During my vacation God answered a prayer I have been praying off and on for years. I had pretty much given up hope that God thought it was as important as I did, in fact I was resigned to the answer to my prayer being no or at least found in other areas of my life. Then, completely out of the blue God said, “Of course I will answer your request and here is the answer!” I was blessed beyond imagination.
We must never give up on God. God has the most accurate sense of timing and God has the best understanding of when it is best to answer our prayers. I look back and feel bad for giving up, thinking that God wasn’t concerned.
When you least expect it and when God knows that it is best is when the blessings flow. But, we need to remember blessings are all around and they come to us every day. Most are not as big as this blessing of mine but are small and by most ignored.
Blessings of air, of water, of food, of good health, of an education, of peace, and of love are all ours. The blessing of salvation and mercy and grace abound and they come freely from God’s hand and heart. Small and large all our blessings come from God and to God we offer them back.
I hope you will look around you today and see how many blessings you can count. I encourage you to open you heart to each of them and see why God is blessing you. I think it might be because God loves you so much and God wants your life to be fulfilled and complete.
And when you least expect it … watch out the big one will come. Give thanks to God for all God’s blessings and count them all big and small
You are a blessing to me and I’m thankful to God for you in my life.
Love you
Dana
I have found that blogging is not as easy as I though t it would be. Forgive me for not keeping up with this ministry as I ought (uh you 2 or 3 who follow me). I have found that I can do some good things here, like sharing my faith, my struggles, my needs of heart and soul. And by giving insight from some of my life experiences, I might be of help to fellow strugglers on the way.
Blogging is so new and I’m so old (cultrue wise – stop laughing) But I do want to keep trying to reach out to all any where who have a desire to know more about God and God’s love for humanity. I will willingly put myself out there for the Gospel and for you. I think that is the message of the Gospel to love each other to Jesus Christ.
There is a benefit for me … I get to feel the love of others strugglers on the way. I was told by one of my dear friends I can see the need you have for love in your blogs and it is so cool to see honesty from one who is suppose to have it all together. I promise you honesty for sure.
I have finished the Seven Deadly Sin series … you can see this on line at www.mcdfirst.org I covet your comments. After a two week vactiaon and the blessing of relaxation, new friends made, family time I am ready to get on to the next series RETHINK CHURCH. I will try to keep you up with it here but it is best to come to the worship celebrations t McDonough First.
Thanks for understanding my ramblings today and here we go to Year 5 at McDonough and Year 2 on line with you my brothers and sisters
Love you so much
Dana
I was blessed and honored to speak at the Baccalaureate for Ola High School on Sunday afternoon. I have never had such and honor and was bursting with pride (holy pride) throughout the event.
I remembered 32 years ago crowded into the gym of the Brandon Senior High School. Our orchestra played and the special group Aquila sang. The message was delivered by my pastor at the time Rev. Robert Chapman. It was a thrill all around, my friends were performing, singing and my pastor … my church preaching. The gym was overflowing with parents and students (the class was 1,000 strong) and the excitement in the air was also overflowing. I cried (OK I was a sap then just as I am now … but believe it or not I loved high school and my friends).
As I entered the sanctuary of Bethany Baptist on Sunday I was filled again with the same excitement only this time for my son who is to graduate from Ola on Friday evening and for the other 500 students and families in attendance. For you see this is a mile stone of life. Yes, we have kindergarten graduations and fifth grade graduations but this folks is the real thing; it means something very important. The baccalaureate is the religious blessing from God upon each graduating senior as they enter the “real world”. For some that real world will be college and for other it will be the work force. God’s blessings and guidance is needed desperately at this juncture.
I tried to remind the students and their families that no matter where they headed there were in God’s presence and care. I told them that God would never leave them nor forsake them and that they were the light of the world, so they needed to shine always because they were in God’s presence.
I think that maybe was what Brother Bob preached on 32 years ago, I’m not sure but I know I have never felt alone these 32 years as I moved forward into God’s big bold world.
You know maybe you need to remember you are in God’s presence and God will never let you go; no matter how bad it might get. Maybe it is time for us all to graduate … another mile stone and live each day knowing we are in His presense.
Congratulations to the class of 2010 and especially to all the folks at Ola High School who had to put up with me tears, fears, joys, excitement and all. Fare thee well as you go with God!
Grace and peace,
Dana
This week I will begin a seven week series of sermons on the Seven Deadly Sins. I am taking a lot of my work from work that Adam Hamilton and Will Willimon who have both dealt with these sins.
This week the sin is LUST. Why oh why can’t we start with something less? But it is what it is.
What is lust? Lust is the sin that separates us from each other by our abuse and misuse of each other. It can deal with the sexual aspect but it can also deal with the every day aspect. Lust and greed and envy all kind of join together at junctures in our lives. Lust has become quite common and quite acceptable in our society; why even former President Jimmy Carter admit to lusting in his heart back in the day. It opened the door for all others it seemed.
Yet, I understand that God wants more of me than to lust my life away. I do see pretty women and admire their looks and life but to go further is not healthy for me OR them. How can I stop this lust monster then?
Will Willimon in his book “Sinning Like A Christian” tells the story of a young man who was a student at Duke, allow me to quote.
“A while back a young man, a student, was telling me about being at a party with a group of friends, and one of his friends ‘came on’ to him. But I sort of surprised myself when I said, No, that’s not a good idea. I walked away feeling fairly good. Overjoyed, even, I thought to myself, Gosh, I’m a better Christian than I thought! I’m in a better church than I thought. My Church has lots of problems, many shortcomings but at least it’s made a relatively faithful person out of a creep like me.
By the grace of God, a good-enough church, and lots of practice, it is possible even for ordinary folk like us to become saint, well not saints like that but at least sanctified.
Wow and to think Lust is the least of the seven. Come worship with us and tell me what you think.
Dana
Have you ever got lost in thought wondering about the future? I do often and really have to catch myself not to move forward and to forget the present. We are called to live in the present and to do all we can to make this moment the best possible moment for all concerned. Scripture tells us to give no thought for tomorrow because it is not here yet, and that it may not be ours to give thought to. Yet, I confess I often think of the future.
I wonder will I still have my hair and will it all be grey? Will I be as physically able as I am today? (No comment from the volleyball team!!) I wonder what my children will be doing and will they be happy and blessed? I wonder will my wife still be putting up with me? I wonder about the future. And if I’m honest I get stressed out by it at times. (yet another thing to worry about).
But a lot of my wondering about the future is not so way out there but very close to today. I wonder will the church of Christ really embrace the changes that need to be made in order to survive in this era. I wonder if we will continue to grow for Christ or if we will become comfortable and stay right where we are for ourselves. I wonder will there ever be a day when people will long to be in church; in the fellowship of the family of God or will we be begging people to fill a pew. I wonder as I gaze into the future will we be found faithful or faithless.
The future can be scary due to all the uncertainty but I have to remember that the God I serve is a God of the past, the present, and the future. I trust that the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob is the God of Dana and Chris and Debbie, and McDonough First UMC and that God is the God of tomorrow. As scary as my mind will make tomorrow I believe it belongs to God and that God is already getting it ready for me and for you.
My crystal ball hasn’t worked in years so instead of worrying I’m gonna try and trust more and more in God’s providence and God’s future. My task is to be faithful today for tomorrow; faithful in my praying, in my reading of God’s Word, in my celebrating of Holy Communion, in my fasting (in one of many ways), in my giving to God’s ministries, in my serving my brothers and sisters TODAY.
Faithfulness today will take care of the future tomorrow,
I’m just saying ….
Dana
There is an old story from Italy that goes something like this …
There was once a holy shrine created in a small Italian village to resemble the stations of the cross and Christ last day. One only had to take the path of the shrine and they could relive the walk of Christ to Calvary. Many people would gather at Holy Week to walk the shrine. In fact hundreds would come each year to pray and sing and cry at the foot of the cross.
One year a man came and followed the route stopped and prayed at every station of the cross and finally arrived at the Cross of Calvary shrine itself. He knelt and prayed and he sought the power of God. As he lifted his head he noticed and overgrown path behind the cross. It appeared to be a unused road that lead to something he could not see. He began to beat back the brush with a stick and make his way to the paths end. At the end stood another shrine … unforgotten and seldom thought of; it was the shrine of the Empty Tomb.
So often we get so consumed by the cross; and rightly so but we forget that it was not the end. The empty tomb lays a head of us and we must never forget that the story doesn’t end on Good Friday … it begins! On Easter Sunday we celebrate a hole in the ground. We celebrate because our despair — no matter how deep is moved to hope.
Yes we are crazy people … celebrating a hole in the ground but what a reason to celebrate, because for us crazy people He lives!
Grace and peace
It’s that time when candidates for ordination in the United Methodist Church get to meet their presenters who will take them before the Board of Ordained Ministry in April. It is time for reading tons of theology papers, for listening to sermons, for looking at report and lots of praying for direction.
It’s that time to begin worrying about appointments in the North Georgia Conference. It is time to consider if one’s ministry is complete and it is time to move or to invest in another year at the same church. It is time for looking at the Journal to see what churches might be opening and it is time to listen to the grapevine and see where everyone else thinks you are going. It is time to pray and seek God’s direction in our ministries
It’s that time to move through the most holiest week of the year and follow in the footsteps of Jesus to the cross and to the empty tomb! It is time to reflect on our spiritual life and to seek renewal as we grow in our discipleship. It is time to get the new outfit for Easter to wear it proudly proclaiming new life. It is time to pray that resurrection will happen to us again … right now this Easter
It’s that time to consider another year of our life … wow half a century. It is time to think about “Just for Men” and One A Day Vitamins. It is time for those fun test from the doctor and his assistants. It is time to pray that God isn’t finished with me yet but has more for me.
It’s that time. The one connecting theme I have found with this time is the theme of … it is time to pray. Prayer is one of the most under used avenues of communication with the lover of our soul. Prayer has become trait and flippant for most, (Oh here comes Bob, I told him I would pray for him … “Lord, help Bob please,” Hey Bob been praying for you!)
It is that time to pray to spend time being still and knowing God. It is time to open myself to God and listen instead of talk. It is time to communicate with the One I say I love. It is time…thank goodness there is time!
Grace and peace,
Dana
There is a hidden truth in this story sent to me by Meri Tauzier. Sometimes truth is hidden in many things. It is really cool when it is shared in laughter … especially laoughter at ourselves.
Thank you Meri, and all of you enjoy and find the truth!
Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering.
Finally fed up, God said, ‘THAT’S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job.’
So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.
They moused.
They faxed.
They e-mailed.
They e-mailed with attachments..
They downloaded.
They did spreadsheets!
They wrote reports.
They created labels and cards.
They created charts and graphs.
They did some genealogy reports .
They did every job known to man.
Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than blazes.
Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off…
Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.
Jesus just sighed….
Finally, the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming:
‘It’s gone! It’s all GONE! ‘I lost everything when the power went out!’ Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work.
Satan observed this and became irate.
‘Wait!’ he screamed. That’s not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don’t have any?’
God just shrugged and said,
JESUS SAVES
“Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of ….”
I just finished watching The Bachelor — yes I know I’m a sick man; but I’m also a mad man because I feel for Tenley. I know she is singing this song from days gone by, Feelings, nothing more than feelings, Trying to forget my feelings of love. Jake chose someone other than her and she is crushed and her feelings for him only bring her pain (or at least that is what Hollywood wants us to know but I’m a sucker for romance).
Feelings they mess us up so much or do they? I’ve been experiencing a host of feeling over the last few weeks with all that is going in the world, in our town, in the church, in my own family. These feeling are driving me crazy at times because I don’t know how to deal with the situation or what to do with to help or make better. The feelings are overwhelming me and I’m finding I’m quite useless in many areas.
It is at these times I have to stop and return to my Creator … to the moment of my first love as some say and ask for help. So many times I have tried to do all this on my own and in so doing have limited success and much failure. When I allow my feelings to overwhelm me I can’t even move. I take this time to ask God to redeem me AGAIN and set me on a firm foundation, to clear my mind and to give me direction.
The good news is that God is faithful — feeling or not; and will pick me up again and give me what I need to make it though the season. God love me that is the one sure thing in life and doesn’t require a feeling. Yes, feeling is involved but it is not primary. And the love of God puts all feelings in perspective. It also reminds us that feelings are a gift from God. To be in fellowship with our brothers and sisters; to care about the neighbor; to have a heart for the least, the last and the lost; to be moved by the plight of another are all gifts from God that center around the heart … the feeling heart. We have a great gift. We feel because God feels and we are made in the image of God. Gifts are great but sometimes require grace to carry.
I’m rambling something bad today … just more thoughts of a wondering preacher. I do know I love you and that too is a feeling but also fact that is embraced by God’s grace.
Later
There is a lot of fear going around these days.
There is fear about tomorrow, about grades, about homes, about jobs, about the future and some fear overshadows all those and then some for some people. The nation is in crisis and nobody can seem to find a way to help us out of it. We are running scared in the world … all because of the power of money.
Don’t get me wrong, I like money and I can find so many uses for it; enough uses in fact to run out of it before I know it. Yet how we view money and the power we give money has been the issue for us in this country and the world. We have allowed money to right next to God (sometimes higher than God). I shared in my Sunday sermon that our life is not measured by the amount of our possession. This is not my word but the words of Jesus. That puts a whole new spin on the power of money.
We do not need to stand in fear but instead to stand in faith. We need to let our faith conquer not only our fear but our issues with money and how it has taken control of our lives. Faith finds ways where money says … sorry we are in a recession … sorry we have cut the budget …. sorry you have lost you job but there is not enough money to go around …. sorry we are forclosing on your home – faith say, my life is not measured in the amount of my procession.
In those moments we in faith turn to the faith community to our brothers and sisters and say, please help. We belong to a community of the compassionate and committee. This community of faith cares for each other and the entire world. We are the hands and feet and heart of Jesus.
That being the case we stomp out fear and offer faith, even in the darkest of times Never forget no matter how fearful it seems … God is still God and God still loves you and me and will provide a way.
Keep the faith!
