Sermon: Sunday, December 16, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is the 3rd in the Advent Series entitled Pieces of Peace and it is entitled Freedom.  The texts are Luke 3:7-18 and Zephaniah 3:14-20.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, December 9, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is the 2nd in an Advent Series entitled Pieces of Peace and this sermon is titled Restoration and the texts are Luke 1:68-79 and Philippians 1:3-11.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: December 2, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from last Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Pieces of Peace: Hope and the texts are Psalm 25:1-10, Jeremiah 33:14-16 and Luke 21:25-36.  It is the first sermon in our Advent series called Pieces of Peace.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: November 18, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's short homily.  It is titled Despair is Never the End! and the text is 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, November 11, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Trust in the Lord and the texts are Psalm 146:1-10; Mark 12:38-44; Ruth 4:13-17.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, November 4, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Power Over the Grave and the texts are Isaiah 25:6-9 and John 11:32-44.  This was the Sunday that we celebrated All Saint's Day.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: The Jesus Way: a conversation on the ways that Jesus is the way by Eugene H. Peterson

The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way
by Eugene H. Peterson
Published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company in 2007

Summary and Review: This book is part of a series on spiritual theology which includes books discussing spiritual theology, the language of Jesus' stories and prayers, spiritual reading and how we live out that theology.  The Jesus Way is Peterson's effort to fully explain why in this modern world we should be choosing Jesus.  He doesn't candy coat by suggesting that accepting Jesus makes life nice and easy and prosperous; rather he acknowledges that the way of Jesus is a way of sacrifice, of failure, of being on the margins of society, of holiness.  These are the qualities that should set followers of Jesus apart from the rest of the world.  Unfortunately, Peterson observes, the modern church has failed to fully embrace these qualities and instead has embraced qualities of the world.  The book begins with an unpacking of the Jesus way and why it is the right choice.  The final third of the book has Peterson reflecting on other ways that one could choose to go and contrasting them against the Jesus way. 

This book, like all of Peterson's works, is very well written.  The presentation is cohesive and compelling as it moves the reader along, wanting to get to the next reflection.  The thought process behind the book is rooted in deep reflection on the Bible, theology, the person of Jesus, the state of our culture, and the state of the modern church.  Peterson, despite being a pastor in a mainline denomination, has an uncanny ability to step back and look at the church and society in a way that celebrates what we have gotten right, but equally challenges us on the areas where we have fallen short or gotten off course.  This book will challenge you on both an individual level as you consider the manner in which you have allowed the Jesus Way to guide your life, but also on a corporate level as you consider your church and how it reflects the Jesus Way.

Reading Recommendation: Yes, I have yet to run across a Peterson book that is not worth the time invested reading!

Book Review: The Folly of Preaching: Models and Methods edited by Michael P. Knowles

The Folly of Preaching: Models and Methods
Edited by Michael P. Knowles
Published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company in 2007

Summary and Review: This book is a collection of material regarding preaching in the modern context.  It includes sermons preached, lectures delivered and essays written on the subject from some of the world's most renown preachers, teachers and lecturerers.  The material is grouped into four categories: the social dimension of preaching, homiletic method, the theology of preaching and finally sermons.  The social dimensions are kicked off by David Buttrick and include Tony Campolo's Preaching to the Culture of Narcissism.  This section reflects on the nature of preaching today, what we have lossed, what we have gained and the challenges we face in addressing congregations and culture in sermons today.

Homiletics are again kicked off by Buttrick and include Edwina Hunter's Imagination, Creativity and Preaching and Thomas G. Long's Taking the Listeners Seriously in Biblical Interpretation.  This section reflects on the nature of Biblical interpretation for preaching and the methods by which we deliver Biblical truths.  Theology is kicked off by John R. W. Stott who carries half the section while the other half is covered by Stephen C. Farris.  The goal of the section is for the reader to really consider the theological beliefs that drive their preaching.  Is there power in preaching?  If so, what is the source?  How is preaching different than teaching?  The final section is a collection of sermons delivered between 1993 and 2004.

The book is well put together in form.  It rightly considers some of the real issues facing preachers today as far as social context, method and theology, all topics that we need to spend time considering.  The second half of the book is sermons, which while it is nice to read examples of other's work, the preached word reduced to the written page loses some power in translation.  On reflection I would have prefered to read more on the three areas presented and less examples.  It would also have been nice to have a CD included where we could perhaps listen to the actual sermons while we read along with them.  Overall, a book worth reading.  It will challenge you and provoke you in ways that will have you considering just how you go about this process of preaching.

Reading Recommendation: Yes, an excellent collection of sermons, lectures and essays on preaching in the modern context. 

Sermon: Sunday, October 21, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Never Forget: Jesus Created the Universe! and the texts are Job 38:1-7, 38-41; Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35; Isaiah 53:4-13.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, October 14, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Blinded by the Life! and the texts are Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; and Mark 10:17-31.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Recipe: Crawfish Corn Bisque

Greetings All,

Joy Bowen caught me in a lie when I told her that this recipe was on my blog.  While I thought it was, Joy was absolutely correct so we need to modify that situation ASAP because we can't let Joy be right for too long a period of time ;)  So here is this simply yet incredibly yummy recipe.  For those of you wondering where you can purchase crawfish, do not be afraid that you are only going to be able to find it at expensive specialty grocery stores.  Walmart actually stocks Boudreaux's Crawfish Tails.  One package is all you need for this recipe and it is generally less than $8.  Enjoy!

Crawfish Corn Bisque

Ingredients:

1 Med. Onion, chopped

1 Bell pepper, chopped (red makes a nice presentation)
1 Can of creamed corn
1 Tbsp. Tony Chachere’s seasoning
1 Can of evaporated milk
1 Can of Progresso Loaded Baked Potato Soup
1 12 oz. package of crawfish tails
½ Stick of butter or margarine
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained

 Directions:

Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Add crawfish, corn, soup and Tony’s seasoning.  Cook for 20 minutes.

Sermon: Sunday, October 7, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly...Truth About Life and the texts are Job 1:1, 2:1-10 and Psalm 26:1-12.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: Tales from Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett

Greetings all,

I have been remiss in my efforts of maintaining this blog as of late.  I am way behind in reviewing the books I have been reading and posting the recipes I have been enjoying and in simply sharing devotional thoughts.  This morning I thought I would try to play a little catch up.

Tales from Margaritaville
by Jimmy Buffett
Published in 1989 by Harcourt Brace Jovanonvich Publishers

Summary and Review: I will start this review with an acknowledgement that this is not a new book, or even a recent book.  It is almost a quarter of a century old, but it is Jimmy Buffett's first book written for adults.  While he had previously written a couple of children's books with his daughter and some non-fiction periodical pieces that were extremely well received this is his first offering to the world of adult literature.  It is not, however, the first Buffett book I have read and it was reading A Salty Piece of Land and my lifetime of listening to his music that fueled my desire to read his first romp of substance into the literary world.  This is not at all like the novel that I first read.  It is basically a collection of short stories some fictional, some rooted in his personal experience and told in the first person.  Tully Mars makes his first appearance here as well as a entire entourage of characters that will warm your heart and create in you a longing to not only here more stories but also to begin to create some of your own.  Many of the stories are about the fictional island Snake Bite Key and the people who live there or grew up there.  We get to read about a high school football championship, a love affair between a young lady and a musician, prodigal sons and uncles returned and a mysterious swamp creature that lives by the golf course.  Much of Buffett's life has been spent in the south and on the road in little juke joints across the map of America and these stories reflect a love and respect for both cultures and the people that inhabit them. 

Reading Recommendations: Yes!  A great romp through a fictional world of characters mixed with some real life Buffett that makes you laugh, smile, and long for a moment of peace and serenity in a world where it is warm and full of adventure.

Sermon: Sunday, September 30, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  This was our first Children's Sunday where we worshipped as a congregation with the Children's Church in the gym.  It is titled What God Sees and the text is 1 Samuel 16:1, 5b-7, 10-13a; 17:41-47.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Service, September 16, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's early service.  It is titled Knowing the Difference! and the text is Mark 8:27-38.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, September 9, 2012 9:30 a.m.

Greetings All,

This sermon was preached on Sunday, Septmber 9, 2012.  I have a recording of both the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. services below.  It is titled "A Humble Meal of Crumbs" and the texts are Mark 7:24-37 and Isaiah 35:4-7.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, September 2, 2012

Greetings All,

This sermon was preached on Sunday, September 2, 2012. It is titled "Belief Inspiring Lives" and the texts are Mark 7:1-7, 14-15, 21-23; James 1:17-27; Psalm 15:1-5. Unfortunately the batteries on the recorder died about 12 minutes into the sermon, so this is just a partial recording.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, August 19, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled It Is Not Enough to Simply Know! and the texts are 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14 and Ephesians 5:15-20.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, August 12, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Hanging by the Knot! and the texts are 1 Kings 19:4-8 and Psalm 130.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, August 5, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled God Redeems Us Even at Our Worst! and the texts are 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13 and Psalm 51:1-12.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, July 29, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Same Story Different Perspective! and the text is John 6:1-15.  This sermon couples with last weeks A Story of Bread and Fish as it presents John's perspective on the feeding of the five thousand which differs in many ways from Mark's account we explored last week.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Stubborn Ears!

This was originally typed on Febuary 12, 2012.  I just found it this morning when I was cleaning out drafts, but I thought it worth publishing.

Greetings All,

It has been one of those weeks, with meeting after meeting that eats into my time to make blog posts and I would like to tell you that it is slowing down, but the Lexington District Clergy have a meeting with the Bishop this afternoon.  Amidst the busyness, I wanted to share this with you from my quiet time this morning. Let's start with scripture:

Num 24:10 "At that Balak was very angry with Balaam, beat his hands together and said, 'I summoned you to denouce my enemies and three times, you have persisted in blessing them.  Off with you to your own place!'" from The New English Bible

 Balak has brought prophet Balaam to curse Israel before they go into battle.  We all know Balaam from the story where his donkey speaks to him to chastise him for his behavior, but this is the rest of that story.  Despite beating his donkey, Balaam in coming to Balak has professed that he will only speak the words the Lord gives to him and that is what he does.  The Lord speaks only blessings of Israel to Balaam and those blessings are what he has professed before Balak.  Each time those words are professed Balak gets upset and brings Balaam to a new place to look at Israel from a different angle hoping that in seeing them in a different light Balaam will profess what Balak wants to hear, curses against Israel.  Each time Balaam professes only the words of the Lord and not what Balak wants to hear so Balak finally gets mad and sends Balaam away.  He refuse to listen to God because God is not telling him what he wants to hear.

How often is that true for us?  How often do we ask for a word from God, words of encouragement, direction, decision, or even of blessing and God does speak to us, but not what we want to hear so we ignore Him?  God will respond to us when we call upon Him, but we must be prepared to accept what He has to say.  He is the creator of the universe and He knows what is best for us; yes, even better than we know for ourselves.  Balak's stubborn refusal to listen to God doesn't end well for him and the same is true for us, when we persist in our stubbornness and refuse to listen to God because we don't like what He has to say, it will not end well for us.  The question before each of us today is simply this: "When we seek God's face and word are we willing to accept what He has to say, or will we persist with our stubborn ear, refuse to listen and go our own way?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

The God Relevancy Relationship

Greetings All,

I had another quote this morning from Eugene Peterson that I thought was worth sharing.  Today's chapter is completely rooted in the life and story of Elijah and Peterson makes some awesome connections between Baal worship and the manner in which we often worship today, trying to use God to fit our needs, our situations, our wants and desires rather than us trying to make our lives fit into His bigger story.  Sound familiar?  Anyway, here is the quote from pg. 103 of The Jesus Way: a conversation on the ways that Jesus is the way by Eugene Peterson.

"Lots of people more or less believe in God.  But most of us do our vest to customize God to suit our convenience by adapting and modifying, making him 'relevant to our situation.'  Prophets insist that God is the living center or nothing.  Our task is to become relevant to his situation.  They insist that we deal with God as God reveals himself, not as we imagine him to be."

Elijah's prophetic voice as the defender of Yahweh stretches across the millenniums and speaks to us through the modern day prophet of Peterson.  Wow! Are we making ourselves relevant today to God's situation?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

The Work of God Along the Way

Greetings All,

Part of my morning devotionals as of late, which has been less than regular if there is any appropriate description due to my failure to find my new routine, has been reading a book by Eugene Peterson (author of The Message) called The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way.  It has been, as expected when you read Peterson, an excellent, enlightening and inspiring book.  This morning's chapter was about David and there was a paragraph that really struck me and I wanted to share it with y'all.  It comes from page 97 and reads as follows:

"The long and short of it is that there is a lot more going on on the way than getting to a destination.  And there is a lot more going on on the way than what we are doing.  There is what God is doing.  Which is why we "wait for the Lord."  We stop, whether by choice or through circumstance, so that we can be alert and attentive and receptive to what God is doing in and for us, in and for others, on the way.  we wait for our souls to catch up with our bodies.  Waiting for the Lord is a large part of what we do on the way because the largest part of what takes place on the way is what God is doing, what God is saying.  Much of the time, disabled or enervated by sin, we can't do what must be done, so we wait for God to do it in us.  Much of the time, we don't know what to do, so we wait until we understand what God commands us to do.  The waiting is not just an indolent "waiting around."  We wait "for the morning, " which is to say that we wait in hope.  We wait while we are being "ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven."  We wait for God to do what we cannot do for ourselves "in the depths."  When he has done it, we are once more on the way."

I loved reading this passage this morning as it reminded me that while we are walking on this path that is our Christian lives, keeping our eyes on Jesus, striving to live in ways that makes it easy for others to believe in Him, we must never forget that we walk this path not in our own power but in the power of God.  It is not a path of pulling up our boot straps and toughing it out in our own power and resources to try and accomplish what we think God wants, rather it is a cooperative journey that God allows us to participate in and on which He does all of the heavy lifting.  It is not what we are doing on the way, rather what He is doing.  We put one foot in front of the other, being faithful and obedience, He has the job of accomplishing.  Let us never forget that on "the way" that is life in Christ that we must never sprint ahead of where God is at work in us, with us and through us.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, July 22, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled A Story of Fish and Bread! and the texts are Mark 6:30-44 and Psalm 23.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Recipe: Pam's Nutter Butter Banana Pudding

Greetings All,

Pam Sprinkle brought the best ever banana pudding to potluck one Sunday and I had to have the recipe because I am not sure there is a better combination of yummy goodness than banana pudding and Nabisco's Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies.  I am absolutely certain that Elvis Presley would attest to this absolute truth!  Anyway, Pam was gracious enough to send me the recipe and in an effort to clean out my email box I post it here for easy access and for your dining pleasure.  Enjoy!

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Nutter Butter Banana Pudding

Ingredients:
5 medium-size ripe bananas
1 (l-lb.) Package Nutter Butter Cookies
1 Extra creamy cool whip 12oz.
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 (3 .4 - oz) Vanilla instant pudding
3 Cups of Milk
1 8 oz. Sour Cream

Directions:
Place 3 cups of milk and vanilla in a large bowl; add 2 (3.4 oz.) packages
vanilla instant pudding mix. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until
thickened. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 (8 oz) Sour cream.  Meanwhile cut bananas into 1/4 inch slices. Break cookies into thirds. Spoon half of pudding mixture into a 3 quart bowl. Top with bananas and cookies. Spoon remaining pudding mixture over bananas and cookies. Top
with 12oz. Creamy cool whip and crumbled cookies for garnish.
Chill 2 to 24 hours.

Sermon: Sunday, July 15, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Part of a Bigger Story! and the texts are Mark 6:14-29 and 1 Kings 19:1-2, 21:25.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Recipe: Yummy Fruit Dip!

Greetings All,

I haven't posted a recipe in quite a while.  Life has been a bit overwhelming with the move and all, but this is a recipe for fruit dip I found a while back that I made for the kids and it was super yummy so I decided to post it, mainly so I would be able to find it again.  Enjoy!

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Yummy Fruit Dip!

Ingredients:
7 oz. Marshmallow Cream
8 oz. Strawberry Cream Cheese
2 Tbls. Orange Juice
1 Cup Cool Whip

Directions:
In blender whip together marshmallow cream, cream cheese and orange juice.  Once blended thoroughly, gently fold in the cool whip.  Chill and serve with fruit.

Sermon: Sunday, July 1, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Being Made Whole Again! and the texts are Mark 5:21-43 and Psalm 130:1-8.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, June 24, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file Sunday's sermon.  It is the first sermon I have preached at Christ United Methodist Church in Florence.  It is titled Jesus Meets Us Where We Are! and the texts are John 21:1-19; 12:34-38; 15:13; and 20:1-10.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, June 17, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from my final sermon at Bryantsville UMC.  It is titled How Can I Help You to Say Goodbye? and the texts are Deuteronomy 31:1-7 and Acts 20:17-25, 32, 36-38.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: June 10, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from today's sermon.  It is titled Who Are We?  We Are Sent to Transform the World!  and the texts are Psalm 29 and Isaiah 6:1-8. 

Your Brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, May 27, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Who Are We?  We Are Empowered by the Spirit! and the texts are Acts 2:1-21 and Ezekiel 37:1-14.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: Beyond the Scandals: A Guide to Healthy Sexuality for Clergy by G. Lloyd Rediger

Beyond the Scandals: A Guide to Healthy Sexuality for Clergy (Prisms)
by G. Lloyd Rediger
Published in 2003 by Fortress Press

Summary and Review: The Reverend Rediger served congregations in three different states before earning his doctorate in pastoral counseling.  Since that time he has served as counselor to both pastors and their families through all kinds of situations involving sexual indiscretions.  He has seen repentance and healing, he has seen refusal to acknowledge how wrong certain behaviors are and he has seen indifference and abuse regarding the office of pastor.  This book is his attempt to look at all of the issues connected with clergy boundary violations in regards to sexuality.  He begins by addressing the issues that have surfaced through the scandals of the late 1990's and early 2000's in both the Catholic and Protestant Church to set the context of the book.  He then turns towards a overarching diagnosis for why these types of situations happen considering both male and female clergy.  This context establishment is followed by case studies of different actual clergy boundary violations that Rediger has encountered and counseled people through.  The third and final section of the book is an attempt to define and describe healthy sexuality.  He considers the relationship of our ethical system to our sexual behavior and our office as clergy.  This is followed with a theological understanding of sex and sexuality and finishes with a glimpse of what Biblical wholeness for sexuality looks like and some clues to recognize when pastors are getting close to the edge that can lead to trouble.

Overall it is a well written and researched book.  At times it can become a bit laborious to read, but he attempts to address a very difficult and emotional issue through multiple and appropriate lens: a practical one, a theological one, a Biblical one, an ethical one and a "reality" lens.  He looks not just at behavior, but behind that behavior to the reasons one does what they do and then suggests ways where those root issues can be addressed.  The case studies presented are interesting and his analysis of them are helpful in forcing us to consider all sides of the issue.  The biggest challenge of the book at this point is that it is a decade old and there has been so much more that has happened and so many new factors that have been brought into an already difficult issue.  The book is a great historical glimpse into this issue at the turn of the millennium.

Reading Recommendation: Indifferent, it is a read that attempts to address some of the challenging issues regarding sexuality and clergy in relation to the incredible boundary failures that consumed the headlines at the turn of the century, but it is a ten year old book.  It is a good historical perspective on this issue ten years ago, but it is incomplete when considering the discussion today.

Sermon: Sunday, May 20, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Who Are We?  We are Called to More than Simply Following! and the text is Acts 1:15-17, 21-26.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: The Killing Ground by Jack Higgins

The Killing Ground (Sean Dillon)
by Jack Higgins
Published in 2008 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Summary and Review: This is the 14th installment of the Sean Dillon series about the IRA provisional enforcer that has become part of the Prime Minister of Great Britain's personal team of anti-terrorism/spies/assassins/whatever needs to be done regardless of the rule of law/charming, romantic heroes.  The group is lead by General Ferguson and is made up of miscreants from around the world that have been recruited into this business or particularly thwarting terrorist attacks and plots.  This book, The Killing Ground, deals specifically with their confronting a terrorist renowned in the Middle East as the Hammer of God.  The story has a lot of disjointed pieces that never coalesce together and the characters, which he begins to develop at the start of the book are never really finished.  There is an assassination attempt on Blake Johnson, another key character in the series, that is thwarted in the first chapter but never revisited, nor does Blake return in the story.  The Hammer of God begins behaving in ways that suggests he is tired of the killing and could even stop being a terrorist, but that conflict is never resolved.  The young lady who is kidnapped and then rescued seems to be wrestling with identity issues that could lead her to one day becoming a profound voice for peace or a frantically terrorist, but again nothing. 

The book is written in typical Higgins style.  The humor, the romanticism, the quick pace, so it is a quick read, but the story and plot never tie together in ways that his previous installments have so this book leaves you unsatisfied.  It is a book in the series at this point that if you didn't read it you would not be missing anything.  If I am being honest, the book reads more like someone trying to turn out a quick new installment to capitalize on sales rather than trying to put out a "good" book.

Reading Recommendation: As hard is this is to believe in that I generally really enjoy Higgins' Sean Dillon stories, I have to vote "No" on this one as the ending just fails the book and there really isn't a cohesive story.

Sermon: Sunday, May 13, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Who Are We?  We Are Marked by Love! and the texts are John 15:9-17 and 1 John 4:7-21.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West
by Cormac McCarthy
Published by The Modern Library in 1985

Summary and Review: One of the fellows Christa works with heard that I am an avid reader and wondered if I had ever read this book.  Not only had I never read it, I had never even heard of it.  It is one of his all time favorite books and he offered it up for me to borrow and read.  I am generally curious to read books that people recommend so I agreed and Christa dropped it off.  The cover jacket quotes people calling this a modern day classic equal to the works of Faulkner and Melville, which piqued my interest even further.  The story is basically a travel anthology about "the kids" journey west to California in the post Civil War years.  His journey connects him with various unique and even bizarre characters including a former priest, Indian hunters, the "Judge," and an assortment of incredibly violent and self absorbed men. 

There is no point or real plot to the story, there is no real character development as we never know where the kid came from, what his motivations are for his journey or even any hopes or dreams he has.  Half the time he is invisible in the book.  People come on the scene, are killed, and more come later.  All that drives the reader forward is a mindless push west but to no real goal.  To make matters worse McCarthy has chosen to use an incredible amount of dialogue in his writing but uses no punctuation whatsoever.  Half way down the page you get lost as to who is saying what and you have to go back and re-read the page.  He writes flowing and vivid descriptions of the scenery and the hopelessness of the desolate west and he is not afraid of showing us brutality and violence in a way that can be almost overwhelming, but to call this book an modern classic is in my opinion no where close to accurate.  Just because someone chooses to write without punctuation or chooses to describe the reckless violence that was present in the American West does not make it a great book or even a good read.  The only memorable moment of the book for me was when the kid finally reaches the Pacific Ocean and observes a horse standing on the beach watching the sunset.  The book is a laborious read and from that aspect I can relate to comparing him to Faulkner because Faulkner's dialect and flow is as hard to follow as McCarthy's lack of punctuation.  If the book were a movie you would be leaving the theatre asking yourself, "Now what was that movie about again?"  Save your time and read Steinbeck if you want to read classics.

Reading Recommendation: Not worth the time and effort required to read it.

Book Review: Honor Bound by W.E.B. Griffin

Honor Bound
by W.E.B. Giffin
published by GP Putnam'S Sons in 1993

Summary and Review: This is a book that has been setting on my shelf for years and I just haven't gotten around to reading it.  Lately I found myself hungering to read military stories and there is no military author I like better than Griffin so I pulled Honor Bound down off the shelf and started reading.  I was immediately sucked into the lives of Cletus Frade, Anthony Pelosi and David Ettinger as they are military men recruited by the OSS and sent to Argentina to eliminate a "neutral" ship that is supplying Nazi submarines in the Atlantic.  The young men are soldiers first and spies second, but some how the combination of the two works really well.  This is the first book in what is now a six book series which recounts the dynamics of the country of Argentina as they try to remain neutral during World War II.

The book has Griffin's characteristic style of painting vivid pictures of his characters in ways that make us want to know and be in dialogue with them from practically the first page.  This is historical fiction and as always the research that goes into the book is obvious and transparent as he weaves a fictional tale amidst the real events and situations of the neutral country Argentina with Nazi sympathies during World War II.  The language is that of a soldier.  The values are honor, loyalty, family and integrity presented in a way that is so familiar for anyone associated with the military, especially World War II veterans, but is inspiring to anyone who reads the novel. 

Reading Recommendation: Yes, another great series rooted in World War II has been launched. 

Book Review: A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

A Redbird Christmas: A Novel
by Fannie Flagg
Published by Random House in 2004

Summary and Review: I have mentioned on this blog at various times in the past my dislike of most female authors as I think they tend to get way too bogged down in describing all of the details of a scene rather than giving us the important pieces and getting quickly to the point.  Now I find myself needing to confess.  I was in the Half Price Books clearance section the other day looking for my favorite authors for a buck when I cam across this book by Fannie Flagg.  Now I grew up watching Match Game and loved Fannie on that show.  I knew she was an author that wrote about her southern heritage and really captured the culture, pace and attitude of the south, but I had never read her.  In a moment of weak nostalgia I purchased the book and began to read it over lunch.  Two days later I was done.  I really enjoyed the book and am ready to read others by Ms. Flagg.

This is the story of Oswald Campbell, a man who has been given a life prognosis by his doctor in Chicago of just a few months if he doesn't get to a warmer climate.  At his doctors recommendation he finds himself in the tiny, Alabama town of Lost River.  As he boards with Betty Kitchen and her somewhat senile old mother he begins to become endeared with the various characters that inhabit the small town, including a little orphan girl named Patsy and a redbird named Jack that lives in the local grocery store.  It is a story of transformed lives, small town camaraderie and the hope that can only come from selfless love.

The book presents an attracting group of characters that you, as the reader, find yourself wanting to be gathered around a potluck table with locked in conversation.  More than the characters the book really captures the culture of a small southern town.  Their love for one another, their sense of hospitality towards everyone including strangers from the north, and their love of life in all of its simplicity.  The details presented are more than I am used too, but just enough to really capture the scene in a way that you can truly imagine it. You will laugh, you will cry, but in the end your heart will feel lighter and you will have a little hope restored.

Reading Recommendation: I can't believe that I am about to recommend reading a female author, but it is a great read and worth the small amount of time to read it.

Book Review: Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson
Published by Little Brown and Co in 2007

Summary and Review: This is a real time, true account of Operation Redwing as told by its lone survivor, Marcus Luttrell.  It was a Navy SEAL operation in Afghanistan that ended up claiming the lives of three soldiers followed by a rescue attempt that led to the deaths of another sixteen special forces soldiers.  Luttrell set out to honor his comrades in arms by sharing the story of the bravery amidst overwhelming, life ending odds, but he has crafted a book that is more than just a memorial.  He paints a compelling picture of the culture that is the SEALS and takes us from recruitment through basic training and then onto SEAL Indoc and BUD/S.  By the time the reader gets to the account of Afghanistan they have a whole new respect for what it takes to become a SEAL and the elite nature of them amidst the military community.  Not only to we get a glimpse of soldier life in a hostile country, we get the perspective of family and friends back home waiting for news of their loved one missing in action and a running commentary on the reality of war that the media fails to understand and in fact behaves in ways that increase the danger for our soldiers. 

The book is well written, reading like a novel while being a non-fiction account of a real operation.  It is well paced and you are compelled to turn the next page to get the rest of the story and despite knowing the outcome from the beginning you cannot help but finish the book as you devour the account of these remarkable, self-sacrificing young men.  It is an inspiring book that makes you want to be a better person and to find a community to be a part of that is much like the community that the SEALs have.

Reading Recommendation: If you love a military read, especially true stories about special forces, this is a must read.  Even if you don't love military books, it is a story that will inspire you toward honor, integrity, heroism and courage.

Sermon: Sunday, May 6, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file for the sermon from Sunday, May 6, 2012.  It is titled Moving Forward by Looking Back! and the text is Deuteronomy 4:1, 32-40.  It is the sermon that is for the day that I announced that I would be leaving Bryantsville for Christ Church in Florence, Kentucky on June 19th.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, April 22, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  The recorder's batteries must have run down because all we have is the first six minutes of the sermon.  It is titled Are You Ready to be a Shepherd? and the texts are John 10:11-14; 13:31-38 and 21:15-19.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches by Ray S. Anderson

An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches
by Ray S. Anderson
Published by Intervarsity Press in 2006

Summary and Review: The emergent church movement goes back more than a decade now and has grown from some of the early innovators in the movement like Brian McLaren and Dan Kimball, but Anderson makes a very valid observation that this movement has sort of divorced itself from a compelling theological base for their actions.  This book is an attempt to address this "lack of a theological underpinning" for the emergent church movement.  Anderson, at the time of publication, was a senior professor of theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and a prolific writer.  He has been a student of church for a very long time and has found the ideas of the emerging church movement of having a new kind of church, a new kind of Christian, a new kind of spirituality for this new world that we live in quite compelling.  At least compelling enough to engage these ideas in theological discussion.  That is what this book is about, looking at the theology behind the ministry practices that we are seeing in the emerging church.  I love his premise, "theology matters" and we need to make sure we understand it before we march off in this new direction and suddenly find ourselves so deep in the weeks that we cannot find our way back.

The book isn't so much a critique of the emerging church movement as it is a resource for the movement and any pastor that is implementing the ministry ideas espoused by the movement.  Anderson makes contrasts in most every chapter; Christ versus Christology, Spirit versus Spirituality, Gospel versus polity, mission versus ministry and the list goes on.  It is not that he is saying one is more important than the other, but more that you can't have the one without the other.  All ministry practice must be under girded by theology.  Just because a movement is producing numerical success doesn't mean that they have it right.  What makes it right is to have the right theology supporting that success.  We don't want to end up with thousands of people coming to Christ with a heretical understanding of Him.  The book has a strong premise that I really enjoy and it is readable, but I would not suggest for a moment that it is a must read.  It is however a refreshing take on the emerging church.

Reading Recommendation: Maybe, the book had a few compelling points that make you pause and the premise that "we need to understand theologically what we are doing practically" is incredibly important, but overall the book isn't a must read.

Book Review: Devil's Gate by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown

Devil's Gate (The Numa Files)
by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in 2011

Summary and Review: This is the first book in some time published from the Kurt Austin series previously written by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos.  Despite combing the Internet for an explanation as to why these two quite co-authoring, I have failed to find any reference.  Regardless of the reason, Paul is out and Graham Brown is in.  Prior to this release I had never heard of Graham Brown, but once again Cussler has done a fine job in selecting a co-author.  Brown does well to retain the original flavor of the series while adding a depth to the characters that was previously missing.  The relational aspect of Kurt, Joe, Paul and Gamay that was present but shallow in the earlier novels has been introduced in much the same way that Cussler introduced Pitt's children in that series.  There is an intimacy and honesty to their relationships and feelings of honor and fear.  This story is about the dictator of a small African country who is using technology to create a super weapon that is indefensible.  Austin and Joe stumble onto his first test of the weapon and are quickly drawn into the drama.  The story has everything you need for a good sea read, pirates, beautiful damsels in distress with Russian accents, history and bravado.

When I first started reading the Kurt Austin series more than a decade ago, I wasn't sure if I could ever like it as much as the Dirk Pitt series, but by book three I was hooked on Kurt, Joe and the gang.  When we went a couple of years after Medusa was published without an installment, I was beginning to worry what was happening to the series and was truly missing the silver haired fox and his dueling pistol collection.  The pause was due to the break-up of Cussler and Kemprecos and the subsequent finding of the new partner in Brown.  The series picks up right where it left off with not only all of the flare of the old books, but lots of potential for all of the installments to come!

Reading Recommendation: Yes, a good re-launch of a long standing series with a new co-author.

Book Review: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck
Originally published by The Viking Press Inc. 1939

Summary and Review: This is Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize winning epic depiction of the Great Depression and its effects on individuals, families, communities and the nation.  It tells the story of the Joad family, homestead farmers from Oklahoma, who are driven from their land by the banks, drought and the depressed economic times.  They have seen a flyer claiming there is abundant work in California with beautiful country and plenty of opportunity, so they head west in pursuit of a better life than the one they have been existing in Oklahoma as of late.  The novel is basically a travelogue of their journey.  As they encounter people, both good and bad, false hopes, flat out lies, death and attitudes of defeat.  Family roles change to adapt to the dynamics of this new life, but the core values of God, family and hospitality remain an anchor in an otherwise drifting life. 

I thought I read this book in high school or college but the more I read the more I didn't recognize, so now I am not sure if I had read it before or not.  At a minimum I was reading it through a new lens of being a pastor and if you have read this blog at all you know what an impact the book has had on me as it has inspired numerous blog posts!  The book is a compelling read as you are brought into the intimate lives of these characters and you are driven to turn the next page to find out what happens to them.  My favorite parts are the "mini-chapter" commentaries on life itself during the Great Depression.  This classic stands as a work of literature, but even more as a chronicle of an incredibly challenging time for our country and for those who endured the Great Depression.  I always thought if funny that my grandmother would buy two of everything and was told that it was a product of her being placed in an orphanage during the Depression because her parents couldn't afford to feed the kids so she was going to make sure she always had what she needed to care for her family.  This book gave me new insight on to how that time could have such an impact in her life.  We will probably never encounter a time like the Great Depression again, but we must never forget the dramatic effect it had on families and communities so that we can embrace the strength those that endured displayed and reject the evil that always rears its head in such times.  The Grapes of Wrath is a chronicle that will never let us forget.  If you haven't read it before, you really need to place this on your must read list!

Reading Recommendation: Yes!  Put it on your lifetime "Must Read" list.

Sermon: Sunday, April 15, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Yes, It is Really Me! and the texts are John 6:1-14; 21:1-14.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's regular worship service.  It is titled More Responses and the text is John 20:1-18.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, April 1, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Lessons from Mark: The Wilderness and the texts are Mark 1:35-39; 11:1-11.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, March 25, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file for the sermon from Sunday, March 25, 2012.  It is titled Lessons from Mark: Good Stewards of God's Gift and the texts are Isaiah 5:1-7 and Mark 11:27-12:12.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, March 18, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file for the sermon from Sunday, March 18, 2012. It is titled Lessons from Mark: Internal Submission and the text is Mark 7:24-30.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, March 4, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's Sermon. It is titled Lessons from Mark: Quit Worrying! and the text is Mark 3:20-30.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

A Theology of the Spirit for Emerging Churches

Greetings All,

I have been reading a book by Ray S. Anderson called An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches where he is trying to establish a theological foundation for the practice of ministry in the emerging church movement.  The emerging church movement is busy doing the work of ministry and Anderson wants to provide them with the theological basis for "why" they are doing it in a way that can inform "how" they are doing it.  This mornings chapter was titled "It's About the Community of the Spirit, Not Just the Gifts of the Spirit," and in it he is trying to establish a vibrant theology of the Spirit from which we can build ministering communities.  He closes each chapter with a non-theological postscript as a sort of accessible summarizing of the information provide and today's really struck me and I wanted to share it with you.  So here it is, you can find it on pages 175-177.

"I know that my own spirit is too tame when it should be adventurous.  My spirit can be too impulsive and sometimes brash when it should be measured and modest.  My spirit can waver in doubt and uncertainty when I should be brave and bold.  This is why I ask for the Holy Spirit to come beside my spirit, not to take my place but to make my place more resemble a home where Jesus lives than a college dormitory.   This is the Spirit I seek when I pray "Spirit of God, descend on my heart."

I don't want the Spirit of God to startle me in the middle of the night when I need rest.  I don't want the Spirit of God to make me anxious in order to seek first the kingdom of God.  I don't want the Spirit of God to make me bark like a dog or laugh like a hyena in order to fulfill a craving for more of God.  On the other hand, there is something I desire in being filled with the Spirit, and that is captured in the poignant words of the psalmist:

"I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child that is within me. (Psalm 121:2-3)"

I am not sure that I want to go through the weaning process - nor am I sure that God wants to go through it with me!  The parent suffers more than the child, I suspect.  To be weaned from the kind of relationship with God where my needs for gratification demand his immediate response is to walk alone, it seems.  But Jesus went through that process, first in being weaned from the breast of his mother, and then from the power of God as a form of temptation.  It was, after all, the Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1).

 The Spirit of Jesus is a weaned Spirit, no longer demanding to be fed but returning once more to the Father.  My spirit is still too restless.  I want every prayer to be answered.  I want to keep praying even when there is no answer.  In the end, I want to be able to trust God to hold my unanswered prayers like letters from a separated lover, close to his bosom.  This is the Spirit of my prayer.

I do not expect the church to meet my every need.  The church can and should provide the kind of body life where the Spirit can reveal to each of us our own particular needs.  If I am weak in faith, I need to be in a church where I am not required to profess more faith than I have.  Rather, I need the freedom and security to express my faith deficiency with the expectation that I can draw on the faith of others as a stimulus for my own growth in faith.  If I am starved for love, it may indicate that I have a love deficiency in myself rather than lack of others to love me.  The Holy Spirit knows what I need, and he will, through the loving care and concern of others, prompt me to grow more in love through a body life where love is expressed generously and openly.

Nutritionists remind us that there are essential ingredients in our daily diet that are necessary to maintain good health.  Consumer protection laws have been enacted that require labels on food products that help the purchaser make good decisions about his or her food purchases.  Here, rather than a prescription that offers a remedy for some distress or dysfunction (though that is still a good idea!), we should each develop our own nutritional guideline that contains the essential ingredients for our spiritual life and growth.  It is not the quantity but the quality of food intake that is necessary for our health.  A person can suffer serious malnutrition with a full stomach!  I have know people who have been so preoccupied with church activities that they are literally full of religion but starving themselves spiritually.

I have come to the conclusion that an individual is not given a gift of the Spirit because he or she needs it but because the community of the Spirit needs the individual.  I do not seek a spiritual gift because I need one to be more spiritual.  I need to belong to a community that needs me and needs the gifts that I can bring to the service of Christ within the community.  I need to belong to a community that needs me.

A spiritual gift is not an honorary title but a subpoena of the Holy Spirit issued by the body of Christ to fulfill a task or responsibility.   Just because it is a gift I should not assume that it will not cost me something to use it.  The exercise of a spiritual gift will require my time and energy that could otherwise be used for my own benefit or for the welfare of family and friends who look to me for support.  This is why the community of the Spirit needs to have the Spirit's wisdom in distribution of the gifts.  The gifts of the Spirit yoke us to Christ, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matthew 11:29-30).  When we become burdened in our exercising of a spiritual gift, it is no longer a gift that brings a blessing to ourselves but a duty that bruises our spirit.

When the body of Christ of which I am a part reaches out for someone to fill a need, I respond by saying "I can do that."  It's that simple.  And I am convinced it was that simple for Paul.  His analogy of the human body works very well here.  If I need to taste something to determine if it is ready to eat, my tongue says "I can do that."  If I need to look at a page in a book in order to read it, my eyes say "We can do that."  If I have some toxic waste in my blood that needs to be filtered out, my kidneys say "We can do that."  I won't press the analogy any further!

The point is, the community of the Spirit, not just the gifts of the Spirit, is what emerging churches are about.  If the community is alive in the Spirit and the members are allowing the Spirit that birthed them into Christ to flow into every nook and cranny of their lives, and to conform their human spirits to the Spirit of Christ within them, there will be as many gifts as the body needs, no more, no less."

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
published by Scribner in 1926

Summary and Review: It is difficult to summarize a book that has no plot, but that is exactly the kind of book The Sun Also Rises happens to be.  It is in essence the story of Jake and Brett, an Englishwoman and an American that have connected in Paris.  The book unveils the complexities of their lives with each other, with their friends Mike, Bill and Cohn, and with figuring out life and God and the future.  The book moves from Paris to Pamplona for the annual bull fighting festival that includes the running of the bulls and finally to Madrid. 

At its best the book tries to capture the disillusionment of the young generation that has just come through World War I as they try to discern who they are, what their moral and value system is going to be, and how to prioritize their lives for today or for the future.  At its worst the book is minimalist strings of dialogue where the reader gets lost halfway through the conversation and can no longer recognize who is speaking.  This has been historically hailed as one of Hemingway's best works, even called a masterpiece by some, but sitting here 86 years removed from its first publication I have to admit to struggling with the "greatness" of the book.  I did enjoy the read and the characters, but the book never captured me and pulled me into the story.  I was always an outsider looking in trying to figure out what was going on with the characters rather than being a companion on their journey. 

Now that may be a characteristic of classic writing that differs from more modern styles of which I have grown up with.  I think it is important for us to read the classics, not just in high school, but through out our lives so we can not only relate to the influential writings of past generations, but equally so we can see how the art of writing and the crafting of novels has evolved over the years.  I am curious to talk to someone in their sixties or seventies who read this book decades ago to hear their perception of the book.

Reading Recommendation: A reluctant yes, it is a classic and thus worth reading, but I do not find it to be a spectacular book where you will finish it thinking, "I am so glad I read this book."

Look at Me.....Not!

Greetings All,

Let's begin with Scripture once again reading from the Book of Deuteronomy:

NLT

Deuteronomy 8:7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with springs that gush forth in the valleys and hills. ⁸ It is a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey. ⁹ It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. ¹⁰ When you have eaten your fill, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹ "But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. ¹² For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, ¹³ and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, ¹⁴ that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. ¹⁵ Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! ¹⁶ He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. ¹⁷ He did it so you would never think that it was your own strength and energy that made you wealthy. ¹⁸ Always remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you power to become rich, and he does it to fulfill the covenant he made with your ancestors.

Moses has been giving a speech to the Israelites to prepare and encourage them to enter the Promised Land.  He begins by acknowledging how great a land this is that God has promised them and pointing them to the reality that when they move into the fullness of God's promise they will find themselves with plenty to eat, with nice houses and with flocks and wealth that seem to ever increase.  The reason for the acknowledgement is to present a warning.  Whether it is the Israelites or us, whenever we find ourselves in a comfortable and prosperous place we are faced with the great temptation to think, "Look what I have done!  Everyone, look at me and see how awesome I am!  I have worked hard and made myself rich!" 

We get in those comfortable spots and forget how God provided for us in the tough times which is the foundational evidence that it is Him that is providing for us in these prosperous times.  We want to believe that we did it, we earned and that we deserve it, but the truth is we didn't do it, God did; and we don't deserve it, for it is God's gracious gift.  Moses tells the Israelites that God has tested them in the wilderness so that they will never be tempted to say, "look at me!" nor be tempted to think they accomplished all of this in their own strength and energy. 

It is equally a message for us today.  The longer we walk the Christian walk, the more likely we are to find ourselves in a more prosperous life, but let us never be fooled to think that we have some how accomplished this, earned this or even deserve it.  God has done and incredible thing for us and we need to always give Him the credit.  It should never be the case that we say, "look at what we have done," and always the case that we say, "look at what God has done in our lives and through our lives!"

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Greetings All,

Let us start with Scripture again reading from The New English Bible:

"It is not by hearing the law, but by doing it, that men will be justified before God.  When Gentiles who do not possess the law carry out its precepts by the light of nature, then, although they have no law, they are their own law, for they display the effect of the law inscribed on their hearts."  Romans 2:14-15

One of our first reactions to reading this might be to ask if those who have not heard about Jesus can be saved if they have lived a life that reflects Christian principles?  The best answer I can give is "maybe," but that is not the pit I want to root around in this morning.  More than anything I want us to see the truth that Paul is proclaiming regarding the relation of our hearts and our lives.  Whether the question of the one who has not heard being saved or not is answered here, what is professed with great clarity is that when "the law is inscribed on our hearts" our lives will display the effects!  If we have embodied the truth of Christ in our heart, our lives will display that truth in the way we live, the way we love, the way we serve.  It is just another way of stating that when we truly allow Christ to transform our lives that we cannot help but live lives that make it easy for others to believe in Him.  Here Paul is letting us know that when our heart has been transformed by  the truth of God in Christ our lives will display the effects!  The question for each of us today then becomes, "What effects are we displaying?"

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Looking Back to Move Forward

Greetings All,

It seems that I have been a bit absent from blog posts for the last week.  I apologize, but I do have one to share with you today.  Let us begin with a scripture reading from Deuteronomy:

NLT

Deuteronomy 4:31 For the LORD your God is merciful-- he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors. ³² "Search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now. Then search from one end of the heavens to the other. See if anything as great as this has ever happened before. ³³ Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire-- as you did-- and survived? ³⁴ Has any other god taken one nation for himself by rescuing it from another by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, awesome power, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your very eyes. ³⁵ "He showed you these things so you would realize that the LORD is God and that there is no other god. ³⁶ He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. ³⁷ Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants and personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. ³⁸ He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as a special possession, as it is today. ³⁹ So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other god!

This comes from the early parts of Deuteronomy where Moses has been recalling all that God has done for the Israelites and all that He has instructed them to do, but now he is preparing them to enter the promised land.  He has talked about land divisions and sacred vows, but now he needs to give them the confidence they need in God to be able to move forward into the promise of God.   To do this he actually tells them to look back; to remember that God is merciful and that He will never abandon you, look back to the very beginnings of creation.  He asks them if there has ever been anything as incredible as what God has done for the Israelites?  Has any other nation heard the voice of God from fire and not been destroyed?  Has any other nation been chosen by God to be saved from another and then let the world watch as God does exactly that in spectacular ways?  The implied answer is "NO!"

Moses tells the Israelites that when they look back at the evidence of God working in their midst they have all of the evidence they will ever need to trust God that He will do what He says He will do when He promises to give them this land flowing with milk and honey, even if it is occupied by giants!  They are part of this story of God that has been going on since before they even existed as a nation.  As they choose to trust and follow God they become part of that story to which others in the future will look back on God working with them and be able to move forward into their own promises.

That is us!  We are the future people who look back to Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness; to the miraculous things God did for them, but more importantly how God was always faithful to them.  We too place our stories in the story of God.  First we look back and see how God has worked not only in Israel but through out the ages since then.  Second we look back on our own lives and see how God has been working in it.  Then and only then can we have the confidence to move forward into whatever God has in store for us next, because we have been reminded that He is trustworthy, faithful, merciful and strong and that He will sustain us in all He calls us to do.  Will we look back today so we can confidently move forward into tomorrow?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, February 19, 2012

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled What We Win! and the texts are Mark 9:2-9 and Numbers 21:4-9.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron