Month: July 2011

Posted on

It Is Never Too Late

The early Methodists were known for their willingness to witness to what God had done in their lives. I wanted to share with you the following witness by Dick Foster:

As a young child growing up, I never spent much time in going to Sunday school or Church. I attended William Jewell College, a Baptist Church college where we went to chapel three days a week and were required to take 6 hours of religion. After I was married and we had 5 children, we attended the First Christian Church in Platte City, MO.

When I got into college coaching in 1969, Sunday was a big work day from 6:00 am until 11-12:00am at night. Looking back, this was a major mistake in my life by not taking time to attend church.

In the summer of 1988, I was 55, the good Lord had been good to me to have helped and guided me to have won more football games than any Junior College coach had won in 16 years. Needless to say I wasn’t leading a very good Christian Life.

In 1997, I retired from the University of Oklahoma. We moved
back to Coffeyville and my wife Karen started attending to the First United Methodist Church. She seemed so happy with her Sunday school class and Church. French and Klynell Hey became close friends. These two people and my wife helped to guide me into changing my life style and become a member of the church.

On June 5, 2005, I joined the church and my entire life went in the direction of God’s way. I had to change a lot of my life choices. I felt so inferior, and still do toward the people we associate with in my lack of knowledge about the Bible, scripture, Holy Spirit, prayer and my new life style. I have tried to get caught up by reading scripture each day and taking every class that our church has to offer.

Going to prayer breakfast each Monday morning has really helped me, as the men there are knowledgeable about the Bible and about the Scriptures we read and discuss each week.

Since joining the Church, besides attending Church each Sunday, are the half dozen friends that are shut-in I see each week. We talk about old times and the wonderful work of the Lord. I don’t do this because I have to do it, but because I want to and enjoy every minute I spend with these fine people. Each year since I joined the Church I help with Vacation Bible School. I always have loved young people and to spend a week with these young people and watch them grow especially as Christians, makes me feel like I have been associated with another group of Champions.

Hopefully I grow as a new Born Christian each day. I have learned my relationship with Jesus Christ is as easy as the A B C’s.

A – Accept: “As many as receive him, to them he gives the right to become children of God”; John 1:12

B – Believe: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved”; Acts 16:31

C – Confess: “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved”; Romans 10:9

God Bless, I love you all.

Dick Foster

I think it’s inspiring to hear (or read) people witness to their faith and the difference that Jesus Christ has made in their lives. If you have a story you would like (or even are just willing) to share please let Jenny or I know.

Posted on

Our Organ Took a Purple Ribbon

Or more accurately, Elizabeth’s photograph of the organ took a purple ribbon at the Montgomery County Fair. Thanks for allowing me the moment of personal privilege.

Posted on

Wrestling with Love

John Wesley preaching John Wesley preaching at a meeting house in Nottingham, England, in 1747. Note that his listeners are separated by gender which was customary at the time.

“Wrestling with Love” is my working sermon title for this coming Sunday, July 31, 2011. Sermon texts will be Romans 8.26-39 and Genesis 32.22-31. The choir is back and will be singing The Give of Love and Boundless Love.  The congregation will be singing two of  your favorites: Standing on the Promises and Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore. The third hymn is not as well known, but still excellent, Charles Wesley’s Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown.

Posted on

VBS by the Numbers

We had a great time celebrating VBS at worship on Sunday. Because of copyright issues we can’t post video, but I wanted to give a summary of VBS. We had an average of 46 kids per day and 56 different children total. Of these 25 helped us celebrate on Sunday by singing, dancing and reading during worship. The children brought 124 items for the food pantry and $125.50 for the Good Samaritan Fund.

Posted on

Pew Cushions Approved

The board of trustees met after worship today and approved the purchase of pew cushions from Alderman Acres. They’re thick, firm, and fluffy but flip up out of the way if you don’t want them (or if you want them for your back).

Posted on

One Service Tomorrow

Tomorrow, we’ll have one worship service at 10:50. We’ll be celebrating another successful Vacation Bible School. 25 children have indicated that they’ll be in worship, Jenny and I would encourage you join the celebration.

Posted on

Voice of the Day: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“We can of course shake off the burden which is laid upon us, but only find that we have a still heavier burden to carry — a yoke of our own choosing, the yoke of our self. But Jesus invites all who travail and are heavy laden to throw off their own yoke and take his yoke upon them — and his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. The yoke and burden of Christ are his cross.”

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Hat Tip: Sojourners

Posted on

God Doesn't Take Attendance?

One of the Twitter feeds I follow just posted: “God does not take attendance.” Often this is said to imply that God doesn’t care whether or not we worship on a regular basis. Strictly speaking, the reason anyone takes attendance is to know who is present. God already knows who’s present. So, strictly speaking, it’s true that God doesn’t take attendance. But to imply that our presence in worship doesn’t matter to God is to say that our relationship to God doesn’t matter to God. It is to say that God does not take the health of our relationship with God seriously. I’m quite certain the cross says otherwise.

Note: That last sentence was meant to be lovingly earnest, not over-the-top sanctimonious.

Posted on

Lady Gaga and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Because I’m not very good at keeping up with pop culture, I’m behind the curve on Lady Gaga. However, one of the things that struck me as I began to see more and more of her was (beyond the normal envelope pushing that seems to come with popular fame) the fact that she purposely targets (addresses herself to) misfits. When we read the gospels we find that Jesus targeted and welcomed misfits as well. I had been musing over this connection and then found that someone else had been thinking about it as well. In fact in a recent article in The Christian Century, Rodney Clapp summarizes the gospel message as “we’re all misfits, but God loves us anyway.” Clap then continues by noting that the church has often chosen to take the opposite approach. That’s unfortunate and untrue to both Christ and our real selves. It’s a shame when pop culture is more open to misfits then the body of Christ.

P.S. Many of the comments on Clapp’s article voice concerns about Lady Gaga that I also share (and I imagine that Clapp does as well). I’m simply trying to highlight the problem that when the church fails to be the body of Christ for the world, others will step into the void.