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You did it for the least of these…..

25 Saturday Nov 2017

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We have arrived at the end of Christ’s public ministry in the book of Matthew. Matthew’s gospel was written in the last half of the first century with an emphasis on the fulfillment of Christ as the Messiah.
This passage of scripture opens with the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy from the book of Daniel, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, and then he will sit on the throne of his glory.”

Christ is in the last week of his life. He has spoken parable after parable of what it will be like upon his return and the work, we as Christians should be about until his return to this world. Christ gives fair and ample warning about what will happen come Judgment Day.

Today’s scripture is titled, ‘The Last Judgment.’ “All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.”

All nations means just that – all Jews, Gentiles, everyone from everywhere. Separating the sheep from the goats was a common practice for shepherds in biblical times.
Having mixed herds was common, at night sheep would be placed in an open pasture, while the goats needed to be protected from the cold. Sheep have more commercial value than goats do.

The bible oftentimes makes reference to the vocation of being a shepherd. God’s people are often times referred to as sheep, whether we like it or not. Have you ever wondered why………

Given the context and setting – 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, being a shepherd and tending to livestock was a common occupation – people could identify with it.

Sheep need protection, guidance and provision. It is also believed that sheep respond to the voice of their shepherd.

We share these things in common. We are also in need of guidance, provision and protection and if we take the time to listen we will also recognize the voice of our shepherd, of the one that provides, protects and guides.

A shepherd had to be willing to lay down his or her life for who and what they were protecting. Christ, our shepherd, was willing to and did the same when he laid down his life for us.

On that Day of Judgment, when the Son of Man returns in all his glory, the herd will be separated, like the parables of the past two weeks – the wise and foolish bridesmaids and the servants who were charged with investing their owner’s estate.

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.

I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

Our God is omnipotent and omnipresent. He has unlimited power, he knows everything and is always present. Everywhere all the time, to everyone. The God we serve is a God for everyone.

Our God champions the poor, the marginalized and disenfranchised. Our God is a god of the poor, downtrodden and forgotten. A god of the hungry, thirsty, sick, lame and the incarcerated.

A God of the homeless, those in care facilities, nursing homes, the homebound and all those that can’t do for themselves. We do not need to look any further than Christ’s life and who he spent time with during his ministry.

He spent time with those that needed him most. He eased their suffering through his own acts of mercy. He gave sight to the blind, provided living water and broke the shackles of sin that enslave us.

After they have been separated the righteous answered, “Lord when was it that we say you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? When was it that we say you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?

When was it that we say you sick or in prison and visited you? The righteous seemed to be surprised and unsure how to answer God’s question. We don’t remember seeing you or we would have surely given you food, drink, clothing and visited you.

I am reminded of Mother Teresa’s life and example. Taking care of the dying, cleaning their wounds, teaching young children by writing the letters of the alphabet in the dirt with a stick.

She said that each person she interacted with was Jesus in a distressing disguise. Each person, every human being bears the image of the Creator and deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.

The king answered the righteous, “Truly, I tell you just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” When you treated one of the least of these well, someone that could do nothing for you, you did it for the very God that we serve.

Then, Christ will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.

I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. The accursed when into panic mode, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry, thirsty, as a stranger, naked or imprisoned and did not take care of you?”

Pleading their case they are. If we only would have known we would have stepped up to the plate. If we hadn’t fallen in love with everything that the world has to offer we would have taken care of you.

If they had only not fallen into temptation, if they could have only gotten past themselves, if they would have only taken to know our God and his heart the accursed may have had a different outcome.

The challenge of being a Christian in a world of commercialism, advertising and temptation. The challenge of living a spiritual life in a body of flesh and blood.
It can be very difficult. I think it would be hard, almost impossible to know the heart of our God without spending time with him, without reading his word or spending time with others that believe in him.

This chapter from scripture, the 25th chapter of Matthew gives another window into the heart of our God.

There is no mention in today’s scripture of church affiliation, tradition, attendance or giving. It is about how we treat others. It is about having compassion and spending time with those that are suffering. It is about living merciful lives and easy the burden of others.

This scripture speaks to the heart of a God of compassion, a god of mercy, it speaks to a god of love. May we always be about God’s work.

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC
Author of Incomplete

 

 

 

The parable of the talents….

18 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews, Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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We are closing in the on the holidays already which doesn’t seem possible.  Soon we will be in the season of Advent in the church, a season of waiting and anticipation of Christ’s return. 

Like last week’s scripture, today’s scripture is about what we do while we wait for Christ’s return.  Today’s scripture is titled, “The Parable of the Talents.”

At this point in Matthew’s gospel Christ is in his final days.  He has returned to Jerusalem for the last time.  His final parables in Matthew’s account are about what we are to be doing while waiting for his return.

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.

 A talent was a measure of weight in biblical times.  The master of the estate was incredibly wealthy.  A talent is about 75 pounds of precious metal.  75 pounds.  An ounce of gold today is worth around $1,300. 

If you do the math a talent or 75 pounds of gold today is worth around $1.5 million dollars.  That is one talent, the first servant got five and the second servant got two. 

What does scripture say that the master of the estate did after giving this large amount of money to his servants…….He went away.  He didn’t give them any instructions.  He just gave it to them.  It seems apparent that he trusts them to be wise with it.

Helluva nice guy isn’t he.  What if I were to tell you that the master in this parable is Christ, he left but not before giving a bounty to his people?  What if I told you that the servants in this parable were you and I? 

That we have been given a treasure or a talent in the form of intellect, knowledge, life experience, talent, time, our ability to earn and a ton of his grace to boot?

And what if I told you that someday we will have to account for what we did with our God-given talent?  I will come back to that.

The master of the estate, he just left.  No directions, no instructions.  The servants were free to do what they would with what they were entrusted with, much like we are.  I want to talk about this for a minute.

Our God, the God that we serve limits himself in this parable and he does this often.  He limits himself so that others have an opportunity to lead and flourish. 

Christ, being of the same spiritual substance of The Father, came to this earth in the same limited manner that we exist, in flesh and blood.  Bound by time and space among other things. 

He limited himself as a penniless, itinerant carpenter turned preacher who emptied himself of his divinity to take on our broken condition.  He goes beyond limiting himself, he completely emptied himself.

He lived like the poorest of the poor with the poorest of the poor and spent his time with the lowest of the low.  Now, Christ did heal people, he performed miracles, he brought people that were dead back to life. 

But he lives his time on this earth consistently restrained.  And why would he do that………Is it because he hands the keys to the kingdom over to us, to each one of us?  That he wants each one of us to be about his work.

Is it because we are in his final days in the book of Matthew and he is making sure to make his point that he is leaving and these are the expectations for those who profess to know him?

God calls us to lead in one form or another.  Leadership isn’t about titles, we are called to lead our families, our church, our community, our school and many other things.

We weren’t made to sit on the sidelines idly watching the world go by.  Here is another window into my cynical and twisted mind.  In my experience in different leadership positions those that sat idly by, not only did they not help, they consistently attacked, smeared and hurled insults at the ones trying to get things done. 

Enough of that.  We are called to lives of service.  He are called to lead, we are called to be in ministry and we are called to be the light in this world.  We don’t retire from Christian service.  As long as there is air in our lungs we are called to be of service to the church.

After leaving his servants to do what they would with his money, the master returned.  “The one who had received the five talents had gone off and traded and made five more talents.”  He had doubled his master’s money.

“In the same way, the one who had been given two talents made two more talents.”  He also had doubled his master’s money.  Pretty impressive, do you know how much time it would take to double your money – legally?

“But the one who had received one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”  After a long time the master, or Christ in this example, returns.  He is anxious to see what his people have done with what he has entrusted them with.

The one given five talents had pleased his master, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant, you have been trustworthy in a few things.  I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”  Enter into the kingdom and splendor of God’s presence.

The one given two talents had also pleased his master and is greeted the same, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant, you have been trustworthy in a few things.  I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”

The servant given one talent had to give his account of what he had done with what he had been given.  This servant’s response appears to be more of a reflection on his own character than the nature of the God we serve.

“Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, gathering where you did not scatter seed, so I was afraid and I hid your talent in the ground.  Here you have what is yours.” 

The third servant, the one given one talent sat idly by.  After many years, maybe even a lifetime he had not been about his master’s work.  I envision this servant shrugging his shoulders as he hands the money back and then goes on the offensive about how it isn’t really his fault.  It is the master’s fault, it is God’s fault that I didn’t do anything productive with what he gave me.

The master was not happy.  “You wicked and lazy servant!  You knew, did you that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed?  Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it with interest.”

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten talents.  For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 

“As for this servant, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

A warning parable about the accounting we will have to do when Christ returns.  Everyone is gifted whether they think they are or not.  The gifts we are given vary from person to person, no one gift is better or more important than another.  Those gifts are not to be wasted or to sit idle.

In this season of Thanksgiving, as we approach Advent and the celebration of Christ’s birth, let us be about God’s work in this world.  Let us feed, clothe and minister to the poor.  Let us be the church.  Let us be the light, the city on a hill that give sight to the blind and ears to hear for those that need to know our God.

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

Authority.

01 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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I mentioned last week that we are near the end of Christ’s life in the book of Matthew.  He had made his triumphal return to the city of Jerusalem for the last time.  He had been hailed as a king, “Hosanna, Hosanna, in the highest!”

His relationship with the high priests, those that studied and were experts on religious custom and the law was contentious prior to his arrival in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, a time of celebration for the Jewish people.

The people hailed him as a king when he entered the city.  Then Christ had the audacity to go to the temple and drive out those who were selling animals to be sacrificed in the temple.  Jewish people traveled from great distance to celebrate, worship and offer a sacrifice to their God.

Those that did the commerce in the temple took a little for themselves.  Let us exploit these travelers, these pilgrims.  Christ kept reversing the norm and upsetting those that took advantage of others. 

In today’s scripture, Christ enters the temple again, the very same place where he had just run those trying to make a profit.  He was teaching and preaching.

Those religions leaders I spoke of have had enough of him.  They approach him and ask, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Why do you keep upsetting us, why are we the butt of these riddles you speak of, why do you keep exposing us?  That is what I think is going through their minds.  What gives you the right, who do you think you are?

To their defense not many people knew Christ’s true identity.  He didn’t flaunt it around, instead he kept it a secret oftentimes. 

Knowing that they were out to get him Christ responded to their question with a question, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.  Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”

Where did John the Baptist get his authority?  It was granted to him by our God of course.  He was called to be the voice out in the wilderness, paving the way for his cousin, Jesus the Messiah.  John the Baptist was wildly popular and had disciples of his own.

After discussing this among themselves, the chief priests, elders and scribes respond, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘why then did you not believe him?’  But if we say, ‘of human origin, we are afraid of the crowd for all regard John as a prophet.” 

“We don’t know.”  That was their answer, we don’t know.  Christ answered them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Discovering who Christ truly is should be central to our lives.  We should want the answer to the question that was posed…..Oh that’s easy, Christ is God’s son, he’s part of the trinity that many don’t fully understand, there is your answer.

That is a correct, but dangerously superficial answer.  The Christian journey is a life-long adventure into finding the truth in our own lives.  That search for truth always points us in the direction of our God. 

You know, I read this week’s scripture early this week and I was sure that I was going to struggle with it.  So I read it again and I was still sure I was going to labor with this reading from Matthew because the meaning within it wasn’t obvious to me.

I would like to think I can read scripture and know pretty quick what direction I’m going to go with it.  That wasn’t the case with this in spite of the fact that my bible titles this encounter, “The Authority of Jesus Questioned.”

It was questioned during his lifetime.  It is questioned now.  Does God exist, can you see the work of his hand in this world, can you see the work of his people? 

I like to think that I stick to the scripture, but I got to thinking about authority when I was struggling with this scripture. 

Authority.  Was it important to respect and obey your parents growing up?  Of course it was, we didn’t always do it, but they are our parents and they are an authority figure.

Did, or are, you supposed to listen to your teachers?  Your coaches?  To those in law enforcement, your doctor, your attorney, your parole officer – if you have one and maybe even your pastor….Why……

Because each is an authority figure and each has power and influence and hopefully they know what they are doing.  Our God is the ultimate authority figure, to whom we will have to give an account of our deeds someday.

Authority figures give us advise, they look out for our best interest and they tell us what to do and that is where things don’t go so good.  How many of you like to be told what to do?  How many of you didn’t do something because someone told you to do it?

All of us have probably done that.  We like to have options, make our own choices, I don’t like being ordered to do something.  It seems like we live in a time where authority figures are questioned, judged and blamed.

It’s not my child’s fault, the fault lies with the teacher, with the coach, the principal or whoever it was that tried to provide something that looked like discipline. 

We desperately need authority in our lives.  We depend on it.  We need leaders within our church, our school our community that have the courage to step up and lead in spite of the insults hurled at them.

We depend on authority, we need it, we have to have it.  We depend and are reliant on Christ’s authority.  If Christ is not God’s son, if he did not die on a cross and was resurrected three days later we are all wasting our time.  You should have slept in this morning and you certainly should not be paying me to preach to you.

We would be random people living random lives that made little sense.  I would rather believe that I am wonderfully made than I descended from an ape or caveman. 

We need to respect and honor our God’s authority, we need to listen for his voice, for his guidance and direction.  Once we hear it, once we make time to listen for it.  He has a calling for each of us.

Doesn’t mean it is to be a minister, a missionary or a monk or a nun.  We have to take the courage to answer that call, to submit to that authority. 

I think that is what authority is.  We minded our parents, for the most part hopefully, and submitted to what they wanted us to do because they had our best interest in mind in trying to teach us and mold us into hard-working, law-abiding citizens.

Teachers, coaches, family and friends have played the same role in our lives.  It is no different with our God.  

He has looked after and cared for us when we turned our back on him.  We’ve had to endure and suffer and we didn’t like it, it was awful.  But did it make us better?  Did it allow us to be grateful and feel blessed for all that we did have? 

The authority of our God, in three persons, is absolute and pure.  The bible is God’s word, his letter to each of us, it is how he reveals himself in the written word.  It has authority.  Let us honor our God who works tirelessly to bring us closer to him. 

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

http://www.incompletedevotional.com

The kingdom of heaven…….

23 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by in Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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This week the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, an owner of an estate, head of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 

Before I continue, in Christ’s parables we are invited into the story to find ourselves a part of it.  With the hope that we can apply the lesson to our own lives.

The landowner, a person of means goes into town to find people to work on his land.  He goes out around 6 am and makes an agreement with those he finds there to work for the usual daily wage, a Roman denarius. 

The landowner went to the marketplace again at 9 am and saw others standing idle in the marketplace and said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.”  And so they went.

Before I continue through this parable, does anyone know or suspect who the landowner is……..The landowner is Christ.  The marketplace is the world.  And the vineyard is……………….Christ’s church.  Any guess who the idle laborers are? 

I was an idle laborer for many years.  An idle laborer seems contradictory.  It could be used to describe many of us at some point in our life, it but for a short season.

As a landowner seeks out laborers to work on his land, Christ is seeking, calling and employing laborers to be about the work of his church.  It is important for us to be about the work of the church.

Yes, we know Pastor.  I don’t know much about much, but I believe that once we become complacent, once the status quo is acceptable as a church, the church begins to die.  That is an important reason it is important to be about the work of the church.

The landowner had gone out early in the morning, again at nine, he goes out again at noon and three and finds more laborers to employ.  He goes out at the eleventh hour, or around 5 pm and found others standing around and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?”

What have you been doing here, nothing?  They said, “Because no one has hired us.”  No one has put us to work, no one has invited us to the vineyard to work, or invited us to church to be part of a community.

So, here are all these laborers.  Some have been working all day under the hot sun since early in the morning.  Some started at noon and some just showed up.  And now we’ve arrived at the end of the work day.

It was a common practice and an expectation of those that you employed that they were paid at the end of the day in biblical times. 

So, it is quitting time.  A hard day’s work for some, an hour of work for others…..I’ve talked about how Christ reversed the expectations of what people expected.

In this parable the landowner said to his foreman, “Call the laborers and given them their pay, beginning with the last and giving to the first.”

This parable has been very straight forward so far, but here is where it gets tricky.  Those that had started working last came forward and they were paid the usually daily wage, a Roman denarius.  

What a generous guy this man is.  If he paid a day’s wage for working for an hour, just think he will pay those that have worked since early this morning, since 9 am and since noon.  Am I right?  If I had been there since 6-7 am I would be thinking, YES.  Today is going to be a good day.  I’m eating steak tonight.

Guess how much the all the workers got paid regardless of how long they worked……….the same amount.  One Roman denarius.  One day’s wage.

And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner saying, “These last worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”

I would be right there with them.  This is a bunch of crap.  I’ve been working all day, I deserve more.  I worked harder, I worked more.  Have you ever noticed how sometimes you or someone you work with or someone you know thinks they are entitled to more?

I’m as guilty as anyone.  There are times when we covet what God gives to others, blind to all that he has done for us.  I’m easily as bad as anyone here today when it comes to coveting.  I want a nicer house, a fancier car, a bigger bank account and everything else I want and I want it right now. 

If I see someone’s existence as more comfortable or easier I want it.  They don’t deserve it, I do.  God, why can’t I have it?  I completely dismiss all that I have been given.  We have all worked hard in our lives, but there is little to nothing of what we’ve accomplished or have that can’t be traced back to something we were given.

Given from our parents, grandparents, family, friends, teachers, coaches, mentors and most importantly our God.  Education level, intelligence, income, good health, safe places to grow up in – those are all things granted to us by the grace of God…..

I am usually first to take credit for what I’ve accomplished.  See, I am selfish.  I bet I’m not the only here today that is.  It is part of our human condition.  We have to fight our human needs, our compulsions, our want to do whatever we want whenever we want.

One of the best lessons we can learn in this life is to learn to sacrifice for others.  To be content and grateful for all that we have and all that we are. 

Not all of us are called to be saints, but we are called to help those in need.  We are called to make a difference in our own, small corner of the world wherever that may be.  To be pioneers in social justice.

This landowner, the owner of the estate was hearing from his disgruntled employees on how unfairly he had compensated them, even though they all had agreed to work for the daily wage.  He answered them, “Friend, I have not been unfair.  Did you not agree with me to work for the usual daily wage?”

“Take what belongs to you and go, I choose to give to this last the same as I have given to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?  Or are you envious because I am generous?  So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

We are called to live lives of service.  The reward for every man, woman and child who has faith in Christ, faith in the God that we serve, will receive the same eternal reward. 

So let us not be idle workers in the marketplace.  Let us not sit by in this world in our sin wasting precious time.  Let us be called by our God into service in his church.  And let us not covet what others have.

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

Who do people say that I am?

03 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by in Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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“Who do people say that I am?” asked Christ.  Who do you say that I am?  A sharp, pointed question that might leave some struggling to answer.  Have we, have you, have I, thought about the answer to that question?

After yet another exchange with the leaders of the church, Christ has some quiet time with his disciples away from the crowds, scribes and Pharisees.  It was time for discussion with his disciples.

It is not uncommon to wonder what others think of you, even if you are the Son of God.  “Who do you say that I am?”  Maybe this question was borne out of curiosity on the part of Christ or maybe it was something of a test for his disciples.

Who do you say the Son of Man is?  Christ often referred to himself as the Son of Man.  Christ referring to himself as the Son of Man confirms his divinity and his human nature. 

When I pose the question to you about who Christ is and who is he to you, what kind of response would I get?  Maybe an objective, textbook-like answer free of emotion or attachment.  Jesus is the Son of God, Savior, Lord, teacher, rabbi, to name a few.

Should our answer as Christians be far more personal and connected?  I think that it should be.  This man they call Christ that existed on the same plane and form as God took on flesh to live in this world of selfishness, violence and pain.

He came to this world not as a military leader or educated, learned part of the church hierarchy, but as a suffering servant.  He could have had everything, but he chose to possess nothing.

Christ could have chosen more educated, sophisticated men to lead, that might have been easier.  He could have stopped the beating, torture and crucifixion that he endured.  He chose to follow his father’s will, out of obedience, not out of weakness.  There is nothing weak about Christ or being a Christian.

When you speak about your family do you speak in stiff, unemotional tones or do you talk about my parents, my children, my spouse.  I have referred to my kids as my wife’s kids when they do something that I’m not pleased with.

When you speak of your father do you say, “My biological father conceived three children with my biological mother?”  I don’t know anyone that talks like that.  It is personal, my dad, my mother, my grandparents, my children.

The relationship that each of us has with our God should be deep and meaningful as well.  My God, My Savior, My Creator.

Christ asked his disciples this question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but other say Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 

Some say John the Baptist, Christ’s cousin, the man with the strange appearance, the voice crying out in the wilderness, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Others say Elijah, the prophet who upstaged 450 pagan prophets at Mt Carmel.  Still others say you are Jeremiah.  A prophet who was given the task of preaching to people that didn’t listen to him.  History refers to Jeremiah as the weeping prophet.

 The disciples had answered the question of who and what others thought Christ was.  Now come this sharp, abrupt question, “But who do you say that I am?” 

The pointed words, questions and parables that came from the Son of God.  Had the time he had invested in them made an impact?  Had they seen enough to erase any doubt they may have had?

The brash, outspoken disciple, Peter, fires back, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”….and there it is .  You are the Son of the living God.  A God that is alive, who works in this world to bring life to his people.

Peter did not say you are the Son of the cold and distant God.  He did not say you are the son of the God that we’re not sure about anymore. 

Christ is the God that took on flesh.  He is the God that desires to have a relationship with those he created, to those that he loved enough to give them the freedom of how to live their lives. 

The God we serve is a God that heals, reveals, that brings life, eternal life to his people.  After Simon Peter had answered, Christ said to him, “Blessed are you son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, it is from my Father in heaven.”

It was not mere mortal that had told Peter of Christ’s true identity, it was a revelation, a truth spoken to Peter from God.  How blessed Peter must have felt.  Not only does he live during Christ’s lifetime, he is one of his very disciples.  Of that chosen few God has revealed this most precious of truths.

Whether he realized it or not, Peter had attested to the truth, that Christ is the son of the living God.  Truth is an interesting thing.  Many search for it, but not everyone finds it.  We are called to search for the truth in our own lives.

The truth is that Christ is the son of the living God.  That much is truth.  But we are called to continue to seek him, to seek our God, to seek the truth in our own lives.  As I mentioned earlier, the relationship each of us has with our God should be personal.

It is not as easy as leaving here today saying, the preacher said that Christ is the son of God.  That is truth and now I’ll be on my way.  We are called into a deeper relationship with Christ and with one another.

On this truth, on this revelation, Christ said that he will build his church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  On this truth that Peter attested to Christ built his church and in spite of all the violence, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, shootings, terrorist acts, darkness, selfishness and need for convenience in this world, nothing, including the gates of hell will prevail against it.  Nothing.

Who do you say that Christ is?  Is it a question that you have given much thought to?  The Son of the Living God.  Can you see his work in your life, in others and in your church? 

Christ would continue, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Then he sternly warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

We know that Christ’s ministry was a fairly short, it lasted about three years.  He will give the keys to his church, the keys of the kingdom of heaven to his disciples to spread the good news.

It would be the acts of the disciples and apostles that would spread the gospel after Christ’s death and resurrection.  It is our responsibility to do the same today.  We have been granted the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

To be the church, to be on the front lines of our community.  Helping those in need, assisting the poor and engaging people of all ages.  My hope for each of you here today is that you would draw closer in your relationship to the Son of Gog.

That your search for truth would begin and would continue.  That the revelation of truth that was granted to Peter would be granted to you as well. I hope that if the question is posed to you, “Who is Christ to you?” 

That you would answer with conviction, with passion, with the knowledge of blessings too numerous to mention in your life that has come from the God we serve.  Will you join me in prayer?  Good and gracious God, this world needs people that know you, your son and the truth that was revealed in today’s scripture.  In spite of the pain in this world, there is much that is good.  We have seen examples of neighbor helping neighbor, stranger helping stranger.  Continue to reveal yourself and your Son to us.  Draw us into a deeper relationship.  Make this church a shelter, a safe place and a place where your spirit is always present and everyone is always welcome.  Amen.

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of Incomplete

In the Lime Light – Michelle James #Blogger #Interviews

01 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews

≈ 31 Comments

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Book Chat

Please allow me to Introduce Michelle James, Quintessential Bookie, Reviewer, and lover of words. Michelle is the author of the blog Book Chat, as well as a reliable source of Encouragement, Friendship and Smiles!

About Her Blog:

Tell us about your Blog.
I started BookChat in June 2013 to share the books I love reading through reviews, as well as to promote the authors of those books. To this end, I do not post any review that I give less than three stars.
I have expanded to reblogging interesting posts that fit into the topic of writing. Occasionally, I enter challenges such as the A to Z Challenge (check out my blog to see how much fun I had with the A-Z). As the proud mom of three sons and grandmother to three grandsons and one granddaughter, you will find an occasional, and hopefully not too obnoxious, post about them.

What Inspires you?
People who challenge themselves to complete tasks they thought difficult, if not impossible. A 90 year old completing a marathon, a giant reaching down to help the helpless, or a community coming together after the unthinkable are a few examples of the types of things that inspire me.

How do you choose what you want to review on your blog?
I read other reviews and book blurbs, and by word of mouth. If it is a dark subject or belongs to a genre I don’t enjoy, I don’t read/review it.

What is the Best part about having a blog all about books?
The best part has to be getting to read ARC’s. I love reading something that isn’t available to the general public yet. It’s the same feeling I think many people get when they peek or open a present before Christmas.

What is the Hardest part about doing a review?
When I read a book and don’t get around to writing a review until the last minute. I don’t work well under pressure. My best reviews are the ones I do as soon as I finish reading a book while everything is fresh. Sometimes I am so engrossed in reading, that I feel as though I am part of the story. That is the very best time to review a book.

About Michelle:

Michelle James

Describe yourself in Five Words.
Loyal, honest, hardworking, caring, thrifty.

Tell us about You when you were a child.
When I was a child, I was rarely without my nose in a book. If I wasn’t reading I could be found climbing trees (did you know that perched in a tree is a delightful place to read a book?) and playing in the forest. Playing a game of football with the neighborhood guys was always fun (they were almost always short one player), but I had to stop and get cleaned up before my dad came home from work – he would not have been too happy to see his daughter tackling and being tackled. When I wasn’t in tomboy mode, I loved to play with dolls (and still do).
I loved school. Math, English, and foreign languages were my favorite subjects.

If you could go anywhere, do anything, regardless of expense, describe your Perfect Day. ( I LOVE her answer!)
Any day, anywhere I can spend with my family is a perfect day.

If you could invite Five People (from the past or present) to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
John Glenn has to be my first choice because he is a true American hero. He dedicated his life to our country, as a Marine, an astronaut, and as a Senator. If that wasn’t enough, he helped our middle son with a school project when he was in sixth grade. He is a highly intelligent and gracious person and a true patriot.
Emily Dickinson would definitely have to come. It is though her works that I learned to love poetry.
No invitation list would be complete without Louisa Mae Alcott. I started reading her books as a young girl, and she led me from one book to another, engendering my love for reading.

taz6

The Tasmanian Devil would be my guest of honor. Taz would grace my party with his wit, charm, and intelligence. He is so light and graceful on his dainty little feet. Speaking of feet, he swept me off mine the first time I saw him.
Last, but not least, I would love my grandmother to join us for dinner. She loved to read and shared her books with me throughout my teen years and up until her death in 1980. She was not only a wonderful, warm, and caring person, she was my greatest role model.

What is your Mantra in Life?
Just do it.

Thank you. Morgan, for inviting me here to BooknVolume today. It was fun chatting with you.

A bit about me…
After college, I entered the workforce, but soon left that behind when my children were born. While raising my sons, I embarked on a fulfilling volunteer path for such groups as our local children’s hospital, church, neighborhood association, PTA, classroom volunteer, Kindervelt, military academy parents’ organization, and Make-a-Wish. Volunteering enabled me to develop lifelong leadership skills and establish an extensive professional and social network. Of course, I have always been a voracious reader, seeking out books that are both fulfilling and enjoyable.
I am married to my soul mate and have three amazing adult sons and two wonderful daughters-in-law. My grandchildren (three grandsons and one granddaughter) bring me the greatest joy imaginable.

My blog and social media:
https://www.michelleclementsjames.com
https://plus.google.com/+MichelleJames47/posts
https://www.facebook.com/Macjam47

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6029160-michelle
http://macjam47.tumblr.com/

http://about.me/michj0447

Thank YOU Michelle, not only for allowing me to Spotlight you and your amazing blog, but for your Friendship and continued enthusiasm and support. It means the world to me, as do YOU 🙂

~Morgan~
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Taz image found on Warner Bros.com

#InTheLimeLight – Michelle James / Book Chat Blog

06 Saturday Aug 2016

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

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Book Chat

Please allow me to Introduce Michelle James, Quintessential Bookie, Reviewer, and lover of words. Michelle is the author of the blog Book Chat, as well as a reliable source of Encouragement, Friendship and Smiles!

About Her Blog:

Tell us about your Blog.
I started BookChat in June 2013 to share the books I love reading through reviews, as well as to promote the authors of those books. To this end, I do not post any review that I give less than three stars.
I have expanded to reblogging interesting posts that fit into the topic of writing. Occasionally, I enter challenges such as the A to Z Challenge (check out my blog to see how much fun I had with the A-Z). As the proud mom of three sons and grandmother to three grandsons and one granddaughter, you will find an occasional, and hopefully not too obnoxious, post about them.

What Inspires you?
People who challenge themselves to complete tasks they thought difficult, if not impossible. A 90 year old completing a marathon, a giant reaching down to help the helpless, or a community coming together after the unthinkable are a few examples of the types of things that inspire me.

How do you choose what you want to review on your blog?
I read other reviews and book blurbs, and by word of mouth. If it is a dark subject or belongs to a genre I don’t enjoy, I don’t read/review it.

What is the Best part about having a blog all about books?
The best part has to be getting to read ARC’s. I love reading something that isn’t available to the general public yet. It’s the same feeling I think many people get when they peek or open a present before Christmas.

What is the Hardest part about doing a review?
When I read a book and don’t get around to writing a review until the last minute. I don’t work well under pressure. My best reviews are the ones I do as soon as I finish reading a book while everything is fresh. Sometimes I am so engrossed in reading, that I feel as though I am part of the story. That is the very best time to review a book.

About Michelle:

Michelle James

Describe yourself in Five Words.
Loyal, honest, hardworking, caring, thrifty.

Tell us about You when you were a child.
When I was a child, I was rarely without my nose in a book. If I wasn’t reading I could be found climbing trees (did you know that perched in a tree is a delightful place to read a book?) and playing in the forest. Playing a game of football with the neighborhood guys was always fun (they were almost always short one player), but I had to stop and get cleaned up before my dad came home from work – he would not have been too happy to see his daughter tackling and being tackled. When I wasn’t in tomboy mode, I loved to play with dolls (and still do).
I loved school. Math, English, and foreign languages were my favorite subjects.

If you could go anywhere, do anything, regardless of expense, describe your Perfect Day. ( I LOVE her answer!)
Any day, anywhere I can spend with my family is a perfect day.

If you could invite Five People (from the past or present) to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
John Glenn has to be my first choice because he is a true American hero. He dedicated his life to our country, as a Marine, an astronaut, and as a Senator. If that wasn’t enough, he helped our middle son with a school project when he was in sixth grade. He is a highly intelligent and gracious person and a true patriot.
Emily Dickinson would definitely have to come. It is though her works that I learned to love poetry.
No invitation list would be complete without Louisa Mae Alcott. I started reading her books as a young girl, and she led me from one book to another, engendering my love for reading.

taz6

The Tasmanian Devil would be my guest of honor. Taz would grace my party with his wit, charm, and intelligence. He is so light and graceful on his dainty little feet. Speaking of feet, he swept me off mine the first time I saw him.
Last, but not least, I would love my grandmother to join us for dinner. She loved to read and shared her books with me throughout my teen years and up until her death in 1980. She was not only a wonderful, warm, and caring person, she was my greatest role model.

What is your Mantra in Life?
Just do it.

Thank you. Morgan, for inviting me here to BooknVolume today. It was fun chatting with you.

A bit about me…
After college, I entered the workforce, but soon left that behind when my children were born. While raising my sons, I embarked on a fulfilling volunteer path for such groups as our local children’s hospital, church, neighborhood association, PTA, classroom volunteer, Kindervelt, military academy parents’ organization, and Make-a-Wish. Volunteering enabled me to develop lifelong leadership skills and establish an extensive professional and social network. Of course, I have always been a voracious reader, seeking out books that are both fulfilling and enjoyable.
I am married to my soul mate and have three amazing adult sons and two wonderful daughters-in-law. My grandchildren (three grandsons and one granddaughter) bring me the greatest joy imaginable.

My blog and social media:
https://www.michelleclementsjames.com
https://plus.google.com/+MichelleJames47/posts
https://www.facebook.com/Macjam47

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6029160-michelle
http://macjam47.tumblr.com/

http://about.me/michj0447

Thank YOU Michelle, not only for allowing me to Spotlight you and your amazing blog, but for your Friendship and continued enthusiasm and support. It means the world to me, as do YOU 🙂

~Morgan~
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Taz image found on Warner Bros.com

Save

In the Lime Light – Michelle James / Book Chat Blog

01 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

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Book Chat

Please allow me to Introduce Michelle James, Quintessential Bookie, Reviewer, and lover of words. Michelle is the author of the blog Book Chat, as well as a reliable source of Encouragement, Friendship and Smiles!

About Her Blog:

Tell us about your Blog.
I started BookChat in June 2013 to share the books I love reading through reviews, as well as to promote the authors of those books. To this end, I do not post any review that I give less than three stars.
I have expanded to reblogging interesting posts that fit into the topic of writing. Occasionally, I enter challenges such as the A to Z Challenge (check out my blog to see how much fun I had with the A-Z). As the proud mom of three sons and grandmother to three grandsons and one granddaughter, you will find an occasional, and hopefully not too obnoxious, post about them.

What Inspires you?
People who challenge themselves to complete tasks they thought difficult, if not impossible. A 90 year old completing a marathon, a giant reaching down to help the helpless, or a community coming together after the unthinkable are a few examples of the types of things that inspire me.

How do you choose what you want to review on your blog?
I read other reviews and book blurbs, and by word of mouth. If it is a dark subject or belongs to a genre I don’t enjoy, I don’t read/review it.

What is the Best part about having a blog all about books?
The best part has to be getting to read ARC’s. I love reading something that isn’t available to the general public yet. It’s the same feeling I think many people get when they peek or open a present before Christmas.

What is the Hardest part about doing a review?
When I read a book and don’t get around to writing a review until the last minute. I don’t work well under pressure. My best reviews are the ones I do as soon as I finish reading a book while everything is fresh. Sometimes I am so engrossed in reading, that I feel as though I am part of the story. That is the very best time to review a book.

About Michelle:

Michelle James

Describe yourself in Five Words.
Loyal, honest, hardworking, caring, thrifty.

Tell us about You when you were a child.
When I was a child, I was rarely without my nose in a book. If I wasn’t reading I could be found climbing trees (did you know that perched in a tree is a delightful place to read a book?) and playing in the forest. Playing a game of football with the neighborhood guys was always fun (they were almost always short one player), but I had to stop and get cleaned up before my dad came home from work – he would not have been too happy to see his daughter tackling and being tackled. When I wasn’t in tomboy mode, I loved to play with dolls (and still do).
I loved school. Math, English, and foreign languages were my favorite subjects.

If you could go anywhere, do anything, regardless of expense, describe your Perfect Day. ( I LOVE her answer!)
Any day, anywhere I can spend with my family is a perfect day.

If you could invite Five People (from the past or present) to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
John Glenn has to be my first choice because he is a true American hero. He dedicated his life to our country, as a Marine, an astronaut, and as a Senator. If that wasn’t enough, he helped our middle son with a school project when he was in sixth grade. He is a highly intelligent and gracious person and a true patriot.
Emily Dickinson would definitely have to come. It is though her works that I learned to love poetry.
No invitation list would be complete without Louisa Mae Alcott. I started reading her books as a young girl, and she led me from one book to another, engendering my love for reading.

taz6

The Tasmanian Devil would be my guest of honor. Taz would grace my party with his wit, charm, and intelligence. He is so light and graceful on his dainty little feet. Speaking of feet, he swept me off mine the first time I saw him.
Last, but not least, I would love my grandmother to join us for dinner. She loved to read and shared her books with me throughout my teen years and up until her death in 1980. She was not only a wonderful, warm, and caring person, she was my greatest role model.

What is your Mantra in Life?
Just do it.

Thank you. Morgan, for inviting me here to BooknVolume today. It was fun chatting with you.

A bit about me…
After college, I entered the workforce, but soon left that behind when my children were born. While raising my sons, I embarked on a fulfilling volunteer path for such groups as our local children’s hospital, church, neighborhood association, PTA, classroom volunteer, Kindervelt, military academy parents’ organization, and Make-a-Wish. Volunteering enabled me to develop lifelong leadership skills and establish an extensive professional and social network. Of course, I have always been a voracious reader, seeking out books that are both fulfilling and enjoyable.
I am married to my soul mate and have three amazing adult sons and two wonderful daughters-in-law. My grandchildren (three grandsons and one granddaughter) bring me the greatest joy imaginable.

My blog and social media:
https://www.michelleclementsjames.com
https://plus.google.com/+MichelleJames47/posts
https://www.facebook.com/Macjam47
https://twitter.com/macjam47
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6029160-michelle
http://macjam47.tumblr.com/

http://about.me/michj0447

Thank YOU Michelle, not only for allowing me to Spotlight you and your amazing blog, but for your Friendship and continued enthusiasm and support. It means the world to me, as do YOU 🙂

~Morgan~
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.
.
Taz image found on Warner Bros.com

The Quill

24 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in awards

≈ 18 Comments

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Handwriting,ink and quill pen

Tonya at Lost in Expression (found here: http://2flames.wordpress.com/ ) has paid me the very great honour and blessing of bestowing upon me the Most Influential Blogger Award. This award comes from a woman whose own blog is filled to bursting with beauty and light, inspiration and delight. Do please stop and see for your self!

It is truly amazing to me, truly astonishing, truly beyond description for me to receive this award and not stand in dumbstruck silence, tears in my eyes, my heart filled with gratitude that brims up and flows over like a spring tide and not take a moment to give Thanks and Praise to the One from whom the Inspiration Flows. I am the quill, but a quill on its own futilely scratches the paper; without Ink there is nothing.

As with all awards, the rules are simple:
1. Display the Award on your Blog.
2. Announce your win with a post and thank the Blogger who awarded you.
3. Present 10 deserving Bloggers with the Award.
4. Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their being awarded with a comment.
5. Answer each of the 11 questions that your awarder asked, and then write 11 for your awardees (or use the same ones up to you!)

most-influential-blogger

My Wonderful Nominees Are:
1. Sacred Touches at: http://sacredtouches.com/
2. Versical Rhymes at: http://ploosh61.wordpress.com/
3. Paddypicasso at: http://paddypicasso.wordpress.com/
4. The Hawk’s Tail at: http://risinghawkspeaks.wordpress.com/
5. Seventh Voice at: http://seventhvoice.wordpress.com/
6. GreenLightLady at: http://greenlightlady.wordpress.com/
7. Painting Pundit at: http://paintingpundit.com/
8. The Truth You Always Knew at: http://thetruthyoualwaysknew.com/
9. Wordifull at: http://wordifull.com/
10. Search for the Soul at: http://indrajitrathore.wordpress.com/

These remarkable blogs are filled with beauty, vision, insight, and thought-provoking posts that will inspire and motivate as well as some things that will make you go hmmmmmmm? They shine a light in the vast darkness of this world, and the many glimmers radiate Influence in all directions. Bravo!

And now it’s time for a breakdown..er, I mean for some questions :
1) What makes you happiest? Writing and Music

2) Do you love the Oceans or Mountains more? That’s difficult, both has their own lovely attributes, their own draws. I have to cope out on this one and say both .

3) What has been a special moment in 2013? May 25th. For reasons that shall remain my own 😉 (sorry that’s not fun or fair, I know) But what occurred inspired me to finally create this blog, started me off on a physical fitness regime resulting in 30 lbs lost and still going strong, changed my entire relationship with The Almighty and has given my life a sense of Purpose and Accomplishment I have long been longing for :so whatever it was, (which shall remain nameless) was life changing to be sure!

4) What’s your favorite quote? Of Course, From Hamlet because I relate to this speech entirely!
“I have of late—but wherefore
I know not—lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of
exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my
disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to
me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy,
the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament,
this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why,
it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent
congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is a man!
How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties,
in form and moving how express and admirable,
in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!
And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”

5) Do you like yourself? I certainly think so, at least, I do hope so. Rather, I might say I dare to, or perhaps, I ought to…nay, I do 😉

6) Do you stay up till midnight on New Year? I do, but then, I stay up until midnight most nights so…

7) Something you wish could be done ASAP? Publication…relocation (to England, naturally) and Liberation (poetically speaking of course, meaning to find Love)

8) What was your favorite class when still at school? English, naturally.

9) What musical instrument have you tried to play? I play with the handbell choir at my church.

10) Anything you had wished to have learned earlier? Life comes at its pace for a reason…I just do my best to learn from the present and walk toward the future.

11) Do you like to do Crafts, Drawing or Painting? Painting.

Thank you to my awesome WordPress Family, for continuing to be the reason to my rhyme!

Blessings~~Morgan~
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Beautiful Image found at: shakespearienceworkshops.com