Bible Challenge 06/26 - 07/02

Greetings All!

Our whole focus this week continues in the book of Job. There are several cycles of speeches between Job and his three friends in this book:

Cycle 1 (Chapters 3-11) - Job, Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job and Zophar
Cycle 2 (Chapters 12-20) - Job, Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job and Zophar
Cycle 3 (Chapters 21-31) - Job, Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job

Job's three friends never seem to waver from their belief that Job must have sinned to incite God's punishment. They continually berate him for refusing to confess his sins, even though they themselves are at a loss as to what Job has done wrong. In their theology, God always rewards good and punishes evil, with no exceptions. Job meanwhile maintains his innocence. He refuses to curse God or accuse God of injustice but wants an explanation as to why this is happening to him.

We get introduced to another person in chapters 3-37. Elihu almost takes a mediator's path - attempting to hold together an understanding of God's sovereign power and righteousness along with God's gracious mercy. He condemns the approach by Job's other three friends and argues that God's righteousness is being misrepresented and his loving character discredited. Elihu lifts up many of God's attributes: mighty, just, quick to warn and to forgive. He suggests that Job does need to repent - not from a particular sin - but from his arrogance in presuming to understand God.

When I read through the book of Job I realize that we still wrestle in today's society with these same issues - understanding evil and suffering and supposing to know how God operates. It's comforting in some part to realize that these are not new struggles. But they are definitely issues worth reflecting on.

Here is the schedule:

26, Sunday - Job 10-13

27, Monday - Job 14-17

28, Tuesday - Job 18-21

29, Wednesday - Job 22-25

30, Thursday - Job 26-29

1, Friday - Job 30-33

2, Saturday - Job 34-37

Be Blessed!

Who Is Your Father? – Joshua 24:14-18 and 19-24

Introduction
Today is father's day. That day we set aside every June to honor those men in our lives that have helped to mold us. Those men that have modeled for us, shown us, taken the time to teach us, what it means to be a grace filled people. A people that place the concerns of others above our own. A people that know the importance of respect for this earth, a respect for our actions, as well as a respect for other people. This is the day we recognize those men and say thank you.

This morning I want us to take time and reflect on how we can say thank you to our Heavenly Father as well. A Father that created us, a Father that yearns to be an intimate part of our lives, a Father that will lift us up no matter the situation. This morning I want to use the model of Joshua as we remember, remind and recommit to our Father in Heaven.

My Dad is the Best!
Three kids are in the schoolyard, bragging about their fathers. The first one says: "My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper ... calls it a poem ... and they give him fifty dollars." The second kid says: "That's nothing. My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper ... calls it a prescription ... and they give him a hundred dollars." Leading the third kid to say: "I've got you both beat. My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper ... calls it a sermon ... and it takes eight people to collect all the money."

There are all sorts of ways dads over the centuries have sought to provide for their families. In our Scripture lesson this morning we find one dad, Joshua, using a sense of reverse psychology to care for his tribe, his family. In order to accomplish that he urged them to do several things. First, he wanted them to remember.

Remember
Joshua begins by taking his people for a trip down memory lane. He gets them to remember all of the wonderful things God has done for them. Remember, these people are direct descendants of those rescued from Egypt. These are the sons and daughters of the Israelites that walked with Moses, that received the Ten Commandments, and that witnessed God's mighty power in warding off the Egyptian pursuit from Pharoah. This is the generation that will finally get to enter the Promised Land. In fact they are on Mount Nebo, actually looking into that land.

And Joshua wants them to enter into this land, thankful. Thankful for the lessons learned by their ancestors. Thankful for the provisions given to them by God. Thankful that God has never left their side and thankful that God's promise to them is about to be fulfilled.

As a tribute, Joshua wanted his people to remember, because by remembering they would see God at work within their lives. I can look back over my life and see those times I was blessed and those times I shut God out. I can see where God prospered me and I can see where I missed God's blessings. Here Joshua is charging his people to rid their lives of all idols, all practices, and anything else that does not bring them closer to God. He reminds them of how life went for those that did worship idols. He encourages them to remember why they are still wandering and not in the Promised Land. Joshua is setting the stage, preparing their hearts, for what they are about to do. For what God is about to do for them.

Today I invite you to be remember of all God has done for you in your life. For the blessings that you have. For the church family you are surrounded by today. For the ever present companion you have in the Holy Spirit. God is active in your life. Choose to allow God to be more active in the days ahead. Take the time to remember events in your life, to rediscover God's part in your life, to allow those revelations to draw you closer to the Father that loved you first.

Remind
Joshua also uses this opportunity to remind his people, and to encourage them to remind each other, that even though God has done a mighty work in the lives of their ancestors, that even though God has already done a mighty work in their lives, God is not finished yet.

Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:10-17, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." (NRSV)

Notice what Peter says, "I intend to keep on reminding you." That's part of our role as believers, to keep on reminding each other of all that God has done for us. This life can be very difficult at times. So much so that we wonder if God is there at all. If we are not truly alone. That is where your church family comes in. We are called to lift up one another, to support one another, to care for one another. The spirit for that, the ability to do that, comes from God. We can spend an endless amount of time recounting in Scripture all those places God cared for humanity. We can continue that by hearing testimony from each other about how God has cared for us in the book that is our lives.

But our mind is a funny thing. It can be selective in what it retains and recalls. Let us be a blessing to each other. Let us remind each other of God's love and presence though words to each other, prayers for each other, and signs of affection toward one another.

Recommit
As we take this day to remember all God has done for us; as we take this day to remind each other all the ways that God is still working in and through each of us; let us also use this day to recommit ourselves to our Father in Heaven.

When Joshua gathered the people of Israel, his purpose was to remind them who they are and how they got there. He called them to remember what God had done for them and then Joshua challenged them to recommit their lives by saying: "Choose this day whom you will serve."

Remembering and reminding made the recommitment easier. For when they remembered the promises of God and reminded themselves of all that God had accomplished in their lives, who they were and how they got there, their lives were filled with hope. It is easy to recommit when there is hope both for the present and the future.

Frederick Buechner wrote, "Hope stands up to its knees in the past and keeps its eyes on the future. There has never been a time past when God wasn't with us as the strength beyond our strength, the wisdom beyond our wisdom. To remember the past is to see that we are here today by grace, that we have survived as a gift."

That gift of grace, that gift of God's presence is what allows us and calls us and challenges us like Joshua to recommit our lives to God. In a sense, every time we come through these doors to worship, every time we bow our heads in prayer, every time we gather for fellowship, every time we help a stranger, offer forgiveness, or give a hand up we are recommitting ourselves once again.

Every time we gather to baptize an infant, youth or adult; every time someone joins the church and begins that journey of discipleship with us we recommit ourselves through the vows we all take. Your involvement is a sign of your recommitment.¹

Conclusion
Today is the day we set aside to honor our fathers. Our fathers have played an important role in each of our lives. Our fathers, those men that took the time to teach us, to instruct, to hold us accountable. Those men, whether they be biological fathers, church fathers, uncle fathers, or best friends borrowed fathers, we have all had them. But we also have all had our Heavenly Father. Today, remember God, remind yourself and each other of all God has done for you, and recommit yourself to God, basking in the hope that will be yours because of it. God is here, God is waiting, take time today to tell God how thankful you are for all God has done for you, both unrealized and obvious. Do this not out of obligation, but out of gratitude for the One that loved you first.


__________________
1. Strayhorn, Billy

Bible Challenge 06/19 - 06/25

Greetings All!

We pick up 5 chapters into Nehemiah this week and in the remainder of the book, we find Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, setting up guards along the wall and gates, taking a census of the people, having the law of Moses read to the people, leading the people in repenting for their sins and beginning a new covenant with God. After twelve years of hard work, Nehemiah returns to Susa. Later he comes back to Jerusalem and finds that the people have backslid in his absence. So he takes measure to enforce his earlier reforms and asks for God's favor.

Next, we turn to another book of the exile, Esther. The book of Esther is interesting because while the name of God is never explicitly mentioned in the book, God's action is certainly implied. Esther is a Jewish woman living in exile in Persia. When the Persian king Xerses banishes his wife, a contest starts to seek a new queen. Esther is one of the women presented and ultimately Xerses' choice. Tensions arise between Xerses' right hand man Haaman and Esther's uncle Mordecai until the life of all Jews are threatened. My favorite part of the book is Mordecai's question to Esther which spurs her to take a risk: "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"(Esther 4:14) You have to read it to find out what happens next.

And that brings us to Job. Out of the history books and into the books of poetry. Job is actually the first book of poetry. In Jewish tradition, Job is understood to be the grandson of Abraham's brother. So chronologically we are going way back into the history of Israel. The book of Job appears to have been written to address the problem of evil and why the righteous suffer. The first two chapters act as a prologue to set the scene and then we move into cycles of speeches between Job and three friends.

It's a lot of territory covered this week. I pray you enjoy the history of Nehemiah and Esther. I also encourage you to hold on to what you know to be true about God's nature as you begin to explore the book of Job at week's end.

Here is the schedule:

19, Sunday - Nehemiah 5-8

20, Monday - Nehemiah 9-12

21, Tuesday - Nehemiah 13 - Esther 3

22, Wednesday - Esther 4-7

23, Thursday - Esther 8 - Job 1

24, Friday - Job 2-5

25, Saturday - Job 6-9

Be Blessed!

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - I want to invite you to join us, this Sunday at 10:30am, as we celebrate Father's Day together. Our sermon will focus on the importance of always looking to our Heavenly Father and how to remember, remind, and recommit ourselves to God. We will use the example of Joshua as our model. Invite and friend and I look forward to seeing all of you there.


2. Church Website - I am happy to announce the redesigned website for the church is up and running. I encourage you to take a tour of it and see all that it has to offer. We have menus across the top for our various fellowship, community outreach, and ministry areas. There are also links to the church calendar, the pastor's blog and even a place for the weekly bulletin and monthly newsletter. One great feature is the news feed that runs down the left hand side where we can update the news of the church instantly.

The address is http://www.druidhillsocala.org. I hope you enjoy it and find it informative. Bookmark it and visit often!


3. Spring Storms - Recently this country has been hit with a number of devastating and deadly storms. People have lost their homes, their lives have been turned upside down, and loved ones have died as a result. As United Methodists we have an arm of our denomination called UMCOR, United Methodist Committee on Relief. This organization puts people on the ground in these affected areas to lend assistance and bring hope.

One way we here at Druid Hills can help these people affected by these storms is to pray first and foremost. Another way we can help is to donate financially to UMCOR. UMCOR put out a release outlining several ways we can help.

Contribute to the Joplin Disaster Relief Fund

Donations received will primarily go to help the congregations, people and families affected. The Missouri Conference has established a fund to receive monies into the Disaster Response account #7465. Simply mark you check, Joplin Disaster Relief Fund #7465, and we will take care of the rest.

Contribute to the UMCOR Spring Storms

These funds help the communities affected by the Joplin tornado, the Alabama storms, and the flooding of the Mississippi. To donate to this fund mark your check, UMCOR Spring Storms #3021326, and we will take care of the rest.

Watch and Share Bishop Schnase's Appeal to our churches across America

Bishop Robert Schnase shares few words of encouragement and appeals to the churches in Missouri and across our country. Click here to watch his Joplin Relief fund appeal as well as his appeal for the UMCOR Spring Storms fund.

Please be in prayer for these people as they move through this time of grief, devastation, and loss.


4. GoodSearch - Here's a new easy way to raise money for our church. Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to our church every time you do a search!

In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 2,000 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the church. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to us!

Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

And if you download the GoodSearch – Druid Hills United Methodist Church toolbar, our church will earn money every time you shop and search online - even if you forget to go to GoodShop or GoodSearch first! Add the Druid Hills United Methodist Church toolbar by clicking here. 


5. YMCA Youth Camp – Summer day camp for the Marion County YMCA began this past Monday, June 13th, and will run through August 19th, from 6am - 6pm.  This is a wonderful chance for us to open our doors to the children of Marion County.  Thus far it has been a blast!  If you have not had a chance yet go back can checkout my Midweek Moment for my reflections about how it has been going.  I ask that you be in prayer for this camp, the children, the counselors, and our church, that we can be a beacon of love, hope, and encouragement, and that God can use this opportunity to do mighty things within all the people involved.  This is such a great opportunity and we are truly blessed to be able to be a part of it.

Have an incredible weekend and see you Sunday!

Midweek Moment - Can you hear that?

How often you stop and listen? Not for anything specific, but just listen to see what you can hear. It is amazing what you notice when you just sit and open yourself up.

Right now, I am sitting here in the church office listening. I am listening to the sounds of children playing. I can hear them laughing. I can hear them meeting new friends. I can hear the excitement in their voices at what this summer may bring. They are truly having a grand time!

The YMCA Summer Day-Camp started this week and we have about 140 children using this campus. Out of my back window I can hear the subdued talking of some very introspective youth sitting under the oak trees in the southwest corner. I can hear another group catching their breath in the shade by our picnic tables, after a very active and exciting time on the playground.

Earlier today, as I walked by the education building, I could hear the conversations of one group, during their enrichment time, talking about the five YMCA core values; honesty, caring, respect, responsibility, and faith. Yet another group I could hear in the big room on the end of the educational building cutting paper and making ghost noises as they constructed masks during their arts and crafts time.

In the kitchen, I can hear the Marion County Food Service staff members actively getting ready to serve a hot lunch for these kids and any other child of Marion County. Over the sounds of their preparation, I can hear them laughing and enjoying being here for the children.

This whole campus is magnificently filled with activity, enthusiasm, excitement, and joy.

As I witness all of this I cannot help but feel the working and movement of the Holy Spirit here in our midst. This feeling is coursing through me and the goose bumps are running up and down my arms! Do you remember during worship on Sunday who I told you was responsible during those times when you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up or the goose bumps on your arms grow? If you need some reminding it starts with Holy and ends with Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT!

I could easily allow myself to get so busy with the work here at the church, or the thoughts of the visitations I would like to do, or the task of completing my ordination paperwork, and totally overlook what is happening. How sad would that be! Or, I can take time to notice God at work.

At my home I have a wall of pictures from the trip Debbie and I took to the Holy Land. These pictures speak to us about God's work in humanity. We felt an incredibly strong connection to God over there. It was like that veil between Heaven and Earth was very thin during our time there. At the top of the wall, above those pictures, are the words from Psalm 46:10, Be still and know that I am God.

So I encourage you all to take time and be still. Be still and listen. Listen openly. Listen expectantly. Listen closely. God is at work. All we need to do is take time to notice and when you do...I guarantee you will be in awe!

Have a great week and see you Sunday!

The Three in One: Holy Spirit – Acts 2:1-13 and 14-21

Introduction
This week we are going to conclude our preaching series focusing on our understanding of the nature and being of our Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Who are they? How do you describe them? Is our understanding of them accurate and theologically correct? We began this series by looking at God as we explored ways to express our belief in God, talk about God, and who do we understand God to be. Next, we moved to Jesus Christ as we sought to understand the bond between Jesus and God, what is the relationship between Jesus and humanity, and how we as disciples of Christ can articulate those bonds to others. Today we will turn our focus towards the third person of the Triune God as we seek to understand not only the nature of the Holy Spirit, but how we as United Methodists articulate that nature and how the Holy Spirit works in our lives today.

Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Advocate...which is right? Is the Holy Spirit more than just our conscience? Do we talk about the Holy Spirit too much or not enough? Is the Holy Spirit really a benefit to us as believers? Why does there need to be a Holy Spirit at all?

All of these questions have been asked and pondered by people for centuries and continue even today. By asking these questions we are seeking to better understand all aspects of the Holy Spirit. So first let us take a look at the name. The Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Advocate...which is right?

Going back to the original text and the original language, “the Old Testament uses the Hebrew word ruah for the Spirit; that word means 'breath'. The New Testament uses the Greek word pnuema for the Spirit; that word means 'wind'. These root words remind us that that Holy Spirit is as essential as breathing and the Holy Spirit moves as freely as the breezes.”¹

And this is exactly how we are introduced to the Holy Spirit in our Scripture lesson this morning. Listen again, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:1-4 NRSV).

The Holy Spirit came like a wind, pneuma, moving easily and freely. And I think God sent the Holy Spirit in this way for two reasons. One, was to shake things up a bit and to reassure and inspire the early church. This helped to create a feeling of excitement, something they had lacked lately, considering everything they all just been through. Remember these people were mourning, not only the incredible loss of their master, but the betrayal of one of their own, Judas. They had just gone through the emotional roller coaster of watching their master, beaten, crucified, and buried, as well as, continuing to have interactions with him after his death and before his ascension. This had to create a whole cornucopia of feelings within each of them. Then they watch their master ascend into Heaven, leaving them alone. Yes, Jesus had promised them that the Holy Spirit would be coming, “not many days from now”, but considering all they had just been through I would not be surprised if there was some modicum of doubt within at least a few of them. All of this is in addition to them going through the process of replacing Judas, by adding Mathias to their group. If this is not an incredible series of ups and downs I do not know what is.

Then we arrive at the festival of Pentecost. It is named from the Greek word meaning "fiftieth," because it was (and still is) celebrated beginning fifty days after the Sabbath following Passover. This is also the day of the giving of the Torah, fifty days after the original Passover caused Pharoah to let the Hebrew people leave Egypt.

Now from Jesus' death up until this point, the early church was secluded, hidden in homes and safe houses. God needed and desired to have his church public and open, available to all people. So here is reason two for the Holy Spirit coming to us like the rush of a violent wind. When this occurred a festival was happening. People from all over the land were in Jerusalem. Remember, just before his ascension, Jesus told his followers to be his witness, “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NRSV). This was their chance to be witnesses to all the world and they did not even have to leave Jerusalem!

Everyone was gathered to worship and pay homage to God and here comes these divided tongues, as of fire, that rest on the believers. They begin to speak in all sorts of different languages, and the people gathered understand. Each member of this diverse gathering recognizes their native language and all are amazed. Now some immediately begin to debunk this saying they were drunk. But Peter does not let that reason gain any traction, instantly telling the crowd that it is only 9am and they could not possibly be drunk. Peter does not want the significance of this phenomenon to be missed or devalued. He wants everyone to know that the Holy Spirit has arrived, that the Helper, the Advocate is here and things are about to change!

So What Is Really Going to Change?
What is about to change? I am so glad you asked! In a word...everything. Up to this point your relationship with God was based on rules, sacrifices, and a merit vs. consequence type of system. I do not believe that was God's ultimate desire but it was what humanity could understand. Now things have changed. God has come manifest in the form of Jesus. Jesus has taught us first hand what it means to love God, follow God, and be God to others. Jesus has modeled for us what true love really looks like; in life through his actions and in death through his crucifixion. Humanity has now had a taste of having God be a dynamic part of their life. We were introduced to a new way of experiencing God and it was working much better than the previous plan. Remember, God can only reveal to us what we allow ourselves to understand and that is the window in which the Holy Spirit will change everything. God will now use the Holy Spirit to move within us and through us. The Holy Spirit will be that connection to God and Jesus Christ. We will have an always on connection to the love, grace, and mercy that is our Triune God.

This means that we will experience a new type of intimacy with God in life and worship. We will have a tangible presence that will allow us to feel more deeply, be changed more significantly, and understand more broadly. Each and every Sunday morning I pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell within this place with us. These are not just fancy words that sound nice together or me filling some pastoral obligation. This is us as the family of God asking, yearning, and waiting with baited breath, for the presence of God. The Holy Spirit is the doorway by which we have an experience of God in worship. Those times you feel the hair rising on the back of your neck, the goose bumps growing on your arms, or you feel your heart strangely warmed...that is the Holy Spirit. That is God your Father reaching out to you, moving you, transforming you, revealing to you that God is here. That is the Holy Spirit!

Now What?
Based on that understanding of the nature and action of the Holy Spirit, our next step is to figure out a way in which we can articulate those feelings and understandings to others.

I am going to come at this from the perspective of what we as United Methodists believe. So first, how do we describe the Holy Spirit? Going back to our Book of Discipline, we describe the person of the Holy Spirit like this,

“We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from and is one in being
with the Father and the Son. He convinces the world of sin, of
righteousness and of judgment. He leads men through faithful response
to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. He comforts, sustains and
empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth”²

As United Methodists we believe that the Holy Spirit does indeed proceed from both the Father and the Son. We also believe that the Holy Spirit is responsible for a great many things in the life of a believer and disciple of Jesus Christ.

We believe the Holy Spirit to be important for many reasons. One reason is because of the assurance provided by the Holy Spirit. And that is a major tenet of our United Methodist theology. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that “the teaching of assurance was 'one grand part of the testimony which God has given [the Methodists] to bear to all humankind.”³ We can have supreme confidence in the life, action, and work of God because of the assurance given to us by the Holy Spirit. When John Wesley rediscovered his faith, on Aldersgate Street after hearing a sermon on Romans, and his heart was strangely warmed, that was the Holy Spirit. Giving John the confidence that he was called by God and that God did have a plan for his life.

But the Holy Spirit is much more! The Holy Spirit gives us:

• faith (1 Corinthians 12:3),

• moves us toward sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13),

• gives unity to the church (Ephesians 4:3-4),

•  gives us hope for a good tomorrow (Romans 8:16-17),  

• and even prays our prayers (Romans 8:26-27).

As United Methodists we place such an enormous amount of significance on the Holy Spirit that the Spirit is referenced in our Baptism, Celebrations of Communion, our Service for Confirmation and Profession of Faith, and our Ordination of Elders liturgies. This is because we believe to the Holy Spirit to be active and at work within the church.

The Holy Spirit is also at work beyond the church. Providing gifts, spiritual gifts, so that we may accomplish the task set before us as ambassadors of God Holy Kingdom. Gifts such as:

• wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation (1 Corinthians 12)

• ministry, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, showing compassion (Romans 12)

•  as well as raising up apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors (Ephesians 4).

These gifts are meant for good and can be discovered through affirmation, prayer, discernment, and spiritual gift inventories. And when used as intended bear fruit...good fruit...like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Conclusion
Our lives would be very, very different if were not for the Holy Spirit. We enjoy a wonderful connection to the Father and the Son because of the Holy Spirit. Gregory of Nazianzus wrote a wonderful description of the Holy Spirit.

The deity of the Holy Spirit ought to be clearly recognized in
Scripture. Look at these facts: Christ is born; the Spirit is His forerunner.
Christ is baptized; the Spirit bears witness. Christ is tempted; the Spirit
leads Him up. Christ ascends; the Spirit takes His place. What great things
are there in the character of God which are not found in the Spirit? What
titles which belong to God are not also applied to Him? He is called the
Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the mind of Christ, the Spirit of the
Lord, the Spirit of adoption, of truth, of liberty; the Spirit of wisdom,
of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, of godliness, of the
fear of God. This only begins to show how unlimited He is.

The Holy Spirit is a key part of our lives with Christ. And the best way I know to unlock the power of the Holy Spirit is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, our challenge, is to take all of the dirt and debris in our lives, sin, ego, pride, selfishness, hate, and anything else that separates us from God, and replace it with the Holy Spirit. Allow those destructive things to flow away. Be filled with the breath and wind of God, be filled with the Holy Spirit and transform this world!

__________________
1. Joyner, F. Belton. United Methodist Questions, United Methodist Answers. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007), p 18.

2. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2008. p 67.

3. Works, Volume 1. p 208.

Bible Challenge 06/12 - 06/18

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the history of the kings of Judah to the time of exile, with the final chapters of II Chronicles. There are just three history books left before turning to the books of poetry. And actually the books of Ezra and Nehemiah used to be one book in the Hebrew Bible before being separated. Both of the books deal with the return of the Israelites from captivity in Babylon.

The Book of Ezra consists of ten chapters. Chapters 1-6 cover the period from the decree of Cyrus the Great allowing the first return of exiles (about 538BC) to the completion and dedication of the new temple in Jerusalem (about 515BC). This part of the book is largely told in third person, as if someone is retelling what has been told to them. But chapters 7-10 are largely told in third person (presumably by Ezra himself), dealing with his mission to Jerusalem (about 465BC) and his struggle to purify the Jews from their inter-marriage with non-Jews. Nehemiah comes along about 20 years later. He is the cupbearer to King Artaxerses of Cyrus and is sent to help build up the wall around the city of Jerusalem and reform the people according to the law of Moses.

We can see God working things out among his people for a return after the exile..... prompting the leaders of foreign nations to help rebuild Jerusalem and provide native leaders for oversight. It echos the truth of what Paul wrote centuries later in Romans 8:31: "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Here is the schedule:

12, Sunday - II Chronicles 22-25

13, Monday - II Chronicles 26-29

14, Tuesday - II Chronicles 30-34

15, Wednesday - II Chronicles 35 - Ezra 2

16, Thursday - Ezra 3-6

17, Friday - Ezra 7-10

18, Saturday - Nehemiah 1-4

May you be blessed and encouraged as you spend time in God's Word!

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - I want to invite you to join us, this Sunday at 10:30am, as we conclude our preaching series, The Three in One, focusing on how we as believers can articulate to others our beliefs and understandings of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This week we will look to the Third person of our Triune God, the Holy Spirit, 

as we seek to understand not only the nature of the Holy Spirit, but how we as United Methodists articulate that nature and how the Holy Spirit works in our lives today.  Invite and friend and I look forward to seeing all of you there.

2. Church Website - I am happy to announce the redesigned website for the church is up and running. I encourage you to take a tour of it and see all that it has to offer. We have menus across the top for our various fellowship, community outreach, and ministry areas. There are also links to the church calendar, the pastor's blog and even a place for the weekly bulletin and monthly newsletter.

One great feature is the news feed that runs down the left hand side where we can update the news of the church instantly. 

The address is http://www.druidhillsocala.org.  I hope you enjoy it and find it informative.  Bookmark it and visit often!

3. Spring Storms - Recently this country has been hit with a number of devastating and deadly storms.  People have lost their homes, their lives have been turned upside down, and loved ones have died as a result.  As United Methodists we have an arm of our denomination called UMCOR, United Methodist Committee on Relief.  This organization puts people on the ground in these affected areas to lend assistance and bring hope.

One way we here at Druid Hills can help these people affected by these storms is to pray first and foremost.  Another way we can help is to donate financially to UMCOR.  UMCOR put out a release outlining several ways we can help.

• Contribute to the Joplin Disaster Relief Fund

Donations received will primarily go to help the congregations, people and families affected.  The Missouri Conference has established a fund to receive monies into the Disaster Response account #7465.  Simply mark you check, Joplin Disaster Relief Fund #7465, and we will take care of the rest.

• Contribute to the UMCOR Spring Storms

These funds help the communities affected by the Joplin tornado, the Alabama storms, and the flooding of the Mississippi.  To donate to this fund mark your check, UMCOR Spring Storms #3021326, and we will take care of the rest.

• Watch and Share Bishop Schnase's Appeal to our churches across America

Bishop Robert Schnase shares few words of encouragement and appeals to the churches in Missouri and across our country. Click here to watch his Joplin Relief fund appeal as well as his appeal for the UMCOR Spring Storms fund.

Please be in prayer for these people as they move through this time of grief, devastation, and loss.

4. GoodSearch - Here's a new easy way to raise money for our church. Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to our church every time you do a search!

In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 2,000 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the church. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to us!

Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

And if you download the GoodSearch – Druid Hills United Methodist Church toolbar, our church will earn money every time you shop and search online - even if you forget to go to GoodShop or GoodSearch first! Add the Druid Hills United Methodist Church toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/druid-hills-united-methodist-church



5. YMCA Youth Camp – This month in our church newsletter I announced the blessing we have in hosting the summer day camp for the Marion County YMCA this year.  Beginning this Monday, June 13th, and running through August 19th, from 6am - 6pm, we will open our doors to the children of Marion County.  I ask that you be in prayer for this camp, the children, the counselors, and our church, that we can be a beacon of love, hope, and encouragement, and that God can use this opportunity to do mighty things within all the people involved.  This is such a great opportunity and we are truly blessed to be able to be a part of it.





Have an incredible weekend and see you Sunday!