Clever Free Methodist

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.” As we move into the New Year, I recall over the last month (December) during Advent, we opened our hearts to be ready to receive Jesus. We were challenged to grow ever closer to Him. After the world-changing,  calendar-defining, cosmos-altering birth of Jesus, we flocked to Church to  receive Jesus in a deeper way at Christmas. Now it is just over a week past Christmas. Numerous people are packing away the ornaments and taking down their Christmas trees (even though the Christmas season doesn’t officially end until January 6, 2019). The verse from 1 John (at the start of this article) challenges us to "remain in" Jesus   rather than, like our Christmas decorations, to "pack Him away until next Advent" (which, by the way, starts Sunday, 1 December 2019). The worst possible condition for a human being is to “not remain” in J...

Recently, I have become even more aware of a growing trend within me. It seems that I am encountering an unusual amount of disappointment that has been "challenging my joy!" I am not saying that I am purposely trying to be a pessimist or “looking” for every situation to be where “the glass is half empty instead of half full.” I am talking about things that are more than just a misunderstanding when things turn out differently than I expected. It is missing the mark or out-right failure of meeting the standards that catches my attention. For instance, I pay extra for 3-day shipping for an on-line order only for it to arrive a week later with no apologies or refund. I come into work on my day off in order to meet with a friend only for them to call at the last minute to say they can’t make it. I order and pay for a gift on-line and choose for it to be “picked up at the store” (because it is in stock and I want to surprise someone) only to get an email stating “we’re sorr...

It inevitably happens around this time of year…a card, gift bag, or present with the “abbreviation” of the holiday greeting “Merry X-Mas!” Merry WHAT??? Wait just a minute! In today’s societal norms of “being offended” by everything, I might be quick to emphatically state, “Don't you dare replace the name of "Christ" with an "X!" Now, of course, I'm being a little facetious, but in all honesty, I can't tell you how irritating it was and how angry it made me when I would see someone who would use an "X" instead of "Christ" when displaying or writing out the word "Christmas." The same was true for any marquee, business or sign that displayed that big 'ol "X" instead of the name of "Christ." I thought "how lazy, irreverent, and sacrilegious must you be to 'x-out' Christ?" Until I learned an interesting theological point behind the "X" did I finally become comfortable...

There are quite a few mind-twisting concepts, statements, and words in the Bible such as "propitiation," "sanctification," and "regeneration." If you think those are relatively tame, I challenge you to tackle the book of Revelation. But, seriously, despite these things, I feel there is still  one word  not many have thought about as being a  difficult word  to understand, comprehend, and live out. I am talking about the word  "walk."  So you respond,  "are you kidding? The word 'w-a-l-k' as in 'putting one foot in front of the other?'"  Yes, THAT word. After all, “walking” is referenced well over 200 times in the Bible. The first reference to walking comes as early as Genesis 3:8 , where Adam and Eve “heard the Lord God walking about in the Garden in the cool of the evening.” Also, one of the most preached “walking story” of Jesus is the post-resurrection event of traveling along with the two disciples on the roa...

Have you ever had something go terribly wrong, fall apart, or become rejected only to find out that a co-worker, family member or dear friend was the "culprit" behind the dismantling process?  Nothing is more painful than betrayal etched in the cold stone of slander and malice. Have you ever had a neighbor or co-worker who just cannot accept you and is constantly criticizing your work, talking viciously about you behind your back, and doing what they can to frustrate you and keep you on edge? Then guess what? You are a recipient of  Lateral Violence.  This is an interesting concept I came across that seems to be more prevalent today than ever before. According to the "definition," Lateral Violence is bullying that takes the form of back-stabbing, innuendo, infighting, sabotage, verbal affronts, failure to respect privacy, and others. This bullying always includes an imbalance of power, an intent to harm, and the threat of further aggression. This usu...

There are some people who can't seem to talk about anything but what is hurting them, what isn't fair, what stinks and how bad things are at the moment. Whether it is life in general, politics, a Facebook post, or how things are at Church, they are constantly "dumping their garbage" on every possible unsuspecting "victim" who happens to accidentally use the greeting "so, how's it going?" For some, you get it whether you want to hear it or not! That reminds me of the   "Law of the Garbage Truck" . ...which is told: "One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was rea...

I read with interest the introductory words of the Apostle Paul in  Philippians 1:12 when he talks of his own personal hardship and possible disappointments, sadness, and struggles. He said in  verse 12 ,  "Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel."  I honestly don't know if I could say those words with full assurance while sitting in prison especially when I know I haven't committed any crime or broke any law. I wonder how many of us, when faced with a set-back, illness, job loss, or other life-challenging situation, would step back and happily exclaim  "well, at least this will advance the gospel of Christ!"  Don't get me wrong, because as we know from the book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, there IS a season to mourn and to grieve  loss, to weep because of disappointment and set-backs. There is also a season to be angry and to ask questions during these momentous t...