A prayer for 9/11/11

September 11, 2011 — 1 Comment

Holy and loving God, we pause this day to remember the tragedy that our nation experienced on September 11th, 2001.

Most of us Lord, cannot escape the memory of that Tuesday morning

We remember where we were,
we remember what we saw,
we remember how we felt,

We remember…
the shock and horror that left us paralyzed,
the fear that gripped our hearts and seemed to hold the world hostage in the weeks that followed.

We remember with sadness the terrible loss of life that resulted from senseless and evil acts of violence.

and we return to that grief today Lord,
to honor those whose lives were tragically cut short,
to give thanks for the heroes whose instincts may have told them to flee, but whose training and courage sent them into burning buildings to save and preserve life.
And to remind ourselves Lord that in our most perilous moment of need, we turned to you…

And in that turning Lord,
You grieved with us.
You cared for us.
You held us close.
You comforted those whose loved ones were lost.
And in each moment that has followed that terrible day, your spirit has been working to bring healing to these shared wounds…
And to restore what we cannot live without, our fervent hope in you and in your promise that good will prevail in the end.

We remember Lord that lesson that we learned in those horrible days.
that evil cannot stop the force of good,

and so as people of faith,
people of hope,
and people of love,
we commit ourselves again to your dream of peace for our world.
Use us as your people to see this dream come true.
In the name of Jesus we pray. AMEN.

In Teaching

Running for Hope… Again!

September 6, 2011 — 0 Comments

Today I’m excited to announce the launch of Miles for Hope, year two!

One of the top five experiences of my life happened December 5th, 2010 when I had the opportunity to participate and complete the Dallas White Rock Marathon. The achievement of a personal goal was rewarding, but far beyond that, the chance to run in celebration of so many individual’s generosity and to bring hope to the orphans our church have adopted in Africa was extraordinary.

Our church set a goal in 2010 to raise $250,000 over the course of three years to help transform the lives of 1,000 orphans. Last year, we raised over $25,000 in the first year of Miles for Hope.

How could we possible top that?

This year, we have 11 runners instead of just one!

And, to raise my only personal stake, I will be running 2 marathons this fall.

Again, I’m asking for your support.

If you would like to make a donation, there are two ways you can do that.

  1. You can make a check out to “First United Methodist Church” with a note in the memo line that says, “Miles for Hope,” and drop that by the church at anytime.
  2. Go to www.hoperunners.org to visit our online fundraising site. On this site you will not only find the list of this year’s runners, you can read a bit more of their story, and make a donation to any of them as well. If you would like to visit my individual page and hear more of my story, you can click here.

I’m honored to be running for hope again!

In Leadership

The meaning of prayer

August 29, 2011 — 0 Comments

In his book, “Why: Making Sense of God’s Will,” Pastor Adam Hamilton engages the question we looked at this past weekend, “Why do my prayers go unanswered?” He finishes that chapter with the following quote from World War II Admiral Chester Nimitz.

This quote did not make it into my sermon for this weekend, but I thought is was an excellent reminder today of the meaning of prayer. Admiral Nimitz described his own prayer life in the following way.

I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

In Personal Growth

Wesley Covenant Prayer

August 20, 2011 — 0 Comments

Here is the prayer that we used to end this past weekend’s message. To listen to the sermon online, please click here or visit or www.firstmethodistmansfield.tv

Wesley Covenant Prayer

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

In Disciplines, Personal Growth

“Why?” series begins

August 18, 2011 — 0 Comments

This weekend we are beginning a new series simply titled, “Why?”

Over the next three weeks, we will be wrestling with some of the deeper questions of our faith. Along the way, we also hope to affirm the idea that questions are not only normal, they are an essential part of our process of becoming a more deeply committed follower of Jesus. You can see the three questions we will be looking at listed below as well as a video to introduce this series.

I hope to see you for this important series which starts this Saturday night.

Why is it so hard to find God’s will for my life?
Why do my prayers seem to go unanswered?
If God is God, why is there suffering?

 

Why? from First Methodist Mansfield on Vimeo.

In Teaching
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