I'm not a coffee drinker, but if Jesus were to ask me if I'd like to have a cup with him, of course, I'd say, "Sure."  You might call that smooching up to the boss.  I might say, "So?  Look which boss it is."

There's no need to worry, though.  I doubt Jesus even likes coffee; he never did anything miraculous with water and coffee.  Still, if you have not seen Coffee With Jesus you need to.  I love when people can stab the shallow points of our faith in a direct and meaningful way.  These cartoons do that.  Here are a couple appropriate to the season.



If you read long enough you just might get offended.  I've said before if you have never been offended by Jesus then you might not have been listening to everything he had to say.  Has Jesus ever offended you?

The last post showed me how run-of-the-mill my office is.  But!  At least I do not have to worry about designing, printing and hanging a sign in our church like this one.




Say hello to the fishy church.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the video.++

Well, our church office recently received a new framed copy of our mission statement.  Are you suggesting this office is cooler than mine?

I came across this picture recently and wanted to share it.  Not because I want you to give me your political opinion.  I have my own, right now. 

Nothing is a straight-forward as most people would want us to think.  Many of the issues we are facing are too complex to suggest so.  So, again, this is not about your rant for the day. 

The reason why I am sharing this is because it involves something my Disciple II group brought up recently.  I'll share with you after you see what I'm talking about.


Each of our Disciple sessions open with prayer.  The group shares concerns and praises that we will pray together for throughout the week.  Someone recently said it simply: Let's pray for a cure for cancer.

And that is what we have been doing.  Praying.  This picture was a reminder to me about my commitment to pray with my group about this.  And I am grateful.

Chances are all of us have been touched by cancer in some way.  There is something wrong with that.  So, maybe you're not in a Disciple II group, but would you be willing to pray with us?  Let me know and I'll share with the group. 

What else are you praying for?  What are your reactions to the picture?

Here is what I sent the church this morning: AnotherNote, December 14, 2011

There are a couple of things in there you might appreciate even if you're not associated with our church.  Let me know what you think.

Believe me; I know what Christmas is really about.  The most meaningful Christmas hymn is Emmanuel.  You're probably thinking of Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel.  That's nice, too.  But this is the one I'm thinking of:






At Christmas we celebrate that God is indeed with us!  That is a Merry Christmas.

We've got that cleared up. Now, I can show you this because it's pretty funny:

When I was growing up, Christmas was my favorite holiday. Of course, that made me like every other kid. I will confess: It was about the gifts. There were other things that made Christmas time nice: houses covered with lights; school Christmas parties; Dickens on the Strand; and Christmas vacation. If one of those things were to be left out I would always feel like I was missing something, that Christmas just was not Christmas. What I have learned, though, is that while those things might be fun and worth looking forward to, they do not make Christmas.

For many people Christmas is another reminder of a great loss. This will be the first Christmas since a loved one has passed away for someone. Also, even at Christmas, tragedy always finds itself on the news. Surely, then, Christmas has to mean more than red-bowed gifts and office parties. Indeed, it does! Christmas is the reminder that God is with us—that God came to us and will always be with us. In our joy or sorrow we can trust that God is with us. Without that, there is no Christmas. May God’s presence, then, be everything to you this Christmas.

I think I may have offended 90% of all Christians yesterday.

Yes, I am exaggerating.  I don't even know 90% of all Christians.  And 90% of all Christians didn't even hear me yesterday.  Still, I am going to stand with the 10% on this one.

Now, any other preacher or blogger would tease you to make you want to listen to the audio.  Me?  I'll just tell you what I said and hope, pray, wish, dream and imagine what it would be like if you did listen to the sermon--but only if you want to.

I reminded the congregation that, once we leave our worship service, we are all sent out by God to serve.  It's ironic, though, what so many Christians do right after worship service.  Come on; you know what it is like to wait in line at Luby's.  We all know the biggest advantage of being United Methodist is that we get out of church earlier than our sisters and brothers of that non-denominational church down the street.  That's right.  The biggest irony is that we are sent out of worship service to go serve, but the first thing many of us is go to our favorite restaurant to be served.

Hey, Jesus had to have said worse things than that.  We can still be friends, right?  Maybe I can take you on to lunch, on a Monday.

The sermon is entitled Lighten Up, and is based on the ministry of John the Baptist.

++If you are reading by email or news readers, click here to listen to the sermon.++

This is for those of you who do not understand the mind of a procrastinator. 

Our--we procrastinators-- idea of time looks similar to this clock. 

You might think your favorite procrastinator is not doing anything until the last minute.  That is untrue.  Chances are you may only know of one thing your procrastinator has due in ten minutes.  More than likely they have been working on other things they have been putting off.

There is nothing any of us can do about it.  We just accept the fact that it is true, like when I first found out professional wrestling was fake. 

So, procrastinators, unite...eventually!  And, all others, bear with us.

Any bad procrastination stories? 

It is official. I have submitted my application for graduation in May--May 12th to be exact. So, we are now in countdown mode.

I won't give you the it's-been-a-long-time-coming speech, just yet (But it has been!). Right now I just want to give you an open invitation. I do not know exactly what we will be doing that day, but I do know it will be a celebration. If you think you are going to be in the Dallas area, come and celebrate with us. I will save the cheesy speech for then. Until then here is your countdown.

For those who read via email or news reader, you may need click on the post title to see the countdown correctly. 

It has been said that Run DMC changed rap music.  They told us to walk this way.  Now, I know that does not mean a whole lot to some of you, but have some respect!  Please do not make me wish that your Christmas fruitcake bowl will runneth over.

If Run DMC changed the rap world and The United Methodist Church says it is called to make disciples for the transformation (change) of the world, it stands to say that the two should come together.  If that were to happen it might start with this look:

As you sit in church this Sunday, I know you will think of me. 

Your liturgist or preacher will stand and invite you to turn to your Gospel reading of the day.  Some of you will be invited to stand with your reader because of the Gospel reading.  Maybe you will follow along in your Bible or close the book and listen. 

Either way, this week you will hear these profound, spiritually enlightening and inspiring words:

John 1:6


There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

That verse has meaning for me.  What about you?  What verses--that probably don't include your name--are most meaningful for you?  Let's hear 'em.

I have found the meaning of life.  And, now, you can know what it is, too!  After searching and contemplating for years, we can finally know what the point of it all is--like when I figured out the lyrics to the intro to Mr. Belvedere.

Now, do not delay.  Follow this link to see the meaning of life: The Meaning of Life.

You are welcome. 

Good News!  Good News!

Yesterday I preached on the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; our text was from Mark 1. I was also able to avoid every temptation to include a "Good News! Good News!" impersonation of Roscoe P. Coltrane.  God is good.

We all hear bad news.  It is everywhere.  We are reminded, though, that God has good news for us.  Maybe we just need to hear God's good news again.  That is what the Christmas season is about.  Now, since the Christmas season has not begun, at least not in the church, we look to the ministry of John the Baptist.  He knew the good news of God and prepared the way for others to hear it.  That was an important part to God's plan, apparently.  And it is still important for us today.

Are you tired of hearing bad news?  Then do something about it.  Do not let God's good news be pushed away by the bad news of your day.

In a nutshell, that is what yesterday's sermon was about: Hearing God's good news and preparing the way for other to hear it as well.

Have a listen and let me know what you think.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++

I had so much fun with this sermon yesterday.  And to think I didn't get to write it until dark and early Sunday morning.  But do not tell anyone that. 

I have been busy smoking hams since Thursday, and the sermon writing seemed to fall behind.  It was my intention to put the sermon together Saturday night, after our church's Ham -N- Bean dinner.  Yeah, that never happened.

We were all a bit drained yesterday morning, but, I think, everyone also seemed to be very thankful for what we were able to do with God's help.  Our children opened our worship service with a skit using Chris Tomlin's Amazing Grace, and our district superintendent and her husband joined us for worship.  That was a blessing. 

So, here is our Thanksgiving sermon.  It is entitled There's Always One in the Bunch.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++

If you have yet to laugh today then this will do the trick.

If you have already laughed today, then good for you. Keep it up. <="" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" embed="" flashvars="autoPlay=false&orig=" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:mvideo:cmt.com:40319" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" height="354" width="425">

I cannot convince anyone to listen to a sermon.  All our churches around the world would be full if anyone could.  It is the ol' addage that reminds us you can take a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.

You can, however, as someone was told me, tell him how good the water is!

In my sermon preparation for last Sunday's worship service, I gave myself a challenge: Preach on the parable of the talents and not talk about money and/or spiritual gifts.  Guess what?  I passed.  Well, I did talk about not talking about money.  Does that still count?  And, I spoke about gifts, but of another kind.  We considered God's absurd gifts to us.

So, I hope you will listen and let me know your impressions.  There will be another group listening, rather reading this sermon.  This was the sermon I turned in to our conference Board on Ordained Ministry.  I have been working on my written examination to turn into them.  This board will determine whether I will be commissioned in June or not.  No, I did not put any more work into this sermon than any other.  Gloria likes to watch House Hunters, and I heard a term from that show that I think is part of my way of thinking of things: Analysis Paralysis.  This is what happens when you over analyze, or, in other words, think too much about something.

And that is now what I wanted to do with this sermon.  I wanted it to be like any of my other sermons.  We shall see what happens.

Give it a listen and let me know if it was commission-worthy. 

++If you are reading by email or reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++


Maybe next time I will preach on money.

Does anyone else think of Richard Pryor's movie Brewster's Millions when they read the parable of the talents?



Think about it:

1. The slaves get an absurd amount of money from the master.
2. If they're able to deal with it appropriately, they get even more.
3. If they don't, they get nothing.




It's a reasonable thought.

Matthew 25:14-30:

14 ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” ²¹His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” ²²And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” ²³His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” ²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” ²⁶But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 

I'll be preaching on this text this Sunday.  This sermon will be the one I submit to my conference board to evaluate for my, hopeful, commissioning next year.  So, be praying.  See you Sunday.

Our church has decided to incorporate our Thanksgiving worship service with our usual worship time.  That is, we will not have an additional service time Thanksgiving week; come to church on Sunday, November 20th and we'll be talking about thankfulness and all that jazz.

We're not being lazy.  Actually, next weekend is our big Ham and Bean Dinner.  That is an all-hands-on-deck event.  It takes everyone's work and effort.  Indeed, it is a lot of work.  So, we'll stumble in on Sunday morning and thank God for, among other things, what we have been able to do as a body of Christ.

Now, here is something you can use for your Thanksgiving observance.  ABC is scheduled to air a Hallmark Movie called Have a Little Faith.  I have only seen the previews, but it looks pretty decent.  Hopefully, it will be a little better than most movies that call themselves Christian are--hey, have a little faith!

Follow this link to see ABC's preview: Have a Little Faith
++Or this link to see the video posted below, if you are reading by email or news reader.++



I think this is something I am going to want to watch with our family. How about you?

Johnny and Chachi are at it again. This time they offer you some great tips on how to invite someone you know to church. Watch the video, and tell me what you learn.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the video.++

Yesterday, Gloria's family visited our church.  Her older brother is getting married at the end of the week and the family is here to get things ready.  It was nice to have them with us.  Another part of the blessing was that it was Gloria's dad's 96th birthday.  We were able to spend the day with him and celebrate.  The church even sang to him.

That is all fitting because yesterday's sermon was about examples, specifically examples of faithfulness.  There are only good examples: good examples of what to do and good examples of what not to do.  Part of our growing spiritually, I think, is recognizing people who have been examples to us, and caring about the example we give. 

Gloria's dad has been a great example to me.  What about you?  Who are the people who have served as examples of faithfulness to you? 

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++

I have had to put our church newsletter aside. BOOOOOO!

It was a lot of work, and, even though I enjoyed the work, there have been so many other things I must get done--people actually expect me to say stuff on Sunday mornings! Before the first of December, I MUST submit all my paperwork for my, hopefully, commissioning in June. There is no way around that. Of course, sermons are a must, too. I also have reflection papers related to my internship that must be turned in. That is a lot of MUSTs. Add to all that meetings, Bible studies and other events and you can see how something had to give.

The newsletter was the only thing that was not a must. So, for now, we have stopped the press on our newsletter. We are expecting (Praying) someone(s) to step up and keep it going. In the mean time, I do have a newsletter to share. It is not from our church. Our church, however, is associated with the organization. The Family Promise Network is a wonderful ways churches work together to help families in need.

In particular, city networks are set up to help families with children who are homeless. In a nutshell, churches open their facilities for one week at a time so that families can have a place to sleep. During the day families go to a day center where they are able to continue to search for more permanent housing. The churches also provide meals for the families. Essentially, each church offers a safe, stable place to sleep, one week at a time.

There are many other details I have not touched on. If you would like more information just let me know. For now, you can view the Irving network's latest newsletter.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the newsletter.++ Have you had any experience with Family Promise? God is doing some great things.

The question: Who and what do we love? The answer is simple: Who does God love? Everyone. What does God love? Righteousness, mercy, forgiveness, etc. So, love what God loves.

Raise your hand if you have ever been scared on Halloween.  It happens.  You needn't be ashamed.  At least your scary moments don't end up on YouTube like Steve Harvey's.  I am amazed at how many funny clips I have seen from The Ellen Degeneres Show.
Enjoy.

I am choosing hymns for this Sunday's service, and thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed this as I did.  Now, it is your turn--just a little music humor.  If you get it, you do.  If not, don't worry. 

Music often expresses some of our most deepest emotions.  People look to music to say what they feel they cannot.  Think about some of your most favorite music.  What do those songs say for you?

Well, maybe you thought too much of yourself and never imagined that Weird Al could say for you what you have wanted to for so long.  Really, though, what else would you expect from someone who gave us inspirational hits like Eat It, Amish Paradise and Party in the C.I.A.?

So, without further ado, I offer to you Al's most inspired song ever:

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the video.++

How many forwards have you received today? That's too many. Maybe this is the video you need to forward.

We were a small church, always trying to do the best we could.  Anytime we could get a little help, that was appreciated.

Once someone gave us a new piano.  Well, it was old to them, but new to us.  I'm sure the giver said something like, "I would love to give this to the church."  While I would never want to dishonor someone's love for their church, somehow I think we ended up doing them more a favor than anything.

The piano was ours.  All we had to do was pick it up.  Now, when does "piano" and "pick up" sound like fun to you?  Exactly.

Still, we were young and buff.  So, we went and picked it up.  Lord, you do keep some record of our doings, right?

It was only a quick trip to the church, once the piano was loaded.  It seems like I remember part of the piano hanging over a side--someone might recall better.  A couple of us stayed with the piano to make sure it did not end up as road kill.  And as we traveled, we played.  It was fun playing the piano on the move like that.  You see, there are some things you big fancy churches could never understand.  Small churches can rock, too!

I thought of that day when I saw the next video. 


++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the video.++



Are you a part of a small church?  What kind of stories do you have?

Have you heard of The Prayer Dare?  It is a 40-day dare that is designed to encourage people to become more acquainted with prayer.  The days' reading are pretty simple and straight forward.  What I appreciate about the book is that each day has a specific dare attached to it, something you do after reading.  We talk a lot, and think a lot, too.  I want to offer ways for people to act upon what, for example, a sermon is about.  And, likewise, don't just talk about praying or wanting to pray more; learn how to pray more and do it!

That is where this book comes in.  It has some weak theological points about it, but, overall, those can be overlooked when you consider that you are being led to learn to pray more.

If I think about the churches we have served, I can remember those people who I and others knew were people who prayed.  I want those people close to me as I minister with a church.  And, I want more people to be considered as those kinds of people.  Thus, The Prayer Dare.

Our church began The Prayer Dare this week. Something we discussed at our first session was Richard Foster's term The Simple Prayer.  The thought is that with prayer you begin with who you are and where you are.  Have you ever heard someone say they don't know how to pray, or don't know what to say?  What most people who feel that way do is decide not to pray, to leave it to the experts.  The Simple Prayer reminds us that we just pray with whatever words we have and for whatever comes to our mind.  We learn to pray by praying.  Don't worry if you don't sound like someone else--that is not the point.  Just pray.

Your prayer, perhaps, may not include words.  God is big enough to hear our prayer even if we are unable to use words.  I came across this next video that reminded me of that.  The musicians share very familiar lyrics that are not really lyrics at all.  They are, however, music, just as our inability to use words can be prayer.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the video.++

So, what do you want to pray for today? Make it simple, and make it mean something to you. Is there anything I can pray with you about?

Someone emailed this video to me.  I had never heard of the Late Nite Catechism.  It is pretty funny.

I think I received it because of the Methodist reference.  The nun knows where the UM room is in heaven!  Now, I think it was the Methodist reference, but it might have been another bit of wisdom.  The nun has a small piece of advice for ugly people at the very end.  You watch and decide.  Enjoy.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the video.++



Thanks, Steve.

You picked them--well, at least some of you did. These were the five posts you viewed the most in September. I hope you are proud of yourself.


5) So many people are mad at Netflix for hiking up their monthly subscription. I suppose Netflix got googled quite a bit this month, and that is partly why this old Netflix Queue came in as our 5th highest viewed post.

4) Brittani really likes one of her teachers who encourages nontraditional learning styles. One of the things he encourages is listening to audio books. Although I prefer reading pages, every now and then I can have time to hear one. It looks like some took some time to listen to Jon Acuff's audio book.

3) The third post this month is a sermon. Whew! Sermons are still big around here. Here is Blessed to Bless.

2) Eventually, one of us is going to have to break down and buy this lamp. It keeps showing up on our top 5 lists. Maybe we all know the feeling of spilling milk.

1) Drumroll... Our top post this month introduces us to a game show winning pastor who did an incredible thing with his prize money.

Well, today you can tell all your friends that you listened to a Sunday sermon on Friday.

This was a busy week for our family.  After church on Sunday morning we packed up our things and hit the road, on a quick trip to the Galveston area.  When I got back to the office on Wednesday, I found out our annual charge conference is this Saturday.  No, you don't usually "find out" about charge conference, at least not three days before it is scheduled; there was some miscommunication.  So, I've been busy making sure everything is prepared for that meeting.  I wonder if I'll be expected to preach this Sunday.

So, all that to say, here is my sermon from last Sunday.  It is the second in our series Keys to LIFE, entitled Make Up Your Mind.  The second key to life for us is living humbly.  Now, before you think you know what that means, give this sermon a listen.  You might be a little surprised.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++



On the way back from our trip Tuesday evening, I came to a wonderful conclusion. My grandfather had just passed away, and this sermon was everything I thought about him. He lived, I believe, with this kind of humility.

What are your thoughts about the sermon?

The call told me that Papa was "actively dying."  "Who isn't," I thought.

But I knew what they meant.  Papa had been ill for a while and becoming weaker, and there are clear indications when that sacred time is near.  Last summer it almost seemed like it was time.  I guess we can miscalculate.  Then I hurried to go see him.  This time, however, was different.  Of course, I wanted to go; I could not get there fast enough.  There was no way, I thought, that the responsibilities I had could have been passed off on such very short notice.  No one ever dies conveniently, someone once told me.

I wrestled, actively within myself, with the decision to make the trip or not.  Suddenly, I remembered.

I cannot recall exactly why we did, but the night before Gloria and I had gone through a lot of our old pictures and got to watching our wedding video.  A VHS player still lives in our household for one reason.  Brittani watched the festivities with us, actively laughing along the way.  She was sure to share photos with her Facebook friends--to celebrate the love of our parents, of course.  Some of them thought we were observing our anniversary.  No, we're just that in love. 

Well, Grandma and Papa were both with us there in 1996 when we got married.  I remembered they laughed and danced the dollar dance, although there is no video evidence of that.  As the night's events came to a close for Gloria and I we took the stage to say our thank yous.   It was pretty routine.  We thanked family and friends who "made all this possible."  We were so young and unimaginative.  That day, though, was special for my grandparents for another reason as well.  They shared our anniversary.  I know; better said, we shared their anniversary.  They had been at it already for some time.  So, for the past 15 years, I have had an easy reminder to call my grandparents to wish them a happy anniversary.  Lord knows I would not forget that day!

Before we left the stage we recognized Grandma and Papa.  Everyone turned and applauded.  What are the odds of getting married on your grandparents' anniversary?  It is kind of like having a child on your birthday.  Yep, I did that, too.  Quickly, the camera zoomed in on them waving, I think, proudly.  Yes, I am biased, but I think that anniversary was a good one for them.


I chose not to make the trip to see him last week.  But I did see him.  I imagine there are many gifts from God that go unnoticed, unrecognized.  And, yes, it was a blessing that Skype was available the night before he passed away last Friday.  The video production was not the best, but fifteen years later it helped me see my grandfather like I will always remember him, smiling and proud.   I am most thankful to God for that brief visit I had with him one last time before he passed away.

Although he could not speak, the last words he heard and tried to speak were that of our Lord's prayer.  In that prayer, I believe, Jesus was teaching us how to pray and how to live.  For we are all actively dying, and God's grace has given us the way to prepare for the new life God has for us, as we pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen

A Texas flag flew in his honor over our state's capitol on Friday.  Condolences from our senator and state representative were sent. His death made the local news.  A wreath was given in his honor during halftime at the High Island Cardinals game--he loved that school.  All this attention?  He would probably be a bit uncomfortable.  I imagine he would not even be too pleased with what I am writing.  That was the kind of person he was.

Joe Nathaniel Faggard actively lived his life, and he will be missed by many people.  My heart hurts as I continue writing, but I take great joy in knowing that now his faith is sight.  Amen.

**Faggard, Bolivar Peninsula icon, dead at 92

**Guidry News Obituary

If you know what to do with this, then do it!  If not, have a nice day.  Well, even if you do know what to do you can still have a nice day.

I told you I was working on a new sermon series entitled Keys to LIFE.  It is based on passages from the letter to the Philippians.  The first sermon in the series is "Mean It!"  Of course, I would like you to listen to the sermon.  As I told the congregation, however, I think you will find it helpful to read Philippians all the way through in one or two sittings.  So, you might want to do that first--Yes, you can do it! 

The sermon began with a reference to an article naming the 10 Happiest Jobs.  Guess which was #1?  No, I said guess.  Boy, are you feeling lazy today.  If you do not want to guess, then, read the article.  My lips are sealed, but maybe now you know why I always so happy (hint).


++If you are reading by email or news feeder, click here to listen to the sermon.++




After listening to the sermon, consider this as your next step:

Identify the “fruit” and “meaning” of the work you do, in and out of the church. How will you ensure your life becomes/remains meaningful?

No, this is not the naked pastor.

I have appreciated this man's work for a while now.  He is the naked pastor.  Have I told you about him before?  Like many people, probably, the title of his website caught my attention.  No worries; he knows the benefit of fully clothing himself and finds other means to express himself other than going nude--at least on his blog.

No, that is not the kind of naked he is talking about.  You can read part of his story here, and you should.  If I did not know where he was coming from I think his work would still great, but knowing what he has struggled with has been very inspirational to me.  His blog consists, mostly, of his cartoon artwork.  He calls himself the graffiti artist on the walls of religion.

Have you ever wondered, "What's wrong with that church?" or "I thought Christians were different?" Have you ever found our faith to be a tad more challenging than some pastor or fellow church goer made it out to be?  If so, I think you will appreciate the naked pastor, too.

My favorite piece of his is the Narrow Way, the image at the top of this post.  Here are just a few other of his cartoons (all of which you can find on his blog):




 He will be speaking at Northaven UMC in Dallas this Sunday.  I will be celebrating Brittani's 13th birthday; so, I cannot attend.  But if you are in the area you could go.  Let me know what you think. More importantly, let him know.

Does your church have a prayer list?  What am I saying?  Of course your church does.  Your church prays, and prays together.

Is your prayer list helpful?  Do people from your church take time to read the names of the people on the list, or just pray for the list?  Have you ever prayed, "Lord, here's my list" and trusted that God "knows their names and situations"?  Oh, me neither.

But I have heard of others that do that.  First off, in and of itself, that is not a bad thing, necessarily.  Those are a lot of names to fill such a small space.  Whoever prints that lists tries to get the most bang for their bulletin buck.  No wonder they are printed in the smallest size.  Holy-pot-luck-brownie-points to your church if you do not italicize your list just to save room.  Only heathens would do something like that--probably Methodists.  Still, who could remember everything everyone is going through.  Oh, I know some people who can!  But that is a sermon by itself.

Let's be real.  The prayer list is kind of long.  However, it is your church and your church's prayer concerns.  So, you should be using it.  Excuse me while I remove a log from my eye real quick.

 

I even suspected that people from our church did not fully utilize our prayer list. Methodists!  The list kept growing and growing.  Apparently, our "Lord, hear our prayer" was not loud enough.  Okay, maybe it was that people stopped paying attention to the list.  Now, I have seen prayer lists printed on flyers.  Not the kind of flyers that get stuffed into hymnals or recycled with the bulletins.  No, those are for the church garage sale announcements.  I'm talking about the kind of flyers people always want to keep until next Sunday.  I have also seen them in the bulletin.  Usually, the names are in the back, right next to the announcements.  It is a good thing people always pay attention to the announcements.  Whew!  Now they will definitely see the prayer list.

Our church did all that, too.  Until last week.  First, I updated the list myself, deleting names I knew could be taken off without the threat of holy terror.  I know we can always use more prayer, but you know have valuable bulletin space is!  Then I moved the prayer list's position in the bulletin.  Before, I thought, it was pretty close to the worship action.  You could see it if you have the bulletin open, and everyone wants to make sure they catch everything in the bulletin.  Not quite.

So, I made the list part of the order of worship.  Right under the heading Prayers of the Church is the, guess what, prayers of the church.  And?  After the worship service I had eight names given to me to take off the list.  See?  Sometimes we just have to help people pay attention.  You can view the bulletin here.

How can you help your church pay better attention to what matters?

Lord, hear our prayer.

What part of this short story is more compelling to you: The plot or the message(s), or something else?

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“Be a winner at the game of life” we have often heard people say.  Often, winning simply means outdoing
someone else, having the most money and nicest cars and being comfortable.  Life, however, is not played, it is lived.  How do we live a life full of meaning and find real purpose?  God's answers might surprise you--there's nothing hidden or secret about them!

So, if you have ever lost your keys, or just know that God wants so much more for your life than we realize, you will want to listen.

Week 1: Mean It!


Week 2: Make Up Your Mind


Week 3: Take Out the Trash


Week 4: Give Up

Maybe it is because of the sheep, but I keep wanting this video to have some kind of faith application.  It is about extraterrestrials and a ferocious spouse.  So, yea, it is not that clear cut.  Maybe you can do better.  Watch and share.

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Sheeped Away from Junaid Chundrigar on Vimeo.

Our church added a new element to its worship service: a Ministry Celebration.  I mentioned this to you on the Groupon post.  The ministry celebration is a way to highlight various ministries within The United Methodist Church.  So far, with only two weeks worth of sharing, people have responded with some of the same positive comments we have heard before.  ~Whew.

Then I got to thinking.  Just because you are reading this does not mean you are attending church with us.  Why should you not know about what our church--The UMC--is doing?

So, each week I will share with you our Ministry Celebration.  Hopefully, it will be another reason for you to thank God.  Our first two were as follows:

   1. Bed Start.  A ministry of Custer Road UMC, Plano
   2. Wesley-Rankin Community Center, Dallas

Now, perhaps you might want to consider making this a part of your service.  Instead of telling your pastor, "Hey, let's do this" and expect her/him to do it, here are some resources you can use to compile your own list of ministry celebrations.  Go ahead and impress your pastor.

1. The UMC website is helpful in finding stories about what churches are doing, or how the larger church is in ministry throughout the world.
2. Your conference newspaper is also great to look at.  See what churches close to you are doing.  Remember that you are not in competition.  Celebrate their work with them.
3. Of course, social media has reshaped the way we can get and share information.  So, use sites like Facebook and Twitter to keep track of various denominational organizations, churches, bishops and others.
4. There is a printed resource entitled Telling our Stories that is full of ministry celebrations.
5. Friends in other churches.  As a matter of fact, are there some ministries in your church you want me to know about?
6. Do not forget about what your church is doing.


Okay, friends.  Get to celebrating!

I like this next video. It helps us realize that all our churches have worship traditions, whether we call ourselves traditional or not. Now, to be clear, I am not poking at one particular worship style. There are elements of all worship services that bother me.

For example, I detest the "Stand up if you are visiting from out of town church greeting, coupled with increasing applause volume depending on how far away you traveled to get here." Oh, and right as we are all ready to leave, does anyone want to become a member? Make it quick; we only have three verses in this next song. And please do not get me started on announcement time. I am ready to give that up all together! If I wanted to waste my breath on something that people would ignore or not listen to, I would be a preacher. Oh, wait.

Still, this video may make you think about some things. What bothers you about this video? What bothers you about your worship service?

++If you are reading by email, click here to view this video.++

Some call it the Methodist Mingle. Of course, it is not a UM phenomenon; all denominations must be aware! In many communities there are several UM congregations. For example, I could drive from our church and be at another UM church within five minutes; if I went the other direction I could be at another church as well. Give me eight minutes and I am at another UM place of worship. That is a blessing in many ways. It certainly opens up great possibilities for us to flex our connectional muscles.

Generally, though, what it is good for is when church members get upset. Perhaps it was something the pastor said. Maybe it was something the Ad Council did not do. Or, word gets out about the new service the other church is doing. Usually, however, it begins with a disagreement with someone else or another family. When those things happen, people mingle.

The blessing becomes an easy exit strategy.

So, people move from one congregation to another. It has happened in every community I have been in. When someone upsets us or we cannot work something out, many of us go to church somewhere else, if we keep going. I cannot tell you how much that bothers me. The way we handle disagreements leaves a lot to be desired. Your church has probably experienced something like that. If not, then you just do not know about it.

As the church, we are supposed to be peculiar. Unfortunately, that means very little in many regards. Considering all that, this sermon is very meaningful for me. Jesus gives us a plan of action for when someone in the church wrongs us. If we pay attention he shows us that though the scenario may have began with someone else’s action, it ends with yours. Jesus tells us what we should do. We also notice that within the process there is room for healing, restoration and renewal. But we have to be willing.

So, I say all that so I can say this, here is our sermon from yesterday’s worship service. It is entitled Starting Over, and considers Jesus’ word about dealing with someone in the church who has wronged you. Like always, I would appreciate your feedback.

++If you are reading by email, click here to listen to the sermon.++

I love lame puns.  Sue me. 

For our newsletter this month, while using the illustration of a doctor's office to talk about waiting on God, I, yes I, said something about having patients.  And for our weekly Bible study, concentrating on Ephesians' prayer for the Gentiles to be "rooted and grounded" in love, I mentioned that everything we do should "stem" from our love of God. 

It does not matter how corny they are.  The only thing that matters is that you are able to pull them off.  The word is still out if I did.

That is my confession to you today.  I am guessing, however, that deep down you love a good pun, too.  So, enjoy your weekend, and these puns I found online:

• Velcro: What a rip off.
• I invented a machine to get spice from the future: The Thyme Machine
• I stayed up all night wondering where the sun had gone, then it dawned on me.
• How did I get out of Irag?  I ran.
• Gives you dead batteries, free of charge.
• Why couldn't the butcher reach the meat?  The steaks were too high!
• A painter paints a wall for free, it's on the house.
• Venison for dinner? Oh, deer!
• Did you hear about the guy addicted to brake fluid?  He said he could stop at anytime.
• I read "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience." I took Thoreau notes.
• I'm reading a book about anti-gravity.  It's impossible to put down.

Honestly, I am all "wrote" out.  I just finished our church newsletter, and I began some paperwork that I need for internship, and hopefully commissioning.  So, I have no idea what I want to write for this post.  It is the end of the month, which means a recap of the top posts of August.  Maybe I will just leave it at that for now, and expect your forgiveness. 

Top 5 posts of the month:

1. The Lord's What?
2. Pastors Says F you
3. Sermon Series: Family Matters
4. The dead cow lecture
5. Taking one for the team

Since I have nothing to say today, how about I introduce you to others who do.  These sites brought a bunch of people over to the blog this month.  Show them some love:

• FrankViola.org
• ChurchMag
• LisaDelay.com

You have seen the commercials, and, I hope, have laughed along. The Dos Equis market genius The Most Interesting Man in the World is loved by many people. And what is not to love?

• He’s won trophies for his game face alone.
• He is the life of parties he has never attended
• If he were to punch you in the face, you’d have to fight off the urge to thank him.

This man's claims to fame are so outrageous, they are too funny not to appreciate. How in the world could anyone fit such a description? I find myself trying to imagine someone doing what is being described: How would someone bowl overhand?

That is, though, why he is the most interesting man in the world. And, according to yesterday's sermon, that is why we, as the church, are the most interesting people in the world. As Christians, we are called to live a life that would make most people scratch their heads. That whole loving, feeding and caring for your enemies thing is pretty outrageous. Yet, that is what we are called to do and to be.

When Peter's idea of what Jesus' ministry and life should look like did not correspond to such a calling, Jesus told him to, "Get behind me, Satan." So, the question for us, then, is: In what ways does our life not correspond to the gospel of Christ?  Yesterday we used Paul's list in Romans 12 as a basis for what constitutes our interesting lives.

Have a listen and tell me what you think:
++If you are reading by email, click here to listen to the sermon.++

Hopefully, your religion is a lot more than this!