  Ordination may not be for everyone, but everyone is called to serve God, what is your call?

Amen

Born from above

PK’s Corner                                                   

 June 2012      

John 3:3 “Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above”.

This verse and the verses that follow run counter to the culture we live in today.  The world tells us that we are okay in our sin, and yet tries to sell us something that makes us better.  We are told not to judge the lifestyles of others, and yet we see lives cut short through drugs, alcohol, physical and sexual abuse.  I think one of the great travesties in life is when we are convinced that God accepts us the way we are and we don’t need to be changed

What we overlook is that while God created us good, we ruined that goodness with sin.  This is not a popular notion in the world, or in many of our churches.  We are a marred image of God and thus we are not okay.  But what must we do?

We must be willing to be changed.  Notice I did not say be willing to change, but be willing to be changed, for you see, we cannot change on our own.  Only the creator can change us.  We must be born again, only this time from above. 

Jesus was talking with Nicodemus, a man who thought he was in good standing with God and this passage took the wind out of his sails.  It should be doing the same thing to us. 

In our sin state, we are not able to see the kingdom.  It is only after we have looked upon Christ with the desire to be changed that we can know what God’s love is all about.

The reality of the Christian religion is this, unless we are willing to be changed through Christ, we can have nothing to do with God.

Amen

Know It

PK's Corner   May 2012                             

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.

“A little knowledge can do a lot of damage”, I heard this statement once from a doctor who had just finished treating an infected wound.  The patient felt he knew enough to heal the wound, but he was incomplete in the cleaning, and the wound became infected.

Our spiritual journey runs the risk of being an infected wound.  If we are not continuing our learning and growing in Christ, then we run the risk of being “destroyed for lack of knowledge”.

In the world today, there is much incomplete knowledge of the bible and its teachings.  Many times we quote the bible only to find out our quote wasn’t even in the bible to begin with.  Pride also steps up and even in us ministers; we will neglect our studies because we feel we “know it all”.

We can never know it all and that is why Christians must be constant in study.  God is worthy of knowing, and learning about.  We cannot rely on our own abilities to share the Good News of Christ; we must study constantly so we can share the word, for all things necessary for salvation are in the bible.  There is no secret knowledge, it is all available to us, but we must be willing to study and grow in Christ.

Lack of knowledge will destroy a church and a soul.  If we act without knowledge of Christ, we run the risk of sharing a limited savior to a world that needs all of Christ.  

If you proclaim to know Christ, then get to know him.  Prayer, study, worship, service, praise, are just a few of the hallmarks of a true Christian life.  Don’t neglect your studies, because the world needs to know the truth.

Amen

Peace

PK’s Corner :                                                         March 2012




Mark 4:39 “He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.”

The world is not a peaceful. Political, social and economic events are over riding the spiritual peace in our lives. Watching friends and family hurt because of the storms in life brings the storm into our own lives.

All too often we go to Jesus in prayer and scream at the top of our lungs, “don’t you care that we are about to drown and die”. Our lives are so busy and we try to make ends meet and things are not working out.

Jesus’ response to us, “Peace, be still”, these are not words to take lightly, for what storm will swallow the savior, and what bad can overcome the blessing of Christ. Christ can bring peace, but we need to listen to that still peaceful voice.

Later Jesus would say ‘Peace, be with you” and he gives us peace, but we have to be open to it. The storms of life are nothing compared to the peace of Christ. The world cannot give us peace nor does it want to, for the world has kicked up the storm. Only Christ can give true peace and calm the storms in our life.

Let you heart be open, be not afraid, let Christ give you peace. If you give him your all; your fears, your concerns, your regrets, your hopes, your dreams, and yes your life, then you will truly feel the peace of Christ.



Amen

Fear not.

PK’s Corner February 2012



Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I AM with you…for I am your God. I will strengthen you…”



As we continue in our journey through this New Year, there is still an element of fear. We fear the unknown. We fear the power of others. For many of us, there is an innate fear of the political process.

But that doesn’t need to be. Isaiah, sharing Gods word to Judah, reassures them of God’s presence in their lives. There was much to fear then, nations sought to conquer and destroy the people of God and yet God says, “I AM with you.”

God is with us, always, there is no need to fear. Jesus even assured us before going into heaven that he would be with us “even to the end of the age.” We are never alone, and we need not fear what tomorrow will bring, for God is with us and God will strengthen us.
Are you living in fear, is the night too dark, or the road too harsh, turn to God, for God is our strength and redeemer. With God there is no need to fear, there is only wonder, awe and absolute love.

Do not fear, for God is near.

Amen