tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76722074365441550422024-03-19T12:35:52.497-04:00Reflections on the The Word and WorldReflections on leadership & influence from the foundation of Scripture.Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.comBlogger385125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-91054863118155433732021-01-20T11:35:00.000-05:002021-01-20T11:35:54.336-05:00We are one body. Your success now is our success.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcvDwP4a6UYc9GhrBHeoRIM-1p6XOC_8I4E76U2Lw6uFA0WcmJK3tNwGLWL3xMjojClJdHdOThmaWVIsVEDzUJInhOAqByKN0KBJdF9sh1TLni76LH0uInVzWW2ofpypJWkzh-xCUOSk/s1065/bush+note+to+clinton.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="767" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcvDwP4a6UYc9GhrBHeoRIM-1p6XOC_8I4E76U2Lw6uFA0WcmJK3tNwGLWL3xMjojClJdHdOThmaWVIsVEDzUJInhOAqByKN0KBJdF9sh1TLni76LH0uInVzWW2ofpypJWkzh-xCUOSk/s320/bush+note+to+clinton.png" /></a></div>One of the traditions neatly tucked inside a desk drawer of the American democracy is the writing of a note from the outgoing President of the United States to their successor. On January 20, 1993, this how the hand-written note, from the 41st person to hold that office wrote to the one who bested him in the election just a few months before, ended:<p></p><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Dear Bill,</div><div>....You will be our President when you read this note. I wish you well. I wish your family well. Your success now is our country's success. I am rooting hard for you.</div><div>Good luck — George</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>I heard this read over the airwaves earlier this week and it prompted me to think of the scripture from this past Sunday. We are all one body, the Apostle Paul declares in Romans 12. But, that was not the only place he invoked the analogy of the church as the body of Christ. He writes the church in Corinth, at a time marked by divisions, and says this:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or f<br />ree, and we all were given one Spirit to drink. 14 Certainly the body isn’t one part but many.... so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other.</div><div>- 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 25-27</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>President George H. W. Bush captured this part of the Gospel. We are created to be in relationship with each other. When one has success, we all do. The world pushes the agenda of scarcity, while heaven offers abundance. May this be our note to each other, as well. Grace and peace, Scott</div>Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-74386091971711384182020-09-22T14:40:00.001-04:002020-09-22T14:40:23.165-04:00 Essential Reading for Humanity - updated<p> A friend of mine once asked me to share the titles of some books that I have read and appreciated. I’ve long held that a small list of books has influenced my life significantly, based on the ways they’ve shaped my thinking, my actions, and by how often I quote them aloud or refer to them in my mind. Here they are, in no particular order, with a note about their publication. I’ve read a few books over the years, but these are the ones I return to most often.</p><p><i>The Road Less Traveled</i> by M. Scott Peck (Arrow Books, 1978)<br />- I've read the first section over and over again. This book is brilliant. </p><p><i>The Great Divorce</i> by C.S. Lewis (originally published in 1945)<br />- A super story about heaven and hell, salvation, redemption, restoration, the communion of the saints, and how we can live even better on this side of heaven. </p><p><i>The Screwtape Letters</i> by C.S. Lewis (originally published in 1942)<br />- Straight out of hell, this collection of fictitious letters from one demon to his nephew offers a stark look at how we are made and how the forces of evil and wickedness are working against us.</p><p><i>The Will of God</i> by Leslie Weatherhead (originally published in 1944)<br />- This is so very good. It helps me to put words to both the good and bad of this world and find God's love for us in the midst of both.</p><p><i>The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts</i> by Gary D Chapman (Northfield, 2009)<br />- I ask every couple I marry to read this before the wedding, but believe every person should know their own love language in order to communicate and thrive in life. </p><p><i>Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when Stakes</i> are High by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler (McGraw-Hill, 2002)<br />- This book helps to reduce tension and anxiety in order to get more done and be kinder doing it.</p><p><i>Beginning to Pray</i> by Anthony Bloom (Paulist Press, 1970)<br />- This is a gift; written by an orthodox priest, it offers those who would follow a path toward the love of God. I revisited it a month into sheltering in place during the pandemic, and found it to be as enlightening as previous reads.</p><p><i>Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded)</i> by John Medina (Pear Press, 2014)<br />- Written by a neuroscientist, this is the layperson's guide to the real science of how our brains work. Every page is filled with stories and truths to apply right away. This book is transforming.</p><p><i>Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life</i> by Richard Rohr (Jossey-Bass, 2011)<br />- A deep look into the truth of the Gospel: we are made to rise and fail, win and lose, conquer and fail. It is an affirmation of our wins and triumphs and being exposed as vulnerable. Shouldn't be read until age 35+.</p><p><i>The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God</i> by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller (John Murray Press, 2011)<br />- This has become the second book I give to every couple I sit with to prepare for their wedding and marriage. I love their approach to marriage - a sacramental gift from heaven intended to grow our faith and trust in God. </p><p><i>The Holy Bible <br /></i>- The true story of the God who made us and is saving us. Start with Mark and then try reading it from beginning to end. You have my permission to skip some lists and genealogies in the Old Testament your first time through.</p>Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-79502667758617788682020-03-25T12:03:00.000-04:002020-03-25T12:03:31.767-04:00Love in a global pandemic<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
The world needs love. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s91/res/640c5c4a-628b-4294-a582-05ccac5350a2/five%20love%20languages.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="en-media" height="180" name="640c5c4a-628b-4294-a582-05ccac5350a2" src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s91/res/640c5c4a-628b-4294-a582-05ccac5350a2/five%20love%20languages.JPG" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin-top: 0.857412em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="320" /></a> I give a copy of Gary Chapman's <em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Five Love Languages</em> as one of two books for study to every couple preparing for marriage with whom I meet. I've been doing this for nearly twenty years, and the truths he offers in it are still being received with sincere delight by a second generation of couples. He proposes that each person is built the same: to be loved. However, each person receives and experiences love in one of five broad ways, or languages: quality time, physical touch, acts of service, giving & receiving gifts, and words of affirmation.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Earlier this week, as our staff was talking through how we could extend the love of Jesus out to our congregation and to our community, in particular to healthcare workers, we came to the realization that expressing love through the first two of these languages is essentially taken away during this global pandemic. Quality time and appropriate physical touch are not safe, outside of the relationships we have at home.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
For our staff, it meant more brainstorming of ideas on how to care and keep people safe. For our homes, it makes me think that it is even more critical now that we express love to each other in this upside season. Everyone is off their routine and that includes some of the places and relationships from whom we receive love.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
The world needs love. And Christians are called to provide it, through the abundance of the love we have received from God. John 13:34 says, "<span style="line-height: 1.57143em;">I give you a new commandment: Love each other." </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="line-height: 1.57143em;"> Grace and peace, Scott</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-66093161417495873462019-07-13T17:00:00.000-04:002019-07-13T17:00:02.919-04:00These Enduring Tasks remain Essential for All of Us<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">
While the sound of fireworks can still be heard all around my house most nights, the official celebrations have ended. Everyone knows July 4, 1776, the day that the Continental Congress finalized the formal Declaration of Independence. But, what about July 9? Here is the background... </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">
In the summer of 1776, as many as 32,000 British troops were gathering on nearby Staten Island. They were preparing to engage their enemy - the rebels of the American colonies. Knowing that the first official battle of the American Revolution was coming, General George Washington conveyed two direct orders to the Brigade Majors who commanded the troops. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxC9GyhSxuXMhEayOb6FGHgwwbMl7SIOGcfeJ6ZPMc85ZeyICEaEnfLZ5ZhZNhKbyPYXTUgFwUo6otPf77KUxkwApOzpH-ZJ68-HVGuGLNz8eeGy9AoVytma3Fi5t-mSll3rBaiPy9hM/s1600/reading-the-declaration-before-washingtons-army-by-howard-pyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxC9GyhSxuXMhEayOb6FGHgwwbMl7SIOGcfeJ6ZPMc85ZeyICEaEnfLZ5ZhZNhKbyPYXTUgFwUo6otPf77KUxkwApOzpH-ZJ68-HVGuGLNz8eeGy9AoVytma3Fi5t-mSll3rBaiPy9hM/s320/reading-the-declaration-before-washingtons-army-by-howard-pyle.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">
First, he ordered that the brand new Declaration of Independence be read out to soldiers of the Continental Army in Manhattan. He believed reading the Declaration "will serve as a fresh incentive to every officer, and soldier, to act with Fidelity and Courage, as knowing that now the peace and safety of his Country depends (under God) solely on the success of our arms." <span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">He wants them to be inspired</span>.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">
Second, he passes along the news that the Continental Congress has made funds available to hire a Chaplain for every regiment! He writes that the "Commanding officers of each regiment are directed to procure Chaplains accordingly; persons of good Characters and exemplary lives - To see that all inferior officers and soldiers pay them a suitable respect and attend carefully upon religious exercises. The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger - The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavour so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country." <span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">He wants them to be spiritually cared for</span>.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">
Similarly, these are the primary tasks of the local church: to be a place where people encounter the God who inspires us and cares for us. I am humbled to serve a church that lives this out. God wants to connect with us and does that best through our relationships with others. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">
Grace and peace, Scott</div>
Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-90631882032555470702019-05-23T11:48:00.003-04:002019-05-23T11:48:47.076-04:00The God who remembers<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> The earth has circled back to Memorial Day. What does it mean to set aside a weekend, or even a day, as a memorial? It is a fair question. Some would argue that to spend time dwelling on the past is a waste, and not a good use of the most precious present. I would tend to agree when it comes to many of the ways we memorialize the past. Time spent on regrets, grudges, or perceived wrongs is a waste. Spending time asking 'what if' about a thing we should have moved on from, is also not the best use of our time. There is value, however, in revisiting the past if neglecting to do so diminishes us. </span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Elie Wiesel was a survivor of the Holocaust in Germany that murdered his family, along with 17 million others. He once said, </span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Without memory, there is no culture. </i></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Without memory, </i></span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">there would be no civilization, no society, no future." </i></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8yD1bNHYzlO7jUwgrXD2lTDvyCWQyLSyL_OuBFjbsbwDGQqRDE6p-WFjJsfv1s1sy4lkVbC9yeUE6s2Gsj9Mw17chKB0wttEli0jS5_VHtKP368y4UNJOjvx0iNer6SRTzXNLqU39Pk/s1600/flags_american_memorialday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8yD1bNHYzlO7jUwgrXD2lTDvyCWQyLSyL_OuBFjbsbwDGQqRDE6p-WFjJsfv1s1sy4lkVbC9yeUE6s2Gsj9Mw17chKB0wttEli0jS5_VHtKP368y4UNJOjvx0iNer6SRTzXNLqU39Pk/s320/flags_american_memorialday.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Wiesel went on to say that, "After all, God is God because he remembers." He remembers promises to save and provide, and he remembers our suffering. That is powerful. To be the church that seeks after God, we must also be dedicated to remembering. </span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> May we set aside time - truly dedicate time this weekend - to remembering those who have offered their very lives for freedom. May we honor everyone who has served. </span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Grace and peace, Scott</span></div>
</div>
Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-50570679251680124872018-02-28T20:00:00.001-05:002018-02-28T20:00:19.728-05:00Act Like You Love People and You Will I have been thinking about actions and in-actions. Like many Christians, and many people within this church, I have given something up for these 40 days leading up to Easter. My Lenten observance involves not doing something that I normally would do everyday, and the amount of time saved has been a delight.<br />
The saying goes, "You are what you eat." I think it is also true that we are what we do. "Actions speak louder than words," would be the phrase to capture that. I think our actions, and inactions, have the power to steer our lives. Which is probably why the early church started suggesting that we "do" something or stop doing something as a way of preparing for Easter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoP-rJOXSo__FPPSCfeRKEoIjA668aDlsKJTji9Fe35t46hAQIepZWAbvwer4KbvkkyFLMw4NFvYP0rJNQj0xjuXwe1WwHenN-xTTw0GZb9T2MImSR0vqCOeOJbKc0kj5AhIpaj_EkUA/s1600/C.S._Lewis-255x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoP-rJOXSo__FPPSCfeRKEoIjA668aDlsKJTji9Fe35t46hAQIepZWAbvwer4KbvkkyFLMw4NFvYP0rJNQj0xjuXwe1WwHenN-xTTw0GZb9T2MImSR0vqCOeOJbKc0kj5AhIpaj_EkUA/s1600/C.S._Lewis-255x300.jpg" /></a></div>
This power of what we choose to do and not do extends to our relationships with others. C.S. Lewis even suggests acting lovingly has the power to change our feelings towards other people.<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- C. S. Lewis</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
How we act has the power to influence how we feel. So often, we believe that only the opposite is true. He is saying that if we act like we love people, we will.<br />
No wonder we find a mysterious power in laying aside things, or fasting, during Lent that draws us closer to God. The actions have the power to change us from the outside inward. May you continue to find God's power at work in what you do - and choose not to do - this Season. Grace and peace, Scott<br />
Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-22200716983157499462018-02-20T15:10:00.002-05:002018-02-20T15:10:28.640-05:00Out of Balance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ74L9fsIOPlgW1afSYTfd24u-a3VbsZFdxthodAjmmNBQyfZx0JDcmtr72K2KGFbv9zb8tSYJ_-Uq1F3nEQxZSCOAmg_l4b3DGfyzAo9skZ0AkIw8MCKcVQNl8zcrLIjIbixufhjDy-E/s1600/wheel_weight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1348" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ74L9fsIOPlgW1afSYTfd24u-a3VbsZFdxthodAjmmNBQyfZx0JDcmtr72K2KGFbv9zb8tSYJ_-Uq1F3nEQxZSCOAmg_l4b3DGfyzAo9skZ0AkIw8MCKcVQNl8zcrLIjIbixufhjDy-E/s320/wheel_weight.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
I had been running on Monday long enough for the sharp pain in my ankle to subside, and the burning of my lungs to be dulled, that I was almost enjoying it. Through the tears my eyes landed on something shiny ahead and I scooped it up to see what treasure I had found. It was a wheel weight and I immediately thought of the Season of Lent.<br />
As most people know, when the an automobile tire rotates at a high speed, asymmetries can cause it to hop or wobble. They are often felt in the entire vehicle. When tires are fitted to wheels at the shop they are balanced and corrective wheel weights are applied to counteract the effect of the unbalance. Put another way, even well-made tires often have some imperfections, magnified when spun around quickly, that need to be adjusted and corrected periodically.<br />
I think this is true of disciples of Jesus Christ. We need, from time to time, to come in for inspection and correction. Our lives often feel like they are spinning quickly, maybe even close to out of control, and the vibrations make it difficult to steer. The Church offers us the Season of Lent for introspection and re-balancing. Every year I hear myself saying, "Put something down in order that you can pick something else up." This is the very language of rearranging and finding balance, again.<br />
Somewhere down the highway is a car that needs to be balancing, since this missing weight is sitting on my desk. I pray that they get help before the vibrations do damage or cause harm. I pray the same for you and for me. Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-41936771778872026892018-02-08T12:08:00.001-05:002018-02-08T12:15:25.837-05:00Without failure, who would you be?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-PjM1dAqLXUBJotueuvBOjWUJbiiU-I-rq0zRjnFYTNx0_d5CmfESDRyvS2AcdrF6YOgwXbJMBTnZmVtUeaCg4FKD3PXKJezeaKKHh_Pqa1c37RWARPoJW83vgX6n1kLfsfiSxne7vs/s1600/NickFoles_642x428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="642" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-PjM1dAqLXUBJotueuvBOjWUJbiiU-I-rq0zRjnFYTNx0_d5CmfESDRyvS2AcdrF6YOgwXbJMBTnZmVtUeaCg4FKD3PXKJezeaKKHh_Pqa1c37RWARPoJW83vgX6n1kLfsfiSxne7vs/s320/NickFoles_642x428.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Allow me to pass along a powerful word that I heard earlier this week. The value of the lesson extends far beyond the football field. Nick Foles, who nearly quit football 18 months ago, began this season as a forgotten back-up on a team most considered to be a long-shot this year. He shared this after his Philadelphia Eagles beat the Patriots and he was named the game's MVP:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"I think the big thing is don’t be afraid to fail. In our society today, Instagram and Twitter is a highlight reel. It’s all the good things. When you look at it, you’re like ‘Wow’ when you’ve had a rough day and thinking your life is not as good as that. Failure is a part of life. Without failure, who would you be? I wouldn’t be up here if I hadn’t fallen thousands of times and made mistakes. We all are human. We all have weaknesses, and I think being able to share this and be transparent — I know when people speak and share their weaknesses, I’m listening, because I can resonate. So, I’m not perfect. I might be in the NFL and we may have just won the Super Bowl, but I still have daily struggles. That’s where my faith comes in and that’s where my family comes in. And I think when you have a struggle in your life, just know that’s just an opportunity for your character to grow.”</div>
<br />
It has been widely shared that Foles is a student in a Christian college and intends to become a minister with students when he finishes his career. I can see why! The depth of his understanding of how God uses the struggles of our journey to bring about the holy-making work of sanctification is beautiful. Lisa Klug shared how she finds this very truth in James 1:2-6:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.</i></div>
May God be glorified in the words he shared and may we all take them to heart. Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-36037194607442029862018-01-31T15:49:00.005-05:002018-02-01T10:47:09.429-05:00The Greatest Non-Showman: Jesus A friend took my brother and me to the movies last week to see <i>The Greatest Showman</i>. Featuring Hugh Jackman and a really talented cast of actors, the movie is sped along by catchy tunes with great lyrics, and inspired me to see the gospel good news at numerous points. Before the week was out I had seen it again, this time taking friends with me to share the joy.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpseck8uinHCz7KvoQ_SMLgMk0LbWxsx1MXbMiKv5O1fxq4nDzMokWb_GSAK7h_s3UqN9NEH5cHf98-xH0vU4F04pp6sXifphDtKwnNDxKiV1_7b7zmLClnJ3t3TyVjY6fppuVRmZPJ0g/s1600/the-greatest-showman-press-photo-02-billboard-1548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="636" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpseck8uinHCz7KvoQ_SMLgMk0LbWxsx1MXbMiKv5O1fxq4nDzMokWb_GSAK7h_s3UqN9NEH5cHf98-xH0vU4F04pp6sXifphDtKwnNDxKiV1_7b7zmLClnJ3t3TyVjY6fppuVRmZPJ0g/s320/the-greatest-showman-press-photo-02-billboard-1548.jpg" width="320" /></a> It is very loosely based on the larger than life story of P.T. Barnum, who lived in the 1800's and is best known for the circus company he started. While he never actually said the quote about suckers born every minute, he did say his personal aim was "to put money in his own coffers." He did a lot of good, in the end, but the movie title gave me pause to consider how Jesus would compare. A similar movie title about Jesus might be <b><i>The Greatest Non-Showman</i></b>. Now, lean in for this. Many people who only know the high-points of the Gospel stories might take exception, but I think the evidence is strong. Consider:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Jesus' 'career' only lasted three years, by his choice</li>
<li>Jesus rarely traveled outside the circuit of small country-side villages</li>
<li>Jesus would change locations whenever the crowds would seek to elevate him to something he was not (rebel leader against Rome, etc)</li>
<li>Jesus instructed his followers that generous acts are to be kept secret from even your other hand</li>
<li>Jesus' messages were so challenging, crowds got smaller over time</li>
<li>Jesus' message was about sacrifice, submission, forgiving, humility - the opposite of an attractive show</li>
<li>Jesus chose to basically not speak in front of the crowds at his trial and instead submitted to the will of God</li>
</ul>
<br />
Jesus was the opposite of a self-promoter. In John 5 he says he does not testify about himself, but lets God take care of that. Opting not for self-promotion, Jesus chose the way of humility and submission. It led to the greatest story ever told, and retold!<br />
Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-72786805774152444702018-01-17T22:04:00.001-05:002018-01-18T08:36:32.335-05:00Caution, Bridge Ices Before Road I had no experience of driving on ice until my second quarter of college. I was living through my first winter in the far-up-north world of Atlanta, after spending the first nineteen years of my life in sunny South Georgia. It was twenty-five years ago this past week, and classes were out for the MLK holiday. Headed back to campus after having breakfast with friends, I had just pulled out onto the many lanes of Peachtree Street as big flakes of snow fell all around. I hadn't traveled a quarter of a mile when I realized the tires of my Chevy Blazer were not pointed the same way as the steering wheel. I looked up to see that one-hundred yards in front of me a delivery truck was completely stopped in my lane. Time actually slowed down, and I pumped the brakes repeatedly, praying that rubber would connect with road and I would slow down. I didn't. Instead, I ran into and under the elevated liftgate of the truck going no faster than 25 miles an hour. The front of my car was smashed, with the engine block being push up to the windshield. The truck I hit wasn't scratched.<br />
I learned so much in the hour that followed. First, I learned that that section of Peachtree Street is actually a bridge over Interstate 85, and therefore ices before the rest of the road. I learned that the truck was stopped because it was the third car in a chain-reaction crash that had happened some time earlier. I became the fourth. I also learned that law enforcement can opt to not write up an accident if they are busy, as the Atlanta City Police Officer drove off and told us to work it out among ourselves. My parents and my insurance did not like that part of the story. Most of all, I learned that living in Atlanta for six weeks without a car was not much fun.<br />
I am still learning. At the time, I considered it a terrible hardship, resulting in more meals on campus and many more miles walked on foot. It is funny what we think constitutes suffering in our youth. Kids today believe the absence of wi-fi is cruel and unusual punishment. If I am so fortunate, what I will look back on in another twenty-five years and recognize was not as difficult as it seemed at the time?<br />
Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-25319869580246096542018-01-11T08:20:00.000-05:002018-01-11T08:20:33.535-05:00Praying Forward for Good This Sunday marks the beginning of a week of concerted prayer for United Methodists across South Georgia. We are being invited to pray for our global church, God's work in local churches, and specifically for the United Methodist Church’s “Praying Our Way Forward” initiative, which launched January 1 and kicked off seventy-five weeks of focused prayer. Each annual conference around the world will take one week to pray for the mission of The United Methodist Church to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and for the work of the Commission on a Way Forward. You can read daily prayers at https://www.sgaumc.org/prayingourwayforward<br />
This is something many in our church have been keenly following and lifting up in prayer for some time, even before our town-hall meetings in the fall of 2016. The Commission, created at the 2016 General Conference, was asked to bring proposals for how we might move forward as a denomination, especially concerning matters of biblical interpretation and human sexuality in the midst of broken trust by lay and clergy persons, and explore options to maintain and strengthen the unity of the church. Bishop Lawson Bryan, who was our guest speaker in September, mentioned in his invitation, “We are called to a posture of prayer, praying for God’s leadership to guide us effectively in fulfilling the mission of the church. All persons – clergy and laity, conferences and congregations – across the denomination are invited to pray for God’s guidance.”<br />
I was included in a group discussion with one of the members of the thirty-three person Commission a month ago, and heard early sketches of possible proposals that General Conference delegates would vote on in thirteen months. I felt good about their work, and believe that God is making a path. I heard options that allow most of the church to remain together, while giving some a graceful exit based on their convictions.<br />
There is much spiritual warfare being battled on this topic within every local church and denomination. We would be wrong not to join in or double-down on our efforts of praying for God's will to be done. As your pastor, I remain committed to seeking God's leading in ways that draw people in our community closer to God and with each other. Let us pray. ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-13475383470261534622017-11-28T08:36:00.002-05:002017-11-28T08:36:47.554-05:00The Cars Zooming Past I was sitting at our men's table group that gathers at 6:00 AM on Tuesdays. There was a lull in the conversation for guys to eat and I found myself gazing out the windows. The headlights of the cars, moving quickly past the Chick-fil-a on Highway 96, seemed to appear out of nowhere and continue on into the darkness. The shape of a school bus caught my attention, as it crossed under the traffic lights going north on Houston Lake Road, zipping along and heading to its first stop.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5ZLP-zPrAzxOoO9vt4-X3J7HjGyxrvdhm0n9EF0EwULqy2OQSC1QSmeL_7OQeelfPWehRovNUMQjpkOTmJcPzzk5Tbi0BJWhlZn5M4kuv_MFZDi74hKMv6J7cknheD_QxWH6J4ZSJx4/s1600/car-city-evening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="645" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5ZLP-zPrAzxOoO9vt4-X3J7HjGyxrvdhm0n9EF0EwULqy2OQSC1QSmeL_7OQeelfPWehRovNUMQjpkOTmJcPzzk5Tbi0BJWhlZn5M4kuv_MFZDi74hKMv6J7cknheD_QxWH6J4ZSJx4/s320/car-city-evening.jpg" width="320" /></a> "This is a great big world," I thought to myself. Something in that moment tugged at my heart. It has stayed with me.<br />
I had been thinking ahead to two morning meetings, a list of a dozen things that had to get done that day, and a week filled with opportunities to 'advance the ball down the field' for the church and God's work in our community. Yet, something about those cars moving past gave me reason to pause: every car, truck, and even school bus was loaded with expectations of a new day and all the tasks to be accomplished. We are all more alike than we often realize.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The season of Advent begins this week. Observed in churches around the world as a time of waiting and expectation for the arrival of a child born in a manger, the word itself is derived from the Latin word meaning "coming." Advent is about preparing for Christ to come into the world. Paul tells us, "But when the fulfillment of the time came, God sent his Son, born through a woman..."</div>
Maybe it was a little bit of Advent moving in my heart on Tuesday morning. The Holy Spirit works just like that. I certainly need to be daily reminded of my small place in the world. Christmas is like a reset button, reminding me that even though I am small, God's plans include me and everyone else zooming through life.<br />
My prayer is that we would allow the word of God, heard in worship and through our own personal devotional life, to take root in our hearts to prepare a place for Christ to enter again this Christmas. God has plans for us and for everyone. Plans for our good and his greatness. Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-53566214918517464232017-11-20T12:32:00.002-05:002017-11-20T12:32:21.660-05:00The Gospel in the Middle of The Table<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Over the centuries, the church has given a variety of names to the meal that Jesus instituted as a commandment for those who follow him. We know it as </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">the Lord's Supper, is breaking bread, the divine liturgy or mass, the service of table, or the sacrament of holy communion. It is known by all these names but none is more ancient than the name <i>Eucharist</i>. It is a Greek word that literally means thanksgiving. This sacrament, passed down directly from Jesus Christ to his followers and referenced throughout the Gospels as the center of worship for Christians, was named early on for the central prayer of thanksgiving, or </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 19.2px;">eucharistia</i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.2px;">.</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> The Eucharist is and means thanksgiving.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN0kZfjrvKl3WV6C1LXsg3YL1V-TX2KmmVcOMXrIvGcjddOOTAmr_NeFhxBZOwRqKql-_BgSGUcMWP45fohfItXar-Ri-WcbaZ7wF4Hj34PipWpRL6CGBiP3PDBICEwpIMP5q_30QJyY/s1600/thanksgiving.rockwell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN0kZfjrvKl3WV6C1LXsg3YL1V-TX2KmmVcOMXrIvGcjddOOTAmr_NeFhxBZOwRqKql-_BgSGUcMWP45fohfItXar-Ri-WcbaZ7wF4Hj34PipWpRL6CGBiP3PDBICEwpIMP5q_30QJyY/s320/thanksgiving.rockwell.jpg" width="250" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> When trying describe what the bible intends for our meals together, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">James White, noted United Methodist professor of worship, places thanksgiving at the top of the list. He writes, "It is hard to imagine thanksgiving as absent from the joyful action that bubbled over as the Jerusalem church broke bread with glad and generous hearts" (in</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/acts/2-46.html" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts 2:46</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">). In fact, Jesus lived out this thanksgiving with every meal he shared with his friends and followers. Thanksgiving is at the center of the Gospel.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> What we do this week, gathered around tables, is the very stuff of the Gospel. Thanksgiving is the good news. We sit and are thankful. We are nourished by what, for the most part, others have gathered and prepared. We suspend rivalries and enmity and celebrate. We slow down long enough to appreciate what we have and from where we have come. All of this is Thanksgiving and all of this is the life of faith. This is what it means to do life together as Christians. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Sans"; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> You are in my prayers this week. Wherever you are, you are loved. You are forgiven. You are blessed and you are called to be a blessing. May these days find thanksgiving at their center. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Grace and Peace, Scott</span>Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-91484010293828862382017-11-15T10:00:00.000-05:002017-11-15T10:00:05.036-05:00Like Lightning Following Thunder<div style="font-family: gotham, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">Grace always demands the answer of gratitude. Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo. Gratitude follows grace like thunder lightning.... Here, at any rate, the two belong together, so that only gratitude can correspond to grace, and this correspondence cannot fail. Its failure, ingratitude, is sin, transgression. Radically and basically all sin is simply ingratitude.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: gotham, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">- Karl Barth, </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">Church Dogmatics</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
What a word: like thunder following lightning! Arguably the most significant Christian theologian of the past century, Karl Barth’s stood against the rise of fascism in Germany through two world wars. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
His quote prompts me to ask, "What follows the lightning in my life?" When good things appear out of nowhere, what follows? What about when bad things happen? </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBngwJkLfazLNLoXHchYKAroSKL36npB5mDCEQaqmilRTs3a2LrVtcEj8NMhhf1HwfEehONBf3g0BsBVf0vQqmwP3_2_x7AxPOe8Fdml0MiD3dHzLdP35K2oD76I1U7ITR9nTGjcHHENo/s1600/karlbarth_gratitude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="470" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBngwJkLfazLNLoXHchYKAroSKL36npB5mDCEQaqmilRTs3a2LrVtcEj8NMhhf1HwfEehONBf3g0BsBVf0vQqmwP3_2_x7AxPOe8Fdml0MiD3dHzLdP35K2oD76I1U7ITR9nTGjcHHENo/s320/karlbarth_gratitude.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
I believe that God's grace is available in the good and the bad. Am I willing to see it for what it is? I am keen on suffering, for no person should be. But, if in the suffering I am led by grace into a deeper of trust of God, then it seems that gratitude should follow even suffering. I am not fond of persecution. But, if others speaking against me causes me to pause, reflect and repent of the part of their story which is true, and repentance leads back back to the worship of God, then gratitude should follow even persecution.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
It is perfectly appropriate to offer up gratitude for the good, as we gather around tables of turkey this coming week. It is divinely right to reflect on how God is at work in the not-so-good to grow us in trust and love. They will know we are Christians by our love. May the good and bad of life be turned to love and thanksgiving, by God's grace.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
Grace, peace and cranberry sauce to you, Scott</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: gotham, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-17126502297198478622017-11-09T11:45:00.003-05:002017-11-09T11:45:33.263-05:00The Secret to Changing Others<div style="-en-clipboard: true;">
I’ve had a number of conversations lately on the topic of getting others to change. Many of these conversations have been in my head, others have been in my office, and others have happened in hallways or grocery aisles or out and about in the daily rhythm of life. To be honest, this topic has been at the forefront of most pastoral conversations I’ve had since submitting and entering the ministry in 1999. We all long for change: mostly <span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">other</span> people to change. More about us in a second. </div>
<div>
Is there is a clear-cut, fool-proof way to help other people change. Of course not. Yet, there is a truth from the scriptures that is born out from our experience. People rarely change because they are shamed into it. Change rarely comes because they are forced into it. And, lasting change almost never happens because of some transaction - "If you do this, I will do this." I read this just the other day:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Humans change in the process of love-mirroring, not by paying any price or debt. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Richard Rohr, p 132, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Divine Dance</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If I want others to change, it begins with me. I have to show love. It is like a mirror that reflects an image back to the other. The image I am reflecting must be love. Change in the other person of a relationship always begins with me. </div>
<div>
Christianity is a social religion. We learn it from others and are commanded to share it with others. Really very little of it is personal or private. If there is, it is my own personal willingness to be changed, by grace outside of my own ability. Change is grace. Change is submission. It starts with me.</div>
<div>
Grace and peace, Scott</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-8182355590317057852017-11-01T12:23:00.002-04:002017-11-01T12:23:35.338-04:00Memory prompts Action: Remember and Give Thanks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8QGVmGwMrlfktT_vqfHmBKoW8qgMKBl_49WP21yFsrIc6EcKzqPOWYde0t3VXb5sr_ZQ7bceda3wgKX7F5Fju0EJ76RmYO9ocDgnV4QdZP9HTeP5XrZtt8_645abHR2GQicuaB5OGQ8/s1600/all_saints_day3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="625" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8QGVmGwMrlfktT_vqfHmBKoW8qgMKBl_49WP21yFsrIc6EcKzqPOWYde0t3VXb5sr_ZQ7bceda3wgKX7F5Fju0EJ76RmYO9ocDgnV4QdZP9HTeP5XrZtt8_645abHR2GQicuaB5OGQ8/s200/all_saints_day3.jpg" width="200" /></a> We remember and give thanks.<br />
That’s what we do in the church. We remember … and we give thanks. We remember the story, from before time was kept through our own time and forward still, and we give thanks. We remember the story of Jesus Christ - who lived and loved and showed us how to love - and we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit that gave birth to Christ's church and are thankful we can be a part of God's ongoing work. We remember and give thanks.<br />
This weekend, as we celebrate All Saints Sunday, we will remember how the ministry we share now was embraced and lived by generations before us. We will remember by name those of our church family here at Bonaire who in the past year entered into the Communion of Saints. Names will be read, candles lit, lives honored, and holy memories stirred. We cannot begin to capture the fullness of their lives, but we can recall their place in our congregation and the ministry we carry on from them. And, no doubt, our minds will turn to others who touched our lives with God’s grace and showed us the way of faithful living. We will be invited to call their names, too.<br />
Finally, before each hour of worship is done, we will remember the words of Jesus, who said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this to remember me," in 1 Corinthians 11. Together we will share in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Jesus instructs us that memory prompts action. We remember and give thanks.<br />
May we be changed for the better by it. Grace and Peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-15754827500530462062017-10-25T12:09:00.000-04:002017-10-25T12:14:08.044-04:00We all need encouragement It was just the boys and I for dinner the other night, so we pulled into a fine dining establishment. It is one of those with a drive-through and is perfect for three hungry guys. As we were standing at the counter placing our order, a dozen employees to our left all shouted something at the same time. When it happened a few minutes later I asked an employee, standing nearby, to explain. She said they shout together whenever someone working the drive-thru has a big order come through, as a way of encouraging each other. I loved it!<br />
Maybe we need more shouting in church, rallying around people as a way of encouragement. We are all in need of encouragement. We are a community of women and men following Jesus. Following is not easy. We need the encouragement. I am reminded of that quote from a few weeks ago: <b>Be aware, every person you meet is fighting a great battle</b>.<br />
<ul>
<li>We should rally around the parents of small children and the parents of teenagers. And teenager with parents. They all need encouragement!</li>
<li>We should rally around those facing illness. We should rally around those in helping professions who go to work everyday to deliver healing. </li>
<li>We should rally around educators, and workers, and anyone who goes to work to make a difference, great or small. We all need the encouragement. </li>
</ul>
Every time someone walks through the doors of our church, God is ready to use <u>us</u>. Every time. We have the chance to give encouragement, to share a plan, to offer a call to action that would lead them to victory. Maybe we need more shouting and noise in church: in worship, in the hallways, in our classrooms.<br />
Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-70747497484038406472017-10-18T16:23:00.003-04:002017-10-18T16:24:21.022-04:00My Mary and Martha Life<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.” The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It won’t be taken away from her.”</i> John 10:38-42</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CFQrVwN5clPElwzCZ-3yXHOw0WLD2xk96UGrmdMi9lUReoRj9l9vZMagyB6ph8QeXqJOIzfMzChESo9XC1nOWgd864bU1-wL-7fMPiYMnuGXrpMiNyGHn2CJn5_MMJfr05rAtD5K9MQ/s1600/mary_martha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="610" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CFQrVwN5clPElwzCZ-3yXHOw0WLD2xk96UGrmdMi9lUReoRj9l9vZMagyB6ph8QeXqJOIzfMzChESo9XC1nOWgd864bU1-wL-7fMPiYMnuGXrpMiNyGHn2CJn5_MMJfr05rAtD5K9MQ/s400/mary_martha.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Caspar Luiken, 1672-1708</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The heart of God, revealed through the Word, is intended to jar us out of comfort and return us to a place of unease that results in our trusting God for everything. This is why so many passages strike nerves and catch us off guard. None more, for me, than this passage about these conflicted sisters.<br />
You see, I am both of them; at least, I strive to be like Mary. I have been seeking a sense of inner peace and rest, nurtured by a rhythm of prayer and release, for a few years now. I believe that my heart is being turned toward the way of Mary. I also know that my mind works like Martha! As I write this I have a scribbled list beside me of the dozen things I need to do before my head hits the pillow tonight. I have to complete them all today, in order to have time tomorrow to get that list done. Each day, in this regard, feels like the previous.<br />
Yet, there are moments that the beating of my heart reaches the corner of my mind and I remember, "Before I ever accomplished anything or every failed to achieve the tasks before me, I am God's Beloved." In the frantic pace of trying to get it all done, I too often rush past this Word that must be heard. I am God's Beloved.<br />
You are, too. You are precious in spite of your productivity, or lack of it. You are loved, in spite of your lengthy to-do list. Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-77318115902072202092017-10-11T17:58:00.001-04:002017-10-11T17:58:27.022-04:00(2617 is not an acceptable number)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYY0Iqs5ndLbanHTZcehPpRhu7mplZO3ldD3oWW9FcXFzinbolcUmLtzG0mUEu_-oUqzeolzZRDln684pcE_Qd0-72BA_YdBvcHpQhtSZ-_UmMEK4_EyxxJP3Ku_xRh-84KgnYaB5xu18/s1600/2617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="729" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYY0Iqs5ndLbanHTZcehPpRhu7mplZO3ldD3oWW9FcXFzinbolcUmLtzG0mUEu_-oUqzeolzZRDln684pcE_Qd0-72BA_YdBvcHpQhtSZ-_UmMEK4_EyxxJP3Ku_xRh-84KgnYaB5xu18/s200/2617.jpg" width="200" /></a> Every number is relative. What if I told you 2,617 is the number of times that the average American touches, swipes or taps their phone in a day. Every single day.<br />
I read an article this week - which I ironically found on my phone and then tapped twice to save to my email - that points out a growing concern that as well as addicting users, technology is contributing toward so-called “continuous partial attention”, severely limiting people’s ability to focus, and possibly lowering IQ. One recent study showed that the mere presence of smartphones damages cognitive capacity – even when the device is turned off.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
“Everyone is distracted,” Justin Rosenstein says. “All of the time.” He is a 34 year old veteran of tech-companies that is really worried about our ability to discipline ourselves. He is particularly aware of the allure of Facebook “<b>likes</b>”, which he describes as “bright dings of pseudo-pleasure” that can be as hollow as they are seductive. And Rosenstein should know: <b>he was the Facebook engineer who created the “like” button in the first place</b>. Talk about irony!</div>
Earlier this year a few hundred folks paid up to $1,700 to learn how to manipulate people into habitual use of their products at a technology development conference organised by Nir Eyal, who has spent years teaching techniques he developed by closely studying how the Silicon Valley giants operate. “The technologies we use have turned into compulsions, if not full-fledged addictions,” Eyal writes. “It’s the impulse to check a message notification. It’s the pull to visit YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter for just a few minutes, only to find yourself still tapping and scrolling an hour later.” None of this is an accident, he writes. It is all “just as their designers intended.”<br />
Where are you in this pitfall? Are you a victim? Do you have ways of resisting being caught up in their techniques? What about loved-ones? What things are suffering as we spend more and more time lost in these virtual worlds of social media? If these struggles are true, shouldn't we talk about them? How can we help? We were made for a rhythm of work and rest, going between being on and off. Are devices preventing you from turning off?<br />
Grace and peace, Scott<br />
PS - I encourage you to read <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia" target="_blank">here for the full article</a>.Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-59656252342781711972017-10-04T20:00:00.001-04:002017-10-04T20:00:46.468-04:00An Ancient Prayer for a Modern Tragedy - Psalm 71Our nation grieves, again. Hear this word, from long ago, through the cries of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, following the violence in Las Vegas or any of the other 257 mass-shootings (defined as 4 or more victims) that have occurred in the United States since January 1 of this year.<br />
<br />
My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked;<br />
rescue me from the grip of the wrongdoer and the oppressor<br />
because you are my hope, Lord.<br />
You, Lord, are the one I’ve trusted since childhood.<br />
I’ve depended on you from birth—<br />
you cut the cord when I came from my mother’s womb.<br />
My praise is always about you.<br />
I’ve become an example to many people because you are my strong refuge.<br />
My mouth is filled with your praise,<br />
glorifying you all day long.<br />
Don’t cast me off in old age.<br />
Don’t abandon me when my strength is used up!<br />
Yes, my enemies have been talking about me;<br />
those who stalk me plot together: “God has abandoned him!<br />
Pursue him! Grab him because no one will deliver him!”<br />
Don’t be far from me, God!<br />
My God, hurry to help me!<br />
Let my accusers be put to shame, completely finished off!<br />
Let those who seek my downfall be dressed in insults and disgrace!<br />
But me? I will hope. Always.<br />
I will add to all your praise.<br />
My mouth will repeat your righteous acts<br />
and your saving deeds all day long.<br />
I don’t even know how many of those there are!<br />
I will dwell on your mighty acts, my Lord.<br />
Lord, I will help others remember nothing but your righteous deeds.<br />
- <i>Psalm 71:4-16</i><br />
<br />Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-61819879693101434332017-09-27T17:26:00.001-04:002017-09-27T17:26:23.525-04:00Every Person you Meet is...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUWaiJIEwnLszykgpKwsTVcDonD80ZRW16FbLqH1kRx3adp58pD2MdsKxeqUAg7ChV4po_vUvVJdedRBaULOH2YZjlbp0UiqrnqOChOcNYZKhQZhIAYgC_B1zQXc14jozM4YFkFDvUzk/s1600/baby-in-shopping-cart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUWaiJIEwnLszykgpKwsTVcDonD80ZRW16FbLqH1kRx3adp58pD2MdsKxeqUAg7ChV4po_vUvVJdedRBaULOH2YZjlbp0UiqrnqOChOcNYZKhQZhIAYgC_B1zQXc14jozM4YFkFDvUzk/s320/baby-in-shopping-cart.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Babies want to look around and see the world, as they develop, but especially want to find other eyeballs with which to connect. It happened to me twice last week. First, standing in the entrance of a large auditorium in the middle of a worship service on Thursday, I spent a few minutes exchanging glances with an infant child, being bounced by his mother, as she swayed back and forth in that soothing pattern every parent holding a child knows so well. Later in the week, standing in line at Kroger, I realized the eyes of a child, no older than 6 months, were fixed upon me from one row over. Each moment prompted me to smiled and marvel at the miracle of life before me. I also appreciated the care-free life of children, that the world too quickly takes away.<br />
<div>
I believe the simple ritual of looking a person in the eyes is a part of the larger spiritual practice of seeing a person as the Beloved of God. How can we claim to love someone if we do not know them? How can we claim to know someone if we do not look at them? </div>
A word of wisdom, shared with me in my first year of ministry, over 17 years ago, continues to return with truth and goodness. It is a word that helps me to see those I encounter in a deep, spiritual way, that even my eyes cannot see. The word is:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Be aware, every person you meet is fighting a great battle.</span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This piece of wisdom might not apply to those infants, being gently held and rocked as the world moved around them, but it is surely true for everyone else. I find that seeing others in this way changes my approach to them.<br />
Despair, debt, fear, fatigue, finances, marriage, childlessness, injustice, hopelessness - these are but a short list of the battles any of us are facing this day. Can we see into the eyes of those we greet and offer the kindness of Christ in the midst of the battles others are waging? Can we point them to a place of surrender, knowing that not every battle is even ours to fight?<br />
Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-58935900393757751912017-09-13T16:44:00.003-04:002017-09-13T16:44:45.252-04:00Jesus is Alive through our Church Since starting as the Bishop of the South Georgia Conference as September, Lawson Bryan has kept our focus steadily on the question, "Where are we alive together in Christ?" He loves the verses from Ephesians 2, "But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..."<br />
It was my friend Allison Lindsey, who helps coordinate disaster response for the 650 UMC congregations in South Georgia, who referred to the amazing "ALIVE sightings" during the past month of storms. She included local churches opening as shelters, Wesleyan College opening their campus to evacuating families of their students, and our Methodist Children's Home in Macon hosting the Florida Methodist Home kids and staff.<br />
I've seen and heard of similar amazing "ALIVE" sightings in our own church just this week:<br />
<br />
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpH92LQ5h-tHoKiqMJz-UFQ3I27RX2zYj8Lc-ioFghjDyGkY6nLezkeXh-7yNVDgK7fMNpCstZazHRyDYY8BIggPKbluwSuHvbUhbBSydNVUmnVWoKvDDd-Sh5lWcYA83PnUmWXPE0jWI/s1600/alive_sightings091217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="811" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpH92LQ5h-tHoKiqMJz-UFQ3I27RX2zYj8Lc-ioFghjDyGkY6nLezkeXh-7yNVDgK7fMNpCstZazHRyDYY8BIggPKbluwSuHvbUhbBSydNVUmnVWoKvDDd-Sh5lWcYA83PnUmWXPE0jWI/s320/alive_sightings091217.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>A mom and her two sons spent all day Tuesday serving local older couples, they'd never met before, in their yards</li>
<li>A family pooling their $10 talents to provide care packages for utility workers</li>
<li>Another family baking and delivering cookies and drinks to utility workers all over Houston County as they worked </li>
<li>One woman coordinating a host of others to prepare meals to feed evacuees housed at Trinity UMC</li>
<li>People donating diapers and wipes to help flooded families in Texas</li>
<li>One family of three donating filled UMCOR cleaning buckets and then collecting money to fill more of them</li>
<li>Others opening their homes to welcome people without power</li>
</ul>
<br />
Hear Paul's words, again, "God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ." Jesus is alive in Houston County when his church loves its neighbors! Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-47426432105099429052017-08-23T09:51:00.001-04:002017-08-23T09:51:16.930-04:00Little Chapel on the Bonaire Prairie<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynxPwn8Hc2opU0Dj7mRA9WWdWWsJi_KTGGCi4CTiuamGy1_gybrnwzqTluUUQpp5aIimgFTNCg4b7hDhgCfDmSm0c30zVo6P46An11z3z8YHTlUKZw_zXK1s9z9nlxIaZRq1yiS2pzA4/s1600/DSC_0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynxPwn8Hc2opU0Dj7mRA9WWdWWsJi_KTGGCi4CTiuamGy1_gybrnwzqTluUUQpp5aIimgFTNCg4b7hDhgCfDmSm0c30zVo6P46An11z3z8YHTlUKZw_zXK1s9z9nlxIaZRq1yiS2pzA4/s320/DSC_0217.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bonaire Methodist Chapel, by Marie Holly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was this month, in 1894, that the Bonaire Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was completing construction on the chapel built by a handful of families from the farming community. Earlier that year, the Rev. M. B. Ferrell, a preacher at the Sandy Run church, choose Bonaire as a spot to try to plant a new church because it was the next stop headed south on the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway. That February a committee was formed to consider the formal development of an ongoing, worshiping congregation, and soon afterwards Mr. W. S. King donated land. By mid-summer, he and his two sons were joined by five other men in the actual building on the structure that we still worship in on Sundays.<br />
We don't have photographs from that August 1894, but mind does create images as I wander back there with questions about life in our community one-hundred and twenty three years ago.<br />
<br />
Was that August as hot as it is now?<br />
What did they do about the mosquitoes?<br />
Who provided the saw mill to cut the timber used in construction?<br />
How much traffic passed by on a average afternoon when the men worked on the church building after completing their work on their own respective farms?<br />
How vital was the support they received from their wives and families, that they saw the project completed in a such a short period of time?<br />
What visionary sketched out the plans for a room large enough room that it would still be used today to welcome new friends and guests?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
At the century mark, Earline Cole compiled a wonderful history of our church. She choose Psalm 102:18 as a theme, <i style="text-align: center;">Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord. </i>It is so true. We have been blessed by men and women, who could surely never have imagined the stream of persons yet unborn who would enter our little chapel. We are sending out invitations this week for our Church Anniversary on September 24 to give witness to the greatness of God. Mark your calendars now.<br />
Grace and peace, Scott<br />
Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-33571495107661469452017-08-16T08:53:00.002-04:002017-08-16T09:02:55.417-04:00The Storm Around You and Me<span class="text Mark-4-37" id="en-CEB-24357" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Mark-4-38" id="en-CEB-24358" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”</span><br />
<span class="text Mark-4-38" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">- Mark 4:37-38</span><br />
<span class="text Mark-4-38" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jm1HQ5BmA42xXYfGZEYa4OWbZVyVtoSPZMl9kZhYRmLvPH1zgjDxePUphdLAuYd2dNSpZv0Bn53Ok6SkwFu3pu7xUvapmjiRPzIVHpQYdcfKQTObXew6-IdUxMOt9dsYbPfoMlt3ETk/s1600/Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jm1HQ5BmA42xXYfGZEYa4OWbZVyVtoSPZMl9kZhYRmLvPH1zgjDxePUphdLAuYd2dNSpZv0Bn53Ok6SkwFu3pu7xUvapmjiRPzIVHpQYdcfKQTObXew6-IdUxMOt9dsYbPfoMlt3ETk/s320/Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Storm on the Sea of Galilee</i>, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1633 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="text Mark-4-38" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <b>Panic</b> is what we are tempted to do when waves come crashing in on the boat we are in. The disciples gave in to the temptation, even to the point that they accuse Jesus of not caring. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The disciples were afraid. They knew the lake well, most of them growing up on its shores and working its water from their youth. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">When things suddenly change, people panic and that reaction, left unchecked, tries to replace common sense and truth. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <b>Trust</b>. Fear was not the only option, though. Jesus was not acting based on fear; in fact, he was asleep on a pillow. Jesus trusts that the waves cannot do more than they can do. They cannot touch his soul or the souls of the men on that boat. </span><br />
<span class="text Mark-4-38" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> We are 10,000 miles from that lake. It happened 2,000 years ago. The languages spoken there are now dead, but the story is still very much alive. This story is important. When the boat we are in is being battered by the waves, we have a choice to give in to fear or to trust. This is a word for America. This is a word for me. Is it a word for you, too?</span><br />
<span class="text Mark-4-38" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> We are called to trust. We are called to give witness to the power of the one who calms the storms. We are called to not panic. The means of grace, given to us by God, to stay grounded in such trust include prayer, the scriptures, worship, and fasting. These get us through the storm.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Before the story is over, Jesus spoke and the winds and storm were immediately calmed. He has that kind of power. Our task is to trust and not give in to fear.</span><br />
<span class="text Mark-4-38" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Grace and peace, Scott</span>Scott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7672207436544155042.post-75998943792977649842017-08-09T20:56:00.000-04:002017-08-09T20:56:53.311-04:00Throw Your Best at the Problem<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Hx6RafFDOKeMyOOh7asE6KF4hGaQq7lXWq1o7rhJgPNPttt1niUjhSqBgwRSEDl6klYLyJGwa1zBv-C5nNrSf3vq-uVTi0bIxTac3dT3rvSBBqygeyYRVJoL_ByctebQXr-F70h20xY/s1600/subwaydelayed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="750" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Hx6RafFDOKeMyOOh7asE6KF4hGaQq7lXWq1o7rhJgPNPttt1niUjhSqBgwRSEDl6klYLyJGwa1zBv-C5nNrSf3vq-uVTi0bIxTac3dT3rvSBBqygeyYRVJoL_ByctebQXr-F70h20xY/s320/subwaydelayed.jpg" width="320" /></a> The subway system of New York City is wishing it were not in the news so frequently, lately. The system has experienced 32,000 delays in the past year, caused by overcrowding, crumbling tunnels, and an out-dated signal system that will take one billion US dollars and 50 years to fully replace. Did you know over 6 million passengers board the trains every day? They enter at any of the 472 stations along the routes that run under four boroughs. Earlier this week, to address some of the manageable causes of the delays, they deployed 1500 workers one night along the lines to make repairs.<br />
I know Houston County is a long way from New York City and very little about the subway makes you think about the church, but we do the same thing down here. We throw our best stuff - people - at our biggest concerns and challenges:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>When Jesus’ spoke to his disciples in his final moments before ascending to heaven, he told them to go.</li>
<li>When we learn someone lost a loved one unexpectedly, we go (with food).</li>
<li>When the Spirit moves us to feed and clothe our neighbors, we go get friends to help make it happen.</li>
<li>When we see an elderly neighbor needs help sprucing up his yard, we grab some gloves and go.</li>
<li>When our friend rises to make their way down front to pray at the altar, we go.</li>
<li>When the truck drops off tons of food to be packed and shipped around the world with Rise Against Hunger, we go pitch in.</li>
</ul>
<br />
The same is true for the families who gather with us every week. There is no greater responsibility than that of raising the next generation, so we send our people as parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, foster and adoptive parents, and even kind neighbors to help shine the light of Jesus on the concerns and challenges of growing up.<br />
We believe the church is called to partner with families to shine the light of Jesus into our kids’ worlds. This is so important, we throw our best at it every week: you.<br />
Grace and peace, ScottScott Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01920849849306568376noreply@blogger.com0