There is one simple rule of life which every Christian ought to hold in absolute acceptance: God is God, and I am not. How wonderful it is, then, that God made us capable of worship. Human beings are made to sing, and praise, to meditate on holy things, and to...
I am the true vine….Jesus often used the simplest words and images to communicate the deepest truths of God’s love for us. In John 15 are some of the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples before he was betrayed, arrested and crucified. They were words of invitation and hope,...
“In Praise of Jesus Christ: The Foundation of Our Work and Witness” 1 Peter 2:4-10 Becoming a disciple of Christ is a deeply personal experience…but it is never private. In Christ we have become part of a body, and are incorporated into his mighty acts of salvation for the whole...
LIFT Ministries, in partnership with LIFT in Ghana, is supporting the creation of the LIFT Renewal Center! Imagine… A place for Spiritual Retreat A place for Leadership Training A place for Visiting Missionaries A place to host the Walk to Emmaus In the U.S. we are blessed with the availability...
Beloved, let us love one another, said the author of 1 John, for God is love. Likewise Paul in his triumphant hymn to the Corinthian church: faith, hope, and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love. For Christians, no less than any others, love is an...
In all of history, there has never been a king like Jesus. He holds no earthly crown or scepter. He covets no earthly throne or dominion. He kneels as a servant, welcomes children, touches the untouchable, and mingles with the outcasts. He came not be served, but to serve, and...
There is an old hymn of our faith which begins with these words: Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side; The hymn writer is partially right…it is rare that a heroic choice between...
I can now share that my Bishop, Minerva Carcaño, has announced that she intends to appoint me as the Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Orange, effective July 1st, 2014. The mantle of Executive Director has been passed to Dr. Bob Denham. Bob is a gifted lay leader, a...
Among the many Kingdom teachings of Jesus we find this jarring question: “why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I tell you?” From the earliest of times the church has recognized that anyone can claim the name of Jesus, and make a pretense of calling...
According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ public ministry began when he appeared in Galilee proclaiming the good news, and from start to finish his urgent message remained the same: the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near. This good news was offered to everyone, without...
The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord on the fringe at each corner. You have the fringe so that, when you see it, you will remember all...
I recently came across an old photocopy of an article entitled “The Character of a Methodist.” It was written by John Wesley in the mid-1700’s, when the early Methodists were apparently the object of criticism by those who were not part of the Methodist movement and therefore did not understand...
Once, at a gathering of church leaders, I heard someone ask Dr. Eddie Fox, “Is it more important for our churches to reach out or look inward and nurture our own first?” He responded by asking his own rhetorical question: “Is it more important to breath in or breath out?!”...
“For the common good.” That’s the reason Paul sets forth for God to have lavished so many spiritual gifts upon the church. Spiritual gifts—the Greek term for such gifts is charisma—are more than our natural talents or abilities; they are good things with which people have been graced by God...
