The First Sunday of February concluded our messages on Jonah and our focus on "Returning To God" I heardf several folks comment on the challenges they faced as they listened and processed messages which caused them some discomfort. I guess God is doing something through me. I jokingly comment that God has sent me as a pastor to "Comfort the Afflicted and to Afflict the Comfrotable". Though we may have convinced ourselves the "Me & Jesus" got it all worked out, the truth is without disciplined lives we drift ever so slowly away from God, That drift is so gradual that we do not even precieve it. Until we find our selves stuck in a mess created byour own sinfulness.
During Lent which begins in a few weeks (February 25) I hope youwill jon me in practicing some spiritual disciplines which can strengthen our relationship with God and deepen ourown spiritual life.
Well My Friends, I pray you have a wonderful day and a blessed week ahead.
See You In Church
Pastor John
February
Posted by john on 02/07/09
Pastor John's Journalin
Well Faith Family, here it is February and we are on the doorstep of Lent.As we enter and move through Lent this year, I encourage us all to participate in the Spiritual Disciplines of Prayer, Fasting and Bible Study.I will explore and expand on these in our Sunday morning messages and in Wednesday Night Meal & Service during Lent.
Spiritual Disciplines: - John Wesley believed that Jesus is God's means of grace. For him, the "means of grace" were also "works of piety" (spiritual disciplines) and "works of mercy" (doing good to others). He said that means of grace are: "...outward signs, words, or actions, ordained of God, and appointed for this end, to be the ordinary channels whereby God might convey to us God’s, prevenient, justifying, or sanctifying grace."
Wesley talked about a variety of works of piety: The chief of these means are prayer, whether in secret or with the great congregation; searching the Scriptures; (which implies reading, hearing, and meditating thereon;) and receiving the Lord's Supper, eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Him: And these we believe to be ordained of God, as the ordinary channels of conveying his grace to the souls of all people. Wesley also emphasized the importance of fasting and participating in Christian community.
I invite you to join me this Lenten season as we practice these spiritual discipline that we may experience God’s grace again. Prayer John Wesley considered prayer an essential part of Christian living, calling it, in many of his writings, the most important means of grace. Christians were to pray constantly, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
To help us be disciplined in prayer I have created a Lenten Prayer Journal for each of you to use during Lent.Please pick up your Lenten Prayer Journal next Sunday.Use it all during Lent to develop this discipline of prayer.
Bible StudyJohn Wesley read the Bible daily, and gave us advice on how to read the Bible:
1. Set apart atime every day
2. Read a chapter out of the Old Testament, and one out of the New Testament:
3. Read this in the light of whole will of God, and a fixed resolution to do it?
4. Have a constant eye to the analogy of faith and the doctrines of, Original Sin, Justification by Faith, the New Birth,Inward and Outward Holiness.
5. Serious and earnest prayer should be constantly used as we read.
6. We should examine ourselves by what we read, both with regard to our hearts, and lives.
Our Wednesday night services will include a time of Bible Study and reflection and our Prayer Journal will
I encourage you to prayerfully consider the discipline of fasting during Lent.Please consider all your health issues before fasting, and perhaps choose to do a daytime fast on one day a week where you will not eat from sunrise to sunset.Be sure if you chose to do this you maintain good fluid intake, and Fasting should be done to discipline your body mind and spirit in a prayerful manner.I will be fasting on Wednesdays during Lent and focusing on praying for you.I will be fasting from sunrise to the Breaking of Bread at our Wednesday Night at Faith with a meal & service.On Wednesdays during Lent we will gather at 5:30 pm to break bread together and have a service or prayer and praise.This will be a light meal of soup, bread and relishes and maybe sandwiches.I have the cook lined up for the soup but I am asking for Sunday School Classes and groups within the church to prepare the breads andrelishes and maybe sandwiches.
Let’s make this Lenten season a time of deepening our discipleship and experiencing God’s grace in community and in times of solitude as we follow these spiritual disciplines
See You In Church
Pastor John
Posted by john on 09/10/08
Pastor John’s Journalin
Isaiah 43 : 18-19
"Forget the former things;do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desertand streams in the wasteland.”
As we here at Faith Church take the step into our 2008-2009 program year we are perceiving a new thing or two.I see God at work in Faith UMC and in it’s members.This past summer has been filled with ministry and opportunities to worship and learn and grow in Christ.This month our Sunday School begins with our children in the wonderful rotation Sunday school program that many other churches are just beginning to use, Our Jr High and High School youth return to their classroom and ourseven existing Adult Sunday School classes resume full force.In addition I and Prudy are starting anew Sunday School Class for those who are a bit younger than yours truly.I am inviting young parents and singles to join in this new thing which God is springing up amongst us.
Also God is shifting our focus to look beyond to those who are not with us yet and helping us to be a place of hospitality.Our Greeters are positioned at the Parking lot doors to greet visitors and new comers but it is your responsibility as well, Yes it is your job to speak to everyone especially those who you do not recognize. Now don’t get embarrassed if you greet a long time member as if they were a visitor and if you are a long time member and get greeted as a visitor don't get your nose out of joint.Laugh at the fact and take this opportunity to get to know the person who greeted you.It is better to have greeted many long time members than to miss one soul who has bravely stepped through our doors.God’s prevenient grace is bringing them in and we are called to make them feel welcome.
I am still praying for some of you to volunteer to help with our contemporary worship planning.I sense God’s call to develop ateam or set of teams who will assist in providingcontemporary worship at 10:45 every Sunday.
Our Cluster Ministry with our sister United Methodist Churches is growing and I still need two willing members to serve on our Cluster committee.We meet on the second Thursday at 5:30 and conclude by 6:45.Please talk to me if you are lead by the Spirit to this ministry.
These few items are but the tip of the iceberg of the new things God is doing ,The new springs up and Yet we do not perceive it.We tend to get stuck in the pastand if we are holding on to the past with all our strength how can our hands be open to embrace the new things God send our way.What is God doing new in your life?
