Getting some reading done

I said I was going to find some time to read this week. It mostly happened today. I finished Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What. Some people are more familiar with Miller from his book Blue Like Jazz. That book is also on my stack, but I haven't read it yet.

I really liked this book, but it was challenging. I can't say I agree with everything Miller says, but I am really inspired by what he is trying to do and how is going about it. If I had to describe the author in one word, it would be "unpredictable." He comes from a conservative evangelical background. What makes him unpredictable is how he holds on to some conservative and evangelical ideas while rejecting others. That is what makes this book so interesting. With a lot of Christian authors, you can easily label them as liberal or conservative a know where they are going to go in the book. Miller doesn't let himself get so easily labeled. If you consider yourself religiously conservative, he is likely to offend you. If you consider yourself religiously liberal, he is likely to offend you. I like that. It makes you think.

That all fits with what it seems he is trying to do. Miller to trying to make and argument against formulaic religion and for relational Christianity. Like a good preacher, he makes relating to God much less complicated and much more challenging. He starts in a great place as well, back in the Garden of Eden.

If you do opt to read this one, read it with an open mind and a critical mind. You don't have to agree with everything he writes, even if he writes it well. I don't particularly agree with his thoughts on authorship of some parts of the Bible. But, in the end the book was certainly worth reading.

As always I love your thoughts. If you read the book many months from now, feel free to just e-mail me and let me know what you think.

peace,

will

Silly Putty

In an effort to thwart any attempt to guess what might appear on this blog...

Did you know that you can buy Silly Putty in bulk? If you don't remember, Silly Putty is the super versatile, if not completely useless, clay like substance that can be formed into any number of shapes and can also miraculously copy cartoons right out of the Sunday funnies. When I was a kid, it came in a little plastic egg. It still does but know you can buy it in bulk! The stuff in now available in 5 pound bulk packs. You can also buy a case of 100 of the little plastic eggs.

For many, this may beg the question, "so what?" or the more thoughtful, "who needs that much Silly Putty?" Both are valid questions and I currently have no answers. Some of us are just mesmerized by things that come in large quantities. You know the type whose jaw drops in Sam's Club at the idea of buying 500 roles of toilet paper or a five pound bucket of dishwasher detergent.

If a little plastic egg full was fun, 5 pounds must be off the charts. This type of fun is not for the stingy like myself though. Five pounds of original goes for $76.99 and if you want the fancy new kind that changes colors, get ready to cough up $152.99. Shipping is free though! If you just can't help yourself, here is the link:

Silly Putty Store at CrayolaStore.com

peace,

will

This I Believe

National Public Radio is doing a series called "This I Believe" which invites people, celebrities and others to reflect on their faith. I have really enjoyed listening to and reading these and I wanted to share two of them.

"How Is It Possible to Believe in God?" by William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Be Cool to the Pizza Dude" by Sarah Adams

If you go to either essay, you can link to the rest of the essays in the series and enter your own if you like.

peace,

will

Taking a breath...

Many pastors take vacation the week after Christmas. It is a good idea. The weeks before Christmas can be quite exhausting. It is not just preparing for Christmas services, although that can be quite a bit of work. The fall of the year in the church is one of the busiest times. Here at Grace it seems like a pretty straight run from the pumpkin patch right to Christmas day. Fall also brings some extra work for pastors in our commitment to the larger connectional church. We have to get ready for our annual Charge Conference and there are evaluations from the district that must be completed.

Whether a pastor chooses to go on vacation, or stick around the office like I am doing, the week after Christmas is a week to take a breath. For me, it is about looking over some of the things that just didn't get done over the last couple of months. There are things I can go back and do, and others that I will just have to let go of. It is also about getting some reading done. It is a very important part of my life and work to keep reading. As a pastor, if I don't input new things into my brain, I will eventually run out of meaningful things to say.

I know that a lot of people are worn out. Fall and the Christmas season can be overwhelming for lots of reasons. There is the stress of too much to do, too much to buy and too many places to be. For some, Christmas holds unique stresses related to family and friends who are either too far away or too close.

Here's hoping that we can all find some rest and peace.

blessings,

will

Christmas Day Sermon

It was a very short one...

Sermon #13 - Christmas Day - "Rejoice"

A wonder filled Christmas

I haven't had a chance yet to reflect on the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day worship. John and I were overwhelmed by the turnout. I don't have the exact numbers, but I believe we had around 580 on Christmas Eve alone. We were really pleasantly surprised by the group we had Christmas morning. We really thought it would be a small group, but the sanctuary was full for worship!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, some churches opted to close on Christmas day. I really think that was a mistake. Certainly there are people who will come on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas day with their families, and that is perfectly alright. But obviously there are some people who wanted to begin the day by praising God and celebrating Christmas in worship.

Here is the next question. What do we do next year. This year, we had the unique situation of Christmas Day on Sunday. Next year, Christmas Eve will be on Sunday. Will people want to come on Christmas Eve morning for Sunday worship and then come back at night for Christmas Eve service? Fortunately we have a few months to work that out.

As always, I love to hear your thoughts.

peace,

will

Settling in..

Violet is settling in nicely. She likes her new home. (She has kicked Bodhi out of his bed.)

New addition...

If you read the Caller Times you may have seen Violet in Friday's paper. She was displaced from a shelter when Katrina hit. She is now living at our house. We will officially adopt her next week. She is as sweet as can be and she and Bodhi are getting along fine!

I will have some more photos once she settles down a little. (Moving day excitement makes it hard to get a focused picture.)

peace,

will

On a lighter note...

Why is it that dogs hate hats so much?

More Working, Less Blogging

This week before Christmas has kept me away from the blog. It really has been a busy time. Christmas Eve services always take a lot more time to prepare than other worship services. If you notice, most worship services at Grace follow a particular pattern. A lot of preparing the service involves filling in parts of that pattern with things that are appropriate for the season, the scripture and the sermon. If you are here on Christmas Eve, you will see that we have changed the pattern quite a bit because of the unique nature of the Christmas Eve services. What is unique about it? First of all, the narrative telling of the Christmas story is central. (Don't be thrown by the word "story". I am not implying anything, it is just how to I refer to the words that describe Jesus' birth.) In the case of these services, you will see that everything liturgically and musically focuses on that. Second, a lot of people who come on Christmas Eve are coming for the first time or coming after some time away. Even more so than on other Sundays, we want to reflect in every thing that we do, that they are welcome and that we have made a special place for them.

I hope YOU join us!

peace,

will

The Sounds of Christmas

I was blessed last night to hear the Christmas Cantada performed by the Grace UMC choir with a wonderful prelude from the handbell choir. I mentioned during worship yesterday and before last night's performance that there are a number of ways that we hear the message of Christmas. We hear it in the reading of scripture. We hear it differently in the words of sermons and devotions about those scriptures. We also hear the message in our traditions. Often, when we look to the root of the traditions surrounding Christmas, we realize that they are ways to retell the story in actions instead of words, or make the message tangible through physical means. (That's what gift-giving is all about.) As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, our decorations, in that case the nativity, can be a retelling of the stories without words and a sharing of the message. Many of us most clearly hear the message of Christmas through music. Music has the amazing power of speaking directly to our hearts, helping us to understand something that we can't quite grasp with our heads.

I will never forget, as a young boy, standing outside in the freezing cold of a Western New York winter in front of the United Methodist Church down the street from my home. My oldest sister was singing "Silent Night" as part of what I think was a live nativity. I remember being moved by the sounds I heard, but not knowing why.

Music is one way that we can shed that impulse to think we must understand something for God to be moving in us. As United Methodists, we believe in prevenient grace, that idea that long before we go searching for God, God is reaching out to us, seeking to draw us close, just waiting for us to reach back. As I think about that moment and that music, I sense God's wonder in it and consider how that worked in my heart for decades before I reached back and accepted the love that God had always offered me.

It is a humbling thought as John and I prepare for Christmas services. We will plan and fuss over all the words and what order to put them in. We will consider every last detail, hoping to share the glorious message of Christmas and God will gently whisper through it all reaching out for people in ways we just can't imagine.

peace and Merry Christmas,

will

Getting Ready For Christmas

Are you falling into that last minute rush toward Christmas? I feel especially calm this year but there are still parties to prepare for, gifts to wrap, services to plan and a sermon to write. Online shopping has certainly taken a lot of pressure off of present buying. Although I often have a last minute thought, my shopping is pretty much done.

Pastor John will be preaching Christmas Eve and I will be preaching Christmas morning. It is taking me a while to think about how to plan Christmas morning. I know most of our regular worshippers will come on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas morning with their families. Others will be out of town. As I am thinking about the service, I am thinking about who might be there and what message God might have for them.

I remember when I first became a Christian, I was living by myself. I had family in the same city but we weren't planning on getting together until Christmas dinner. Begin a new and excited (and naive) Christian I thought I would get up Christmas morning and go to church (it wasn't on Sunday that year). I was somewhat taken aback that not only did my church not have service, I couldn't find any church that did. When your church family is your family, it seems sad not to spend Christmas with them.

This is not an attempt to guilt you into going to church on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve will certainly suffice. I am just saying, I am glad that we will be here for those who want to be here.

peace,

will

(by the way, on Christmas morning, we will have one service at 10:00)

Poll Finds Most Americans Believe God Exists

Gallup just released a new survey that shows that 94% of Americans believe that God exists.

You can read about it here:

Gallup: Poll Finds Americans' Belief in God Remains Strong

I haven't seen the text of Gallup's release, but the article uses "believe in God" synonymously with "think God exists." I don't think those are necessarily the same. It may sound nitpicky, but it is something to think about. Is it possible to think God exists and still not believe in God? I think so. I think I spent much of my life in that place. If pressed, I certainly would have said I believe God exists, however, I was not ready to believe in any picture of God that was presented to me.

One of my seminary professors defined an atheist as one who had yet to be presented with an image of God that they could accept. I believe atheists would disagree with that, but it makes a good point. 94% of Americans think that God exists, but yet 14% of Americans do not follow any organized religion. That means there are more Americans who don't follow an organized religion than there are United Methodists, Episcopalian and Lutherans combined.[1]

It seems that our goal then, in reaching out to the unchurched is not about getting people to believe that God exists, but to see an understanding of God that makes them want to believe in God, to put their trust in God.

Just a thought. In a related statistic. God still believes in 100% of us.

peace,

will

[1] Cathy Grossman, "Charting the unchurched in America," USA Today, 2002-MAR-7, at: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/110249542.html?

This week's sermon

This week's sermon "C is For ?" is now posted at gracesermons.blogspot.com.

Feel free to post comments here. This sermon was really a joy to preach. I never know how well it will translate when read, but I know that not everyone can be in worship. I hope you are able to get something from it.

Just a reminder, weekly sermons (John's and mine) are available in the glassway here at Grace each week.

peace,

will

Church on Christmas

It doesn't happen very often, but this is one of those years that Christmas falls on a Sunday. We will have four services on Christmas Eve but only one on the Sunday of Christmas morning. I was reading in The New York Times this morning that some churches has given up on Christmas day all together.

When Christmas Falls on Sunday, Megachurches Take the Day Off

I would be interested to hear what you all think about this.

peace,

will

Home For Christmas Cards

Note: This will be in this Sunday's bulletin, but I wanted to post it here as well.

will

Home for Christmas Initiative: Together, We Can Extend a Warm Welcome

Help us invite people to “come home for Christmas” here at Grace on December 24.

Research shows that more people visit a church for the first time on Christmas Eve than at any other time of the year. That makes Christmas Eve one our best opportunities to help connect people with Christ and the grace he bestows.

During the worship services this Sunday, December 11th, you are invited to provide us with names and addresses of at least three households that do not regularly attend any church. We will mail these families personal invitations to the Christmas Eve services here at Grace. Please note: we will not use your name in any way in the invitations we send.

However, if you feel comfortable doing so, you may hand deliver or mail our beautiful Home for Christmas postcards located in the glassway. This second contact of a personally signed card often accomplishes what the less personal invitation from the church could not. Research shows that 85 percent of people who attend church visited the first time because someone they knew invited them

Whether or not you choose to send personal invitations, please come prepared to give us some names and addresses to go on the church’s invitation list. They can be neighbors, friends at work or school, relatives, people with whom you socialize, people you know in school or community organizations and clubs, customers and clients. (Do not include names of our own inactive members; we already have those.)

Please include the people you are submitting to our invitation list in your daily prayers. Ask God to use our invitation as an effective outreach to your friends. By working together we can get the word out to the largest possible number of people that “there is room at the inn” this Christmas Eve.

I think they made a movie about this...

According to Guardian Unlimited from Great Britain, there is a giant asteroid hurtling toward earth that could crash right into us in just 31 years.

You can read the article here:

It's called Apophis. It's 390m wide. And it could hit Earth in 31 years time

I am not all that alarmed, mostly because 31 years is a long time from now. What I find compelling about this is the fact that we know about it. If you know anything about astronomy (which I know exceedingly little) you know that it is quite miraculous that we can even see something just 390 meters wide this far away and it is almost unbelievable that we can make a guess about where it might be going.

If you don't know much more astronomy or space in general, let me put it in perspective. We are not exactly sure how many planets are in our solar system. If you don't believe me, see Solar System Surprise: A New View of What's Out There at Space.com.

Space is really, really big and really hard to figure out, so I am quite impressed that someone has figured out that an asteroid might run into us in 31 years. But, I am still not worried about it.

Speaking of space, I am worried about this: According to an op-ed piece by Nicolas D. Kristof in Monday's New York Times, about one-fifth of Americans still think the Sun goes around the Earth. (See The Hubris of the Humanities) (This is posted on Times Select subscription service, but there is a copy of it posted here - though I make no warranties about what else in on that site) By the way, let's be clear, the Earth and the other planets do revolve around the Sun, we are pretty sure about that.

Enough about space, back to working on this week's sermon. I promise it won't be so "spacey."

peace,

will

Some More Light Reading

A while back, I promised to post something about every book I read. I haven't forgotten, I just haven't been getting through books as fast as usual.

I just finished Bill Bryson's masterpiece A Short History of Nearly Everything. The title is more descriptive than you can imagine. Bryson takes a scientific stroll from the beginning of the universe to the present day with stops along the way to give the reader a basic understanding of physics, chemistry, paleontology, genetics and I am sure a few more sciences I have forgotten. Bryson is not a scientist, he is a writer and that is what makes the book so fantastic.

What I kept thinking throughout the book was, "I sure wish he had been my high school science teacher." Bill Bryson has a knack for making anything interesting. If you are a fan of any of his other books, you may know what I mean. (In his book A Walk in the Woods he made his failed attempt to hike the Appalachian trail fascinating.) He does more than share the facts, he tells stories, a lot of stories about the quite peculiar people he have discovered some of the most important things in our history.

A couple of words of warning about this book. First, Bryson is attempting to share an overview of the scientific understanding of the history of our planet. He is not thinking at all about theology. There is no mention of God's part in creation, not even a fleeting wondrous mention. He also states some pretty clear views on the creation of the universe and evolution. If you are easily offended by this sort of thing, this might not be the book for you. It would be easy to argue with some of his points on a theological basis, but I don't know that I would want him to argue with my sermons on a scientific basis.

Second, this book may have the consequence of making you feel amazingly small, but that sort of thing happens when you consider the total of all creation.

Happy reading.

peace,

will

A Little "Holiday Spirit"

Evidence that I am not a total scrooge. While it is true that I don't have 15,000 lights not a waving Santa on the roof, there are now lights at the parsonage. If you look closely you will also see an inflatable reindeer on the porch.

peace,

will

Oh, by the way...

For those of you who were getting the impression that I am a total scrooge, Alisha and I got our Christmas tree yesterday and most of the lights are up in the yard. I will post some pictures.

peace,

will

More Christmas Thoughts

I have been absent from the blog for a few days, a little under the weather. I came across this in the New York Times this morning.

This Season's War Cry: Commercialize Christmas, or Else
By ADAM COHEN

You may not agree with Cohen's tone or all his points but he may cause you to stop and think. There is a lot of outcry right now about retailers saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Personally, I am less worried about what Target is doing about Christmas and more worried about what the church, whose mission isn't retail, but rather changing lives in the name of Jesus, is doing.

Just something to think about.

peace,

will

Nativity Sets?

I invite you, before reading the rest of this post to read the story of Christmas, according to the author of St. Luke:

Luke 2:1-14, New Revised Standard Version

I don’t have a nativity set in my house. My lack of clarity and decisiveness on the matter of buying one is the subject of some amount stress for my wife. I will occasionally find the perfect set and tell Alisha I am going to buy it and then I don’t. When she asks me why, I usually say, “Because it misses the point.”

When I decide to buy one, I am thinking about one of two things.

One is that looking at a beautifully crafted set reminds me of the joy and mystery of the gift of Jesus. When I see one that is handcrafted, I am moved by the gifts of the artist and how she used those gifts to lovingly craft this re-presentation of this wondrous scene.

I also think about the fact that people are learn differently and are moved differently. While some may begin to understand the grace of God through words of scripture or the words of a sermon, some may get the message of grace much more clearly by looking at the scene of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.

When I was a child, my only hearing of the Christmas story was setting up the nativity scene and asking my Mother what all the pieces meant.

When I decide not to buy the nativity scene, I am thinking about something else. When I consider not just the birth of Jesus, but the life of Jesus and the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus and the ascension of Jesus and the promised return of Jesus, can I imagine that Jesus would wish me to respond by buying an expensive collection of plastic, wood, resin or clay?

I am caught in the tension between celebrating and sharing the gift or just trying to simply live it out. Perhaps I will buy a nativity set this year, but perhaps instead of being made of plaster and wood, it will be made out of insecticide treated bed nets that will help Africans prevent the spread of Malaria or maybe it will be made out of food to feed refugees of the latest earthquake. Perhaps it won’t be on my mantle reminding me about the meaning of Christmas, it will be out in the world showing others God’s love through simple acts of human love.

In reflecting on the story of Christmas, Ted Wardlaw, president of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary recently wrote, “We often want to spray shellac over this story and treat it like an artifact that we place on our shelves with all the other curios and memorabilia. But if this story becomes too timeless—too hermetically sealed, too untouchable—then it loses its ability to surprise us, and thus to invade our lives until it touches each one of us.”[1]

Whether we have a nativity set or not, whether it is new and represents another way to remember and celebrate or it is old and holds with it memories of Christmases past, I think it is important to remember what it is and consider why we have it.

And as we share the stories of Christmas, I think it is important to not see them as artifacts, but as living words that shape not just our holiday decorating, but our very lives.

I invite you to pause for a moment and read again Luke’s Christmas story, this time from Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Let it come alive in you and then, in the silence, think about how it may be alive for you this year.

Luke 2:1-14, The Message

peace,

will

---

[1] Ted Wardlaw, “Luke 2:1-20”, In This Season, 2005 Advent Reflections from the Austin Seminary Community

This Week's Sermon

Here is the sermon from this past Sunday.

Sermon #11 - What Are We Waiting For?

As always, your thoughts and comments are always welcome!

peace,

will

And So This is Christmas Pt. II

Now with live video.

And So This is Christmas

A few images of the season... All courtesy of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel of Black Friday shopping at the Sawgrass Mills Mall.

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and share a little thought about the day from Ben Franklin from The Compleated Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin.

It seems that Thanksgiving was originally proposed as a day of fast, not of feast. You can thank "a farmer of plain sense" that you are enjoying a table full of food instead of spending the day hungry. The idea is still the same, taking a day to remember where all our blessings come from.

peace,

will

The Real Story of the First Thanksgiving
By Benjamin Franklin (1785)

“There is a tradition that in the planting of New England, the first settlers met with many difficulties and hardships, as is generally the case when a civiliz’d people attempt to establish themselves in a wilderness country. Being so piously dispos’d, they sought relief from heaven by laying their wants and distresses before the Lord in frequent set days of fasting and prayer. Constant meditation and discourse on these subjects kept their minds gloomy and discontented, and like the children of Israel there were many dispos’d to return to the Egypt which persecution had induc’d them to abandon.

“At length, when it was proposed in the Assembly to proclaim another fast, a farmer of plain sense rose and remark’d that the inconveniences they suffer’d, and concerning which they had so often weary’d heaven with their complaints, were not so great as they might have expected, and were diminishing every day as the colony strengthen’d; that the earth began to reward their labour and furnish liberally for their subsistence; that their seas and rivers were full of fish, the air sweet, the climate healthy, and above all, they were in the full enjoyment of liberty, civil and religious.

“He therefore thought that reflecting and conversing on these subjects would be more comfortable and lead more to make them contented with their situation; and that it would be more becoming the gratitude they ow’d to the divine being, if instead of a fast they should proclaim a thanksgiving. His advice was taken, and from that day to this, they have in every year observ’d circumstances of public felicity sufficient to furnish employment for a Thanksgiving Day, which is therefore constantly ordered and religiously observed.”

Promises to Keep

One of the things I miss about living in Austin was how easy it was to see fascinating people speak. Between three seminaries, a giant university, the state capital and a bunch of funky bookstores, there was always an opportunity to see authors, theologians, politicians and self-proclaimed philosophers sharing something.

Of course, this happens in Corpus Christi as well, you just have to look a little harder to find it. We had Paul R. Dirdak, from the UMC General Board of Global Ministries just this week. And on Sunday, December 4th at 7 p.m., another great opportunity presents itself. St. John's UMC (5300 Alameda - between Airline and Ennis Joslin) is presenting a talk from Holocaust Survivor Ernest Michel.

Mr. Michel spend six years in some of the Nazi's most notorious concentration camps. He also served as a special correspondent at the Neuremberg War Crimes Trial and is now an author, lecturer and community leader.

This will be worth the short drive. I hope to see you there.

peace,

will

Bishop's Thanksgiving Service

Thanks to everyone from Grace who attended the Bishop's Annual Thanksgiving Service at First UMC. It was a great worship service and it was wonderful to hear from The Rev. Paul R. Dirdak, deputy general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries. He spoke about all the amazing things The United Methodist Committee on Relief is doing throughout the world.

Although I have been accused of talking about UMCOR too much, most of us don't know a lot about the relief efforts they are involved in throughout the world. UMCOR is a well respected, well run humanitarian agency and we all should be proud of their work.

Check out the work they are involved in at The General Board of Global Ministries Website.

peace,

will

Intelligent Design? The Vatican Weighs in Again

You may have read earlier in the month ("Now how about that...") A post about a Catholic cardinal coming out in support of Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Well now another Vatican official weighs in on the issue:

Vatican Official Refutes Intelligent Design

What I find most exciting about this is that we seem to be getting a rare glimpse into the Vatican's discussion of this issue. If you do a google news search on the topic, (let me point out, if you know how to do a google news search, you are a geek, welcome to my club) you will find that there have been a number of news stories about statements from a number of high ranking Catholics sharing some views that are not entirely compatible. That is wonderful to watch. Say what you want about the Catholic church, they have some of the greatest theologians of our age and it is a shame when they we don't get to hear their views because they are shielded behind the publicly released opinion of only the Pope.

This may sound terribly boring to some, but this is really important stuff. How we think about creation, how we think about evolution, and how we consider God's role in all this can greatly affect how we do science and how we treat our world and each other.

peace,

will

Charge Conference Tonight

Tonight is Grace UMC's annual Charge Conference. For those of you who aren't Methodists or just haven't heard about his aspect of the life of this denomination, a brief explanation. The United Methodist Church is a connectional church. Although each church is a fairly independent unit, we are all part of the national church. One way to see this is to think of non-denominational churches on one hand, who are not necessarily responsible to anyone other than themselves (and God of course) and, on the other hand, the Catholic Church which has a very top-down administration. United Methodists are somewhere in between.

One way this connection is shown most clearly is in the appointment of pastors. John and I are appointed by the Bishop of the Southwest Texas Conference and that is who we technically work for. We are not hired by the church, though the church does get a lot of say in what kind of pastors it will get.

The other way the connection is visible is in the annual Charge Conference. Every year each United Methodist congregation is required to call a Charge Conference and it is required that the District Superintendent is present. She (in our case Rev. Barbara Ruth) represents the Bishop and the Annual Conference at the meeting. There is certain business that can only be done at the Charge Conference. Most of the really big decision of the church must be voted on in the presence of the District Superintendent or her representative. These include buying of selling land, building new structures, and setting the salary of the pastors (who technically work for the Annual Conference, but are paid by the church.)

Some of this might just be too much information. But I encourage you, if you are around to come by. Only the Church Council votes at this meeting, but anyone is welcome. A lot of this stuff can seem pretty mundane, but it is how our church works and all of this is necessary business so our church can carry out is mission of worshipping and serving God and loving and serving each other.

And I always love questions about how the church works, feel free to ask.

peace,


will

Will the real Goliath please stand up?

I was just sent a link to an interesting article on MSNBC about a little biblical archeology.

Scientists find ‘Goliath’ inscribed on pottery

enjoy,

will

Sermon Posts - A Little Easier to Navigate

Thanks to a wise suggestion, I have made some minor changes to the page where I post the sermons. It is now a lot easier to navigate, though I am still working on making it easier to print.

http://gracesermons.blogspot.com/

peace,

will

This week's sermon

Is now posted here.

The sermon was a little different at each service. If you were at 9:45 you will notice that there is quite a bit of stuff in the manuscript that you didn't hear. I had to cut quite a bit for time.

You comments are always welcome.

peace,

will

Blessing of the Animals

Here is a photo of Pastor John laying hands on Pat Pike's dog (I am sorry I don't know Pat's dog's name) during the blessing of the animals.

We had a much larger turn out than expected and it was a wonderful time. If you didn't get a chance to come, don't worry. We are already planning for next year.

peace,

will

Now how about that...

I just came across this in the news...

Evolution in the bible, says Vatican

It is a very short article and worth the read.

peace,

will

Biblical History in the News

For graduates of Disciple I, those taking it now or anyone as fascinated by Old Testament history as I am, you may find this article from Reuters India interesting.

Israel agrees not to convert 'lost tribe' in India

It is too tempting to see the scriptures of the Old Testament dry and irrelevant, but the history and theology of the scripture are still at work in our world today.

(and how cool is it that we can read news from India as easily as we can read news from Corpus Christi?)

peace,

will

Getting ready for Sunday

It has actually been a few Sundays since I last preached. It was just a calendar thing. There was no sermon for our celebration Sunday and then we had Reformation Sunday and All Saints Sunday, two days that John really gets into. Of course the Senior Pastor gets to preach on his favorite days and I am quite alright with that. It actually works out well for John and I. John really loves the special Sundays in the life of the church. He loves things like All Saints and World Communion Sunday. I, on the other hand, really like the "ordinary" Sundays. I like the Sundays that have nothing particularly attached to them. I love starting my worship planning with no real idea of what the message is going to be about. For me, on most Sundays, the message I start hearing in the scripture for that day begins to shape not only the sermon, but the hymns and the prayers and the liturgy. Of course, we do the same thing on "special" Sundays, it is just that we start those with a theme already in mind.

This week, the scripture that is forming Sunday's worship is Matthew 25:14-30. It is the parable of the talents. This is a very unnerving sort of parable for some. Over the last week, I have been wrestling with it quite a bit trying to see what message it might have for us this week. You will have to check back to see how it goes.

peace,

will

Blessing of ALL the animals...

Bodhi was so inspired by the Blessing of the Animals today at Grace, that he tried to pass the love of God along to a skunk in the backyard. The skunk, not realizing that Bodhi was attempting to share the love of God, thought it was simply being chased by a big dog and did what skunks in that position very often do. The skunk sprayed Bodhi. And Bodhi smelled very, very bad. This is him after a very, very, very long bath that involved several gallons of dog shampoo, some peroxide, baking soda, dish detergent and everything else we found under the sink that we thought wouldn't harm him.

We are feeling (and smelling) much better. Remember, skunks are God's creatures too. Just stay away from them anyway.

peace,

will

Back to Kerrville

I took a couple of days off after post 100. Thanks for the comments! Don't forget to tell your friends.

I am off again on Monday to Kerrville. In case you missed the post about why I go there every six weeks, you can read it here.

I will probably need to pack some warm stuff. It gets pretty cold up there in the fall and the heat in the rooms is fairly non-existent. Perhaps my sunburn from Friday's day at the beach will keep me warm.

peace,

will

About the Weblog... The 100th Post

As I logged on this morning, I realized that this is my 100th post. I actually started this blog on May 26th, before I even got to Grace. As I look over the posts, I realize that some of them are quite profound, some mundane and some just plain silly. I have really enjoyed this exercise so far, and now I want to step it up a bit. For that, I will need your help in two ways.

First of all, I want the weblog to be interactive. I think this technology presents an amazing opportunity in the life of a church. Statistically, most members of the church have very little personal interaction with the pastor. For most members, a handshake on Sunday morning is the most personal time they spend with a pastor. Because of this, pastors like John and I, hear very little feedback from most of the congregation. I am not just talking about feedback regarding worship, or the sermon, or the selection of hymns. I am talking about issues that affect us and the church in our lives and in our world.

Not only do most people not have much personal interaction with the pastors, we actually have very little with each other. Grace UMC has nearly 1000 members. How many of us know all of them. So may, but how many of those people do we get a chance to talk to about things other than the weather or the temperature of the sanctuary?

Just over the last couple weeks, I have posted thoughts on poverty, a link to an article on Rosa Parks, and a link to an article about the United Methodist Committee on Relief's ongoing efforts on the Gulf Coast. I think it would be wonderful if we all had a chance to see where we all weigh in on these things.

The best way to get people commenting is to comment. Once people see that this is a safe to share, we may get more sharing.

Second, I need your help spreading the word. I can print bulletin and newsletter notices, I can mention it from the pulpit, but the best for people to hear about this space is for someone they know to tell them. Write down the address on piece of paper and give it to a friend, better yet, e-mail them the link. Even easier, at the bottom of each post, there is a little envelope, click it and you can send a post to anyone via e-mail. If you see a post that interests you, send it to someone. And don't be limited to members of the church. I believe in the power of technology for outreach. Someone outside of our church may get a glimpse of Grace through the words of this weblog (mine or yours) and decide that we might be worth visiting. It was a shabby, old church sign that brought me to God, why not a weblog.

My 100th post is probably also my longest. Thank you to all who faithfully read and to those who comment about it in person. (It is good to be reminded that someone is reading.) I thank God for all of you.

peace,

will

Make a Joyful Noise Sunday In Pictures

In case you couldn't be there.

Rosa Parks, another look

I want to pass along a wonderful op-ed piece from the New York Times this morning that takes a little deeper into the person of Rosa Parks than our text-books tend to go.

The Long History of a Bus Ride

blessings on your week,

will

More reading... not so deep this time

As I wrote in a post earlier this week, I am trying to get in the habit of writing something about the books I read. Just so you know that not all the books I read are thick tomes of systematic theology or insightful proposals to end poverty, I just finished The Broker by John Grisham.

I used to read all of Grisham's stuff but I fell out of the habit in seminary. (I had enough to read.) I like his books because, for me, they are one step away from watching a movie. They don't overly tax my brain, they just give me a chance to escape for a bit into another world. I have to do something just for fun once in a while, right?

The one warning I will give you about this book, is that it may make you want to visit Italy or at least drink more espresso.

peace and happy reading,

will

Good News for UMCOR and victims

Check out this article from the New York Times about a federal grant it will be using to help storm victims.

U.S. to Use Religious Charity to Run Storm Relief Project

peace,

will

A Good Time for a Greek Lesson

Many of your know that when the National Hurricane Center runs out of storm names (Wilma was the last this year) they move on to name storms after the letters of the Greek alphabet. Since I had to learn Greek in seminary, this is a wonderful time for us all to review.

It seems that tropical storm Alpha has already dispersed, and we are already on to tropical storm Beta.

Let's hope we don't get too proficient in Greek this year.

peace,

will

The End of Poverty

One of the things I always mean to do on this blog is write about the books I read. Unfortunately, I seem to finish one book and pick up another and totally forget about writing. But I am still trying.

I have just finished The End of Poverty, Economic Possibilities for our Time, by Jeffrey D. Sachs. If you read Time Magazine, you may have seen an excerpt in their March 14^th edition.

Sachs lays out not only how bad the problem of poverty and disease is in third world countries (eight million people die each year worldwide simply because they are too poor for the basic necessities of life[1]) he also lays out a plan to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015 and basically eliminate it by 2025.

What is fascinating about Sachs is that he is not just a pie in the sky dreamer. He is a world renowned economist who had looked into the clinical economics of poverty and determined what is needed to get the poorest countries out of the poverty trap and onto the first rung of economic development.

If you have heard about or read about the ONE Campaign (there is a link on the right side of this weblog) you may have heard about the Millennium Development Goals that Sachs supports. I know that there are some who disagree with this particular plan to end poverty, but it is really hard to ignore the catastrophic problem of extreme poverty when there is something that can be done.

I really recommend this book. Even is Sachs doesnÂ’t convince you of his plan, you will learn a lot about the economic of poverty.

peace,

will

---

[1] Jeffrey Sachs, The End of Poverty, Economic Possibilities for our Time, (New York: The Penguin Press, 2005) 1

Sometimes I don't know how Texans do it.

One of the hardest things for me to get used to as a transplanted New Yorker is how relative driving distance is. People from this giant state of Texas seem to think it is no big deal to drive 3 hours for a meeting and then drive back. Where I am from you can get into three states in that kind of time.

I have been traveling a few too many miles for my taste lately. Last week Alisha and I drove to San Antonio to fly to North Carolina. Yesterday we drove up to Austin for a meeting I had to attend and Thursday we are headed back to San Antonio for another meeting. I am starting to wish 37 had some different scenery.

It all comes with the territory. At least that is what the natives say.

peace,

will

Wilma

(Click on picture for a larger image)

We live in an amazing time. It is only a brief piece of the history of humankind that we can see storms like this from space and even begin to understand the forces at work in them. Hurricanes are frightening all by themselves. Can you imagine a time when we had no idea they were coming, how long they would last or what caused such terror to come unannounced?

Not that any of that brings any peace to those in Wilma's path. We may have figured out the what and how, but only God truly gets the why.

peace,

will

Make a Joyful Noise!

What a joy it was this morning to worship with so many from our family of faith. It was a wonderful blessing to have everyone together in one service. I look forward to more chances to do that in the future.

I am so thankful for our musicians and our witnesses that shared their gifts and their stories this morning. Wonderful things are happening at Grace.

peace,

will

Trying to get back up to speed

Click on the photo for a larger view of the sunset in North Carolina as taken by Alisha.

It always takes me a couple of days to get back up to speed after some rest and relaxation. But there is no time for slacking! This is a busy weekend at Grace. The Harvest Fair takes place tomorrow with lots of vendors in the fellowship hall, UMW baked goods in the glassway, a sneak preview of the thrift shop next door and of course, pumpkins!

Sunday is "Make a Joyful Noise" Sunday. We will have one big worship service, with gathering music at 9:30 and worship beginning at 10 in the fellowship hall. It will be a great chance to gather as one big family and worship together.

peace,

will

It's a rough life here...

in North Carolina

A Little R&R

I am posting today from Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Alisha and I are spending a little time at the beach with her family. I will upload some pictures in the next couple days.

I hope all is well back on the Texas coast!

peace,

will

Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins

The pumpkins are here! Grace's annual pumpkin patch us underway. After a slight delay, the arrived in the rain on Tuesday afternoon and we had a ton of eager volunteers to unload over 2000 pumpkins!

I hope you get a chance to stop by and stroll through the pumpkins. I hope you find the perfect one for your home. Remember, all the proceeds go to mission through the United Methodist Church.

I am certainly glad they arrived because it brought a taste of autumn back into my world. Growing up in Western New York, October was definitely fall. I remember trick-or-treating in my snow boots. I don't miss harsh winters, but I will always miss cool autumn days, falling leaves and that smell that you only get when it is truly fall. At least the pumpkins and a hint of cool weather have reminded me of home.

peace,

will

Harmful Rumors

I have become very interested over the last few years in rumors and urban legends and how we sometimes base our opinions and actions on information that is totally false. It seems that the victims of Katrina may have been victims of not just storms, but bad information.

This story from The Washington Post has a lot to say on that issue:

News of Pandemonium May Have Slowed Aid
(notice - this link may be invalid 14 days after this post)

I have actually been pretty shocked by the Katrina rumor mill. My inbox has been flooded with e-mails related to Katrina relief. Most of them have been stories of hope and heroism or pleas for help and support. However, some have been pretty revolting (and totally untrue) tales of rude or criminal behavior of evacuees. Whenever I receive questionable e-mails, I check them out at a website called snopes.com. They are a clearing house of urban legends.

Here is an example at snopes:

Utah Evacuees

In case you don't have a chance to read it, it is a review of an e-mail reporting on absolutely horrible behavior of evacuees taken to Utah. It also alleges that most of these evacuees were criminals, gang members and drug users. What is interesting is that none of this checks out. None of it appears to be true.

Even if there are accounts of bad behavior or even criminal behavior among evacuees, why is that so interesting? There seems to be quite a bit of bad behavior among people who haven't lost everything. A look at recent headlines points me to quite a bit of bad and criminal behavior among the wealthy and powerful.

Barbara Mikkelson, a staffer at Snopes.com had this thought.

Such characterization tends to fit more neatly into what people need to believe if they are to feel good about scaling back on the relief efforts underway — by convincing themselves recipients of their largesse are both unworthy and ungrateful, they will find it less painful to disassociate themselves than if the victims of Katrina remained in their minds sweet-faced little children, befuddled but lovable grandfathers, and struggling families who lost it all and now have nothing. [1]

I guess the point of this, one of my longest posts ever is this: Read news and especially e-mails critically. Think of the story Jesus told about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Had a reporter been walking down that road, would they have stopped to help or would they have written a story about how the man shouldn't have been there in the first place. I think most would stop to help. Watch out for the one who writes the story.

peace,

will

[1] Barbara Mikkelson, "Rest Stop", Snopes.com, http://www.snopes.com/katrina/personal/reststop.asp, accessed 11, October, 2005, internet;

The latest on a few things

I have been a little surprised at the limited media attention given to the earthquake in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. I thought I would pass along a fairly comprehensive article from Reuters News Service.

Blocked roads, hail hamper Pakistan relief effort

I also want to pass along an update from The United Methodist Committee on Relief on efforts to assist in the area.

UMCOR - Pakistan Earthquake

Also, in the wake of Katrina and in the shadow of this latest disaster, not much attention is being given to our brothers and sisters here in Texas after Rita. I want to pass along a letter from the bishop of the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, Bishop Janice Riggle Huie.

October 3, 2005 - extravagant generosity

I think the reason there is not a lot of talk about the earthquake or the effects of Rita is that people are worn out. I understand that. In fact, I am not sure that constant media attention is always the most helpful thing. What we need is compassion and generosity. Natural disasters bring human suffering front and center. The reality is that people suffer needlessly every day. Perhaps it is best we not get hung up watching scenes of destruction and CNN and grieving. Instead perhaps we should be thinking about what we can do to help those who suffer from both the latest disaster and the daily disasters of poverty, homelessness, inadequate medical care, genocide, war, and needless violence that plague our planet every day.

Just a thought.

peace,

will

In case you missed it... this week's sermon

You can read it here.

Feel free to come back to this post and leave thoughts and comments.

peace,

will

Sunday Preview

Scripture: Mark 10:17-21

Sermon Title: “Thanks for Nothing!”

I am preaching this week on one of the most colorful narratives in the New Testament. It is one that gets ignored a lot because it brings up issues that make some preachers uncomfortable. (Jesus does that a lot.)

When things get difficult in my life, I like to go camping. So, faced with a difficult piece of scripture, I am going to talk about going camping. On Sunday I will share some of my experience (and a couple of photos) of my time in the Colorado backcountry last summer.

See you Sunday!

peace,

will

Young Adults This Week (Tonight)

If you are 18 to 30ish come on by the parsonage tonight at 7:30. If you are not 18 to 30ish, tell someone who is!

This week, we will be talking about garbage! Did you know, on average, each American throws away 7.5 pounds of garbage a day? In the U.S., each year, we use enough aluminum cans to make 6,000 DC-10 airplanes. We consume lots of stuff and we throw a lot away. Don't worry though, this isn't going to be a lecture on how you should reduce, reuse and recycle. Instead, we will look biblically at how we think about stuff and what we do with it.

If you need more info or directions, e-mail me.

peace,

will

Off it goes!

Thank you all again for putting together flood buckets and health kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief's Hurricane Relief. The truck picked them all up this morning and after stops to pick up more in San Antonio and Austin, they will be off to Baldwin, Louisiana and the Sager-Brown Depot. (By the way, between Grace, Mathis UMC and Beeville, we sent 288 health kits and 43 flood buckets!) From there the will be sent out to Hurricane relief efforts in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. They will also help replenish the stock to UMCOR has supplies on hand if they should be needed in the future.

It is also important to remember that UMCOR works all around the world. The health kits and other supplies go to places like Afghanistan and the Congo. They are used to bring relief to displaced people and also to teach people about hygiene and basic health care.

peace,

will

A word about prayer

I came across these wonderful words about prayer this morning at the prayer website run by the Irish Jesuits. I have mentioned the site before on this weblog. You can find it at www.sacredspace.ie.

The catechism definition of prayer is useful: the raising of the heart and mind to God. Not that we need a definition. Prayer is something we do in our own way. We breathe, smile and metabolize food, without defining the operations; so too with prayer. But we can consciously put ourselves in the way of prayer. Quiet the body. One traditional method is to sit with the backbone straight, from your bottom to the top of your head, the eyes half-closed, the breathing slow and easy, the hands on your lap with the palms facing upwards in openness to GodÂ’s gifts. Then we aim to become present to God as he is always present to us. He has ears to listen to what our heart is saying.

Blessings on your week!

will

hummingbirds

(click on the photo for a larger view)
I couldn't think of a more creative post title today. Alisha and I have been really amazed by the swarms of hummingbirds who come to the feeders in the yard. Some people who have lived in Corpus for a while think this is perfectly normal, but we are still amazed.

It took Alisha a while of experimenting to get this shot. It takes a pretty fast shutter speed and the ability to manually focus. They are amazing to watch.

peace,

will

In case you were wondering...

In case you have been in the gym at Grace and are wondering why all the flood buckets and health kits are still there, here is the info from the conference office:

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has asked Southwest Texans to delay their shipment of hurricane-recovery supplies for a week. With the approach of Hurricane Rita, officials at the committee's Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin , La. , have said they may send the flood buckets and health kits from Southwest Texas straight to a disaster site. That's the word from Susan Hellums, Southwest Texas Conference Volunteers in Mission coordinator. Southwest Texas United Methodists have been assembling flood buckets filled with cleanup supplies and health kits containing personal hygiene items since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast Aug. 29. Items were to have been picked up Tuesday. Church members now have an additional week to gather aid items, Hellums said.

Feel free to keep bringing them in! UMCOR needs them more than ever.

peace,

This week's sermon

Better late than never... here is Sunday's sermon. As always, I apologize in advance for typos, things I said in the sermon that are not in the manuscript and things in the manuscript that were not actually in the sermon.

Your feedback is always welcomed!

peace,

will

What do you mean there is no wireless internet here?

I apologize for my blogging absence for the last couple of days. I was at a retreat at Mount Wesley. For those who don't know, that is our United Methodist Retreat Center in Kerrville. I think it is safe to call it a retreat center now rather than a camp. The have recently added a large dining facility and renovated (and air conditioned) the worship center. Fortunately there are still lots of deer running around and it is nice and quiet.

I was there for a two day retreat for something called Covenant Connection. While I am in the probationary period of my ordainment which lasts three years, I will meet five times a year with a group of my peers. Each member of my ordination class is assigned a liaison pastor who has already gone through this process. We all meet to discuss the joys and challenges of ministry, to continue our theological education and to prepare for our final ordination. The group of Lawson pastors and the people who run this group will also write an evaluation and recommendation regarding us that will go to the Board of Ordained Ministry who makes the final decision about our ordination.

This may sound complicated and cumbersome. However, when I talk to my colleagues in other denominations, who are ordained straight out of seminary with no support of accountability and listen to how hard it is for them to make it as pastors, I celebrate our system.

I love questions about the ordination process. I know it can be confusing, but it is an important part of how the larger church operates. Feel free to ask me.

I will have my sermon from this week posted later today. (I hope)

peace,

will

We are back... and mostly ready to go

Contrary to some previous announcements we will worship at Grace this Sunday morning. Some of our staff members and some of the people who help put worship together are still away, but we will work with what we have. If you stayed in town or if you have returned from wherever you evacuated from, I hope that you will come and join us this Sunday morning.

We will worship at the normal times: 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00. However, due to the failure of a compressor in one of our main AC units, we will worship in the gym.

We have a lot to be thankful for this week and a lot of people we need to pray for. Please join us as we praise God and listen to the scriptures for a message of hope and grace.

peace,

will

It is beautiful... from the air...

Here is the latest satellite image of Rita courtesy of thestormtrack.com.

Hi Rita...

I liked the turtle pictures better. Here is hoping Rita just gets tired and gives up.

In the Neighborhood

I haven't written much about our neighborhood meetings. In case you haven't heard, Pastor John and I have been attending a number of small group meetings hosted in the homes of some of our members. They are meant as a time where we can get to know people better in a smaller setting and also hear about people's hopes and dreams for Grace.

So far, the experiences have been amazing. John and I have felt really blessed to learn more about so many people and get a glimpse of a vision of the future for Grace United Methodist Church. If you haven't attended a meeting yet, I encourage you to watch the bulletin and newsletter for one in your neighborhood. If there is not one at a convenient time on your neighborhood, go to someone else's neighborhood. Also, if you are interested in hosting a meeting in your home, let me know and we will set it up.

peace,

will

Simon Squared

I've noticed that the weblog has been a little heavy lately since I have been mostly writing about Katrina relief. So, I thought I would share this. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Simon, the box turtle Alisha brought home. Well, first of all, it's not Simon, it is Simone. She is the big one on the left. In the mean time, someone brought us another one (on the right). He is a boy so he has inherited the name Simon. Simon and Simone seem to be getting along nicely.

peace,

will

Katrina Relief Update

I have been using this blog as a clearing house for Katrina relief info for the congregation and I have a couple of timely things.

First of all, the youth will be putting together flood buckets this Sunday. If you are interested in helping them stock them, bring supplies by the church. The list of contents are listed further down in the weblog.

Second of all, I just got a request from an area church for some help. Here it is:

I received a call for help from First UMC in Taft. The Taft Housing Authority has opened up apartments for 8 families (Katrina evacuees). They need beds immediately - 6 Twin, 6 full, plus the frames to support the mattresses. They also could use towels, bedding, coffee pots, toaster ovens, etc.

They DO NOT need food, clothing, stoves or refrigerators.

If your church can help whit this request, please call Huck Nelson at 361-528-2880 or call the church tomorrow - 361-528-2131.

I know a lot of you are doing a lot of great work for victims and displaces families and I love to hear about it. Post a comments a let us all know!

peace,

will

Welcoming our Neighbors

Grace United Methodist Church is certainly a welcoming place. I don't know of anyone here who isn't happy to see a new face among us. What we always need to be thinking about though is, "do others see us that way?" When someone comes to Grace for the very first time, do they get the impression that we really want them here and really want them to come back.

It is something that we always need to be thinking about and it is something that we think about across the denomination. The United Methodist Church has a wonderful program called Igniting Ministries. The program encourages churches to really look hard at what they do to be welcoming places. They offer an opportunity for review that can lead to becoming a "Welcoming Congregation." The process for achieving that status really has the potential to help churches be the most welcoming they can be.

Our District Superintendent, Barbara Ruth has challenged all Corpus Christi District churches to become "Welcoming Congregations. " The first step is learning how. If you are interested, I encourage you to attend a training event at First UMC Beeville, Saturday, September 24 from 9 to noon. I attended a preview of the training this morning and it is really worth it. Attending the training does not commit you to anything, but it may spark your interest.

The session is free. If you are interested, just drop me an e-mail and I will add your name to the list. Let me know if you have any questions.

peace,

will

Young Adults... In The Beginning

If you are not in the 18-30ish crowd, I bet you know someone who is. We meet every Thursday evening at the Grace parsonage, hang out and eat for a while and then talk about current events and how they relate to our faith.. We have a really solid core group, but we have room for plenty more. I hope that you will help us spread the word.

This week, after sharing some fajitas we will talk about how it all started. The debate over how the origins of the world should be taught in schools rages on. We are going to be talking about evolution, biblical creationism, intelligent design and how we think about faith and science.

I think this will be a good conversation, I hope we have a good group of people!

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

As always, hard copies of the sermons are available in the glassway.

Here is this week's sermon in electronic form.

I always treasure your feedback about the sermon and/or the service.

peace,

will

Deadline for UMCOR Stuff

Expect a couple more posts today. I plan to put my sermon online in a while and I want to talk about our mentoring program (though that may have to wait until tomorrow.)

I want to, first of all, thank everyone who had been bringing Health Kits and Flood Buckets to the office. We are starting to get a nice stockpile. I have heard there are a bunch more Flood Buckets on the way. As I posted below, Grace is a drop off point for the supplies for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. We are hoping some of the other local United Methodist churches will be adding to the stock soon.

Second, I want to let you know that we are now on a bit of deadline. Monday, September 19th is now the day we plan to ship these supplies to either Louisiana or Houston. UMCOR's main depot is in Louisiana, but they have secured warehouse space in Houston so our supplies may go there first. So, if you are planning on putting together some kits, please have them to the office by Sunday, September 18th.

Due to the scope of this relief effort, I believe we will continue collecting materials after this date. However, anything we collect after this shipment, we will have to ship ourselves and that can get pretty expensive.

If you want to know more about the Flood Buckets and Health Kits, all the information is in previous posts below.

peace,

will

This Sunday

Most of you get this by e-mail, but here it is for those whose don't:

Sunday Preview

Scripture: John 15:12-13

Sermon Title: "The Ultimate Witness"

In Psalm 137, the Psalmist asks, "How could we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?" The question reflects the sorrow of God's people in Babylon, wondering how they could carry on in the midst of their exile. Last week, I thought of this Psalm as I considered the question, "how do we praise God in the midst of terrible tragedy?" This week, the Psalm remains with me as I consider, "how do we remember one tragedy in the midst of another?"

The answer to both questions lies in thinking about what it is we can be thankful for, even in the midst of sorrow. This Sunday we will give thanks. On the fourth anniversary of September 11th 2001, we will remember and give thanks. We will pause in the service to remember that day, those who were lost, those who still suffer. We will also give thanks. We will give thanks for the ultimate witness of love that we all experienced in the selfless acts of bravery and kindness that so clearly marked that day and the days that followed.

In particular, we will give thanks for the men and women who sacrifice and serve specifically to protect us and heal us. We will lift up the service the members of our community who work as firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, doctors, nurses, anyone who works on the front lines helping us when we need it most. If you have friends and neighbors who serve in this way, please invite them to join us. We will also have a reception in their honor following the 11:00 service.

This Sunday, we will also continue to receive donations for the flood recovery efforts of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. You may put checks in the offering plate. Just mark them "Hurricane."

Grace UMC is also now the district collection point for much needed flood buckets and health kits. If you or your small group would like to assemble some, all the information is available on handouts in the breezeway, in this week's newsletter or online at www.umcor.org. Feel free to e-mail me at pastorwillrice@gmail.com with any questions.

See you Sunday!

peace,

will

Update from UMCOR

UM relief committee calls for specific supplies to meet shelter needs
September 8

The United Methodist Committee on Relief issued a call Thursday for the following items:

+ Health Kits

+ School Kits

+ New Twin Sheets

+ New Pillows

+ New Blankets

+ Air mattresses

Health Kits and School Kits are collections of specific items that can be found on the relief committee website at: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/ . (Note - info on health kits can also be found further down on the weblog)

The Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin , La. , needs the items to meet needs of tens of thousand people in shelters along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.

Four Southwest Texas sites have agreed to be collection points for health kits, flood buckets, blankets and other items intended for Sager Brown Depot:

+ Austin : Memorial UMC, 6100 Berkman Drive .

+ Corpus Christi : Grace UMC, 11222 Leopard St .

+ McAllen : Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley , 2601 Zinnia.

+ San Antonio : Windcrest UMC, 8101 Midcrown, Windcrest

Susan Hellums, Volunteers in Mission coordinator, is arranging to have a truck take the flood buckets, health kits and other items to Sager Brown later in September.

If you have things that you want to give, I would be glad to have someone come pick them up if you can't get them to the church.

peace,

will

Flood Buckets

The United Methodist Committee on Relief's number one and two needs right now are money and health kits. In the post below I talked about health kits. Flood buckets are there number three need and will be a continuing need even after the long clean up from Katrina.

Grace UMC is now a drop off point in the Corpus Christi area for health kits and flood buckets. If you or your group want to assemble either of these, you can drop them off at Grace 11222 Leopard Street. Call for more info at 361-242-3333. Since the details of the Health Kit are listed below, here is the info on the flood buckets:

A flood bucket contain the following items (all items should be new) :

5 gallon bucket with resealable lid
5 scouring pads
Bleach – two 1-quart or one 82 oz bottle
7 pack sponges
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz bottle
1 scrub brush
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz bottle
2 pair latex gloves
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft or one 100 ft)
5 dust masks
1 pair work gloves
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz or one 50 oz bottle)
24 bag roll of heavy duty trash bags (33-45 gallon)
1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps)
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps)

In a separate envelope, please also provide $1.50 per bucket to cover distribution costs. You can make that check out to Grace UMC and we will send one check with all the kits.

Some people have asked me about the buckets themselves. Home Depot has them. The buckets can be found all over the store. The lids are in the paint department. Let me know if you have any questions.

peace,

will

What We are Doing...

Thank you to everyone who is helping already with the relief effort. On Sunday alone, we raised over $4500 for UMCOR and local assistance. I am told that checks continue to roll in.

We have already distributed a number of health kits to local shelters. This is a continuing urgent need. The UMCOR-Sager Brown depot supplies these not only for relief efforts here in the U.S., they send them all over the world. Their resources are tapped and they cannot get them fast enough. We will be able to have these trucked right to Louisiana to restock the warehouse.

A Health Kit contains specific items:

1 hand towel (15"” x 25"” up to 17"” x 27"”)
1 wash cloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz and up)
1 toothbrush (single brush only in original wrapper; no child-sized brushes)
1 large tube of toothpaste (4.5 or larger, expiration date must be 6 months or longer in advance of the date of shipment to Sager Brown)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

All items should be placed inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag. No money, notes, religious or political literature, or other items should be placed in the kits. In a seperate envelope, please also provide $1.00 per kit to cover distribution costs. You can make that check out to Grace UMC and we will send one check with all the kits.

You can bring completed kits by the church, or if you need, I can pick them up.

You can read more about it here.

I will let you know as soon as I can the date the truck will be going. However, we can keep working past that. While the acute need will subside, UMCOR will always need these.

Thank you for all you are already doing.

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

Is available here.

peace,

will

More local Katrina relief information...

If you are interested in helping locally, either with your time, money or food, clothing and supplies, you can go to the following website for all the information:

www.cctexas.com

Either click the link about or go to cctexas.com and click on the Kartrina Assistance link.

I would love to now what people are doing. Feel free to post comments about what you are doing in the wake of this disaster.

peace,

will

Urgent Need - Here in Corpus

First United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi is hosting displaced people from Hurricane Katrina. They are in need of a number of supplies and volunteers. If you would like to help, here is the information.

There are a number of additional ways to help in the Corpus Christi area. This link takes you to the full list provided by the Caller Times.

peace,

will

Better words than mine...

My dear friend Jen Austin has posted some wonderful words relating to hurricane Katrina on her weblog. You can read them here:

Katrina's Cause and Effect

peace,

will

Still more information

If you are interested in assembling flood buckets or better yet assembling a team to assemble flood buckets, it looks as though the conference will be helping us to get them to where they need to go.

Here is what you need to know about the flood buckets.

Please e-mail me if you have questions.

peace,

will

Continuing Updates on Katrina Relief

The latest is that there may be as many as 25,000 refugees headed to San Antonio. Corpus Christi officials are beginning to prepare for the possibilities of refugees coming to Corpus Christi in the near future. The best way to help continues to be through cash donations.

The United Methodist Committee on relief has already raised $570,000 online. You can read here about fund raising efforts and where the money is going here.

Click here to donate to UMCOR

Our Southwest Texas Conference Bishop Joel Martinez has posted a message about the disaster response, you can read it here.

I will continue to post here as I hear about more ways we can help. I know people are interested in helping in a physical, hands on way. There will be opportunities to serve, I will try to get you the information as soon as possible.

peace,

will