Vol 3 No 24 - The Church Family Reality

This week, over 1,000 United Methodists from all over Louisiana gathered at Centenary College in Shreveport for our Annual Conference session. During these four days together, we fellowship, worship, laugh, love, and conduct the business of the annual conference, talking about what all God has done through the United Methodists of Louisiana over the past year and making plans for the future. It's an especially meaningful time for Erin and me, for as clergy, our membership resides not in a local church, but in the annual conference, so this week is like spending four days with our church family.

I must be completely honest with you here - like we all are when we are with our church family, there are great highs that come. Seeing some of the dearest friends you will ever have, recounting beloved memories of days long gone, revisiting a site where some of the most important events of your life occurred, meals with old and new friends alike; couldn't ask for anything more. However, like when we are with our church family, there was also occasion to see people who you didn't particularly care for or people who have hurt you tremendously in the past, as well as decisions made and ideas presented with which you strongly disagree. (All of this I experienced this week).

However, I must say that the week with my church family was absolutely memorable. Processing the past week, I realize once again that what is truly important is not any agenda that I as an individual have, but the truly wonderful experience of being with those whom God has brought me in connection with - when we look at our church family from the perspective that what's going on here is not about us, but about God, then it all makes sense.

Be sure to come spend time with your church family during worship this week!

See You Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 3 No 23 - A Few Things

This week's message is one where I am going to need your help in making some things happen that are vital not only to our congregation, but to our life as people in the Kingdom of God who are to be about being the light of Christ in the world (through our thoughts, words, and deeds) until he returns again in glory. Specifically, I am calling all of us to take the next five or ten minutes (yes, do it now, so you don't forget about it) to pray for the following ministries of our congregation:

* - Sunday School
* - Morning Worship
* - Courage to Invite Others to Join us for Worship
* - Congregational Leadership
* - Living lives that lift up the light of Christ in all we say, do, and think
* - The Youth and their Leaders
* - Vacation Bible School
* - Our Music Ministry

As we head into another year together in ministry, it cannot be stressed enough that the foundation of the church, and any congregation within the church, MUST be people of prayer. We must be intentional, as Paul writes so eloquently, about "Praying Without Ceasing." The question you and I must face, and think long and hard about our answer, is: "Does the life that I live indicate a life lived by one who 'prays without ceasing'?

Be sure to be in worship this Sunday morning (as in every Sunday Morning) as we welcome our newest confirmand, Eddie Giroir, and two others that will be joining the congregation as well. Publicly professing your faith in Christ is the most important public declaration any of us will ever make (EVER), so let's make sure that we support Eddie as he comes to make this most historic profession.

See You Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 3 No 22 - God's "Limit"-ations

May 21, 1901. Hartford, Connecticut. History is made when the Connecticut General Assembly passes a law governing the use of a new technology that was making inroads on the way in which the citizenry interacted with one another. This law, which would eventually find itself a model for similar laws that are now on the books in every state, is one that is more often than not ignored by a wide variety of people who embrace this new technology for their use, and still is today (including, I'll admit, by this writer at times).

On this day, 107 years ago, it was made the law of the land in this little state that within city limits, no automobile was to exceed 12 miles per hour, and 15 miles per hour in the rural areas. And ever since then, if I had to make an educated guess, we have been trying to figure out just how much we can go over the posted speed limits without penalty.

I wonder, however, if this isn't a reflection of how we interact with God? After all, we, through our confession of faith and affirmation of faith, claim to order our lives after the example of Christ, following him as we go about the Kingdom business while longingly looking forward to His return, when he, and he alone, makes all things new again. Much like the speed limit constrictions, though, we look to see just how much we can get away with - how far can we push the envelope.

Civil engineers will tell you that every road has a maximum speed at which it can be safely traversed. In theory, this helps guide those who make the speed limit laws in their quest to endure society's safety. When we push the limits of the safe speed for the road that we are traveling upon, we are taking risks that could cause us and others significant harm. When we willfully stretch the boundaries of the laws of God, when we willfully disobey the example set forth for us by Christ, we too are running the risk of significant harm, to ourselves and to others.

Let us resolve to remember that, much like the speed limit laws, the guidelines that we have been given by God to order our lives after are not just there as some random act - and rather than trying to figure out how to get around them, let us follow in 'joyful obedience.'

See You Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 3 No 21 - The Greatness of Discomfort

Every now and then, a book comes along that really grips your attention early on in the reading, and even though you are not yet very far into it, you know you are going to be pushed, stretched, and challenged in your thinking and your approach to life. This afternoon, I have dived again into N.T. Wright's Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. Even though at this point I am barely 20 pages into it, I know that I am going to have to do some hard thinking about some deeply-held, long-ingrained thoughts I have had on these subjects. Not to say that I am going to change my thinking, not to say that I am going to 'drink the Kool-Aid' simply because this is a highly regarded book in contemporary Christian thought. No, quite simply, it is going to an exhaustingly refreshing exercise in faith and thought, and the idea of this has gotten me thinking about where we are as a church, and as a congregation.

And why is this? Well, I firmly believe that we in the church these days are far too often on one extreme or the other - we want to reinvent the wheel (now) and totally throw things into chaos as we reject the traditions of our heritage; or, on the other hand, we want so desperately to make sure that things do not change that we fight tooth and nail to keep things the same as they have always been. When we are faced with some thought-provoking things such as Bishop Wright's book, our first instinct more often than not is to recoil into what we know, what is safe, and what is secure. I don't know yet where this book is leading me (although I have read a number of reviews), but I know that the day that I refuse to allow my beliefs, my thoughts, and my understandings to be challenged or that I refuse to re-examine why it is that I believe what I believe, then I have decided that I have no more to learn.

The day that any of us, individually or as the church, have God, the triune God of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, completely figured out, is the day we start to put ourselves in mortal danger. As we celebrate Trinity Sunday this week, along with Heritage Sunday, let us be sure that one of the heritages that we leave to those coming after us is a heritage of never being afraid of being challenged in who we are and what we think. For it is when we are confronted with that which we are unfamiliar, and that which makes us uncomfortable, that we learn the most about who we are and how deeply we believe what we believe.

See You Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 3 No 20 - Mother's Day Reflections

(Ed. Note: This column originally appeared in the May 9, 2007 edition of the Mid-Week Message. In what is becoming an annual tradition, it is re-published today for your reflection and consideration as you prepare to come for worship this week. Be sure to read below the article for important information about upcoming activities in our congregation.)

Normally, your Mid-Week Message is composed on Wednesday mornings, but while sitting here watching television with Erin this evening, I saw the most ridiculous commercial that got us talking about worship this Sunday. One of the seemingly endless jewelry store ads shown during this week every year, it reminded viewers that "You only have one day to celebrate mom - so make it special." How utterly stupid and absolutely contrary to not only good sense and manners, but also to the Christian faith that we profess to live under. This mindset, however, is one of the reasons why this Sunday, Mother's Day, is one of the most dangerous for pastors and also one of the most misunderstood days in the life of the church.

I will never forget the first Mother's Day that I had in my first post-seminary appointment. We were in the midst of the Easter season, and I preached from the lectionary texts for the day. It was about two o'clock that afternoon when my phone rang, and the matriarch of the congregation was on the phone asking me why I did not preach about mothers on Mother's Day. Who did I think I was? After all, "People go to church on Mother's Day with mom expecting a sermon on motherhood, moms, and how great it all is." Her tone indicated that there was no way I could give an answer that would satisfy her, but she did get me thinking:

How should we communicate to people that the church is to be a place of worship - worship of God, not anyone else (even mom)?

How should we communicate that if you have to wait until Mother's Day to let mom know how much she means to you then you don't have much of a relationship with mom to begin with?

How should we communicate that when the church makes a big deal about the oldest mother and the youngest mother that chances are very good that there are women sitting in the pews who are inwardly weeping (if they show up at all on this day) because they know that they will never be a mother, never have a chance at the award for oldest, youngest, or most prolific mother?

How do we communicate that while Mother's Day is the day on which the most phone calls are made that there are women in our midst who will not get that phone call from a beloved child this year because they had to endure every mother's nightmare of outliving their child?

How do we communicate that there are many mothers and children who have no relationship at all and all that this day does is bring pain and sorrow for pain that in some cases goes back decades?

How do we communicate this message to those for whom for whom Mother's Day is hard because they will not be able to call mom this year since mom has passed away?

This Sunday, as is the case every Sunday, we will gather to worship God. We will gather to give thanks for everything that God has done, is doing, and will do. Mother's Day will be recognized - but in the context of a God who is much bigger than anything we can imagine. Let us remember that Sunday, like every day, is not about any one or anything but the triune God.

Planning to make a big deal about mom on Mother's Day? Why wait? Call mom now. Write mom now. Send flowers now. Don't wait to be prompted by Madison Avenue. Planning to hide from the world on Mother's Day because of the pain of the day? Know that I am in prayer for you now.

Either way, join us for worship this Sunday as we explore again the God who not only provides the great things in life, but also is big enough to get us through the most difficult times in life.

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 3 No 19 - Important Anniversary

May 3, 1978 is a day, to paraphrase Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that lives in infamy for all of us who use the internet, especially those of us who rely on e-mail as a major form of communication. I have been an e-mail user (in some for or another) for almost 25 years, and, until I read a blog at the Wall Street Journal's website yesterday, I had not idea of the significance of May 3, 1978. For, my dear friends, this Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of the first piece of piece of unsolicited e-mail, or SPAM.

The man who got the ball rolling, Gary Thuerk, was advertising an open house for a new line of computers that his company was selling. Reaction was swift from the 2600 or so people on the net; he was warned by many to not do it again, for there was an understanding by the users of the net that e-mail was not to be used to sell things. Mr. Thuerk to this day maintains he was not selling something but rather extending an invitation. No matter the reason, a new era in computing history was born.

This got me to thinking about SPAM and Mr. Thuerk and I wind up with a couple of reflections: 1) How many unwanted messages do you and I send out every day? (I'm not talking just about e-mail, but all messages, verbal and non-verbal); and 2) How many times do we initiate things that wind up with unintended consequences?

Now, don't get me wrong, I do not believe for one minute that Mr. Thuerk is solely responsible for all the SPAM in the world; someone would have done it if he hadn't.

However, take a moment as the 30th anniversary of the first SPAM message comes around and reflect upon the messages you send out every day. As Christians, our hope and prayer is that all of our life is about spreading the gospel of Christ in thought, word, and deed. Can it be said of us that we are spreading the message of God's love, hope, peace, and grace; or are we spreading a lot of SPAM through the lives that we live?

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 3 No 18 - The Cat's Meow

Late in the evening yesterday, I found, in a most unexpected place, a great reminder of how important it is to be people not just of faith, but a faith that embodies good works. As we let our dogs out for the last time before bed, a dragonfly made its way into our home. Quite annoying, these little creatures can be, especially when buzzing all around your house. Then Erin and I noticed that our cat was absolutely fixated on the dragonfly, tracking its every movement. Since the insect in question was flying around the ceiling, our cat got visibly and audibly frustrated with his inability to get to the pest. After a couple of attempts to put him in position to catch his prey, we went on into the back.

Well, about 15 minutes later, the cat appears at our bedroom door and starts meowing loudly, as if he wanted our attention. So after a few minutes of this, I went to see what was going on. He looked up at me, with a look only cats can give, and then I saw it. Under his front left paw was the dragonfly, who by this point had gone to see its maker. Mew had done what he'd set out to do, and wanted to share it with us. He seemed so proud that he had done what we had thought not too long before would be impossible.

As I thought more about it this morning, I started asking again those questions that we all must face each and every day: "Am I proud of what I have accomplished today? Could I take to God what I have done today, in thought, word, and deed, and expect God to be pleased with my efforts?" In no way am I saying that my relationship with my cat parallels at all with God's relationship with us. However, could you take, willingly, to God how you live your life and expect him to be pleased with the results?

Just something to think about.

See you Sunday!
Lamar

P.S. Our denomination's General Conference begins TODAY in Fort Worth, TX. Every four years, representatives from every conference in our denomination meet to discern where it is that God is leading our movement, voting on our church structure and guidelines. The representatives (equally split among clergy and laity) are elected at the prior year's annual conferences by vote of each congregation's delegate to the annual conference. Each congregation's delegate to annual conference is elected by the charge conference of the local congregation. Please be in prayer for the clergy and laity delegates from Louisiana that God may give them the wisdom to do what is right and pleasing in the sight of God. More information about General Conference can be found here.