Our Newsletter for November has been uploaded. Just remember to go to pages found on the right side of the Blog page and you will find the Monthly Newsletter link. Click on it and it will bring up the Newsletter then just click on the page you would like to read and it should expand out on the screen. Or you can look below and do the click and expand function.
Remember to get your order in for Pecans and Walnuts. One pound packages at 9.50 for pecans (halves or pieces) and walnuts for 8.50.
This is a copy of my article in our June Newsletter that is published by Jan Day. You can read the whole newsletter by going to our website http://www.orangewesley.org. In the right hand column you will see our pages and the Newsletter is one of those. Click on Newsletters then click on the page you would like to read. It should expand for easy reading.
Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ, Pastor Randy
May the 24th was Pentecost Sunday. For the next twenty six Sundays we will be in the season after Pentecost and then it will be the Advent season again. As most of you know Pentecost is the day we celebrate the Holy Spirit coming down upon the disciples in the Upper Room.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Some folks heard them and were amazed and others heard them and said they were drunk at 9:00am in the morning.
Acts 2:5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God- fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked:”Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
Acts 2:13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine. ‘”14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:”Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
Even today Christians are made fun of by those who do not believe in Jesus Christ or the God who sent Him to us. I have said before that sometimes Christians are Christ’s worse enemies. Simply by their actions and words they turn people away from Christ and eternal salvation. Only by being filled with the Holy Spirit will we ever be able to turn the tide of people leaving churches because they cannot see or feel love in the house of God. Each and every person who claims Jesus Christ as their savior is responsible for their actions in Church and out in the world. The only way any of us can ever come close to being the people Jesus Christ teaches us to be is to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit in Church and out in the world. Seek the Spirit of God and know that you can be that person who invites souls into the fellowship of Christian Love through word and deed.
Pastor Randy
Well I didn’t make any New Year resolutions! I did however decide to open my heart and mind more to Christ and the Holy Spirit’s leading influence. We can make resolutions by our own will and mind but we really need a good reason to follow through on those resolutions. Decisions to grow closer to Christ will take our will out of the picture and replace it with the will of God. That will always leads us in the right direction. Have a very blessed New Year walking in His resolve depending on His wisdom.
Posting three things I am thankful for: Day 5
1. I am thankful for all of my life’s experiences. Some were good, some were bad but all were beneficial. All were opportunities for me to choose to grow or choose not to grow. In some of those experiences it took a while for me to see some benefit/opportunity for growth in all that was going on but through the Holy Spirit I am able to look back and see the profound affect they had on me. I know through the leadership of the Holy Spirit I will always be able to grow in my understanding of life and how we should live it here in this earthly realm.
2. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit who touched my heart and changed me.
3. I am thankful for the United Methodist Church for it’s teachings and it’s tolerance for and love of all us sinners and hypocrites. We all know the church is full and overflowing with them. Well maybe not overflowing or full but still welcome to worship and praise the one who saves us, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday. I want to share a story about Pentecost involving a preacher-teacher named Fred Craddock.
The well-known author and preacher Fred Craddock tells a rather funny story about a lecture he was giving: A few years ago, when he was on the west coast speaking at a seminary, just before the first lecture, one of the students stood up and said, “Before you speak, I need to know if you are Pentecostal.” The room grew silent. Craddock said he looked around for the Dean of the seminary! He was nowhere to be found.
The student continued with his quiz right in front of everybody. Craddock was taken aback, and so he said, “Do you mean do I belong to the Pentecostal Church?” He said, “No, I mean are you Pentecostal?” Craddock said, “Are you asking me if I am charismatic?” the student said, “I am asking you if you are Pentecostal.” Craddock said, “Do you want to know if I speak in tongues?” He said, “I want to know if you are Pentecostal.” Craddock said, “I don’t know what your question is.” The student said, “Obviously, you are not Pentecostal.” He left.
What are we talking about on Pentecost Sunday? Is the church supposed to use the word Pentecost only as a noun or can it be used as an adjective? And so I ask you: Are you Pentecostal?
In spite of the fact that the church doesn’t know what the adjective means, the church insists that the word remain in our vocabulary as an adjective. The church is unwilling for the word simply to be a noun, to represent a date, a place, an event in the history of the church, refuses for it to be simply a memory, an item, something back there somewhere. The church insists that the word is an adjective; it describes the church. The word, then, is “Pentecostal.”
If the church is alive in the world it is Pentecostal.
How do we keep this aliveness, this fire burning, this spirit moving? What must exist in us, around us, and through us, if we are to be Pentecostal? Simply these three things:
1. We Are To Be Of One Accord
2. We Are To Join Together Constantly in Prayer
3. We Are To Repent
Come join us tomorrow for Pentecost Sunday. I will talk some more about how United Methodist as well as other denominations must be Pentecostal in their beliefs.
Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ,
Pastor Randy
Flowers are blooming in our backyard. A blessing to us and one I wanted to share with you. The flowers are surrounding an oak tree. The oak tree was planted 28 years ago when Melvin Croaker showed up at our new home with a blessing for us. The seedling oak tree that had been growing in one of his flower beds at his house seemed like the perfect lasting gift to give someone. It is the gift that keeps on giving. The oak tree has provided lots of shade for our back yard for many years now and if you will look closely at the picture you will notice a small oak seedling growing on the right side of the bed surrounding the oak tree. It is a constant reminder of Melvin and the friend that he still is today because of the seedling he planted in our back yard.
I have been reminded many times through Melvin’s thoughtfulness and friendship how important it is to be a good neighbor/friend. I see in the oak tree and its fruitfulness how important it is to plant seeds. God has designed the oak tree to produce acorns to produce more oak trees that will produce more acorns. God has designed us as Christians to produce seeds that are given to us by the Holy Spirit. Seeds that will create more Christians, as the Holy Spirit helps them to become aware, through our witness of the love God has for each of us. Each of us is given the opportunity to plant a seed and God has promised us the Holy Spirit to help us take advantage of those opportunities.
Just as the God designed oak tree has grown from a seed planted so will the seeds of Christian belief/faith grow through the workings of the Holy Spirit.
Get busy planting seeds…it is your calling…and His Spirit.
May God bless each and every seed that is planted.
Amen and have a blessed day…every day.
Pastor Randy
The first two paragraphs are from a sermon by Leonard Sweet and the rest is mine.
What you do is your history. What you set in motion is your legacy.” Are you just pouring concrete or building a skyscraper?
Every one of us wants to leave a “legacy.“ Something that outlasts our biological lives and can somehow continue to declare “I was here.” For a very few this is achieved through intellect or infamy, greatness or great sacrifice. But for those of us who know we are not Augustine or Martin Luther, or Christopher Columbus or George Washington or Albert Einstein or Martin Luther King, Jr. — we still have a gateway to a large-than-life memory. What is it?
Our story.
Our family. Our siblings. Our spouses. Our children. Our great-grandchildren. Our “story,” our life goes on, because we are remembered and recounted in the memories, in the roots, branches and leaves, of our family tree.
Our family tree (our grandchild Lila Jane) has just grown by one. The births of our children and grandchildren are times for us to stop and reflect on the legacy we leave behind. How will we be remembered? How will you be remembered?
I hope to be remembered as someone who loved family very much because I loved God and the savior, His Son. I hope that family will recognize that love for God in me, my love for them and be able to pass those two traits on to those who come after them. That is what I want my legacy to be.
As Christians, we are called to show God’s love for all peoples to each and everyone we meet. Go out and leave a legacy of love for family, friends, neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ,
Pastor Randy
Well it is that time again. We will get to watch a debate tonight and hopefully the debate will help us make up our minds about who to vote for this November. For those of us who have already made up our minds and for those of us who are still trying to decide I hope that in the decision-making process you use your ability to pray and trust God’s promise to hear those prayers to help you make the decision on whom to vote for. No matter who you decide to vote for make sure that you do go to the polls and cast your vote.
I have heard some comments about the decision-making process for what political party or candidate is followed and ultimately voted for. These comments trouble me some because they are about separating political decisions and religious beliefs. I wonder how that can be done! I firmly believe that when Jesus tells us that the most important commandment is:
” Mar 12:29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, Mar 12:30 and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
How can we “love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength” and then cast a vote without including Him in the decision about who to vote for. If we are to do as God tells us we absolutely must not separate our own political decisions from our religious beliefs. If we love God and believe in the teachings from the Bible we must use those teachings to guide us in “all” that we do each and every day. There is no decision that we can make that should not be a God led decision. Please do not separate your religious convictions from your political decisions. Politicians will be here today and gone tomorrow but our God will be forever. Trust in Him and allow Him to guide you through the decisions you will be making.
Have a blessed, peace filled day,
Pastor Randy
This is the devotional from the Upperroom for Wednesday, 8-22-12.
The king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
– Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)
“While driving home from Philadelphia, my wife and I stopped at a red light before crossing the bridge into southern New Jersey. At the light was a poor man wearing rosaries and carrying a bucket of soapy water and a squeegee. He started to wash the car’s front window. I yelled at him to stop and told him that I would not pay him for his labor. The poor man explained that he had to work to eat; if I did not want to pay him, that was between God and me.
My wife pulled out a dollar and gave it to him when he finished his job and the light turned green. My wife was shocked by my behavior and said that turning down someone in need was not like me. She then recited Matthew 25:40. I was speechless; I knew she was right and that I had sinned.
As we pulled into our driveway at home, I realized that I am blessed and that others need help from those more fortunate. Since this incident, I have been more generous toward those in need. I hope and pray that I am never so close-fisted again.”
I had read this devotional for the day at home and had left to go to the Chiropractor. While I was pulling up into the parking space I noticed a man walking across the parking lot watching me pull into the parking lot. Sure enough as soon as I parked he was standing at my window looking like he wanted to ask me something. I put down the window a little ways and he began his spiel about needing some money to get something to eat. I think he was just asking for a quarter or so and I knew he was not getting something to eat for a quarter. The reminder in the devotional fresh on my mind had me digging in my wallett for a few dollars. God works in mysterious ways and this was one of them. I have noticed lately that my heart was hardening towards those who panhandle at convenience stores. I have not walked a “mile in their shoes” so the devotional reminded me that it is not for me to judge but for me to give to those who are in need.
Then I looked at all the bugs on my windshield and he was gone. Oh well, at least God knows his needs and mine!!!
Pastor Randy
Ibernia and I hope you will join us in worship soon. Come and see why we are a certified welcoming congregation.
Calender
Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX 