Dana’s Blog

I was talking to the McDonough Methodist Academy students today in chapel and shared a verse of scripture from Ephesians 4:29. Go a head and look it up … it will do you good to open your Bible !

Paul is sharing a word about a word. I asked the children to help me and I told them that when I said a certain word they were to catch that word and put it back in my mouth. I yelled “CHRISTMAS!” and said get it. Several waved their hands in the air and others got excited and yelled “CHRISTMAS!” as well. So now more words were in the air. Despite their attempts they could not catch the word or put it back into my mouth. It had already made it around the room.

My point being (and I hope they got it ) was that we must be so careful because our mouths are powerful weapons (for good or bad). Paul says do not let anything mean, bad, ugly, hateful, spiteful, slanderous, bitter and on and on … come out of your mouth. As Christ followers we are to have mouths used for positive exchange … for that which builds up the body, the church, the Kingdom of God.

I told the children that the younger they learn to let their words from their mouths build up instead of tear down the better life will be and God will be so pleased. It is hard for us older “kids” to change and put a guard on our mouth. We live in a time that many people feel they have a right to tear anyone down, say anything they want  and they do it with a vengeance. They cross the line of freedom of speech and destroy a life before one can imagine it.

It isn’t about freedom of speech or pointing out anothers faults … it is about love for each other, it is about being Christian and asking ourselves what should I say in this situation, in this discusssion, in this moment; that will build up and not tear down. We are called to live above the norm to live the extra ordinarary life for Jesus Christ.

Now if you excuse me I have to work on my mouth … I hate it when my blogs convict me.

Later

I have been at this preaching business for over 25 years. I have been ordained only 23 of those years but if you count the many times I preached to my stuffed animals as a child who knows how long I’ve been at this task of preaching the Word?

You might think that after so many years I would have all the answers as well as have all the questions, but this is not true. I am a struggler on the way. I struggle with the big issues of faith and with the little issues of daily living. I struggle because I’m far from having all the answers. That is why I keep on preaching and keep on teaching. As I preach and teach I find that God speaks to me. So when ever you say that the sermon spoke to you … sorry I was speaking to myself, preaching to my own needs, because I’m struggling.

The good news for me is that I don’t think I’m struggling alone. I see so many people struggling with the easy and the hard issues of the faith. I see people with smiles on their faces but questions in their eyes. I feel the desire among so many to become the man or woman the God desires us to become but not knowing how to always get there.
So I preach to myself and to each of you with the love of God flowing in my heart.

Sometimes my sermons may seem sweet, sometimes harsh, sometimes my sermons are challenging and other time affirming. But know these are my words coming from my struggle with the scriptures and the great theologians and others. I give all these words to God and ask that I not waste your time with my own stuff but that I help God speak to you through me in the midst of my struggle. Sometimes we will disagree and I hope many times we will agree but … each time I hope we grow and move through the struggle even if just a little bit.

I thank you if you have ever listened to even one of my sermons. I thank you for being daring enough to sit and listen. I pray that my words covered by the power of the Holy Spirit might have helped you in your struggles. I know they have me at times as well as your words back to me.

Thanks for struggling and allowing this short United Methodist pastor to struggle with you.

May the God of hope - give you a sense of His presence always

May the God of peace – give you a calm assurance

May the God of joy – give you heart a skip and a jump of laughter

May the God of love – give you His greatest gift — Jesus to complete your life.

Merry Christmas to all and to all my love!

Dana

Ok, Ok … I’m slow and I admit it! There, are you happy? Yes, I just finished reading William Young’s best seller, The Shack. I know it came out a while ago and that everyone has been talking about it but I have  had so many other books I wanted to read first. But having picked it up I could not put it down.

The Shack (in my humble opinion) is a great book! No it is not real, it is a great work of fiction but it is great because it causes the reader to think. Oh my Christians are called to think? Yes, we have been given a mind by our Creator and are called to use it. The Shack really makes the mind run till the very last sentence. It challenges the old Sunday school faith and really calls for the reader to think with heart and mind.

This book challenges the views of God, of Christ, of the Holy Spirit (making them human like us and even as a female God WOW!) and it brings into discussion the age old question of why bad things happen to good people. Theology and the understanding of the nature of God is at every paragraph. Some of the things are funny while others are very sad and still some very depressing. Sometimes there is even and indightment on the church.

The Shack reminded me to stop taking God for granted. We Christians do that so easily and so well. We assume God’s love for us means God likes us just as we are. God’s love is eternal for all God’s children but God does have a plan, a dream, a hope for us to be more than we are at this moment. And when we sin God is always ready to embrace in the arms of love; to warm us inside and out. When (not if but when) we get mad at God … God is big enough to handle it and love us through our anger and fear.

I’m hoping to discuss this book with others over the next several weeks. The Generations Sunday School Class at McDonough First United Methodist might be looking at it as well and how we see God in our daily life and as always through the lenses of our Wesleyan Heritage. Come join us if your are in the neighborhood.

God uses all things to get our attention and to draw us closer … ever a fiction book. Thanks be to God for caring enough to do what ever it takes to bring us home!

Why do we do this? It is July, it is hot, it is strange, it is out of the norm. Why do we do Camp Meeting?

Years ago – before I was thought of – Camp Meeting sprung up all over the nation as a way for the farming community and the city community to come together after the harvest and celebrate God’s blessings and reach out to those who did not realize it was God who was blessing. Camp Meetings drew the best preaching and singing as families circled their wagons around the old Arbor and worshiped together at 8, 11, 3, and 7 with meals, fellowship, and sleeping in between. They would bring their cow and chickens from home to provide the milk and eggs and for two weeks the gathered community would worship. Through the years the Camp Meeting has been shortened to one week and the wagons became “tents” with sawdust floors. The preaching, singing, fellowship, eating and sleeping continued. Most Camp Meetings met the first Friday after the first or second Sunday in August, after the summer harvest.

2009 sees the Camp Meeting all but gone across America. The state of Georgia most likely has the most Camp Meetings still in service. Unfortunately the time has been moved around and we meet in July (the hottest time of the year) due to school and due to the fact we are not a farm society any longer. A lot of people come and go and don’t spend the night because of most can’t take that amount of time off of work or prefer the comfort of their homes.

So why? Why do we continue this tradition?

We continue because God is still working and moving and using every opportunity to reach God’s people. We continue because it is a tradition that has touched the hearts of thousands and even called some into ministry. We continue because it shows us a slice of time where we put aside all other worries, issues, agendas, schedules and gave God some undivided time to do God’s work on us. We continue because it is still drawing people to time to simply give praise to God for all God’s blessings and because someone might just find out who it is who has been blessing them.

It is still hot and humid and strange to many people but it is is still and always will be a holy time of conferencing as John Wesley said the people called Methodist should be about.

Join me at Shingleroof each day at 11 and 7:45. If you have never had the experience I challenge you to give it a try. I’ll provide you a fan!

It will soon be time for me to take my vacation. Let me tell you my body and spirit are ready. It has been a long time since we got to travel away as a family and I’m looking forward to it. I’m taking two weeks of vacation this year (I’ve never done that before); the first week will be at Lake Junaluska while the second will be at home doing “honey do” chores. I’m really looking forward to this time.

Everyone needs some time away from the regular to make them appreciate it more. I love the church and I love preaching and I love the people but I know to love the church more and the preaching more and the people more I need some renewal time. I will worship while I’m away and I will walk and I will swim and I will look at beautiful lake homes and dream. My mind and my heart as well as my body will be refreshed.

I hope you will take time away but we should never ever take time away from God. There is no vacation from the need of God’s mercy and grace. God longs to always be with you and me. In that is renewal and rest.

Well I will share the pictures when I return. I hope you will share with me your pictures and your dreams of a new tomorrow as we look toward God’s future.