Prayer for Radical Devotion

10 Feb

Yesterday, the Radicalis conference kicked off at Saddleback Church.  Rick Warren and Perry Noble kicked it off with compelling messages about radical devotion to Christ.  Warren offered this prayer as one to be repeated on a regular basis:

Today I am stepping across the line.  I’m tired of waffling, and I’m finished with wavering.  I’ve made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable.  I’m going God’s way.  There is no turning back.  I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory.  I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying.  Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, i will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me”, character over comfort, service over status and people over possessions, position and pleasure.  I know what matters most, and I will give it all I’ve got.  I will do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.  I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil.  I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running beside me.  When times get tough and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide.  I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace.  I’m spirit-led, purpose-driven, adn mission-focused, so I can’t be bought, I will not be compromised, adn I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for every day and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.  I am a radical in the original sense of the word:  rooted in Christ, rooted in love, and rooted in his Word.

I hereby declare my supreme allegiance to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I say however, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do my answer is yes!  I’m ready.  Anytime.  Anyway.  Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes!  I want to be used by you in such a way that on the final day I’ll hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful one.  Come on in and let the eternal party begin!”

So be it!

Learning To Sit Still

5 Feb

So I am 34, and I am just starting to really learn to sit still. (Insert my parents’ applause here). The pace of life in our culture is lightning fast, don’t you think? I have been meditating and reading L.B. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert. For today, she was talking about how fast paced life was (mind you she wrote this in like the 1920′s). I wonder what she would think about the pace of life now!! Anyway, we are so busy at being busy that we forget to make room in our lives for the things that matter. Namely God, our family, and even oursleves. I drank the Kool-Aid. I’m busy by nature-a workaholic even. But I am learning about disciplines, especially spiritual disciplines. I used to think that disciplines were about checking a box. Read bible. Check! Pray. Check! But John Ortberg once said that the disciplines are about creating space, making room. So for me, learning to sit still is a discipline I am learning so that I am able to make space in my life for God. I am beginning to use the same for my family and even myself. Creating space in our lives allows us to connect with God, others, and ourselves.

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What’s the purpose?

29 Jan

I have been spending some time working through A Book of Hours from the writings and reflections of Thomas Merton. During this week, I have become more and more certain of one thing, and Merton helped strengthen this belief. Purpose has been a buzz word, especially with churches attempting to reach out those who are not in church. Book shave been published to tell us what our purpose is. The topic of purpose isn’t a new thing. So here it is. You want purpose? You got it!

We were created in the image of God. God is Love. Therefore, the purpose of our existence is to embody love. True, committed love for EVERYONE! True, committed love struggles to love through every circumstance. True, committed love does not rest in the presence of injustice and discrimination. True, committed love holds to love everyone at all times & in all ways.

Now that’s purpose.

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Health Kits for Haiti – If you are in these areas

22 Jan

There is a dire need for health kits in Haiti. Local churches are asked to prepare as many of the kits as they can. Bill Carr, Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Memphis Conference of the United Methodist Church, says congregations should have their kits prepared by January 31 and ready to transport to the designated district pickup points on Monday, February 1. All kits will then be boxed by Volunteer in Mission teams and shipped together to Sager-Brown, our UMCOR depot in Louisiana.

The following pickup points have been selected for the Memphis Conference:

Germantown UMC, 2331 S. Germantown Rd., Germantown, TN

Brownsville District office, 1489 E. Main St., Brownsville, TN

Union City First UMC – 420 E. Main, Union City, TN

Aldersgate UMC – 1050 N. Parkway, Jackson, TN

Mayfield First UMC – 214 S. 8th St., Mayfield, KY

Paris District office – 810 E. Wood St., Paris, TN

Please let district offices know how many health kits your church has prepared.  If you have any questions, call Bill Carr at 270-816-4824 or 270-556-5221.

If you would prefer to donate money to the Haiti Emergency through the United methodist Church, please donate through your local United Methodist church to UMCOR Advance#418325.  Checks can be put in the church’s offering plate. 100% of gifts made to the Advance will go to help the people of Haiti.

Each health kit must contain the following items in EXACTLY the amounts requested. If the amounts are not exact, they will not fit in plastic bag and may not adhere to the strict rules governing entry into a foreign country.

Health Kit Assembly Instructions
(Health Kit Items Value: $12 per kit) – depending on where you shop!
Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.

1 hand towel (15″ x 25″ up to 17″ x 27″, No kitchen towels)

1 washcloth

1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)

1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)

1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)

1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)

6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

$1.00 to purchase toothpaste
(NOTE: UMCOR Sager Brown is now purchasing toothpaste in bulk to be added to health kits before shipping to ensure that the product does not expire before they are sent.)

Important Kit Assembly Information
All items included in kits must be NEW items.

All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items-nothing more.

Do NOT include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits. These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.

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