Called to Give

Today, I’ve heard two different speakers talk on giving – not of our money – but of our talents and time. The first was Seneca UMC’s pastor, Deb Hanes-Nelson when she called us to give of our time in worship, prayer, spiritual development and service.

The second was the youth pastor at NewSpring as he discussed the giving of our tithes and offerings during their June 21st service. In discussing the ‘Parable of the Talents’, he pointed out the following:

1. We all have different gifts
   • Can’t compare self to others
   • Has nothing to do with equality
2. Awarding of talents wasn’t about merit
   • Servants did nothing to earn these talents
   • God has blessed us with a gift
3. Requires a response
   • Did we bury it?
   • Did we advance the kingdom with it?

Based on this parable, I need to answer the question,

“How will I respond to God’s gift of my talents?”

Am I guilty?

Yesterday, I received an email from COR stating that they had to release two of their young pastors from their staff.  Reading the blogs on this issue, I was moved to tears for these talented young individuals and their families. They and their families have been a constant part of my prayers since receiving that email.

Satan has succeeded in attacking COR and the United Methodist Church. And, God is conficting me for my role in this matter — my prayer life. I don’t personally know these individuals, their families or their friends. My primary connection to them and to COR is via the Internet. That said, God is still saying I share in the  guilt.

On many occasions, I’ve heard a request to pray for my church and my pastor. Unfortunately, God would not give me a passing grade on my prayers for my church and pastor, nor for my prayers for COR and its pastors because I’m not consistent in those prayers. God is also telling me I’m failing in my prayers because I don’t pray for the assistant pastors of a church or for the young pastors throughout the denomination. Not only is God calling me to pray for these future leaders of our church, but to pray for them by name.

Lord, please forgive me for my haphazard prayer life. Please forgive me for my lack of spceific prayers on behalf of the young clergy. Lord, help me to become consistent in my prayers. Please, help me Lord, to remember all pastors but especially the young pastors in my prayers. Amen.

Killing Cockroaches to Embrace Change

I just got my copy of the book, Killing Cockroaches, by Tony Morgan. Although I haven’t thought of change as the need to kill cockroaches, I can see the connection as I read this book. In the section on Embracing Change, Morgan quotes Sir Francis Bacon,

“If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted.”

Thus, we have to kill those cockroaches before we can embrace change. Morgan goes on to state that God loves the fresh and the new. God shows us this love every spring as life begins to sprout anew to glorify God. God even tells us of his love in 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 wilderness
And streams in the wasteland.

Are we willing to embrace change?
Are we willing to let God show us something new and wonderful?

Notes for Young Clergy

Many young clergy in the United Methodist Church are taking action to renew the denomination. Part of that action is their 40 days of prayer campaign to coincide with the annual conferences. Another aspect of that action has been to host booths at annual conferences asking attendees to dream about the future of the denomination.

Although I haven’t visited one of their booths, I would like to add my thoughts to the discussion.

1. Keep faith centered on Jesus
2. Keep church centered on Jesus
3. Don’t compromise on 1 or 2
4. Teach us
   • Who God is
   • What God’s word says
   • What God expects of me
   • How to apply God’s word to my life
   • Importance of tithing
   • Importance of small group participation
   • Ways to pray — providing examples
   • Importance of daily scripture reading and reflection
5. Touch our hearts
   • show us the need for mission
   • show us the results of our missions
6. Do it all again – every year – because we tend to forget
7. Lose environment of competition
   • size of church doesn’t matter — all have strong / weak points and jealousy hinders sharing of ideas
8. Continue developing your network of clergy – it’s open, sharing and supportive of each other
9. Find joy wherever you are
   • realize that God has placed you in a position to do his work in that geographical area
   • be willing to do your best for as long as God wants you there
   • remember the grass is not greener elsewhere
10. Find a faith partner to encourage each other in faith and share challenges
11. Be open to teaching of others – both inside and outside of the denomination — look for ways to apply to own situation