Rethinking Church, UMC

I have been doing some praying, studying and thinking on the UMCs new Rethinking Church campaign. I a recent Ashland Theol Seminary article an author spoke about ministering to 20 somethings and wondered if they would benefit from a different approach in evangelism. When I think about these together with the Rethink Church it makes me wonder about the early Pentecost experience and the role of the Hoply Spirit in evangelism versus campaigns. Yes, I know that God uses campaigns, revivals and other mechanisms to grow the church. But I wonder if our emphasis on such mechanisms and conferences to look at church growth forgets the central role of prayer and seeking God. God through the Holy Spirit creates an awakening of the Spirit with a hunger for spiritual things that bridges the gap and does the work in salvation. Perhaps the Church needs to Rethink the Holy Spirit instead of the Church. If we seek we will find. No one wants growth in the church more than God does. The tools or mechanisms are not the important part. The author from Ashland highlighted some changes in the psyche and ego that have resulted from our Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street mentality that makes it so that 20 somethings may not be able to hear the good news adequately unless we change our approach. Perhaps we need to spend more time in fasting and prayer as the Church in the realm of evangelism. The Psalmist says for us to ask and God will give us the nations. Our Bishops, DSs, clergy and laity would be well served to spend some of the money, time and resources that they do in conferences, workshops and campaigns on seeking the Lord. The answer is not in the right programs but in the right seeking of God for Pentecost to fall afresh. The answer does not lie in ReThink Church. It is in God alone and in seeking His righteousness. It is in a fresh Holy Spirit experience in the UMC that will quicken the spirits in people of every age and generation with accompanying signs, wonders, miracles and God sighting stories that will create a fresh hunger and "what must we do to be saved" questioning in our surrounding communities. God is at work and is on the move. he may use ReThink Church or other campaigns like Open Hearts, eopleMinds, Doors but really what He wants to use are the people called United Methodists who willseek Him. Join me in that kind of search.

Discovering God in Grief

My daughter Dawn died this last January 8th. Her birthday was October 25th. She would have been 29. Last Thanksgiving was her last good day before she died. We had a great meal together. It has been such a hard year. She had CML leukemia. If you want to know more about her go to goshdawnit.com. It is a very helpful blog on what she went through before she died. She was a great young lady with a lot of love, for people, for God and for life. It was so comforting and helpful to know that thousands of people were and are praying. We still do not understand the great mysteery of why she died when she did but we find comfort in knowing that our awesome God is redeeming this even still today and is still at work in drawing people to Himself. As a pastor for almost thirty years I discovered long ago that there is a God and I am not Him. When I let God be God then I find my place in the bigger scheme of theings anda can discover peace. A recent aspect of that journey is the ongoing discovery of new insights on what it means to wait upon the Lord to have one's strength renewed. More on that another time. Check out my Myspace page for some pix on what will be a tribute to my daughter.