Archives for July, 2009
Sunday, July 26th, 2009
What a great day! It is so good to be back in the pulpit and to preach God’s loving and gracious word to all the people of McDonough. It helped that our worship as a whole was totally powerful. The music flowing in upon us as the pipes of the organ expressed their desire to serve God and the music flowing over us as the choir moved down to pray. The people sang from the heart and the prayers were from the heart. The scriptures were powerful and hopeful as we heard them read. It all lead to a being able to preach a sermon with confidence and conviction.
Worship is the highlight of my week. I live to worship in the body of Christ. I so feel deprived and empty when I’m away for this experience. Worship restores my faith and hope. Worship excites and energizes me.
Of all the things I do this is the most joyful. I’m grateful to God for allowing me to lead and to be a part of such a mighty time of blessing God.
As we look at the future of our church and how we might be fruitful congregation I know it will all start worship altar. I’m so excited I can’t wait for next Sunday. How about you? What does worship do for you? If it is lacking I’d love to talk with you to see what we can do to help you also feel the presence of the living God each Sunday.
Where ever you are give it a try — worship this Sunday!
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Sunday, July 19th, 2009
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!
I am not sure I’m doing this right. Yes, on my vacation, checking email, facebook, and other messages and now even writing this blog. Vacation is at time away right? But I don’t think we can or should ever take time away from God.
One of the saddest scriptures in the Bible is the story of the blind man thrown out of the synagogue because he could only say that once he was blind but now he sees and he gave Jesus the credit. The record says that when Jesus heard this he went to stand OUTSIDE the congregation with him.