January 21, 2010
I have at times been critical of the United Methodist Church, though I try to be fair anytime I critique the church, however this is not one of those blogs. In fact, this is a blog of praise of our church. The UMC does some things very well, and one of the best aspects of our church is the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Not only do they respond immediately to crisis, but they stay on the ground longer than most other organizations. If you have not given to the disaster in Haiti, I would strongly encourage you to give through UMCOR. 100% of your money will go to relief, and you can be assured that they will be good stewards of your money. This tragedy is personal for the folks at UMCOR as two of their leaders Sam Dixon and Clinton Rabb passed away in the Haiti earthquakes, while they were there working with Methodist leaders about what could be done to improve conditions for folks in that country.
Of course, for UMCOR every tragedy is personal because we are connected to one another. This is a tragedy on a grand scale, and while I do not know anyone who passed away. I know people, and I know grief, and I can only begin to comprehend the pain that is present for many there, who are so busy surviving that they have not had time to grieve. While for many of us, we have been so busy being busy that we have not grieved with them. So, do something. Go here and donate. If you have the chance, get on a plane and sacrifice your time. At the very least, Get on your knees and pray this.
Father,
We confess that in our busyness, we have ignored the sufferings of your people. We can avoid the brokeness of our brothers and sisters by merely changing the channel and reading the Sports page. Forgive us, for our veiled attempt at sacrifice. Create in us a new heart that flows with your love for others, and enliven the Spirit inside of us to be your disciples who love our neighbors both near and far. Amen
January 6, 2010
“What more do we need to do?” That was the question that the white-haired, white-skinned gentleman asked our dark-haired, dark-skinned professor. We had been talking about Sunday morning at 11:00 being still the most segregated hour on Sunday Morning, and the hands and the blood pressures in the room went up. There were a variety of thoughts, opinions, and questions but this dark-haired, dark-skinned professor’s answer to his question is what stood out most to me. Keep reading →
January 4, 2010
- Peculiar Grace- Sharing the immense grace of God through extravagant and creative means.
In the church, we like to sing about grace. “Amazing Grace,” “Grace Greater Than Our Sins,” and “Grace Like Rain” are just a few songs that come to mind, and as a United Methodist Church we especially love grace. We believe in Prevenient grace, the grace that is present before we know Jesus as Lord. We believe in Justifying grace, the grace that present at salvation uniting us with the Holy One. We believe in Sanctifying grace, the grace that continually transforms us in the image of God. And we believe in Glorifying grace, the grace that goes with us when we leave this Earth and enter that mysterious place called Heaven. Needless to say, grace is a big deal.
I like to define grace as anytime and anyway that God interacts with His creation, and I believe then that if the church should show anything, it should show grace. Keep reading →
December 1, 2009
Spiritually Empowered- Embracing the gifts and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
If I was the Holy Spirit, I might feel a little offended. While Jesus gets a lot of credit (and deservedly so) for his coming to Earth, showing us how to live, and enabling us to live eternally through his death and God the Father gets a lot of credit for that small little thing of creating the heavens and the earth, the Holy Spirit can get lost in the mix. Thankfully I am not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit’s worth is not in what we give, but in the Triune relationship, and in that relationship the Holy Spirit is of equal worth to the Father and the Son. Keep reading →
November 17, 2009
Relationally Founded- Right relationships are the heart of our lives and ministry.
My former pastor, Steve Bredesen, found himself faced down on the floor one day while he was in seminary. Now being face down on the floor is an awkward place to be. It is a place of helplessness from a fall, or surrender because of the fall. Steve was face down praying to God, and God gave him a word. A word to build his ministry around, and that word was Relationship. Keep reading →
November 10, 2009
Mission Statement: “Transforming the broken into whole-hearted disciples of Christ signified by our loves and lives.”
Brokenness defines us. I wish it wasn’t so, but it is. We are each defined to some extent by our brokenness. We have all described people as “a little needy,” “conceited,” or “tends to be angry.” Especially, we know our own brokenness. Most of us know, to a variety of extents, of our brokenness, and if you don’t see any brokenness, then let me tell you one area of your brokenness is pride.
Broken, however, is not worthless. Our brokenness is worth dying for. Keep reading →
November 10, 2009
As my seminary career is getting closer to being finished, it is time for my self-instituted capstone project. A blog series on the mission and core values of a church that I am called to lead. Now, this is not just a project for me, but it is also an attempt to live out my recent calling to be a church planter in the United Methodist Church. Heather and I are in conversations with my Annual Conference about planting a new church in the Oklahoma conference, and we covet your prayers for mutual discernment about where this call will lead. I feel called to be part of a mother-daughter church plant. My purpose of this blog series is just to flesh out some of these ideas and concepts in the blogging community. It is also to be a place for potential mother-churches to understand my peculiar perspective on church ministry, and be a place for conversations with those congregations. I will attempt to do one blog a week, until it is completed. I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment as you feel lead. Keep reading →
November 5, 2009
1 month ago today, my first son Micah Reilly Noah Tiger was born. Needless to say, this month has been radically different from any other month of my life. So, I thought that I would give you all somethings I have learned in my 1 month of parenthood.
1. I am a lot more selfish than I thought. It has been an adjustment, as I understand a new level of sacrifice. Micah depends on me to be attentive to him, and I don’t get the “me time” like I accustomed to. I didn’t realize the depths of my selfishness, so I am thankful for Micah to show me this.
2. I learned why they call babies, bundles of joy. Micah just brings forth joy to all who meet him. It is an incredible gift, and I love being around him.
3. I miss sleep. I have seen 4 A.M. more in the past month than I think in my previous 25 years. Keep reading →
