Clever Free Methodist

It is understandable that events in our past can be regretful, haunting and possibly crippling in our ability to move forward and make progress in a healthy and positive direction. In a proper healing environment, we can make strides in deepening our coping skills that make each day better than the one before. Despite the depth of grief, regret, frustration, disappointment and even self-blame over our past, we have to come to the realization that it is most healthy to move forward. I am, in no way, suggesting that we refuse to deal with the past, deny it or go on pretending that it never happened. We can enter each day with a greater perspective because of how we chose to deal with “yesterday” in a healthy, spiritual way. Isaiah 43:18 , tells us, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” The literal Hebrew says, “Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past.” It is not saying we refuse to acknowledge what has happened. It is not saying th

Worth! We have a human desire within us to be appreciated, recognized and to feel a worth that we are contributing and making a difference. We place value and worth on things that are important to us like our family, career, personal possessions and investments to include even our own life. Matthew 6:21 tells us that “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It is undeniable that where our treasures are in this life, is where our heart will lead us. What you place value upon and those things that are most important to you is where you will focus your attention, energies, and finances to pursue. So, I have to ask. What is most important to you? What is most valuable in your life? I hope, above and beyond, it is your relationship with Jesus Christ . Even Jesus challenged us with such a relationship when he spoke in Luke 14:26 , “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—su

We’ve heard the Christmas story many times and it is read aloud during this time of the season as well. The focus, of course, is that the Angels appeared out in the fields to tell the Shepherds that the baby Jesus had been born. I know some of you already know this, but have you ever stopped to really “dissect” the events of that night? Yes…the Angels. Yes…the Heavenly Host. Yes…the Shepherds. We get it!! But, wait, there is something else “there” during that announcement. Actually, I should say, SOMEONE else is there. In Luke 2:9 , “…and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.” It wasn’t the Angels or the Heavenly Host that terrified them (although their sudden appearance could do that). They were terrified because God suddenly appeared in radiant form along with the Angels. The announcement was of such indescribable importance to the world that God was physically present as a testament to its truth. Yes, God was physically "there" that holy night

The last page of the calendar is now showing prominently and a blanket of snow covers our lands under a blanket of glistening flakes and sparkling powder. This image reminds me of the words of the Lord in Isaiah 1:18, “…Although your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow….” Forgiveness can set us free from many things. Forgiveness of sins is a message of hope and a promise of being reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is a message we need to hear always and especially in the weeks leading to Christmas Day. People need to know that there is a hope for the future….a way to make amends for mistakes and a way to recover from regrets of wasted time and life passed. Life is hard, challenging and even sometimes discouraging, if not, life-altering. The Holiday season can, sometimes, magnify these troubling issues to make them seem worse than they really are. We need help rising above these challenges the world (and life) throws at us.

We have quoted Romans 8:28 many times even if we didn’t quite remember that it was that particular Scripture passage. It says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” The focus on this passage is the glaring statement “God causes everything to work together….” Everything means everything! What that means is “nothing is excluded” in our lives that will not, in some way, come out working together. That is why it is important to keep a heart of gratitude and our mouths overflowing with the resounding words of thanksgiving. Despite how desperate our situation may be or how riddled our life may be with disabilities, tragedy, hardship, financial woes, job loss or other deep challenges, we can be assured that these issues have a purpose and will never be in vain.  Even if it appears there is no end in sight or no conceivable good to come out of your situation, we are assu

Prayer is essential. Prayer is vital. Prayer is both corporate and personal. Prayer is more than just “sending up requests to God.” It is praise and recognition and it is petitioning for asking God’s will upon this earth. We pray as a means to seek forgiveness, reconciliation, and our daily needs. So, there is much in prayer. But, above all, the most important thing to remember about prayer is it is a personal, loving and intimate time between us and God our Father. The good news of prayer is that it isn’t just for us. We have the absolute privilege to pray for our family and for others. This is commonly referred to as “ intercessory prayer .” We can intercede for others by talking with God about their needs and to ask Him to intervene on their behalf. One of the prayers that we can pray for others and, most importantly, for our children is from Colossians 1:9-11 . These verses in Colossians can be set to prayer and personalized for those you are praying for daily….j

Jesus said a lot of things…obviously. Some things he said were quite shocking and still, today, radical. In Luke 14:26 Jesus stated, "If anyone comes to Me without hating his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters,  indeed his very self, he cannot be My follower." Who could do that? Is that even obtainable or an achievable goal? Yes! Discipleship is radical, but obtainable. If it wasn’t possible, Jesus would never challenge us with pursuing discipleship. To be a disciple of Jesus is the most radical of all commitments. The relationship of Jesus' disciples with Him is in a class by itself. In comparison with our love for Jesus, all other loves seem as hatred. It isn’t that we are to “literally” hate people like our parents and children, but in comparison to Jesus, we are loving them less than we love Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is to be supreme. It is more important than our very lives. When we are truly disciples of Jesus,

Jesus used many different styles of teaching. There were also times when Jesus would teach with stern authority because he wanted to be clear in his intent. These were moments he issued commands . Not suggestions. Not general “take it or leave it” statements to ponder. Commands….period. A command is “to direct with authority” or something “demanded.” It is an action or assignment directed from Superior to a subordinate that must be carried out with undue haste and with the utmost effort for the greatest degree of success. Jesus gave us such a command in Matthew 28:19-20 , “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you….” Simply put, we ARE to make disciples and teach them to obey the teachings of Jesus. This isn’t open to debate or discussion nor is it open to be modified or ignored. We must obey this command of Jesus. If we are

“Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love, our God is an awesome God!” This chorus has been sung countless times in Churches, events, and gatherings for many years. It has touched the lives of millions. You may be quite familiar with this song “Awesome God” by the late Rich Mullins. Yes, our God is awesome. Nehemiah 1:5 and 4:14 , are two verses that declare, “…Lord God of Heaven, O great and awesome God…Remember the Lord, great and awesome….” But, have we ever stopped to consider the true meaning behind the Biblical use of the word “awesome” in reference to God the Father? The Hebrew word that translates to “awesome” is derived from a verb meaning “to fear.” The good news, is this word “fear” does NOT mean “frightening” or to be afraid of something. Rather, it is the nature of one’s heart and soul that inspires reverence or godly awe . This type of “fear” is closely synonymous with godly living. Think of it this way….wh

1 John 2:27 is pretty “straight to the point” as it says “Just as [the Holy Spirit] has taught you…remain in fellowship with Christ.” The key word here is “ remain !” Once we accept Jesus as our Savior (become born-again), we must realize this isn’t the end…at all. Just the opposite !! It is only the beginning . After receiving Christ, we are challenged to move forward from where we are now to grow ever closer to Him. The worst possible condition for a human being is to “not remain” in Jesus after having truly received Him. In other words, treating “salvation” as nothing more than a “fire insurance policy” or some type of spiritual “guarantee” that we “won’t go to hell, now!” To “get saved” and then just turn away and go on with my life just the way it was before I became a Christian is “not how it works” or why salvation is accepted. To become a Christian, and then to fail to grow, obey, change and become stronger is horribly sad if not a humiliating disaster. The Bible say

Work with me on this one, please. As a retired military chaplain, I have studied many faith groups. One in particular had a very interesting “teaching” of sorts. Don't be shocked or alarmed, but I learned something from Satanism and from studying some of the teachings in  The Satanic Bible  written by Anton  LaVey . Like I said, work with me. We can learn something from this to help us. I came across a concept known as  "psychic vampire."  In a nut-shell, it is a person who is emotionally immature and not overly respectful of those around them. This is basically a process where someone simply emotionally drains the life from other people. These are people who “have it worse than you” and always seem to complain about everything. Nothing is ever good enough. They will always blame others. They will always make a mountain out of a molehill. They are so miserable that they can manipulate any circumstance into trying to make you feel guilty for not “understand

People can be mean. People can be hurtful. People can even become hostile to the point of not only hurting, but attacking, abusing, and killing. It is not easy to withstand the verbal and physical abuses of another person. It is even more chilling when they group together and join forces to inflict their pain and destruction. What sparked this thought? Well, I was intrigued by a statement made by Jesus referring to our enemies. This statement only appears two times in the entire New Testament. Both references are found in Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28. It says “…pray for them which despitefully use you.” Have we ever stopped to wonder what “despitefully using” someone looks like? We need to know because Jesus requires us to pray for such people. The phrase “despitefully use” means to “treat abusively,” “to accuse falsely,” “to threaten,” or “to revile” (insult/condemn/censure/berate). Jesus says to pray for these people who dreadfully do these kinds of things to others.

Life is not easy and it is not void of struggle, challenges, pain, sorrow, loss, grief, and suffering. I am sure I can come up with more words than that, but this article would soon blossom to two to three pages in length. I am sure we are familiar with the trials and frustrations of Job in the Old Testament. Some of us might even be familiar with the words of Habakuk in 1:2 , “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” When things don’t go well or something tragic or unfortunate befalls us, we are faced with the struggles of crying out to God, “why me?” “Why, God, did you let this happen?” Many times, we too, grow frustrated and angry at God, for how He chooses to work within our situations and circumstances. We sure do end up asking God a lot of “why” questions. I believe “why” could be the wrong word to be using. Asking “why” seems to imply a lack of faith, ungratefulness, and, somehow, that we think God owes us an explanation, an answer or reaso

We’ve probably have all heard the little tune “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I learned this as a child, but as I grew older over the years, it became more and more apparent that this small jingle is far from the truth. Words can hurt me. Words can be deadly and even life-threatening. I have concluded that the only form of homicide that goes unpunished in the world today is “verbal homicide.” We can use words to “kill” the self-esteem of another person. We can “kill” their potential or "kill" their momentum and ability to grow and learn. All by the words we use. Proverbs 18:20 (NLT) tells us, “Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.” Proverbs 11:9 (NLT) also says “With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.” We need to seriously consider the choice of words we use when speaking to others. We must formulate in our minds, before speaking, wo

It says in Hebrews 11:1 , “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” We use faith many times and in many ways throughout our daily routine. In practical ways, we live by faith all the time. We have faith that our doctors are competent. That’s why we let them prescribe medicines and operate on us. When we eat at a restaurant, we trust that the cooks and kitchen staff are fully trained and take all precautionary measure to be healthy, sanitary and clean when handling and preparing the food and beverages. Faith is like that! Faith has a lot to do with confidence and trust. Faith is what allows us to take the evidence that is right before our eyes – evidence of God’s presence, his goodness, and his love – and trust that our Heavenly Father is working things out for our good regardless if what we are experiencing is good, bad, stressful, or joyful. It is a trust that says “I know God won’t abandon me.” Faith is a radical, all-encomp

During a random conversation on Church service styles, one person referred to the music at their Church as “Praise and Worship.” In response to that, another individual (from a different Church) responded by saying “isn’t saying ‘praise and worship’ redundant since they basically mean the same thing?” Some agreed, but the others said “no” because they understood that praise and worship are not identical. I will agree….they are not the same, but they are directed to the same person (God). When it comes to “praise” and “worship” it must be understood from two totally different acts of expression to God the Father. Let’s take a look: PRAISE : This word appears 248 times throughout 216 verses in the Bible. The word implies boasting and to show commendation. I also like the implication of “to shine” and “to celebrate.” In some uses (Psalms) it also indicates physical attributes such as raising the hands, bowing, and dancing. In the book of Revelation it speaks of honor and enth