Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 25

But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

                                               Luke 15:20b

Today, I'm thankful for The United Methodist Church's teaching on Preceding or Prevenient Grace.

This is the grace that comes to us before we are aware of it.  It is the idea that God is pursuing us to let us know that we are loved and beloved.  

This grace can move us to repentance and salvation through Justifying Grace.  

But it also comes to us throughout our lives and reminds us that we don't walk this journey alone.

Sometimes God surprises us when we least expect it!

When I was pursuing ordained ministry by going to seminary, I mentioned in yesterday's post about being targeted for a possible position in ministry.  It was actually the Director of the Wesley Foundation at OSU.  This was where I went to undergrad and met Sheryl (my spouse).  It was where I began to recognize my call to ministry.  

Needless to say, I was more than excited to begin my ministry there.  I felt like I had lots of plans to reach the students on campus and began to think of students I already knew on campus from my days in youth ministry prior to seminary.

I thought it would be the perfect fit!

But the cabinet didn't see it that way and I was sent to Salem United Methodist Church in Drummond.  I was more nervous about this appointment and didn't feel near as capable.  I had some experience in rural Sapulpa growing up but this is so close to Tulsa that it doesn't count as real rural Oklahoma.  When I got to town, Sheryl was finishing up finals in Georgia and I called her and told her that our driveway actually backs onto Highway 132 going through town.  You could walk from one side of the town to the other.  I had never lived in a community this small!

This ended up being the perfect start to my ordained ministry career.   It allowed me to begin to refine my preaching.  I learned not to get too technical (okay, I still do that sometimes) and I realized that I needed to shorten my messages.  

I learned to care for families through hospital visits and funerals.  

We were able to grow this church each year I was there and during my last year, we led the district in the number of campers attending Canyon camp that summer.  We also led that year in professions of faith.  I don't think the two are unrelated.

What I learned about this was that God was walking alongside me and allowed me to thrive in a situation where I didn't feel as competent.  

I discovered that I wasn't bringing God to this community - God was already present!  My job was to point out where we saw God at work.  I find that evangelism works best when you show people how God is already a part of their lives rather than trying to lift myself up as the example they should strive to be.  It makes more sense in that God has created all of us to be different and diverse.

As you think back on the past, where have you noticed God walking alongside you?  Where have you been surprised with a call from someone that came at just the right time?  When have you thought things wouldn't work out and then seemed to come together in just the right way?

That may be preceding grace working on you!

And as John Rusco (at the OSU Wesley Foundation) would say, "Thank God for that gift!"

I'm pictured with Amanda Mason Arens' family when I baptized her son Kash.  I was fortunate to confirm Amanda in the faith when she was a 6th grader at Drummond.  I love the cycle of ministry!

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 24

Today, I'm thankful for The United Methodist Church's teaching to attend upon all the ordinances of God.

This, of course, is the third of John Wesley's General Rules.  Bishop Rueben Job paraphrased this as "stay in love with God."  I have also paraphrased it, "work on your relationship with God."

Wesley defines these "ordinances" as:

•    The public worship of God. (Regular worship)
  
•    The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded. (Scripture based sermons)
  
•    The Supper of the Lord. (Holy Communion)
  
•    Family and private prayer. (No explanation needed)
  
•    Searching the Scriptures. (Bible study)
  
•    Fasting or abstinence. (Wait, what?)
  

When I was finishing seminary at Candler, I was brought back to interview for a particular appointment under the Stillwater District Superintendent, Dr. Grayson Lucky.  Now, I know we don't interview for appointments in The UMC but he wanted to visit with me prior to making the decision on who to appoint to a particular position.  So, I'm not sure what else you would call it!

If you've never met Dr. Lucky, he can be somewhat intimidating.  I had already passed the Board of Ordained Ministry with flying colors but Grayson was harder to impress.  

When he asked me about the third General Rule as to what I did on a regular basis, I recognized that I was woefully deficient in my practices.  I did hit the first three with regularity but missed on the last three for personal devotion time.  

The cabinet appointed someone else to the position in the Stillwater district!

I recognized that I needed to do a better job in working on this.  Spirituality doesn't just come through studying for and writing sermons.  We have to practice prayer and read the Bible not for teaching or preaching but just for our own edification.  

I've managed to get these down on a daily basis and it has made all the difference.  I'm still not very good at fasting but maybe I can work on that in the future!

What practices have you added during Lent that you might continue to do throughout the year?  When is a time you can utilize for prayer during the day?

Oh, and I ended up being appointed as the pastor in Drummond a week later and this ended up being the best thing for me so things worked out!

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 23

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

                                                           2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV)

 

Today, I'm grateful that The United Methodist Church taught me to do good things for others.

"Doing good" is the second of three of John Wesley's General Rules for the church that United Methodists are supposed to not only memorize but to incorporate into their living.

As I've served United Methodist churches throughout my adult life, I've always been impressed by the amount of leadership shown in the surrounding communities by the people in the congregation.  

When I was in Drummond, it was the United Methodists who took on many of the volunteer roles for the community.  They even pressed me into service for a short season as a town council member.  This is a chance to do good for your neighbor when it comes to some of the basics of their lives.

In Piedmont, I've mentioned the Senior Lunch program which did a lot of good for those retired adults living in the surrounding community.

When I got to Edmond, I was surprised by the amount of programming the church did in regards to helping others.  It seemed that we were always announcing things we were doing on behalf of the community.  I had a hard time keeping up with all of it!

I think one of the last programs I heard about was the Boulevard Buddies that was led by Ellen Lyons. 

The Boulevard Academy is an alternative high school that sits across the street from Edmond First United Methodist Church.  From their website, it is designed for "High school students, who for one reason or another, have fallen behind on high school graduation requirements and need an alternative to the regular school setting to fulfill their graduation goals."

The Boulevard Buddies is a program at the church led by the laity who provide for the extra needs of these students whether that be clothing, school supplies or even food for meals.  Each fall, they would give the kitchen crew a break and provide a homemade Thanksgiving meal for the students.  As I got to serve this meal during my time as pastor there, I was so impressed with the student body coming through to receive it.  For the most part, they were thankful of our support, courteous and seemed genuinely happy to be there.  This was a joy to do and I so appreciate this organization for the work they do!

When we do good for others and they receive it well, it makes us feel good and it may give us positive feedback that encourages us to repeat the effort!  This is typical of any mission endeavor that seeks to help people.

But I have also been in other mission situations where people have not been appreciative.  This is where observing the second rule of Wesley becomes challenging.  

Have you ever served a meal to someone who needed it but did not seem grateful?  We may struggle with our feelings at this point or it may put us off entirely from helping others.  When this happens, we are letting those who are hurting (and maybe somewhat bitter) to become our teachers.  

As Christians (especially during Lent), we remember the suffering by our Lord and we recognize that he didn't seem to begrudge even those responsible for it.  Rather, we engage in doing good because we believe it is transformative.  We engage in doing good because it is the right way to be.

We engage in doing good because we regularly pray, "thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven."

How might you help God make this come true in your corner of the world today?

Photo taken by Ellen Lyons, used by permission.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 21

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

                                                          Romans 13:10

Today, I'm grateful for The United Methodist Church teaching me to do no harm.

Of course, "Do no harm" is the first of John Wesley's General Rules.   It used to be something that all Methodists knew and tried to observe regularly.  As we consider the state of the world today, it might be a good one for all of us to revisit.

It doesn't sound all that difficult.  It's just a matter of not hurting anyone.  Most people do not want to hurt the people around them.

The problem comes when our actions unintentionally harm others.  

When I attended United Methodist Youth Fellowship growing up, I loved the real competitive games.  Capture the Flag may have been my favorite and we even had a regular game going at the Wesley Foundation in college.  

But youth group also taught us non-competitive games that allowed us to have fun where everyone wins.  They are more goal oriented where the group wins together rather than pitting one against another.  Sometimes these are time-sensitive where we are competing against the clock and sometimes they require us to complete a specific task together.  These are important because not everyone is athletic and some people actually hate competitive games.

 

 

When I led games at JEM Camp (our old version of Junior High Lead), not only did we play games but we talked about how we can tweak the rules to make sure the game is more balanced.  

We also talked about how we might sort out our teams to insure that no harm is done.

One of the most unintentional ways we do harm to our children or youth is to allow the old school-yard pick.  The most popular or athletic are chosen first and eventually a couple of kids are picked last.  This is not the kind of esteem-buster that we want to offer in a church activity.

So we talked about lining kids up by height and then putting every other one on a team.  You can divide by birthday months or grade.  You can divide a group into favorite toothpaste or fruit or pizza topping or any number of items and then tweak from there.  The good thing about some of these other ways is that they can also be ice-breakers if needed.  If lining up by height, have them do it blindfolded.  Or if lining up by age, have them do it without talking! 

And the best thing about these alternative ways is that we have done no harm in our division!

As we move through Lent, we understand that division can cause harm.  In what ways have you caused harm in the last month for which you would seek forgiveness?  Where has a time been in your life when you have intentionally avoided harm?  Just as we lament the times we missed the mark, we should celebrate the times we got it right!

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 20

"But whoever hates a brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness."

                                                             1 John 2:11

Today, I am thankful that The United Methodist Church has taught me about my blind spots concerning race.

I would guess there are only a minority of people who would actually claim that they are racist.  Most people feel that they would give others a fair shake no matter the color of their skin, the accent with which they talk or the cultural differences they may portray.

I went to seminary at the Candler School of Theology on the campus of Emory University which is a United Methodist institution in Atlanta, Georgia.  But I grew up in Oklahoma...

I didn't have a black classmate in elementary school until I was in the upper grades and even then, he was a classification younger.  We didn't have any black students in my grade.  We did have one student who was Korean and two that were Jewish.  This was out of about 60 or 70 in my grade in Tulsa in the 1970's.

I first experienced being a minority as a white person while visiting seminary in Atlanta.  It was on board the Marta train - as I got on, I realized that I was the only white person aboard the train.  No one said anything or acted unusual.  I made my way to my stop and got off.  But I remember it feeling different and I thought to myself, "This is what black people feel like in Oklahoma all the time!"

In seminary, I took a class by Dr. Noel Erskine entitled, "The Theology of Martin Luther King" and it was eye opening.  I was in the racial minority for this class as well and I think this helped with my perspective.  

 

This class was in the fall of 1995 and The United States was also absorbed with the trial of O.J. Simpson at the time.  On October 3, the jury's verdict of "not guilty" was released to the public.  While the white people I knew were stunned at the decision, the black people I knew were supportive of his release.  

In our class, we discussed it and one black student in particular tried to explain it to the white students present.  He tried to help us understand why black Americans were celebrating what seemed to white people to be someone getting away with murder.   He said, "A lot of black folks don't actually believe that O.J. is innocent.  But they also know that historically, there have been plenty of white people with money who haven't paid for their crimes.  It is refreshing to know that if a black man has enough money, he can get off today because its not always been that way."

I was able to better understand this viewpoint because of the conversations we had.  If I was only talking to white people, I'm sure I would not have gained this same perspective.

I have since had more opportunities because of the UMC to expand my horizons and my friendships interculturally.  

As we move through Lent, we recognize that Jesus suffers in solidarity with all peoples (not just those of my particular culture).  How does being in relationship with people that are different than ourselves help us as people of faith?

How do we truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves?

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 19

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

                                                                     Ephesians 4:32

Today, I'm grateful for the second chances I've received from The United Methodist Church.

In May of 1996, I had recently graduated seminary and was ready to come back to Oklahoma and take an appointment.  I had already been approved by the Board of Ordained Ministry for probationary membership and had been seated by the cabinet at Salem United Methodist Church in Drummond.  On Monday of Annual Conference, I was approved by the clergy executive session and was ready to go.  I would be ordained on Wednesday night.  

On Tuesday morning, I took a leisurely breakfast while visiting with my parents at their house in Tulsa. Unfortunately, I was also missing annual conference which at the time was introducing all of the ministerial candidates on the floor.

I got a phone call from my friend Kristi Swink who asked me where I was.  

Once she actually convinced me that I was missing a second vote, I frantically scrambled to get to the church.  

Carol Cook Moore (who I now serve with on the cabinet) was on the Board of Ordained Ministry and met me at the back of the sanctuary and escorted me down to the front.  

Randy Maddox was our conference teacher that year and was speaking on grace for the end of the morning session.

Carol took me up to Bishop Solomon to present me and I remember saying something trite like "I'm sure glad he was teaching on grace today."

Bishop Solomon looked at me without smiling and replied, "One can always hope."

We then had a lunch break and I was presented in the afternoon.  The conference approved me (again) for ordination and later at Gridiron (the conference's unofficial roast of all things conference) they sang "Get me to the Church on Time" while parading me down to the front.

I was very nervous through most of Tuesday.  I was hopeful that they would overlook my transgression and they did.  Since that time, I have tried to be present for the business of the annual conference!

When we think about second chances, we all have stories where we needed them.  What may be equally helpful is to recognize where we have given them.  

As we move forward in Lent, how does this season allow us to recognize the help we've needed in life?  How does this help us to extend it to others?

 

Notation from page 121 of the 1996 OK Conference Journal

 

 

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 18

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

                                                                     John 13:35

Today, I am grateful that The United Methodist Church is a part of the greater Wesleyan movement through our activity in the World Methodist Council.

Sheryl and I had the opportunity in 2011 to attend our first World Methodist Conference in South Africa with Rev. Jeremy Basset who is a native of that country.  There were a number of us from the Oklahoma Conference who attended and we shared in our common heritage with other sister denominations around the world.  

In the opening worship ceremony, the various churches that participated marched in while holding their denominational banners.  It wasn't a competition so much as a celebration of John Wesley's influence around the world.  We didn't look to fight over our differences but rather lift up the things on which we agreed!

One of the highlights for me was during worship when the liturgist asked us to pray the Lord's prayer in our first language.  It was a Pentecost moment as you heard so many languages praying in rhythm together.  We started at the same time and mostly ended at the same time.  It gave me a great sense of peace and unity.

Since that time, I was able to serve as a delegate to the World Methodist Council (which helps to lead the World Methodist Conference every five years) in Houston in 2016 and plan on going to Sweden for the next gathering in 2024.  While the Council has named delegates, the Conference is open to all who would like to attend.

I don't believe that the current divisiveness within The United Methodist Church is indicative of our identity.  It is also to be noted that there are no independent churches that hold membership in the World Methodist Council but they are denominations of multiple churches.  It isn't in our Wesleyan DNA to become singular or disconnected with our brothers and sisters around the world.  I'm grateful for the connection through this worldwide body.

As we move through Lent, where do you find divisiveness tugging at your heart?  What voices are calling to you for a movement away from your neighbors?  Why is this tempting?  How is Jesus moving us to love even those who may disagree with us?

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 17

 “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you."

                                                                            Matthew 7:7

Today, I'm thankful that The United Methodist Church taught me that asking questions deepens one's faith. 

My denomination of origin was the Assembly of God and in the era of my childhood, they were rather leery of The United Methodist Church.  Outsiders often accuse United Methodists of not really having any firm beliefs surrounding Christian doctrine.

This is not true.

Our doctrinal standards are located in our Articles of Religion that were passed down (although edited and abbreviated) from John Wesley and the Church of England.  We also inherited the similar Confession of Faith from our Evangelical United Brethren Heritage in 1968.  These core beliefs haven't changed but our usage and interpretation of them is more contextual through time.

United Methodists are encouraged to ask questions and we are less likely to lift up doubt as a sin.

I remember my campus minister at Oklahoma State University, Dr. John Rusco, telling his own story about how he came to faith in The UMC.  He also was raised in a different tradition and as an adolescent, when he started asking questions, he was told, "We don't ask those kind of questions here."

This discouraged him enough to stop attending church.

He was driving by a United Methodist Church one day and saw the message on their marquee after the sermon title, "Questions welcomed following the service."

He attended that Sunday to determine if this was, in fact, true.

After worship, he visited with the pastor who seemed delighted to engage in theological discussion with the young Rusco.  John said that he found a home that day.

If our faith is true, we needn't be afraid to ask questions.  It will stand up to testing and the testing of doctrine or Biblical interpretation is not the same as testing God (which of course, Jesus frowned on).

As I pursued my studies, I found in Family Systems Theory that questions and especially probing questions, were helpful in breaking down unhealthy triangles (small relationship dynamics between three people). 

As you move through Lent, what questions do you have about the stories of Jesus that we study?  We become especially mindful during this time about suffering and the human condition.  How do we participate in suffering and how can we help alleviate it?  How does this effectively share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the world today?  

This was taken from the Marysville UMC website.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 16

"Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths."
                                                    Colossians 2:16

Today, I am thankful that The United Methodist Church doesn't see Halloween parties as things to be feared.

Growing up, I remember going to a Halloween party at Boston Avenue - maybe late elementary.  I dressed as a Jawa costume from the movie, Star Wars which my brother Bob designed for me.  It even came with a battery pack and I had glowing eyes.  I think that I won the costume contest that evening.

The best part of the evening was the box maze they put together.  We got to crawl around through all these cardboard passages in the dark and it was a ton of fun.

Later, when I was appointed to Piedmont, we perfected the box maze in the old white building that we had converted for the youth to occupy.  We collected boxes for a couple of weeks and then we began to put it together.  The youth would work on it a few hours at a time on Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons.  When we finished, it ran though multiple rooms and even had a tunnel that went upstairs and down the other staircase.  

During the church's Halloween carnival, kids had the best time going through the maze.  If some of the kids were too scared to go, one of the youth would go with them with a flashlight.  While they may have been scared going in, they all looked jubilant upon coming out and most wanted to go multiple times.

While a lot of pagan holidays have been converted by Christianity, we've never really tried to do much with Halloween.  The name originates from All Hallow's Eve which refers to the night before All Saints Day in the liturgical calendar where we observe those who have died in the previous year on November 1. 

When I was growing up, I did hear a lot from some churches about the evils of Halloween.  I wasn't buying it as a kid and loved the dressing up and the free candy!  I didn't see it as any kind of demonic influence (although today, the leftover candy at the house might qualify) but more as a fun time that came around once a year.

Today, most United Methodist churches seem to embrace Halloween as an outreach for the community.  Many provide pumpkin patches for people to decorate while others observe Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot for the kids in their neighborhood.

Rather than promoting fear, we are saying, "We want to walk alongside you in your celebration."  Our hope is that they'll want to walk alongside us for other things as well.

How does your church help you celebrate throughout life?  How is this a part of sharing God's love with the community?

I still enjoy a good Halloween party.  If you need help with a box maze for your church, let me know!

This is the original box maze crew in Piedmont!

 

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 15

"God sustained Jacob in a desert land, in a howling wilderness waste"

                                                    Deuteronomy 32:10a

Today, I am thankful for the times of wilderness journey experienced in The United Methodist Church.

As a less metaphorical understanding, I have become known for leading excursions through the back woods at Canyon Camp affectionately known as "death hikes".

To be clear, no one has ever died on one of these hikes and we've always brought back everyone who went!

Now sometimes we have had to make stops at the nurse's station on the way back - usually for scrapes, bug bites or poison ivy. 

Most of the time, we take the group through the swamp and up to the next ridge.  It is a beautiful view and my favorite thing is to see the turkey buzzards flying around at the same level as you're looking as they soar above the valley below.

When we get that far out and away from recognizable trails, I usually get a lot of nervous questions.  The main one is, "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

I usually answer, "Yeah, pretty much.  Sometimes the trail changes but overall, I know where we are in relation to the main camp."  

This answer is sometimes not assuring enough for some!

The wilderness experience is to remove oneself from civilization.  No cell phone coverage or WiFi!  When you are out and can see nothing made by humans, it is a bit freeing.  Now we are walking through the living area of wild creatures.

Once, we came across a mother turkey buzzard on a ledge that was feeding her babies in their nest.  I saw her hack up something she had partially digested and the smell was really bad!  Then she saw us and started hissing - we moved on pretty quickly but it was an honor to intrude for a moment on their life together without knowing we were there.

A lot of kids never sign up for this hike.  Some who go find it very challenging and don't ever go back.  Others have found it refreshing and it feeds their soul to leave everything behind for an hour or two.  

Some youth find out that getting wet or muddy or scraped or scratched won't kill them.  After they come through it, they feel more like a survivor.  

This is important for us to remember as we face the more metaphorical wilderness times in our lives.  For those facing divorce, it may feel that they have been abandoned.  For churches going through disaffiliation, it may feel like this as well.

As a pastor, I've said that my current work as a district superintendent is the most challenging I've ever faced in my ministry.  There are times I may be asking God the same question that youth ask me on the hike.  "Are you sure you know where we are going?"

God's answer may be similar to mine, "Yeah, pretty much.  Sometimes the trail changes but overall, I know where we are in relation to the main camp."

I may get bruised or scratched along the way but in the end, I'll trust God to get us through.  And along the way, we may discover resilience that will help us confront something in the future.

During Lent, what wilderness journeys have you faced in your life?  Where did God help you along the way?  Who did you have to help guide you through?  How did they make you a stronger person?  

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 14

"I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

                                         Isaiah 49:6b

Today, I am thankful that I learned to see wider systems in life and in scripture - taught to me at United Methodist seminaries.

It was in my pastoral care class at Candler School of Theology that I was introduced to the text, Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin H. Friedman.  His application of Murray Bowen's theory has helped churches and relationships to re-center on their mission when they have become stuck.  A large part of this theory revolves around knowing your identity.

As we see larger systems at work in the world, we can see patterns emerge.  This is also true of scripture.  Within the Bible, we have larger themes at work and we may use these to interpret the rest of the Bible.

One is the theme of holiness.  God's people have been set apart.  Leviticus 20:26 states, 

"You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine."

 There are lots of examples of this throughout the Bible.  God's royal priesthood language comes out of this in 1 Peter 2:9,

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

This notion of holiness is strong in Wesleyan thought within United Methodism and emerges in the doctrine of sanctifying grace.  The root word literally means holy.  It is the grace by which we are to become more holy in our inward and outward lives.  Wesleyans believe that we are all to work with God toward sanctification.

Another overarching theme is "Light to the Nations."  This is the idea that God is not only calling us to be holy for our own salvation but to share this understanding with all creation.

While John's Gospel has Jesus declaring "I am the light of the world," Matthew 5:14a has Jesus advising, "You are the light of the world."  Both are true - the first reminds us of our source.  The second gives us our mission.

Christianity has a strong focus in being a "Light to the Nations."  We see it in probably the most famous verse, John 3:16 which tells us, 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

For Wesleyans, we are reminded of John Wesley's famous quote, "The world is my parish."

This idea is rooted in the doctrine of prevenient (or preceding) grace.  God's love is for all people.  They may not realize it yet but we believe God is working on them.  It is our job to share that love in a variety of ways so that they may come to believe.

Sometimes these two themes clash.  For instance, in Jesus' day, healing someone was thought of as work and was frowned upon on the Sabbath.  This was the theme of holiness - we are to dedicate this day to God and refrain from work - even from healing.  Jesus heals on the Sabbath, reminding us that our mission to be a light to the nations sometimes takes precedence.  

The clash people of faith have over same gender relationships may depend on which theme of the Bible they are utilizing.  Those with a strong holiness approach may see celibacy as the only alternative for someone who is gay.  Those with a strong light to the nations approach may see same-gender marriage as appropriate given the knowledge we have gained in psychology and human physiology.  The desire is to shine the light to all people.

Both holiness and light to the nations are present within The United Methodist Church.  The divide we see over LGBTQ issues is not so great when we understand what ties prevenient and sanctifying grace together.  It is the justification we have in Jesus Christ.  

Ah, and now we have come back around to remind us that knowing our identity helps us when we are stuck!

During this Lent, where do you see holiness at work in your life and where do you need to be more Christ-like?

How is God calling you to be a light to the nations?

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 13

‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink?

                                                              Matthew 25:37b

 Because of The United Methodist Church, I am thankful for my love of mission trips.

When I was in youth, I can still remember my youth minister, Lucinda Scheldorf, calling me to ask me if I would consider going on the youth mission trip.  We were going out of state to the Appalachia Service Project. 

I can remember thinking at the time, that I had a job and not only would I have to lose money the week I wouldn’t be working but I would actually have to pay money to go work for someone else!

An overall Christian ethic was just not breaking through my personal sense of economics.  The idea of the mission trip makes no sense from a strictly capitalistic standpoint. 

My other reluctance was that I was not handy.  My brother Bob seemed to have pulled all of this DNA and didn’t leave any for me!  I didn’t want to embarrass myself on the job site.

So I politely declined and missed out on the opportunity.

It wasn’t until college that I went on my first mission trip.  It was during Spring Break with the Wesley Foundation and we worked around Oklahoma City on a Habitat for Humanity project.  I didn’t do anything too pitiful and even learned some things while I was at it!

When I served as a summer intern at First United Methodist Church of Stillwater, we took the senior high down to San Marcos, Texas for kind of a mission camp experience.  We met with all kinds of other United Methodist youth groups and divided into work groups that were mixed with all the other youth and adults.  We all stayed together in the local high school gyms, sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags and showering in the locker rooms.  As hectic as that sounds, it was really quite fun!  Once again, I learned some new skills and continued to take youth to this location after I became a youth minister at New Haven UMC in Tulsa. 

Some of the skills I learned were roofing (not the coolest activity in south Texas during July) and sheet rocking.  I discovered that on these trips, there were more people who knew less than I did!  Fortunately, for the home owners, we had excellent skilled teachers at every site. 

These trips helped to teach me about God’s economy.  I learned to sweat on behalf of others with no expectation of monetary compensation.  You actually learn that it is a privilege to do so.  This is a spiritual truth that has to be lived out to be understood.

Sometimes this truth takes a while to set in.  In most mission trips, you may encounter people that don't seem grateful for the help.  You may feel that some are taking advantage of the help offered.  Or they may not lend a hand to help in the project when you feel like they could.  Sometimes when we are helping others, we may experience compassion fatigue.  

Fortunately, one of the great things about mission trips is that we gather in the evenings after the work day for devotional time.  We talk about the difficulties and read scripture and pray and remind ourselves that we are not doing this alone.

What kind of mission activities have you experienced through the church?  

It is likely that these experiences have helped us recognize that with God's help, we can begin to see differently.   Now that's a trip!

 

It was like this when I got here, I promise!

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 12

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

                                                                 Romans 13:8-10 (NIV)

Today, I am thankful for The United Methodist Church's interpretation of scripture (and life) that I learned through the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

This happens to be when we utilize Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason to help us form a more disciplined opinion of a subject or a more precise interpretation of scripture (and how it might apply to something concrete in life).  It was posited by United Methodist seminary professor, Albert Outler who was a Wesley scholar and deemed that John Wesley utilized these regularly as a disciplined (methodical) approach.

The first time I remember utilizing this was in college.

 I was on a spring retreat for United Methodist college students active in Wesley Foundations across the state.  We were at Canyon camp and were involved in what is called a fish bowl exercise.  This is where you have four chairs in the middle and everyone else observes.  Only those in the middle chairs can speak.  If you have something to interject, you have to tap in just like in the pro wrestling arena.  

We were discussing Lawrence Kohlberg's Heinz dilemma.  This is a fictitious situation where Heinz's wife has a fatal disease.  An experimental drug has been developed as a cure but it is very expensive.  Heinz has exhausted all legal options for obtaining the drug.  The question is, "Should Heinz steal the drug?"

We were arguing for and against it using Christian values in the fish bowl.

As you might imagine, I took to this like a duck to water.

My position was that Heinz should steal the drug based on the fact that physical objects can be replaced but human life is sacred.  

Much of the opposition revolved around "Thou Shalt Not Steal" being one of the 10 commandments.  

I argued that this commandment was superseded by the sacred value of life.  The Romans passage referenced at the top of the page speaks to this in my opinion.

When one of the pastors (now withdrawn) asked me how I could determine to toss aside one of the 10 Commandments, I replied that I used other scripture, my reason, the traditions of the church and my experience.  Since this was essentially the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and is featured prominently in our Book of Discipline, he was stumped.

Today, I would stick with this rationale and would steal the drug.  But I would also take the punishment after the fact and go to jail if necessary.  I would use the court trial to highlight the injustice of someone dying if a profit could not be reaped.  

How does the Wesleyan Quadrilateral aid you not only in your interpretation of scripture but in your looking at decisions you have to make?  If you have something big you are trying to discern, why not make four columns and see what you come up with?

From ¶ 105 of the Discipline on "Our Theological Task"

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 11

 The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God

                                                Nehemiah 12:40a

Today, I am thankful for how The United Methodist Church has nurtured my appreciation of choral music.

Although I came from a singing family, my first experience with singing in choir was the upper elementary children's choir at Boston Avenue in the late 70's.  The choir director was none other than Mary Jean Russell who was the wife of our senior pastor at the time, Dr. John Russell (who later was elected bishop).  While I would like to relay that my behavior was cherubic at that tender age, I would not be entirely truthful!

My good friend Mark Hardin and I sat together and I can remember fake hitting him and him clapping his hands down by his hips and falling off his chair as if he had been truly struck.  The sound effects sold it.  He would then counter and I would do the same thing.

Later, when I encountered Mrs. Russell at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference, I apologized for my previous behavior!  She was very gracious in her response as you might imagine.

My parents sang in the choir at the 11:00 worship service there for probably 40 years.  Once I entered junior high, I joined the youth choir which sang each week at the 8:30 service and did so until I graduated high school.  Larry Dean, Fred Elder and Casey Cantwell were those who instructed me (and had patience with me) through these years.

In college, I sang in the late service choir (Heartsong) at First United Methodist Church of Stillwater under the tutelage of Jim Gilts.  I sang tenor at this time next to Rev. Terry Martindale who could also be a bit of a cut-up!  This choir even performed a madrigal dinner performance of John Wesley's life and I was tagged as JW!  

I also sang in a choir called the Agape Singers for a time at the Wesley Foundation there and we occasionally sang in churches in the area.  

When I was appointed to Drummond, we started hosting community cantatas utilizing choirs combined from the three churches in town as well as some folks from surrounding towns.  Linda Belknap was our choir director and we eventually hired her there part-time to be the first staff person outside the pastor and the custodian in that congregation.  I sang faithfully with this choir during my time there.

In Piedmont, I continued to sing in the choir during my years there.  We had many capable choir directors starting with lay volunteer, Truda Hibbs.  We grew to enjoy many cantatas throughout the years and had a strong contingent of youth sing with the adults during my years there.

Edmond was the first church I led where I didn't sing in choir each week.  I did join in for special occasions like when we sang the Christmas portions of Handel's Messiah.  This particular piece holds a special place in my heart.

One of my best memories growing up was in college, singing with my parents and my brother Bob at Boston Avenue while on Christmas break in the Messiah.  Dad and I got to sit together for the performance and I think that may have been the only time we sang together in public.  It helped make the Christmas season special and I still have a fondness when I hear something from the Messiah today.

Music has a way of speaking to us in a deep way.  It communicates differently from a sermon.  Sometimes it lands and sometimes it doesn't - which is similar to a sermon!  But when it lands, it often impacts us significantly.

What are times that you remember sacred music especially landing with you?  What hymns still speak to you today when you sing them?

Piedmont choir in February 2006 in the old sanctuary

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 10

 But Jesus said to them, “There’s no need to send them away. You give them something to eat.”

                                                   Matthew 14:16 (CEB)

Today, I am grateful that The United Methodist Church has taught me to impact the communities in which we are planted.

Every United Methodist Church that I've been a part of has made a difference to the towns, cities and neighborhoods where they were located.  

In Piedmont, I was delighted to have lunch provided every Wednesday for the Senior citizens of the community at our church.  We did not have a senior citizens' center in our town and our church functioned as such on Wednesdays.  Many would come out and play cards or dominoes together before lunch was served.  If you know me, you know that I also would pull up a chair and eat with them each week - even though I was not a senior, I was a pastor and the only pastor that some of these folks had.

I learned their stories - we had veterans that had served during World War II - and because I was appointed there so many years, I was able to relate some of these stories back to the congregation at their funeral services.  

The architect of this ministry was Evelyn Munsell who passed away in 2021.  She originally started it with the aid of the government which provided the lunches from Redlands College in El Reno.  These meals were prepared with nutrition in mind and were mostly pretty good except for the "Copper Pennies".  These were cooked carrots that were served cold and I never could get an appetite for them.  In fact, Don and Billie McMillan who always helped serve the meals seemed to take special delight in seeing my displeasure when those turned up on the menu!

At some point, the government program was discontinued but Evelyn did not let this stop a good thing.  We started preparing our own meals at the church and while they may not have been technically as healthy as before, the quality of taste went up immensely!

There were so many good folks who helped with this ministry.  I know it made a difference in Piedmont to all the people who were able to find a wider family.  Some had relatives nearby but others' families were far away.  The widows and widowers found community and comfort from those who had previously lost their spouses.  It was a way to belong to something bigger.

What are ways that your church has made an impact in the community you live in?  What about the place where you grew up?  How might God be calling you to be involved in people's lives today?

Here's a great picture of Evelyn serving the Redlands meals

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 9

What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people.

                                                         John 1:3b-4 

Today, I'm grateful for the tools for the interpretation of scripture instilled in me through The United Methodist Church.

Growing up, we were regulars in church.  I can't recall ever missing Sunday school or worship for illness.  I'm sure I must have missed at least once, but I don't remember it.  We also discussed the scriptures regularly in our household.  Dad would especially talk about them after the sermon.  

When we switched to United Methodism, it was as if a light switched on for my parents.  They were so impressed with a contextual understanding of the biblical world.  What was going on in the lives of the authors?  What was happening in the world at the time it was written?

How do previous scriptures impact the message of later ones?

When I was in high school, I remember our pastor, Dr. Mouzon Biggs, coming to our Sunday school to teach for a period.  I was really impressed that he didn't sugar coat it.  He brought out source theory in the Old Testament and showed us how some of the Israelite tribes referred to God as Elohim in the original Hebrew - this was E Source.  Other tribes in the southern kingdom of Judah referred to God as Yahweh and this was called J Source (Yahweh can also be translated into English as Jehovah).  There was also a D source which wrote Deuteronomy and is also found in some of the books following.  And lastly, there was a P source which was a priestly source that deals with a lot of technical stuff like worship specifications or lists of genealogies.

In their original form, these were all separate writings like we have four Gospels today.  Later, a redactor or editor merged the four sources together into the first books of the Bible.  It helps explain why there are some duplicate stories in the Old Testament!

One thing in particular I still remember from a sermon was when Dr. Biggs brought up the critique that the Ten Commandments may have been based on Hammurabi's Code.  He didn't see this as a problem for people of faith at all.

"Who's to say that God didn't inspire Hammurabi as well as Moses?"

Later, I understood this as another great example of prevenient or preceding grace!

I came out of a more fundamentalist tradition prior to United Methodism and I am thankful for the way we look at the Bible.  It is not scary to interpret the Bible and it is not a bad thing to prioritize some scriptures over others.  Even people that say they take everything literally do this.  

When Jesus was asked which commandment in the Bible was the greatest, he did not respond with, "That's a dumb question!  They are all equal!"

Rather, he gave us the love of God with all our being (the Shema) and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  These are to be the lenses with which we interpret the rest of scripture.

As we move through Lent, which portions of scripture stand out to you?  Which are some of your favorites that help you interpret others?  How do these give you life?

This is the plate from my 3rd Grade Bible

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 8

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.

                                        Ephesians 4:5-6 

Today, I'm grateful that The United Methodist Church taught me to be ecumenical.  We are committed to working with other Christian traditions and expressions and we do our best to see how God is at work through them as well.

 Within The Book of Discipline, paragraph 105 on "Our Theological Task  claims the following:

"As people bound together on one planet, we see the need for a self-critical view of our own tradition and accurate appreciation of other traditions.  In these encounters, our aim is not to reduce doctrinal differences to some lowest common denominator or religious agreement, but to raise all such relationships to the highest possible level of human fellowship and understanding."

This takes mutual respect.  Of course, it is often easier to receive respect if you grant it first!  That is a Lenten task if I ever saw one.

In my first appointment in Drummond, I remember working with the United Church of Christ pastor and the Baptist pastor to start a food pantry.  We also worked together whenever aid was requested by someone in town.  When World Communion Sunday rolled around, the UCC pastor, Rev. Gordon Epps, and I swapped tables and shared communion with each other's congregation.  After we finished preaching, the congregations both started a hymn and we walked across our back yards to each other's church.  It actually worked out pretty well.

In Piedmont, I worked with the ministerial alliance there for years.  Every year, we would rotate the church that would host the community Thanksgiving service.  On my last year there, I suggested that we share Holy Communion together.  To my surprise, they all agreed!  The other clergy were Southern Baptist, Church of Christ, Nazarene, and Assembly of God.

 

 While we didn't always agree on matters of doctrine or biblical interpretation, we did manage to support one another in a lot of other ways.  

When the Baptist pastor was hit by a car while bicycling, we all went to the hospital to pray for him.  A pastor from another tradition related to the rest of us that a person from his congregation asked him why they were praying for healing for a pastor that would be leading people to Hell.  

This was a bit shocking for me to hear because I could never imagine a person from my congregation saying this.  Our ecumenical roots allow us to be generous in how we see God at work in other traditions.  

As we move through Lent, what other traditions have you encountered that have made you feel less than acceptable to God?  It may be easy to dismiss them because we tend to go on the defensive in these cases.  What do you think you hold in common with them?  Where do you see Christ at work through them (outside of the derision!)?

This is a part of our identity but is not always easy!  But if we try, it may be that we can raise our relationships to a higher level of fellowship and understanding!

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 7

God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble.

                                             Psalm 46:1 (CEB)

Today, I am grateful for the times the connection of The United Methodist Church helped me out when the way was not clear. 

When Sheryl and I got married in August, we went on our honeymoon for a week.  We drove west and ended up in Las Vegas via the Grand Canyon.  We returned to Oklahoma and then packed up all our belongings in a U-Haul and the next week drove the other way to Atlanta.

As a part of our wedding gift, her parents sprung for the car carrier on the back of the truck meaning that we could take turns driving that behemoth!  It was big and lengthy and neither of us had driven anything that large before.  I had driven plenty of 15 passenger vans full of youth but they handled a bit differently.  Once when Sheryl was driving we came upon road construction and a very narrow but long bridge.  She could see it coming and shouted, "What do I do?"  I replied, "Point it straight and keep going!"

She made it through without a scratch!

We finally made it to our destination (or close to it) and we parked the U-Haul and backed the car off the trailer and went to find our apartment.  We were staying in married student housing at Emory University where I was going to Candler School of Theology.  We ended up in this part of the world because I was planning to be an itinerant preacher.  This meant we would not be picking the town we would live in once we returned to Oklahoma. So I suggested that Sheryl pick where we go to graduate school.  I said, "There are thirteen United Methodist seminaries in the United States.  If you can find a school you like near one of them, I'll go to that one."

She wanted to get her MBA at the University of Georgia so Candler it was!

Fortunately, there were some United Methodists from Oklahoma already enrolled as students.  One of them was Shannon Davis who is the current pastor at Woodward First UMC.  Shannon and I overlapped at OSU and were active at the Wesley Foundation there together.  Shannon was still there when Sheryl arrived on campus.  

Shannon got the call that everyone loves to get.

"We just arrived in town.  Can you help us unload our U-Haul?"

He never hesitated.  In fact, he recruited some other seminary students to help us!

We parked in the street on the top of the hill and of course, our apartment was up a bit more of a hill and on the second floor!  But we got it unloaded and the vehicle returned.

This may not sound like much but when everything seems unknown, a friendly face who is willing to help means the world. 

Sometimes, the help has come from United Methodists I didn't even know.

Once, when we were working on a VIM trip for tornado cleanup in Joplin, Missouri, our suburban broke down.  We needed to use it to get our people to the worksite but it was in the shop.  The church secretary let us borrow her suburban (which was much newer and nicer than ours).  

She said, "Mine has a hitch.  You can take mine."  We were hauling a trailer on this trip as well.

When someone from her church said, "You don't even know them.  Why would you do that?"

She responded matter-of-factly, "They're United Methodists."

The connection remains important.  I often find that where I encounter the cross-and-flame, I find a kindred spirit who is willing to lend a helping hand.  

As we move through Lent, who has helped you along the way?  Who can you think of that may need your generosity of time or support in the days to come?

It may just be a part of our identity!

Brooke and Emily give up their spring break to help in Joplin in 2012.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 6

 (Jesus) answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

                                                            Luke 19:40 (NRSV)

Today, I am grateful that The United Methodist Church allowed me to see God's truth shining from a variety of surprising sources.

Specifically, I have encountered God's Good News from all kinds of music outside of what we normally hear in church.

It was actually at church camp (Egan specifically) that I was exposed to a lot of rock music previously unbeknownst to me.  Of course, this was during our free time.  I remember waking up our cabin one morning to the beginning of Pink Floyd's "Time".  If you've never heard it, a cacophony of clocks go off simultaneously.

Once, I used this tactic on a mission trip where everyone was sleeping on the floor and my wife Sheryl thought it was a fire alarm and didn't see the humor in it after the fact.  It did get everybody up quickly though!

At camp, it seemed that the cabin leaders, rather than be the music police, would turn a deaf ear to what we were listening to as long as it wasn't overtly profane.  Occasionally, we would find a minister that had similar tastes and were amazed that they could converse with us on some pretty cool stuff.

We actually had a song book at camp that while it contained a lot of Christian hymns and other music, it also contained a lot of secular music from the day.  Inside its pages, you will find "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan or "Hey Jude" by The Beatles.  These will be found alongside such hymns as "Lord of the Dance" or "Be Thou My Vision".

This was not an endorsement of the lifestyle of rock musicians.  It was not saying that every song they wrote was worthwhile or would be sung at camp.  United Methodist pastors that mentored me respected my intelligence enough to allow me to acknowledge what has Christian value and what doesn't.  

This is very different from the church camp my friend Scott Sharp attended.  It was not United Methodist and he said that one day one of the preachers told the youth, "I can tell who's going to heaven and hell just by what they are wearing."  Evidently, some had rock t-shirts on.

I still listen to a lot of secular music.  I'm fascinated when I find some lyrics that reflect grace and love and goodness.  There are many who will never darken the doors of a church that hear this music.  Maybe we can have a conversation about it.

For instance, a few years ago, we had our modern worship band play "Home" by Phillip Phillips when it came out.  The lyrics include this line:

"The trouble, it might drag you down.  If you get lost, you can always be found."  

That sounds like Good News to me.

Even the Rolling Stones have a gem or two such as "Shine a Light" where the chorus exhorts:

"May the good Lord shine a light on you
Make every song your favorite tune
May the good Lord shine a light on you
Warm like the evening sun"

The verses are a bit darker, lifting up the lives (and death) of street people.  People who need and still somehow manage to find God's grace.

I'm grateful that The United Methodist Church gave me eyes to see and ears to hear.  

What songs have you heard in life beyond church that moved your spirit?

Does anyone else remember singing out of this book?

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 5

If a brother or sister sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.

                                         Luke 17:3b

Today, I give thanks for the accountability I received in The United Methodist Church.  It has made me a better person, a better Christian and a better pastor.

As a summer intern for Boston Avenue, they used to send us to training in May prior to the start of the job in June.  It was called Director of Youth Ministry Training Enterprise or DYMTE.  We affectionately referred to it as dynamite.  I attended each May from 1987 through my time as an intern (both at Boston Avenue and later at Stillwater First) into being a full time youth director at New Haven in Tulsa through 1994.  

It was always helpful and we learned accountability (and later I taught it there as well).  I remember going back as a pastor and hearing a youth minister tell me about his one-on-one ministry (he was around 20) with the youth.  This included playing tennis and going to the movies with some of the high school girls.  I quickly disavowed him of this practice as I saw all kinds of red flags waving around!  This was at the onset of safe sanctuaries for the conference and it was still being adopted - sometimes too slowly!

My second year attending DYMTE, I learned a joke that ended in a pun similar to the McDonald's Big Mac jingle, "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame bun."  This story ended with "Two obese Patty's, special Ross, Lester Reese flickin' bunions on a Sesame Street bus."  This joke wouldn't pass muster for many reasons today (people with disabilities should not be mocked to say the least), but in 1988, it was allowable.

I told this "gem" at Tulsa District Camp during a talent show (another thing they used to do at camp) and it got the appropriate groans.  

After it was over, Rev. Leslie Penrose came and informed me that there was a girl from her church that had been suicidal over her weight issues and that my lifting up two obese little girls named Patty in the joke was insensitive and could push this camper over the edge.  

This was like a slap in the face in that I had no intention of hurting anyone.  I was just trying to be funny.  When we inadvertently offend people with our language, there are two ways we can respond.  One is that we can let the embarrassment overtake us and become offended that they are offended.  This is a way to compensate for the fact that we have been caught off guard.  Most people do not intentionally seek to cause offense.  And so we make the charge that people are "too sensitive" these days.  This is actually kind of ironic, isn't it?  Methinks we protest too much!  

The second way we can respond is to let them know that we did not mean to offend.  And then alter our behavior accordingly.  

I felt bad at the time.  I never meant to harm anyone.  I gave up that joke and have tried to watch how I use my language.  

I know it is not always easy to hold people accountable.  I appreciate Leslie for speaking to me about it.  In hindsight, I also appreciate the District Superintendents who have supervised me through my ordained ministry.  I have received good advice and correction from each one and I'm sure that there were times I gave them fits.  

And so thank you to Stan Warfield, Phil Ware, Craig Stinson, Dan Pulver, Rockford Johnson and Tish Malloy.  As a current district superintendent, I'm sure that I did not appreciate the difficulty of your work at the time!

Who is it that has held you accountable in life? 

Who is close to you that you also may need to nudge back into line?

While it is difficult work, during Lent, let us be willing to be in relationships where we can be held as well as hold others accountable to life in Christ!

Good accountability is like spotting from below to prevent harm!