Word on the Street

April 26, 2012

The General Conference of the United Methodist Church started this week in Tampa, Florida. General Conference meets every four years and is the official decision making body for the United Methodist Church. It is the only body that speaks officially for United Methodism and it produces our Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions. You can keep up with the proceedings of General Conference through the website www.umc.org.

Often we place great hope in gatherings or events such as these. In much the same way we get fired up during a Presidential election year. These are indeed important matters, however I find much more often that it is the little things we do faithfully every day that make the biggest difference in the long run.

Dave Travis of Leadership Network here in Dallas sums it up this way:
"Virtue shows up in a million tiny decisions. What sank the Titanic? The iceberg didn't do it. No big gash in the hull. Rather, the failure of the rivets created thousands of little slits that let the water in.

It's not the iceberg sins that get to us, it's the rivet slits that rush in and give us the sinking feeling."

I pray God will bless the actions, decisions and elections of our General Conference and our Country, however I believe real change occurs when we do the faithful things over and over again. Our Children's Minister Kristen Lane has a great sign on her desk. It says:
"Friendship is not a BIG thing. It's a million little things".

How are you doing with the little things this week?

Word on the Street

April 20, 2012

Spring is here! Everything is in full bloom, and I have the allergy symptoms to prove it. In addition to hay fever, however, I also find many of us are suffering from Spring Fever.

Spring Fever is an attitude that creeps in which often causes a spiritual malaise in our lives. We are tired of our routines and the expectations that go along with them. We feel less energy to follow through on our own responsibilities but seem to have enough capacity to complain about the world in general and specifically what is lacking in certain individuals. Those who study the condition note that there is a wider gap in Springtime between what we are and what we want to be. We see the world in full bloom and wonder why our lives have not bloomed in a similar way. As is often the case when this occurs, we find it easier to lash out and criticize others than do the challenging work of self-reflection.

This is why every Spring I take time to read a children's book (really written for everyone) called The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The story traces the journey of a boy and a tree throughout their lives from childhood to maturity. The focus keeps coming back over and over again to the things they do in order to be happy.

In many respects The Giving Tree is one of the most Godly stories I have ever read. It reminds me that the true power of Spring is found in the Resurrection, and Jesus Christ was raised because of his sacrificial love for us. In Philippians 2:5-11, the Apostle Paul recites a beautiful hymn of the early church:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death-
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

As Easter People, Springtime can be a delight when we honor our God-given purpose. Read "The Giving Tree" and more importantly "have the same mindset as Christ Jesus".

Word on the Street

April 13, 2012

In the Greek Orthodox tradition, the day after Easter was devoted to telling jokes. They believed that because of Easter, the final cosmic joke was on death not on human beings who now had been give the gift of resurrection. It is reminiscent of Paul's words in I Corinthians 15 which we will be studying this weekend in worship:

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable,
and the mortal with immortality,
then the saying that is written will come true:

'Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?' (I Corinthians 15: 54-55)

So in the spirit of our Greek Orthodox friends, and a few days late, here goes:

A man who walked into a pet store and said, "I want to return this talking bird."

The owner said, "Well, sir, we guarantee that all our birds can talk, but we can't guarantee when they will talk."

"No, no," the man said. "The bird talks all right, but I don't like its attitude. For six days I said to the bird, 'Can you talk?' The bird said nothing. Every morning and every night I stood in front of the cage and said, 'Can you talk?' The bird said nothing again. Finally this morning, I lost my temper and shouted at the bird, 'You stupid bird, can you talk?!'"

"So, what happened?" the owner asked.

"That bird looked at me and said, 'Yeah, I can talk. Can you fly?'"

I hope your Easter celebration continues to be full of wonder, joy and eternal laughter.

Word on the Street

April 6, 2012

We hear a great deal these days about logistics. This is the logical sequencing and organization needed to implement a plan. For many years it was a military term but now we hear a great deal about logistics as it relates to business effectiveness and efficiency.

There are many logistical requirements in order to celebrate Easter here at Grace Avenue. It takes careful planning by our staff and an army of volunteers in our church to pull it off. It takes careful and coordinated communication, timing, and effort. I am so grateful to everyone who works so hard, both in advance and on the actual day, to make Easter a truly spiritual experience. And as with most things that are logistically successful, the vast majority of those who attend on Easter we hardly notice all the work that is going on behind the scenes.

We may be challenged to ask; "Is all this effort really necessary? Do we really need all these different services, at all these different times?" Look at it from this perspective; Christ's resurrection is the most important news the world has ever received, and we are given the privilege of sharing that news.

God's greatest statement of love is more than worthy of our greatest logistical efforts. I can't wait to proclaim the Good News of Christ's Resurrection.

How about you?