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.

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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).


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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?

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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.

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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.