A Morning View

Do you ever stop to think that we often really mess up what the Church is supposed to look like? We get caught up in our small worlds and forget that our building and mission are just a small part of the Body of Christ. We are all about us and what we do but not necessarily in agreement with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We embrace change, we desire to bring others into the church for the church's sake and expect the other to change to be like us?  So the picture portrayed of Jesus sometimes doesn't even look like Jesus. The believers push to change non-believers into a loving relationship with Jesus and people may change for people. That type of salvation is dangerous. Only Jesus saves! The Church needs to be in the business of representing Jesus Christ and invoking the power and presence of The Holy Spirit into the lives of others. Give your heart to God and live in the presence of the Holy Spirit. “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, “...

Are you a redeemed child of God? Have you confessed your sins and been forgiven? Has the gift of Christ's death and resurrection freed you? Are you basking in the light and love of Jesus Christ even during the darkest storms?  Or, perhaps, are you still carrying way too much pain, guilt, fear and living in the failure or perceived failure of your past? Do you bask in the perceived comfort of pity and depression? Do you believe that God will not forgive someone as horrible as you believe you are from the past? Is is easier to be an Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh with a whoa is me attitude or a happy bouncy Tigger choosing to be always upbeat and filled with joy?  On my personal journey I have accepted the fact that what Jesus did for me is enough. I am so much healthier in my walk with God because I am learning to better become a Tigger and leaving the Eeyore behind. I am accepting the fact that God accepted my repentance a long time ago. I am truly beginning to love myself. ...

Have you ever planned a big event? The hours of planning, the attention to details and the desire for perfection have you focused and driven? The event happens with excitement and great success you do all of the finishing details and then it is over. There is a great contentment with the success of the event as well as a great pause for relief that the high energy can subside and you can take a breath and relax.  Sometimes, the day after the big event can be a let down. You are happy that it is over, but sad that the peak of enjoyment and celebration is finished. Often there may even be a sense of depression that it has passed and pure physical exhaustion might settle in.  I wonder what it was like for Jesus the Monday after Palm Sunday?  “So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples. The next morning as they were leavin...

Palm Sunday!  Today is the beginning of Holy Week and we celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We wave our palm branches, lay down our cloaks and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We have hope because of the Messiah who has come to free us from political oppression. We have hope because we will be set free. We have hope in the Savior of the world.  There was a lot of disappoint in Jerusalem that week. Jesus did not overthrow the government. Jesus did not run out the conservatives or the liberals in the government. Jesus did not have a great army to defeat those who were taking the freedoms and rights away from the people. Jesus did not rally the large crowds who would have fought for him and the freedoms they sought. Jesus continued to live his life as the one who came to truly liberate the world in the most illogical way which was to surrender his life to the cross to take away the sins of the world. I am sure if Facebook would have existed in Jes...

The NCAA March Madness Championship picks back up today. There are teams still playing who have upset higher ranked teams and are the underdog to win it all. It is exciting when the unexpected happens and miracles on the court take on a new story line. Historically there are a few upsets in the tournament, but usually some team from the 10 topped ranked teams will be crowned champions.  Miracles during the tournament are fun and challenging in our bracket busting moments. Where are the miracles in our lives? Are they there and we do not recognize them? Perhaps do we have the faith and practice it? We read about the many miracles that happened in the Bible. Many were performed during the life of Jesus, but many took place in the Old Testament stories as well as after Jesus was resurrected. In John 14:12 Jesus tells us that any who believe in Jesus will be able to do the same and even greater works than he has done. Perhaps I miss the greater works around me, but I struggle to see or...

I ponder my thoughts this morning about humanity and the self imposed stresses of difference. My view this morning is a struggle with extremes who are not willing to meet somewhere in the life spectrum and hear the other voice. We experience this in the government, the church and even in our own families. Perhaps this has been this way for ages and I am finally catching up. I believe that this attitude has been there, but it is now the prevalent attitude in society. "My way or no way." I want to say this view is not to be right or wrong over issues, but to recognize a very dangerous attitude. If we do not listen to the other and try to understand their situation how can we find solutions? I will never ask anyone to compromise beliefs, because I have never compromised my beliefs in the world of politics or religion. I am just asking others to listen and not try to force personal beliefs or diminish the other. This attitude is not just one sided. Both extremes create the tensio...

I am thinking this morning about how we are looking forward to getting out following this difficult pandemic. We look forward to vacation, special dinner celebration or a day at the big game. We put special efforts into planning our schedule, having all the right items needed for the specific event and making sure the outfits we have are just right for the event in which we are participating. "Don't forget the tickets and make sure you have enough snacks!" Do I have the proper directions and plan B for construction? We hope we stay healthy and nothing major happens to keep us from having to postpone or even cancel the event. After all, we just need to get away, rest and relax! The question today is do we prepare for our daily relationship event with our God? Have we planned a proper route for the day? Are we wearing the outfit God has for me to be safe and secure? Have we spiritually eaten the nourishment of scripture and devotion for our energy? Are we prepared for const...

The weather is in the Spring guessing game phase. Will it be warm or will it be cold? Is it sunny or cloudy? Will it be clear or wet? Will it start cool and finish warm? We just cannot predict the weather very easily this time of year. I wonder about all the people we encounter that proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior on a daily basis. Are they followers of Christ or followers of self? Do they go to church or do they have deep relationship with God? Are they religious or are they spirit filled? Are they self-less or are they selfish? Do they follow law or do they live in love? Do they love self or do they love neighbor? We just cannot predict the way people who proclaim Christ really live.  You know, I keep talking about they and them. What about you? What do people wonder about you?  “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, le...

Grief and Joy. These are two words which do not seem to fit together. Yet with persevering in our faith walk journey with God we can experience unfathomable joy as we are lifted above our deep grief. God understands our grief and sits in it with us. God will comfort our broken hearts and fill our grief with God's favor.  It is alright to grieve. It is normal to hurt and it is so comforting to know as the children of God we will receive blessing, praise and strength.  “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,     for the Lord has anointed me     to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted     and to proclaim that captives will be released     and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn     that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,     and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel,      he will give a cro...

There is a song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither called "God On The Mountain." It reminds us that no matter what is happening in our lives, both good and bad, that God is with us.  Do we believe and have faith that we can make it with God's help? Do we believe that we can grieve and celebrate in the same moment? Do we believe that if we surrender to God that we can make it? Do we believe that Jesus really did live on this earth, die on the cross and was resurrected from the grave so that we can be redeem us from our sin?  That God is with us. Mountaintop and valley or wherever we are in between. God is there. "For the God on the mountain Is still God in the valley When things go wrong He'll make them right And the God of the good times Is still God in the bad times The God of the day Is still God in the night" “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither ...

As we rise up for another day and many of us are preparing for Sabbath, let us remember to praise God. We may routinely sing the Doxology but think of the words! "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen" May each one of us prepare our hearts for worship today as we Praise the Lord! May our worship be greater than simple routine. “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.     Let every creature praise his holy name     for ever and ever.” - Psalm 145:21 NLT Come Holy Spirit........... Peace, PB

I must begin today by saying that I try to be very careful to not proof text the scripture I use for my morning thoughts. I know there can be danger in misquoting the scriptures. So if you read something I post that does not fit the passage, please privately let me know. "So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9 Today I am led to a saying I use, "Always do what is right and just be Jesus." I guess this is my version of "WWJD." Sometimes it is difficult in a world of pain, struggle, deceit, lies, gossip, hate..... etc. to do what is right. It seems as if human nature is to take the approach of getting back at others for how they have treated us. Letting them know that they hurt you and inflicting the same pain on them that they have shared with you!  I am so glad Jesus did not respond that way when he was on the cross on the hill. He did nothing "wrong." What a gift! ...

Forgiveness.  Our salvation is based on confessing our sin and God's forgiveness. God has based our relationship with God on this simple yet often difficult to believe concept called grace.  As one who is redeemed by grace, I am deeply learning that I routinely need to practice grace. If I allow my closet to fill up with unreconciled sin which needs forgiveness, I need to clean it up with God and the others I have sinned against. I am recognizing the need to clean the closet of sin daily, and honestly it is easier to confess snd clean up the sin against God than it is the sin against others.  I think it is important that the word sin in Greek is an archery term which means to miss the mark. Often to some people the term sin immediately means that we did something horrible. In most cases it is not the "big" sins but it is as equally wrong in the eyes of God and can cause great damage if not properly dealt with. Without constant care it will fester and create pain.  “L...

Have you ever been in seemingly hopeless situations? Do you ever wonder when you pray if God is even listening? Is it difficult when you feel all alone and see no results to your prayer? Often, have you wondered what to pray? Even worse, are there moments when you feel like not praying? This passage reminds us that God has come to us as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is on our side carrying our wonderment and struggles to God. When we are perplexed and lost the Spirit is taking even what we do not know to pray to God.  So we must fight hard and keep our hearts right with God. Keep praying, keep seeking, keep growing and do not give in to the devil. God will take all of us, our good and our bad, all things and make them work for God's good.  “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the...

We are to give praise and thanks to God for all things. Really PB? All things?  Yes, All things. Good and bad, joyful and sorrowful, new life and tragic death.  Thanks and praise be to God.  God has us and though it can be difficult, God has us.  “The Lord is my strength and my song;     he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him—     my father’s God, and I will exalt him!” - Exodus 15:2 NLT Peace, PB                                                                               

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” - Matthew 12:33-37 As I sit and ponder this morning I found this scripture and now I deeply think about the words I use. I do not believe I am evil, yet there are times I say things I should not! I need to be careful what I say. I hear too many stories of "Christians" using words to destroy rather than to lift up. Words hurt! Words destroy! BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY! Love First! Peace, PB

I once had someone check on me after reading one of the morning views. They were concerned and I greatly appreciated them reaching out to me. It always feel good to know when someone cares. It is helpful to know that there are those who pray for me and care for me.  Yes life is a struggle. Often it seems so overwhelming that is makes one wonder how we can ever survive the pain and struggle. Lots of pain, questions and fear of the unknown. But even down in the deepest barely lit rabbit hole I see that Jesus is there. So One must persevere to the light and love of The Christ.  I think Paul says it best in this scripture.  “How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whethe...

I cleaned the dog droppings in the backyard yesterday. It has not been cleaned since well before the February snow storm. It was a mess. It took an hour and a half to clean it up. It is always so much better to regularly clean it up. There is much less "stuff" and it is a much easier and quicker job. It is not a good thing to let the waste build up for so long. I know I cleaned it well, but there are always parts I missed, I didn't see or was not able to get all the stains up. Plus, it does not impact the household as much and as often when the stuff is cleaned up. It is healthier for the dogs and cleaner and sanitized for the humans.  I have been cleaning my own life lately of sin stuff which I have ignored and accumulated over my whole life in my backyard. Honestly, my sin stuff has made the backyard look like a rose garden. I should not have carried my sin, my pain, my guilt and my struggle my whole life. But I chose to do so because I saw a disgusting human that no ot...

For Lent sermons and our study series at Aley UMC, Pastor Abby and I are using Philippians 2:1-8 as our foundational scripture for this journey through Easter. Our Lent Study is called "Be Jesus. What Does That Mean?"  There is so much going on around us. All kinds of change, fear, angst, struggle, the unknown and division. There are many good happenings as well. Change, boldness, success, adaptation, the constancy of God and unification in the Body of Christ. So what do we do? What do we focus upon? How do we respond and live?  I would hope that all who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior would, "Be Jesus."   Well how do you expect me to do that? Simple, Love Jesus, study Jesus, drop selfishness and "Be Jesus." “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one a...

Are you tired? Are you weary? Are you trying to carry everything?  It is easy to become tired and weary. It is easy to try to do it alone. But eventually it will catch up to us. Honestly it is not easy to surrender and when finally surrendered, it is not easy to let God. So do not kid yourself, that if I just let Jesus everything will immediately be alright. But Jesus promises to carry it with us. Then we can find some rest.  “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”   - Matthew 11:28-30 NLT Peace, PB

Today is a new day! When we struggle and fail or when we find blessing and rejoice, the sun goes down and rises again in the morning. We are given a new fresh day each and every morning and an opportunity for a fresh new start. I awoke at 5am today with my mind in a whirlwind. I need to do this, or fix that. I have this person to visit, a problem to address and a comment shared with me to ponder. My mind was full, my sleep interrupted. I went back to sleep and had strange dreams. My dog lovingly was my alarm this morning! I went out to the Patio and realized I am given a new day. There is a fresh start available. I have a God who will take care of me. I need to better surrender my control to God. Please understand, I am just like you, I say surrender, yet I hold on to my control. This is the struggle of taking on the likeness of God. It is a daily struggle! Lord God, Please remind us how you love us. Please live in our hearts and take our thoughts and meld them into your thoughts. Beco...

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track." -  Proverbs 3:5-6 - Message I need to be reminded today that God knows, is there, is already in the middle of it all, and will keep me straight on the way I am going. My part in this is to trust! Lord, help us all trust you, seek you and find you.   Peace, PB 

I woke up today, went outside and listened to the beautiful chorus of the birds singing near the patio. It really was comforting as they shared their praises with me in my personal concert! My mind started to go over all the "STUFF" of life I need to deal with. People from my churches struggling, meetings, other issues of work, family struggles, and my personal daily battle against the powers of earth. Then the birds gently reminded me of Matthew 6:25-26. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" We are of value to the Creator! Take care of what we can control and allow the Holy Spirit equipped to handle all of our issues, both good and bad, handle our worries! Pea...

Do you hear yourself? Are you trying to prove you have all the answers? Is everyone else really wrong?  Why is doing it your way the only way? Why are you postured in the corner ready to fight? Do you see and hear only that with which you agree?  Do you know the story, the whole story?  I am very confident that many reading the above will immediately become defensive. Some may not read on and even some may never read again. Read it again. I took no side. I simply stated that we are so very  defensive and ready to fight and defend.  We are so divided. Honestly it really does not matter the topic. It seems like we have become so selfishly motivated that we miss an opportunity. We miss an opportunity to Be Jesus to a hurting world. Do I have standards? Absolutely! Am I concerned about our current culture? There is no doubt. Do I agree with some things and disagree with others? Yes I do. Are there certain personal standards and beliefs I have that are going to be di...