Rest in Peace

Country Singer Eddie Arnold has died. He was one of the greats of the country music world and one of the first country singers to cross over into the pop charts. He will be missed.

 

What are they thinking?

In what has to be one the most hard-hearted and hard-headed moves in my lifetime, the military regime ruling Myanmar (formerly Burma) is doing everything in their power to throw roadblocks in the way of humanitarian aid to the areas devastated by Cyclone Nargis on May 2.  Current U.N. reports estimate nearly 23,000 dead and nearly 42,000 missing.  Even worse, reports indicate that due to a lack of clean water, dead bodies carrying disease and lack of food and shelter, the death toll could conceivably pass 100 thousand!

UMCOR is working with their partner, Church World Service, trying to get aid to those who need it.  At this point however, the Myanmar government is un-cooperative, although they have requested aid.  If you are United Methodist (and even if you’re not) you have an opportunity to donate to relief efforts.  If you click on this link you can select a link from the UMCOR website to donate online.  Additionally, you can put a check marked for UMCOR Advance #3019674 Myanmar Emergency in the offering plate of your local United Methodist Church and the offering will be forwarded on through your Annual Conference.  Because of our response to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering (to cover administrative support costs), 100% of your donation goes toward disaster relief.

If there ever was a time to “do unto the least of these” it is now.

 

Transitions

I met for a time today with the pastor who will follow me at this charge. It was a good meeting with a lot of insightful comments. LMUMC will be in good hands. I think that she’ll do a great job with this charge.

This is my first appointment. So this is my first move. I’m finding that it can be a little overwhelming if I’m not careful. But I want this to be a smooth transition…and it will be.

Mixed emotions come bubbling to the surface. I am excited to be moving to the new church, but I will miss the folks here. The next 6 weeks will be tough.

 

Lies and the Liars who tell them

I have just watched the witness demonstration that took place during a break in the plenary session of General Conference this morning. The “demonstration” was described by John Lomperis of the IRD (on their General Conference blog) with a headline of “Gay Rights Protestors Storm General Conference (again)” along with the description in the body of his article as an invasion of the plenary floor. All I can say to Mr. Lomperis is “what a crock.” Anyone who watches the video of the witness action can see that there was nothing disruptive about the action that took place during a scheduled break in the session at a time that was negotiated with the leadership of the conference.

Mr. Lomperis and his allies evidently thought that they could get away with posting inflamatory comments about this action taken by delegates, friends and families of GLBT brothers and sisters who have been hurt by the actions of this General Conference because the live feed from the floor of General Conference is shut off during breaks. It must have been quite a shock to them to find that the entire 15 minute period of peaceful and respectful protest has been posted on the web, and at the General Conference video archives at that. But knowing this bunch I am sure that they’ll find some way to squirm out of being caught in a bald faced lie.

I have struggled with the language as it has stood in the Discipline since 1972. I was quite hopeful with the language worked out in the majority report on the proposed changes to paragraph 161G. It was language that stated that we (Methodists) are not of one mind on the issue of homosexuality. It was language that states the truth as it relates to our community. It was language that was defeated.

Others who were there as delegates or observers have blogged about all that happened. I don’t want to rehash any of that… it’s being rehashed in enough places already.

 

Celebration!

Today, April 23, 2008, is a day of celebration around the Rambler’s place.  It was on this date 3 years ago that my ramblings first saw the light of day with my first post.  Incidentally, this post marks the 200th post since then.  I hope that I haven’t bored too many of you to tears over the past 3 years and I hope that you may have found something in these ramblings that may have helped you in your journey.

While we’re talking of celebration, April 23 is an important date in the history of the United Methodist Church.  It was on this date in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, that Bishop Reuben H. Mueller of the Evangelical United Bretheren Church and Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke of the Methodist Church joined hands at the uniting conference joining the two denominations together to form The United Methodist Church.  Forty years have passed since that date.  Now, on this 40th anniversary of our church, the quadrennial meeting of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church begins its deliberations in Fort Worth. 

It is my prayer, and I hope the prayer of many (if not most) United Methodists, that this General Conference may be one where we may find that the things that we hold in common are more important than the things that separate us.  It is my hope that the “extreme center” can not only be heard, but may prevail against the special interest groups on both sides and that the church can come together, strengthened in our resolve to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

Repost: Remembering whose we are

With General Conference 2008, my 200th post, and the 3rd anniversary of these online ramblings coming up in the next week, I’ve been taking a look back at things that I’ve said in this forum. The following was originally posted on September 26,2005.

It’s been a little over a week and a half since my last post. And what a week and a half it has been. Two funerals for three members of our church (the choir sang at both funerals) were like bookends to the week. The job situation is beginning to wind down as I approach what the British refer to as “redundancy” (at least I like their term more than anything we Americans use) and I’ve been dealing with a minor bit of depression taking it all in.

Part of candidacy studies has been discovering who I really am. While trying to re-connect with the spiritual milestones of my life, I decided to locate my baptismal certificate. I knew that the last time I’d seen it, it was in a scrapbook that my mom kept for me so that I wouldn’t forget who I was and what had led me to be the person that I am today. Only one problem, in all of our moves over the past 16 years, I had no idea where it could be. My wife wasn’t home when I started looking and I looked and looked with no luck. When she returned home, she asked what I had been doing (seems that I made a mess of things while trying to find the scrapbook). With that tone of exasperation that is usually reserved for our daughter, she told me where to find the certificate. I still don’t know where the scrapbook is, but I have the certificate of church membership that reminds me that I was baptized on Saturday, March 21, 1970 in the baptistery of First Baptist Church in Franklin, TN and was accepted into membership on Sunday, March 22 at First United Methodist Church. (With my mom being brought up Baptist and my dad being Church of Christ (the non-instrumental kind)…well, let’s just say that immersion was the only way that my brother and I would be baptized.)

That baptismal certificate, along with picture albums that helped to chronicle my life growing up in Franklin, brought back memories of that day with the Rev Stuart Nunnally baptizing me in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…and nearly dropping me as I was “dunked”; memories of UMYF and the examples of Christian discipleship that I experienced through the lives of so many who touched me at First UMC; memories of being urged to dig deeper into my faith and to never stop striving to grow and experience all that God had in store for me; memories of those saints who have gone on to be with the Lord.

As important as it is to remember who I am, it is more important that I never forget whose I am. I am a child of God. I am a miserable sinner saved only by the grace of a heavenly father who loves me enough that he sent his son to not only teach us how we should live, but to die for us so that we may be closer to God. The same goes for everyone that we see. As followers of Christ, we are commanded to “Go and make disciples of all nations…”, something that we sometimes forget in our posturing over doctrine and discipline.

It is time that we who call ourselves Methodist remember whose we are and the purpose that we are called to fulfill. If we all reach out and offer Christ to a world that so desperately needs to hear the Good News that God loves us, that he cares for us and that he is there for us each and every moment of our lives, then we will once again claim that which truly makes us United.

Grace and Peace,
Wayne

 

Interesting Search term

I am intrigued by the search term that someone used to find my blog today: 

let them fester for a while.

huh?

I guess that it’s really no stranger than the person from Singapore that kept finding my blog searching for gefilte fish.

 

Random Thoughts

I can finally say that I am projected to be appointed to Sand Mountain United Methodist Church in Dade County Georgia. Prayers please for the congregations at Sand Mountain UMC, my current charge at Lookout Mountain UMC, my family, the pastors who precede and follow me, and me as we process through this transition.

This afternoon I had an unexpected treat. The Questing Parson himself called me on the phone to check up on me and find out about the new appointment. Thanks Parson for caring. And congratulations on that new grandchild.

General Conference begins in a little less than a week. Yesterday, during the district pastor’s meeting, we laid hands on Al Bowles, our DS, and Dennie Humphreys, the other clergy delegate from our district. We prayed for them and for all the delegates. May they be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they chart the course of our church for the next quadrennium and beyond.

 

Projections

I am currently projected for a new appointment at annual conference in June.  I’ll save the announcement of the church name until a little later.  I met with the new PPR on April 1 and I am excited.  The church averages 50-60 in worship with approximately 30 in Sunday School.  This is a congregation that is searching for needs in the community and then is finding ways to meet those needs.

Have I mentioned that I am excited?

 

Close Encounters of the Jesus Kind

One of the things that I enjoy about sermon preparation is seeing what insights I gain as I dive into the scriptures to (hopefully) glean some nugget of wisdom that I can share with the congregation. Now, I tend to follow the lectionary more often than not, so I don’t have to search for the scriptures to be used in worship.

This week, our Gospel lesson deals with the Emmaus story from Luke 24:13-35. Two followers of Jesus, traveling to Emmaus on the day of the resurrection, are joined on the road by Jesus…and they don’t recognize him. They travel together, talking all the way while Jesus opens the scriptures concerning the Messiah to them, but they don’t recognize Jesus until they break bread together. In that instance, their eyes are opened.

How many times have we been in the presence of Jesus and didn’t recognize him? How many times have we been so wrapped up in our own thoughts or our own problems that we have failed to see that Jesus is walking beside us offering to carry the load for us?

DannyG has a wonderful post about his own close encounter of the Jesus kind on Easter morning.