Yesterday, I blogged about a busy week ahead, with lay speaking assignments bookending a week at Mountain T.O.P. But what I didn’t mention is that I have a couple of more lay speaking assignments on the radar beyond that, including one at a church I’ve not spoken at before and where I have several friends. […]

One of the highlights of the mission trip to New York was the expected visit to a 9/11 memorial. A highlight because I had hoped that we would get a chance to visit the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. One of the church members from Christ Community suggested and then took us to a 9/11 […]

“For sheer power and majesty, no prayer can equal the Paternoster (Latin for “Our Father”), the “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13)…The Paternoster is the prayer given by the Lord for disciples of the Lord, namely, you and me.The Paternoster is really a to…

In order to keep my blogging drought to a minimum, I’m reposting good reads I’ve come across lately. Enjoy these.

Matt Judkins on What really happens when we pray?
Bishop Mike Coyner shares some good things he learned from some African Methodists. I’…

wow….it’s been quite the week!  i meant to post this much earlier, but life has been so (blessed) full.  anyway, here are the aformentioned pictures from our trip to the bronx zoo, which is a really spectacular zoo.  we were there from…

Soundtrack for epic errands. (Courtesy of @pressgram’s—what else?—1977 filter)

In her sermon yesterday, Pastor Anna talked about finding your own story in the Bible, by relating to the stories and characters in it. She talked about Vashti, Esther, and Mordecai. She relates to Mordecai because of the people that have come into her life that hold her to her calling and push her forward when she needs encouragement.

Who do you identify with in the Bible?

For many years now, my answer has been Moses. There are several things about Moses that I cannot identify with – being raised in a palace, commiting murder, working as a farm hand, performing supernatural acts, and being a judge. But what I can identify with happens “somewhere in the middle” of Moses’ life. Quite frankly, it is when Moses changes careers.

Moses stumbles upon a fascinating sight – a bush that is on fire but is not burning. When he approaches it, God speaks to him. God tells Moses that he has been chosen by God to set God’s people free from Pharaoh in Egypt. Up to this point, Moses and I have nothing in common. But that changes.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%203-4&version=NIV

Moses comes up with excuse upon excuse to get away from what God is asking him to do. Now, that sounds familiar! First, Moses says “who am I?” That sounds like “I’m not qualified. I’m lowly.”

Second, Moses says “who are You?” That sounds like “what do I tell people? What will they think?”

Third, Moses says “what if they don’t believe me?” That sounds like “people will think I’ve lost my mind. They will think I’m crazy.”

Fourth, Moses says “I don’t speak well.” That sounds like “I’m not up to the task. You haven’t gifted me with what is needed.” Sounds like he’s blaming God for that one, actually.

Finally, Moses puts aside the excuses and says what is really on his mind: “Please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:13) I have said that same prayer many times.

I can look back over my life and see where God called me to ministry, all sorts. I can see where I came up with excuses to ignore that call.

“It costs too much.”

“I don’t have the time.”

“Let someone else do it.”

“No one will like what I do.”

“No one listens.”

“I’ve done that before. It is someone else’s turn.”

“I already do so much for the church. Ask someone else.”

Maybe one or more of those sound familiar to you.

The wonderful thing about Moses’ story is that God sends Aaron to help Moses. I can certainly look around me and see plenty of Aaron’s that have helped and are helping me to fulfill God’s call upon my life. When God calls one person to a task, God often calls others to help.

Another wonderful thing about Moses’ story is that Moses witnesses power beyond his wildest imagination. Imagine all the things that Moses would have missed out on if he had continued to say “no” to God. No parting of the Red Sea, no receiving the Ten Commandments, no manna, no quail, and no seeing the promised land.

Imagine all the things that you might miss out on if you say “no” when God calls you. One thing that would be missing from my life if I had said “no” – all of you at First Sachse.

Who do you identify with in the Bible? Peter? Thomas? David? Ruth? Esther? How do you find comfort and challenge from that character? How might your story lead someone else to faith in Christ?

Precious God, thank you for the inspiring stories of Scripture. Help me to find strength and comfort from those wonderful characters. Show me how my story can help someone else to find You. Amen.

I’m in the pacific northwest, the None Zone, and one of the sentiments that I run into from former Christians is “I just want to know more about Jesus and follow him but I don’t want to be part of a church anymore that excludes gays, evolutionists, and women.” It’s the regional embodiment of the [...]

Today’s Monday Merton comes from chapter 10, “Sincerity,” of No Man Is An Island. What Merton means by sincerity is being a person who lives and speaks in a way that is truthful. He opens his chapter with a single sentence that blows my mind: “We make ourselves real by telling the truth” (188). There are […]

When the Rev. Fred Trevino retired in 1998 as Senior Pastor of Paradise Valley UMC, the largest church in the Desert Southwest Conference, he envisioned himself leisurely driving his new [...]