Bible Challenge 06/29 - 07/05

Greetings All!

This week we are finishing up the book of Job and beginning the first few chapters of Psalms.

Finally we hear God's response to everything that has come before with Job. And just as Jesus in the New Testament always answers a question with a question or a parable, God asks a series of rhetorical questions of Job designed to remind Job of God's sovereignty in creating and maintaining the world. The basic idea is that God has experiences and understanding that Job does not. Humbled by God's response, Job is speechless, then repents of his previous demands for justice and we are given the epilogue to the story in Job 42, in which God condemns Job's friends for their ignorance and lack of understanding and then sets about restoring Job's health, wealth and family.

Next it's on to Psalms.....the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters. We'll cover the first 6 Psalms this week. The entire book is attributed to King David although some of the later Psalms may have actually been written years later during the exile. From the notations in the text, we see that many of the Psalms were actually hymns to be sung to familiar tunes of the time. And we see the range of human emotion portrayed throughout the book, with many songs of thanksgiving and celebration and many psalms of lament and pain. In Jewish tradition, the Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, each closing with a doxology or benediction. The first book comprises the first 41 Psalms, most of which are ascribed directly to David (except 1, 2, 10 and 33) and this is presumed to be the oldest section of the book.

Here is the schedule:

29, Sunday: Job 21-24

30, Monday: Job 25-28

01, Tuesday: Job 29-32

02, Wednesday: Job 33-36

03, Thursday: Job 37-40

04, Friday: Job 41 - Psalm 2

05, Saturday: Psalm 3-6


May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Sermon Series - We are in the midst of our preaching series entitled, Jargon Unchained. If you have spent any time in a church, specifically a United Methodist Church you know we have jargon. We have those words that mean a great deal to us, its members, but to visitors and people new to the faith these words may not hold much meaning. So over the next several weeks we are going to take some of our more important pieces of jargon and we are going to explore them and unpack them, as we seek to better understand what they can mean in our lives. If you would like to peak ahead, you can click here for the sermon schedule. Invite a friend and I hope to see you all there!





2. Quarter Buckets - We have been very successful over the years in meeting our pledge for the United Methodist Children's Home thanks to the generosity of our Quarter Buckets. Consistently we have exceeded the goal set out for us. However, we are beginning to see a challenge in meeting our goal to provide scholarships for our young people to go to summer camp in Leesburg. While we have met the obligation for those that have already expressed interest this year, as of now we do not have enough funds for next year. Therefore, the leadership has moved that we use part of the money raised in our quarter buckets to go to our camp fund. Beginning this month, the monies raised in the buckets on the first, third, and fifth Sundays will go to the Children's Home and the monies raised on the second and fourth Sundays will go to the camp fund. Also, as it has always been, the money collected during the fellowship lunch each week will continue to be used in the camp fund. Thank you in advance for your continued support of our children's ministry programs.





3. Advent Challenge - This June I issued another Advent Challenge for 2014. Last year's was so incredibly successful and so many lives were touched by this act of generosity, the leadership of the church wanted to do it again this year. Once again our goal between now and Christmas Eve is to raise $5,000 to be split between a local and global charity. Of our goal, $2,900 will go to our global charity, Stop Hunger Now, as we strive to host another meal packaging event to help those children around the world that are suffering from malnourishment. The other $2,100 will go to our local mission, a Church Has Left the Building event, scheduled for early 2015. Please prayerfully consider how you might give, above and beyond your normal giving, to support this challenge so we may reach out and share the love of Christ with other people. If you want more information about this challenge, including updates for how much you have raised, please click here.

Free Fundraising Thermometer by:
Visit Easy Fundraising Ideas

4. Pastor Debbie - I am excited to be able to tell you that this Sunday, June 29th, we will engage in our Fifth Sunday pulpit swap with Belleview UMC. I invite you to come hear the gentle spirit and inspired wisdom of Pastor Debbie as she continues with our series Jargon Unchained.


I am confident that you will be blessed and transformed as you experience the Holy Spirit through her. Invite a friend and come be a part of movement of the Holy Spirit.








5. Sound Booth - We are in need of a few volunteers to help out in the sound booth on Sunday mornings. If you are interested in volunteering to help us run this vital part of worship, please let us know by calling the church office, 629-5688, emailing the office by clicking here, or signing up at the Connection Station. You do not need to have any prior knowledge of sound equipment, we will train you. It is not very difficult at all, we just need a few people willing to lend their time. Thanks!



Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

Today, June 24th, holds great significance for me and my family. Today is our first Forever Family Day. Today is the day we celebrate one year with our beloved Davis. One year as a family of five and what a year it has been.

We first fell in love with this face in the fall of 2012.

Our love grew with the subsequent pictures and updates we received.

Then a year ago today we walked into a very nondescript office building in Guangzhou, China in the afternoon as a family of four, along with our own personal camera crew of two wonderful grandparents! And in the most surreal experience of our lives, we met Davis inside for the first time and walked back outside a couple of hours later with him as a family of five.

There really are no adequate words to describe the journey that has taken place since then. It has been a joy for Debbie and I to watch Davis' attachment to our family, to see his personality grow and shine forth, to watch him play and laugh with his brothers, to have a front row seat as he experiences so many firsts, to see him figure out language and numbers and colors and shapes, to watch him charm people everywhere he goes (school, church, the ball field, the grocery store, restaurants and more), to see him develop obsessions with Mickey Mouse, Jake the Pirate and Spiderman.

Besides the joy of watching Davis adapt and grow, this adoption journey has changed Daryl and I, as well as Parker and Wesley in profound ways, not the least of which has been a more deeply centered relationship with God. We stepped out in faith to answer a calling we felt God had placed in our hearts. And God demonstrated overwhelming grace and faithfulness repeatedly in our journey toward Davis and in every day since.

I am still in complete and total awe at how this story has played out so far. I still shake when I think about the mountains God moved to bring this young little boy into our lives. I still feel my heart race when I think about how easily his transition has been and how openly each of you has accepted him. Every time I look at Davis I am reminded of the wonderful and powerful might of our God to love, reach out, and order aspects of this world so God’s grace may be felt.

In some ways this has been both the shortest and longest year of our lives. Short in the sense that it still seems like yesterday when we met him; long in the sense that Davis' presence in our family feels so right it is hard to remember he hasn't been with us for every day of his almost 4 years of life.

I want to encourage each of you to claim those things God has in store for your life. Step out in faith, trust in God, follow Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit. God is alive and is still doing wonderful things for the Kingdom and God has something in store for you!!

Have a great week!

Jargon Unchained: RedemptionI Peter 2:6-10 and Psalms 130

Bible Challenge 06/22 - 06/28

Greetings All!

This week we are finishing up the book of Esther and beginning a journey through the book of Job.

This marks a shift from the books of history and now we enter the books of poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Eccelesiastes). 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 friends.

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:

22, Sunday: Esther 3-6

23, Monday: Esther 7-10

24, Tuesday: Job 1-4

25, Wednesday: Job 5-8

26, Thursday: Job 9-12

27, Friday: Job 13-16

28, Saturday: Job 17-20

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Sermon Series - We are in the midst of our preaching series entitled, Jargon Unchained. If you have spent any time in a church, specifically a United Methodist Church you know we have jargon. We have those words that mean a great deal to us, its members, but to visitors and people new to the faith these words may not hold much meaning. So over the next several weeks we are going to take some of our more important pieces of jargon and we are going to explore them and unpack them, as we seek to better understand what they can mean in our lives. If you would like to peak ahead, you can click here for the sermon schedule. Invite a friend and I hope to see you all there!





2. Quarter Buckets - We have been very successful over the years in meeting our pledge for the United Methodist Children's Home thanks to the generosity of our Quarter Buckets. Consistently we have exceeded the goal set out for us. However, we are beginning to see a challenge in meeting our goal to provide scholarships for our young people to go to summer camp in Leesburg. While we have met the obligation for those that have already expressed interest this year, as of now we do not have enough funds for next year. Therefore, the leadership has moved that we use part of the money raised in our quarter buckets to go to our camp fund. Beginning this month, the monies raised in the buckets on the first, third, and fifth Sundays will go to the Children's Home and the monies raised on the second and fourth Sundays will go to the camp fund. Also, as it has always been, the money collected during the fellowship lunch each week will continue to be used in the camp fund. Thank you in advance for your continued support of our children's ministry programs.





3. Advent Challenge - This June I issued another Advent Challenge for 2014. Last year's was so incredibly successful and so many lives were touched by this act of generosity, the leadership of the church wanted to do it again this year. Once again our goal between now and Christmas Eve is to raise $5,000 to be split between a local and global charity. Of our goal, $2,900 will go to our global charity, Stop Hunger Now, as we strive to host another meal packaging event to help those children around the world that are suffering from malnourishment. The other $2,100 will go to our local mission, a Church Has Left the Building event, scheduled for early 2015. Please prayerfully consider how you might give, above and beyond your normal giving, to support this challenge so we may reach out and share the love of Christ with other people. If you want more information about this challenge, including updates for how much you have raised, please click here.

Free Fundraising Thermometer by:
Visit Easy Fundraising Ideas

4. Pastor Debbie - I am excited to be able to tell you that Sunday, June 29th, we will engage in our Fifth Sunday pulpit swap with Belleview UMC. I invite you to come hear the gentle spirit and inspired wisdom of Pastor Debbie as she continues with our series Jargon Unchained.

I am confident that you will be blessed and transformed as you experience the Holy Spirit through her. Invite a friend and come be a part of movement of the Holy Spirit.





5. Sound Booth - We are in need of a few volunteers to help out in the sound booth on Sunday mornings. If you are interested in volunteering to help us run this vital part of worship, please let us know by calling the church office, 629-5688, emailing the office by clicking here, or signing up at the Connection Station. You do not need to have any prior knowledge of sound equipment, we will train you. It is not very difficult at all, we just need a few people willing to lend their time. Thanks!





Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

This past week I spent in Lakeland at our Annual Conference gathering. This is always a great time for me for several reasons. I get to see those colleagues and friends that I only see this one time a year. Over the last two years, as our Bishop has reorganized Annual Conference, I get to hear from other churches and ministries about how the power of the Holy Spirit has moved through our Annual Conference. Then in this most recent gathering, the service of Licensing, Commissioning, and Ordination took on new meaning for me due to my role on the District Committee on Ordained Ministry. I got to celebrate with those candidates I have walked with on their ministry journeys as they reached, or got one step closer, to full connection through ordination.

It is such an awesome time at Annual Conference because you can see the power of our connection at work. As we live out our faith here at Druid Hills UMC, sometimes the trees can get a bit thick. We can get so consumed with what we are doing and how things are growing; we can lose sight of how much God is doing all over our great Conference and this time of gathering helps to remind me of God’s power and allows me to see the Holy Spirit at work.

Last week, I was privileged to sit with people and hear how through struggles, through prayer and perseverance they were experiencing the same movement of the Holy Spirit that we are experiencing here. To hear those stories was an awesome confirmation of our connection with one another and together we can accomplish some pretty incredible things for the Kingdom of God.

I love this church and I love the United Methodist Church. So folks, I want to ask you to join me in praying for our denomination over the coming years. We are facing some serious issues as General Conference nears in 2016. We have people that are searching for God, for God’s grace, and God’s divine leadership as we forge ahead into the future. The best way I know to experience God is through the discipline of prayer; so please join me in praying for our church and its leaders as we grow and walk with one another, together in the United Methodist Church.

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday,

Jargon Unchained: GraceII Corinthians 12:8-10 and Ephesians 2:1-10

Bible Challenge 06/15 - 06/21

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the book of II Chronicles, read our way through both Ezra and Nehemiah and begin the book of Esther.

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 is about 20 years after Ezra. 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. The first part of the book is all hard work - 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 Jersualem 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)

I love how we 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 reminds me of 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:

15, Sunday: II Chronicles 34 - Ezra 1

16, Monday: Ezra 2-5

17, Tuesday: Ezra 6-9

18, Wednesday: Ezra 10 - Nehemiah 3

19, Thursday: Nehemiah 4-7

20, Friday: Nehemiah 8-11

21, Saturday: Nehemiah 12 - Esther 2

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

 

Friday Fives

1. Sermon Series - This Sunday we will begin a new preaching series entitled, Jargon Unchained. If you have spent any time in a church, specifically a United Methodist Church you know we have jargon. We have those words that mean a great deal to us, its members, but to visitors and people new to the faith these words may not hold much meaning. So over the next several weeks we are going to take some of our more important pieces of jargon and we are going to explore them, unpack them, as we seek to better understand what they can mean in our lives. If you would like to peak ahead, you can click here for the sermon schedule. Invite a friend and I hope to see you all there!





2. Quarter Buckets - We have been very successful over the years in meeting our pledge for the United Methodist Children's Home thanks to the generosity of our Quarter Buckets. Consistently we have exceeded the goal set out for us. However, we are beginning to see a challenge in meeting our goal to provide scholarships for our young people to go to summer camp in Leesburg. While we have met the obligation for those that have already expressed interest this year, as of now we do not have enough funds for next year. Therefore, the leadership has moved that we use part of the money raised in our quarter buckets to go to our camp fund. Beginning this month, the monies raised in the buckets on the first, third, and fifth Sundays will go to the Children's Home and the monies raised on the second and fourth Sundays will go to the camp fund. Also, as it has always been, the money collected during the fellowship lunch each week will continue to be used in the camp fund. Thank you in advance for your continued support of our children's ministry programs.





3. Advent Challenge - This past Sunday I issued another Advent Challenge for 2014. Last year's was so incredibly successful and so many lives were touched by this act of generosity, the leadership of the church wanted to do it again this year. Once again our goal between now and Christmas Eve is $5,000 to be split between a local and global charity. Of our goal, $2,900 will go to our global charity, Stop Hunger Now, as we strive to host another meal packaging event to help those children around the world that are suffering from malnourishment. The other $2,100 will go to our local mission, a Church Has Left the Building event, scheduled for early 2015. Please prayerfully consider how you might give, above and beyond your normal giving, to support this challenge so we may reach out the share the love of Christ with other people.





4. New Member Class - This Sunday, June 15th at 12:45 P.M., I will host a new member class in my office. If you have been attending Druid Hills for at least three months and would like to take that next step in becoming a member of this church, this class is for you! To register for this class, either call the church office at 629-5688, or email the office by clicking here. This is a one time session where we get together to discuss what it means to be a United Methodist, what it means to be a member of Druid Hills UMC, and offer you a little background on the history of this church. If this interests you, I hope you will make plans to attend.





5. Sound Booth - We are in need of a few volunteers to help out in the sound booth on Sunday mornings. If you are interested in volunteering to help us run this vital part of worship, please let us know by calling the church office, 629-5688, emailing the office by clicking here, or signing up at the Connection Station. You do not need to have any prior knowledge of sound equipment, we will train you. It is not very difficult at all, we just need a few people willing to lend their time. Thanks!





Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!

Are We a "2" or a "5"?Acts 5:1-4 and Acts 2:42-47

Bible Challenge 06/08 - 06/14

Greetings All!

This week we continue on our journey through the book of II Chronicles. Chapters 6-9 concern themselves with Solomon's reign as king. Israel splits into two nations after his reign - Judah in the south with Jerusalem as its capital and Israel in the north with Samaria as its capital. Most of the rest of II Chronicles is concerned with the history of the kings of Judah with occasional references to the kingdom of Israel. In the last chapter, Judah is destroyed and the people taken into exile in Babylon. In the final verses, the Persian king Cyrus conquers Babylon and authorizes the restoration of Solomon's temple and apparently the return of the exiles, approximately 50 years after they were taken away.

08, Sunday: II Chronicles 6-9

09, Monday: II Chronicles 10-13

10, Tuesday: II Chronicles 14-17

11, Wednesday: II Chronicles 18-21

12, Thursday: II Chronicles 22-25

13, Friday: II Chronicles 26-29

14, Saturday: II Chronicles 30-33

May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

 

Friday Fives

1. Sermon Series - This Sunday is Pentecost, the day we commemorate the Holy Spirit coming and descending upon the early believers. We will spend our time this week looking at how several people reacted to the presence of the Advocate and what impact that had on their lives. I pray you will find this time formative as it deepens your walk with the Lord. We are also asking that everyone wear red or white as we participate in Pentecost together. Invite a friend and I hope to see you all there!





2. Annual Conference - June 11th-14th this year we will convene in Lakeland to conduct the business of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. This will be a time of reflection, worship, thanksgiving, and discernment. I would ask that you would be in prayer for the people that are involved that we will be open the movement of the Holy Spirit and go as we are lead. This is an important time in the life of our church and having it steeped in a foundation of prayer will be vitally important.





3. 2014 Annual Conference Bishop's Offering - Every year the Bishop collects and offering at Annual Conference to help with our mission and ministry to the world. The year the offering will strengthen efforts to engage young adults in the mission of God and develop leadership skills both here and in Africa. Half of the donations will go toward scholarships for students at Africa University in Zimbabwe and half will help launch a new intern program for young adults willing to serve in selected communities in Florida. If you would like to donate to this offering please turn it in by June 8th. Thank you for your support of our efforts to engage the next generation in the mission of God and to develop leaders who have a heart for service.





4. YMCA Summer Day Camp - Beginning Monday, June 9th the YMCA Summer Day will return to our campus for another summer of learning and fun. Please 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. In conjunction with YMCA we are also partnering to serve as a feeding program site once again. Any child, under the age of 18, can come to our church and receive a free hot breakfast and a free hot lunch. No forms, no questions, just food. Breakfast will be served between 8:30am - 9am and lunch between 11:30am - 12pm. If you know of someone that could benefit from this program please pass this information along. This is such a great opportunity and we are truly blessed to be able to be a part of it.





5. Sound Booth - We are in need of a few volunteers to help out in the sound booth on Sunday mornings. If you are interested in volunteering to help us run this vital part of worship, please let us know by calling the church office, 629-5688, emailing the office by clicking here, or signing up at the Connection Station. You do not need to have any prior knowledge of sound equipment, we will train you. It is not very difficult at all, we just need a few people willing to lend their time. Thanks!



Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!