Reluctant Evangelist

Acts 4:1-4 Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

2012-01-22T15:58:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Acts 4:1-4

Summary: While Peter and John were speaking to the people the people in charge came to them and were very annoyed because they were telling people that in Jesus there was resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and put them in jail. But many who heard the word believed, about 5000.

Thoughts: Telling people about Jesus is always risky. Today, in many parts of the world, Christians are thrown into jail for talking about Jesus. Even in the United States, we can get in trouble with those in charge for telling people about Jesus. Perhaps we won't be arrested, but we might get put in detention at school or be asked to leave a public space because we are creating a public nuisance. It's risky to share our beliefs. We have to ask ourselves if it is worth the risk. While we do this, we might want to look at the end of this scripture and see what resulted from Peter sharing about Jesus. It says "But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand." We may not convert 5000 people at a time, but if one person hears and believes, it will have been worth it. Christ asks us to make disciples, not thousands at a time, but one at a time. You may never know who heard you and believed. It may be 20 years later before they turn and follow Christ. We have to let God use us and trust that God will use the results to further the kingdom of God.

Prayer: God, give me the courage to share the Jesus that I know with others. It's not fair to keep him to myself! Amen.

Acts 3:17-26 - A Time of Refreshing

2011-12-29T14:48:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Acts 3:17-26

Summary: This section continues Peter's description of Jesus. He said that God fulfilled what had been fortold through all the prophets. Repent and turn to God so that your sins could be wiped out, that he may send the Messiah, Jesus. You are descendents of the prophets and the covenant that God gave to your ancestors.

Thoughts: This scripture says "Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." In this time, between Christmas and New Years, the thought of a time of refreshing is very appealing to me. Right now I long for the time of refreshing that may come from God's presence in my life. The scripture says that I have only to repent and turn toward God. So with Christmas behind me and the coming of the saviour so fresh in my mind, I turn toward the New Year and the uncertainty that it brings. And I pray that God's presence will bring me a time of refreshing, allowing me to face the New Year with hope and the promise that God will provide. Because God promises to be with us throughout each hour, each day, each year. God will indeed provide.

Prayer: God, pour upon me a time of refreshing. A time to wipe my sins away and begin again with the new year. For You make all things new, even me! Amen.

Acts 3:11-16 Believe in the Miracle!

2011-12-22T11:55:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Acts 3:11-16

Summary: After Peter and John heal the lame man, everyone is astonished. Peter tells them that they didn't heal the man with their own power, but with the power of faith in Jesus Christ.

Thoughts: Peter says "the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you." The disciples were able to do amazing things because they had faith in Jesus. Especially in this time of Advent, while we are awaiting the birth of the Christ child, I wonder what miracles we might be a part of. I have seen lives changed by Christ. So why is it that I still lack faith in the power of faith in Jesus? Why am I hesitant to trust that God will provide what I need: healing, food, shelter, work? What kind of miracle do you need in your life? How might you be a miracle in someone else's life during this season in which we wait for a glimpse of the child who changed everything?

Prayer: God who sent Jesus to earth to be God with us, help us to have faith in you. Help us to be a miracle in another's life this holiday season. Let us open our hearts to the child you sent. Amen.

Acts 3:1-10 - Look Intently at Each Other

2011-11-22T08:03:00.001-06:00

Scripture: Acts 3:1-10

Summary: Peter and John are headed to the temple to pray and they come upon a man who has been lame since birth. He asks them for money but Peter tells him to look at them. He does and Peter tells him that he doesn't have money but tells him to get up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ. He begins walking and leaping and praising God and everyone who sees him is filled with wonder and amazement.

Thoughts: What strikes me today about this scripture is Peter and John's immediate response to the lame man. The scripture says "Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said 'Look at us."" How many times have you walked or driven past someone who needed help, trying to avoid eye contact? I have often found myself staring at the light, wishing that it would go ahead and change so that I didn't have to look at the man outside my car asking for help. Now I have heard before that it is not a good idea to give a beggar money because they will most likely go spend it on alcohol or drugs. But Peter didn't give the man money either. Instead he gives the man what he has to give. He heals him so that he can walk. If I want to live like the apostles did, what should I give to the next person that I see in need? Perhaps I can't give them money, but I could give them a package of crackers or a bottle of water. But the most important gift I can give them is to look at them. Just as Peter and John did, I can really see them and recognize them as a child of God.

Prayer: God, help me to be more like Peter and John. Help me to really see everyone that I pass today and be kind to them. Amen.

Acts 2:42-47 - the early church

2011-11-20T14:30:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Summary: The people of the early church had all things in common and they gave to all who had need. Each day they spent time together in the temple, ate at home together with glad hearts, praising God. Each day the Lord added to their number those who were saved.

Thoughts: This scripture is a beautiful yet short description of the early church. It includes all of the components that we should include in our church today. They share everything that they have so that no one is in need. They spend alot of time together, at the temple. They break bread together (communion) and they eat together in each other's homes, with glad and generous hearts. They praise God and they have the goodwill of all the people. The outcome of all of this is that God adds more people to their church each day. What a long way we have come from this description of the early church! The church of today could more honestly be described as follows: they share with each other what they can easily afford to give up, they spend 1-4 days a month at the church, they have communion together once a month, they alienate many people outside of the church by telling them what they should do and say. What a difference 2000 years makes! What will we have to do to move from the church of today to the church of 2000 years ago? Is God calling us to build bigger and better facilities to use one day a week or is God calling us to share what we have with those in need? Where is God calling our church?

Prayer: God help us to listen for your word for our congregation. Open our eyes so that we might see the need all around us. Open our ears so that we might hear your call to us. Amen.

Acts 2:37-42 - The Promise of Jesus

2011-11-17T18:30:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Acts 2:37-42

Summary: The people that had heard Peter preaching were cut to the heart and asked the apostles what they should do. Peter told them that they should repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that their sins would be forgiven and they would receive the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you.

Thoughts: "The promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." The promise that Jesus brings us, through his life, teachings, death, and resurrection, is for all of us. It is for you. It's not just for those who deserve it. Because in reality, who among us can claim to deserve the promise that Jesus gives us? What a wonderful thing to contemplate as we prepare for the season of Advent. That the promise of Jesus is for me. And for you. And for that surly cashier at the grocery store. And for the guy that weaves in and out of lanes on the freeway, almost running me down. As Thanksgiving comes near, let us remember what we have to be thankful for: that Jesus Christ gives new life to us; to all of us. What do you have to be thankful for?

Prayer: Lord, open my heart so that I can see those around me as children of God, as the receivers of the promise of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Acts 2:29-36 - Just follow Jesus: If only it were that easy!

2011-11-10T10:41:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Acts 2:29-36
Summary: Peter continues preaching: God raised Jesus up, exalting him, and Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit. God has made Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

Thoughts: The scripture says that we should know with certainty that God made Jesus both Lord and Messiah. Jesus, the same guy that we crucified, is Lord and Messiah. We use these words so often that perhaps we don't usually take time to think about what they mean. What does it mean that Jesus is my Lord and Messiah? For me, this means that I give my life to Jesus Christ. That I stop thinking about myself and try to figure out where Jesus would have me go, what he would have me do. We are called to follow Jesus. A call to follow Jesus doesn't mean getting the biggest house we can buy, or the fastest car, or the best clothes. Instead a call to follow Jesus, the Messiah, means taking the time to see where Jesus is leading us. This is not an easy call. I struggle each day with the temptation to follow my own path. But on a regular basis Jesus calls to me, reminding me that I must follow him, not find my own way. So as I struggle with finding a new job I have to continually remind myself that I am following my Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ. And if I let him, he will lead me to the place where I need to be.

Prayer: Lord, help me to follow Jesus; such a simple request, but so difficult to do. Amen.

Acts 2:22-28 What does Steve Jobs know?

2011-10-26T13:47:00.001-05:00

Scripture: Acts 2:22-28

Summary: Peter continues preaching in this section. He says that even though Jesus was killed, God raised him up, freeing him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.

Thoughts: I think that this is one of the central tenets of the Christian life, that even though Jesus was killed, God raised him from the dead. Jesus has power even over death. If death is no longer our master, what amazing things will we be capable of?!?! I heard that before he died, Steve Jobs said that he wasn't sure what would happen to him after he died. He wondered if perhaps he would just be no more. This is why he never wanted to put an off switch on any Apple products! As Christians, we don't have to wonder what will happen after we die. We know that God has already taken care of that. This knowledge gives me great freedom to concentrate on the here and now, rather than worrying about the afterlife. I can focus on making a difference now, rather than worrying about later. And I can do this because Jesus conquered death. What an amazing gift this is that God has given us! Thanks be to God!

Prayer: God, you have power over everything, including death. Help me to focus on living, rather than on dying. Amen.

Acts 2:14-21 - Watching for the Holy Spirit

2011-10-02T15:42:00.000-05:00

Scripture: Acts 2:14-21

Summary: After the Holy Spirit has descended upon Jesus' followers and they spoke in tongues, Peter preaches to the crowd who is assembled. He tells them that the disciples are not drunk but the Spirit is causing them to prophecy.

Thoughts: When the observers heard the miracle of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit helps the followers to speak in multiple languages, the first thing they think is "Oh, they must be drunk!" Every time I read this scripture, I wonder why this is the case. Why is it so much easier for us to assume a negative cause for the outburst before we look for a positive cause? Why do we have so much trouble believing in miracles? It's easier for us to say that it was good luck that something happened, rather than thinking that perhaps God had a hand in the outcome. In fact, I believe that the Holy Spirit is doing amazing things in my life on a daily basis. Sometimes I am just too limited to see it. I was just recently told that my currrent job would be ending in December. I have 3 more months in this youth ministry position. So I find myself needing to look for the presence of the Spirit in my daily life. I find myself in a dry spell, longing for the quenching waters of God's presence. There is so much more that I want to accomplish before I go, but I will have to be satisfied with what I can do in the time I have been given. Where do you need God's help in your life? Where has the Holy Spirit been working there?

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, come. I have been ignoring your work in my life for too long. Please make your presence known to me. Amen.

Racism Rears It's Ugly Head

2011-09-14T11:58:00.000-05:00

Thoughts: I saw a bumper sticker on a pickup truck in Carrollton, TX today. I was so disturbed by it that I have decided to blog about it and go back to the study of Acts later. The bumper sticker read: "DON'T RE-NIG IN 2010" I am so offended by this that I don't even know where to begin commenting about it! I understand that there are alot of people in this nation that don't like our president. I understand that there are many who will put bumper stickers on their vehicle encouraging others not to vote for Obama for president in 2012. But the racist nature of this bumper sticker makes me sick to my stomach. It makes my eyes fill with tears to think that there are some people who are so angry with him that they are willing to put a shortened version of the infamous "N word" on a bumper sticker on their car. Is this person really ready to insult 12% of the population in this country? Every time that I think we are beginning to beat back racism in this country, I run across something like this! Every single person in the world is a child of God and should be treated as such. This is true no matter their race, gender, skin color, ethnic background, sexual preference, height, weight, or any other distinguishing characteristic. Personally, I am going to do whatever I can to educate people I come in contact with about the evils of racism and what our creator God is calling us to do about it. I hope that you will join me in this task. Apparently there is alot of work to still be done.

Prayer: Creator God, you created each of us in your image. Help us to work toward the elimination of racism in our country and in your creation. Amen.

Acts 2:1-13 - Speaking in Tongues?

2011-09-06T08:54:00.001-05:00

Scripture: Acts 2:1-13

Summary: On the day of Pentecost they were all gathered together when suddenly from heaven there came a sound like a violent wind. Divided tongues of fire appeared and a tongue rested on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages. People asked what it meant and some said that they were drunk.

Thoughts: This is just the first part of the Pentecost story, so be sure to check back later for part two! There are several interesting parts of this phenomenon. First, there is the "sound like the rush of a violent wind" filling the entire house. All of them are filled with the Holy Spirit and then there is the "divided tongues, as of fire" with a tongue resting on each of them. Then each of them speaks in other languages. Not only that, but people from other places can understand the speech in their own language! There is alot of controversy surrounding this scripture, especially the part about speaking in tongues. But when you study this text, it is clear that the disciples were speaking in the languages of other people around them. They weren't speaking in a language that was not understood by anyone. The Holy Spirit had given them the ability to speak the langauge of the people in that place. So I find myself wondering how this text is interpreted by people that "speak in tongues" in their local congregations. I believe that the Holy Spirit can give us the ability to communicate "God's deeds of power" to people who aren't like us. What gifts is the Holy Spirit giving us so that we can share the good news with those who are different in our community?

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, come! Give us gifts that allow us to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all of our neighbors. Amen.

Acts 1:12-26 - Are You the Twelfth Disciple?

2011-06-16T12:53:00.001-05:00

Scripture: Acts 1:12-26

Summary: The disciples return to Jerusalem and gather Jesus' followers together. Peter tells them that they need to replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus and then killed himself. Two men are proposed, Joseph and Matthias. They cast lots and Matthias is chosen.

Thoughts: I heard someone speak about Matthias the other day (sorry, I don't remember who or I would give them credit!). I searched through my on-line Bible, and discovered that what the speaker said is true, Matthias is never mentioned in the Bible again after he is chosen. So it makes me wonder, why did the writer of Acts feel that it was necessary to tell us that the disciples chose someone new to replace Judas, but never tell us what this person did? When I read the Bible, I often wonder why the writer chose to include something. In this case, I wonder what is the significance of making sure that there are 12 disciples. Why did they chose one more person to be a disciple? Why not let both men be disciples? Wouldn't it be better to have more? Having just been Commissioned as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church, I understand that it is important to recognize those that God is calling to ministry. It gives us authority to do the work that God is calling us to. I'm afraid though, that what gets lost in all of this is that each of us has a call from God. Just because I work in a church doing ministry, doesn't make my work any more important than the work that others do. Even though you are not the one "chosen" to be the twelvth disciple, your ministry is valuable. God is still calling you. What is God calling YOU to do?

Prayer: Help me to follow in the footsteps of the original disciples, who were following in the footsteps of Christ. Speak to me, God, and show me the way you would have me go. Amen.

Acts 1:6-11 - When is the second coming?

2011-05-31T08:37:00.000-05:00

Scripture: Acts 1:6-11

Summary: Jesus told the disciples that they won't know the time when he restores the kingdom of God, but they will receive powers from the Holy Spirit and will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Then Jesus was lifted up into a cloud. They were told by angels that Jesus would come in the same way as he left.

Thoughts: When I read this scripture I can't help but think of the prophet who has been telling everyone who would listen that Jesus would come back to the earth on May 21, 2011 and the rapture would occur, taking everyone who was worthy up to heaven. Well, it's now June and I'm pretty sure that the rapture didn't occur or if it did, none of us were worthy! Now this prophet is saying that he miscalculated and his new date is October 21, 2011. I find myself wondering why people believe in this sort of thing. It says pretty clearly in several places in the Bible that no one knows the time or place and yet several times in my lifetime people have predicted exactly when Jesus was coming (with no serious results). Why is it that we feel like we need to know exactly when something is going to happen? Especially something like the second coming of Jesus? Don't we have enough to worry about without worrying about when this is going to happen? I believe that we have two choices about how we live our lives. We can spend our lives worrying about when something is going to happen: the second coming, the tornado, our own death,... Many people spend their lives this way, in constant worry. Or we can spend our lives making each day count: loving those we come in contact with, praying for others, working to move toward the kingdom of God! What choice will you make? What are you going to do with the rest of your life?

Prayer: God, help me to focus my time today on things that I can change, things that I can do to make a difference in our world! Amen.

Acts 1:1-5 - Waiting for the promise of God

2011-05-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Scripture: Acts 1:1-5

Summary: The book of Acts is a continuation of the book of Luke. After his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples, speaking about the kingdom of God. He told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of God, when they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts: It's time to move into the book of Acts and study it. Acts is the story of the early church and there is much here for us to learn 2000 years later. In this scripture the disciples are told by the resurrected Jesus that they should stay in Jerusalem and wait for what God has promised them. When I read this I wonder what the disciples must have been feeling. They are ecstatic that Jesus has risen from the dead and they have all personally seen the risen Lord. How amazing this must have been! But now he has told them to wait where they are, in Jerusalem. I imagine that they didn't feel very safe there. After all, this is the city where the crowd turned against Jesus and crucified him. They are probably wondering if the same thing is going to happen to them. And they know that Jesus is gone. They can't count on him for protection. But still they are supposed to wait. Waiting is the hardest thing for me to do: waiting in the hospital to talk to the doctors, waiting to get your test scores after you take the SAT, waiting 9 months when you are pregnant before you have the baby. But just as it is important to wait 9 months for a baby, so that it will be fully developed, it was important for the disciples to learn to wait for what God had promised them, through Jesus. We just had Senior Sunday at my church last Sunday. As I watched these amazing young people lead both of our worship services, I was struck by what that morning represented. They are finishing their 13th year of school and have done alot of waiting. But now they have brand new opportunities in front of them, full of promise and hope for the future. It is good for us to know how to wait patiently. But when the time comes it is good to know how to act. What are you waiting for? How is the promise of God going to change your life?

Prayer: God of promise, please stay beside me as I wait and help me to act in faith when the time comes to act. Amen.

2 Peter 3:14-18 - Be At Peace

2011-05-12T08:02:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:14-18

Summary: While you are waiting for the day of the Lord, strive to be found at peace, without blemish. Some of what Paul wrote is hard to understand. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Thoughts: The writer says "while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace." This is what I long for in my life, to be at peace. Even when the world is crazy around me, I long for the peace of God. If I have God's peace, then I find that the insanity of the world around me doesn't take me along with it. I am able to resist the temptation to be drawn into the whirlwind. But my ability to achieve this peace is fleeting. I am often found wanting in this regard. So that is what I pray for today. Peace for me, peace for my family, peace for my church, peace for my community, and peace for the world. For we have been too long without it. And by "growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" we can learn how to be at peace.

Prayer: Give me peace, Oh Lord. Help me to spend more time growing in your grace so that I can share it with others. Amen.

2 Peter 3:8-13 - Hastening the day of the Lord

2011-05-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-13

Summary: One day for God is like 1000 years. God is not slow about fulfilling promises but is patient, wanting us all to repent. But the day of the Lord is coming when the heavens will pass away. What sort of person ought you to be, leading lives of holiness, hastening the coming of the day of God?

Thoughts: We know that at some point the day of the Lord will come. This day is referred to by many names, but in essence it is the day when God's dream will come true, when everything, on earth and in heaven, is as God would have it be. But in the meantime, what sort of people will we be? Will we be judging everyone that we meet, telling them that they are not following God's rules and what the consequences of that will be? Or will we be loving everyone that we meet, telling them about God's love and the difference it has made in our own lives? The choice is ours. What sort of person ought you to be?

Prayer: God help me to live for You, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord. Amen.

2 Peter 3:1-8 - God's time

2011-04-28T08:51:00.001-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:1-8

Summary: Remember the words of the prophets and the commandment of Jesus Christ spoken through the apostles. You will have people making fun of you and asking when Jesus is coming back. But 1 day for God is like a thousand years.

Thoughts: The early Christians believed that Jesus would return in just a few years. So when this book was written, many of these Christians were wondering why Jesus had not already come. This writer reminds them that time for God is different than time for us, saying that one day for God is like 1000 years to us. How many times do we need to be reminded that God is working in God's time, not in ours? When I find myself frustrated because of conditions in our world, I try to remind myself that God is not working on my schedule. So I have come to accept that the Kingdom of God will probably not be completed here on earth in my lifetime. But I know that what I am doing is important, just as what you are doing is important, to the fullfillment of God's kingdom. I look forward to the day when Christ returns, but I am not anxious for it, because I know that there is much work to be done. What are you doing to forward the Kingdom?

Prayer: God help me to see how your people are making a change in the world and help me to encourage others in this process. Amen.

2 Peter 2:4-22 - A God who rescues or a God who punishes?

2011-04-20T08:48:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:4-22

Summary: God cast the angels who sinned into hell. God destroyed all humans except for Noah and his family in the flood. God burned Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins, but rescued Lot.

Thoughts: This scripture lists examples from the Bible when God rescued the just and punished offenders. It also says that it would be better for people to never have known the way of righteousness than to turn away from it, having known it. What do you think about this? Personally, I think that it it better that they have at least known God, through Jesus Christ. That way, there is at least some hope that they may rethink their decision to turn away from God. It seems to me that the more people that know about Christ and the God that he tells us of, the better. As for the issue about how God punishes offenders, I think I will leave that discussion to Rob Bell in his new book Love Wins. Suffice it to say that it is difficult for me to believe that the loving God that I believe in would allow people to suffer in hell for eternity. In the meantime, I'm going to live my life always thinking about what I can do today to change the world that I live in for the better, rather than worrying about what my existence will be like after I die. What do you think?

Prayer: God, help me to tell everyone that I meet about you, through my words and my actions. Amen.

2 Peter 2:1-3 - False prophets: Is it I, Lord?

2011-04-19T09:06:00.001-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-3

Summary: False prophets arose and false teachers who will bring in destructive opinions. Many will follow them. In their greed they will exploit you.

Thoughts: The warnings about false prophets continue in this scripture. We all know the obvious examples: like Jim Jones and David Koresh. In my town, Garland, Texas, there was a group who thought that extraterrestial visitors were coming to whisk them away. They all bought houses in the same neighborhood expecting UFOs to come get them on March 31, 1998. When that didn't happen, the leader changed his story, saying that they had all become gods. These type of false prophets seem to me to be easy to spot. But what about the false prophets that are mainline? What about the pastor who has an affair with someone in his or her congregation? What about the preacher who preaches the prosperity gospel, telling people that if they believe (and possibly donate large sums to the church!) they will be blessed by God with prosperity? How do we determine which prophets are false? I think that we do that by evaluating their message. Is the gospel that they preach in line with the God that we know: a God of love and compassion, with a preference for the poor? Also, take a look at their actions. Do they preach the gospel as loudly with their actions as they do with their words? And we should be judging ourselves by the same standards, for we are prophets to others. What do our actions and message say about us? Are we false prophets?

Prayer: Give me the wisdom to evaluate the various messages that I hear, Oh Lord. Help me to sift out the chaff and know what is really coming from You. Amen.

2 Peter 1:16-21 - Who should we believe?

2011-04-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Summary: We have been eyewitnesses to Christ's majesty. He received honor and glory from God. So we hve the prophetic message confirmed. Prophecy is not our own interpretation, it comes from the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts: When we tell other people about Jesus Christ, whose authority do we have it on? I think I base much of my faith on the Bible, especially the New Testament. But what did the early Christians do before the New Testament books were written down? Before a council got together and decided which books were holy and should be included in our current Bible?They depended on prophets. They depended on people who told them about Jesus and who he was and what he said and did. This left alot of room for false prophets to confuse people with different versions of the truth. This writer is very concerned that the community to which he is writing has been hearing from false prophets. So the first thing we should look for when we hear a prophet speak is whether or not their truth comes from themselves or from the Holy Spirit. We certainly still have false prophets today. Some of them are extreme and can be seen leading people away from God, like Jim Jones in Ghana or David Koresh in Waco. Others are more difficult to spot. I have always thought that religion would be simpler if someone just told me what to believe. This is why many churches do so well. They are attracting people who don't want to think for themselves, who just want an authority figure to tell them what to believe. But the United Methodist Church encourages each of us to decide for ourselves what we believe. So my entire life will be spent refining what I believe about God and creation and the truth about Jesus Christ. Which means that I will have to be watching for false prophets, constantly evaluating what I hear from others to see if I believe their truth came from themselves or from the Holy Spirit. Yes, the other way seems simpler, just to be told what to believe. But God wants more from me. God wants me to use my mind, my heart, and my soul to reflect on my theology because then it becomes truly mine.

Prayer: God help me to always be searching for the truth about you. Don't let me become complacent, feeling that I know enough, because you have so much more to teach me. Amen.

2 Peter 1:12-15 - What have you learned lately?

2011-04-13T08:27:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-15

Summary: I intend to keep reminding you about these things, even though you know them, as long as I am alive. And I'll make every effort so that after I'm gone you will recall these things.

Thoughts: I've been to many training sessions where, even though I knew everything that was discussed, the training was very valuable to me. Because I need to be reminded on occassion of the truths that I know. The writer of this scripture knows that it is not enough to hear the truth just once. Of course, there is always that first time that you understand something, when the truth burns in you and you are overwhelmed with the knowledge. But even those things that are vitally important to us, such as the knowledge of Jesus Christ and what he brought to us, need to be revisited regularly. Not only do we need to be reminded of the truths that we know, but we need to revisit them and re-evaluate them, so that new truths can be gleaned. We are never too old to stop learning, especially learning things about Christ. What have you learned lately?

Prayer: Lord, help me to continue studying your Word and learning about you so that I continue to grow. Amen.

2 Peter 1:10-11 - Do you hear the call?

2011-04-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:10-11

Summary: Be eager to confirm your call because if you do this you will never stumble. This will give you entry into the eternal kingdom of Christ.

Thoughts: I've been thinking alot about my call lately. I have passed my first set of interviews and will be Commissioned as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church at Annual Conference this June. It was late in the year of 2011 that I first admitted that I was hearing a call from God and it was this call that led me into youth ministry. My life is very different now than it was 10 years ago. I have gone from making a 6 digit salary in the Software industry to a salary in the church that is one quarter of that. I have gone from managing 20 people to managing none (although I could consider myself sort of managing the adults and youth that I work with at church!). My family is also different. My children, who were 5 and 9 are now 15 and 19. My husband is now the CEO of the Youth Worker Movement. I have transitioned from a youth ministry volunteer to a full-time youth minister, in leadership with youth in the Conference and the Jurisdiction. And even though I have been in ministry for almost 10 years now, I sometimes find myself unsure of what I am doing. I still wonder what God is going to call me to next. That's the exciting part of following God's call on your life. Once you let go and begin to follow where God is leading, you never know where you will end up next. So as far as the scripture goes, I think I am still going to stumble, even though I have confirmed my call. But even when I stumble, I know that God is there, to pick me up, dust me off, and set me on God's path again. I just have to remain open to God's leading!

Prayer: God, Help me listen for your call for my life and help me be open to new experiences and possibilities as you open new doors for me. Amen.

2 Peter 1:5-9 - What do I need to prop up my faith?

2011-04-07T12:57:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-9

Summary: Support your faith with goodness, with knowlede, with self-control, with endurance, with godliness, with mutual affection, with love. They will keep you from being ineffective. For without them you are blind, forgetful of cleansing of past sins.

Thoughts: It is critical for us, as Christians, to have faith. Without faith, we are nothing. Faith is what is required for our salvation in Jesus Christ. But to continue to have faith, we have to support it with goodness. We have to choose good in our daily lives. And the goodness must be supported by knowledge. We need to continue to read and study so that our knowledge doesn't decay. The knowledge must be tempered with self-control as we make good choices in our daily lives. And endurance is required for those days when our self control fails. Endurance, not only in the long races, but in resisting the tempations that our lives are sprinkled with. Then we need to cultivate godliness, trying to follow in the path that Christ leads us. And we need to care about all people. Yes everyone. Even that person that drives you stark raving mad! But most importantly, we have to love. Love is the foundation that ultimately supports our faith. Without love, we are nothing. As Christ himself showed us, love can turn the world around. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to cultivate all of these aspects of faith in my life. Amen.

2 Peter 1:1-4 - How much is enough?

2011-04-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-4

Summary: May grace and peace be yours in abundance through the righteousness of God and Jesus Christ. His power has given us everything that we need. The things he has given us can help us escape the corruption of the world.

Thoughts: As I read this scripture I keep coming back to one line: "His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." If God has given us everything that we need, why do we continue to struggle so hard to get things for ourselves? We teach our children that they have to make the best grades in school, so that they can go to the best colleges where they need to make even better grades, so that they can get a job making the most money, so that they can buy the biggest house and marry the best looking spouse. Where does it all end? If God has given us everything that we need for life why do we continue to try to get more? At what point do we get off of the merry go round and take a job that we love? When is it enough? Perhaps, instead, we should teach our children to have well rounded lives and to find a vocation that gives them a sense of fullfillment, rather than a high paying job. Let's show our children, through our own choices, what a well rounded, fulfilled adult looks like, so that they will have something meaningful to strive for.

Prayer: God, you have given me everything that I need "for life and godliness." Let this be enough for me. Amen.

1 Peter 5:6-14 - A Day without Shoes: Suffering with my sisters & brothers

2011-04-05T11:18:00.001-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-14

Summary: Be humble so that God might exalt you in time. Give God all your anxieties, because God cares for you. Resist evil because your brothers and sisters around the world are also suffering. Afterwards, God will restore, support, strengthen and establish you.

Thoughts: I've been feeling anxious this past week. One of those unformed anxieties that doesn't really have a source. Things are actually going pretty well for me lately. I have finished the taxes for my mother-in-law and my dad and my own taxes are almost complete. I'm caught up with work (for the most part!). Everyone in my house is healthy. So why am I anxious? I don't know. What I do know, however, is that I can cast these anxieties on God, because God cares for me. Today has been designated by Tom's shoes as "a day without shoes." So I am trying my best to go the entire day without shoes or socks. I already find myself more aware of my feet and their discomfort. How much worse would it be if I lived in a village with dirt roads and had to go my entire life without shoes? And so it seems fitting to me in this time of Lent that I go one day without my shoes so that I will remember my brothers and sisters around the world who are without shoes. So during this Lenten season, I want to practice casting my anxieties onto God. I also want to suffer with my sisters and brothers who are suffering. These two things seem tied together to me. God will take my anxieties but it makes me want to "pay it forward." I need to remember the suffering of the world and do what I can to ease it.

Prayer: God, keep me from getting to tied up in my own life. Help me to remember my sisters and brothers around the world who are suffering. Amen.

1 Peter 5:5-6 - Authority of elders?

2011-03-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:5-6

Summary: The younger should accept the authority of the elders. Be humble in your dealings with one another.

Thoughts: After reading this scripture, it would be easy to fall in to the trap and turn to my kids and say, "See, the Bible says that you should accept my authority!" On the surface, I agree with this statement, because children need their parents to attempt to keep them safe and teach them how to be good people. So when you tell a small child not to run in to the street, it is important that the child listen to you. At some point, however, my children are going to have to be able to make decisions for themselves because I won't be there to help them. They will have to decide for themselves if they want to run in to the street (or whatever!). So now that my kids are older, I am trying to step back and allow them to make their own decisions and live with the consequences. But for all of us, younger and older, it is important to remember to be humble with one another. Because we can all learn from each other. Some of the most important lessons in my life, I learned from a young person, which is why I love my work in youth ministry! Adults, we need to remember that the youth are children of God and bring a unique perspective to share with us. Youth, perhaps you could give us a little bit of credit for our life experience, and listen to us on occassion. As children of God, we need to have a large dose of humility in our dealings with one another.

Prayer: God help me to be humble with all people that I meet, young and old. Amen.

1 Peter 5:1-4 - Am I leading my flock?

2011-03-30T14:08:00.001-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Summary: Tend to the part of God's flock that is in your charge. Don't lord it over them but be a good example. Then when Jesus appears you will win the crown of glory.

Thoughts: It's easy when you read this to think that this scripture only applies to the senior pastor of the church. After all, the rest of us don't have a flock, do we? I think that we do. In my case, as the youth minister at my church, I can fairly easily see that the youth are my flock. And beyond that, there is probably a good case to be made that the entire congregation is my flock, since I preach to them on occassion. This scripture also applies to the youth who are on the Youth Council, and to the adults on Ad Council, and those on the worship team and the mission committee. But I'm sure there are still a few of you who are reading this and saying to yourself that you aren't in leadership at the church and so you don't have a flock. However, even those folks who are not in an official leadership position are still leaders in our church. For example, the people who donated blood last Sunday are leading by example. And each of you lead those outside of our church walls by the life that you lead. So, if we are all leaders of a flock, what is this scripture saying to us? Tend your flock, don't lord it over them, but be a good example. By showing every person we meet that we care about them, we are tending a part of God's flock. And if we lead by example, rather than by force, we are following the example of the chief shepherd, Jesus Christ. And isn't that what the Christian life is all about? How will you lead by example today?

Prayer: Christ, help me to live in your shadow and be the sort of example that you would be. And never let me forget that I am the shepherd for a part of your flock. Amen.

1 Peter 4:12-19 - Do Christians Suffer?

2011-03-26T14:39:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Summary: Don't be surprised by suffering, but rejoice because you are sharing Christ's suffering. Don't suffer as a murderer, etc., but if you suffer as a Christian you should glorify God.

Thoughts: I'm sure I've said this before, but life doesn't get easier when you become a Christian. Yes there will be times when God blesses us with good things, when we feel that we have everything that we need and more! And we should rejoice in those times. But there will also be times when we will suffer. Being a Christian does not make our lives perfect so that we will be free from suffering. Even worse, sometimes we may suffer because we follow Christ. The hopeful news about our inevitable suffering, is that God will be with us. I have had several times in my life when I was suffering severely. As I looked around me and saw the support that I had from my church and my friends, I found myself wondering how I would handle the suffering without the help of these friends and family and the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit. When things are at their worst I still feel that God is there with me, walking beside me. So, as this scripture says, I will "entrust myself to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good."

Prayer: Christ, walk with me on this journey that you have set me on, so that I might rejoice in my suffering that I share with you. Amen.

1 Peter 4:8-11 - God gives me strength!

2011-03-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8-11

Summary: Love one another, be hospitable, serve one another. Speak the words of God, serve with the strength that God supplies.

Thoughts: I love this scripture! When I try to describe God to someone, the word love always shows up in my description. God is love. So this scripture, which encourages us to love each other and serve each other only cements the concept of love. As God loved us, we should love others. This scripture also says that "whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ." I am well known for being kind of a nut about missions. I think some of my best moments happened when I was on a mission trip. I've been on 40-50 mission trips in the past 10 years. So you might think that it would get humdrum. But they never do! Each trip is different. Sometimes we go to a different place, but there are always new people to get to know on the trip (people traveling with me and people that I meet on the trip). My point is that on every trip, I have some point when I realize that I don't have the strength that I need. And when I realize that my strength is gone, God supplies me with strength. With that strength, I am then able to do what needs to be done, to the glory of God. Where in your life is God supplying you with strength?

Prayer: God, thank you for loving me and giving me strength when I most need it so that I can do Your work. Amen.

1 Peter 4:7-9 - The Discipline of Prayer

2011-03-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:7-9

Summary: The end is near so be serious and disciplined for your prayers. Love each other and be hospitable without complaining.

Thoughts: There's alot of good stuff in this scripture of just 3 verses, but what draws my attention today is the first sentence: "be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers." Prayer has been a struggle for me all of my life. As an extrovert I find it difficult to follow the words of Psalm 46 to "be still, and know that I am God." Being still is not my forte. I am an active sort and have been all of my life. So it's hard to take time to pray and even harder to take time to listen. After all, it took 40 years before I heard God calling me to ministry. Perhaps God waited that long to make the call, but it is more likely that it took me that long to hear God! Having said that, I should also say that when I take the time to be still, when I take the time to read scripture and contemplate what God is saying to me on that day in that text, when I take the time to listen, it is amazing what God shares. And so I continue, in my limited way, to open myself to God, knowing that God can use me if I make myself available.

Prayer: Lord help me to continue to work to develop the habit of prayer so that you can develop incredible things inside of me! Amen.

1 Peter 4:1-6 - Led by God, to do what?

2011-03-23T12:19:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:1-6

Summary: Don't live by human desires but by the will of God. You have spent enough time doing what the Gentiles like to do. However, we will all have to be judged at some point.

Thoughts: It is so easy to give in to human desires. For example, lately I've been having trouble resisting sweets. It's entirely too easy, when I'm sitting around watching TV, to grab an unhealthy snack. But it's difficult for me to give up sweets entirely. So I am trying to eat them in moderation. As I type this I am thinking about the delicious looking cake in the office, calling my name, wanting me to come and get a piece to eat! And this is just a small example of the ways in which I allow myself to give in to human desires. I also find myself spending money on things that I really don't need or putting off until tomorrow something that really needs doing now (like straightening my desk!). And these are just the surface things. Below the surface are more important decisions. One such decision is my choice of vocation. Do I choose a vocation based on my human desires (a job deemed important by the world, making lots of money) or do I follow Christ and choose a job based on God's will? I hope to live my life, as this scripture says, "no longer by human desires but by the will of God." So help me God.

Prayer: Christ, who endured much suffering, did not take the easy way. He set aside human ways and followed the will of God. Please, Lord, help me to do the same. Amen.

1 Peter 3:18b-22 - Remember your baptism

2011-03-22T15:22:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:18b-22

Summary: Christ was killed but made alive in the spirit. Just as God saved 8 people through water in the flood of Noah's time, so our baptism saves us with water.

Thoughts: I'm having a hard time making the connection between how God saved Noah from the flood by having him build an ark. and baptism. It seems that in the flood it is the water that killed people, but in baptism it is the water that saves us. It is through the sacrament of Baptism that God brings us into the family of God. The water is used to symbolize the cleansing of sin from our lives. Perhaps that is the connection. The water of the flood cleansed the earth of the sin of its sinful inhabitants. But even then, this connection doesn't work for me. Baptism is a life giving event in our lives, one that doesn't need to be repeated because it is the work of God. So I take this opportunity to thank God for my baptism, for the opportunity given to me to become a member of the family of God!

Prayer: Lord help us to remember our own baptism each time that we see someone else baptized. For it is truly a mystery why you would take a frail human being into your own family, but a blessing that you do. Thank you! Amen.

1 Peter 3:13-18a - Building a home in Juarez, Mexico

2011-03-21T13:19:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:13-18a

Summary: Better to suffer for doing good, rather than for doing evil. Christ suffered in order to bring you to God.

Thoughts: This scripture makes me think about our recent mission trip to Juarez, Mexico. The week after Christmas our family joined a small mission team who went to Juarez to build a concrete block house for a family living in a cardboard house. We went even though almost every one of our friends and family had urged us not to go. We knew that there had been alot of violence in Mexico in the past year, especially in Juarez. Because of the violence, I had stopped taking youth on mission trips to this area. But I was still feeling called to go to Juarez. I wanted to see all of my friends in the area and I wanted to build a house for one family. We work with Proyecto Abrigo in Juarez, a religious organization that has gone from building hundreds of houses each year with the help of volunteers, to building 15-20 houses in a year. And it's not like the violence is keeping the poor people from migrating from central Mexico to Juarez. There are still more jobs in Juarez than in the central part of the country. Since the poor people are still moving to Juarez, I wanted to show someone that we still cared about the people there. And so we went. Despite the warnings from everyone, including the US border guards. This scripture says perfectly why we went to Juarez. First, we hoped that since we were going there to do good, perhaps no one would harm us. Second, even if we did suffer, we would be suffering because we had been doing what was right. Although I am not willing to put other people in danger, I was willing to put myself in danger, for what was right. And I was willing to let my children make the same decision for themselves. Because we follow the Christ who suffered for us and we are called to follow his example.

Prayer: Christ, it is beyond comprehension why you were willing to suffer for us, the lost creatures that we are. But in response, I are called to follow you. Help me to take up my cross, perhaps suffering because of it, so that your will might be done here on earth. Amen.

1Peter 3:10-12 - Running After Peace

2011-03-18T13:06:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1Peter 3:10-12

Summary: If you desire life, don't speak evil or deceit. Instead do good and seek peace. God's eyes are on the righteous, God's ears open to their prayers. God's face is against evil doers.

Thoughts: Right in the middle of this scripture, I am struck by the sentence "turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it." The author not only encourages the readers to seek peace, but to pursue it. This emphasis on peace strikes me as interesting. Don't just look for peace. Instead you should run after it. Don't just glance around you as you go through life, looking for peace wherever you might be. Instead you should go to where the peace is. What does this mean for me in my life? I shouldn't just work for peace when it is convenient to me, but I should be going out of my way to encourage peace. I should work for peace with those I see every day. I should work for peace in my neighborhood. I should work for peace in my country. I should work for peace in the world.

Prayer: God of peace, remind me daily of my task to be a peacemaker in your world. Amen.

1 Peter 3:7-9 - Who is my Beloved?

2011-03-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7-9

Summary: Husbands, show consideration for your wives, they too are heirs of life. Be united in spirit. Don't repay evil with evil.

Thoughts: I think today I will just skip over the fact that this writer calls women the weaker sex. I'm going to tell myself that this refers to our physical strength, which is usually less than the strenght of a man! Instead I want to focus on verse 8. "Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind." If we really loved one another, even those people that we don't like, it would be alot harder to treat other people badly. For when you love someone, you want to treat them well and you want them to be healthy and happy. What if we lived as if every person with whom we came in contact was a loved one? The clerk at the grocery store, the woman with two squirmy kids in worship, the obnoxious driver on the freeway, the homeless man on the street corner. How would our attitude change toward them if we regarded them as a loved one? Perhaps I should use this season of Lent to remind myself that every human is a loved one of God and thus should be a loved one of mine.

Prayer: God, you are a father and mother to us all. But that means that all of these human beings on this earth are my siblings. Some of them are easy to love, but some are not. Help me to see the image of God in each of them, loving them with a tender heart. Amen.

1 Peter 3:3-6 - A New Easter Dress?

2011-03-16T12:58:00.000-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:3-6

Summary: Don't worry so much about dressing up on the outside, but instead focus on your inner self.

Thoughts: It's usually around this time of year that I begin to notice how old most of my clothes are. I start to yearn to buy new clothes or a new piece of jewelry. At the very least, I tell myself, I need a new dress for Easter! But the truth is that what we wear on the outside only impresses other people, and only for a little while. Even the best dress will get old and fall out of style. Instead this writer encourages us to "let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God's sight." It is so easy in the world in which we live, to allow ourselves to focus on external things. We all want to have pretty things around us and have nice things to wear. But what is precious to God is my inner self. That gentle spirit that can lift up others. I'm hoping this Lenten season to focus on my inner spirit, through Bible study and prayer, letting go of my desire for pretty things. I don't think that God will be impressed by a new Easter dress. Instead I want to focus on what is precious to God, my inner self.

Prayer: God, you have already given me so many pretty things, including the budding trees and the little birds who populate them. Let that satisfy my desire for beauty, so that I can spend my time focusing on my spirit as I become closer to you, Oh God. Amen.

1 Peter 3:1-2 - Authority of men?

2011-03-15T15:54:00.001-05:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-2

Summary: Wives accept the authority of your husbands so they may be won over by your conduct.

Thoughts: I have been tempted on several occassions to take a marker and mark out the first verse of this chapter. Just as I imagine that the last chapter we read was used to promote slavery, I believe that this verse has been used to subjugate women. We live in a world where women are treated as less than men in so many ways. In many Muslim cultures women are not allowed to leave their homes without a male escort. Many women in our country put up with abuse from their spouses because they are afraid to leave their situation. I am not aware of any profession where women make more than men, given the same amount of experience. So to see scripture that says that women should "accept the authority of your husbands" is infuriating to me. This is another moment when I remind myself that these words were written thousands of years ago, when women were property. But when I look at the second part of this sentence there is a little bit of redemption. The writer says that even if your husband doesn't obey the word (doesn't follow Christ), perhaps the way that the wife leads her life will win him over to Christianity. So perhaps I need to read this in a new light, considering how my conduct can influence those around me who do not follow Christ. Perhaps I can redeem this scripture by applying it in my own context.

Prayer: God, even in the difficult scriptures, you can find a way to give me a word. Thank you. Amen.

1 Peter 2:18-25 - Who is enslaved today?

2011-03-10T09:09:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:18-25

Summary: Slaves should accept the authority of their masters with all deference. Christ suffered for you, leaving us an example.

Thoughts: No doubt this scripture was used by slave owners who used the Bible to explain why slavery was OK It's difficult for me to read scriptures like this that tell slaves that they should accept their situation. Not only does it say that slaves should accept their master's authority, but they should do so even when their master is harsh. Ugh! There are times that I want to ignore parts of the Bible, pretending that they don't exist. But I know that the New Testament was written a couple of thousand years ago by people who were in a totally different situation than I am. And so I have to accept the fact that I am not going to be able to take everything that I read in the Bible at face value. I know that there are times when we will have to accept suffering. But that does not mean that slavery is acceptable or that it is OK for one person to hurt another. The God that Jesus Christ tells us about is a loving God who does not want any human being taking advantage of or enslaving another. Rather he calls us to free the slaves and the oppressed.

Prayer: God, we know that you desire only the best for each of your children. Help us to fight oppression wherever we find it. In your name we pray. Amen.

1 Peter 2:13-17 - Accept the authority of the emperor?

2011-03-09T11:57:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:13-17

Summary: Accept the authority of human institutions. Live as free people. Honor everyone and fear God.

Thoughts: It's Ash Wednesday. The day we go to church, have ashes put on our foreheads in the shape of a cross, and try to think of something to give up for Lent. So on this Ash Wednesday, I find myself thinking about what I should give up. I think of the young person who gave up Facebook last year for Lent and her testimony about how it served to show her how much time she spent on-line. Although I am tempted to do the same, instead I feel God calling me to be more intentional about getting into the Word. And so, I am going to attempt to blog each day of Lent, in order to remind myself to spend more time with Scripture.

But about today's scripture, I find myself returning to these words: "As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone." God wants us to be free. But we need to live within the laws of our system of government. Don't use your Christianity as an excuse to break the law, saying that you serve God, not the government elected by mere people. However, what the writer doesn't say, is that if the law goes against God's law, then we need to fight against it. Just as the people in Libya are fighting against those in power in their country. That's what I hear when the writer says "Honor everyone." As Christians we must find a way to live within a system that is not Christian. Sometimes that means that we should accept the authority of the emperor, but sometimes that means that we should stand up against those in power in order to be in solidarity with the oppressed. Because we serve a God of love, not a power hungry God.

Prayer: Lord give me the strength to stand up against any system which does not treat people equally and help me to do what I can to support people around the world who are doing the same. Amen.

1 Peter 2:11-12 -Living Honorably

2011-03-02T08:18:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:11-12

Summary: Abstain from the desires of the flesh and conduct yourselves honorably, so that people may see your deeds and glorify God.

Thoughts: The people to whom 1 Peter was written lived in communities with very few Christians. In this scripture, the writer is encouraging them to be honorable among these non-Christians, letting their deeds speak for themselves. How well do I let my deeds speak for myself? In some aspects of my life I do a good job of living honorably. I treat other drivers with consideration, giving them space to merge in to my lane. I tell the cashier when I have been given too much change back. But it's more difficult to act honorably when the actions cost significant time or money. Like using and washing a coffee cup at church rather than using the disposable cup or buying the free range chicken instead of the chicken raised in horrible conditions. But God is calling all of us to live honorably so that we can glorify God in all of our actions, not just when it is convenient or cheap. Which aspects of your life need more honor?

Prayer: Creator God, help me to make the honorable choices today, considering my fellow travellers in this life, as well as the creation around me. Amen.

1 Peter 2:9-10 - Winter Retreat shows God's people at work

2011-02-22T11:50:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10

Summary: We are a chosen race, God's own people. God called us out of darkness into God's light.

Thoughts: We are the people of God. God has claimed us. We were called by God our of the darkness that we inhabit, into the marvelous light of God. How would our lives be different if we lived as if we were God's people? I think I saw an example of this a week ago at Holy Covenant UMC's youth Winter Retreat. It was a beautiful weekend. The days were warm, which was much appreciated since it had been snowing only a few days before and had been bitterly cold (for Dallas, anyway!). We went to Turner Falls in Oklahoma for the day, but much of the snow and ice that had fallen had not melted there. So the paths that are normally easy to scramble up and down were much more treacherous. It was there that I saw a youth group, that often splits into specific sub-groups, turn into a cohesive whole. I saw chains of 8-10 youth helping each other down the mountainside and some youth going back up to help others down. Unfortunately, we did have one injury (sorry Katelyn!) but I believe that it could have been much worse if we had not all been working together to help each other. What if we took this lesson, that the path is easier to traverse when working together, and extended it to our daily lives? What if we lived as God's people, treating everyone else around us as a special child of God? How would the world be different?

Prayer: Lord, help me to live as one of your chosen people, loving those around me unconditionally. Amen.

1 Peter 2:4-8 - Bricked into a wall or into a fluid community?

2011-02-09T10:53:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-8

Summary: Christ is the cornerstone of our spiritual houses.

Thoughts: There is some interesting imagery in this scripture. For example, "like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house." At first glance, this makes me nervous. Being built into a spiritual house sounds like allowing yourself to be bricked into a wall. It sounds restricting, like once it happened you would never be able to move or change again! Perhaps I could instead think about being built into a spiritual house like my church congregation, which is fluid and ever changing, but built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. For with Christ as our foundation, there is so much opportunity to effect a change in our world. We can be a spiritual house that reaches out to others. We can be a spiritual house that not only invites others to join us, but that goes out into the community to change it for the better. Making change is very difficult. But with Christ as our foundation, as our cornerstone, we can not only change our community, we can change the world, one person at a time!

Prayer: Christ, our cornerstone, chosen and precious, give us strength, support us, so that we your brothers and sisters in love, might be your hands and feet in this world. Amen.

1 Peter 2:1-3 - tasting God?

2011-01-24T08:39:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3

Summary: Get rid of all malice, guile, insincerity, envy, and slander. Long for the pure, spiritual milk.

Thoughts: Get rid of all the bad stuff in your life, this scripture says. Rid yourself of it. Throw it away. Then, like babies, we should long for the "pure, spiritual milk." Clean your life and then feed yourself on the purest of foods, the spiritual milk from God, so that you can grow in salvation. We must work every day at our salvation, changing our lives, making different choices, so that we can slowly change ourselves into the likeness of Christ. And this scripture ends on an interesting note. All of this we should do "if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." We have heard all of our lives that "God is good.' And we have seen many instances where the Lord provided good things for us. But have we tasted that the Lord is good? Has God become such an integral part of us that we have tasted the God is good? I know that I have tasted that God is good during communion. As I ingested the body and blood of Christ, given for me, I have known with my entire being that God is good. All the time. And so, in response, I will try to clean my life and feed myself on pure, spiritual milk so that I may grow in God. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Help me to work this day on cleaning out my life so that I can feed on your pure, spiritual milk. Amen.

1 Peter 1:22-25 - born anew into love

2011-01-14T09:14:00.001-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:22-25

Summary: You have purified your souls and have genuine mutuual love, so love one another. You have been born anew through the word of God. Our flesh withers but the word of God endures forever.

Thoughts: I have just finished a week at Perkins School of Youth Ministry. If you have never been, PSYM is a place were youth ministers gather from across the country to learn and fellowship together. I always leave PSYM feeling renewed.and challenged to continue God's work of bringing young people into relationship with God through Christ. Although it is easy to get disillusioned and disheartened by the state of the world, the state of the economy, or the state of youth today, I gain new hope from the stories of these people who work daily with youth. I find comfort in learning that I am not the only one dealing with the problems that I face and I always come away from PSYM with new ideas for my ministry. This scripture today reminds me of PSYM in 2 aspects. First, it tells us to "love one another deeply from the heart." I heard over and over again this week that relationships are the key to youth ministry. So I am returning my focus this year to loving each youth that I encounter, hoping that a glimpse of God's love for that person may be seen in my love. Second, the scripture says that "You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God." We have been born again. We all have the chance to remake ourselves in the image of God, as shown us by Jesus Christ. Let's take that chance, each day, to be like God as we love one another deeply!

Prayer: Loving and passionate God, create in me a new desire to be like You, to love all of those around me. Remind me each day that I have the chance, in that day, to start afresh, living my life following Christ. Amen.

1 Peter 1:17-21 - Christ leads us, will you follow?

2011-01-06T09:07:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:17-21

Summary: You were ransomed from the futile ways of the world by Christ. Through him you come to know God.

Thoughts: Some folks get all caught up in the 'blood of Christ.' It becomes so important that Christ died for their sins that they forget what else Christ did. He lived a life that showed us how awesome God is. He told us stories and parables that explain how much God loves us, just as we are. Yes, he did die and that is important to the story. But it's important because after he died he was resurrected by God, proving that even death had no power over him. So my favorite part of this scripture is at the end. "Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God." Jesus Christ points us to God and leads us to the pathway of God. The entire story is important from birth to death to resurrection. Christ did die for us but he also beat death for us so we no longer have to fear death! Let us set our faith and hope on God so that we too might follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Prayer: God help me to trust in you and learn to set my faith and hope on you, in all things. Just as Jesus Christ taught us to. Amen.

1 Peter 1:13-16 - Living the Christian life

2011-01-04T09:07:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Summary: We need to discipline ourselves and be holy as God is holy.

Thoughts: Living a Christian life really has two parts. (It might have more, but today I'm focusing on 2!) First we have to learn about God, through Christ. We learn about God and God's people in the Old Testament and we learn about Jesus Christ and what he showed us about God in the New Testament. Learning about God helps us to build up our faith. But what happens as we develop our faith? A strong faith begins to show on the outside. We begin to be more like Jesus. We begin to show concern for others. We begin to strive to be holy. And we continue to move in God's direction all of our lives. We continue learning more about God and it continues to show in who we are and what we do. We should never stop growing and seeking God. And it should never stop showing up in our lives.

Prayer: God, may I become so focused on you that it just automatically spills out of me and into the lives of everyone around me. Amen.

1 Peter 1:10-12 - Why Read the Old Testament?

2010-12-23T13:40:00.001-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:10-12

Summary: The salvation given to you is the same that was revealed to the prophets.

Thoughts: The writer of this letter thought that the entire Old Testament was simply anticipation and preparation for the coming of Christ and the salvation that we gained from his death and resurrection. Although I don't agree that the Hebrew scriptures can be read only as preparation for Christ, I do think that they are important. They give us great insight into God and help us see how the story of God's people progressed throughout the Scriptures. For me, this text is a reminder that God has been at work for thousands of years. Even the prophets of the Old Testament spoke about the grace that can be ours; grace that God freely gives us, if we are willing to take it.

Prayer: God, thank you for all of the Scripture that you have given us. Help us to study it so that we might know how You are active in the world: past, present and future. Amen.

1 Peter 1:6-9 - Do I Have to Suffer?

2010-12-17T11:18:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-9

Summary: You rejoice even though you have suffered trials, so that your faith may result in praise of Christ. That faith will save your soul.

Thoughts: It seems like there are alot of Christians these days that think that God is just around to make them happy. For them their religion is something that they pull out when it is convenient. But this Scripture reminds us that knowing God does not keep us from suffering. In fact, the gospel may be the cause of our suffering! But we can get through those hard times by focusing on the relationship that we have with God, through Jesus Christ. For as this writer says, "Although you hve not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy." In this Advent season, let us remember how we love Christ and rejoice in the memory of his birth!

Prayer: Lord thank you for the gift of your Son, who brought us into this amazing relationship with you! Be with us in our suffering and in our joy. Share it all with us. Amen.

1 Peter 1:3-5 - What is your inheritance?

2010-12-13T08:42:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5

Summary: God has given us new birth through Christ, an inheritance that is never lost. We are protected by God's power.

Thoughts: With the economy the way it is, I often find myself worrying about how I'm going to have enough money to live on until I die. This means I'm also worrying about what sort of inheritance I will be able to leave to my children. So when Peter talks here about an inheritance we have from God that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, that sounds really good to me! I don't have to worry about my stock investments losing value or the baseball cards geting wet and molding. God is keeping my inheritance safe for me. Because when I really look at what valuable things I am leaving my kids, what it comes down to is faith. The most important thing that we share with our children is our faith. Young people learn their faith from their parents. They see how you live out your faith each day. They see if you read the Bible, if you pray, and how you treat people around you. I'm not saying that it's not important for us to do what we can fior our children financially. It is. But it is more iimportant that we share our faith with them. If they can see that we have a strong relationship with God and how that changes our lives, they will begin to yearn for that relationship also.

Prayer: God I yearn for a better relationship with you. I want to focus on those things that will orient me in your direction and help me to follow Christ's path. Amen.

1 Peter 1:3 - the Son of God

2010-12-07T08:34:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3

Summary: God has given us new birth through Jesus Christ.

Thoughts: I think that verse 3 summarizes the New Testament when it says "By his (God's) mercy he has gien us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Let's unpack this a little. Everything that we have is available to us because of God's mercy. Like God's grace, God's mercy is unending. We have been given a "new birth" or another chance by God. But we were given that chance through what Jesus Christ did for us. By being obedient to death, Christ gave us new life. Just as he was resurrected from the dead, so we will be. Jesus came to earth in human form so that we would be able to see God in him. His entire life was about showing us who God is, through his words and his actions. And when he died on the cross and God raised him up again, we saw that nothing was greater than God, including death. I think in this Advent season it is timely to think, not just about the birth of Jesus, but also about his life and death and resurrection. The birth of Jesus, the son of God, is important, but the rest of his life is an important part of the story, as well.

Prayer: Have mercy on us, living God. During this Advent season help us to remember Your Son, who came to earth so that we might know You better. Amen.

1 Peter 1:1-2 - Are You Chosen?

2010-12-06T08:56:00.002-06:00

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-2
Summary: Peter lists several church to whom he is writing this letter. He says they were chosen and destined by God and sanctified by the Holy Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ.

Thoughts: I think it might be easy to read this Scripture and think that the author is saying that only certain people are chosen by God. There are several groups who believe themselves the chosen few. If you are not one of them, you are definitely not chosen by God and are not going to be wih God after you die. I always wonder how they bring new people in to their group. How do they know who is chosen?! These beliefs don't line up, however, with my image of God. I believe in a God who loves all of us, who loves creation, who weeps with us and rejoices with us. This God that I believe in has chosen each of us and is waiting for us to choose back. This God came to earth in human form to show us the love of God in person. This God is best captured by the last line of this text: "May grace and peace be yours in abundance." God wants us to be in relationship with God and wants us to have grace and peace in abundance!

Prayer: God, you have chosen each of us. Let us also choose to be in relationship with you, so that we might have grace and peace in abundance! Amen.

James 5:19-20 - Pointing in the Right Direction

2010-11-27T09:22:00.000-06:00

Scripture: James 5:19-20

Summary: If anyone wanders from the truth of Christ and is brought back by another person, they will save the sinners soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Thoughts: I've always had some issues with talk about saving souls. It sounds too much like I am taking credit for something that God is doing. With that said, however, I think that any time we can point someone back to God, we have done a good thing. I have been working in full-time youth ministry for 9 years and I'm not sure if I have saved any souls. But I know that several times I have redirected people, turning them around and pointing them in the direction of God. I think that's really all that we can do is be pointers. We can't actually save someone but we can help re-direct them. I don't think I'm as fancy as a GPS, that will take you directly to your destination by the shortest path. Instead I'm the pointer finger, which shows you the way, but not necessarily the best path. You have to get the GPS model from someone wiser than me.

Prayer: Lord, help me to stay aware of those around me who might need a little direction so that I can be a guide for you. Amen.

James 5:13-18 - The Power of Prayer

2010-11-22T10:02:00.000-06:00

Scripture: James 5:13-18

Summary: Pray for yourself and pray for one another and amazing things will happen!

Thoughts: This is a great scripture for everyday living! If you are suffering, you should pray. If you are cheerful, you should sing songs of praise. If you are sick, ask the elders to annoint you with oil and pray for you. It says, "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." What more do we need to know!?!? I've often wondered exactly how prayer works. Does God change thing just because we pray? Or is the change in us, causing us to do things differently? Or does it change the person that we are praying for? I don't know. But I do know that no matter how it works, it does. Prayer does change things. It is powerful and effective, as this scripture says. So the more time that we spend in prayer, the more we will change things for the better! Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord let prayer be always on my lips and in my thoughts, for through it you cause powerful things to happen! Amen.

James 5:12 - your word

2010-11-21T17:30:00.001-06:00

Scripture: James 5:12

Summary: Don't swear, by any oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no.

Thoughts: The scripture says "let your 'Yes' be yes and your 'No' be no." I think perhaps the writer was trying to tell us not to swear, as he says "by heaven or by earth." To me this is linked with taking God's name in vain. If you say, "yes, by God, I am going to do that!" it is using the name of God to guarantee my action. But it's really not God who is going to make sure that I do something. It's me that makes sure to do it. I wish that I could make my 'Yes' be yes. Unfortunately, on occasion I will promise to be somewhere or to take my daughter somewhere, but when the time comes I have forgotten or have made another appointment, another promise that I also need to keep. And so my 'Yes' becomes a probably or a most likely instead of a yes. I want to learn to be more careful with my 'Yes' so that others will know exactly what it means.

Prayer: God, help me to learn how to say yes only to the most important things, the things that I am indeed committed to. Help my 'Yes' to be yes and my 'No' to be no. Amen.

James 5:7-11 - Lord give me patience

2010-11-19T10:42:00.000-06:00

Scripture: James 5:7-11

Summary: As the farmer patiently waits for the crop, so we must wait for the coming of the Lord.

Thoughts: In the time when this New Testament letter was written, most Christians believed that Jesus Christ would return in their lifetime. Imagine what life must have been like, expecting Christ to come back any day. It would be difficult to start any long term projects. What would be the point in planting crops if Christ would be coming back before the harvest? Why have children if his coming was imminent? This writer knows the frustration of waiting. But he tells his readers "The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains." Are we as patient as the early Christians? Are we willing to wait for the rains? Not just the early rains but the late ones? As a youth minister, I sometimes find myself impatient with the progress of the work that I am doing. I find myself wanting to see the fruits of my labor. But I need to learn to wait for the fruit to mature before I pick it. I need to be patient and know that the work that God is doing through me will probably not mature overnight. In fact, I may never see the fruits of my labor. But I need to rest easy, knowing that if I am doing God's work that someday it will be time for the harvest. And what a harvest it will be!

Prayer: God I know that I need patience. As the saying goes, "Lordgive me patience and give it to me right now!" Help me to wait and let the crop mature in its own time, while I continue to do your work. Amen.

James 5:1-6 - You can make a difference!

2010-11-18T09:47:00.000-06:00

Scripture: James 5:1-6

Summary: Rich people, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted. You kept your laborers back by fraud. You have murdered the righteous one.

Thoughts: Wow! This writer doesn't hold back his condemnation of the rich! Now before I get carried away, I should say that I don't believe that all rich people are guilty of what this writer is accusing them of. However, we also need to remember that to most of the world we are rich. I'm saying "we" because I'm assuming that most of the readers of this blog are, like me, comfortably middle class. But compared to the majority of people on this world, we are rich. Do you have a car? Do you have enough food to eat and a safe, comfortable place to stay at night? Then you, like me, are rich. So when I read this scripture and try to tell myself that he is not writing about me, I have to think again. Because certainly some of the things I buy are made by laborers who are not making a living wage. Most of the coffee for sale today is harvested by people who are not given a fair wage. Many of our clothes and shoes are made by people or children in sweat shops. Much of our meat comes from animals who are raised in horrible conditions. But what can we do about any of this? Well, we can buy fair trade coffee. We can buy local vegetables and fruits. We can buy free range eggs and meat which comes from local producers. For these and other ways you can make a difference, check out Cool People Care. Because there are thousands of ways that we can make a difference, one thing at a time.

Prayer: God help me to remember that I am your hands and feet. That I can make a difference to the world in which I live. Amen.

James 4:13-17 - do you have a plan?

2010-11-12T08:14:00.000-06:00

Scripture: James 4:13-17

Summary: If you say today or tomorrow we will go to this town, do business, and make money; yet you don't know what tomorrow will bring. Instead say, if the Lord wishes we will live and do this or that.

Thoughts: Is this scripture saying that we should stop planning for the future? I know people who seem to take this route, just going with the flow and following the path of least resistence. Is that what God is calling us to do? I think not. I believe that God wants us to plan for the future, to dream about where we will be and what we will do. I think what this writer is saying is that we need to remember that we are but a small part of God's plan. By saying "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that" it reminds us that ultimately we are not following our own plan, for our own purposes. Rather we are following God's plan. And we can't always see the entireity of God's plan. So each day perhaps we need to look at our day and see what it is that the Lord wishes us to do with our day.

Prayer: Lord, help me surrender my plan to yours. Amen.

James 4:11-12 - judging others

2010-11-08T08:18:00.000-06:00

Scripture: James 4:11-12

Summary: Don't judge each other.Be a doer of the law and not a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge, so who are you to judge your neighbor.

Thoughts: When I read this scripture I find myself thinking about a young lady I know. There was a rumor circulating that she had made some bad choices, involving illegal drugs and sex. When I heard the rumor, I was obviously concerned about her well being, knowing that those kind of choices could have serious consequences for her. But my bigger concern waas the way that other girls in our group began to treat her. And I began to think about how Jesus had treated the people around him: how he had accepted people who had made poor choices in the past. So I began talking to the girls who I heard talking about this young lady. Trying to stress to them that we wanted our church to be a safe place to be, even for people who had made bad choices. Because when you are really honest, you realize that we have all made bad choices in our lives. And although we may consider other people's bad choices worse than ours, who are we to judge someone else? This is what I see as the crucial point of this scripture. Who are we to judge our neighbors or to judge another youth at our church? Perhaps we can focus more on the person and less on their past. Isn't this what Jesus did?

Prayer: God help me to see past the external facade of each person to see the child of God within. Amen.

James 4:7-10 - draw near to God

2010-11-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

Scripture: James 4:7-10

Summary: Submit yourselves to God. Draw near to God and God will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts.

Thoughts: How do I submit myself to God? How do I draw near to God? I was reading another blog last week of a youth minister who had asked his church to give him one day of sabbatical a month. He said the first time that he took this sabbatical time it was very difficult for him to just sit still and do nothing. I have the same problem. I have the "busy" gene which makes me feel nervous if I am not doing something that I consider productive. I'm sure that I got this from my mother, who could never sit still. In fact, as I sit here trying to blog about this scripture, I have noticed dust on the top of the pictures near my desk and my first inclination is to get up and get something to dust them with. But I am trying to overcome my "busy" gene and allow myself to draw near to God. As an extrovert, blogging is a good way for me to make myself sit down and read scripture and allow God to speak to me. There are lots of ways that you can draw near to God. You can read scripture, pray, or go to church. You can fast (from food or something else that you enjoy). You can go to the local park and sit outside, listening for God. Try them all unl you find ways that draw you toward God. As this scripture says, "Humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you."

Prayer: Lord I want to draw near to you but often I'm unwilling to take the time to make it so. Free me from the chaff with which I fill my life so that I might hear you more clearly. Amen.

James 4:1-6 - needs vs desires

2010-11-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

Scripture: James 4:1-6

Summary: We have conflicts among ourselves because we long for things that we don't have. If we are a friend of the world (in other words, wanting worldly things) then we are an enemy of God.

Thoughts: There are so many things that I want but don't have. For instance, my dryer broke a couple of months ago. Since my washer no longer works on the Permanent Press cycle, I decided that I should just buy a new washer and dryer. After all, the new machines are much more energy efficient than my old ones. So I began saving the $1000 that I would need to buy a new set. But I still don't have the money because things kept coming up, like my car needing it's 60,000 mile checkup. Luckily, just the other day God taught me a lesson about wanting new things, when someone offered me a used dryer for $50. So now that I have both a washer and dryer again, I find that my "need" for a new washer and dryer was really just a "want." And I find myself wondering, how many of the other things that I think I need are really just desires? It's so easy in this day and time and place to be convinced that you have to have something. But if we let ourselves get too tied up in our desires, then we distance ourselves from God. We fill our lives and time with so much stuff that there is no room for God.

Prayer: Teach me, O Lord, to let go of the clutter in my life and to resist the temptation to own the latest and greatest stuff. Amen.

James 3:13-18 - Wisdom

2010-10-29T10:15:00.001-05:00

Note: I have started putting a link to the actual scripture in my blog, so please use that to read the scripture before reading the blog. Not sure why it took me so many years to think of that, but here you have it. :-)

Scripture: James 3:13-18

Summary: Wisdom from God is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits.

Thoughts: I love this particular scripture. As I read it I find myself wondering how much older I will need to be to have this kind of wisdom. The writer says "Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom." Do you know someone who is wise in this way? It reminds me of a few older adults that I know who are both gentle and wise. I have been striving for wisdom all of my life. I have a bachelors degree and two masters degrees and yet is is rare when I feel truly wise. In fact, it seems that the more that I learn in school the more I realize that I don't yet know. Perhaps this is a sign of the beginning of wisdom that I realize how little I really know. I read once that all of our wisdom comes from God. I'm not sure about this, but I do know that the wisdom that I get from God is the same kind that this scripture describes. It is peaceable, gentle, willing to yield and full of mercy and good fruits. I believe that it pleases God when we learn but just knowing things isn't enough. We also need to put that knowledge to use for the kingdom of God. How can you use your knowledge today to serve God's kingdom?

Prayer: God whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, give us a small bit of your wisdom today and let is show in our works for your glory. Amen.

James 3:5a-12 - controlling the tongue

2010-10-26T20:54:00.003-05:00

Scripture: James 3:5a-12

Summary: More about the tongue, how it can both bless the Lord and curse other people.

Thoughts: Why is the tongue so difficult for human beings to control? It is so easy to thoughtlessly blurt out something hurtful, almost as if the tongue had a mind of its own. And yet with the tongue we also praise God, our creator and redeemer. What a mixed blessing it is! I believe that I'm going to try to go the entire day tomorrow without saying anything negative or hurtful. Perhaps if I keep practicing controlling my tongue it will begin to be more of a blessing to me and those around me, than a curse.

Prayer: Let my words be refreshing to all that I meet so that others may hear your words through mine, O Lord. Amen.

James 3:3-5 - hurtful words

2010-10-19T08:30:00.001-05:00

Scripture: James 3:2-5a

Summary: Though the tongue is a small member of the body it is very important. Just as a small rudder guides a large ship, so the tongue controls us.

Thoughts: If I had a quarter for every time that I had said something that I later regretted saying, I'd be a millionaire! As an extravert, it is especially difficult for me to keep from saying things that I shouldn't say. Often the words pop out of my mouth before I have really thought them through. This writer says that "anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect." How I wish I could live up to that standard! The problem with speaking before you think is that it is impossible to take the words back. Although I can apologize, the hurtful words are still there, hanging in the air between us. Negative words stick with us longer than positive words. So if I'm careful with my words I can make a positive impact with them, rather than a negative one.

Prayer: Lord help me to control my tongue and use my words to build up others rather than tearing them down. Amen.

James 3:1-2 - teaching

2010-10-11T09:04:00.001-05:00

Scripture: James 3:1-2

Summary: We who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Everyone makes mistakes

Thoughts: Those of us that teach, whether it's those who teach every day in school or those who teach in Sunday school, have an incredible responsibility. Although we like to think that they aren't listening to us, they are picking up far more than we give them credit for. The tricky part is not usually in what we prepare for the lesson. It's pretty easy to filter that information to make sure it's suitable to be taught. The problem is in the stuff outside of the lesson. We also teach by our actions and our casual words. Am I always careful about what I say when my students are near? Do I show them by my actions that they are all important, that they are all loved by me? Or do I play favorites? Do I take part in the gossip that is flying around the room before class starts? When this scripture says that teachers will be judged with greater strictness, I hear a reminder to be careful at all times to make sure that my actions match my words. To be certain that the love of God shows through in everything that I do. Because the most important lesson I have to teach is not what is in the lesson plan. It's what is in my heart.

Prayer: Lord shine through me. Let those that I attempt to teach get some small idea of your love through the love that I show them. Amen.

James 2:18-26 - Whose works are they, anyway?

2010-10-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

Scripture: James 2:18-26

Summary: Examples of why faith without works is dead. Abraham was justified when he offered his son as a sacrifice. Rahab was justified by her works when she helped the messengers.

Thoughts: This is more details about the argument about faith and works, continued from the last scripture. Can you have faith without works? I think we can only have this if the person with faith doesn't have the opportunity to do good works. But it's hard to imagine an example of someone who doesn't have the chance to do something good for someone else. So I guess it's possible, but unlikely.

Can we have works without faith? Yes. I've seen lots of people who are willing to help others that don't yet have the faith to back it up. Can good works lead you to faith? I think so. How about the youth who doesn't believe but goes on the mission trip to be with her friends? Isn't it possible that she may see God in the faces of the people she is serving or the people she is serving with? That is one of the reasons I try to get every single youth I work with to go on a mission trip. I can see the difference that mission has made in my life. So I hope that God might use mission to make a difference in the lives of the youth that I work with. Because in the end, it's not my work that matters, but the work of God. Sometimes that work is done through another person. But it is always the work of God.

Prayer: God use me to show others what you can do in the world. Amen.

James 2:14-17 - good works

2010-10-06T10:10:00.003-05:00

Scripture: James 2:14-17

Summary: What good is it if you say you have faith but do not have works? Faith without works is dead!

Thoughts: John Wesley (the founder of Methodism) used to say that we are saved by faith alone. All we need for salvation is faith. If we accept the grace that God surrounds us with, then we are saved. Why then, do folks continue to talk about works? Because if you really accept God's gift to you of grace, you will want to respond. You will want to do something in return. So the works that this author talks about are our response to God's love. Even Wesley said that, given the opportunity, everyone who is saved will perform good works. I like to think of it as God filling me up with grace until I am overflowing so that grace bubbles out of me and is seen by other people as good works. God is flowing out of me like a waterfall of good! So it is God that is responsible for the good work and not me.

Prayer: God fill me up with your grace and your love so that I am compelled to respond! Amen.

James 2:8-13 - Show mercy

2010-10-04T13:48:00.003-05:00

Scripture: James 2:8-13

Summary: Love your neighbor as yourself. Don't show partiality. Keep the whole law, not just parts. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Thoughts: This whole discussion of the law makes me nervous. The scripture says that we should keep the whole law. That if we fail in one part of the law we are accountable for all of it. It's really easy to convince myself that I am keeping the most important parts of the law. I'm not killing anyone or stealing anything. There's a long list of what Im not doing, that is according to the law, which is all good. But what does God require that I'm not doing?!? The last line of this scipture has a partial answer: "For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." Although I may be following the letter of the law, I'm not showing mercy to everyone that I meet. To be a true child of God I need to be more open to showing mercy to all. This means letting other cars in to my lane at the last minute, forgiving the person who fell through on a promise to me, or accepting the person who is different from me.

Prayer: May I draw strength from the Holy Spirit today to show mercy to all that I meet in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

James 2:1-7 - Favoritism

2010-10-03T14:22:00.002-05:00

Scripture: James 2:1-7

Summary: If you show favorites, do you really believe in Jesus Christ? Do you treat a person who is dressed nicely better than the person in dirty clothes? Hasn't God chosen the poor to be heirs of the kingdom?

Thought: How do we explain God's preference for the poor? How can a loving God, who loves each of us more than we can imagine, show preference for some? Perhaps it would help if we look at God like a parent with two children, one of them handicapped. The parent might spend more time or money on the handicapped child than on the other. This does not mean that the parent loves the handicapped child any more or any less. Only that this child needs more attention than the other. Maybe in a similar way, God takes more time for the poor than for the rich. Can we learn a lesson from the way that God invests more in the poor? Can we learn to treat the poor with as much love and deference as we treat the rich? Can we overcome out tendency to 'play favorites,' not only toward the rich but toward those who look and act like us?

Prayer: Help me to act more like a child of God, treating all that I encounter with the love and respect that they deserve as fellow children of God. Amen.

James 1:26-27 - Worthless religion

2010-10-01T12:53:00.004-05:00

Scripture: James 1:26-27

Summary: Don't just think that you are religious, but act religious: bridle your tongue and care for the orphans and widows.

Thoughts: So I can talk a good game about my religion. Telling folks that I go to church each Sunday, volunteer regularly, etc. I think I'm religious. But does the rest of my life express my religion as loudly as my talk does? Or instead, do I find myself talking about other people or always putting my own needs before other people's needs ? This is what the author of this scripture is telling us. If we don't "bridle our tongue," we can say hurtful things to or about others. And if we don't "care for the orphans and widows in their distress," are we really living out the faith that we claim? Although it's important to be able to talk about your faith, it's also important that you live it out. Which means being careful what you say and being thoughtful about what you do for others. Is your religion worthless or is it changing your life?

Prayer: God I want to live so that my faith is obvious to all that I meet. Help me to be careful about what I say and to care for those on the margins. Let others see my religion through the things that I do and say. Amen.

James 1:22-25 - Doers of the word

2010-09-30T08:42:00.002-05:00

Scripture: James 1:22-25

Summary: Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

Thoughts: Time after time in the New Testament we are called to action. Although John Wesley said that only the acceptance of God's grace is required for our salvation, he also says that if possible, we must also respond to that grace. How can anyone believe that you have received the grace of God if it doesn't change your actions? God's grace is so amazing, that we can't help but be transformed. So this writer says to us that it is not enough to hear the word, but we must also act upon it. We must be doers of the word. We are called to action each and every day, so that the grace of God will shine through us to the world.

Prayer: I hear your word, Lord, but it is not enough. Let the change that you have wrought in my heart be apparent to all that I meet today. Amen.

James 1:19-21 - Be quick to listen

2010-09-29T08:12:00.002-05:00

Note: I should probably mention that I am assuming that readers of this blog read the scripture when they are reading the blog. Although I include a summary of the scripture, you will miss a good deal of what the scripture says if you depend on my summary.

Scripture: James 1:19-21

Summary: Listen more than you speak and welcome the Word that God has planted in us to save our souls.

Thoughts: The first part of this scripture really speaks to me today (funny that I chose to use the word speaks!). When I'm having a conversation with someone, it is so easy for me to listen to them with only half of my brain, while the other half begins to formulate my response to them. But people who are really good listeners are able to turn this off, so that they give you their entire attention when you are speaking. Then they formulate their response and give that to you. What a different world this would be if we all followed this pattern and became better listeners. On this track, what if we take this same listening skill and apply it to our interaction with God? What if we spent half of our prayer time listening to God with our whole hearts, rather than spending the entire time talking? Isn't prayer really a conversation? Shouldn't we give God our best, listening to any word from God with care?

Prayer: Help me God to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger." And especially to be quick to listen for your word to me. Amen.

James 1:17-18 - Good works

2010-09-28T08:27:00.002-05:00

Scripture: James 1:17-18

Summary: All of our generous acts come from God

Thoughts: How many times have I done something good for someone else, just to look back later and pat myself on the back for being so self-less. I used to be really proud that I had made over 20 trips to Juarez to build a house or school or something else. I not only worked but I took teams of people to work alongside of me. Surely there will be some special place in heaven for those of us who worked so tirelessly for others during our short time here on earth. But am I really the one who deserves the credit for the work that I did? Did I raise all of the money for the trips by myself? Did I find a volunteer at the last minute when one of my drivers was unable to go? Would I have done any of that work if it hadn't been for God who enabled me to do so? I don't think so. As the scripture says, I think that "every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above." Our acts are a response to the generous gift of grace that God gives us. The grace that God offers to each of us, with no strings attached.

Prayer: God, thank you for enabling me to serve others in this world in your name. Amen.

James 1:12-16 - Temptation

2010-09-27T09:51:00.006-05:00

Scripture: James 1:12-16

Summary: God doesn't tempt us. We are tempted by our own desire.

Thoughts: I have a problem with the Devil. I don't mean that the Devil tempts me daily, rather I have a problem believing that the Devil exists. For me, it is a cop out to say that I am tempted by the Devil. It feels like I'm not owning that the temptation come from within me. Please don't get me wrong and send hate mail trying to convince me that there is a devil. There might be. I don't know. All I'm saying is that I need to own my own temptation. It's my own desires that tempt me, not some being external to me. If I can own that it is my desires, I can then more easily own the response to that. It becomes my responsibility to deal with that desire. This scripture says that God doesn't tempt us, that our own desires tempt us. And that desire leads to sin. So rather than blaming God or the Devil for our desires, we should be asking God to help us control our desires.

Prayer: God our redeemer, help me to control my response to the desires that tempt me, for some of them seem bigger than me. Amen.

James 1:9-11 - Busy-ness

2010-09-24T10:36:00.002-05:00

Scripture: James 1:9-11

Summary: The lowly believer will be raised up and the rich brought low, for the rich will wither away.

Thoughts: When I first read this, I think perhaps this is good, since I never have any extra money! But why does this writer say that the rich will wither away? Perhaps the answer may be found in the last line, "in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away." I have discovered that when I have weeks with no real sabbath, that I begin to wither. Since I work for a local church, although I enjoy Sunday morning worship, Sunday is not a sabbath day for me. I often help lead worship, I teach Sunday school, I have meetings, and I lead Youth Fellowship that night. Sunday is at least a 12 hour day for me. So if I don't consistently take another day during the week to take care of myself, to spend time with God, I start to wither away. My response to people is often not as grace filled as I would like for it to be. So I wonder if this writer is not saying that the rich people are too busy and not taking time for God. Even though I am not rich, there is a lesson for me in this scripture. Take time out of your busy-ness to eat dinner with your family, to read a good book, and to spend time with God.

Prayer: Help me God to schedule free time in to my week and to use some of that time to listen for you. Amen.

James 1:3-8 - Listen for God

2010-09-23T08:25:00.005-05:00

Scripture: James 1:3-8

Summary: Ask God and it will be given to you, but never doubt.

Thoughts: Although it's easy for me to ask God for help, I often find myself doubting that God will do anything about it. As I think about this I keep focusing on 2 phrases from this scripture. "If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God." Well, I'm certainly lacking in wisdom most days. And then it says "But ask in faith, never doubting." Why is it so hard to ask God? Why is it so hard to have faith that God will lead you where you most need to go? I am too willing to downplay what God is able to do in my life. Too willing to dismiss the possibility that if I just listened to God, the way forward would be clear. I need to trust in God and listen more closely to God so that I can follow in God's path.

Prayer: Help me God, to listen more carefully for your voice and to trust that voice when I hear it. Amen.

James 1:1-2 - God is with us

2010-09-21T08:58:00.003-05:00

Scripture: James 1:1-2

Summary: Face your trials with joy because that produces endurance, making you mature and compete.

Thoughts: I'm pretty sure some days that I must be really mature and complete! Some days seem full of trials and I long for just one day without any problems. But then I take a step back and look at the big picture. First, I remember that that are many others whose situation is much worse than mine. It's easy to find someone with more to worry about than me. Second, and most importantly, I try to remember that God never promised us that life would be easy. We don't get an Easy button from God when we decide to follow Jesus Christ. Instead we get a constant companion, the Holy Spirit, who helps us through those troubling times. What a gift we have been given in the companionship of the Spirit! Praise God!

Prayer: Thank you Lord for sending the Spirit to abide with us and give us guidance along your path. Help me to remember to use that help! Amen.

I'm back!

2010-05-28T13:54:00.002-05:00

Well, after taking a 2 year break, I think it is time to revive my blog! :-P

I'm not sure exactly what direction I'm going to take it in. But in the meantime, here is a catch up to my life. I've graduated from Perkins School of Theology with a Masters of Divinity. I am hoping to begin my paperwork to be commissioned as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church in August. I am working full-time as the Youth Minister at Holy Covenant UMC and have been there for 2 1/2 years. My son is graduating from high school in a week. On the same day of my daughter's dance recital! That promises to be a busy day! My husband is working on many different things, but about to start in full-time at C2K for the summer. Our lives promise to be interesting for the next 3 months, for sure!

I'm going to spend the next couple of days figuring out a scriptural basis for my blog. I don't want this to be haphazard fluff about whatever is interesting me at the moment. So I'm going to look for something to be my foundation, my starting point.

And just in case anyone ever reads this blog, thanks for taking the time! And I hope to see you again soon. Dios te bendiga! God bless you!

Galatians 3:23-29 - God lives in community

2008-05-24T14:32:00.004-05:00

Scripture: Galatians 3:23-29

Summary: We are all children of God. It doesn't matter if we are Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, we all belong to Christ.

Thoughts: This past Sunday was Trinity Sunday. The Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) has always been one of the pieces of the Christian faith that I had to believe totally on faith. I have a Masters Degree in Mathematics and it is difficult to be told that 3 equals 1. I can't comprehend it. But I can understand that the Trinity is a community. That God lives in community in the Trinity. And so God sets an example for us to live in community, with God and with all other humans, and with creation. No exceptions.

Prayer: God the father, please remind us that you created the world and we should care for it as we would our own offspring. God the son, help us to remember that you came to earth to tell us about the coming of the reign of God, or the dream of God. And God the spirit, help us to always be awared of your presence and all that we can do with your help. Help us to awake each day determined to advance the dream of God so that this world will be a place where all can flourish. Amen.

Acts 16:6-10 - Taken where you do not want to go

2008-05-02T09:40:00.002-05:00

Scripture: Acts 16:6-10

Summary: This scripture is about some of Paul's travels. He wants to go to several places that the Holy Spirit will not let him go. Then he has a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading for him to go there. Paul goes because he believes that God has called them to proclaim the good news to them.

Thoughts: God refuses to let Paul go to several places that he thinks he should go. And then God sends him somewhere he wasn't planning to go. What I like about this story is Paul's response. He doesn't seem to question what God is trying to tell him. When will I get to the point that I know for sure that it is God telling me where to go or not to go? How do I discern the source of the voice telling me that I need to go somewhere? Sometimes God's voice is very clear to me. Other times, it's not until I look back on the decision that I see God's hand in my choice. I long to be like Paul and have more certainty in my life. But, certainly, Paul wasn't always clear either. I need to learn to give it time and space.

Prayer: Please God, give me a better ability to discern your will in my life. I pray, as I do almost constantly, to be able to hear and see and feel your will for my life more closesly. Give me the quiet space to be able to discern more clearly. Amen.

John 21:18-19 - Taken where you do not want to go

2008-04-28T08:51:00.004-05:00

Scripture: John 21:18-19

Summary: Jesus tells Peter, when you were younger you went wherever you wished. But when you grow old, someone else will take you where you don't want to go. Then he told him, "follow me."

Thoughts: I have days I don't really want to follow Jesus. Days that I'm much too busy doing the things that I need to do. There's no time to take for the person who is hurting and needs to talk after church. There's no time to read the Bible, no time to pray. This is probably the area that I am the worst at. You can see this by the frequency of this blog. This semester has been the busiest semester I have had in years. And my Bible study has suffered because of it. If only I could remember that the day flows better when I have taken time to read God's word, to pray, and to listen for God. Because I want to be willing to go where I don't want to go. Somedays I do follow Jesus and go where I don't want. I took a job that I didn't have time to take. And I have never regretted it. I see God in the eyes of those youth every time I am with them. And I am better for it. I want to make those kind of decisions more often. The blindly following Jesus kind. I want to follow, even to those places I don't want to go.

Prayer: Help me to follow you, oh Lord. To take time to read your word and meditate on it. To take time to pray and to listen for your answer. To be willing to take that path that seems so hard. I am so weak God. Give me strength to follow you, as a lamb follows the shepherd. Amen.

Galatians 5:22-26 - Love Makes the Difference

2008-04-26T17:00:00.002-05:00

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-26

Summary: The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Let's live by the Spirit and be guided by the Spirit.

Thoughts: Sometimes we get so caught up in loving God and following Jesus that we forget the Spirit and the gifts that we receive from the Spirit. Not to say that God and Jesus are not important, only that the Spirit is equally so. How much better would our lives be if we spent time each dayfocusing on the gifts that the Spirit brings to us. I know that I could definitely use more patience, for example!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I know that you are with me always, but often I am not listening to you. Open my heart so that I might hear your nudgings more clearly. Amen.

John 11:28-37 - Love Makes the Difference

2008-04-23T09:37:00.002-05:00

Scripture: John 11:28-37

Summary: This scripture occurs after Jesus' friend, Lazarus, dies. His sisters Mary and Martha send for Jesus but he dies before Jesus gets there. In the reading, Jesus arrives at their house and Mary tells him that if he had been her Lazarus wouldn't have died. Everyone is crying and Jesus begins to cry too. Then they ask if Jesus could not have kept him from dying. It is here the reading ends. Most of us know that next in the story Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, but this is not in today's reading.

Thoughts: Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus as if they were his own family. He was sad that his friend had died and sad that his other friends were grieving that loss. Just as Jesus loved Lazarus and his family, so God loves us. And in response to the love of God, we are called to love one another. Mother Teresa tells of nuns that come to help her in Calcutta and when they left they said "I have received much more than I have given and I can never be the same person again; because I have touched Christ, I have understood what love is. What it is to love and to be loved!" It is often through contact with the least of these that we are led to really understand God's love.

Prayer: Loving God, may our love for You, and for all of humanity, continue to grow in the presence of Your love for us. Amen.

Luke 5:1-11 - From Fear to Courage

2008-04-18T09:45:00.002-05:00

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Summary: This is the story of Jesus calling 3 of the disciples, who were fisherman. First he asks them to take him out in the boat where he preaches to the crowd. Then he has them let down their nets. The catch is so big they need help to bring it in. Then they leave everything and follow Jesus.

Thoughts: When Jesus tells them to let down their nets, Peter says that they have been fishing all day and caught nothing. But then he says that if Jesus tells him to, he will let down the net. Peter doesn't want to waste time continuing to fish when there have been no fish all day long. But Jesus spoke with such authority that Peter was willing to try one more time. This is what I want to change in my life. I want to be willing to put down my net one more time, even if I haven't caught anything all day. Especially on those Sundays when nothing seems to go right at church and all day you have been battling technology that isn't working, or youth that have a 30 second attention span. And then all of the sudden, Jesus tells you to let your net down one more time. And you take a moment to talk with your youth about accepting diversity. And they hear you. They get it. But not because you let the net down any differently. But because the Holy Spirit touched their hearts. Because it's never what I have done, but what God has done through me.

Prayer: Please continue to remind me that I am not the one who saves people. Only God can do that. But sometimes God can use my words to reach those people around me. Let me be willing to let down my net one more time, even when it seems hopeless. And let me listen well enough to hear the command from Jesus to let down my net. Amen.

John 20:19-23 - From Fear to Courage

2008-04-14T10:05:00.002-05:00

Scripture: John 20:19-23

Summary: After Jesus' resurrection, the disciples have locked themselves in a room for fear of the Jews. Jesus appears in the midst of them, saying "Peace be with you." Then he breathes on them so that they receive the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts: Peace be with you. This is the first thing that Jesus says to the disciples when he appears before them in the locked room. He knows that they are afraid of the Jews. They are afraid of falling prey to the same group of people who crucified Jesus. But Jesus comes to them and tells them twice, to have peace. Our lives are never going to be easy. Becoming a Christian doesn't remove all the problems from our lives. But it does give us someone who will face those problems with us. Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to transform our lives, to help us live in the dream of God, rather than the nightmare of earthly desires. Through the gift of the Spirit our lives can be transformed, and we can begin to transform the world around us.

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, come. Abide in us and remind us daily of Jesus' words: Peace be with you. Amen.

Luke 24:13-27 - Jesus Meets Us On the Way

2008-04-03T08:58:00.003-05:00

Scripture: Luke 24:13-27

Summary: This is the story of the walk to Emmaus. Two disciples are heading to Emmaus and they meet a stranger who explains to them everything that happened with Jesus. When they reach Emmaus they ask the stranger to stay and eat with them. When he breaks the bread they realize that it is Jesus and he disappears. Then they say to each other, weren't our hearts burning within us while he talked to us?

Thoughts: OK, it's been almost 2 months since I've blogged. I knew it would be a busy semester, but nothing like this! 10.5 hours of classes in seminary and a 20 hour a week job plus other jobs are overwhelming me! But here I am finally. So... This scripture reminds me that the risen Christ walks beside each of us, every day. And as Reuben Job says, he is "awaiting our invitation to stay with us, break bread with us, interpret life for us, give us hope, and share in our thanksgiving." What more could we ask for but to have Jesus by our side each day to help us with our daily trials? We have only to invite him to join us. And finally, let's don't forget that Jesus was made known to these disciples in the breaking of the bread. This is one reason that I never pass up an opportunity for communion. I want to break bread with the risen Christ.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes so that we might feel your presence with us on our daily journey. Let us share a meal with you and then share a meal with those on the margins. Help me to remember always to share what I have. Amen.

Hebrews 4:1-11 - Come and Rest Awhile

2008-02-09T10:56:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Hebrews 4:1-11

Summary: This scripture encourages us to enter into God's rest, much as God rested on the 7th day of creation.

Thoughts: The scripture says "let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it," speaking about God's rest. I don't know about you, but I could really use some rest! I'm behind in my reading for all of my classes and I have 2 conference retreats to plan for in the next 2 weeks! I'm stressed and feeling like I don't have 5 minutes to rest and reflect. But Reuben Job says "Decide today to establish a way of life that includes time for daily prayer, reflection, and regular worship in a congregation." I'm already doing the regular worship thing every Sunday. My church is awesome and feeds me. But I'm not taking the time each day to pray, reflect, and listen for God. God wants to spend time with me even more than I want to spend time with God. So why is that not happening? It's because I'm not making the time. So maybe, in this season of Lent, you and I can find the time to give to God. Because even just 5 minutes with God each day will feed us in ways we can't even imagine!

Prayer: Steadfast God, you are there, waiting, patiently, for me to make time for you. You, who have given me everything, long for some time with me each day. Let me be willing to make that time for you so that you might feed me. Amen.

Psalm 63:1-8 - The wisdom of seeking God

2008-01-28T09:30:00.001-06:00

Scripture: Psalm 63:1-8

Summary: The main point of this scripture is that praise is due to God. God forgives us and delivers us.

Thoughts: I missed a week of blogging so I'm going to cover last week's topic today and do this week's later in the week. This psalm talks about the wisdom of seeking God in a sideways manner. Rather than telling us why it is important to seek God, the writer tells us why we might want to seek God. Those who live in God's courts are happy, God forgives sin, God delivers us, God is awesome. All very good reasons for seeking God. I just got back on Saturday from Fredericksburg, TX where I attended a service celebrating the life of my aunt Lois. Although Lois was not perfect (none of us really are!), she did make the decision late in her life to really study the Bible and theology. She attended a few classes in seminary. And she was studying the Bible using the Interpreters Study Bible (all 12 volumes!). She took her faith seriously and she was constantly seeking God. Am I taking it seriously this call to seek God? Am I wise, as my aunt was, in structuring my life so that I will have time to seek God? Or am I putting off those things that help me seek? Honestly, when my day fills up, it is often my Bible study time that gets neglected. These next few months, until May, are going to be very busy. I need help challenging myself to keep up the Bible study and prayer time. I need to seek God with more vigor.

Prayer: Lord, remind me daily how critical it is to my health, physically and mentally and spiritually, to seek after you constantly. Amen.

Matthew 2:13-18 - Dangerous Journey

2008-01-17T09:24:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Matthew 2:13-18

Summary: After Jesus is born, an angel tells Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt because Herod wants to kill him. They go to Egypt and Herod kills all children under 2 years old.

Thoughts: First let me say that I am sorry for taking a month off! But I am going to attempt to blog at least a couple of times a week now, so here goes... So often the Christian life is discussed only in terms of the gifts and benefits that come from being a Christian. But it is also a dangerous journey. If we truly live as Jesus did, striving for the reign of God, we will make those in power angry. So being a Christian could make life more difficult for us, rather than making it easier. So why would anyone choose this way of life? Because, first, the promise of the fulfullment of the reign of God, where no one suffers and all have the same opportunities is worth striving for. Second, with God's help anything is possible. We can't do it on our own. But with God behind us, we can do anything!

Prayer: This is a dangerous journey that we have undertaken Lord. We often feel unable to continue. But you make it possible for us, not only to make it through, but to push ever forward. For you are a steadfast God, ever with us. Amen.

Luke 1:18-20 - Nagging questions

2007-12-13T07:05:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Luke 1:18-20

Summary: This scripture occurs right after an angel tells Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son (John the baptist). Zechariah asks how he will know this is so because he is old. The angel says that because he didn't believe, he will be mute until the birth.

Thoughts: Zecharaiah hears the nagging question. How does he know what the angel said is true? He's probably wondering how he even knows that the angel is real and not a dream! We have many of the same questions in our lives. How do we know that Jesus Christ was a real person and was really raised from the dead? How do we know what God is calling us to do in our lives? I felt a call from God in my life about 7 years ago into full-time ministry. Now that I am reaching the end of my seminary education, I am struggling again with that call. Exactly how will that call play out? Exactly what kind of ministry does God want me to do? If I go to work for church A, will that limit my options in the future? I'm not sure. But in the end, I have to trust God to lead me in the right direction. Often God eliminates the wrong choices for me by not making them available. God provides for us in wonderful ways. I just need to learn to listen for God in my life and to trust God more fully.

Prayer: Give me grace dear God, to live with my questions until you are pleased to make my way clear. Amen.

Isaiah 40:1-5 - God's preposterous promise

2007-12-07T14:02:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-5

Summary: Comfort my people says the Lord. A voice cries out: prepare the way of the Lord. "Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all the people shall see it together."

Thoughts: This scripture reminds us that at some point, God's glory will be revealed. Perhaps this refers to the time when Christ will come again. Perhaps it refers to the coming of the kingdom of God that Jesus also proclaimed. Either way, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord. What does that mean? At this time of year, it usually means we need to prepare ourselves for the Christmas season. Prepare by remembering who Jesus was and what he shared with us. Let your faith shape the season of Advent for you. Let the promises of God be uppermost in your mind as you prepare to remember.

Prayer: Help me to prepare the way of the Lord, rather than focusing on preparing the Christmas presents. After all, it's Christ's birthday, not ours. Amen.

Mark 1:1-8 - God's preposterous promise

2007-12-04T11:45:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Mark 1:1-8

Summary: John the Baptist is baptizing people for repentence of their sins. He proclaims that another is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts: It's the beginning of advent, the season that we use to prepare for the coming of Christ. I want to share what Reuben Job has to say: "I can believe, rejoice, and wait trustingly and expectantly for the unfolding of God's promise given so many ways and most clearly in the Advent story. Thanks be to God!" Advent can be so many things for us. It can be the time we use to decorate the house, buy presents, send cards, and go to parties. Or it can be the time we use to prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of the Christ, the coming of God in human flesh.

Prayer: God, I know I can't totally avoid all of the Christmas hype and busyness, but help me to spend time this season focusing on Jesus Christ and what his coming means to my life. Help me to spend some time pondering this miracle. Thanks be to God! Amen.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 - When all is said and done

2007-11-30T13:55:00.000-06:00

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12

Summary: Paul is saying that God will afflict those who afflicted you and will give relief to us when Jesus is revealed. He prays that God will make us worthy of the call of God.

Thoughts: I should be praying constantly that God will make me worthy of the call of God! Yes, I believe that I am unworthy. But I also believe that God can work with anything. Even my life, as imperfect as it is, can be used to make miracles happen to those around me. Paul also prays that "God will filfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith." God can take what we have to give the world, which is not nearly enough, and God can make it more than enough. With God backing us, all things are possible!

Prayer: It is not through my own power that I am able to achieve anything, but through the one who strengthens me. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Note: Just in case there is anyone actually reading these things, I am thinking about working my way through the Psalms next. The church year just ended and I am feeling called to the Psalms. Please let me know what you think... is anyone out there?...

Romans 14:10-12 - When all is said and done

2007-11-28T09:10:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Romans 14:10-12

Summary: Why do you pass judgement on others? Because we will all stand before God's judgement. God says everyone shall give praise to God. We will each be accountable to God.

Thoughts: It's easy to say that many of us spend way to much time judging other people. I can point out alot of times when I have seen others judging those around them in an unfair way. But then I look in the mirror. That's a hard thing! Because I'm judging other people too! What makes me think I am any better than they are? Wouldn't I be better off if I concentrated on improving my own life, rather than telling other people how they could improve theirs? I'm not saying we should never give advice to a sister or brother who might be treading a path that is less than optimal. Rather I'm saying lperhaps I should back off of the judging, the talking about others behind their backs, and spend that time looking at my own life more closely.

Prayer: God, help me to move on toward perfection. Help me to concentrate on my own shortcomings and how I might improve them. Rather than judging others, I should focus on helping them instead. Amen.

Zechariah 14:1-11 - When all is said and done

2007-11-26T11:26:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Zechariah 14:1-11

Summary: A day is coming when the Lord will be king of all the earth.

Thoughts: This is a difficult scripture. (trust me the summary doesn't begin to cover all the complications in it!) But the important thing I saw is that God IS going to reign over the entire earth. We just don't know when. Am I living my life as if God's reign was just around the corner? Am I doing all that I can to move toward the reign of God, here, on earth? Some days, I feel like I am making a difference. But other times, at the end of the day, I can't really state anything that I did to change the way things are. Is that OK? Well, I don't think it should be. I think I need to be living every day as if tomorrow was the day God's reign would be fulfilled!

Prayer: Remind me constantly God, that each of us need to be doing everything that we can. Especially me! I long for your reign to be realized. Help me to continue to move in that direction, every day. Amen.

Isaiah 43:14-21 - A new beginning

2007-11-23T12:00:00.000-06:00

Scripture: Isaiah 43:14-21

Summary: God tells the people not to remember the old things. God is about to do a new thing. God will give rivers in the desert so that they will declare God's praise.

Thoughts: We have unlimited opportunities for new beginnings. Each new year people make resolutions about how they are going to change their lives. Even each day is a chance to begin something new. But what about our relationship with God? What is God calling us to do differently in our relationship? This is a good week for me to think about new beginnings, since I missed blogging entirely last week! Just like working out or eating right, Bible study and prayer time is something that needs to be done regularly to be effective. What is God calling you to do differently today?

Prayer: God, help me to put my time with you first rather than last. Because time with you can change the rest of my day! Amen.

John 20:24-28 - From doubt to belief

2007-11-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

Scripture: John 20:24-28

Summary: The disciple Thomas was not with the disciples the first time they saw Jesus after the resurrection so he didn't believe. When Jesus appeared among them the next time he offers to let Thomas put his fingers in his side, and Thomas believes in him.

Thoughts: Jesus tells Thomas "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." None of us have actually seen Jesus. I always thought how much easier it must have been for the disciples to believe because they actually spent time with Jesus. On the other hand, maybe it was harder for them. Because they knew Jesus, knew he ate and slept just like they did. Sometimes for me it is hard to imagine Jesus as a real person. What is it that takes us from doubt to belief? Why do we believe in Jesus Christ as our saviour? For me, it is because I can see the difference that knowing Jesus has made in the lives of many before me, seeing the difference he makes in the world today.

Prayer: Lord give me faith to share my belief in Jesus with those around me. And remind me daily that I also need to be changing the world so that the next generation can see the difference that Jesus has made in their world. Amen.

Matthew 10:34-39 - Choose Life

2007-10-29T09:05:00.001-05:00

Scripture: Matthew 10:34-39

Summary: Jesus says that he has come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother. Whoever loves their parents more than me isn't worthy of me. "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

Thoughts: Isn't this what the choice of being Christian is all about? We can chose to worship the things that we possess, or we can choose to worship God. But sometimes when we chose God it is costly. Often those who chose to go into ministry pay for that choice with a limited income. So I can choose the job as a software engineer making $60,000 a year or I can chose the job working in an agency with the homeless for $25,000. The second choice may seem as if it is limitiing my life, but in reality isn't it really freeing me? Because it allows me to chose life. It allows me to change the lives of the marginalized people in my neighborhood. And isn't that really chosing life?

Prayer: Help me Lord, as it says in this scripture, to take up my cross and follow you. I want to be willing to lose my life for you and your creation. Amen.

Isiah 51:1-8 - What are you looking for?

2007-10-24T09:50:00.000-05:00

Scripture: Isiah 51:1-8

Summary: There's alot here in this text (you really should read it!). It's about seeking the righteousness of God. "Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham..."

Thoughts: The Bible is full of stories of how God has been at work in this world. Abraham is a great example. He trusted God and God blessed him with many descendents. Why should we not expect that God will likewise bless us? The scripture says "a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples." Perhaps God is calling us to help with this. Calling us to help teach the good news. Calling us to spread the justice of God in our world. So the good news in this text is that God will deliver us. Perhaps our response should be to spread this good news to those around us. What do you think?

Prayer: In this text in Isaiah it says "but my deliverance will be forever, and my salvation to all generations." Be my salvation, Lord. And make my search for you fruitful. Amen.

John 12:20-26 - What are you looking for?

2007-10-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

Scripture: John 12:20-26

Summary: Some Greeks came up to the disciple Philip asking to see Jesus. When he and Andrew tell Jesus, he tells them that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Those who love their life will lose it and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Thoughts: These people from Greece were looking for Jesus. Maybe they had heard about what Jesus had been doing and preaching. All we know is that they are searching for Jesus. What are we searching for? Is our search for God so consuming that we ignore all other distractions? If we seriously search for God we know we will be rewarded. But we need to consider the places in which we search. We can search the Bible, our inner soul, our world, or the poor and oppressed that need our compassion, because God has been found in these places before. But the most important thing is that we need to begin searching.

Prayer: God we know from the Bible that those who search for you are rewarded. Help us to make seeking you the top priority in our lives. Amen.

Mark 8:14-21 - Eating the bread of anxious toil

2007-10-17T08:54:00.000-05:00

Scripture: Mark 8:14-21

Summary: Jesus and the disciples are getting into the boat and they realize that they only have 1 loaf of bread. The disciples are worried about this but Jesus reminds him of how much bread remained when he fed the 2 large crowds with only a few loaves.

Thoughts: We spend alot of our lives being anxious. Anxious about tests or papers at school, anxious about deadlines or problems at work, anxious about relationships, anxious about eating. When we fill our lives with activities we often grow anxious. But Jesus reminds the disciples that he has fed them in the past and he will feed them in the future. God cares for every creature that exists. We can trust God to provide for us. As Rueben Job says "Peace, hope, calm, and joy are the fruits of placing our confidence in God" What are we waiting for?!

Prayer: The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. Help me to remember today God, that you are always providing for me so that I might rest in the comfort of your care. Amen.