Almost

      The word “almost” can have an interesting application in the English language. We can “almost” win a game, “almost” order chicken nuggets instead of a hamburger, or “almost” fall as we slip on the icy sidewalk. Your shoes can “almost” be worn out, and you can “almost” be late for work.

      Yet, on the other hand, an oak tree is not “almost” a pine, a Ford truck is not “almost” a Chevrolet, and a person is not “almost” a fish. You are either hungry or thirsty, or you are not hungry or thirsty. Either a person is married, or he/she is not.

      John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Movement, takes this “almost” discussion to an entirely different level. On July 25, 1741, Wesley preached a sermon entitled “Almost Christian” to a congregation of students and faculty at St. Mary’s College, Oxford University. His sermon explored the question, “Is it possible for a person to be an “Almost Christian?” And if so, where is the dividing line between the “Almost Christian,” and who Wesley calls the “Altogether Christian?”

      Wesley takes his text from Acts 26 where we find Paul standing trial before King Agrippa. Paul gives his testimony of how he was converted and transformed into a follower of Jesus. Then suddenly, King Agrippa interrupts with perhaps the saddest of all Biblical confessions, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

      Wesley begins his sermon by saying, “Ever since the Christian religion came into the world, there have been many people of every age and nation who have been almost persuaded to become Christians.” So, as we discuss this sermon, can we say that there are people today who fit this Wesleyan label of “Almost or Altogether Christian?”

      Well, Wesley says that the “Almost Christian” is filled with a desire to do good works for God and for other people. There is a sincerity to love and please God. This “Almost Christian” goes to church, tithes, gives to the poor, instructs his children, treats his neighbor with respect, and is sensitive to the causes of justice. This “Almost Christian” does not take the name of God in vain, does not get drunk, fight, or harm anyone with words. This person will even encourage unbelievers to come to church and to follow the right path. The “Almost Christian” treats worship very seriously and reverently.

      Wesley then asks a question in his sermon. “Is it possible that a person could live this way and yet remain an “Almost Christian?”  He answers his own question, “Yes.” What the Almost Christian lacks in his/her life are three essential components found in Jesus’ words and New Testament scripture.

      “Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” That kind of love leaves no room for love of self and the desire to please one’s self. This means total surrender to God’s will. “Love your neighbor as your self.” “This includes our enemies, the enemies of God, or those who are their own enemies,” Wesley preached. And the last component of an Altogether Christian is “the ground of all the rest—faith.” This not just a belief that there is a God, that Jesus was a historical figure, or even that heaven exists, but a belief that Christ is all a person needs. This faith “cleanses our hearts from pride and anger, and all unrighteousness, fills lives with love, wants to be spent for Jesus, and endures persecution.” This is a call for daily, holy living.

      This kind of person goes beyond “Almost Christian,” this person is an “Altogether Christian.” Can we use John Wesley’s sermon to examine our hearts and lives so that we can honestly answer, “Which kind of Christian are we?”

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC November 11, 2012

Jesus Does Not Work Alone

      Do you ever wonder why God chose to involve humans, the most fallible of all the creatures of his great creation, to be partners with him in the restoration of his earthly kingdom? Because God is God, he could have created and planned things so differently. God could have put into motion a world in which the humans whom he had created were merely spectators with no active role in a relationship with him, or with other humans. However, God chose to use his created beings to work side-by-side with him in building his eternal kingdom. God sent Jesus to show us how the work would be done, and we find Jesus, early in his ministry, quickly gathering his helpers and beginning his kingdom work.

      Jesus, our Savior, refuses to work alone. He chooses to use us, his creation, to work with Him in the job of redeeming a lost world. From the very beginning of his ministry, we find Jesus reaching out and placing His hand on the lives of other people, ordinary people, for work in his kingdom. You and I, as disciples of Jesus, are delegated to work with him in his mission to the world, his mission becoming our mission, our only mission. Jesus tells us in John 20, “…as the Father has sent me, I send you.” We are “sent” people, but we do not go alone, Jesus goes with us.

      Jesus knew at the age of twelve that he had work to do. It is interesting to read how Jesus began to gather his disciples around him so the work could begin. Jesus’ first priority was to make disciples. Before Jesus began any of his miracles, preaching, and teaching, he calls everyday, ordinary people like us to work with him. Then he places within each of those “called” disciples, each of us, a desire to call others and tell others about the miracle that Jesus can work in each heart and life. That also becomes the mission of the church.

      For three years, Jesus’ disciples went through daily training so that one day God’s work could be continued. But it wasn’t until Pentecost that their human spirits and Jesus’ spirit were united in such a way that the work of the church could begin.

      Once we have allowed Jesus to move in with us and make us disciples, amazing things begin to happen, greater things than ever before. We begin to see “God things” happening in our lives and in the life of the church. We realize that Jesus has given his work to people like us, so we begin to look around and see the work that God has for us; physical work and spiritual work, work for his kingdom. It is revealed to us that Jesus does not work alone. We are members of the body of Christ, and there is work for us to do, with him.

 

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, November 4, 2012 

CHILDREN IN KENYA HAVING LUNCH. MAY THEY EXPERIENCE THE WONDER AND TRENSFORMATION OF CHRISTMAS--THE COMING OF JESUS !!!!!!

A Journey of Faith

Well, here it is almost Christmas once again!! Time just seems to continue to accelerate toward who knows where next. What a wonderful journey it has been during my five months of ministry at Long's Chapel UMC!! God seems to be everywhere, using his people in unexpected places and mysterious ways. I am constantly amazed at how God shows himself.
Baby "Huck", John Howard is a year old and walking, talking, and beginning to show his developing personality. What a boy!! The other grandchildren, Sawyer and Scout are growing so fast.
I look forward to another anniversary with my wonderful and beautiful wife. What a blessing she is to God, me, and so many other people!!
I am a blessed man, Momo is still able to do so many things for herself! She is an amazing mother!
I look forward to Advent, and the New Year. What opportunities are out there?? God has many surprises. 

The Whole Gospel-In Two Sentences

   I recently re-read Matthew 22:34-40 in preparation for a sermon. I felt a sense of amazement when I realized how simple and obvious Jesus’ answer to the Pharisee’s question was. The lawyer had asked, “Jesus, of all the 613 commandments, rules, and regulations, which one is the most important?” And Jesus reached back into the Torah, which the lawyer knew by heart, and quoted from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

      Jesus went on to say that on these two commandments hang all those hundreds of rules. These two must be carried out together. They are like hinges on a door. These are not open to debate, nor are they are optional for a disciple of Jesus Christ.

      Then I began to think. What does it look like for me to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind? Most of us have experienced deep, sincere love with a spouse, our children, grandchildren, family members, and friends. We develop such a strong relationship with them that we want to spend time with them, talk with them, think about them, and consider what we can do for them to please them in the name of unconditional love. We are willing to give all of our self for them and to them. That’s the kind of relationship that Jesus says we must have with God. We must be willing to give every thing to God, holding nothing back. Jesus said, “Give up your self, pick up your cross, and follow me.” A self-giving love back to God.

      Then Jesus said, “There is another commandment, another hinge for your door. ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Now just what does that mean? Who is my neighbor? My neighbor is anyone who has a need, whether that need is big or small, regardless of social, ethic, economic status, or even that person’s appearance or how they got into the situation they are in.

      Jesus means taking care of others as much as we take care of our selves, attending to the needs of others as much as we attend to our wants and needs, making others comfortable as much as we are comfortable. It means taking care of the beat-up people who we see around us.

            What good is your door without the two hinges? It needs both hinges to work properly. Jesus said: “Do these and you shall find life; you shall begin to really live.” He didn’t say: memorize them, recite them, or think about them. He said: “Do these and you shall finally begin to live a life worth living.” This is the way to a holy sanctified life, a life patterned after Jesus. The whole Gospel-in two sentences.

Rev. Tim McConnell, Peachtree UMC, October 30, 2011

  The Shepherd and Us

      I don’t know about you, but I know very little first-hand about shepherds and sheep, or goats. What I do know I have learned second-hand, by watching the History Channel, or reading from books written by real-life shepherds about the 23^rd Psalm. I have learned that sheep are not very smart. They are smelly and not very well motivated, mostly staying away from change, and anything less than routine. Sheep are creatures of habit, tending to follow, or not follow, whichever sheep decides to be the leader for the day, oblivious to the many dangers on the hills and mountain pastures.

      So, we see that shepherds for those needy sheep must be individuals who are constantly aware of what the sheep might or not do, ready to prevent a problem, or rescue a sheep from a dangerous situation. Being a shepherd is a demanding and challenging, yet rewarding job. No wonder Jesus looked at us, called us his sheep, and realized that he must be our Shepherd.

      Jesus had much to say about how he is the Good Shepherd, and we are his sheep. In John 10 Jesus gives a beautiful picture of how he as our Shepherd is willing to lay down his life for us. In Mark 14, on that Thursday night before his arrest, Jesus predicts how the disciples, the sheep, will scatter because they will have no Shepherd.

      But Jesus also says to his disciples then and now, “I will leave you physically and give my life for you, but my Spirit will always be with you. My Spirit, the Spirit of the Good Shepherd, will watch over you, lead you, and heal you. You will always be my sheep, and I will always be your Shepherd. I promise.”

      We know that Jesus’ mission statement contains these words, “I have come to seek and save whoever is lost.”(Luke 19:10) Then Jesus tells us that if he had one hundred sheep and one was lost, he would leave the ninety-nine and go find the one who was lost. (Matthew 18:12) We find in the John 10 reading the not so surprising news that he has other sheep outside of his fold, who he must go out and find and bring into the church, into a relationship with him, so that there will be one fold with Christ as the Good Shepherd. What a wonderful picture this verse paints for us! If Jesus is willing to go outside the safety of the church to find others, why are we waiting? Why aren’t we going with him?

     You see, being in the same pasture with Jesus as our Shepherd is not just about being “churchy.” It’s not just about what we “do” as a church and what we “do” for ourselves and even others. Being in the same pasture with Jesus involves relationships; relationships with the other sheep and an intimate, intentional relationship with the Shepherd, getting to really know him. Perhaps after that relationship begins, we will begin thinking differently about worship, church, and our faith walk with Jesus. It may not be so much about what we can do for the church, what we can do for others, or even what we can do for God; as important as all that is. Worship, church, and our faith walk may be more about what God can do with us and in us. So the question may be, “If we are sheep, what is our relationship with the Good Shepherd? Do we really know him? Or, are we all over the hills and mountainsides doing our own thing, instead of following the Good Shepherd?

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, October 28, 2012

God of the Future

    

      Even before the dawn of human creation, God, in his Triune council, thought about the future. His design was to create a world occupied by human beings created by him to worship and serve him forever. And ever since that creation, humans have turned their faces toward the future. It is because of our creation in God’s image, our historical relationship with God, and the eternity that he has placed in our hearts, that we can be called a people of the future.

      If we are to be a covenant people with God as our creator and sustainer, we must also be focused on the future. If we are to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our thoughts must be on a future with him.

      We look back on the Old Testament examples and find people looking forward to the future. There we find a constant looking for what will happen next, when will the Christ come, when will we find peace?

       Noah looked at the covenant of the rainbow and saw a renewal of the earlier promise to Adam, to re-populate the earth and never another flood to destroy the earth. Abraham trusted God that he would be the father of not only the nation of Israel, but a spiritual father to all who believed in the future. Joseph knew that one day his people would leave Egypt and return to the land God had promised. He said, “When we return, take my bones with you and bury them in our land.” Moses and Joshua believed in the future of the Promised Land, and with God led the people back home.

      Jesus looked down on the small band of disciples, as he ascended back to heaven, and placed the future of his church in their hands saying, “Go into all the world, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching what I have taught you.” Jesus believed in the future when he said that he would send the Holy Spirit and that he, Jesus, would return one day.

      We learn from the past, and we treasure it. We live in the present and realize how important every minute is. But our faces are turned to the future, the future of the next second, next hour, and the next day. Through the miracle of technology, I have placed the heartbeat of our soon-to-be-born grandson on the ring tone of my cell phone, because I believe in the future. I plant bushes and bulbs in my yard with the spring in mind. We must not stop planning for the next day.

      So we pray for our children, grandchildren, spouses, and ourselves. We pray and hope for a better job, a more concerned church, and for health and retirement. All the while, we must realize that it is in the future that we will find hope for the present.  

      And we keep on praying for those who need spiritual and physical healing. The answers will come, maybe this afternoon, maybe next week, or even next spring. God’s time is not our time and his thoughts are not the way we think. The God who created us, provides for us, and loves us so much will be with us in the future.

      So we take some of the past, live confidently in the present, as we serve a God who walks with us into the future.

 

Rev. Tim McConnell, Peachtree UMC, October 16, 2011

 

 

Using Our Gifts

      We all have received gifts at different times in our lives; birthdays, Christmas, graduations, special accomplishments, and anniversaries. These are gifts given with no obligation to reciprocate other than a note or word of thanks. In another sense, gifts can be thought of as abilities and talents given to us by the specific code of our DNA, such as, the gifts of music, sports, foreign languages, mathematics, etc.

      By looking somewhat deeper and with a different perspective, we can discover what Scripture calls “spiritual gifts.” Paul referred to these gifts on several occasions in his New Testament writings. These spiritual gifts have some similarities to the natural gifts, but are subtly different. Spiritual gifts are given freely by God’s grace to each of us to be used in his work to build his kingdom here on earth by making disciples.

      Can you imagine going to your own birthday party, opening all the wonderful gifts, and somehow neglecting to open one, or even two? Or, even worse, just imagine that you decided not to open a certain one, instead you place it in a closet soon to be forgotten. The unopened gift.

      We all have been given spiritual gifts and each of those gifts is important. It is left up to us to identify the gifts we have, and then learn how and where to use them. God takes his willing people, gives them gifts as tools, and places his disciples in the areas of greatest need.

      James Harnish, in his “A Disciple’s Path, a Guide for United

Methodists,” expresses well the powerful sense of urgency about the decisions we make concerning the use of our gifts.

      He writes, “There are children who may never hear the stories of Jesus if people with the gift of teaching do not teach them. There are lost, confused, spiritually searching people who may never experience God's love unless people with the gift of evangelism share the good news with them. There are adults who may never grow in their understanding of Scripture until someone with the gift of discernment guides them. There are people who may never find their way into the church until people with the gift of hospitality welcome them. There are people with broken hearts and broken lives who may never find healing until people with the gift of intercession pray for them. There are new opportunities for new ministries that may never be accomplished unless people with the gift of leadership show others the way. There are lonely, isolated people who may never find their way into Christian community until people with the gift of mercy extend care to them. There are important issues of justice and peace that never will be confronted until people with the gift of prophecy confront them.

       In short, God has work to be done in this world that will not get done until we offer the stubborn ounces of our weight to make it happen.”

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, October 14, 2012

Preparations

      It seems that we spent a good portion of our time preparing for some event, or activity. We prepare each day in varying degrees for the next day at our workplace, classroom, or our day working at home. Much preparation goes into planning for trips, vacations, and even the career paths we will take.

      As we move from season to season, we see preparations being made for the transition between summer and winter, then winter back to summer. In this fall season, we see the animals preparing for the months when food will be unavailable. We hear chain saws cutting firewood, and see mulch being placed around the yard plants for protection against the cold. We know it is wise to make preparations for every phase of our lives.

      Every year around this time, we begin to see signs and advertisements for flu immunization in preparation against a disease, which surprisingly still takes human lives each year. So, we take the shot to help prepare our bodies against the germs which cause the flu.

     Just as preparations need to be made in the natural world for winter, any changing season, or for any event, God intends for us to be spiritually ready to face whatever may come our way. It is possible with all that life has to throw at us that we could lose our way, slipping off the path that God has made for us, and maybe even taking our hand from his to try to find our own way. We know that trying to face things in life without God would be a mistake, but it happens to people who are not prepared.

      We can prepare ourselves for whatever each day may bring, or the ups and downs of our spiritual seasons by following a path of spiritual disciplines. This path will lead us into a life that is Christ-centered, filled with a love of God and a love for each other.

      This path must involve daily prayer as a communication tool to form an intimate relationship with God. Our prayer will need to be deeply rooted in meditative reflection and study of Scripture.

      Then, we must not neglect to join with other believers in corporate worship and small group fellowship. We do this so that we can experience and praise God together, and grow as disciples. The effectiveness of Christ’s Church is in the unity of its individual members.

      In order to prepare ourselves even further, we realize that our financial resources and our spiritual gifts are given to us so that we can give them back to God. We give freely from a heart that is motivated by God’s love. We learn to serve without the expectation of anything in return.

      As we begin to practice these disciplines, the desire to tell others the story of Jesus begins to take root in our minds and heart. What we have begun to experience as disciples will need to be told to others. Therefore, personal evangelism begins to become part of our way of living and thinking.

      Let’s try these spiritual disciplines as we think of preparing ourselves for God’s kingdom here and now, and into eternity.

 

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC October 7, 2012    

Questions from Jesus

      In Matthew 16:13-20 we find two of the most important questions asked by Jesus as recorded in scripture. As he was discussing with his disciples, these two questions came up. “Who do the people say I am?” And then the second question was a little more penetrating and definitely personal, “Who do you say I am?” These questions demanded a confession as an answer.

      We read that the disciples answered the first question by saying, “Some people say you are John the Baptist, others Elijah, and some even say you are Jeremiah, or some other prophet.” Then after Jesus had heard the public opinion report from the people, and the evaluation of his ministry, he asked the most important question of all time, the central question of history, and the question that if we get the answer right, we get eternity right. “Who do you say I am?”

      There was perhaps much shuffling of feet and clearing of throats until finally Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Then Jesus said, “You are blessed, Peter. Blessed because you didn’t come up with this answer and confession on your own, you didn’t read it in a book, or hear this in the synagogue. You’ve been talking to God and it is he who has revealed who I am to you.” You see how important it is for us to stay connected to God? When we are in touch with God, he tells us things. He reveals himself to us.

      Jesus praised Peter for his belief and quickly said, “Upon this rock, (“Peter” means rock) I will build my church.” Notice how quickly Jesus takes Peter’s confession of faith and turns it into an action of faith. We can talk all day about what we believe about Jesus, but it is the action that counts.

Jesus tells Peter, “Since you know who I am, I am going to tell you who you are. You, and all the disciples who will follow you down through the years, will be the foundation of my church. You will be the builder of my church. And to my church I will give the keys to the kingdom. The church will be the ‘keeper of the keys.’ We have work to do.”

     If we believe that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” then what difference does that make in our daily lives? Is what Jesus did for us on the cross so weak, and God’s grace so cheap, that we can say we are Christians, followers of Jesus, and go on living we way we always have? Jesus told Peter to not stop with just believing, but take the next step of living what you believe.

      Belief should produce action, and with action comes a transformed life.

Are we living so close to God that he has revealed Jesus to us as the way, the truth, and the life? The keys to his kingdom? Who is Jesus to you and to me?

Rev. Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC September 30, 2012

Mission Trip Highlights

      Here are some of the reflections and thoughts expressed by my wife, Debbie, from our recent mission trip.

      “I would like to share just some of the highlights that I will always cherish from our trip to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwest Montana .....definitely a highlight of my Christian walk! I will be forever grateful to Long's Chapel UMC for allowing Leah Mehaffey the privilege of heading this family mission trip and preparing our team with tools of prayer, journaling, compassion and service as a powerful outreach for each of us!

Each night, after a day of services rendered to the community, the team would gather around the tables to share “God stories” from the day. We shared tears, laughter, concerns and devotions as prayers and hugs were given and received.

      Each day there were new “God moments” for us. The scenery alone was a big God moment as we saw wild horses roaming the terrain and the mountain formations with their definition in some ways similar to our Smokey Mountains. Glacier National Park was breathing taking, while words do not seem adequate to describe their splendor. God, and only God, could have handcrafted such a canvas!

      The Blackfeet Nation Pow-Wow was another stand-out for me as village children gathered around our mission table and painted plain river rocks with special flowers and rainbows while using their own imaginative creations … humming as they painted. All were blessed who witnessed these small gifts from the Lord.

      Having come hundreds of miles to serve others and share the love of Jesus with unknown children, I was blessed to get to spend time with my grandson "Huck" and Kendall, a third grade member of our team. I was delighted that I had a few hours of special moments to spend with Huck and Kendall. I was honored to have quality devotion time with this precious child Kendall that I had just come to know on the mission. We read from the “Upper Room” and the devotion was talking about exactly what we were doing on the mission trip! Huck was peacefully sleeping as we prayed over him and talked about the importance of having a daily devotion.

      Saturday came and we headed back home. A bucket of emotions flooded my soul and I thought my ministry had stayed in Montana. This ministry that I had been preparing for almost a year was over! But soon I realized our GOD is bigger than just one mission, and he knew that our team was still in the business of serving.

      We now had safely landed in Atlanta and were actually on our last leg of the trek. We had to load on a trans-rail to take us to our shuttle bus. Most people had to stand, but I was fortunate enough to get a seat. There was plenty of room comfortably for two more people. The doors were slowly shutting when a beautiful, young, Spanish woman quickly stepped in followed by her male companion. She had her luggage and he had his. He spoke roughly to her and slapped her across her neck. She flinched and he abruptly grabbed his luggage and fled out the door, leaving her behind. She was visibly shaken. Those close by were staring at her. She was humiliated and embarrassed as well as wounded. I felt the Lord nudge me to scoot over to her and ask her if she was alright? She looked into my eyes with tears in hers and wept uncontrollably saying ... “He doesn’t love me.” I put my arm around her and pulled her tight to me and told her, “But God loves you and you are worth more than what he (her companion) ..just did to you.” I told her, “You are beautiful and God is with you!” She laid her head in my lap and cried as I stroked her hair. The train stopped at our destination. I asked her, “Are you going to be alright?” and she said "yes" with a shy smile and we hugged. Her name is Dora. I have prayed many times for her, and I praise our God for allowing me to do as Matthew teaches us using Jesus’ words—“If you do for the least of these, you have done it for me.”

      There is no end to the mission trip that God has planned for his disciples. We are always “sent.”

By God's Grace,

Debbie McConnell

We have many pictures of our Family Mission Trip to Montana back in August 2012. You may go to the link below to access more of these great pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387966241271309.80293.100001738084271&type=1&l=efe3c2d26f

Surprised By God

      Have there been moments in your life when you just knew with certainty that God had shown up? Maybe in recent days or weeks you have had one of these “God moments” as he surprised you with his presence. Many times we find ourselves expecting God’s “big surprises” while overlooking the smaller ones.

      God’s “big surprises” includes the use of a flood to destroy the world that he had created, dividing the Red Sea so that his people could escape, and then coming to earth as one of us so we could be reconciled with him again.

      Then there are the “little surprises.” God telling Abraham what he was about to do with Sodom as they walked along the road. God getting Moses’ attention with the burning bush in the desert, and showing up in a cave with Elijah. Jesus finding Zacchaeus in a tree and then going to supper with him. Jesus sitting beside the well talking to a Sumerian woman.

      If we look at the beginning of Abraham’s story, maybe we can hear God say, “I want you to go from your home and I will go with you. Through your faith and trust I will establish the real way of salvation. I will use you to build my kingdom.” What a surprise this must have been to Abram! Five chapters later Abram and his wife have another surprise. (Genesis 17:15-19) God surprised Abraham and Sarah by changing their names and announcing that Sarah would have a baby at ninety years old. We see Abraham falling down on the ground from laughing so hard.

      Does God ever surprise us today with tests of our faith? I believe our lives too are filled with “God moments,” surprises both big and small. Maybe the most important “God moment” for us is similar to the one Nicodemus had in his encounter with Jesus in John 3:1-17. When Nicodemus asked what he must do to be part of Jesus’ kingdom, Jesus’ surprising answer was, “You must be born again. Your life must start over and be radically changed.” What a surprise that must have been to Nicodemus!

      Imagine the surprise of Paul when he found out that the God whom he so faithfully served was the same person as Jesus whom he so faithfully opposed and persecuted.

      C.S. Lewis, who went from atheist to believer, wrote in his book Surprised by Joy; “Picture me alone in my room, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared came upon me…I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed; perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England…a prodigal was brought in God’s kingdom kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.” Lewis goes on to say that the biggest surprise of all was the realization that in all the years of resisting salvation, Jesus was there all the time.

      God sends his Spirit to convict us, he leads us along a journey when we don’t know the way, he opens doors of opportunity which seem impossible to us, and he makes serious demands on our lives. And he makes available to each of us the gift of “new birth.” God is full of surprises. Has he surprised you lately?

Rev. Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, September 16,2012       

       

       The following is only one of the many amazing stories which we took away from our August Family Mission trip to the Blackfeet Indians near Glacier National Park in Montana. God was present in so many ways. We pray that seeds were planted and God's Spirit will provide the harvest.

       I sat down on two different occasions with Glen Horn, a middle aged Blackfeet man; artist and bead worker. He talked about his work as a creator of murals and other art work, his drum making, and the bead jewelry. I met his daughter and two grandchildren, beautiful Native American girls. Glen expressed his desire to pass on to his granddaughters the native language, crafts, and culture. I spoke at great length to Glen about his faith walk which he viewed as a relationship with the Creator, the creation, which includes the creatures of his world. I was able to share with Glen the story of Jesus and the open pathway to salvation through God’s grace. I believe seeds were planted in Glen’s heart as he seemed receptive to the “Jesus story” which certainly includes the Great Creator whom Glen seemed to love so much.

       I am reminded from this story, not only of God’s unlimited grace and love, and the power of his pursuit of us, but also of his omnipresence. Our team did not take God to the Blackfeet in our luggage; he was already at work there. We just joined him in his work. God never sleeps, his eyes and spirit are constantly roaming the earth, and his work never ends. What a privilege it was to join with others for a wonderful week working in a vastly different way, yet still in God’s kingdom! 

       I saw God in the faces of the little children as they painted the river rocks beside the UM teepee. I felt God’s presence as the homeless man received his sandwich and drink, bowing his head in prayer. I sensed God at work as we painted, mowed, and repaired the roof of the lady who had just lost her father. And God showed up as we gathered the last night to share our thoughts about each other, and the personal qualities we had seen during the week.

       And when we arrived back here in our homes, God’s presence was already here. He had never left.       

Choice and Responsibility

 

      In addition to the gifts which are given to us by the Holy Spirit listed by Paul in 1Corinthians 12, I believe there are others which are evident in the lives of every human. Genesis 1:26 is clear in that humans were created in the image of God. “Then God said, ‘Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness…’” As God created the first person, he placed within him the gifts, which reflect God’s image. I see these gifts as, dominion over all other created things, reason, moral self-consciousness, imagination, and limited creativity. I can also see faith, grace, and the continual hungering and thirsting after more of God as gifts flowing from him to us. The gift of being able to communicate with our Creator also figures prominently into this “image of God.”

      Perhaps, the most important gift from God to us comes from his very heart of love, the gift of free choice. God loves us so much that even from the very beginning he gave us the choice to serve him or serve the desires of our selves. Adam and Eve made that choice, and as a result, not only do we know good, but also evil. And because of free choice, we are forced to be responsible for our choices, whether they be good or evil.

      Adam and Eve sinned because of their own moral choices. They had no one to blame but themselves. God refused to let them blame each other, or even the serpent. We have no one to blame for our sin either, no one but ourselves.               

      Dorothy L. Sayer writes in “Dorothy L. Sayer: A Rage for Life, “The divine "scheme of things," as Christianity understands it, is at once extremely elastic and extremely rigid. It is elastic, in that it includes a large measure of liberty for the creature; it is rigid in that it includes the proviso that, however created beings choose to behave, they must accept responsibility of their own actions and endure the consequences.” As Christians, we have responsibilities to fulfill the tasks assigned to us as Christ’s disciples. We know that the consequences will be a life filled with God’s presence and in the end, everlasting life. We are responsible for that choice.

      But we are also free to choose a life filled with what we want for ourselves, a life without the embrace of a personal Savior. It is important for us to know that we must take responsibility for that choice also. No one else is responsible.

      Let’s make sure we continually make the right choices.

 Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, August 26, 2012     

RELAXING WITH GRANDDADDY

GRANDDADDY, JOHN HOWARD, AND "KANA" AREN'T WE PROUD?

Lord, Help Us Reach Out

       There is a tendency deep within most of us to withdraw into ourselves when we are in close proximity to strangers. It is almost as if we wish to protect ourselves from anything or anyone who is different from us. Strangers are sometimes treated with indifference, silence, and even with hostility.

      We find this attitude of suspicion and indifference acted out toward those whom we do not know in the grocery store, the restaurant, on the telephone, and a in many places in our daily walk. It can even happen in churches. We place a wall between strangers and us. Yet Jesus tells us, “I was a stranger and you took me in.”

      Henri Nouwen, in his book “Reaching Out,” tells us, “…it is possible for men and women and obligatory for Christians to offer an open and hospitable space where strangers can cast off their strangeness and become our fellow human beings.” Hostility can be changed into hospitality, and hospitality has a Biblical connotation as Nouwen points out. By receiving strangers with holy hospitality, we become receptors of precious gifts, which may be carried by these strangers and therefore revealed and shared with us.

      Abraham received the three strangers and was given the gift of the promise of a son. When the widow showed kindness to Elijah, she received unlimited meal and oil and the raising of her son from the dead. The disciples on the road to Emmaus shared a meal with Jesus during which he revealed himself as the risen Lord.

      We never know when our reception of strangers will lead to blessings. This can be seen very clearly as we leave our “comfort zone” and go into Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world. The mission field is as close as our family and the next church pew, and as far away as Peru and Kenya. Wherever we go we find strangers, strangers with precious gifts waiting to share.

      Mission teams from our local church have just returned from places like; New York City, New Mexico, Montana, and Kenya. The stories brought back were filled with blessings and the precious gifts shared by strangers. Below is a poem written by Ellen Russell who traveled this summer with the Kenyan Mission Team.      

 Lord, Help Us Reach Out

 On the opposite side of shrinking planet earth

We know privileged lives are an accident of birth

In the midst of such poverty, filth and dust

Here, many folks' dreams are sadly crushed

Beautiful black eyes and contagious smiles

Melt our hearts and erase all the long miles

Here, we are so different yet we are the same

Lord, help us to serve and glorify your name

These folks need a chance to reach their goals

As they hold on to Jesus in their sweet souls

Struggling and striving to overcome so much

Reaching out for hope through a loving touch

So eager to know us and share their story

Together we worship and give God glory

A sea of tiny faces singing, "How are you?"

Flurries of fist bumps in the crowd we pass through

We tote heavy blocks and sand, water and such

For second-floor classrooms they need so much

Giving Bibles and desks, crayons and supplies

Knowing how much this improves their lives

Medicine to protect them and glasses to read

Clean water to drink or grow struggling seeds

Helping teachers -- an encouragement for all

Counseling pastors, painting classroom walls  

We fellowship joyously with these precious ones

Offering our best to God's daughters and sons

We willingly adopt these sweet orphans as ours

Praying to be used through God's wondrous powers

Yes, we pray to be used as you guide and direct

Father, may love and hope replace want and neglect

Help us we reach out, Lord, as your feet and hands

Making disciples of nations as your word commands

 Rev. Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, August 19, 2012

OUR GRANDCHILDREN

HERE ARE OUR PRECIOUS GRANDCHILDREN; JOHN HOWARD, SCOUT, AND SAWYER

Knowing Who We Are

      Many people spend much time, effort, and even money trying to “find themselves” and discover who they really are. This search for identity crosses most age groups and may involve young adults as well as middle age people who seem to be trying to find answers to life. Who am I? Where have I been? Where am I going? And what does all this mean? Some get interested in genealogy and begin to dig into the past in order to find their roots.

      I recall an article in the Asheville Citizen-Times by Associated Press reporter Marta Falconi who writes that anthropologists have spent three years reconstructing the left index fingerprint of Leonardo da Vinci. Apparently, da Vinci painted with his fingers and also ate while painting, leaving fingerprints in his painting and on his manuscripts. Scientists tell us that they can now determine different foods that da Vinci liked to eat, and may even be able to tell the ethnic origin of this famous person. The distinctive features of fingerprints may tell whether a person originates from an Arabic, European, or African ethic background. It seems that da Vinci’s mother may have been a slave from Tuscany, according to the experts who examined this composite fingerprint from Leonardo’s papers and paintings.

      It is interesting to know from where we came, our country of origin, and the names of our ancestors. But I think it is much more important and comforting to know that there is someone who already knows everything there is to know about each of us. God knows us better than we know ourselves.

      We must remember that God in his Triune power created each of us in his own image-the image of love. Therefore, since God created us, he knows our thoughts, our plans, the workings of our bodies, and our needs and wants. Paul writes that even when we are at loss for words to express our prayers, the Holy Spirit takes our thoughts and prays for us. There is nothing that can be hidden from the all-knowing eyes of our heavenly Father.

      In Psalm 127:2 we learn that God takes care of us in every detail, even giving us sleep. How wonderful is God’s gift of sleep! In another reference we find that God keeps track of our tossing and turning while we sleep.

      God knows how many hairs we have on our head. Now this information may seem trivial, yet it points to the intense involvement God has in our lives.

      Even while we were in our mother’s womb, the hand of God was evident as we were “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that even before we were formed or conceived, God knew us.

      God doesn’t need a research team to study a composite of our fingerprint to know all about us. He created us, loves us, wants us to obey and serve him. God also cares for us in a detailed way. This is what makes him, our God.

      So, while our genealogy is important and interesting, we should find great comfort in trusting in our God who knows all about us. Let’s trust and obey him!

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel, August 12, 2012

Staying in Rhythm

      I know very little about the Olympic sport of rowing, but I have learned some interesting facts that may be useful in our spiritual life. The rowers sit in the boat facing backwards, looking while they row towards a person called a coxswain. The coxswain has the important job of steering the boat and calling out the cadence for the rowers to find and keep a consistent rhythm. The rowers must keep their eyes on the coxswain as well as listening very intently to the instructions as they are called out. The rhythm of the oars going in and out of the water is set by the coxswain and must be maintained in order for correct speed and direction to be achieved.

      As we think of rhythm, our thoughts may go the natural cycles of the world in which we live. The writer of Ecclesiastes gives us a list of the rhythms and cycles of life and nature. In chapter five we find “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose… A time to be born, a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to harvest.” The list goes on as we begin to see rhythms in our natural, as well as, our spiritual lives.

      If we look closely at the manner in which we live our lives, we will begin to see patterns and rhythms, and the ups and downs of the human existence. Seasons of the year often contribute to the rhythms of our lives. Habits are formed, and then broken. We find ourselves doing certain activities consistently and in a certain rhythm, and then suddenly, one day we realize that the rhythm has changed. Sometimes situations and events change our rhythms, and it is uncomfortable and undesirable.

      If an activity is done for a considerable length of time at the same rhythm, the activity can become boring, losing its purpose and excitement. Maybe that is why we subconsciously from time to time change the rhythm of our work and play time. We go to bed earlier, and maybe get up earlier. We change the time we eat our meals, or what we eat. We take a vacation, or do something different each weekend. These are changes in rhythm.

      This brings us back to the rowers and their coxswain. In the river or the ocean of life, we are the rowers on our faith journey, facing backwards, not knowing exactly where we are going. However, we are not rowing alone, because we have Jesus as our coxswain. He is the one who calls out the directions, who provides the rhythm of journey, and keeps his eyes on us.

As we row, we find ourselves in unity with the others, but only as long as each person stays in rhythm with Jesus.

      Just as the coxswain becomes the center of the rowers’ existence, Jesus must become the center for the true disciple. It is around this center that all other activities of life must revolve. Without Jesus providing the rhythms of our journey, we lose our way. So let’s stay in rhythm with Jesus.

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, August 5, 2012  

A Journey of Faith

August 3, 2012

Another week in ministry at Long's Chapel has put me in a spirit of thankfulness. I am thankful for the opportunity to do ministry (God's ministry) along side of people , both lay and clergy who are committed to their discipleship and making disciples of others. Today, I look forward to our mission trip to the Blackfeet tribe in Browning, Montana. We will stay at the Browning UM Parish as we do our work among God's people. We know God's work is already in progress, so we will join in for a week. I am excited about the opportunities that will present themselves. I am thankful for my wife, Debbie, who is constantly beside me wherever God takes us. How proud I am of my daughter, Leah, who will head up this trip. She is the answer to my prayers. Our son-in-law David, our newest grandson, John Howard, will also be with us. Sarah, Chad, Tanya, Collin, Paige, and Kendall round out our team. We are in God's hands.

Tools in God’s Hands

    

      Our God is certainly a God of variety. When it comes to the world and the creatures he has placed here, we see the evidence of differences and variety. In nature, we see the many different kinds of trees, rocks, animals, and landscapes. Every snowflake, fingerprint, and DNA profile is different. Personalities, physical looks, and preferences are unique to each person. God intended for it to be that way. He didn’t want a boring world of “look-a-likes.”

      God also gave each of us different gifts, talents, and abilities. Paul writes in 1Corinthians 12 about spiritual gifts from God. He also writes about how the different “parts” of the “body of Christ,” the members of the church, should work together and use the individual gifts to encourage everyone, build God’s kingdom, and bring glory to Jesus. In Romans 12 Paul again discusses gifts and unity, “…we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to one another.” We belong to one another, yet our steady focus is on Christ.

      We get into trouble when we begin to compare our gifts to others, when we begin to criticize how others are using their gifts, and when we focus more on the gift instead of the Giver.

      To illustrate this point Leslie B. Flynn in his book, Nineteen Gifts of the Spirit, gives us the following story.

      A group of carpenter tools held a meeting and the hammer decided to preside. Several other tools suggested he leave the meeting because he was too noisy. So Hammer said, “If I leave then Screw must leave also because he must be turned around and around to get him to do anything.” Screw said, “I’ll leave, but Plane must leave with me because all his work is on the surface. He has no depth.”

      To this Plane responded, “Ruler needs to go because she is always measuring everyone as if she is always right.” Ruler complained that Sandpaper was always so rough and seems to rub people the wrong way.”

      About this time the Carpenter of Nazareth came into the shop and began picking up the tools and working on a pulpit from which the gospel would be proclaimed. He used all the tools as he worked; the hammer, screw, plane, ruler, and sandpaper. When the pulpit was finished, the Saw said, “Tools, it seems we are all workers together in God’s kingdom.”

      So maybe this story is telling you and me that the gifts given to us by God really belong to him and should be given back to him for his use. Maybe the ultimate gift is the gift of our selves placed unconditionally into his hands.

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC, July 29, 2012

Granddaddy and John Howard Mehaffey at 3 mos old.

Daily Courage

      Each of us faces the problems and difficult circumstances that life throws at us in different ways. We cry, fight back, ignore, become angry and maybe bitter, and sometimes we even try to run away from the challenges that we face. There are many problems which seem so huge, so irresolvable, we cannot, dare not tackle them by ourselves. We realize that we need help. So, we turn to others, our family and friends; but even then, we may come to an understanding that we need help from outside ourselves, outside our circle of family and friends, and even outside of our world. We then hold out our empty hands toward the source of strength from outside our reality, to the one who said, “Come to me, all of you who are struggling hard, and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

      I believe Jesus was not only referring to spiritual struggles and spiritual rest, but to the daily struggles we all face. Then we find in 1Peter 5:7, the Apostle Peter exalting the power of God to take care of us using these words, “…throw all your anxieties onto him, because he cares about you.”

      I recently experienced courage in the face of impossibility as I made the rounds to visit those with various needs. There was the man who spoke confidently from his rehab facility bed, unable to get up, “I am not alone.” The ninety-seven year old lady who sat on the edge of her bed in the nursing home and said with a sad, but strong voice, “My son just passed away.” And then, there was the man who looked at me as I stood beside his hospital bed and said defiantly, “I have lung cancer.” From each of these people courage and hope radiated, courage bigger than the problem.

      In the 1920’s a man named Mallory tried three times to conquer Mt. Everest. On the third try, in spite of careful planning and extensive safety precautions, an avalanche hit the climbing party. Mallory and most of his expedition were killed.

      Back in England at the memorial service, the leader of the surviving men stood before the crowd to give a final word. With his back to the crowd, and facing a huge picture of Mt. Everest that hung almost menacingly over the banquet table, the man spoke these words, “ Mt. Everest, you defeated us once; you defeated us twice; and even the third time. But, we will one day defeat you, because you cannot get any bigger, and we will.”

      Our struggles may seem bigger than us, but they can never be bigger than the one who daily walks with us. It is God who falls into step beside us, who lifts the burden as we lift, and gives us the courage to face the darkness of each night and the beginning of each day. Our problems can never be bigger than our God.

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC July 22, 2012

A Journey of Faith

July 25, 2012

I look back over the past two weeks and can’t believe all the things I have learned here at Long’s Chapel. I have been stretched and challenged more during this time than in the past several years. I see God working in so many ways through the ministries here…ways that I have not seen or have not seen in a long time. As I work beside God and others in the ministry of caring for those in need, I see suffering and hurt close up, but I also see the face of Jesus. I see him in some way each day and certainly see him as we gather to praise and worship.

As we have meditated and prayed through A.W. Tozer’s book, “The Pursuit of God,” our small group has grown deeply in the inspired words about God’s presence, his voice, the veil that must be removed to achieve intimacy with Him, and how steadily we should be focused on God.

With all the “tasks” of daily living, tasks that are both wearisome and delightful, necessary and desirable, I don’t want to lose my intimacy with Jesus. I want my “gaze” to stay steadily on the One who has saved me from my brokenness.

God and Us

      In one of his chapters in the classic book, “The Pursuit of God,” A.W. Tozer makes strong contrasts between the doctrine of God’s divine universal presence and pantheism, between God’s presence and the manifestation of his presence, and between the nearness of place and the nearness of relationship. Tozer also discusses the idea that people respond to God’s call on their lives in different ways and varying degrees of receptivity to God’s will.

      We agree that God is everywhere. There is no place that God can not be, and since God is not bound by the laws of physics; time, space, distance, speed, and matter do not apply to God. God is universally everywhere at the same time, never leaving or arriving. This is not pantheism. Pantheism says that God is the sum of all created things. Some of God is in a rock, some of God is in a tree, etc. Therefore, when all these things are put together, that sum becomes God. This thinking degrades the divinity of God and denies that he is an uncreated Other.

      We can be surrounded by God’s presence and not know it. The example Tozer gives makes this clear. In Genesis 28 we have the story of Jacob’s dream of the ladder that stretched from heaven down to earth. This was God’s way of manifesting, or revealing himself, to Jacob. God’s presence had always been with Jacob, but until he recognized and became receptive to God’s revealed presence, he did not know it.

      Relationship is so important in a physical, human sense, and in a spiritual understanding. We can be near a person, or a place, and not be connected or involved. Just as Jacob was near the altar of worship, yet had no relationship with God, we too can be guilty of being “near” without relationship. God is looking for a personal relationship with each of us.

      Then, there are the questions that are raised about a Christian’s receptivity to God’s will and his/her willingness to grow and mature in the faith journey. Why do some people develop a distinctively deeper and closer relationship with God than others? Why do some remain “nominal” Christians while other blossom into “on fire” disciples?

      It’s not what God does or doesn’t do, because God extends the same invitation to full salvation and the gift of grace to grow as a Christian to all believers. According to Tozer, the difference between a “nominal” Christian and one who is constantly growing is a spiritual awareness to know God more fully, the desire to be receptive to God’s will, and the willingness to do something about it.

      So, we form our own questions for self examination. Even though we know that God’s presence surrounds and goes with us, have we developed a relationship with him? Are we “nominal” in the sense that we are at the same place in our faith journey as a year ago? How receptive are we to the call of Jesus to respond to the call for holy living and service to others?

      For all of history, God has pursued us, looked for us, and desired to be with us.

He wants a loving relationship with us. He offers his presence, and he waits.

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC July 15, 2012