Living In-Dependence

Shane and Shane is one of my favorite groups, and this is one of my favorite songs by them,"Liberty". I think one of the best moments in the song comes in the bridge with these lyrics,
"The storm rolled in, it was dark in the land
As the Son of Man was crucified
You don't take His life, He laid it down
And He paid the price, and shed His blood
It is done, the veil is torn
He has won and I am free"
As followers of Christ our freedom and liberty comes differently, We cannot be set free by our actions, we cannot win on our own. We fully depend on Christ. We offer him our lives and will and faith and depend on his goodness to set us free from our sin and redeem us into right relationship with God. By Christ's great mercy, and for our freedom, Christ's work on the cross has set us free from the burden of the law. Now our job is to re-member what he has done for us, and gather all of creation into his love by our love. The love demonstrated in his life as the love of God for all creation. Paul says in Galatians 5:14 Jesus summed up the whole law, everything we as his followers are supposed to do, with the words, "Love your neighbors as yourself."

He goes on to illustrate how we will know we are living as faithful disciples through the "fruit" those relationships bear, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
 
It is not an easy thing to bear these fruits all the time, people are hard, life is hard, and circumstances arise that we don't always understand which makes living a life of faith hard. However, when we try our best to fully depend on God for all that we have and all that we are, our faith can be tried, but it will not be shaken because we will see the fruit in our lives and the fruit in creation around us that reminds us God is alive and working. That we are living in the reign of Christ right now and we are no longer separated from the holy because the veil was torn and God busted loose into all things to make God's way the way of freedom. 

So I wonder how we might celebrate dependence? We will celebrate tomorrow with fireworks and cookouts, ice cream and baseball, the liberation of our nation from another, but in what ways do we celebrate a liberation that looks so much different. This freedom in Christ means dependence on him for all, it means we listen to the Spirit for each step we take, it means we put our trust in a God we cannot see with our eyes.

For me, worship is the way I celebrate. It is the way I tell the way of the world it will not be my guide. It is the way I show God my love and passion and appreciation. It is the way I am filled to overflowing for ministry to my neighbors. As a Pastor, I am usually working while the congregation is attending worship, so I have to find ways to worship throughout the week. Listening to music or sermons, engaging in bible study, reading and talking with friends and family about where God is working in our midst becomes the worship that fills me. I pray, that each of you also find a way to celebrate your dependence on Christ. Tell us how you celebrate in the comments below or on my facebook page - @JATlifelessons.

Remember, God Loves you and So do I!

-j out

Preaching like Jack

Storytelling has been my connection to preaching almost my entire life. Growing up, the pastor of my home church, always preached with a story. He may have used an illustration from a book or an experience from his childhood or even from the week before. Every sermon began with him reading the scripture dynamically and then he would begin the story and switch back and forth between it and his exegesis of the text. Basically, a three-point sermon, but through stories.

When I became a youth, I went on cool retreats every winter and summer. You know the kind, a bunch of smelly teens crammed in a gymnasium or auditorium jumping around to high octane praise and worship music, live games on the stage and in the crowd, a drama to set the mood for preaching and then the preacher delivered the message. As a United Methodist youth in Western NC I grew up listening to the hilarious and poignant Conference Evangelist at almost all of these events. Andy had a style of preaching all his own. Switching between sermon and first person narrative with props and voices usually queuing that switch with a phrase like, “It may have gone something like this…”. The way he wondered through a sermon, asking questions of the text and offering laughter throughout always hit me as a great way to preach to teens. As an adult it still strikes me as funny, but I wonder if it would get old 52 weeks a year?

The greatest preacher I know, my mother, took a class at Pfeiffer University with Andy called “Preaching to the Pierced Tongue Generation”. It was right as we had begun a contemporary service at our home church and she was in the rotation to preach as the minister of Christian Education. Her final project was a first-person sermon on the story of Mary and Martha. She played the role of Martha and did it in the style of a Mary Tyler Moore sketch. She did so great! It was the first time I had ever seen a sermon in that style, she never broke character, hitting all her points and morals as Martha.

As a youth minister myself, I attended many retreats and heard many sermons, good and bad for better or worse in church and at those retreats too. I would take my confirmands to a retreat at Lake Junaluska every year, and hear the stories and folk sermons of a pastor named Ed. These sermons had a different technique, as they were complete stories, but they were told from the narrator’s perspective. What I enjoyed about this technique was how he modernized them, the woman at the well was a teenager at the soda fountain, Zacchaeus a back row of the Sanctuary blues singer.

These sermons inspired the way I spoke with my youth on a weekly basis, but I never thought I would be a preacher, much less be “graduating” (I put this in quotes because…corona) from Duke Divinity School in less than a month. But one of my favorite styles of preaching is through storytelling. While being in Div School I have explored my own style of preaching and most recently, in this class, did a sermon in the style of a Jack Tale.

Jack tales always center around an unbeatable foe, but by his wit and sneakiness, Jack wins the day. Many of the stories told about Jack center around his defeat of Giants. My great uncle, Ray Hicks told Jack Tales in the style of Appalachian folk stories. Jack is a trickster, always getting the best of the antagonist and coming out every time as the unlikely hero.

Great Uncle Ray was a renowned Appalachian storyteller, who lived his entire life on Beech Mountain, North Carolina. He was particularly known for the telling of Jack Tales. The Hicks family lived in conditions of extreme poverty in the relatively isolated mountains of North Carolina near Banner Elk. The family got by selling carpets handwoven by his mother and dulcimers crafted by his father as well as other work. In 1945, Ray’s father committed suicide. His mother died in 1975 leaving him the family homestead and child-raising duties.

In 1973 he went to the National Storytelling Festival and became a headliner for many years at the event. Ten years later he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship with pictures and recordings of his stories put on display at The National Museum of American History in the Smithsonian Institute

Storytelling is not only something I was formed by in the sermons I heard growing up, it also runs in my blood. I’m not completely sure how to continue using these stories in sermons but I think there is something to this style of telling that applies to preaching. Especially in a Rural context. My worry doing it was that people may think I was talking down or making fun of this style, but it is honestly me paying respect to my family heritage and learning the phrases and motifs to tell the stories on my own. I have been telling my 3-year-old Jack and the Giant stories to teach her about telling the truth and being brave. She loves hearing them and is repeating them back to me. In retelling scripture in the form of Jack Tales, I think that there is a possibility to teach the stories in a way that sticks in the minds of young and old. I only hope that as I continue to hone my preaching style, I will feel confident to use all the methods we have explored in this class to bring scripture and themes to life for the congregation.

Remember, God loves you and so do I
-j out

Person County United Methodist Parishes 1/3/17 Devotion

Picture by Elizabeth Reiter 12/29/16

My Wife and I spent last week in Disney world, and I am always struck by the fact that people told Walt his dreams were impossible. His father thought being an animation artist was a waste of time, His brother thought they would run out of money before Snow White was finished, people around him thought it was crazy to build an amusement park and though it would never take off.  But he never lost sight of the dream he had when he drew that first picture of a little Mouse he called Mickey and is quoted saying “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

I have done my share of impossible things in my time as a church worker, student, child and sibling. I have held on to and let go of my share of dreams. And it strikes me today that as we enter this new year together that many of our churches and congregation members have done the impossible and dreamed big dreams or perhaps had to let go of some dreams we once had. But in the back of my mind I hear Walt echoing the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians, where he is giving them a word of encouragement and before my pixie dust turns to glitter on the shelf I feel the need to share a word of encouragement here this evening.

Paul says in Chapter 4 verses 11-13, "Not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." 

I can, We can, do all things through Christ who gives us strength. The Psalmist says to God "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." —Psalm 25:5 As long as we place our hope in the one who gives hope and grave, love joy and peace as freely offered gifts we are indeed able to do all things. So maybe it is time for us as pastors and parishioners to shack off those dreams deferred and put them back on our radar. God has big plans for the church today, just as God did when letters were being passed around and shared among the new disciples of Christ.  Each church represented here has gifts and ministries unique to that body and God uses those to build up the Kingdom of God. No it’s not a Magic Kingdom that all started with a Mouse, but it is a Kingdom started and founded on the Love of God that is manifest in each of us and intended to be shared with the world around us. 

So friends, shake off the ideas that our dreams our out of reach, because Nothing is impossible with Christ on our side and as Walt says It’s kind of Fun to do what the Worlds deems impossible, and when we do, when we achieve our dreams and goals, May God receive all the honor and Glory. 

"I am God your Savior. I guide you and teach you, so put your hope in Me all day long. I guide you according to My truth, and I teach you important lessons as you follow the path I’ve prepared for you. Because I am both your Savior and your God, I’m able to help you with the obstacles you will encounter. Your difficulties can even be blessings when they draw you into deeper dependence on Me." —Jesus Today by Sarah Young

Jesus I know you can...

Sitting here in my new office, at a new church, in a brand new position created for me in a way and I am completely beside myself with the reality that following Jesus has led me here right where I have wanted to be for so long. At First UMC, Asheboro I am the Community Life Minister, basically an Assistant Pastor, and will be the Worship Leader for our new Contemporary Worship service we will call "First".
 I can't help but think about the first time I asked God to help me grow into the minister God wanted me to be and feel a tug in my heart towards becoming a worship leader. WUMC made it possible for me to follow that dream by allowing us to begin "The Well" and for 2 years I struggled to be THIS and THAT and to devote time to my PASSION and my JOB and in the end I feel like I did an okay job. However, here I get to simply be what God has called me to be...to do what God has called me to do. It is amazing and, I must confess, completely overwhelming to realize that people saw my gifts and decided to trust God enough to allow me to use them to further the work of the Kingdom.

While we were packing up the house in Wvl, I was overcome by a serious moment of sadness, that was followed by complete disbelief that any of it was happening. As the tears began to roll down my cheeks and this grown man was reduced to a blubbering mess, in the background I heard the lyrics to my new favorite Third Day song, "I Know You Can". I listened to it repeatedly until I could sing the words without crying and then my heart started believing them. "If I'm to follow you it's only by your hand. Help me to make it through, Jesus I know you can..."
  The craziest thing about this life we have chosen to live is that God's timing is not always convenient, it's not always how we want it to look, but when we allow God to move everything will be okay.

"I Know You Can"

Give me the words to say
Bring me the strength to stand
Take all the doubt away
Jesus, I know You can
For if I’m to follow You
It’s only by Your hand
Help me to make it through
Jesus, I know You can

So close that I can taste it
I stand at the great unknown
Second chance and I don’t want to waste it
I gotta know, I gotta know
You speak and I will listen
You ask and I will go
Lord, will You be there with me
I gotta know, I gotta know

So the lesson we take from all this is that Jesus has us in the palm of his hand and will never leave or forsake us...and even in the great times of our lives, it is okay to grieve the loss of something great as you move to the next great thing. Lastly, it is right and good and joyful to make lifelong and lasting friends whom you share the pains and beauty of life with and for your heart to break as you move away and then spend days really missing them, because it means that God will cross your paths again and quite often. It means that a phone call or text message from them will mean even more, and the memories you make during the times you get to share will be stronger and truer because there is love wrapped in each moment with them. 

 Here we are standing at the "great unknown" with new and old friends and our family surrounding us and a God that will not let go of us...so I pray for strength, for wisdom, for your guidance, and your love. I ask you to be with my friends, love them in my absence and help me to feel their love with me. Give me your words, forgive me when I doubt, speak and I will listen, lead and I will follow...help me to make it through, Jesus I Know You Can.

Air1 - Crowder "I Am" LIVE

[Verse 1:]

There’s no space that His love can’t reach

There’s no place that we can’t find peace
There’s no end to Amazing Grace
Take me in with your arms spread wide
Take me in like an orphan child
Never let go, never leave my side.
[Chorus]
I am,
Holding on to You.
I am,
Holding on to You.
In the middle of the storm,
I am Holding on,
I am!
[Verse 2:]
Love like this, Oh my God to find!
I am overwhelmed what a joy divine!
Love like this sets our hearts on fire!
[Verse 3:]
This is my Resurrection Song
This is my Hallelujah Come
This is why to You I run
This is my Resurrection Song
This is my Hallelujah Come
This is why to You I run
There’s no space that His love can’t reach
There’s no place that we can’t find peace
There’s no end to Amazing Grace

Overwhelmed with possibility...

   Over the past three weeks, my life has been overwhelmed with good and bad ...stuff.  Trying to take stuff off of my plate by adding more "duties" to keep me organized has helped some but sometimes it just feels like busy work...Waiting for construction to happen in our house while it remains upside down is cray cray and at some points, I get so frustrated and then realize it is all for the purpose of getting my babies, which makes me agitated again knowing they are waiting while I wait too...However, in the midst of frustration and mundane tasks that give me a headache, I see God working in beautiful ways.
   Right now on my Jimmy Needham ("you know what he needs? He's like I need some ham" #funnyjokeswithmyinterns) Pandora radio station Gungor is singing Beautiful Things to me. One of my favorite songs, and a truth I embrace wholeheartedly. "You make Beautiful Things out of dust"...yes my house is a wreck and the Christmas decorations are still up in the sunroom because of all the dust in the attic, but that space is going to be beautiful when it is all done! "You make me new, you are making me new"...yes I have a killer headache from spending so much time looking at this computer screen, but I'm being shaped and molded into the leader and minister God wants me to be. Yes, it means I have to shut my door and not be the social butterfly my teachers all through grade school kept giving "N"'s to, but in this time alone in my office, I have the opportunity to grow closer to God. As the Holy Spirit continues to guide me on this journey towards becoming a candidate, going to seminary, and, eventually, ordination, I think God for putting people in my way, the good, the bad, and the ugly, as each person helps mold me into what I am supposed to be. I'm grateful for my supporters and I am learning to be grateful for the naysayers too.
   More beauty in my life is that my bride had an amazing experience at Emmaus last weekend, and though I missed her a ton, she let go of some deep hurt and embraced a love she has never truly known. Even more beautiful was being with a group of ministry colleagues who have become true friends and companions on my journey this year. Something I was longing for that God gave me...thanks, papa! Even in the midst of people who pull me down, there are those very close by who have been constant voices of affirmation and friendship, another beautiful thing made from the dust. Yesterday held one of my favorite moments of this month seeing two of my college kids at a baseball game, catching up with them, and hanging out with my youth at the same time...a relational ministry win! God knows what I need to be filled and fed, and God provides while teaching me to do things I don't like but need to get better at.
  I love my life, I love my job, and I love ministry. I am blessed beyond measure to know that God doesn't need me but wants me to partner with God's divine purposes. thanks, papa! The possibilities are endless and we are promised NOTHING is impossible with God!
  One last thought. As I was venting to my bride this nugget of scripture popped up as my background and she provoked me to think on it and adjust my attitude to gratitude...

On that note, I'll end with a prayer,

  God, thank you for the obstacles, for the hiccups in schedules, and for working it all out for my good. You have always been faithful to me even when (especially when) I doubt your goodness and your love for me. i love you, God, i bless Your holy name and sing praises for the abundant life You have blessed me with. Continue to strengthen me, shape me, and mold me, even when it hurts, into the vessel you need me to be. i pray for my heart to be softened by your spirit so that i will be quick to listen, slow to speak, or anger, and that the light you have put in me will shine as a beacon that points toward Your Son. Let your fire be alive in me, let my spirit be your spirit, let my heart look like yours, let my mouth speak your truths, and continue God to make me all You want me to be. 

all my love,

-j