Vol 4 No 39 - Not Exactly

More than one person has commented upon hearing about this week's sermon title (When Tithing Is Not Important) something along the lines of the following, "Oh, this is the once-a-year money sermon."

As the old tag line goes, "Not exactly."

Whether we want to admit it or not, tithing is like EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING) else that makes up our lives.  It is at the end of the day a spiritual matter.

And this is what I have been thinking about a lot over the past few days - how many times do we put things in the wrong categories in our lives?  Or, to put it another way, how many times have we said about something in particular, "We need to pray about that?"

Let me submit to you a little exercise to try at least for the next 24 hours (heck, 24 minutes if need be) - whatever is next on your agenda, or whatever is next on your mind, pray about it.  Pray for the wisdom to know what to do to fulfill God's will in that particular situation and pray for God's will to be done in that particular situation.  Doesn't matter what it is - try this.

Then let's talk about whether or not anything in your life is NOT a spiritual matter.

See you Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 4 No 38 - Well...

Genesis 26:18 - "Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham; for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham and he gave them the names that his father had given them."

During a two-day 'retreat' setting in which I participated this week at our conference center with elders from across Louisiana, I thought a great deal about these words from last week's lesson in our Genesis study.  Quite unexpectedly, I was able to spend a great deal of time with one of my mentors, picking his brain about things past, present, and future.  Through more than a couple of hours of conversation, bits of wisdom and advice came from my friend.  As we talked, I was reminded once again of how much he had to offer me through the experiences of his life and ministry.

Long story short, Isaac was able to draw live-giving water out of wells that had been dug long before.

Long story short, my friend offered me some great insight and wisdom from wells that he had dug long before.

Long story short, there's a lot of wells that have been dug long before you, wells full of life-giving and life-sustaining water.  When was the last time you went and drank from wells dug long before you?

In an age where so many will tell you that the key to a vibrant and fruitful faith (or a vibrant and fruitful church) is found only through the newest and hippest, don't forget there are a lot of wells from which to dig that are full of life.  We need the wells of Genesis 26:18 just as we need the wells of Genesis 26:22.

See you Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 4 No 37 - Thanksgiving Prayer

Well, we have now moved into another season in the life of our congregation.  As many of you are aware, this Sunday marks the beginning of our Truly Giving Thanks: A Season of Gratitude.  During this time, I want to encourage all of us, whether a part of Pharr Chapel UMC or on the larger distribution list of this message, to join in a period of self-examination about our attitude towards life.  Far too often, we allow ourselves to get caught up in the immediacy of our situations, both good and bad, and fail to take a good, long, hard look at the overall picture of our lives; this season will allow us to commit to hearing again (or anew) about how ours is not about who we are or what we do, but whose we are and why we have been given the gifts, grace, and abilities.

This week's worship will focus on the discipline of prayer, and how being intentional about approaching prayer from a attitude of gratitude leads us into a proper perspective on living our lives (in all aspects) as God has intended.  It can be so easy to pray about those things and situations that immediate capture our attention (illnesses, injuries, tragedies, economic issues, healings, etc.), and those are very valid areas in which to focus prayer, but how many times do we stop to think about the attitude in which we pray affects our relationship with God, with one another, and even with ourselves?

So, as you head into your next period of intentional prayer, take a moment to check and see how you are approaching prayer. Take it further, and see how you are approaching other aspects of your life.  And, no matter what...

See you Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 4 No 36 - Need Some Help?

NOTE: This week's guest columnist is Rev. Erin Oliver, pastor of McGowen UMC in Jeanerette, LA.

The guy that takes care of our lawn came today.  He was mowing and weed-eating, doing what needed to be done.  Meanwhile, inside the house, Arph and Yip are barking away because someone is invading their yard.  It doesn't matter if he is trying to help, doing what he is supposed to do...it just matters that someone is in their territory.  

I wonder how often we do the same.  When someone tries to help, when they are simply doing what they are supposed to do...do we yell, or grump at them because they are in our territory.  There are plenty of stories from churches, businesses, families that we have all heard.  When someone offers help, do we feel they are intruding on our territory, or can we be thankful for God easing our load a bit.  If someone wants to help with something that has always been your job, how do you react?

I hope that I can do a bit better than my dogs!  I hope that I can be humble enough to remember that my way is not always the best, that I don't have to do everything on my own and that my territory isn't so important that I can't appreciate when someone is helping to take care of it. 

Blessings,

Erin