Vol 3 No 42 - To Vote or Not to Vote...

For those of us within this congregation, the month of November is going to be a time of exercising rights that have been passed on to us by generations who went before us, making sacrifices to help ensure that our generation and succeeding ones will have the best possible circumstances to pursue life.  The awesome thing about these rights that we have been given by those who came before us is the tremendous responsibility upon our shoulders to carry out the exercise of these rights in a proper manner that will help us to help the world realize God's reality.

Of course!  You bet I am talking about the right and responsibility that every American citizen has to participate in any election.  Next Tuesday, you have been given the right by the sacrifice of others to carry out your responsibility to go vote.  It's not nearly as important who you vote for as it is that you simply go vote.  In my opinion, if you don't take the time to exercise the right to vote, that says more about the voter than the candidates.  So, please go vote next Tuesday.  Polls are open in our state from 6:00AM to 8:00PM.  However...

There's another important event in the life our congregation in November that involves us exercising rights and assuming responsibilities that have been passed down to us from generations of the past.  On November 16, Reaffirmation Sunday, we will be gathering during worship to Reaffirm our commitment to Christ and His Church through the four vows of membership - Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and Service.  Through our written commitments to upholding each of these vows, we are building upon that which has preceded us and providing for the work of God to be done in and through this congregation.

Take time to vote - it's important, and there's too much that has been sacrificed to give you that right and responsibility for you to not do so.

Take time to commit to upholding the vows of membership you took upon joining this congregation - it's important, and there's been too much that has been sacrificed to give you that right and responsibility for you to not do so.

See You Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 3 No 41 - Hitting a Curveball

...[S]pirituality is not a self-generated
achievement but a gift given to us by God.  

This gift sets us free to see life in a new way
and to live life as God intended, 

in union with the purposes of the
Creator and Redeemer of the world.

Dr. Robert Webber -
The Divine Embrace:
Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life

I have been thinking a lot about each of you over the past couple of weeks since I last wrote you.  Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances that arose last week, I simply did not get this e-mail out (and I deeply apologize for that).  I have been thinking a lot about each of you over the past couple of weeks because its during recent times like I have been through that I am reminded so much that we can have the best-laid plans for our time, and our immediate schedule planned out to the nth degree, when other factors come in to blow all this out of proportion.

"Of course, Lamar, we all know this.  Skip past the pablum and give us something to read here."

The reason you have come to mind is that often times, more than we care to realize, the condition of our relationship with God dictates how we respond to the curveballs that are thrown our way.  This is why it is so important as we continue in our series on our vows of membership (more details below) that we remember why we take vows of membership to support our congregation with our Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and Service.  When we actively participate in the community of faith, and support it wholeheartedly, we cannot help but be renewed, strengthened, and built up as we prepare to live out our lives.  It is real easy to want to draw upon God and the community of God when chips are down and we are at our lowest points; it is when we allow ourselves to be continually renewed and rejuvenated through life in the household of God that we can better face the trials and temptations of life.

None of us knows, as you all are aware, what today or tomorrow will bring.  However, each of us knows, who promises to walk with us through what today or tomorrow will bring.  Each of us knows that a major reason Christ sent the Holy Spirit to form the church is so that we are strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.  Let us make sure we are committed to supporting his church through our Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and Service.

See You Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 3 No 40 - The Need for Affirmation

...[S]pirituality is not a self-generated
achievement but a gift given to us by God.  

This gift sets us free to see life in a new way
and to live life as God intended, 

in union with the purposes of the
Creator and Redeemer of the world.

Dr. Robert Webber -
The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life

As many of you are aware, this Sunday marks the beginning of a new season of life in our congregation, a season where we will spend the next several weeks exploring our faith as it relates to the vows of membership we take when we join a United Methodist congregation.  In preparing for this season, and our worship during it, I came across the above from Dr. Robert Webber while reading his book and saw this entire season crystalized within these words.  In an age where the spiritual leaders of our society (Oprah, Dr. Phil, etc.) lead us to believe that spirituality and truth are found within ourselves, and that we must determine the truth by which we will pattern our lives, Dr. Webber reminds us that spirituality, like life itself, is a gift from God.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I heard one person tell me yesterday as I was talking about all this.  "You and I both know this is all about the money and a different way to approach what is ultimately about money."  No need to be sneaky or coy about this - indeed, part of our Reaffirmation Sunday service will indeed include us making written commitments about how we will uphold our vows, and this will include us making our financial commitments for 2009.  However, to think for a minute that any of this is simply about money would be a huge mistake, for anything that we do within the life of the church, from reading this e-mail, to serving on committees, to participating in worship, to fulfilling a financial commitment, is first and foremost a product of our spirituality.  To go even further, anything we do in life, period, is a result of our spirituality.  The question we must answer is, "From where does our spirituality come?"

Does it come from within, as a result of our own efforts, understanding, and desire?  Or does it come from beyond, as a gracious gift from God as a tremendously extravagant gift, a gift that is to be lived from the perspective of a grateful recipient?

As we pursue our conversation about prayers, presence, gifts, and service, let us be perfectly clear: yes, indeed, the concentration on and renewal of our vows is related to our congregation and its immediate future.  But let us be equally clear that our commitment to our vows is, whether we want to admit it or not, a reflection of how we view our faith.  As your pastor, I challenge you to take advantage of this season to fully re-examine your perspective on the origins of your faith; I am looking forward to doing the same myself.  What a great opportunity to grow together!

See You Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 3 No 39 - Take it to the Bank

Normally, at the start of a new quarter or at some other time of transition during the calendar year, it is cliche for someone to start an article by asking, "Where did the time go?"  Alas, even though I have had the same feelings this week as preparations start for the final quarter of 2008 @ Pharr Chapel, I will spare you the cliche today.  Even though it's hard to believe that we are going to be celebrating our annual charge conference in less than three weeks, celebrating our Reaffirmation Sunday (check the monthly newsletter for more information) in less than two months, and our Advent calendar is already taking shape, there is something else that I want to mention this morning as none of us can avoid the headlines.

It seems that almost all of us, no matter our political or economic view on life, are wondering what all is going to happen with our nation's economy.  Like many of you, I am concerned about decisions being made on Wall Street, Main Street, and in Washington, DC.  I am concerned that those who are responsible for oversight in our political and economic society will make the right decisions, without regard to political fallout either way.  However, I am most concerned about some of the attitudes being expressed by people all across the fruited plan who look to politicians for the answer to all of our problems; in other words, people who look to politicians for salvation.

Yes, I am concerned about the implications (short and long term) of our current situation and the 'solutions' that are being bandied about by the political and chattering classes.  What I am most concerned about, though, is what your perspective and mine is in the long run.  It is a basic Christian belief that no matter what else, at some point the things of this earth, and the kingdoms of this earth, will all pass away when Christ comes again to bring about the fulfillment of the new heaven and new earth.  This is where we as Christians must put our ultimate hope and must look for our ultimate salvation.  

Economic highs and lows will come and go - that is a part of life and no one can prevent that from happening.  Emotional highs and lows will come and go - that is a part of life and no one can prevent that from happening.  All sorts of highs and lows will come and go in our life - and no one can prevent that from happening.

Yes, we should do all that we can to prepare for these highs and lows.  We must not, however, allow these highs and lows to allow us to lose perspective on the ultimate hope of all who follow the risen Christ.

See You Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 3 No 38 - Stronger than a Hurricane

Earlier this week, I was working with a local graphics design firm to make some temporary signage for our building since brother Gustav destroyed the sign out front.  Reflecting upon this process since I placed an order with them yesterday, and anticipating a discussion with our trustees at some point in the future about our next fixed sign, I have been thinking about what is the proper sign to let people know we are the church.  While, yes, it is important for us to have a sign out front with our name, worship time, etc., in our front yard, I wonder if that sometimes is all that we rely on to let people know we are the church.

In this time of cleanup and recovery in the Louisiana-Texas Gulf Coast area, there are several ways in which we can provide immediate help to those in need.  The first is TOMORROW MORNING (Thursday, September 18) as we meet outside my office at 7:45 AM for our bi-weekly UMCOR mission.  As you can imagine, things are hopping right now at our Sager-Brown relief depot, and they can use all the help we can provide.  I just spoke with their executive director, and she tells me that there are plenty of health kits and flood buckets that need to be put together.  Also, tomorrow, they will be preparing shipments to the Republic of Georgia and to our friends in Texas, as well as the needs in our area.  PLEASE make every effort to meet us tomorrow morning for this important relief mission.  We will have the option of coming home around lunch, or staying for the day if you can.  Let me know if you need more details.

Additionally, I am sad to say that several of our churches in the Acadiana and Lake Charles districts have suffered major damage and will be needing assistance to get back on their feet.  To that end, I will be discussing with our church council and our finance committee next week ways in which we can assist financially these our brothers and sisters in the connection.  In addition to the assistance that I hope and pray the leadership of our church has the vision and faith to provide, if you are interested in making a personal contribution to these efforts, please let me know.

Finally, as the initial assessments and cleanup are wrapped up in the coming days and weeks, I have been assured by our conference staff and leaders that we will be made aware of how we can be involved in hands-on work in the affected areas.  As this information comes along, I will be sure to pass it on to you.

While we may face the task of replacing our congregation's signage out front, and face some temporary signage as soon as it comes from the printer, I think it is obvious to see from these ministry opportunities above that, through the faith shown through our actions, the true sign of being the body of Christ cannot ever be destroyed or blown away by a hurricane, for the sign of the church is found in the people and their lifestyles.

See You Sunday!

Lamar

P.S.  One of our sister churches in Berwick, Mason United Methodist Church, has sustained some damage to their steeple and are in need of a lift so they can get up there to do repair work.  If you know of someone who would be willing to donate the use of a lift for this purpose, please let me know ASAP.  

Vol 3 No 37 - Cleaning Up

Something I have noticed since Hurricane Gustav visited us last week is just how much a distraction from the routine can throw everything off-balance not only in our personal lives, but in the lives of our friends, families, places of employment, and our community at large.  I have been fascinated to see how quickly the people of this area went about cleaning up their debris, helping one another with basic needs, and doing their best to get back to normal as soon as possible.

The thing is, do things truly ever return to the way they were?  As part of visiting with a number of you, and others around town, I heard again stories of Andrew, Betsy, and other hurricanes that have visited our area.  And, inevitably, along with the stories of previous hurricanes are stories of how something changed during or in the aftermath of a particular storm, and although it eventually became part of the new routine, it was a lasting change.

Change is hard.  Change is not something we do very well.  Change is something we resist with everything we have on many occasions.  However, the reality is that after much initial grumbling and unease in transition, we adapt, adjust, and move on with life in new ways (more often than we think, to be honest).  The great thing about the Christian faith, being a disciple of Christ and a member of the community of faith, is that while there is no more violent or radical change that we will face than the change from a life focused on self to a life focused on Christ and his will, there is nothing that will seem more normal when we get through the initial adjustment period and have allowed God to clean up the resulting debris from the transformation of our lives.

Just something to think about as we continue to clean up and move forward.  My prayer is that for each of us, we realize that the most massive cleanup effort is not done by the work of humanity, but by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

See You Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 3 No 36 - Post-Gustav Update

Well, friends, I know that it has been a long week for so many of us.  I hope and pray that as you and yours return to our area and go about cleaning up the debris from our recent visitor that you are doing well.  A little tired, a little worn, but grateful that even in the midst of our messes that it wasn't worse.

The main point of today's message is to let you know that we are resuming our normal Sunday activities this week - Sunday School @ 9:00 and Morning Worship @ 10:00.  This Sunday we will be celebrating the sacrament of holy communion, and I can think of no better way for us to come back together again in worship than to gather around the table of the one who brought us together originally.

For those of you who may not be aware, the church facilities weathered the storm just fine.  A few little pieces of siding were displaced, as was our church sign, and the huge oak tree in the back lot is no longer with us, but other than that, nothing major to write home about.  Speaking of home, my home, your parsonage, fared very well during the storm - losing only the aluminum covering over the patio and a bush out front.  Erin and I want to thank you all again for providing us such a nice place to live.

Finally, I want to thank all of you that were diligent in keep in touch during the evacuation - cell phone calls, text messages, and e-mails did a lot to pass the time.  It also helped to disseminate the news from back home and to keep people in touch.  Once again, this proved that the body of Christ does not need a facility to truly be the community of faith.

See You Sunday!
Lamar