Let's face it: You only want me for my sermons!

Every week I spend time preparing words I pray will be 1) faithful to God and 2) helpful for all us to grow in our understanding of who God is and what our response to God should be. The sermon play below should have most of our sermons available. It also includes scripture reading links you should make use of as well.

If you are having trouble viewing the player below, you can visit my sermon channel here. Please let me know if you have any issues.

This was too funny not to post. Is he worried he won't see any more church offering plates?

I had forgotten to put this sermon up yesterday. One day at one of the Mercedes churches I did a lesson with members of the youth group. Part of the activities was to think of an advertising slogan that could be used in church (i.e. God's like scotch tape; you can't see Him, but you know He's there). Mine was from the Payless shoestore commercial; they're slogan was the title of this sermon. Who knew all these years later I'd get to used it.



Exodus 16:1-15
Matthew 20:1-16

The family was able to return to Galveston and get a first hand look at the damage from the hurricane. Mom said it's everything you see on television and worse. There's no way the TV can portray the stinch and desolate feeling accurately. One of my sisters was able to send me pictures of the house. It is still standing, but there is little hope anything can be done to repair it. Wow! That's an emotion that is difficult to explain.

I don't know if that is exactly how the Israelites felt, but it has to be close. Sure I, like many others, give them a hard time. We tend to focus on their disbelief and disobedience way more than their times of victory and faithfulness. That might very well be the intent of the OT writers so to keep us aware of our short comings as well. In this week's lectionary reading the Israelites are complaining again. Considering the events of the past 10 days or so (and when I go beyond myself and family, things that have happened that have impacted the lives of so many people I don't know) I have to wonder at first why Moses would be surprised at their complaining now.

Of course, part of the problem is they seem to have forgotten what God had already done for them. First, they were delivered from slavery in a most dramatic fashion. Then as they had been traveling they were hungry. I wonder how much I would have been complaining, too! This week they have no water. Hello! Its hard to live without water.

Perhaps we aren't stuck in a desert without water. It seems hard, however, not to complain when you are searching for any small trinket to salvage to escape a feeling of complete loss. We press on, though. The important thing to find in our search for hope is our faith as well. Complaining may seem the appropriate reaction or emotion; it may even feel like the only thing to do. We should not, however, forget what God has done for us. God will provide. He always has. It is our belief in those things not seen that strengthens us. We may loose everything around us, but our faith stays where we keep it and if we have it near it will be what helps us find God in all things with us. Stay blessed...john

My mom found out their house is still standing. As of Monday night there was still about a foot and a half of water inside. My sisters both know their apartments have water damage. The rest of my family have yet to find anything out about their homes.

I still haven't decided which is worse--coming back to see your home in ruins (beyond repair) or coming back and not seeing your home.

It was just a small idea. We change our marquis each week to reflect (hopefully) this week's sermon. I thought I would post those here. You can also see what's going on at Oak Haven. Stay blessed...john

Television newscasts have not done a good job in providing information--as far as I am concerned. The most info I have been able to get has been from a business that is running at less than full capacity and another company's building.

The Galveston County News provides good information and pictures describing some of the clean up and devastation. Here is there website: The Galveston County News
Stay blessed...john and gloria

We know there are many of you who have been in prayer for the people who live on the Gulf Coast. Particularly, I know you have been praying for our family. I can’t tell you how much that means. Here’s a quick update:

• My mom and step dad are with my grandparents in High Island. The town is surrounded by water; so, there’s not getting out right now, but they are fine.
• My dad and his family went to Victoria; they will heading back today (Sunday) to Texas City.
• Two of my sisters are in Houston where the older one lives; they’re fine.
• My younger brother is at a camp in Kerrville; so, he’s okay.
• My grandmother stayed at a hospital in Texas City. She was transferred yesterday to another hospital. They were without water and power. She was pretty scared since they were going to be taking her by helicopter. Last week she broke her hip and wrist in a fall.
• A couple of aunts and uncles went to San Antonio. Some of them are coming to stay with us for at least a few days.

Of course, no one knows for sure any damage they may have. It sounds like there are a lot of hear-say. That tends to keep people unsettled. The news reports don’t help. They haven’t really shown anything more than a few blocks of the Seawall. Gloria and I have been a little frustrated about that. Thanks for your concern. We’ll keep you updated. Stay blessed…john

The question arose: Do you think the catholic church was too pragmatic in its approach to the lapsi (those who lapsed in their confession of the Christian faith in the face of persecution), or do you think the Novationists were too harsh? Why? Also, why do you think the Novationist position did not prevail?

Here is a little detail about the Novationsists. Essentially, they were a group of early church believers that openly opposed allowing those people who had denied their faith facing persecution to return to the church.

As a person whose life has been touched by it, I prefer to tread alongside the avenues of grace. So, I would have to believe the Novationists were too harsh in their stance against those who succumbed to the pressures of persecution and, as the text points out was the belief of bishops everywhere, failed to defend their faith in Christ—an action that consequently removed them from the community.

In all reality, each of us will face experiences that will present opportunities for a faithful demonstration of our new life in Christ. These experiences, however, could also prove not to be one of our finer moments of faith. Each follower of Christ, we will assume, would hope for the conviction and assurance that would inspire great stands against the opposing forces of our faith no matter the intensity or magnitude of the situation. Does that always happen in our lives?

Fortunately, most of us will not have to live under the threat of real persecution many of our early church brethren faced. That said, it is rather difficult to make a confident profession for either group. We can only look to their motives. Is the catholic church hoping to reestablish and/or build on the unity of the church after facing persecution? Are the Novationists looking to keep the church pure to prevent further erosion of the church?

The main question brought to mind images of the twelfth chapter of Romans. A sacrifice can take on many forms, especially in our modern world where so many other things besides faith scream for our attention and where we share a greater awareness of the needs of others. We consider weekly schedule rearranging to fit church events a sacrifice. We speak of sacrificing time in leisure to do Bible study, prayer or other forms of piety. We also spend time in our thoughts deciding whether offering assistance to someone (whatever forms that might be) was worth the time and effort, or if we would do it again. It appears our images of sacrifice, both to our God and to our church communities, might be somewhat different from early church members. This would make it somewhat difficult to consider what Paul’s words really meant to early church members. At the same time, the Novationists’ and other early church members’ idea of death being the ultimate sacrifice has not been lost in our time. That is something we are reminded of continually, especially in a time of war.

Reading on in Romans 12, Paul instructs the church to not repay evil for evil and to live in peace with others. This invitation is to be given to our enemies. It would not be a far stretch to assume our enemies would be some of those involved in our persecution. They are allowed the privilege of some sort of reconciliation, or at least a demonstration of grace. How much more so would our brothers, both in blood and faith, merit such considerations?

Also, how do the words of the One in whom loyalty is either affirmed or denied fit into the Novationists’ practice? Consider Jesus’ teaching recorded in Matthew 18:15-18. As some early manuscripts do not include the phrase “against you” in verse 15, some commentators have suggested Jesus is not merely referring to a personal misdealing with someone, but rather an issue of church loyalty and/or practice. This would be an ideal place to include the lapsi. Taken in that context we could suggest, if “your brother” sins against the church this is what you should do. It would appear the catholic church, whether intentionally or not, is in line more with that idea.

The text argues this was the only line of dissension between the two groups. If that is true then as persecution in the form the church had experienced dwindled or became less prominent, it would be safe to assume the stance would eventually be irrelevant. That is to say the issue does not sustain its priority among leaders of the church. So, the Novationists’ exclusion became less and less admirable or even necessary.

So, the question had to do with being in a new/unfamiliar church setting and focusing on what is coming next at each interval of the service/program (do I stand here, what does this mean, why do we do this, who is that big headed guy up front in the black dress, etc). For our purposes, we’ll make this a small discussion regarding church visitors.

You want your visitors to feel comfortable enough to participate in your congregation’s worship time. Perhaps, however, your church presents an experience that is radically different from what they are accustomed to. Or it may be your visitors have little or no experience in a church environment.

What, if anything, should/could we do to encourage them to use the service as a time of personal reflection and/or worship and not be preoccupied with those kinds of things? One suggestion that arose was having a time after the service to answer questions or take time to explain certain elements of a worship gathering. In other words experience now, ask when it’s over. The idea reminded me of shooting first and asking questions later. I thought that was a great idea. However, my experience has led me to believe most people are ready for lunch when the bells striketh noon (or some time there about).

Are there any thoughts are comments? How’s this for a bulletin line: During the course of our time of worship you may hear a term used that is new to you. There may also be parts of the service you find unfamiliar. It is easy for those of us who have followed the same routine for a while to forget how some of our traditions might be different from other churches and/or faith communities. Please do not be overly concerned or disappointed by those differences. Use this time to be in Christian community and worship with others. After the service, once you have had a chance to fully participate in our worship time, please contact me with your questions regarding particular elements in today’s service.

That’s got to be a big bulletin. Anyways, I was just thinking. Stay blessed…john

Here's something I think we'll let the kids play. It's called Anatomy Arcade. Use the mouse to correctly place bones of the body.
+Ursi

We Remember:

I remember:

• A teacher making us turn off the television and getting back to schoolwork. So, we all used to internet to keep up for a while until we protested and made her turn it back on.
• Wanting to go to help so bad. I had no clue how I would get there or what I would do.
  
• Wondering where it was going to happen next. I think many of us wondered how many more targets there were going to be.
  
• Going into class and looking it up on foxnews.com. When I first went in that morning someone mentioned a plane hitting the first building. I saw a picture of it and we thought it was a big accident.
  
• A fellow student dropping his head into his hands after the first building collapsed. This guy was supposed to be the coolest, doesn't care about anyone type. Yea, buddy we all need God.
  
• Going to work that night (Wal-Mart) to a quieted store with constant coverage on the television monitors. It seemed like no one was joking or goofing off.
  
• Being glued to television for days. No brainer.
  
• Answering those questions from others. In school and at work I was the the church boy. So, everyone wanted to know why and where's God and all that kind of stuff.
  
• A reporter commenting that we finally knew how people in eastern countries feel because they get bombed everyday. He said it was a part of life and that they are used to it. What a dork.
• Really wanting to hurt someone.
• Wondering how to explain this to little Brittani (because the others weren't there, yet).
• a bunch of other little details about that day.
  

It's funny what you recall about that kind of day. Stay blessed...john

I don’t know what your schedule looks like. You’re probably busy and have a million things to do. Believe me I totally understand. I want to offer to you a great way to focus on what matters (Luke 10:41-42). Have you ever sat in your church’s sanctuary alone? Of course, that would probably mean you would have to contact your pastor or figure out some way to get in the building. Whatever it takes, try it. Here at Oak Have our one building makes it something that is very easy to do; it was the same in Edinburg. At Bandera I had to walk a few buildings over and sometimes that just couldn’t happen.

But sitting in that sacred place has always blessed me. I’ve used that quiet time to center on God, remember what He has already shown me, the work He has done and is doing in the church, give thanks for the people who meet there regularly, pray for those who aren’t there, to pray, to sing, even just to unwind.

I know that would probably be something that would take more effort on your part than it would for me. But I think you would find it worth your time. If you can’t find anywhere to go give me a call; I’ll open up for you. Stay blessed…john

The other day I was having a conversation with someone. This person was describing how they ended up in Perkins. Perkins wasn’t the first choice to be. No, there wasn’t another seminary lined up. Rather there was a job in a church in New Mexico (I don’t remember exactly what the position was, but something to do with children). The church flew in this applicant to participate in a few weekend activities including a Sunday worship time.

As far as this person could tell the weekend was great. After having time with some of the kids and families there was already a small connection. However, the church called (on this person’s birthday) to inform them they offered the position to another applicant. This person had to know so the question was asked what persuaded the final decision. The church thought this person was too young (22 years) and wouldn’t be able to relate to some of the situations working with families would present.

That got me thinking. I’ve never faced that. At least I haven’t dealt with it. I’ve been working closely with youth and other areas of the church since I was about the same age as this person was. There have been a few times when the question of whether I was too inexperienced with church leadership to be assigned to certain positions within the church. I don’t think, however, I have ever heard someone tell me I was too young to understand something. Maybe someone should have, I dunno!

It’s actually been quite the opposite. I’ve often questioned how much of what I was allowed to do was because of my age. What I mean to say is people were just excited to see someone young interested in church. I know for a fact I have benefited from some of our conference’s (SWTX) initiatives on younger clergy. The first time I met with a DS to talk about ministry I left with books, schedules, agendas and other stuff (some of these things were what you have to request and pay for to have them mailed to you). I’ve wondered as well how much is too much when it comes to branding young clergy. No, I’m not against it. I don’t want us overcome by some of the desperate statistics that tell us how many of our clergy will be retired in the next decade and just go after anybody.

If our churches are doing what they’re supposed to, we probably wouldn’t have to go after anyone. This calling comes after you. Again, I’m not knocking, questioning or criticizing what our conferences are doing. I’m glad they are concerned with it. I’m just making a few observations based on some of my experience. So, what about it? Is there a certain age or life situation (i.e. marriage, children etc) that has to be met in order to be able to work professionally in ministry? Is there any difference from other fields? Is this person’s experience isolated? What would benefit younger clergy/leaders most? Do the old people just need to get out of the way (ha ha, it’s a joke!)?

Stay blessed…john

Okay, so I'm getting more and more info about things in the North Texas Conference. Here is an event coming up that should be worth anyone's time:

The North Texas Conference Lay Speaking Ministries is pleased to offer an outstanding workshop on Teaching and Preaching to conference Clergy and Laity. Our leader will be the Rev. Dr. Alyce M. McKenzie, Associate Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Rev. McKenzie offered this topic, “Five Alive,” at the 2008 session of the Perkins Theological School for the Laity in March. At that time, she limited her focus to the study of scripture using our five senses. After the session, she was approached by participants with the idea of expanding the course to include learners' development of a sermon based on the study. Her immediate response was, “That sounds like a great idea!” This workshop grew out of that conversation.

We are also pleased that for the first time, Lay Speaking Ministries training in the North Texas Conference has been certified for continuing education credit for pastors and others. We have worked hard to bring Lay Speaking Ministries training to this level of quality, and we thank Perkins School of Theology for being our certifying partner in this endeavor.

I can provide more information later. Stay blessed...john

This is from an email I received:

Dear colleague,

There are many churches all across America that use traditional worship as their primary way of doing worship services. Jim Bankston, pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston believes in the importance of traditional worship and St. Paul’s does only traditional worship. The large United Methodist Church I served for over 30 years in Tulsa does both traditional and contemporary worship. We are both committed to finding ways to do traditional worship better. We believe it will make a significant difference for the church to be able to improve the quality of traditional worship.


Therefore, we are holding a national conference on November 11-13, 2008 called Traditional Worship for Contemporary People. The event will be held at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston and features some of the great, practical experts on traditional worship. Although this conference has been designed primarily out of the United Methodist tradition, we want to respect all the customs of traditional worship. We hope that you will come to the conference and enjoy it. You can view the brochure and more information at HYPERLINK "http://www.leadershipnexus.net/houston.htm"www.leadershipnexus.net/houston.htm. Feel free to make copies of the brochure for your friends, or forward this email to them. There are many aspects of the conference that will add unusual excitement and effectiveness to any traditional worship service.

Please email me if you have any questions. You can register by mail or online at HYPERLINK "http://www.leadershipnexus.net/houston.htm"www.leadershipnexus.net/houston.htm. I hope you will begin that process as soon as possible and get the early discount!

Yours in Christ,
Bob Pierson

Sounds interesting. Stay blessed...john

Maybe letting the Eagle out of the bag early wasn't the worst thing I could have done. Next Monday I'll be at Irving stadium watching the Eagles play that other team. A few members of the church invited me to attend. They did say if the Eagles win they wouldn't be at church on Sunday.

Can I tell my DS this really great story why our church attendance was down this one week?

They also said I couldn't wear any Philadelphia paraphernalia. We'll see what happens. Stay blessed...john

We have all heard, probably many times, the advantages of having a support system when raising children. Our family has certainly been blessed with that. So, we say (or at least we used to) “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Yes, our children are often times in need of so much direction and guidance. There are so many things they have to learn about themselves, about their faith and about who we pray will be their Lord. Many families seem to be satisfied in handling their own child-rearing, alone. It’s my opinion having that neighbor who will yell out the window when they see something they know is wrong or the family friend who is allowed to do the whooping because you know how much they care is sadly a missing element in many of the lives of our children.

There are two things I would like you to do now. First, stop thinking about raising children. Secondly, reread the paragraph above. This time, however, replace “our children” as the subject with “the church” (conjugate where necessary).

Done? If you’re an Oak Havenite (our biblical badge) then you will hopefully have been paying at least a little attention this morning and caught the idea of this post.

It really does take a whole village to raise a village—in this case, a church to raise a church. There are plenty of those in our congregations that aren’t willing or bold enough to stand up for matters of great importance, but there are others who will. Some of us are ready to ignore social responsibilities of our church while there are those who truly feel their faith is incomplete without addressing them. The hands of many of our church members would fall off if put to work; others need not be bothered by committee meetings or reports—just tell them what needs to be done. Does that cover the nosy neighbor and spanking friend well?

Don’t stop being the church. One of the great comforts in my life as an ancy Methodist minister who is always moving around (ahhh, am I speaking of churches or sermon execution?) is that we confess a connected faith. Not only are we intentionally tied as United Methodist congregations, but our faith is one that is inclusive of other denominations (or nons), and we share in a connection to the many generations of saints before us. The question for me is: How do we live faithfully as people of God if we isolate ourselves from them?

It’s only fair I remind you that there are those of us who don’t live hiding from other Christians, but do show up for roll call. These are the people who know that you “have to” go to church. They’re there, but they’re not there. Is that the same or any better than staying apart from the community? The more driving question for me, as you probably already know my opinion about the others, is how do we incorporate those living in isolation (literally or figuratively) into the life of the church—and I’m not talking about putting people to work.

Of course, if you’re reading this blog you know that’s why it exists. So, I might be preaching to the choir (or praise team—let’s be relevant). That’s okay. The choir needs to be saved, too! Stay blessed…john

Since our recent move I have not had an internet connection at home. I found out quickly that many of our beloved hotspots are no longer free, but you can subscribe to their monthly services. We also learned that our library closes kind of early. There was no connection in my new office either and it was only last week that I started going to school each day. So, I’ve been without a consistent internet connection for about a month.

Next week that should be a memory. That will do a couple of things for me. It’ll allow me to respond to emails and such in a timelier manner. Also, the audio to our worship services at Oak Haven have been recorded. Once our home is elbowed into the 21^st century, I’ll be able to post weekly sermons as well. That’s something I’ve missed doing.

The blog has had some new readers lately. It is great to have you, hope you can stay. You keep visiting (leave more comments), telling others to visit and we’ll keep tying (it is the Blog That….). Stay blessed…john

Youth rooms, buildings and houses should only hope to have these!
+neatorama

Some of you may recall previous blog confessions. Those were a good thing for me. Here are my confessions upon making a move to a new town, church and school. I confess:

• This is the nicest parsonage we’ve lived in.
• Only in the last several days have I had my own time for grieving over our move.
• It still feels like I’m filling in for the senior pastor.
• I want to keep tabs on what the youth are doing in Bandera (Hello Generation X).
• During the weekdays, I have spoken more to members from Bandera UMC than Oak Haven UMC (It’s going both ways).
• It feels good to have all my office stuff up again; it’s the dumb stuff that means a lot.
• I already feel at home in Irving.
• I have compared churches before (Oak Haven, Bandera UMC, Edinburg FUMC, Mercedes FUMC and El Buen Pastor UMC); it’s been a positive thing.
• I always fought and overcame the temptation to correct people when they called me a youth pastor, but man am I going to miss working with the youth so closely.
• I had believed for a while it was probably time for me to leave Bandera.
• Oak Haven has much to be optimistic about and is has little to do with me!
• It probably wasn’t a good idea to tell everyone here that I am an Eagles fan before they really got to know me (words like tar and feather have been used).
• I don’t miss one of my former churches.
• My first week of seminary has been unimpressive.
• I’m being selfish in not wanting to change my cell phone number (it’s such an easy number!).

Sins? I don’t know, but I have confessed them to you. We shouldn’t have another itinerant edition for three years or so. Who knows what Wesleyan phenomenon will spawn the next round of blog confessions. Stay blessed…john

A few weeks ago, prior to the move, I mentioned my reading of one of Joel Osteen’s books. That book was Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential. It seems I have lied to you and myself. I had promised to finish it, but that just isn’t going to happen. First, I’m already well into several books for classes. Secondly, I just don’t consider it worth my efforts to complete it (there is a department store receipt serving as a bookmark at just over the halfway mark).

Now, don’t just shrug me off as another Osteen hater. I don’t know the man. It’s just hard for me to take seriously his claims. There were some good things he had to say in the book. They were, however, all tied to a common theme that disturbs my faith and is a part of what I think is of great concern in our culture. Everything, as the title suggests, is about you. As open minded as I was trying to be I couldn’t help but notice the many times the word “you” or “your” was printed.

This is in great contrast to the title that I referred to in my last posting. So, I have resorted to putting it back on the bookshelf and perhaps it will make for a good conversations piece. Brittani did admit his picture kind of freaked her out; don’t worry Joel, there are pictures of me that do the same thing. Stay blessed…john

Prior to classes officially beginning, I attended two orientations. One was the school’s general overview of studies and programs. The second was actually a retreat, of sorts, to introduce and address the importance of our Spiritual Formation class. It was an all day event (I only mention that so you would have pity on me and the others for having to sit in a chair all day listening to one person speak).

Before the retreat, we were to have read What God Wants for Your Life: Changing the Way We Seek God’s Will by Frederick W. Schmidt—he led the retreat and is the director of Spiritual Life and Formation at Perkins. I must tell you I enjoyed the book far more than I enjoyed getting to know my plastic chair (even with complimentary breakfast and lunch). It took me two days to read the 225 pages. The only reason I bring that up is because I bought the book late and read it the two days before the retreat. The first day, including obviously the first half of the book, seemed to fly by. There are plenty of underlines, highlights, questions and comments in my copy of the first half. Now, I’m not quite sure what happened. It might have been me, and I know it was, but those markings didn’t number as many for the last half (also represented by the late night before the retreat).

It’s a book I’ll recommend to your reading. What the idea melts down to is that our lives are better centered on the will of God when we learn how to ask the right questions about it. So many times, as probably rambled on in this blog before, we tend to be pretty self satisfying—everything is about us. Even in our attempts to honor and follow God the most faithful among us can resort to what is described as the “I-Questions.” We must learn to begin with asking the “God-Questions” first. Go figure—wanting to do the will of God and beginning with Him! Then we move from God-Questions to “We-Questions.” Finally, we work our way to asking the I-Questions. Sure, that sounds pretty much like a DUH! thing. It is easy, however, to find our arrangement of these inquiries out of order. Here are a few lines to consider:

• Discernment is that which above all else leads to God. It keeps us from presumption and excessive fervor on the right and from carelessness, sin and a sluggishness of spirit on the left. p2

• Discernment is the task of process of distinguishing the spirit of presence of God at work in the world from other, competing spirits in an effort to determine where the spirit of God may be moving. p9

• The experience of life is the place where we all struggle to find and do the will of God—if we seek God’s will at all. p33

• Because the prophet (Habakkuk) is passionate about understanding and confident that God is gracious, his search for answers is safeguarded by the very God whose behavior, at times, is in question. p 55

• Trusting God is never predicated on God’s giving satisfactory answers to our questions, but on God’s steadfast faithfulness and tireless desire for us. 56

• Reckless people who seek signs and wonders are often unable to accept the commonplace as a gift that is not so commonplace. p74

• There is another sense, however, in which the decisions we make have a transcendent significance that depends less on the choices we make than on the way in which we make them. p121

• …we are not here to prove ourselves, to probe and discover our own needs. Instead, we are invited to ask: What do God and others need of us? To find the answers to that question is to find and do the will of God. p127

• We find it easier to talk about what we think of the spiritual life than to experience the spiritual life. p156

Happy reading. Stay blessed…john