Thought of the Day !!

For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 (NLT)

"Jesus is Lord" was the earliest confession of faith for the Church. They didn't need a bunch of Creeds or sets of beliefs because this was really all that mattered. The Greek word used here for Lord is "Kurios", which is the same word that the Roman Emperor would use when he would say that the people were to call him Lord. It's the same word that is used over 6000 times in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) when referring to the name of God.

So when the early Christians claimed that Jesus was Lord, they were setting him right up there with where the Roman Emperor wanted to be and where the God of Abraham was. They were in essence saying the same thing that the author of John claimed when beginning his Gospel by writing that he was with God and that he was God.

When we honestly make this claim, we are stating that he is the only one worthy of our worship, our time, our efforts, our lives. We will either be enslaved by the love of self, leading to love of what this world offers, or a love of the Kurios. Making this statement claims the latter.

Believing in our hearts meant something much different in the early Church. The heart was not a symbol of love and romance. It symbolized the core of one's being. And to believe with our hearts that Jesus was raised means that we believe this in the core of our beings. It's not simply an intellectual belief. It's what motivates us to live our lives.

If Jesus had just died, we'd have a dead faith. But the resurrection was the surest sign that Jesus was and is the Kurios. And this leads us back to Jesus IS Lord...not Jesus WAS Lord. If he died, he would have been. But since he defeated death, he not only lived...but still lives as well.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

Thought of the Day !!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah 1:5

Maybe you've heard the saying that before you were even a twinkling in your daddy's eye.... Well, even before that, God knew who you were and what you were going to be.

We are all born, and after a short amount of time we will all die. But how we use what's in-between is what's important. I believe that Jeremiah wasn't the only one that was set apart and special to God. I believe we all are. And as God's special people that were loved even before we were born, we need to reflect on how we will live out this love in our lives. That's what I encourage you to do today. Reflect on just how you will live out God's wonderful love in your life. How will this affect your day?

In the love of Christ,
greg

I took a walk with God

I took a walk with God
On a day that heaven made.
He took my hand
And He walked with me.
My heart raced with emotions
And I began to ask questions.
“Why do some people have so much
And others so little?”
He said, “He who comes to me shall
not hunger or thirst; what I give satisfies the soul.”
I tried hard to think of another question
To ask my Lord but I then decided I liked
His hand holding mine, the silence, the simpleness,
the comfort better.
So I settled for a question that I already knew the answer to,
But wanted to hear Him tell me anyway.

Jordan Towne
(a poem by a 16 (almost 17) year old in my church)
Happy pre-birthday for this Saturday Jordan

Question of the day ??

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

Thought of the Day !!

O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34:3

Our lives are chances to magnify God. They come in large and small ways. With every breath we take, we have a chance to glorify God or thank Jesus for what he's done. With every move we make, we have an opportunity to put love of neighbor into action. Yes, every second of our lives are filled with chances to magnify the One who first loved us. But we must choose. What will your words and your actions say about your choice today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

Thought of the Day !!

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:20

We can't love God and hate others. It's as simple as that.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the Day ??

A day without sunshine is like what?


* check out the comments section to see the answer

Question of the day ??

Who attended an Ash Wednesday Service last night? How was it?

Thought of the Day !!

"...therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Job 42:6 (NIV)

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. It was the first day of the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday services were held all around the world, and ashes were placed on Christians' foreheads as a sign of their repentance and mortality.

Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season that follows is a time of personal spiritual renewal. It's a time where we take a deep look inside ourselves and see who we really are. I like to think of it as looking at ourselves and seeing the stuff that we hide from the rest of the world but that God sees.

This is done through fasting and prayer. Fasting is an ugly word today because we have made it mean depriving ourselves of all food for a specified period of time. But in reality that's not really what fasting is. We can give up anything that's important to us when we fast. As a matter of fact, many people today have medical conditions that won't allow them to completely deprive themselves from food. In the early Church they would give up meat for Lent. Today it may be caffeine or chocolate or a specific television show or cigarettes etc.

Lent can also be about taking things up. During Lent we may take up a daily devotional or exercise or better diet or doing a good deed daily or something else like that.

Lent should definitely be about praying more (or being more intentional about our prayer life) and studying God's Holy Word more. It's about seeing where we need to change (or repent) and then drawing closer to God. When these things are done and we suffer for Christ by fasting throughout Lent, Easter takes on a whole new meaning.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Rev. Andy Stoddard, who is a dear friend of mine, shares his thoughts on the daily lectionary readings each week. They can be found at http://midtoil.blogspot.com/ . Today's "Thought of the Day !!" comes from him as he shares a little about Ash Wednesday and Lent.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first Day of Lent. Lent is the season of the church year where we focus upon Christ's suffering and death, and we focus upon our sin. We are all sinful, we are all in need of forgiveness, we are all in need of salvation. This period lasts from today until Easter. I encourage you to in this time reflect upon the areas of your life that are in need of redemption and conversion, the areas that we withhold from God, the areas in life that we need to repent of. For Christ suffered and died for our sins. Will we take that work for granted? Or will we allow the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives bringing about growth, repentance, and conversion.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

If a non-Christian came up to you and asked why do Christians give 10 percent of their income to the church, how would answer the person? And would you have scripture to back up this answer?

Thought of the Day !!

"What a weariness this is," you say, and you sniff at me, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in the flock and vows to give it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished; for I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is reverenced among the nations.
Malachi 1:13-14 (NRSV)

Malachi was coming down on the priests about accepting poor offerings and bringing them to the Lord. The command by God was to bring the first fruits, not what was left over. They were supposed to sacrifice the best of their flock, not the straggler that couldn't keep up.

Today we live altogether differently because of the shed blood of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. We are saved by God's grace and not how many offerings we can present or how well we can live. But does that mean that we're not still called to make offerings to the Lord?

Paul writes in Romans that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices. We are to give our hearts and our lives to Jesus as offerings to God. But the question that we ought to consider is this. Are we living in a holy and acceptable way (or trying to anyway)? Or are we living for ourselves and giving any leftover time and money and energy to God? If it's the latter, are we any different from those priests that Malachi was coming down on so long ago?

Give your first fruits to God because He wants to bless them and bless you. When we give ourselves to Him and His service we find joy abundantly.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Have you ever had a "Mountaintop Experience" of God where you felt the Spirit in such a real way that you couldn't help but know He was there with you? If so, explain.

Thought of the Day !!

Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, "Master, it's wonderful for us to be here! Let's make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.

Then a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him."
Luke 9:32-35 (NLT)

This past week was Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday. I chose to turn this into a day of speaking about mountaintop experiences where we sense God's presence in a very real and invigorating way. I compared the experiences of Moses and Elijah and these disciples, when each experienced God on the mountain.

We don't have to go to mountains to experience the Holy Spirit. God will speak to each of us IF we give Him the chance. But as important as listening to what God has to say to us is, we must also do what He says.

Let me use myself as an example. I've been to revivals where I got all "revived". I felt the Spirit. I felt like God was speaking to me. I felt like I could change the world. Have you ever been to one of these? Or maybe it was a spiritual retreat or camp?

Well to finish my story, I got all siked up and almost immediately after the revival was over, I went home and became that same person who attended on the first day. Nothing changed. It's like going on a "Holy" roller coaster ride. When I got to the end, I simply got off.

We must understand that God speaks to us things that will help us or help others. He doesn't just say things for the heck of it. He wants to enrich each of us. His best words of advice for these disciples was to listen to His Son.

So lets listen, opening not only our ears, but eyes and other senses so that we may hear God speaking to us. And then lets remember that listening is worthless without doing what we're called to do.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Mainline Traditional Churches and Pharisees

Jesus teaches us to go and make disciples in the Great Commission. Can we continue to do this in an ever changing world if we are not willing to change as well?

I think many mainline traditional churches have been afraid of changing because they would vary from their traditional values. And this might possibly get them in trouble with God. But is God more interested in how well we keep our traditions or how well we point to Christ?

I believe that there is the ultimate Truth that can never be changed. This is the Truth of Jesus Christ who came to save us and share God's love with us. If we are to do the same (or become Christlike as the term Christian infers), some traditional church values might get stepped on from time to time. And change may have to come about. But didn't Jesus do that to the Pharisees' values as well?

Didn't Jesus eat with what they considered sinners? Didn't he enjoy the company of prostitutes (not sexually) and tax collectors? Did these people drink and have a good time? Did they cuss? Were they rough around the edges? I bet so.

And he didn't expect them to clean up and come see him in the synagogue either. He went to them.

What about us? Do we expect people to clean up and adhere to our standards before coming to our church? Or are we willing to bite our tongues, be nonjudgmental and welcome those whom are like the ones the Pharisees called "sinners"? Are we willing to go to the streets to feed the hungry and homeless, inviting them to join us? Or will we wait till they find our church?

I don't claim that all Mainline traditional Churches are bad. I also am not trying to say that good can't come from tradition. I am trying, however, to say that we are called to be more like Jesus and less like the Pharisees. How might we go about doing this? And how would our world be affected if we all were more Christlike instead of more religious?

In the love of Christ,
greg

My Next Church

My first Church was up near Memphis in Northern MS. The next time they sent me straight down the river about 3 hours to just outside of Greenville, MS. My last appointment was due south about another hour in Vicksburg, MS. So I assume my next home will be on the coast. I guess Pascagoula, MS is as good a place as any. I'm gonna ask for this Church. Even though it's Baptist, maybe they'll let me in. Check it out!!

Thought of the Day !!

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)

There are some who try to run away from God. They try to run away from responsibility, or possibly the moral implications of their actions. Jonah comes to mind. He didn't like what God was calling him to do, so he went the other direction. We're just like Jonah if we fool ourselves into believing that God doesn't speak to us and that this or that ministry is for someone else. God is always with us and calls to us regularly. Will we try to hide or will we accept His calling upon our lives?

Then there are those who find comfort from the fact that God is always with them. When we learn that God is not an angry Parent ready to discipline us for the least little thing, but is instead a loving and caring Parent watching over us, we will see God more clearly.

When understanding that God is omnipresent (ever present; present everywhere), there should be a mix of respect for our Creator to do as he sees best for us to do as well as a sense of security that only a parent can lend to a small child.

Go with God today, for He is already going with you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

I've heard it said that the Emergent Church (Emerging Church) movement is the new Reformation. Would you agree or disagree?

Thought of the Day !!

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls. And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself.
James 1:21-22 (NLT)

I watch a lot of baseball on TV. And something that I've noticed commentators talking about at times is the fact that a particular hitting coach has been working with a player on his swing. There are many things that affect how well a hitter hits the ball...where he positions his feet, how he holds the bat, how well and how long he keeps his eyes on the ball coming toward him, where he is leaning and so on.

The player can listen to the hitting coach all he wants, but he won't be a better hitter until he chooses to use what he has heard when he gets up to the plate.

The same goes with learning any job. If we're trained for it, but then don't use our training, we most likely won't have the job for long. The training is given for a reason. It's so we will do the job right, or at least the way the boss wants it done.

Typically a good baseball player will listen to his coach. And usually, if a person wants to keep his or her job, he/she will do the job the way he/she was trained. We, as Christians, must do the same. We must be careful not to go to church Sunday after Sunday where we hear God's Word and His instructions for our lives, forgetting what was said when we leave. In other words, we must not become merely hearers and not doers.

True worship is lifted up on Sunday morning as a beginning, not an ending: a means, not an end. It's where we come together as a community of believers to praise our Maker, confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, help each other and charge up our batteries for the week ahead.

You should never feel drained after worship. You should feel invigorated, ready to take on the world with Jesus by your side. It's then that we can become doers instead of merely hearers.

Do people see you as a Sunday morning hearer of God, or a an all week doer for God?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

In your opinion, what's the most difficult Bible passage to understand?

Thought of the Day !!

Don't speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize each other and condemn each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God's law.
James 4:11 (NLT)

God's ultimate law is the law of love. He commands us to love Him and love each other. There are no laws more important than these. When we are hateful to others, whether they deserve it or not, we sin and break God's law. For we are all deserving of worse than we receive from God. But instead of the punishment we deserve, we received grace.

You will have many opportunities today to be hateful or negative or to say bad things about the people around you: the officer who gave you a ticket, the co-worker who laughed at your idea, the cashier who didn't treat you as you thought you deserved, the person who owes you money. Or you can choose to forgive and be kind, showing the love of Christ to all the people you meet, instead of just the ones who are nice to you.

Which kind of person would Jesus want us to be? Which will we be today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Who can tell me the origins of Valentine's Day?

** You can make it fictional or factual, whichever you choose. The more fictional the better if you ask me. :)

Thought of the Day !!

I received this thought today from Bibleleague, and it was along the same lines as what I was thinking. So I decided to share it with you for our "Thought of the Day !!"


Philippians 3:10-11 -- I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (NIV)

The most important thing in life is to know Christ. The best way to get to know Him is to read the Bible and talk to Him in prayer. What is something you have learned about Christ this week?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:22-26

Where is your hope? Is it in the things you can buy or accomplish? What about a 401K or pensions or insurance program? Is it in your family? Is it your job? Where do you find your hope of safety and security when the winds of change come blowing?

We've all seen pictures on the news of towns that have had terrible storms that flooded the area. I remember seeing a picture of a little town in Florida called St. Marks a year or two ago. I remember how it had been flooded after one of the hurricanes and how the water rose all through the town.

When we rely on ourselves in this world, we will be just like St. Marks, FL. We will be flooded, and we will drown. It may be one day when a hurricane hits and all the things you've worked so hard for has been destroyed. It may be when a thief has broken in and stolen all you own. It may be when you have to spend every dime to pay for the operation that might can save your existence here on earth. Or for some it will all come crashing down on their last day here when they realize that nothing they own will save them for eternity.

When our hope is in the Lord, we will be like a house built upon high rocks that won't ever be flooded. Sure, there will be storms in our lives. But because of our foundations being set in Jesus, and our hope in His Father, we will survive.

So just how great is your hope in the Lord? How great is your faithfulness?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Which cartoons are better, today's cartoons or the classics that most of us grew up watching?

Thought of the Day !!

Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
Proverbs 12:24 (NLT)

Some people are born to lead. Others have leadership thrust upon them. Or so it is said.

I believe that God gives the gift of leadership to some in His Church, while others are asked to follow. Some are gifted to be Sunday School teachers, Pastors, Small Group leaders, Chairs of Committees and so on. So the question could be asked if we can be leaders if not called by God to some sort of position or vocation.

The answer is yes. There are also spiritual leaders who lead others, sometimes unknowingly, by their witness and a life lived out in humble service to Christ. This is evangelism in its most basic form...and often times its most effective.

Think about how you can be a better leader today by leading by example. Maybe you will plant a seed or harvest what has been planted by someone before you. God bless us all in our endeavors.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought / Question of the day !!

"I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do."
John 17:4

This is of course Jesus speaking here. But who out there believes that Jesus was the only one called to bring the Father glory?

Many people in this world live in a fashion that brings no glory to God. Many in this world seek the attention and credit that should be bestowed upon his/her Father in Heaven. And then there are those humble people who never try to receive the glory for the great things they do, for they do them to honor Jesus and the one who sent Him.

Which one would you be? Which one would others say you are? Do you believe God is happy with the glory that is brought to Him because of you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the Day ??

Did you play board games as a kid? If so what was your favorite?

* Mine was Stratego!!

Thought of the Day !!

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he fell to the ground, face down in the dust, begging to be healed. "Lord," he said, "if you want to, you can make me well again."

Jesus reached out and touched the man. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Luke 5:12-13 (NLT)

Lepers were the lowest form of social outcasts in Jewish society in Jesus' day. They were considered contagious and spiritually unclean. They were ordered to walk around with a bell around their neck to announce their presence. If a person was a leper, then it was thought that God was punishing this person either for his/her sins or the sins of the parents. And so nobody wanted to have anything to do with them.

Can you imagine how horrible it would have been back then to be a leper...a social outcast. Can you imagine how horrible it is today to live in the same way. Many people who have AID's are looked down upon in much the same way. Even though divorce is highly accepted in our society today, in some cases and some churches you may still be an outcast if you have been divorced.

Some are homosexual. Some have psychiatric problems. Some have obvious physical deformities. And many today live in our society as outcasts in people's eyes.

Jesus came to heal the sick. He called us to be like him...to love like him. When we claim to be Christians, do we not claim to be Christ-like? If so, pay close attention to what he did in this passage. If we're not careful, we can miss it. He did not heal the leper before he touched him. He got his hands dirty, and then he healed him.

We must not be afraid to get our hands dirty. When we touch, talk to or just listen to those who are in need of it most (those whom others are not willing to) we become the hands and feet of Jesus. And this shows people what Jesus showed the leper - that no matter what they have done, where they've been or who they are, they are of worth to God.

May we be the hands and feet of Jesus today and for evermore. If you're ever wondering if that is the case in your life, just look at those hands and feet. Are they dirty?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Not Again!

I was over at Out the Door and read John B's post about a pastor in MN who has been accused of sexual misconduct. The man may be guilty as can be. But lets assume for a moment that he's actually innocent until proven guilty. I know, what a concept!

How does this affect him and the rest of the United Methodist denomination?

Let's talk about our connection first. I see us as more unconnected these days than ever with the exception of three areas. We are connected through apportionments, iteneracy and how we are seen in negative lights by the the public.

This kind of negative publicity is one of the things that gets people's attentions. When we do something good, we're on the last page of the Religion section. When we've done something wrong, we're headlining the front page of the paper.

This is just another way of seeing our Denomination as bad. It's because when people read about this incident, many will automatically get a bad taste for us Methodists. I mean, ain't all Episcopalians liberal and believe in homosexuality? NO. But I wonder how many people believe this now?

As for these allegations against the man, as I said before, they may be true. If so, I hope he gets his due process and then has his credentials taken away. But again, what if he (or the next sap that hits the front page news) is actually innocent?

A couple years ago we had to attend an ethical training seminar to be reappointed in our Conference. It was because of all the news stories that were going around at that time in and out of our Conference. I think it was more of a way to reduce the liability to the Conference, but that could be another story. I asked the question in that meeting about how many pastors were falsely accused. There was a UM attorney there answering some of the questions. She said that about half of the accusations against clergy are true.

Of course that means that half are not, which means that half of these pastor's ministry's have been altered for no reason at all. For as long as a pastor has been accused, there will always be doubt about him/her...even when they are supposedly proven innocent.

It scares me to death what one mad and unbalanced person can do to my ministry. And so I pray that I and that my colleagues and friends in ministry first never fall into this temptation, and second are never falsely accused. Both could be devastating.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wow! He Calls Himself God

I was over at Post Methodist and saw where Jason found the new "Messiah"...as reported by Newsweek.

Hat Tip. Post Methodist

Thought of the Day !!

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)

Some people say that when we all get to heave we'll know everything. I don't know if that is true or not. We may know everything. We may forget all we never needed to know that was affected by sin. Or it may just not matter. I don't know. And honestly I don't care. There are some things that are secret and belong to the LORD. If He wants us to know, we will.

I have this same way of thinking about the Bible. There are those who may say (or at least act like) they have an answer for any question about the Bible that can be asked. Personally, I know I have an answer to every question asked of me. And this answer to several of the questions is simply "I don't know".

It's OK not to understand all of the Bible. God will bless you with more and more wisdom the more you prayerfully read and study it. Don't worry about the things you don't understand. Just try to follow the things you do understand. And allow God to work in your life through those.

And who knows? Maybe the next time you read one of those confusing passages, you'll be shone the answers you need for them too.

In the love of Christ,
greg

2006 Blogosphere Awards

The 2006 Bloggy's have been voted on by you the bloggers. And the awards are as follows:

1) Best blog site of 2006
Methoblog

2) Most scholarly blog site
Only Wonder Understands

3) Most controversial blog site
Wesley Blog

4) Most spiritual blogger
There was a tie

Jonathon Norman
and
Betty Newman

5) Most amusing blogger
John the Methodist

6) Most consistant blogger
John the Methodist

7) Nicest dressed blogger
Jonathon Norman

8) Blogger most likely to succeed
Natalie at Take My Hand

9) Blogger who has made the most impact on your life personally, spiritually or theologically
There was an eleven way tie with all nominees getting one vote each

10) Blogger most likely to vanish and be found years later presiding as tribal Queen on a small island in the Pacific
Rev Mommy

Thought of the Day !!

Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
Proverbs 20:22

Revenge is not as sweet as people want to think. When you get it, you don't feel better. You can actually begin feeling worse. This is because God may use your conscience to show you where you were wrong.

Forgiveness is the real answer, not revenge. When you forgive someone, God forgives you, and you leave all the built up hate and frustration with the other person. And if they choose not to forgive, then it's them who will suffer, not you. So don't allow the desire for the revenge you may or may not ever actually accomplish ruin your days. Instead free yourself from the anger and hatred that control you. You will be much happier then.

In the love of Christ,
greg