Weekly E-Votional

This week the e-votional comes from Pastor Mike.

WORD Ezekiel 36:25-26 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

THOUGHT Have you ever had one of those days? I had one. I got a new computer recently. After I loaded the last piece of software the computer crashed. It would not reboot. The rest of the day went much the same as the computer incident. Thankfully, the next day had a new and better beginning.

God told the people of Israel that they would have a new heart and a new spirit. This is not so much a change in anatomy as a change in our outlook. Life is difficult for all of us at times. In the midst of the struggle can we still see the glory of the next sunrise as a gift from God?

PRAYER Renew me, O God. Help raise my face from my troubles and look at life in a new light. Do not let the world drag me down, but lift me up in spirit. I know that you want more for me than just the struggles of the day; you desire that I should enjoy life.

Teach me to look at the world through eyes of faith. I know that my life is not controlled by disasters and difficulties, but is blessed by your hand. In the middle of doom help me to see light. When I am surrounded by despair allow me to feel your love. In all things, allow me to use the new heart and spirit you placed within me.

Mike Wuehler

10 Thousand Doors

Last week the United Methodist Church launched a new website, www.10thousanddoors.org as part of a four year plan to help people rethink church. You are going to hear a lot from me about rethink church in the coming months. (A warning?) I love it. The whole idea is asking questions, like, "What if church was less about Sundays and more about the other days of the week?" It's designed to reach people my age and younger who don't see church as relevant.

I was writing about rethinking church three years ago when I was writing a "Theology of Discipleship" (for fun, by the way). Here's what I wrote then:

And so there is a choice to be made. The church can be a Sunday morning ethics and faith lesson, or, it can be something so much more. The church doesn’t exist to fill pews on Sunday, it is multifaceted. The church exists for worship, education, and service, yet still more. The church exists to help people become living disciples of Christ through empowerment and community. It is these people who will be collaborators in bringing God’s Vision of peace and love to reality.

Will you help us rethink church? Will you take some risks and explore different ways of being the church? One place to start: What does "church" look like to you on Monday morning?

Weekly e-votional

This week the e-votional comes from Pastor Mike.

WORD Genesis 49:25 "by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb."

THOUGHT The word Almighty here comes from the Hebrew word, El-Shaddai (אל שדי‎). The phrase was made popular in the 80’s by a Gospel singer. This is the name that Abraham and his ancestors called God. It is a name that signifies that God is a God of blessings. The blessings nourish us and supply us with everything we need. This was a strong faith statement coming from nomadic people who truly had to rely on God for everything. Is God your El-Shaddai?

PRAYER You are indeed the source of all bounty and nurture, O God. I am grateful for everything in my life, for I know it is a blessing from you. Show me how to live a life of gratitude that reflects my faith in your gracious gifts. As Abraham saw everything as a blessing from you, let me see the gifts of your hand as well. With each breath I take and every beat of my heart remind me that the gift of your spirit lives in me.

Loving Haggai

This week, after a couple months of hiatus, I went back to daily Bible reading as a part of my meditation/devotion practice. During Lent I'd switched to The Three Simple Rules and wandered a bit following Easter. I decided to try a couple of new things. I'm reading the Bible from The Message paraphrase by Eugene Peterson, and I randomly picked a book I knew nothing about-- Haggai. As it turns out my reading of Haggai is all about time management. Haggai's job was to get the people back in gear, after the Babylonian Exile, at rebuilding the Temple. He's awesome. Basically he tells them "get off your duff and start putting God first." (1:15-2:9) I wish I had a Haggai from time to time.

Near the end there's a section where I'd wished I'd had my study Bible. (It was right within reach, but I told myself I was going to figure this out for myself.) Haggai starts offering a riddle (?) regarding things being made sacred and being made profane. (2:10-2:19) This sort of thing seems more like it belongs in the books of the Torah rather than in a prophetic text. Then he starts asking the people to compare themselves and when life is going well. My reading is that Haggai is saying when you are centered on God, things will go well. He pretty much stops there.

I had to keep going. This doesn't mean people won't get cancer, friends won't betray us, or our projects won't fail-- these things will still happen. But, if we are centered on God, our perspective can change, and we'll see God with us in them and even working through them.

Haggai ends by saying that just when you think you've got things figured out, I'm (God) is going to turn things upside down. (2:21)

Boy, I can't wait to see how my day unfolds!

E-Votional

This week the e_Votional comes from Pastor Mike.

WORD John 11:6 After having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

THOUGHT Have you ever been impatient with God? Do you sometimes feel that God is not working fast enough to meet your needs? My guess is that the entire planet is in an anxious mode right now. When will this economy turn around? When will people start going back to work?

Perhaps God is waiting for us as well. God is patiently waiting for the world to catch up with the important things of life. Perhaps God is waiting for us to learn how to love one another even in the most difficult times. During these challenging times, what has become the most important thing in your life?

PRAYER Loving God, be patient with me. Take me by the hand to learn the things that are most important in life. Teach me to see the beauty of a sunset. Allow me to hear the laugh of a child. Show me how to love my neighbor.
Most of all slow down my life to the speed of God. I know that you are waiting for me in all I do. Open my eyes so that I can see your guiding hand.