Ground That Drinks Up the Rain

Okay, I admit it.  I'm an introvert.  Being an introvert doesn't necessarily mean that a person is shy or timid.  It simply means that in order for us to recharge our batteries that we need alone time.  We need to go off somewhere by ourselves with no one around.  This week has been a busy week for me.  Monday was especially hectic.  I was trying to work on my next sermon and the phone kept ringing and people really needed to see me.  

I don't have a problem with all of that, except that I get drained that way.  I was really in need of quiet and peace.  One thing that I find interesting is that Jesus too needed time away.  Many times, you will find him going off somewhere to simply be who he is.  This usually occurred after he had been with large crowds.  Maybe he was an introvert too.

Anyway, by Wednesday evening I was completely drained.  After I got finished at the church, Myranda and I went out and helped do some work around town and then we went home and ate supper.  She called her mom and I went out in the back yard.  Since the girls have been gone for the last two weeks, it has been especially quiet around our house.  I sat out in the swing in the backyard and simply was a human being.  I didn't "do" anything.  I just was.  As I sat there, I noticed that it was a little cooler than it usually is of an early evening in Haskell.  I looked into the sky and there was a rain cloud forming almost right above me.  I sat and watched it for awhile wondering if it would form into a nice summer storm.  In a bit, it began to thunder and then it began to rain.  It was the first rain I have seen since leaving Kentucky back in May.  Before moving back home, I knew that Texas was in the midst of a drought, but I had no idea how bad it was until I got here.  I watched the rain fall for about 15 minutes, thankful that we were getting a little bit of relief.  I also remembered back to April when we received about 16 inches of rain in one month in Wilmore.  Once again God reminded me of something.

Yes, it really does look like this...

He reminded me that I am wired to receive renewal through my alone time.  That's when the Spirit brings the living water into me.  If I get too involved with others or if I get too busy with the doings of ministry then I become like the parched land of West Texas.  My spirit becomes dried up and the winds of life consume me. However, as long as I continue to remain tuned into God through prayer, Bible reading, worship, and yes even time alone, the Word of God is given a chance to grow, mature, and take me on to perfection.  This is not only for my good, it is also for the good of the community I serve.

The writer of Hebrews says it like this, "Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.  But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over" (6:7-8).  I gladly accepted both the actual rain and the spiritual rain that fell on me Wednesday evening.  It rejuvenated my soul and helped me to continue on in ministry for the rest of the week.  I thank the Father that he has indeed planted a good seed inside of me and inside every child of God.  I thank the Spirit that he continues to bring life giving rain into my spiritual life and that he continues to grow that seed into perfection.  I also thank Jesus Christ that he came to teach and to live a life as an example to us.  I thank him for being that seed that was planted into the ground and then was made alive again to produce a healthy crop.

We continue to pray for rain here in Texas.  I know that the rains will come and there will be great rejoicing and thanking God for his provision through and his end to the drought.  But more importantly, I thank God that he continues to send spiritual rain to all people who truly seek the Kingdom of God.  Until next time...

+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.



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It Takes Two

As most of you know, I love old movies.  I can sit and watch movies from the 30's-60's over and over.  I usually laugh in the same spots and cry in the same spots.  Even though I know what is going to happen, I still get drawn into the story as I watch these old shows.  I was reminded of the movie "Shenandoah" the other day when I was visiting with some people here in Haskell.  Here is a clip from that classic:

I began to think about this movie and the rugged lifestyle of the people who moved West looking for a better life.  Jimmy Stewart's character is right.  These pioneers did have to fight their way to this better life.  They had to tame  the land, struggle against the weather, and experience set backs that most of us will never face.

On the other hand, God has been intersecting my life through the parables of Jesus Christ this past month.  I have been preaching a series of sermons where we are reminded of the stories of Christ and explore what he was getting across to us through these tales.  Over the last couple of weeks I have been immersed in two farmers' stories.  The first was the story of the wheat and the weeds and the other was the story of the sower.

In light of Jimmy Stewart's prayer, I have been thinking about God's part and our part of the arrangement.  Stewart is right.  Most of us do have to work hard for a living.  If we go to school, we have to study, read, write, and attend the classes.  We have to take the tests and try to learn from our mistakes.  After we graduate, we have to be productive employees.  We must do the tasks that we have been hired for and we expect to get paid for doing our job.  In fact, St, Paul says it this way, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.  For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.  Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living."

On the other hand, Stewart's character only gave part of the story.  It's true that he and his family cleared the land, planted, and watered.  It's true that the family worked extremely hard for what they have.  But, what about the sunshine and rain?  What about the life hidden away inside those small seeds that they planted?  Did the farmers provide that too?

In all parts of human life, it takes both.  It takes our own hard work and willingness to do what needs to be done.  However, every farmer must admit that he or she farms in faith.  After the land is cleared and plowed.  After the seed is planted into the earth, there is not much a person can do.  God gives the growth.

The same is true about our spiritual lives.  We must continue to prepare the soil of our hearts to be changed.  We must continue to pour the life giving water of Scripture into our minds.  We must remember to keep our ears open to the whispers of the Holy Spirit.  We must intentionally make ourselves available to God.  However, that is our job.  It is God's job to grow us through the Spirit into mature Christians.  It is God's job to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ.  It is God's job to instill into us holiness.

Both our physical work and our spiritual work attest to this fact.  St. Paul also says "What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives growth."  Until next time...

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Speaking the Truth in Love.

Ephesians 4:15

My first couple of weeks as the pastor of First UMC Haskell has been interesting, exciting, and fun.  I really didn't know what to expect when I first got here, but honestly I never would have thought that it would be as enjoyable as it has been.  Now I'm not saying that there hasn't been some frustrations and that there hasn't been a couple of surprises along the way, but I am saying that I'm really glad God called me into the pastorate.

Last week, I was asked to do a funeral for a man I never met.  I did speak to him on the phone once, but that was the extent of our relationship.  When I sat down with his family to go over the service, they were gracious, kind, and understanding of the situation in which we found ourselves.  At the end of the service, they were pleased with what had been said and so I was happy that they had felt the love of God through the words spoken.  One of the most interesting things about that funeral actually happened after the service was over when I sat down with some of the family to visit at the lunch that our ladies provided.  One of the members of the family was visiting with me about some things and he gave me his testimony.  He excitedly told me how God got a hold of him a few years before and how God hasn't let go since.  I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

But that's not the best part of the story.  At one point in our conversation he told me an observation that he has made over the last few years.  He said, "Preacher, I've noticed something about ministers.  There are some guys who make great preachers but are terrible pastors.  There are some guys who make great pastors but are terrible preachers.  It's really rare to find both qualities in one person."  This comment really got me to thinking.  Over the last several years I have heard many, many preachers.  Some have been good, some have been not so good.  A couple have been exceptional, and one or two have been down right awful.  I'm not sure where my rating falls on the scale, but I do try to preach from the Scripture and I do the best I can to hear from God before, during, and after sermon preparation.

As far as pastoring goes, I try to be intentional in visiting with those who are lonely, sick, and heavy burdened.  I try to keep up with the comings and goings of the fine folks of Haskell UMC.  I'm not sure where I fall on this scale either; I'm sure I could do better in both preaching and pastoring.

Regardless of my own abilities, I think what I am just beginning to realize is that there is a fine balance between preaching and pastoring.  A person called into ordained ministry really can't neglect one in order to do the other extremely well.  Those of us in full time ministry really need to strive, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to do the very best that we can in both areas.  I think that may be partly what Paul was talking about in Ephesians 4.  His main point was that all the people of God should continue to strive to live a life that reflects God's loving presence in our life and to be his people according to the Holy Word.  The unity of the body of Christ is paramount for us to be a light unto the nations.

As a pastor, verse 15-16 are verses for me to continually strive to attain.  "But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love."  In preaching, I hope to speak the truth.  In pastoring I hope to show the love of God.  I hope that my work in the pastorate is a healthy combination of truth and love so that the body of Christ is knit together and is built up for the proper work of our Father.

So as of today, that's where I am.  I'm pushing myself in both of these directions.  My prayer is that I will continue that healthy balance between truth and love.  When we think about it we remember that God is both.  God is love and Jesus Christ is the truth.  May each one of us be imitators of Christ in all we say and do.
Until next time...

+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.+

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