Circle the Wagons

Well, we all should have drawn a few circles by now. Our Bibles should look like a one sided tic tac toe game. But do those circles have a "if you would just" in them? I know that I have prayed a few of those in the past. And yes, they may have included a parking spot at Kohl's.

It's easy to hear a no for a parking spot, but not so easy to hear no to a healing. Let's face it, I'm not very fond of the word in any circumstance. That is why I am trying to change the way I pray. Why would I want to limit God? This is the God that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask.

Limit Him, I think not.

Though I will not share all of my circles, I will share one. I have circled the United Methodist Women, otherwise know as UMW. I will also tell you this. I am not limiting God with a specific list of wants. His imagination is WAY better than mine. I ask for his blessings and let him fill in the blanks.

So let us "Circle the wagons" so to speak. Circle our lives and circle our dreams. I just can't wait to see how He answers this one!

The Circle Maker

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." That is the first prayer I ever learned. It's simple, it rhymes, and it's a little bit scary. But as an adult, do my prayers measure up? Are they so luke warm that God is bored with them? Are they so vague that we don't need God to make them come true?

I know I have been guilty of this in the past. I think when it gets right down to it, prayer is a little bit scary. There is always a chance that our prayers will go unanswered. So if I don't ask, I won't have to feel rejected. God's will is not always my will, and that is hard. But what if we prayed within God's will? What if we were relentless in our prayers. There would be no limits.

Over the next four weeks, we are going to explore the book "The Circle Maker". I am about 40 pages in and it is a great read. I believe that this is a book that will change lives. We have all underestimated the power of prayer. I know I have. I encourage everyone to get in a small group so we can discover the legend of Honi together.

Mary's Prayer

Oh Heavenly Father,

As I sit here tonight, I wonder, why me?

 How am I equipped to do this thing, which I am so obviously called to do?

As I ponder this, I know it really does not matter.

 Here I am, holding this magnificent baby boy.

When he looks up at me, the whole world melts away.

 I get lost in his love.

It’s almost like he IS love.

I want you to know Father, that I will do my best to raise your son.

 I will feed him, and change him, and sing him to sleep.

I will do all the things that you cannot do here on earth.

But Father, don’t ask me not to love him, because I already do.

He holds my heart in those tiny little fingers.

No matter what tomorrow holds for us,

this future king will always be my little boy.

Written by

Trish McAllister

December 2012

Reclaiming Christmas

I love Christmas, I really do. I love the music, I love the food, I love the corny Christmas specials on TV, I love giving presents, and I love receiving them too! Wait, I was supposed to mention Jesus too. Oh rats, and I have already clicked on publish!!! How embarrassing!!!! What ever will pastor Hector think.....

OK, you got me. I did that on purpose. But how many of us think that way. When you go through the lists of chores in your mind, does thanking God for the greatest gift of all, ever show up on that list?  Oh, but I have a good reason for it. First I had that party, then I had to get the Christmas cards out (I just hate the Christmas cards.), then there was shopping and wrapping and more shopping. There just was not time.

Here is the thing, God does not want our excuses, He wants our heart. He wants us to stop the madness for ten seconds and just say thank you. He wants us to understand what all the fuss is about.
No, He wants us to feel it in our soul. You see, if we did, it wouldn't just change this season, it would change our lives.

So join me in reclaiming Christmas. Nothing crazy or extreme like no presents. Let's promise to thank God every day between now and Christmas. Let's thank Him for that little boy, that grew to be the man, that changed  the world.

Authentic Relationship

What does an authentic relationship with God look like? Do only monks and nuns get to experience a first hand relationship with the creator of the universe? If I can master Facebook, surely I can talk with God....can't I? The good news is that everyone can have that relationship. The real question is, do you want it?

Are you ready to take that step of faith and pray "not my will, but your will be done"?  How about "I turn my life over to you Lord." The problem with praying those 8 words, God never thinks small. He doesn't know how. So when you pray that prayer, you are giving up on the illusion of control. You can plan, and plot, and schedule all you want, but at any minute your life could completely change course. I can pretty much guarantee that you won't see it coming, but I can also guarantee that it will be spectacular.

We also have to remember, that spectacular to God is not the same as it is to you and me. Material gain is not that high on Gods wish list. An inner piece, a changed heart, and a relationship with each and every one of His children...now that's a wish list. Let's stop trying to fill the void in our life with IPads and XBoxes. What a great time of year to embark on a new adventure with God. Give Him your life, you won't be sorry.

Our Own Slice of Heaven

Am I living each day as though it were a gift from God? Am I doing what I can to achieve heaven on earth? I think my answer is like most peoples, "no" with a touch of "yes" sprinkled in occasionally. I can't imagine how awesome it would be if I got up every morning with Heaven in my heart, and then let that shine through my day. Wouldn't that be a place everyone would want to live?

Instead my day is filled with complaints about the weather and a certainty that I will win the lottery...even though I don't play. Did Jesus really die on the cross so I could fill my evenings watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Although, after an hour of watching that show, my life seems pretty boring.

My first step toward a heavenly life, is making each decision as though Jesus is with me. I know it may sound cliche', but thinking to myself "What would Jesus do in this situation?" works for me. I just need to start doing it more often. I can think of so many heart aches that I could have avoided if I just would have applied those 7 little words. I may not be able to correct the past, but I certainly can influence the future by controlling my own actions.

What are everyone else's thoughts on making Holton the next best thing to Heaven? What would you do?????

Language of love

Let me start out by saying how truly blessed we are to have Hector and Sherri as a part of the Evangel family. They bring something to the church that I can't explain. They are the ying to our yang, the ice cream to our pie. (Ooh, Sorry Pastor Dennis, you probably want to be the ice cream and Hector be the pie. I digress.) Having both Pastor Dennis and Pastor Hector is a dream come true.

I came to this realization on Saturday night as Hector and Sherri delivered the message as one. It was a rhythmic and fluid, not unlike the music we had just heard. It was beautiful. Gods message being communicated in Spanish and English. I have no doubt that this is music to God's ears.

Even when he is not giving the sermon for the week, Sherri is in the back translating the word of God for young families. Do we have any idea how blessed we are? These families will be impacted for generations, just because we opened our doors and our hearts to them. We need to love them and welcome them, so that they see a glimpse of Jesus's love in us. Join me in embracing the new language of love.