Vol 4 No 42 - Thanksgiving

It's the day before Thanksgiving.  What else is there to say?  If you aren't aware now of how much you are blessed and the One who provides those blessings, then let's talk.

Otherwise, enjoy the rest of the week and prepare to wait.  (I mean, let's get into Advent!)

See you Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 4 No 41 - Veterans Day

Reflecting upon the nation's observance of Veteran's Day, I can't help but be reminded that those who served were a part of something bigger than themselves, something that required dedication, sacrifice, and service above and beyond the trivial and banal, and how much those qualities have impacted our country, and indeed the world.

Looking at an ESPN feature on baseball players who served in World War II and Korea, I was confronted with the fact that many of these men gave the prime of their professional careers for something bigger.  People like Bob Feller, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and countless others who either gave up parts of what was already a great career or didn't even have the chance to start their career because of service to their country.

And I can't help but wonder what that says about how we exercise our Christian faith when so often we make the excuse that we are too busy to be involved with the things of the Kingdom of God.

Imagine if the men and women of the Armed Services had said to their country, "Sorry, but I'm too busy to take on this task.  Find someone else who doesn't have as much going on and at some point when things slow down I'll consider doing something."  I seriously doubt any of us would have really wanted the life that would have resulted had this been their answer.

Yet, we have a cause even greater than the defense of one's country.  We have the gospel of Christ to spread to a world that desperately needs good news.  Far more often than any of us care to admit, however, we make excuses about how we are too busy.  Imagine the consequences that occur every time we do this.

Thank a veteran.  And also thank whoever took the time to introduce you to the saving grace of Christ our Lord.  They did you a far greater service than anyone else.

See you Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 4 No 40 - Service Opportunities

Heading into this week's worship, wherein we will continue our Truly Giving Thanks: A Season of Gratitude series by looking at upholding our vow to support this congregation with our service, I continue to be struck by just how many different ways there are to serve our congregation through service.  Here's just a few:

Sunday Mornings: Usher, Liturgist, Acolyte, Choir, Nursery, Musician, Sound, Video

Missions:  Bi-Weekly UMCOR mission, VIM teams, Mission Run, Truly Giving Thanks Mission Meal, UMW

Children & Family Ministries: Leading Sunday School, It's a Kid Thing Children's Ministry, Vacation Bible School, Night in Bethlehem, Congregation Meals (Including Advent & Lenten Lunches), Visiting Shut-Ins

Like I said, these are just a few of the areas in which to serve.  I could have gone on to mention working with the various committees and offices of the church as well as helping our our office staff with mailings and bulletins, to name a couple more options.

The major thing to remember in all of this is that upholding our vow to support this congregation with our service is not as daunting a task as it may seem at times.  There are a number of areas in which to be involved.  The main question that we must ask ourselves is not, "Is there anywhere I really can be used?"; rather, the question is:

Was I serious when I said I would support this congregation with my service?

If you were, and you have not yet found a place in which to be involved, let me know ASAP and we will rectify this immediately.

See you Sunday!

Lamar

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