Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX

Do you build walls to keep people in, out or both? 

1 Corinthians 1:10-18
1:10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

Well all of you United Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Church of Christ, etc, etc, etc, have you done something to seperate all of those who love Jesus Christ from your worship because they may not agree with everything you do?  Isn’t the love of Jesus Christ what should bind us all together and encourage each of us to go and make disciples in the name of Jesus Christ.  Seems like Paul could see further into the future than he could ever have imagined.  Seems like Paul had real insight into human nature that extended well beyond the church in Corinth.  Maybe it is just me but the divisions between all of the denominations serves to show those outside the church that there is conflict within the church.  Conflict only serves to drive people away from Christ and gives those skeptical fuel to degrade the churches we now attend.  Paul’s appeal is in the name of Jesus Christ that we be in agreement and that there will be no divisions among those who believe in Him.  While we may not be able to do anything about all the different denominations we can all be united in our desire to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without running down denominations different than our own.  And oh yeah I am talking to Pastors too.  We as believers in Jesus Christ must be in agreement with no divisions in our effort to tell people about our Lord and Savior.  We are all a priesthood of believers with one goal in mind bringing unchurched people to Christ.  Just one more thought, Jesus did call us to love our neighbor, how can we follow Jesus’ teachings and run another group of people down.  It just does not fit our mission as disciples of Christ. 

God’s Grace and Peace, 

Randy

Texas is a big state with lots of United Methodist.  Get out there and get your Andrew on!

Hey are you an Andrew?  Have you read John 1:29-42.  That’s where you can find Andrew for the first time.  He is one of the first disciples to go with Jesus according to this John scripture.  He and John (the disciple that Jesus loved) were the first disciples and left John the Baptist to go with Jesus.  Then Andrew went the next morning to get Peter, his brother, to bring him to Jesus.  Did you also know that it was Andrew who brought the boy with the fish and loaves to Jesus to feed the five thousand.  And he brought the inquiring Greeks to Jesus too.  Andrew was wanting people to meet Jesus.  He went and got those that he knew needed to meet Jesus and introduced them to the Savior of the world.  Well I ask the question again, Are you an Andrew?  Do you bring others to meet your Savior?  Are you looking for those who are searching to give their life and possibly some fish and bread?   Just a small part of who we are and how we are to be.  Just something to think about.  Serving and leading.  Have a great day and be faithful.

Don’t forget to read the lectionary readings and take a little time for God.  Meditate and Pray…it is good for us all!!!

God’s Peace and blessings,

Randy

It is a bright sunny day outside and that makes it a pretty good day, despite the cold temperatures. You see sunshine makes us feel better.  It is just the way most of us are.  A pretty sunny day just improves our disposition and out look on life. 

When I was reading the Gospel of John for our bible study I was struck by the words in John (1:4-5, In Him was life, and that life brought light to humanity. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out).  Just as a pretty sunny day can improve our disposition and outlook on life so can believing in Jesus Christ as our savior.  When we focus our thoughts on Him it is kind of like that pretty sunny day, it just improves our disposition to think of the light that He shines in our lives.  When we are struck by some natural occurrence that brings devastation into our lives we must look to the Sonshine to pull us up out of the darkness and bring light into our lives.

Be the best you can be at any one time, no matter what the circumstances, and then allow Jesus Christ to take over.  I believe that you and I will see a significant difference in who we are and what our best truly can be.  I look out the window of my office and see sunshine bright and a beautiful blue sky.  It is a gift from God and raises my spirits, so will Jesus Christ, when you look into the Sonshine from God.  Read John, it might make a difference in what you think and how you think.

God’s Peace and blessing,

Randy

Happy Monday morning to everyone!  What a great week this is going to be.  It has already had a great start.  I got to sleep a little later than usual today and have had my coffee, said some prayers, read some blogs, got my workout in and about to hit the shower before hitting the road to do some running around.  Going to go by the church and run some copies off for Report Day tomorrow and I think I am going to have Windows 7 installed on this computer…tired of Vista crashes…and hope it will stop some of the five-minute startups.  I also need to go by Mom and Dad’s to help get their tree down, back in the box and back up in the attic. 

As I sit here in this multi-functional room, our prayer room, my library and work out room I cannot help but feel blessed.  I am taking a few minutes to reflect on what God has offered to me.  To reflect on how I live my life because of His grace, His Spirit, His Will in my life. I can choose to look at all the times I fall short of who He wants me to be or I can choose to accept His forgiveness and choose to continue a life led by Him.  Make no mistake we all fall short in different ways.  Suttle ways that satisfy our human needs for power, revenge, jealousy, greed, hate, impatience, lust (in so many different ways) to list just a few.  Make no mistake we all fall short and we are all able to seek forgiveness and accept His grace in our lives.  He is there waiting and willing to accept us as we are right now because He knows who we can be when we follow His path instead of our own.  God has offered me a chance to put into action a plan that is tried and true and He knows I will still be human and still fall short at times.  I thank God for being the true, loving and patient God that He is.  Yes I am blessed, no not everything is easy but I know that there can and will be a better way, a better day and a better life when I walk with Him.We are at Robert’s for Dad’s 91st birthday which was Saturday the 8th.

The latest crop of roses from the cuttings that Jan Day gave me.  Beauty in my backyard.  There could be beauty sitting right next to you.

Peace and blessings to all, have a great day, week, month, year with God in your life,

Randy

Well we took our Christmas Decorations down at Wesley UMC today.  Kind of sad to make the sanctuary look so empty.  Is that how you feel after the decorations are all taken down, sad and empty, unfortunately when our focus is on all the secular trappings we can feel like the end has come, but it really is the beginning, the birth of the one who gives us life.  So the Christmas season is over but life goes on.  It can be life full of promise, hope, peace, joy and love.  Following the teachings of Jesus Christ, celebrating His life, can help each of us have lives more meaningful and peaceful.  This Sunday is Baptism of the Lord Sunday.  Remembering our Baptism gives us time to reflect on that time in our lives that we were committed to Christ.  If you committed your life to Christ through your Baptism you may want to ask the question of yourself, Am I still convicted?  We can say we are children of God because of our baptism but how we live our life shows the depth of our conviction.  Take a little time this week to consider how you walk the walk and talk the talk of Christianity.  Give glory and honor to your God by the life you live.

God’s Peace and Blessings,  Randy

We have both been baptized.  Can you see the resemblance?

Matthew 3:13-17
3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

3:14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

3:15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

3:16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

John’s Baptizing of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is a wonderful scene and can you imagine the heavens opening and the Holy Spirit descending upon Him.  Our baptism is a good and wonderful thing.  When we truly accept Jesus Christ as our savior even in the smallest way we are allowing the Holy Spirit into our lives.  Sometimes we have a wonderful conversion experience that drastically changes our lives and sometimes there is a subtle awareness that will grow within us and change us gradually.   The most important part of our baptism is that we recognize Jesus as our savior and commit to an ever-growing change in our lives.  The change takes a lifetime in most cases.  Baptism is our opportunity to have the Holy Spirit planted in our hearts and our study of God’s Word is the nurturing that we need to allow the Spirit to help us change.  It does take committment.  A committment to Christ’s way.  Without that committment being more than just an act we will never be all that we can be.  Baptism is an opportunity for us to be all we can be and to change the world in a way that is pleasing to God.  This Sunday is Baptism of the Lord Sunday.  Remember your Baptism.  Have you lived up to all that it means?  It is never too late to honor that Baptism and bring glory to God.

May the Lord Jesus Christ make His face to shine upon you and bring you peace, 

Randy

  Just a picture of a beautiful part of God’s world.  Taken in Sedona, Arizona.

Happy New Year!!!  Wishing everyone to have a happy new year is a great custom.  Why don’t we use our opportunities to also pray everyone a blessing.  Our Bible gives us so many good words to use to bring peace and happiness into peoples lives.  This blessing from Numbers 6 in a previous post is a great way to bring hope into others lives:

6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you;

6:25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

6:26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Just one example of how we as Christians can reach into the Bible to bring hope and peace into others hearts and minds.  What better words to plant seeds with than the Word.  Have a great New year because God is in your life and you acknowledge Him in all you do and who you are.  His Word in your heart brings glory and honor to Him and leads you into a life that is full of peace, hope, joy and love.

Baby Jesus in the manger.  A wonderful scene but what happens next.  Just like with Mary, Joseph and Jesus there is a real world out there to be lived in by us.  Joseph had to dodge a cruel ruler who wanted to kill Jesus and we have to go back to work, back to driving on roads with crazy drivers, back to dealing with rude inconsiderate people, well you get the idea.  While we think we face lots of problems try moving your wife and baby Son on the back of a donkey while trying to stay under the radar of Herod who is crazy and harsh enough to kill all children under the age of two in the region around Bethlehem.  Yes we definitely have problems but if Joseph can listen to God and handle his problems then surely we should be able to listen and obey.  Joseph did it and look what he accomplished through God.  Joseph helped to keep Jesus alive because he listened to God and when we listen we keep Jesus alive by going out into the world and showing the light of His love to the world.  Be bold and have the strength to be who God wants you to be through the power of the Holy Spirit.

May God’s Peace and Blessings be with you,

Randy

What a precious gift has been given to us.

I have been thinking a lot lately about all the gifts that Jane and I will give to our children and grandchildren.  We are very blessed to be able to give so generously and we have taken advantage of that ability.  God has blessed us in so many other ways also and we are very thankful.  The act of giving a gift is so important in our Christian culture.  We see it in the giving of a gift from our God of His only Son.  Our entire faith is based on the act of giving.  To give something to someone else says that you love them.  God gave us His Son. He poured His love out upon earth and blessed us with the opportunity for everlasting life.  His gift was not some material thing that will wear out or tear up or be outgrown with time. It is love forever.  Give the gift of love to someone else in this world and you may be giving the gift of everlasting life. Love is what it is all about.  Giving love is the only way we can example God’s gift to ourselves.  Remember John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  Great words of great gift giving.  Kind of makes our gift giving look small and insignificant doesn’t it.  Small maybe but not insignificant.  Our gifts to the world of love are how others hear about the great love gift God has given us.  Give good gifts to the ones you love and give better gifts to them and to the rest of the world.  God loves you very much, remember the birth of our savior, the life and the death, and the resurrection.  No better gift can be given to anyone than for you to share your faith with those you love and those in the world you live in.

Have a very Merry birth of Christ Day and may God bless you and keep you,

Randy

The Cross and Flame are the symbol of the United Methodist Church worldwide.

• What is a United Methodist?  A United Methodist is a Christian who is part of a global denomination called The United Methodist Church. The organizational structure is often described as “the connection.” When you participate in a United Methodist congregation, you make an impact throughout the world.
• What do you do at your church services? United Methodists have a variety of worship styles from traditional to contemporary and beyond. You can expect readings from the Bible, preaching, singing and often Holy Communion, also called The Lord’s Supper or Eucharist. United Methodists believe that Christ hosts Holy Communion. All are welcome to participate. It is not for members only!
• What does a United Methodist believe? United Methodists believe in actualizing their faith in community—actions speak louder than words. The three simple rules are: “Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God.” Some beliefs we share with other Christians are the Trinity (God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and Jesus’ birth, death and Resurrection.
• Do United Methodists have something like a pope? No pope, no central office and no archbishop. United Methodists have a structure that in some ways parallels that of the U.S. government. The church has a General Conference, its legislative branch; a Council of Bishops, somewhat like an executive branch; and a nine-member Judicial Council, the judicial branch.
• Do you do missionary work? What kind? United Methodists serve the world over, showing Christ’s love through tangible means. From sustainable water systems to health care, micro-lending, advocacy and a plan to eliminate deaths from malaria by 2015 (Imagine No Malaria), United Methodists have many ways for people to live out their faith in community. Many United Methodists are active in both local missions and global efforts.
• What do you do with financial donations? When you give to a local United Methodist congregation, you support ministries all over the world. While the largest percentage of your gift supports local church ministries, a portion (called an “apportionment”) goes beyond the community to make a difference throughout the world.