Gazing through granite

2009-01-08T22:54:00.002-05:00

Epiphany Greetings

2008-12-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

2008-12-05T13:03:00.000-05:00

Stewardship Quotes

2008-10-23T22:37:00.002-04:00

In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, ‘That is mine!’ ” — Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), Dutch statesman, theologian and journalist

“Everything we have is really loaned to us; we can’t take anything with us when we depart. If we have no use for a thing, we should pass it on to someone else who can use it—now.” — Norma S. Scholl

“A lot of people are willing to give God the credit, but not too many are willing to give Him the cash.” — Anonymous

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” — Martin Luther (1483-1546), German reformer and theologian

“One of the greatest missing teachings in the American church today is the reminder to men and women that nothing we have belongs to us.” — Gordon MacDonald, American pastor and teacher
“The worship offering [is] a pure gift to God in thankfulness for what we have already received. It should therefore be an exciting and major part of the service.” — Lynn A. Miller, author

“Stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you.” — Lynn A. Miller, author

“I believe with all of my heart that God’s people possess God’s provision to accomplish and fulfill God’s purposes in the world.” — Joel Vestal, founder of ServLife International

“Nothing is more dangerous than to be blinded by prosperity.” — John Calvin (1509-64), French theologian and reformer

“Why should men leave great fortunes to their children? If this is done from affection, is it not misguided affection? Observation teaches that, generally speaking, it is not well for the children that they should be so burdened.” — Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), American industrialist and philanthropist

“Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.” — Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), American industrialist and philanthropist

“I shovel [money] out, and God shovels it back ... but God has a bigger shovel!” — R.G. LeTourneau (1888-1969), American inventor

“There’s no need to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can’t do any business from there.” — Colonel Sanders (1890-1980), Kentucky Fried Chicken founder

“The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow that has nothing but money is poorer still.” — Billy Sunday (1862-1935), American revivalist

“Take it from me. I went down the road of ‘be all you can be, realize your dreams,’ and I’m telling you that fame and fortune are not what they’re cracked up to be. We live in a society that seems to value only physical things, only ephemeral things. People will do anything to get on these reality shows and talent contests on TV. We’re obsessed.” — Madonna (1958-), American pop music icon

“You hear a lot of strange things about tithing. Some say it is a church tax, and they expect me to pay it and that is the end of it. Others say that when I give God one-tenth of my income, He blesses the nine-tenths that is left to the extent that the nine-tenths now goes as far as the whole thing used to go. This isn’t really true, is it? Suppose a farmer had 100 bushels of corn in the barn and he decides to plant 10 bushel in the ground. What multiplies? Is it the 90 bushels that he has left in the barn? Oh, no. All of us ‘farmers’ know it is the 10 bushels you put in the ground that multiplies. Similarly, it is the 10 percent you give to God that multiplies.” — Stanley Tam (1915-), American businessman and philanthropist

“One of the reasons churches in North America have trouble guiding people about money is that the church’s economy is built on consumerism. If churches see themselves as suppliers of religious goods and services and their congregants as consumers, then offerings are ‘payment.’ ” — Doug Pagitt, pastor

“I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.” — John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (1839-1937), American industrialist and philanthropist

“At its best, giving is an act of worship.” — Cornelius J. Dyck (1740-92), colonel under the command of Gen. George Washington

“It is through generous giving, that we affirm before the world, our nation’s faith in the inalienable right of every man, to a life of freedom, justice and security.” — Harry S Truman (1884-1972), 33rd president of the United States

“A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” — D. Elton Trueblood (1900-94), American author, educator, philosopher and theologian

“When it comes to giving until it hurts, most people have a very low threshold of pain.” — Anonymous

“Seek joy in what you give not in what you get.” — Anonymous

“Real charity doesn’t care if it’s tax deductible or not.” — Anonymous

“Examples are few of men ruined by giving.” — Christian Bovée

“You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving.” — Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), missionary to India

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British wartime prime minister and statesman

“If you haven’t got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” — Bob Hope (1903-2003), American comedian

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Jesus, in Acts 20:35
“Earn as much as you can. Save as much as you can. Invest as much as you can. Give as much as you can.” — John Wesley (1703-91), English evangelist and founder of Methodism

“Jesus says, ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ This verse seems to indicate that the way a believer spends money may be the clearest indication—perhaps like a thermometer—of the heart’s spiritual condition. If that is the case, then one might conclude that if one does not give money to the church to help others, one falls into the category of those who do not have the fruits that ought to accompany the presence of grace in their lives. And if the tree is not bearing fruit, is the root itself good?” — John Ronsvalle, American researcher

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2008-10-15T14:13:00.000-04:00

How God fills our Cup thru prayer

2008-10-13T15:01:00.000-04:00

During the sermon on Sunday, folks were challenged to identify ways in which God fills our cup. The water colored prayer sheet was placed in a miniature ceramic vase/cup and taken home.

Being receptive in prayer

2008-10-09T10:10:00.000-04:00

I love the quotes that are interspersed throughout the readings.

The value of consistant prayer is not that he will hear us, but that we will hear him. -- William McGill.

The theme this week has been "drawing water". So often we view prayer as a giving something to God, our requests - 'a to-do list for God', or our burdens, 'Lord I am tired of worrying about this, You take over'.

Prayer is also to be receptive - a time, an activity, whereby God fills us, renews us, gives to us, encourages us. Fill my cup, Lord!

Chap. 5

2008-10-03T16:10:00.000-04:00

treasures of the transformed life

I found two thing in particular in today's reading that really spoke to me. The first was the story from the leprosarium in Korea.

A beautiful American nurse was tending the patients, and one visiting businessman commented to another that, if she was living in America, she could be making a good living, rather than having to work there with those who had leprosy. Another man in the group commented directly to the nurse that he wouldn't do what she she did for a million dollars. "Nether would I," she replied. But for the love of Jesus Christ she did.

The second was at the end of the chapter about attending church.

Many people attend church because they think they can get something out of it. Some attend because it will keep peace with someone else in their family who really wants to to go. Some think they're doing something they should do. Some even attend because being part of a certain congregation is good for their social standing or public image. Sadly, they're missing the point.

The church was created to help people know God and to walk in relationship with God. Everyone there is created in God's own image, thus it is only by experiencing others that we can experience all of God. Truly experiencing others means learning to love them. It means choosing to love them, and allowing them to love us in return.

It isn't always easy to be part of a church family, but I can tell you it's worth it. When we're willing to open our eyes to the beauty in others, all sorts of wonderful things happen. We begin to understand what love truly is, and just how very much God loves us. Enough to forgive us, to hold no record of our wrongs and to protect us. Enough to be patient with us and to be kind. A great example to follow, indeed.

My prayer of thanks is - Lord thank you for giving us new eyes to see ourselves and our church in new ways.

Welcome to Walt's Blog

2008-10-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

I just sent out an email to many of my friends and relatives along with folks from around Hightstown and from our church email list inviting you to check out my blog.

Thanks for your attention. Please post to let me know what you think.

My blogging is an attempt to communicate in a new way.

Please pray for us here at First United Methodist Church in Hightstown as we are underway with a new devotional series for the next 40 days.

A great quote from today's reading by Malcom Muggeridge - Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.

I want to say thanks to Greg Milinovich a UM pastor up in Clinton, NJ for his inspiration and encouragement to enter the blogosphere. Checkout his blog from my blog links - agent orange. His post today is hilarious, parents will laugh hysterically.

Grace and Peace

Who is John Ed Mathison?

2008-10-01T09:29:00.000-04:00

I was recently asked, “who is this guy, John Ed Mathison, who wrote the book we are studying?” Here is a brief bio culled from a newspaper article that ran just before his retirement as Senior Minister of Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

Mathison's 36-year tenure at Frazer Memorial UMC was a remarkable time in the church's history, remarkable in terms of both physical and spiritual growth. Frazer, with a membership approaching 9,000, stands as testimony to Mathison's vision and stewardship.

The public spotlight shown on Mathison long before he earned recognition as the builder and leader of a mega-church. He was a highly acclaimed athlete and played on the first basketball team fielded by the late coach Neal Posey at Huntingdon College. In his later years, Mathison also earned recognition playing tennis and winning championships. Today, at 70, he still moves with a graceful confidence good athletes share.

Mathison graduated from Huntingdon in 1960, and set about on a course of study which would allow him to follow his father and grandfather into the Methodist Church ministry. He earned his Seminary Degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta and a Master of Theology degree from Princeton University in New Jersey.

In 1964, Mathison accepted his first assignment as an associate minister at Capital Heights United Methodist Church in Montgomery and commuted regularly between Montgomery and Atlanta while earning his Doctorate in Theology from Emory. The young minister served the church in assignments in Mobile for four years and Phoenix City for two years, before being assigned to Frazer in 1972.

At the time of Mathison's arrival, the church had moved twice in 10 years. Displaced by interstate highway construction, the church moved from its original location (where I-65 and I-85 intersect) to south Montgomery and from there to its present day location on the Atlanta Highway. In 1972, the church sat on a five acre campus and had a membership of 400.

"The shoe ought not determine the size of the foot," Mathison proclaims. With that philosophy in mind, the church optioned and purchased neighboring property and the original 5-acre campus grew to today's 30-acre campus.

Today, Frazer is what Mathison calls an outward focused church with a membership of 8,931. Even more remarkable than the sheer growth of Frazer under Mathison's leadership is the fact that 90 percent of the members are involved in at least one of the church's many ministries and one-third of the church's $10.5 million budget goes to missions.

Frazer offers eight services every Sunday morning and one Sunday evening service at the Atlanta Highway location and two more Sunday services on the Asbury campus on Narrow Lane Road. Included are a service in Spanish and another in Chinese. Members regularly attend more than 75 adult Sunday School classes.

It takes a paid staff of more than 150, half of them part time, to run Frazer. Mathison says the growth of the church over 30 years has been steady, not a huge jump one year and a decline the next. His philosophy for marketing the church is simple. "People bring people," he says.

Matheson says Frazer reflects the face of the city, with a membership that includes Hispanics, Chinese, African Americans, Koreans and Laotians. Frazer places emphasis on missions, "making an impact on the world," Mathison says. "In this community we help folks in need. We want to be a good social witness to eliminate poverty and to bring about racial reconciliation."

Evaluating a Sunday morning

2008-09-29T17:33:00.000-04:00

Today, I had a non-christian friend ask me, "How was the collection on Sunday, pastor?"

I said, "I don't know, I don't keep track of that on Sundays. Once a month we have a finance meeting and they let me know if I need to be concerned."

Now, the question I am asking myself is - "What do I value on Sunday morning?"
or "What should I be keeping track of?"

I am a blogger

2008-09-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

I have decided to start a blog to communicate with friends, colleagues and my church members. Over the next 6 weeks I will be regularly commenting on the devotional readings my church is doing together for the next 40 days. We are reading the book "treasures of the transformed life" by John Ed Mathison.