Vol 1 No 9 - Functional, But Not Polished

"Functional, but not polished." That's how I described www.pharrchapelumc.org to someone the other day. It's functional, in that basic information about the church is on the site - basic information about where we are, how to get here, a bit on our history, a calendar of events, a pastors' welcome, information about our youth program, etc. However, the site is not as complete as I want it to be - I am continuing to work to add photos to the site, information about our missions and UMW programs, as well as more complete information about our Sunday School & youth programs. I also want to add to it our current newsletter, this week's bulletin (in PDF format), online prayer ministry, and other things as they come along. Being a perfectionist, as well as someone who has a deep interest in website ministry and development, I would have much preferred to wait until it was 'perfect' before launching it. However, I realize that I can't always get what I want, and that, sometimes, going with what you have is more important than going with nothing at all.

Continuing along these lines, I believe there is something very theological in my comment about our website. After all, in many ways, that reflects how I feel about my spiritual growth. "Functional, but not polished." There are always going to be aspects of my life that I want to improve upon. There are always going to be parts of of my faith that need work. There are always going to be things that I say and do that I regret. However, I know that God is continually working within me - and in that I rejoice. Through baptism, I know that God has placed the divine hand of grace on me, and claimed me as a child of God. What I choose to do with that, however, is on me. Today, my friends, I choose to accept that I am "Functional, but not polished" and pray that I will be wise enough to step aside, so that, to quote Paul, "It is not I who live, but it is Christ who lives within me", and that whatever polish there is on my life, the shine comes from God's work, not mine. Grace abounds!!!

I'm sure as you look over our new site, there will be things you want to comment on, and things you think we need to add. Please feel free to shoot me an e-mail with any suggestions, questions, or comments you may have. Remember that this site will continue to be developed over the next few weeks, and more pages (and photos) will be added. Be sure to check back often.

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 1 No 8 - Issues Minor & Major

Twice in the past week we have experienced brief power outages here in the Lakeside subdivision. Neither outage lasted more than an hour and a half, however, both were rather disruptive. I was reminded once again just how depended I am on having a consistent source of electricity, and wonder if this is necessarily a good thing. Add to this the frustration of having to find flashlights, etc. in the dark, not to mention the rising temperatures in the house, and I was slightly uncomfortable, to say the least (especially when I slammed into a piece of furniture and wound up with a nice bruise in my thigh.

Thing is, as Erin and I sat there in the second outage, I reflected upon the fact that what I was dealing with during these outages, while frustrating in some areas, was an inconvenience, not a problem. There are plenty of things that can be quantified as a problem in my life - however, neither one of us were on life-supporting equipment requiring electricity, so this qualifies as nothing more than an inconvenience.

My question for you today is: How many things that you consider to be major issues or problems in life are really just minor inconveniences that are blown out of proportion due to our lifestyles? I'm working on my list!

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 1 No 7 - Noise-Cancelling Faith

Ever notice how much noise we are surrounded with every day? For many, from the time the radio (or other music source) comes on with the alarm clock, to the television while getting ready, the radio during the drive to work/school, the elevator music that seems to permeate so many offices, the music on the way home from work/school, the television on until we go to bed - it seems like we can go days without spending much time in silence. Even in worship, there is a tendency, especially in modern worship movements, to always have 'something' going on, be it background music in prayers, gathering music, etc.

During the 11:00 service this month, I have chosen to not have music playing during the return of God's tithes and our offerings, just to see what God might do during that time if we engaged in this portion of worship with silence. Truthfully, I was nervous as whenever the new pastor does something different, it is GUARANTEED to cause at least a little consternation in certain quarters. However, I have felt extreme peace during this time, as I am reminded that sometimes we need to allow ourselves the opportunity to dwell in the presence of God without external stimulation (audible, visual, physical, etc.). God is reminding me that far too often, we allow so many things to be a part of our lives that it is easy to push out the one who gave us life to begin with.

I want to challenge you to examine how you are making time to dwell in the presence of God. Do you allow yourself time to be still, and know that God is God? Or are you caught on that never-ending treadmill of life, where it is accepted practice to make excuses (not reasons, but excuses) for not allowing yourself quiet time with the Almighty? Do we as a church ever put ourselves in a position to listen to God, or do we just bore ahead with whatever is the latest and greatest (or, on the other hand, the tried-and-true, don't change a thing) method for doing church and all the activities of the church?

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 1 No 6 - Various Items

Vacation Bible School was fabulous! We had the honor and priviliege of sharing the Gospel with almost 100 children over the 6 nights we were here - I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see the next generation learning about God's love. I want to say a special word of thanks to Dana Blanco and her crew of volunteers. These ladies spent countless hours getting this facility ready and it showed in so many ways, big and small. I can promise you that there is a place for you to serve as a volunteer for next year's VBS - start praying now for this vital mission (notice I did not say program or ministry) that God blesses us with each and every year.

On another matter, many of you are aware that there was a kitten left by one of the parents on Thursday night. This cute, adorable, 6-7 week old lady needs a home. Erin and I are very committed to the ministry of caring for all of God's creatures, including those kittens and puppies that people just set aside or ignore without giving it a second thought. However, Erin and I are hoping to serve simply as a foster home for this kitten while one of our well-meaning church members (or friends) responds to God's call to take care of this poor, lonely kitty who just wants a home in which to love and be loved. ARE YOU THAT SOMEONE???? Yes, I know it's easy to dismiss it as just another of many kittens in the world, and so forth and so on... However, I urge you to pray about God opening a spot in your life for a creature that God brought to this place just as surely as he brought you. Refer to Genesis 1:24-30 for more on this discussion.

Finally, I want to thank those of you who were a part of my Sunday School class on Sunday as we start a study on Unselfish Prayer. We are meeting in the chapel across from the secretary's office. I design my classes to where anyone can drop in to the discussion in any given week and not feel left out if you didn't attend last week - so come join us as we continue studying the life of prayer. If you want a more in-depth discussion, see the article on Christian Believer below. I am ordering the books today, but will have extra. Please let me know if you plan to attend - nursery is available if needed (though let me know ASAP on that).

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 1 No 5 - VBS Commentary

This has been one of the most extraordinary weeks in my pastoral career. Vacation Bible School is always for me the highlight of the church year because there is nothing that we do that is more important than spreading the Good News to the next generation. Dana and her crew have done such an outstanding job - WOW. Last night, we had 91 children in the building, and I know that we will have more as the week goes on! My heart just sings with joy as I feel the sanctuary rockin' and rollin' with kids praising Jesus. My prayer is that each of you could experience this!

Even last night, when due to the power outage at the church (two transformers blew right outside the Everett St. entrance) we had to end VBS early, everything went fine. The kids got almost all of their lessons in, and didn't seem too much worse for the wear. I want to personally thank all our volunteers for their efforts in calling parents, dealing with kids, and going with the flow as we kept the disturbance to a minimum. God provided once again - but who is surprised at that? {For those of you curious, MC had the power back on by 8:45 - great work by those guys!}

Our FIESTA finale for VBS will be Friday night @ 6:00 - I know you will want to come see what God has been doing through the lives of these children and volunteers this week.

Sunday, we will be distributing our Christmas in July collections - meet at the church at 5:00 PM to be a part of this great ministry.

See you Sunday!
Lamar