top 8 videos of 2009

(Amanda's) Top 8 videos of 2009

(heavily sprinkled with Julian Smith videos!)

Norn Iron Trolls

Britain's Got Talent

Steve Harvey's Introduction of Jesus

Wedding Entrance Dance

25 Things I hate about Facebook

Hillbilly Ninja

iPhone 3GS

Stand By Me

(i couldn't embed this video)

ENJOY

my top ten moments of 2009

My top ten moments of 2009

1 graduating

(photo by Cindy Brown)

2 being commissioned in June

3 my vacation with my friends to Asheville

(which included riding a horse!!)

4. My time with my girls in January

5. The trip to Glission with my youth.

6. The professor party

7. Karen and Andy's wedding

8. Opening of the South Campus

9. Salem Campmeeting

10. IRELAND

(with Elizabeth Lobello!)

Trust

I realized this past week how important trust is. To give trust and to earn it.

All because I got my hair cut.

I went in to see Christine about a year ago at Ambrosia Salon.

I found her on naturallycurly.com

I was looking for a major change in my hairstyle. I wanted my hair to be cut short.

I didn't know anything about her except that she was recommended by several people.

So I went and told her about my hair and that I wanted a short, but cute cut.

I had to put my complete trust in her! Me - who likes to be in control, had to let her do her job.

I had to give trust...

But the other side of that is that Christine did a fantastic job. She did my hair the way I asked her to - and completely earned the trust I gave her.

Christine and I go back and forth - I come in to get my hair cut because I trust what she' s done in the past. She continues to cut my hair fantastically and therefore earns my trust.

Isn't that how trust seems to work? You give trust and if the person is trustworthy - they give you a reason to trust them. You give trust until that trust is broken.

You earn trust - by being trustworthy... by giving people a reason to trust you

So there's my thoughts on trust.

this week i learned

what I've learned in the past few weeks

* European fashion is amazing - i want to have that type of fashion sense

* i am not a fan of long plane rides

* jet lag is not fun to play with

* You win some ... you lose some. I'm still a Gator fan!

* My youth crack me up check out this joke they made up on their own:

Where do you put a fish whose in the army? A: In a tank!

* Christmas is a busy season - I'm not a fan of busyness

*I love the Big Bang Theory

* I thrive on a schedule - and mine is a little messed up

* I also love painting my nails during the Christmas season :o)

Honest Prayer

**note: I'm trying a new format to my notes for preaching. I'm moving away from a manuscript and toward a conversational style of preaching. These notes reflect the sermon I gave concerning 1 Samuel 1:4-20.

Honest Prayer

1 Samuel 1:4-20

- What does it mean to be honest?

o Upright, fair, sincere, frank, truthful (dictionary.com)

- In this passage we see Hannah come to God with an honest prayer.

o She’s upset

o Saddened

o Bitter

- Why?

o She’s barren - what does this mean?

§ No children

§ Outcast – Peninnah

- Hannah goes before God – downcast , bitter, stubborn. This is not our image of prayer.

- Our image of prayer – is not the Biblical image.

o Our image is that we should come to God happy, and pleased

o Our image is that we have to be perfect when we come to God.

§ We must do the right things before we come to God in prayer.

- Our image is not the Biblical image:

o Biblical image is that you can come to God no matter what – speaking openly and honestly with God.

o Israelites: Exodus 2:23-25

§ After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. ²⁴God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.

o Paul 2 Corinthians 12: 7-8

§ Therefore, to keep^* me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.^{* 8}Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me,

o Ultimate example: Jesus praying in the garden Luke 22:42, 44

§ ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.’ In his anguish he prayed more earnestly…

- My story of honest prayer when Grandma died.

o Angry à Peace

o Knowing that God cared and would answer my prayer

- Biblical image of prayer is one of pure honesty and also arrogance.

o Asking God in prayer and knowing it will be answered in God's time and in God's way.

· Story: Town in drought praying for rain – little boy shows up with an umbrella

o Boy was confident that rain would happen – he knew that the prayers would be answered.

o This is faith!

o This type of faith is what we need to have in our prayers.

- Hannah’s prayer is arrogant.

o Her prayer exemplifies the faith and insistence that God could do something and that God would do something.

- Hannah also knew would happen because of her prayer.

o She was asking for a gift of grace from God.

o God gives us this grace – and in return we are to give a gift back.

§ Hannah promised her son in service to the Lord

§ The gift from God becomes a gift returned to God v.11

· ¹¹She made this vow: ‘O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but if you will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite^* until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants,^* and no razor shall touch his head.’

o Hannah’s prayer was answered and resulted in new life.

§ Our prayers are the same - they result in new life. When we are bold enough to pray to God knowing that things can change – things do change.

§ When Hannah’s prayer was answered she returned that gift to God.

§ When we ask for something – and it is answered we must return the gift.

· When we ask God to love us – God asks us to take that gift and love others in return.

- Be honest in your prayers. Expect God to do something! And know that your prayers will be answered.

Matthew 14 - sermon

Losing Focus

In football the purpose of any play is to move the football toward your goal OR to keep it away from the other team’s end zone. That football is the entire focus of the game. The quarterback must focus on the play, whether a running play or a passing play. All the linemen must work together and focus on protecting the quarterback and developing opportunities for that run or pass. The running backs and receivers must focus on the football to have a successful handoffs or receptions. If they don’t they risk a fumble or incomplete pass; worst yet a recovery or interception by the other team. All of the players must focus on the football, in order to play the best game possible. If they lose their focus – chances are they also lose the game.

Life is like that football game. (Except our focus isn’t on a football.) Our focus is on Jesus. And if we lose our focus on Jesus – we can end up where we shouldn’t be.

Our Scripture passage today talks about losing focus, and can teach us about who our focus should be on!

Matthew 14: 22-33 (NRSV)

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,^* for the wind was against them. ²⁵And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

²⁸ Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ ²⁹He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. ³⁰But when he noticed the strong wind,^* he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’³²When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

This passage about Jesus walking on the water comes right after he fed the 5,000. He then sends his disciples out on a boat and goes to pray.

The first part of the story tells us a lot about focus and how to focus. Even though Jesus was divinely connected with God, Jesus knew the importance of communion with God through prayer. Jesus uses his prayer time to focus his ministry. He knew who he needed to focus on.

Prayer is not simply asking God to do something. It’s more than that. Prayer changes us. When we pray we are conversing with God. Think about when you have a conversation with someone. You understand better what the other person is trying to tell you because of your conversation with that person. This is the same with God. We understand God better because we converse with God. And that is how prayer changes us. When we pray we are able to focus more on God and God’s plan. So when Jesus goes to pray we know that he is focusing on God’s plan. I can only imagine that during that prayer time Jesus was reminded of his purpose on earth. From the very start of this passage Jesus shows us who we should focus on - God - and how to make sure we are focused on what God wants. Jesus focus was on God, and that is why he was able to do his ministry on earth. And just as Jesus’ focus was on God – so should ours.

The idea of focusing on the right thing continues on in this story. Jesus had sent his disciples on before him – so he needed to catch up with them. Instead of finding a boat, Jesus simply steps out onto the sea and begins walking to the boat that is carrying the disciples! As he approaches the boat his disciples are frightened but Jesus assures them they are safe.

Then comes the part I think we most resonate with. Peter, like a good disciple, wants to be like Jesus. He tells Jesus “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Now I’m not saying that we all dream of walking on the water, although – I have tried it a couple of times at the pool – and I have found that I sink rather than glide gracefully over the water!

When I say that we all resonate with Peter – what I mean is that we all want to get out of that boat. That boat is our comfort zone. Where we are comfortable but not necessarily doing anything to further Jesus’ ministry on earth. Because of our faith we want to be called out of the boat. We all want to take a step of faith – and do something miraculous – like Peter did with walking on water.

It was truly a step of faith to get out of that boat. And Peter must have been crazy to want out of that boat. For the people of his time the sea was a mystery. It represented chaos and evil. In addition to that – don’t forget that there are strong winds blowing and tossing the ship. To step out onto that sea with the wind and waves - Peter was taking an incredible risk. But he did it because he wanted to be like Jesus. Peter was a disciple of Jesus. He called Jesus “Rabbi” or teacher. A disciple follows their teacher and seeks to become just like them, to think, to talk, and to do the things their rabbi does. So Peter – jumped right out of that boat in order to follow Jesus, even onto the sea. What faith! And we are just like Peter, we ask Jesus to guide us. We ask Jesus to call us out of the boat and onto the sea. We seek our whole lives to follow Christ and serve him in this world.

The other side of this story is that Jesus CALLED Peter out of the boat. Jesus wanted Peter to be a successful disciple. He invites Peter out onto the sea. So Peter steps out of the boat. He steps out on faith. He focuses on Jesus. He ignores the winds and the waves. Peter’s goal is to reach Jesus. At this point Peter is successful in his effort to follow Jesus. He is successfully walking on the water – as long as he focuses on Jesus.

Jesus wants us to follow him and serve the world. That is why he calls us to “Come follow me.” Just like Peter, Jesus calls us out of the boat to follow him. To step out of the boat means we are responding to the call – and we MUST focus on only Jesus. And to follow Jesus we simple must focus on him and respond to the call. When Jesus calls us and we must focus on him in order to take that first step – and the next step – and every step after that.

And just like Peter, when we step out on faith and do what Jesus has called us to do – miraculous things can happen!

My first year of seminary was one of my hardest years ever. I could never get through all the reading, my papers weren’t up to the standard that I’d come to expect, and it felt like I spent all my time focusing on studying! This first year – I was so focused on my grades. I was focused on my papers, on reading my books.

Towards the end of my first year I finally realized that what I was learning wasn’t so I could feel good about myself, or have grades to parade around. I was in seminary to learn so I could better serve Jesus. I found that once my focus shifted from learning for myself – to learning so I could do Jesus’ ministry – things got easier! Studying was so much easier, papers were easier to write. I even got better grades. The thing that made all the difference was the fact that my focus had changed from something I wanted to Jesus’ mission.

It’s great what Peter is doing. He is walking on the water! What a miracle. But the story doesn’t stop there. Peter is successful until he loses his focus. Until he looks around at all the chaos that was the sea and the storm, and he begins to sink. He forgets to look at Jesus – he forgets where the power to walk on water comes from. Peter forgets that as long as he follows Jesus and focuses on Jesus he will be on the right path - he’ll be able to walk on the water. As Peter looks around at the sea and the storm he begins to think of reasons why what he’s doing won’t work. Walking on water is impossible. The sea is dangerous – he should have stayed in the boat. Did he, Peter, really think he could do this on his own? These are all reasons he should not have stepped out of that boat. All reasons he should not have stepped out on faith. We are often called to do things that the world sees as impossible. But we leave the boat anyway – just as Peter left that boat, because his master called him.

Just like Peter if we lose our focus and begin to look at all the reasons we ‘shouldn’t ‘or ‘can’t’ do what God calls us to do, we will fail; we, like Peter, begin to sink. The moment we begin to look away from God – and we start trying to accomplish things on our own – we sink. As soon as we begin to tell God that we will do things our way, or in our time, or the way we think things should be – we have lost our focus and our plans won’t pan out.

Remember Jonah. God told him to go to Nineveh, but Jonah wasn’t focusing on what God wanted or God’s plan. Jonah didn’t want to go. He focused on what he wanted– so he ran the other way. Jonah eventually ended up on the shore of Nineveh by way of the belly of a fish because God called him to go to Nineveh.

When we lose our focus things get messed up! And Just like Peter – we’ll start to sink.

As a church, a community of faith, we stepped out onto the water and had faith enough to follow God’s path. With much prayer and faith – we were able to become a two campus church. We were able to do what God called us to do because our focus is on God. We didn’t listen to those who said it couldn’t be done. When the economy began to fail – we didn’t get scared and stop building. We knew that two campuses was God’s plan. And God is bigger than the economy or those who were telling us it couldn’t be done.

We can’t stop focusing on God because the new campus is built. We are still walking on the sea – moving toward Jesus. And remember – walking on the sea is dangerous! If we lose focus we’ll start to sink.

We need to remind ourselves what our focus is. Our focus is God’s mission in the world. It’s not on having a beautiful new campus for ourselves. It’s not on creating more room for us to have our luncheons. Our focus is not on showing the community how great our church is. Our focus is to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. God’s wants us to bring people into our church so that they can know the great love that God has for all of us.

If we lose focus on God’s plan – we will begin to sink. As a congregation that is growing and new faces are showing up – we can’t forget to share the good news at the North campus and the South. So continue to pray. Continue to seek, God’s will for your life. Continue to pray and seek God’s will for our congregation and for our community.

Invite people to join you in worship, in times of fellowship. Invite them to Bible studies. If we do this and continue to focus on God, I know our congregation will be walking on water – and we’ll get closer and closer to our teacher – Jesus Christ. Just don’t lose focus!

this week i learned

* i thrive on a regular schedule

* i listen entirely too much to other people's ideas

* the ideas i have are good - and usually work out well

* i need a vacation

* i'm going to ireland on vacation in 2 weeks

* when i find the right warm weather clothing - i love it

* i'm a fairly introverted person - which surprises me

* a warm brown is probably my favorite color to decorate my house in

* my second favorite color to decorate with is a light green

* i'm addicted to farmville

this week i learned

* that I work with two very different cultures

* sometimes kids just don't get it

* i love fall

* people are willing to try new things

* I don't need help at Home Depot

* I sometimes have some great creative ideas

* I sometimes hit a wall with my creativity

* I may have gotten into a groove of things - just a little bit

* I love my job

song of the moment

Born to Fly - Sara Evans

I've been telling my dreams to the scarecrow

About the places that I'd like to see

I say "Friend, do you think I'll ever get there?"

Oh, but he just stands there smiling back at me.

So I confess my sins to the preacher

About the love I'm be praying to find

Is there a brown eyed boy in my future? Yeah.

And he says "Girl, you've got nothing but time."

But how do you wait for heaven?

And who has that much time?

And how do you keep your feet on the ground?

When you know that you were born

You were born to fly.

My daddy, he is grounded like the oak tree

My mama, she is steady as the sun

Oh, you know I love my folks

But I keep staring down the road

Just looking for my one chance to run

Hey, 'cause I will soar away like the blackbird

I will blow in the wind like a seed

I will plant my heart in the garden of my dreams

And I will grow up where I wander wild and free.

Ohhh

But how do you wait for heaven?

And who has that much time?

And how do you keep your feet on the ground?

When you know that you were born

You were born to fly.

So how do you wait for heaven?

And who has that much time?

And how do you keep your feet on the ground?

When you know that you were born

You were born to fly.

Yeah

You were born to fly, fly, fly, fly

Steve Harvey's Introduction of Jesus

Steve Harvey's Introduction of Jesus.

this week i learned

• How much I need my Sabbath
• I'm not as strict as I think I am.
• Sometimes you have to be strict and lay down the rules for your students - it's for their own good.
• College football is great!
• Great friends empower you
• Being a part of a team that supports you - empowers you
• I am some body's hero
• When explaining new phrases to others - it's best if you leave out other new phrases. For example: The term 'Shawty' is not understood when you say: "You know - like hey bo." Best to explain it - "It's like saying - 'hey girl.'"
• I can handle a drill and hammer with the best of them.
• Decorating your living space makes it more like home.

this week I learned

• fall is my favorite time of year
• my students continue to amaze me
• 6th graders are crazy - but I love them anyway!
• i'm beginning to see some leaders emerge from my youth - which is exciting
• when I exercise I'm in a better mood and more focused
• facebook occupies too much of my time
• i am occasionally very creative
• over this past year - i have learned how to deal with difficult people - in a more healthy way
• i wish i had taken more pastoral care classes - especially to deal with death.

James 2:1-10, 14-17

My sermon from a couple of weeks ago.

Holy Lord, maker of us all,
you call us to love our neighbors as ourselves
and teach us that faith without works is dead.
Open us to the opportunities for ministry that lie before us,
where faith and words and the need of our neighbor
come together in name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.[1]

Attitude and Action

When you think of faith – what do you think about?

Some of you might think of the great song by George Michael – “you gotta’ have faith, faith, faith…”[2]

Others might think a little more Biblically… having faith as small as a mustard seed.[3] Hebrews 11:1 is one of my favorite verses about faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”[4] “We are justified by faith alone”[5]

You also might recall stories of how Jesus healed some people because of their faith. Mark 5:25-34 is about the woman who had faith in Jesus to just touch Jesus’ robe and was healed.[6]

We might think of people who have great faith: Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and John Wesley. You might have an image of a grandparent who was strong in their faith.

Now these are all good examples of faith. But really what is faith? And, really, what should we do with it?

James 2:1-10 and 14-17 gives us a pretty good idea of what faith is. And even gives us some examples of what faith is not.

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? ²For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, ⁴have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? ⁷Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8 You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁹But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.[7]

James seems pretty hard on these people saying: you don’t really have faith – because your actions show otherwise. And if you don’t live out your faith – you don’t really have faith. But I think that he’s right. If we speak about our faith – and use Christian language – but don’t act on our faith – and show others that we do believe… our faith might as well not exist. You know the saying actions speak louder than words. You can put your trust in someone who says they are going to do something, but until they actually DO it – you may not believe them fully.

So again we ask the question: But really what is faith? And, really, what should we do with it?

Faith as defined by the dictionary is: “the confident belief in the truth that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.”[8]

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Confidence, not logical, not material. That sounds like faith to me. We see from the scripture, the life of Jesus and all the great men and women of faith who have gone before us that faith is more this definition.

Faith is a verb. An action. Something we participate in.

Faith as a verb or an action is also what the author of our scripture is talking about today. He is upset with his readers for showing favoritism – which is against the law because favoritism assumes one person is more important than another.[9] He also reprimands them for not helping those in need.

He is upset with them for not living out their faith. For not taking action in their faith – and loving God and loving neighbor.

In the first part of the scripture James describes to us a situation that contradicts faith in Christ.

Having faith in Christ is more than just believing. It’s being inspired to act. Having faith is having a heart that beats more and more like God’s.[10] If our hearts are beating like God’s we’ll begin to be inspired to action. Inspired to live for, and seek God in a way we haven’t before. This is why James said faith must be accompanied by works. If our hearts are beating more like God’s we will begin to love the things God loves and seek to do God’s work in the world.

God’s work in our world is to bring us back into a perfect relationship with God and with each other. That is why James is upset with these people. They have judged one person to be more important than another, they have not done anything to help those in need.

We often do the same thing. We ignore those who need our help. We tend to show favoritism. This isn’t the way God works in the world. God wants to care for those in need and God doesn’t show favoritism. God loves all.

Why is James so adamant about living out the faith through actions?

Because – as James tells us in the second half of this reading – faith without works is dead – it isn’t real faith. And he gives a pretty good example. “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?”[11] In this example we hear religious jargon. “God bless you. God be with you. God will provide for you.” James points out that this person is cold and hungry, and the response that is given is “God bless you and good luck.” Instead of doing something about this person’s needs it’s almost as if they quote scripture and leave it at that. But quoting scripture won’t make food and clothing magically appear.

I don’t get too excited about mission trips to third world countries where only the gospel will be preached. I don’t believe that only preaching the gospel is living out the faith. For others to live fully – needs must be met. The same is true of trips which only meet the physical needs of others and don’t share the gospel. Faith is not about belief alone or works alone. We must have belief and works.

You must work hard to support that which you believe in.

We all have our favorite football teams. And we have faith that this year OUR team will win. Every year – as our love for our team grows we support our teams. We show others our faith in our team by wearing team colors, by watching the games, by attending the games, by talking about our teams and comparing statistics. Our actions of support for our team who others our attitude or how we feel about our team. We don’t just say we support a team and then ignore them for the whole football season. Our attitude of faith in our team is lived out so others know exactly whose team we’re on.

Shouldn’t our attitude about faith exhibit the same action we show for our teams? Shouldn’t we show others our support for our faith by attending church, by caring for others as Jesus would?

Living out your faith is hard. It’s not a simple thing as author James Ogden of Going Public with One’s Faith, states: "Do not expect your faith to be the answer to all your questions. Faith is not so much the answer to questions as it is the courage to live with [and to seek] unanswered questions"[12]

Think of Abraham – he gave up the life he knew to follow where God told him. Link this to missionaries – many of those missionaries sent from the United States give up comfortable living situations to live out their faith in the way God has called them to. And it’s not because they have to – it is because they believe they must. They believe God wants them to serve others in this way.

Our inspiration to live out our faith doesn’t come from a sense of responsibility. I don’t know too many people who have a cheerful heart when they are required to do something they don’t want to do. [If I am required to serve God – I’d rather not have faith.] Being required to do something is much different than having the privilege to do it. Because we have faith in God – we are privileged to serve God, we are privileged to worship, we are privileged to offer our gifts. Our attitude needs to reflect this sense of privilege so that our actions will show others our privilege. What an honor to get to offer up our gifts to God – out of a sense of gratitude and willingness. When we are privileged to offer these gifts – we understand that the gifts we offer can help God reach out to more of the world.

Faith is not something easy. It’s not an inactive thing. It’s not recharged each week when we come to church. Former president Jimmy Carter says:

“My faith demands -- this is not optional -- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”[13]

<> That is a strong word! James is saying the same thing! Faith DEMANDS action. James is saying the same thing: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters,^* if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?”[14] James goes even further in verse 17 to say that faith without action is dead. It really isn’t faith at all.[15]

Our inspiration to live out our faith comes from within. It comes from our hearts which are beating and aligning with God’s heart.[16] When we are aligned with God we are more focused on what God wants. It is my understanding that if you have two heart cells that are beating at their own rhythm – when you bring them close together they will begin beating together – synchronizing their rhythm.[17] If we grow closer and closer to God – we will undoubtedly begin to synchronize with God. When our hearts are aligned with God’s heart – we can see what God wants. We can see those who are rich and poor as equal children of God. When our hearts are aligned with God’s we can see that the immediate need of those who are naked and hungry is not a spiritual need – but a physical need. By our faith we are inspired to action because Christ lives in us.[18]

My faith in God inspired me to act. Through my faith in God I felt a call to ordained ministry. I don’t think I would be happy serving God any other way. As Methodists we believe in the ministry of ALL believers. This means that every work you do in the world can and should reflect your faith in God. Your attitude at work should reflect your belief that God loves all – and does not show favoritism. Your attitude at school should reflect the faith you have. Your faith in God should inspire you to act.

HOW? As your heart beats more and more like God’s you will be inspired. We are inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit to guide us. Because you have Christ in you, when you begin to adjust your attitude of faith and put it into action - you will find that you do have a passion for ministry and to do God’s will.

I believe as a church we are doing God’s will. Our church has done a great job of serving everyone in our community... the rich and poor, black and white, old and young. And our ministry to the community will only grow as we open the doors to our second campus. Our ability to serve the community – without showing favoritism or ignoring needs- will be even greater. And we must ALL live out our faith. There will be double the opportunities to work with the youth and help them grow in their faith. There will be double the opportunities to serve on a team that welcomes new visitors into our church. Double the opportunities to serve in missions, Bible Studies, fellowship groups. All of our ministries help us and help the community actively live out the faith.

As the reality of opening a second campus draws closer we must begin to realize that faith will continue to inspire us to minister to our community through programs in the church. How will all this ministry be done? Through the faith and the works – through the action of you – the congregation.

I truly believe that our hearts are aligned and beating with God’s and we have built this second campus to share God with the community. This attitude and love that we have for God – MUST be put into action.

There are many opportunities through the ministry of our church - to put your faith into action to do God’s work in the world.

However you decide to put your faith in action – don’t be reluctant to live out your faith. Be inspired to act.

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[1] http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayers.php?id=218 (2.9.2009)

[2] Michael, George. Faith. 01.11.1987. Epic.

[3] Matthew 17:20, NRSV.

[4] Hebrews 11:1, NRSV

[5] Galatians 2:16, NRSV.

[6] Mark 5:25-34, NRSV.

[7] James 2:1-10, 14-17

[8] faith. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith (accessed: September 02, 2009).

[9] Leviticus 19:15, NRSV.

[10] Bell, Rob. Sunday. Nooma Videos. 004.

[11] James 2:15-16. NRSV.

[12] Ogden, R. James. Going Public With Ones Faith. Judson Press. 1975. [as quoted to me by a friend with my additions in brackets]

[13] http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_faith.html (2.9.2009)

[14] James 2:14. NRSV.

[15] James 2:17., NRSV.

[16] Bell, Rob.

[17] http://health.howstuffworks.com/heart4.htm. (accessed 4.9.09)

[18] eds. Heitzenrater, Richard P., and Outler, Albert C. John Wesley’s Sermon’s: An Anthology. p 42.