Or is it?

If you looked at me right now, you would think all is right with my world. And for the most part it is. But I ask you to look closer and ask, "or is it?" Is everything okay with this mom and her daughter as they cuddle on the sofa watching Dora? Is everything okay as the mom drinks her coffee - trying to savor it slowly but quickly enough so it doesn't get cold? Is everything okay with this scene or are there 1st world problems bubbling beneath the surface?

Of course there is bubbling going on. And today the things that wouldn't matter to anyone else are caused by something that matters to us all. 

I like to think I'm both a simple and complicated person. One who is low maintenance but with a lot of depth that makes me all mysterious. I like to think this because it covers up the obvious: I'm kinda boring. The highlight of my ordinary day is to savor coffee and watch 30 minutes of the morning news. 

We have three kids in this house. Two middle school boys that force me to watch Sports Center each morning and one pre-school girl who would watch Dora and Doc McStuffins 24/7 if I let her. My normal routine is to make a cup of coffee, sit and watch the Top Ten with the boys, see them off to school and quickly change it to the morning news. I like the morning news because it only does short news segments, they are usually lighter in nature, and  other than ESPN and Disney/Nick Channels I don't watch TV. Facebook is my news source and was yesterday when the explosions went off at the Boston Marathon.

So this morning, I let my coffee get cold (because it is not a savoring kind of morning) while we watched Sports Center coverage of the attacks. The boys are old enough to watch small doses of this (which is really the amount that is appropriate for all ages) but as soon as our 4 year old came downstairs and they announced: "Caution. Graphic images!" we switched to Dora (the Doc was not in at the moment).

And now I'm about to smack that darn Map (Dora "fans" understand that reference). I'm ready for a good smack down because I'm angry. My morning routine has been altered. My kids routine has been altered. And - more to the point -  I'm just now realizing that violence in this world has become routine.

Perhaps it always has been. Perhaps my eyes are now open. But that doesn't mean I have to accept that this is the way things are or will be. I'm angry about my cold coffee. I'm angry about my morning TV. I'm angry that people trained for this race and didn't get to finish (if you've ever trained for a long race you understand). I'm angry that the winners aren't getting the recognition they deserve this morning. And I'm devastated that people were killed and injured; that people are mourning today; that Boston had to put a disaster recover plan into action; and that acts of terrorism are always threatening us.

So today, I'm going to enjoy my cuddle and ignore "Map." I'm gonna love on my kids. I'm gonna make another cup of coffee and enjoy as much as I can. I'm gonna tell someone I love them, smile at people, help my neighbor, and let the anger go. It won't do any good and loving others will. I'm going to keep the news off of the TV so that I won't be sucked into the drama. Instead of drama, I will create comedy with silly laughter and even if it is just pretending, I will believe that all is right with the world. Because I know that we can be.

And I'm gonna run. It will help me feel better and it will make sure I don't forget. Because we live in a world where there is a delicate balance between good and evil. I'm going to try and tip the scale toward good and in doing so, always remember how easy it is to tip the other way.

May you find your own way of dealing with this today and may we find a way at some point to not have to deal with this at all.

Until Everyone Hears,

MOG - Follow Up

As a Blogger I have thrice committed to daily blogging for a specified time period. Once was during Lent 2010. Once was my birthday month 2012. And most recently was our Means of Grace experience 2013.  Each time I've loved the experience but also look forward to the break. The quiet of the non-blogging experience is relaxing and enjoyable.

But at a certain point, the quiet turns to the uncomfortableness of anticipation. The waiting for "What's next?" without really knowing "what's next." I am in that place right now. I'm uncomfortable. I know that there is something waiting for me to act upon, examine, or capture. But it hasn't been revealed yet.

So I wait.

I hate waiting.

And the silence is really killing me. So pray for me to find "what's next." Not just in blogging but in life in general and I'll leave you with a bit of a follow up from our Means of Grace team member - Charity. I think she summed up our experience the best (and I'm thankful for her and others that fill the silence once it becomes beyond uncomfortable).

From Charity:

The Means of Grace small group can be summed up in one word:  AWARENESS.  

The 30-day MOG challenge was amazing!  It brought out a greater sense of awareness in me of my everyday surroundings.  I started to really open my eyes and realize that there are opportunities all around me in which I can help someone, whether it be monetarily, giving a compliment, sharing a laugh to brighten someones day, or sharing my faith either verbally or by example. In addition to the outwardly awareness the MOG has given me, I have been reminded to recognize my inward awareness of my faith.  I know that some days I need to remember why I am here on this earth, and this month of MOG certainly kept my mind on Christ every day.

Until Everyone Hears,

Preaching Without Words

Now that my Means of Grace group has focused on how to live each day with the purpose of experiencing God, we are shifting our focus on living each day with the purpose of sharing our faith by living with the purpose of experiencing God.

Confusing? Yes it can be.

The goal is simple though:

1) Share your faith
2) Share by doing not by words

Sounds simple but is harder to do in reality. First, we must really live a life that Jesus talked about which again sounds simple 1) Love God 2) Love Others but when "the others" make us want to scream, it is hard to remember the "love" part of the equation. When people see that we are really reflecting a life of love, they will notice and will often ask about it. That is when the words can come into the picture. At that point, we can use our words to share our faith - but not before.

Second, we must pay attention to the people we come into contact with each day. I know that when I start to listen and really see what people are going through, I'm better able to show them love and help them out along the way. Most people don't care what I know until they know how much I care. Compassion is a great means to spread the Gospel without ever talking about God.

Its going to be difficult be we are all going to try to reach as many people as possible without initiating a conversation about God, Jesus or our church. If we are lucky, those topics will come up into a conversation, but if not, we will still spread the message - just in a different way.

A friend once told me that if she didn't know that I was a pastor, she would still know that I was a Christian even though I don't talk about God in every sentence. She said that she feels that I really live my faith because it is what I believe and that I don't do things because its in the Bible or the Church says to. It was one of the best compliments I've ever gotten.

So I'm going to live so that others see God. I hope its authentic. I hope its not forced. And I hope to see transformations in myself as well as others.

Until Everyone Hears,

MOG Day 31 - Faith Sharing

The Commissioning of the Disciples (matthew 28)

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Last summer I signed up for a half-marathon. I'm a smart person so I can see now that it was mostly due to peer pressure but I haven't regretted that choice. Signing up for the race forced me to look at my health. What was I putting into my body? How was I staying in shape (or not)?

With that came several changes. First I started running. Then I realized that I wasn't in shape to run yet, so I began working out at boot camp and then increased my miles each week. And finally I looked at what I was eating. Lots of stuff from boxes and bags. While those may be good things at Christmastime, it is not good for your health. So I started eating things from my fridge. Meat, veggies, and fruit.

After a few weeks, I started to feel great! I had lost several inches off my waist. BUT NO ONE NOTICED!

It took 3 months before people started to really take notice. After 4 months I realized I'd gone from a size 16 to an 8. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to know my secret. People asked what I was eating. How often I was working out. Did I take supplements. etc etc

Faith sharing is not much different from my weight loss story. 

When we first start on our journey, we feel amazing! We can't believe how we lasted so long without realizing the love of God was in our lives! Then we start acting as if the love of God is in our lives. But it takes weeks, months, and sometimes years before other people think to ask us what we are doing that brings such joy to our lives.

I hope that those of you who have been reading and acting upon these Means of Grace have experienced God. I hope that you see where God is working and where you can join Him. But I also hope that others can see that God is making a difference in your life. If you keep purposefully trying to experience God each day, EVENTUALLY PEOPLE WILL NOTICE.

And they'll ask.

Transformation takes time and repetition. 

Faith sharing takes just a moment. I'm not saying you should wait to talk about God only when approached. If your faith is truly part of your DNA, its hard not to talk about God. But I am saying that your actions will speak louder than your words and will back up the words you choose when the time is right.

And I hope you have many "right" times.

Until Everyone Hears,

MOG Day 30 - Baptism/Remebrance

Mark 1:8

I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism is a sacrament that seals a covenant between God and a person.

Most people find it odd that this is listed as a means of grace because in the United Methodist Church we Baptize only once and often as infants.  So to list this as a way to experience God can be a bit disappointing if you were baptized as a baby and therefore don't remember it.

But in the UMC, we also baptize as part of the congregation. The congregation plays a role in ensuring that the child or adult is nurtured in the faith. In other words, we are supposed to help them on their journey.

We also are able to celebrate a service to remember our baptism. These aren't to be done often, but when a person feels the need to remember the covenant made with God, due to a special spiritual experience, we give them the opportunity to do so.

So today we will remember our baptism at Hopewell UMC. And we will be thankful.

Until Everyone Hears,

MOG Day 29 - Fasting

I found this interesting article on fasting on the cru.org website (campus crusade for christ):

7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer

By Bill Bright

Photo by Tom Mills

Fasting & Prayer

• 1. Basic Steps to Fasting & Prayer
• 1. Basic Steps to Fasting & Prayer
• 2. How to Begin Your Fast
• 3. While You Fast
• 4. Breaking Your Fast
• 5. A Final Word
• 6. Experiencing Personal Revival
• 7. Vital Questions About Prayer

I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world.

Increasingly I have been gripped with a growing sense of urgency to call upon God to send revival to our beloved country. In the spring and summer of 1994, I had a growing conviction that God wanted me to fast and pray for forty days for revival in America and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission in obedience to our Lord's command.

At first I questioned, "Is this truly God's call for me?" Forty days was a long time to go without solid food. But with each passing day, His call grew stronger and more clear. Finally, I was convinced. God was calling me to fast, and He would not make such a call without a specific reason or purpose. With this conviction, I entered my fast with excitement and expectancy mounting in my heart, praying, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

I believe such a long fast was a sovereign call of God because of the magnitude of the sins of America and of the Church. The Lord impressed that upon my heart, as well as the urgent need to help accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission in this generation.

As I began my fast, I was not sure I could continue for forty days. But my confidence was in the Lord to help me. Each day His presence encouraged me to continue. The longer I fasted, the more I sensed the presence of the Lord. The Holy Spirit refreshed my soul and spirit, and I experienced the joy of the Lord as seldom before. Biblical truths leaped at me from the pages of God's Word. My faith soared as I humbled myself and cried out to God and rejoiced in His presence.

This proved to be the most important forty days of my life. As I waited upon the Lord, the Holy Spirit gave me the assurance that America and much of the world will, before the end of the year 2000, experience a great spiritual awakening. This divine visit from heaven will kindle the greatest spiritual harvest in the history of the Church. But before God comes in revival power, the Holy Spirit will call millions of God's people to repent, fast, and pray in the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

The scope of this revival depends on how believers in America and the rest of the world respond to this call. I have spent fifty years studying God's Word and listening to His voice, and His message could not have been more clear.

This handy reference guide, Seven Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer, will help make your time with the Lord more spiritually rewarding. I encourage you to keep it with you during your fast and refer to it often because it gives easy-to-follow suggestions on how to begin your fast, what to do while you fast, and how to end your fast properly.

During my forty-day fast, God impressed me to pray that two million Christians in North America will fast for forty days by the end of the year 2000, and pray for national and worldwide revival and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I urge you to prayerfully consider this challenge.

Before you fast, I encourage you to read my book, The Coming Revival: America's Call to Fast, Pray, and "Seek God's Face." It will help equip you for the coming spiritual awakening.

Until Everyone Hears,

MOG Day 28 - Good Works

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

For our last time of doing good works, I'm going to get a bit more specific. This time I want you to make something. If you paint, paint. If you sew, sew. Carpentry? Cooking? Think what you can do and then create one thing.

While you are making it, think about who needs it. The answer will come to you. Then make it for that person. Wrap it up (if possible). And deliver it anonymously to that person.

You may have already done something like this during one of our other "good works" opportunities but I believe that we are in danger of losing the practice of making things by hand. I know I only dally in a few different crafts and even then, only from time to time.

So use your creative power that God gave you. After God created He said that "It was good." Then he gave it to us. Go and do likewise.

Until Everyone Hears,