When we begin to ask what the conditions of inner renewal are, we receive essentially the same answers from nearly all of those whom we have most reason to respect. One major answer is the emphasis upon discipline. In the conduct of one's own life it is soon obvious, as many have learned the hard way, that empty freedom is a snare and a delusion. In following what comes naturally or easily, life simply ends in confusion, and in consequent disaster. ... Excellence comes at a price, and one of the major prices is that of inner control. - From The New Man for Our Time by Elton Trueblood

What does your daily routine look like? Where are you most disciplined? Where are you least disciplined?

Paul's letter to the Philippians tonight at 6:00 in the library!

And so when we had s decision to make, we would open the Gospel at random, after having said a little prayer, and then we did whatever was written, without adding anything. - From I, Francis by Carlo Carretto

Have you ever simply opened the Bible to a random page in order to receive instruction? Why or why not? How often are your daily decisions made with God's Will in mind?

We will be reading Paul's letter to the Philippians on Tuesday night and we will be looking at Isaiah 6 - 7 on Wednesday night. Thanks for stopping by!

Romans 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith."

Here in the midst of the Bible Belt where I live, it is not hard to stand up and claim a Christian belief. But I remember growing up and wondering whether or not it was 'cool' to hang out with my Christian friends or not. When do we seriously make the committment to Christ and when do we hold back and continue to treat Christianity as an option? I'll attend worship IF the kids don't have a soccer match this morning....

We had a great time at the Gordon Mote concert last night! I have been three years in a row and I think I enjoyed last night's concert the best. I will probably be buying his new CD next month when it is released. We are reading the letters of Paul on Tuesday nights at 6:00 in the library and you are welcome to join us!

II Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

"Our outer nature is wasting away." THAT part I can understand. Every day I get just a tiny bit older. And I understand the idea behind my "inner nature .. being renewed day by day." But is it really happening? Do I treat my Christianity as a journey or as a destination? What kind of steps do you take each day to keep the journey going?

Movie night here at Central UMC on Friday night at 6:00! And, of course, I'll see you on Sunday!

When you undertake some special endeavor, do not concentrate your attention and heart on it, but look upon it as something secondary; and by entire surrender to God open yourself up to God's grace, like a vessel laid out ready to receive it. - From The Art of Prayer

Pray for the church that we also strive for doing God's Will rather than simply doing ministry to the best of our ability. Instead of worrying about whether or not we will find the volunteers, or the finances, or the leadership etc...for a special ministry, we can be reminded that simply giving it to God is the surest way of guaranteeing success. What kind of ministry has God placed on your heart?

The Cost of Servanthood

Acts 7:54-58
When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. but filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Do we have the courage and fortitude to speak the truth in love to those who do not wish to hear it? What is the difference between courageously facing conflict and going out of our way to court it?

Matthew 12:46-50
While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

We are again reminded to widen the scope of our priorities. Is our focus on the people of our immediate surroundings or is it on the totality of God's kingdom and all that are invited into it? What kind of calling from God most readily draws you from your own circle into a larger awareness?

We have our staff meeting today. Pray for the church both locally and universal!

O Lord, thou knowest what is the better way; let this or that be done as thou shalt please. Give what thou wilt, and how much thou wilt, and when thou wilt. Deal with me as thou knowest, and best pleaseth thee, and is most for thy honor. Set me where thou wilt, and deal with me in all things as thou wilt. I am in thy hand; turn me round and turn me back again, even as a wheel. Behold I am thy servant, prepared for all things; for I desire not to live unto myself, but unto thee; and Oh that I could do it worthy and perfectly! - Thomas a Kempis

The Cost of Servanthood

Luke 14:25-30
Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

Obviously context is important, for God did not create within us a hatred of life or of spouses and children. Indeed we are told to love all! But not at the expense or in place of a love for God's eternal kingdom, here on earth as it is in heaven. So within that context of priorities, we are warned not to place the welfare of our own earthly concerns above the heavenly concerns that Jesus came to show us.

Summer has arrived! We had a very successful Vacation Bible School last week and now will prepare for ongoing activities including a Fanily Ministries movie night on Friday!

Third Week of Pentecost

II Corinthians 9:6
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Have a great weekend! See you on Sunday!

Lord Jesus, I believe that thou art able and willing to deliver me from all the care and unrest and bondage of my Christian life. I believe thou didst die to set me free, not only in the future, but now and here. I believe thou art stronger than sin, and that thou canst keep me, even me, in my extreme of weakness, from falling in its snares or yielding obedience to its commands. And Lord, I am going to trust thee to keep me. I have tried keeping myself, and have failed, and failed, most grievously. I am absolutely helpless. So now I will trust thee. I give myself to thee. I keep back no reserves. Body, soul and spirit, I present myself to thee as a piece of clay, to be fashioned into anything thy love and thy wisdom shall choose. And now I am thine. I believe thou dost accept that which I present to thee; I believe that this poor, weak, foolish heart has been taken possession of by thee, and that thou hast even at this very moment begun to work in me to will and to do of thy good pleasure. I trust thee utterly, and I trust thee now. - From The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith

Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I often speak of those who complain about the hand they were dealt in this game we call life, rather than giving thanks that they were invited to the table to play at all! When and where did you learn how to be content with what you have?

During a dry season in the New Hebrides, John G. Paton the missionary awakened the derision of the natives by digging for water. They said water always came down from heaven, not up through the earth. But Paton revealed a larger truth than they had seen before by discovering to them that heaven could give them water through their own land. So men insist on waiting for God to send them blessing in some supernormal way, when all the while he is giving them abundant supply if they would only learn to retreat into the fertile places of their own spirits where, as Jesus said, the wells of living waters seek to rise. We need to learn Eckhart's lesson, "God is nearer to me than I am to myself; he is just as near to wood and stone, but they do not know it." From The meaning of Prayer by Harry Emerson Fosdick

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

What makes you tired? What drains all energy from you? Do you turn to God for new energy, and if not, why not? We are finishing up a very well received Vacation Bible School and again children teach us about trust and limitless energy!

Our progress in holiness depends on God and ourselves - on God's grace and on our will to be holy. We must have a real determination to reach holiness. - From A Gift for God by Mother Teresa

How determined are you to truly be holy?

Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7
To you, O Lord, I call;
my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.

Hear the voice of my supplication,
as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.

Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.

When Hercules wrestled with Antaeus he found that every time he threw him down upon the ground the enemy arose stronger than before. But when he discovered that Gaea - The Earth - was the mother of the giant, and that every time her son fell back upon her bosom he rose with renewed strength, the Hercules changed his tactics. Lifting Antaeus high in the air , away from the source of strength, he held him there till he brought him into subjection.

We, who are not children of Earth but children of God, could learn much fromthe lesson of Antaeus. We too, whenever troubles cast us back upon the bosom of our Father, rise with renewed strength. But just as Antaeus let Hercules, who was smaller in stature than he, lift him away from the source of his power, so circumstances, infintely small and trivial, may drag us away from God. - From The Soul's Sincere Desire by Glenn Clark

Where have you experienced weakness today? Where have you experienced strength? What does that tell you?

I Corinthians 2:1-2
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Good advice in this third week of the Pentecost season! As we celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, we are reminded that it is the Holy Spirit that will do the serious work and all we have to do is be sincere in our obedience to Christ. We don't have to get complex or fancy with our evangelism, just be straightforward in our experience of Jesus in our lives. Can you remember a time when your words had a real impact on someone else? Did this require a written paper or doctoral thesis? Were your words prepared in advance or were you simply responding to a friend in need? What does that tell you about what is necessary for sharing faith?

We must learn to pass through situations like a fish, rather than carrying them all with us like a snail. We should certainly emerge with a little bit more experience of life, but there is no need to carry more with us than we have to - each situation carries quite enough trouble with it by itself! - From Prayer by Simon Tugwell

Look for ways to experience this weekend rather than for more burdens to pick up and carry! See you on Sunday!

II Timothy 2:3
Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Share with whom? Should we seek out suffering in order to more fully enter in it with someone? Some would say yes! I believe that it is more of a communal request so that as we become more fully aware of what is happening in the life our community, opportunities for sharing in botht the joys and the sorrows of daily life will become apparent. And we should then take the time to share more completely in the suffering that sometimes comes upon our brothers and sisters in Christ. Who do you know right now that might be experiencing suffering?

We must not think that as we progress in prayer everything will necessarily become much more overtly holy. What it will become is more simple, more humble, more actual. - From Prayer by Simon Tugwell

As we progress in prayer.. Are you praying better today than you did one year ago? Why or why not? What does it mean to progress in prayer? If, in fact, our prayer life should be one of maturation and improvement over the course of our life, what kind of measuring stick can we use to check our progress? How does one discern spiritual growth in one's self?

I Timothy 4:8
Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Be reminded that physical training is of some value. It is important to take care of yourself, SO THAT you can continue God's work here on earth as it is in heaven. But we are also reminded of our priorities. Take care of yourself, with your physical body being important, but with your spiritual self being more important. Walk a mile every morning and read your Bible every night, but place the greater emphasis on your time with God.

So often we are too full of what we think should be happening to us in our spiritual formation to notice what God is actually teaching us. We must be still enough, simple enough, humble enough, to let plan the course, and use whatever opportunities there may be for our instruction. - From Prayer by Simon Tugwell

Tonight, before going to bed, ask yourself, "What did God teach me today?" Can you imagine a whole day going by without God having made some kind of effort to say hello?

Galatians 5:22,23
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

Can you write down every day for a week at least one visible action of one of these fruits? The card of kindness or the phone call of love or the silence of patience? In a journal, or on your calendar, look for an opportunity to write down one action each day.

Have a blessed week!

God will know how to draw glory even from our faults. Not to be downcast after committing a fault is one of the marks of true sanctity. - Dom Augustin Guillerand

How does one confess one's sins, and acknowledge wrong doing without being downcast? Honesty with both our strnegths and our weaknesses is sometimes a lot harder than it should be.

Luke 18:18
A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Now according to C.S.Lewis, the question is faulty because we have all been told that eternal life is already ours. It isn't a question of whether or not we will live eternally, but rather a question of HOW we are to live eternally. A better question would be, "What must I do to inherit eternal life with you?" We are going to live eternally in one place or another, so what can we do to end up in the right place? Of course, Jesus answers this question as well. Follow my father's commands.

Look for an opportunity to do God's Will today! Make someone smile.

The biblical picture of God as "heavenly Father" reinforces the idea that he is loving and caring. We do not ask as beggars but as sons and daughters, since he is the Father of all by creation and the Father of Christians in particular by adoption. God is also likened in the Bible to a divine Mother who seeks to gather her brood under her wings (Matthew 23:37). - From The Struggle of Prayer by Donald G. Bloesch

Jesus goes out of his way to teach and illustrate just how much we are loved by God. And yet it is still easy to maintain a distance. Why is this? Are you close with your parents? Why or why not? How do we overcome this distance we sometimes keep between ourselves and God?

Please pray for the North Alabama Annual Conference meeting this weekend at Clear Branch United Methodist Church just north of Birmingham.

Ephesians 1:3, 5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.


Remember when fathers couldn't wait to hand the family business over to their sons? We encourage more independence now from our youth and the really established businesses are starting to disappear one by one. Christianity is much more concerned with the connection we have with one another through the ages and with God. When Paul uses language that suggests that we have been adopted by God, it is done purposely and with every expectation that we will take on the family business! Their is security and assurance and well-being in our knowledge that God is taking us on as his own. But their is also responsibility! We represent a great and respected family when we accept the family name of Christian. What expectations does your own family have of you? How about your Christian family?

To gain a true awareness of the depth and breadth of Christian prayer, it is necessary to understand something of the nature of the God who originates such prayer. This God is first of all a Personal Spirit who is self-sustaining and who is the ground of everything that is. - From The Struggle of Prayer by Donald G. Bloesch

It is Necessary! So says Donald Bloesch. How much of God do you understand? If you don't yet understand all that is (as none of us do) are you at least comfortable with the idea that you are getting to know more about God on a daily basis? What steps might we take, not just to increase the efficiency of our prayer life, but to increase the depth of our relationship with God.

I Corinthians 12:4-7
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Is there anything sadder than a child who can't recognize self worth? "I can't" are the words that can easily depress any parent or caregiver. And yet, in the face of the many promises given in the Bible concerning the gifts and graces we have all received, we still hear from people regarding the teaching of a Sunday school class or serving on the finance committee that they can't. The Holy Spirit resides in all of us if we would but recognize that presence and let the miracles begin! Where have you recently responded with "I can't"? What might help you reconsider?

Christian prayer rests upon the irreversible fact of the self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ and its confirmation in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is the basis of true prayer as well as its goal. Prayer, as biblical faith understands it, is made possible by the triune God and is directed to this God. - From The Struggle of Prayer by Donald G. Bloesch

What do you think he means by this? I thought prayer was about talking and listening. Why should the "self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ" be one of my daily goals in prayer? I confess I also don't often seek "confirmation in our hearts" as I pray. I share what I am thinking. I attempt to listen for any response or directive from God. And I go on.

What would it mean for our prayer life to actively involve all three aspects of God each and every time we pray? Do you find yourself mostly praying only to God the Father, or to Christ Jesus?

John 5:39-40
You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Jesus is speaking to his disciples and isn't this an interesting look at how we read the Bible! How often do we read about Jesus and forget to do anything about actually strengthening our relationship with him! How often has church become more a matter of what we know rather than who we are. Is your Bible study actively encouraging you to make a difference in the community on behalf of the One who sends us, or is it simply...interesting....

The Spirit works where he wills. The Spirit of God cannot be restricted in his operation by the Church; he is at work not only in the offices of the Church, but where he wills: in the whole people of God. He is at work not only in the "holy city", but where he wills: in all the churches of the one Church. He is at work not only in the Catholic Church, but where he wills: in Christianity as a whole. And finally he is at work not only in Christianity, but where he wills: in the whole world. From The Church by Hans Kung.

Why would we think that the Holy Spirit only works in certain times and places and not in others? Have you ever thought that instead of the Spirit urging you on to greater things, you were instead holding it back from a more complete potential?

Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.

This approaching Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost. It is also widely celebrated as Trinity Sunday. We lift up that God continually finds new ways to reveal God to us including the three aspects of God we call Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is much we still do not understand or know about God, but one way of truly loving God totally is to focus onthose things we DO know. The Trinity helps us experience, and thus love, God in ways we might otherwise not discover. Which aspect of God helps you draw closer? Who do you pray to most often?