Faithful to Complete It - Pickens Ministerial Association message April 4, 2017

³ I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴ constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵ because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart,^[d] for all of you share in God’s grace^[e] with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight ¹⁰ to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, ¹¹ having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

 Philippians 1:3-11, NRSV

          I was asked if I would share my closing message preached today at the Pickens Ministerial Association Lenten Luncheon. I have added a few pictures to help illustrate this brief message.  May it be a blessing to you.

          You may have heard through the last few weeks that Ashley and I will be moving at the end of June.  In the United Methodist system, a bishop appoints pastors to churches, and our bishop is sending the two of us to the Greenwood area.  Ashley will be the pastor of two churches, much as Pastor Kevin has been the pastor at two Seventh-day Adventist churches (Pickens and Anderson.)  I will be pastoring a different congregation a short distance away from her.

          With this reality in mind, I recognize that today will be the last opportunity to speak with many of you. We have made our home in Pickens County for the last 13 years, and we will miss you.  I especially appreciate the other pastors and churches of our ministerial association. You have always accepted me just as I am and made me feel a valued part of the Pickens Community.  I ask that you offer the same hospitality to my successor, Rev. David Taylor, who will be with you starting in July.

          Because of the time…the season we are in…I wanted to share from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  Traditionally, scholars believe that he wrote this letter while in prison in Rome – knowing that he would never be free again – knowing that he would never see this church that meant so much to him any longer.  I understand his sorrow mixed with hope…

          I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.  (Philippians 1:3-5, NRSV)When you share days in mission and ministry together – it’s easy to share in the fond memories of the days we have had…joy and thanksgiving flow easily.

          I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart for all of you share in God’s grace with me.(Philippians 1:6-7, NRSV)

          Was the work of the Philippians finished?  Had Paul accomplished everything he had hoped in the community of Philippi?  No – God had begun the work…but it was not complete.

          I don’t know about you, but when I work, I often make a mess.  I start with a clean table, all of my tools carefully put where they belong, my thoughts organized, and a picture of where I am headed.  But, how does that expression go…”If you’re going to make an omelet….you have to break a few eggs.

          For example, I have a project here. I started with bunches of strings of what some would call Mardi Gras beads.  They were perfectly fine…that is, until I cut them.  

 I utterly destroyed this whole batch of necklaces. To anyone who looked at things at this point, it looks like a mess. It appears that all of my time has been wasted in an effort that led nowhere.

          “God who began a good work in you,” says Paul, “will be faithful to complete it.” God isn’t finished with us yet.  We are a work in progress.  How do I know this? because we all share in God’s grace together.  God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, uses seasons like Lent to take us and shape us. God uses seasons of change and even the grief that we share to form us and mold us.

  As you can see, the apparent mess is beginning to change. God who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. 

          I am not naïve enough to think that God’s work in Pickens began when I moved here.  How absurd would that be?  God has been at work in Pickens for 150 years – as long as Pickens has been here. Nor do I believe that a single season of Lent will have every one of us suddenly living every day exactly like Jesus.  This season changes us, but we recognize that God’s work is not finished. If we trust that God, the ultimate artist in the world, has begun a work, we believe that God will be faithful to complete it.

          Even when we do not at first recognize the creativity in the process, God works all things for good who believe in him. 

          I believe that God who began a good work in Pickens will be faithful to complete it.  We will miss each other.  We will think of each other with love and fondness. We will lift one another up in prayer.

          We will not lose our hope.  God’s hand continues to work and build and grow.  I know that as we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that God will produce something beautiful in our midst – even if at times it seems like things are a mess.

          I leave you with these words from Paul, as they become my prayer for you:

         

 “this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11, NRSV)

Grace and Peace,

Just for Fun - The Answer

This post has the solution for the puzzle I shared during my last post Just for Fun!  If you have not taken the opportunity to try to solve it on your own, I would encourage you to at least glimpse at it here  (http://jmccoybruce.blogspot.com/2017/03/just-for-fun.html) before you check the solution.


I hope that you have enjoyed the puzzle.  If so, let me know.  I can try to find some more.



Grace and Peace,

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends...One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo, Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

Note: Osee appears in the King James Version translation of Romans 9:25 as a variant spelling of Hosea. 

Article by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert

Just for Fun!

 Every now and then, I enjoy a good puzzle. Here is one that I found while doing research in another area.  Please note that this is not my work, but it is used by permission as indicated below.

I will post the solution in a few days below the original article.

Enjoy!

Can you find thirty (30) books of the Bible in this paragraph? Actually, there are 31 if you can find the variant of one Old Testament prophet's name, a variant that's used in the text of the King James Version (not as the title of a book, but in the text itself).

     There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

Article by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert

Once you have searched and given up, here is the answer. (http://jmccoybruce.blogspot.com/2017/03/just-for-fun-answer.html)

Grace and Peace,

Why do United Methodist pastors move?

Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.

-Hebrews 11:1

This past Sunday, March 12^th, the SPRC of Grace UMC in Pickens announced that there would be a pastoral change in June. Both Ashley and I will be serving as pastors in new appointments.

After hugs have been shared and tears shed, I have been asked an important question – a question that I believe deserves an answer. “Why are you moving/leaving us?” At the heart of the answer lies a truth that is at the core of our faith.

Upon hearing the news, one of Ashley’s friends commented (something to the effect of) “what a wonderful example for your children! So many people talk about what they believe and what they will do for God. Your children get to see what it looks like to live your faith.”

I think I understand what she means. We live in a world where people are willing to argue with others for what they believe. A Facebook post or a bumper sticker touts what they adamantly believe. They will shout at others and shun those who think otherwise. But, when it comes to actually living, that is an entirely different subject. (For example, I know people who spoke out against a lottery in SC but who have been willing to buy tickets.)

Fatih isn’t about what we feel alone. Another James correctly stated that “faith without works is dead.” Our faith must have handles. People should be able to see the evidence of our faith in our lives. This is what makes our faith become alive and bear witness to others.

Look at the evidence in Hebrews. So many are listed who had faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah to name a few (Hebrews 11:3-11). How do we know that they had faith? They offered, they walked, they built, they followed, and they bore (a child). Faith is described by pointing to the faithful actions of those who believed.

This is why United Methodist pastors move. We believe that God works in and through our connection. We have faith that the same God who called us into ministry will lead us and move us according to the right timing. Every United Methodist elder promises, before the conference and before God, that we will go wherever we are sent. Those words may spill easy from our lips as we recite the vows of ordination, but those words carry great meaning.

Why do we move? We move because we say that we trust God. We believe in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us. We say that we will take up the cross of Christ and follow him. Our words of faith are empty if they are not joined by actions which seek to live out that faith in all that we do.

We move because we have faith. We move so that we may continuously grow in our striving to be like Christ who said, “not my will, but thine be done.” We move so that others may see that the words that we say are not merely words, but they make a difference in our lives.

So, please pray for us during these days. Yes, there will be sadness as our time at Grace draws to a close. God has been faithful and has been present in powerful ways through our years here. We also look forward with anticipation and with joy, knowing that God who brought us to this time and place in our ministry will be faithful and has already prepared another place for us to serve.

We know this without question, for “faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.”

Grace and Peace,

A Change for the Better

Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you.   

--Philippians 4:4-9

 In my previous blog, I wrote about challenging assumptions that drag us down and keep us from achieving the kind of future that God envisions for us.  We need to go one step further.  We do not need to just challenge and put aside our false assumptions, we need to embrace something different.’’

Paul describes a life to the church at Philippi that focuses on the true, holy, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. He encourages the church to rejoice and to be glad even in the face of hardship and persecution.

Why should we be so concerned about feelings?  Does it matter how we feel as long as we are faithful? Actually, it matters a great deal.  How we feel directly impacts the decisions we make and our ability to think creatively.  Robert Quinn, in his Deep Change Field Guide cited Barbara Fredrickson’s research into the impact of positive emotions on openness and learning.  She described something called a “positivity ratio” which is the frequency of positive feelings divided by the frequency of negative feelings for a specific period of time.(DCFG 132)

“Fredrickson found that there is a tipping point around with the effects of the positivity ratio change dramatically.  When we experience fewer than three positive feelings for each negative feeling, we tend to spiral downward and become increasingly rigid…Above the ratio of three to one, we are pulled upward…[becoming] increasingly open and creative.” DCFG 132

For those of us who are naturally cynical, this can be quite a challenge.  What can we do?  I know people who keep folders of positive notes and cards they receive to read when they need a lift.  Others take time to journal a specific number of things each day in which they have been blessed.  Imagine if, as part of a mealtime routine, we shared the blessings we anticipate for the day or the blessings we received!  Small steps help us to see that God is at work and that God is Good (All the time!).  It reminds me of an old hymn that I miss being in the United Methodist Hymnal called Count Your Blessings:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

--Public Domain

Let’s open our eyes and see the ways in which God is at work today.  How God is using all things, every thing, for good.  Then let us rejoice that we are constantly surrounded by God’s…

Grace and Peace,

Stinking Thinking

¹¹ Then the Lord’s messenger came and sat under the oak at Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. ¹² The Lord’s messenger appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”

¹³ But Gideon replied to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his amazing works that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Didn’t the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and allowed Midian to overpower us.”

¹⁴ Then the Lord turned to him and said, “You have strength, so go and rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not personally sending you?”

¹⁵ But again Gideon said to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my household.”

---Judges 6:11-15

Many of us get to the place where we are tired of things the way they are, but we don’t have any other options. Someone asks us why we are doing what we are doing and we tell them, “I don’t have any choice,” or “I have to do it!”  If so, then we have become victims of an assailant that attacks millions of people every day.  It is the same person who conquered Gideon in the scripture above.

Gideon knew the truth in the world; he had seen it every day in his life.  A foreign nation had power over Israel.  They were taking their food and resources.  Obviously, God must have abandoned them.  ‘Not having any other choice’ Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress. Why? Who would think to look for grain where you would process grapes?  He was hiding from those who had taken over.  Gideon had found a way to deal with the new normal in Israel; it was just the way things were.

 

The messenger of God spoke to him and tried to explain that God was actually getting ready to set the people free and that Gideon would lead them.  He looked around, saw the reality of his world, and stated firmly “with all due respect,” that isn’t true. He was so certain of God’s abandonment that it was an indisputable fact.  The messenger responds that God is actually going to use Gideon.  Again, he just doesn’t see how that could be possible.  Most of Gideon’s story as judge is a demonstration of just how much our thinking can impact our ability to see the ways in which God is choosing to work in the world.

In The Deep Change Field Guide, Robert Quinn says it this way, “When we accept the world as it is, we deny our innate ability to see something better, and hence our ability to be something better.” Our perception helps to form the reality in the world around us as we use our assumptions to interact with others. 

But there is always the possibility to see something better.  Even in the worst of times, there is hope. The Apostle Paul saw it when he wrote to the church in Rome and said,

“But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Our thinking is powerful.  God does not want our thoughts stuck in the same ruts in which the rest of the world spins.  Instead God challenges “don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature.” (Romans 12:2)

Let’s let go of our bad assumptions, give up our stinking thinking, and allow God to do a new thing in our families, in our churches, and in our communities!

Grace and Peace,