Corn Harvest

Today I said goodbye to the lovely corn that has surrounded our house for the summer. When Ed and I moved into the parsonage on Friendship Rd., the corn was a little more than waist high. It was dark green, and full of life. I embraced our new home and took the corn as a sign of hope that God had placed Ed and me just where we need to be.

During the summer, the corn grew, and I felt safe and secure. I was surrounded by the family of God at Friendship UMC and the corn. It was like a big-acre cocoon that held us close as we settled in. The corn matured, tasseling, making ears, and turning to the bright yellow grain that when harvested is made into corn bread, corn chips, and corn oil, ethanol, cow food, people food, dog food and so many other life-giving products.  

I now look forward to the next crop the farmers will plant in the field, wheat, soybeans; something green, something growing.

In Ecclesiastes 3:2, the author (whom tradition identifies as Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba), couples the images of birth and death with seed-time and harvest. I am reminded by the cutting of the corn that we all will one day be called to our forever home with God. It will be a joyous day for the believer who goes, and a mournful day for those left behind to grieve.

Even as I watch the corn be cut and carried away in the big semi-trucks, which is a little sad, I am encouraged when I think of the divine cycle of living, dying and living again. Jesus said, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, then it only remains one seed. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24). Jesus was talking about himself. He was giving a sign that in his death, there is life. He was also incarnating the standard for how his followers should live and die as well; becoming the seed bearers, seed planters, and fruit producers for the world.

I wonder, when will I really understand the full force of Jesus' words? Moreover, when will I completely understand their meaning; that we have been given life so that we can till the soil and plant seeds so that when we die, others will grow. Dying is victory to those in Christ Jesus, and so is living. Being called to live here in N. Iredell, I'm coming to see that we all have farming to do!

Lord, give me strength to produce, plant, nurture, and grow all the seeds you give me… ‘til Kingdom come. Amen!

Thanks to Dale Bess, who planted, grew and harvested the corn by our house!!

©2014 Judy H. Eurey

But...Do As You Please

  I wonder if your mother was like mine. I remember that when I was a teenager, and she wanted me to do something that I wasn’t keen on doing, she had a way of convincing me that my actions were going to be on my own head.

  First, she would explain to me the exact course my choices would take. If I did thus and so, Outcome A would happen, and if I did the opposite (usually what she didn’t approve of) Outcome B would happen (usually something detrimental to me). Finally momma would wind up her counsel with these ominous words, “but do as you please.” 

   What teenager can combat such a psychological weapon as that? Most of the time I followed her advice, and I was sorry when I didn’t!

   I know where Momma got her knack of instruction. She got it from the Bible. Yes that is right, she was following much of what the bible tells us about self-determination. Namely, we all have a choice. I have a choice every day to follow the guidance found in God’s word, or in Momma’s words, “do as I please.”

   Being a minister, I have heard numerous people complain about the circumstances of their life and faith. They complain about their lack of peace, how everything seems to be going wrong, that they just can’t catch a break, and nobody cares about them. They complain about their church, the people there and how they act, the music, the preaching, the time they must spend there, and on and on. How am I to respond to those complaints?   

   I am just speaking for myself here, but if I am honest, when I find myself beginning to complain about such things, it is usually because I have been “doing as I please.” I have not been making the good choices that I should have. As Momma has warned me…I am living the consequences of Outcome B.

   In his book, A Guide to Prayer For All Who Walk With God, Reuben Job says that the bible is filled with stories of people, regular people who receive instructions from “Momma” God for their lives. Some of those people follow the instructions they receive, and others…you guessed it, do as they please. Reuben Job recommends that we cultivate what he calls, “practicing a preference for God and God’s will” (296).

   I find that his words have encouraged me this morning. Practicing a preference for God and God’s will, frankly, that guidance is fairly simple. Practicing, like when we practice a musical instrument, means that we do not always get it right. But it also means that someday a beautiful melody will appear and will be our Outcome A.

   Today, I want to set my mind on cultivating that way of seeking God, practicing a preference for God. I know that when I put God first, have a preference for God’s will for me, then I’m going to do less complaining about my circumstances, my peace, my church, my friends, and I will spend more time rejoicing at the presence of God with me and the abundant life God gives me.

   Practicing a preference for God…hum…Momma would like that!

(My mother is Lucy Collins Hallyburton, and she now resides with God in glory. I miss her!)

Ordinary Blessings

It’s odd. Usually I am worn to a frazzle by Sunday evening. But God blessed me with a long nap in the late afternoon, which refreshed me and put me in a very good spirits. In fact this whole weekend has been full of blessings. Not so much of the grand nature, but more of the ordinary kind.

For example, on Saturday, Ed and I ventured out into the surrounding area. We are so new here, almost every time we leave the house it’s an adventure. A short drive from 907 Friendship Rd. is located a general store called Shiloh. It is just over the county line in Yadkin. We had heard about it from our new friends, so we thought we would check it out.

The store at Shiloh is not a place you just pop into. It is quite a ways off the beaten path or so it seems. The folks who operate the store are Amish, and it is filled with a bounty of fresh breads, cakes, herbs, nuts, fruit, jams, jellies, and produce.

When we got there on Saturday, I noticed a stretch limo parked right out front. Hey, I told Ed, we might get to see a famous person. But alas, inside we found mainly ordinary folks like us. Some of them may have been famous, but since I’m seriously media-challenged on a regular basis, I couldn't tell if any were or not.

Ed and I purchased some homemade ginger snaps (my favorite), and a pan of blackberry cream cheese rolls (Ed’s favorite).  I got some fancy popcorn too (again, my favorite).  So if you find yourself somewhere in Yadkin County, go by there. You’ll enjoy it, and the food is the best.

The country in North Iredell is beautiful this time of year, and I can’t wait to experience the change of seasons. The lushness of the growing corn and soybeans, seeing the dairy cows spread out over the pastures, and the hopefulness of the morning glories curling over any tall thing fills and nurtures my heart.

Best of all, worshiping with the saints at Friendship UMC this morning topped off the week-end. God was present, and we were blessed! I know God has brought Ed and me among the folks here for something special. We are not exactly sure yet what that might be, but if the blessings we are experiencing so far are any indication, it is going to be fantastic!

Feeling blessed and in good spirits and thanking God here in N. Iredell County!

Transitions!

Oh the joys and frustrations of moving. Today I spent some time resting from the week’s work of packing, sorting, lifting, carrying, grunting, sweating and just plain hard work of moving. We euphemistically call this itineracy “our time of transition.” Ed calls it hell week. He is glad it is over, and he gets to return to his regular routine of opening locks and visiting with friends. I’ll admit, he has had the worst of moving as he has done all the heavy lifting, all the driving, and all of the taking apart and putting together.

I am so thankful for his wonderful spirit through the grand adventures God puts us through in ministry. He is a gentle person and has been worried that something may have happened to the toad who was living in the aluminum ladder on our carport in Lincolnton. “I should have brought him with us,“ he said. “But of course he may have a family there.” Leave it to Ed to always be thinking about the little guy.

We have this Sunday as our transition Sabbath, which means that I wasn’t allowed to attend our new church-Friendship UMC. So we scouted out a place to worship and ended up at Yadkin Baptist Church over on highway 115. It was good to worship with them. It seems like it’s been a month since last Sunday!

I am extremely excited to begin in ministry with the saints at Friendship UMC. The welcome here has been overwhelming. We’ve have had our socks blessed off already. I am thanking God for the blessings of my new brothers and sisters. We are going to do gooooood, because God is with us…and the best is yet to come!

Easter!

What is more glorious than Easter? I ask you. What?! Yesterday was a day of days, one of our Christian high holy days. I for one was totally blessed, made joyful by the living presence of Christ with us. Frankly, on occasion I was nearly overcome by it all, tears of joy among the people, especially me. After all, it the day when we celebrate the event that changed everything forever. We told the story once again, that Jesus rose from the grave, stood alive among his friends, and invited them to tell the world about it. Go…tell everybody! He said. 

In Jesus, and by his sacrifice, we have life too! Even in death, WE have life. Hallelujah!

If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, let me just say these words to you. If you are offended, I’m sorry about that. But you too are a part of God’s plan to save the world. Step into the light. Let the power of the resurrection take hold of you. Show up and be shown.  I promise, if you do, and you are willing, Jesus will rock your world like you cannot imagine. He has rocked mine!

I invite your comments. Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? If not, why not?

I am...

Creative Dare...I am...

Keeping It Real

              This month many of our area UMC ministers have been having confirmation classes for our young people. It has been such a blessing to us as because we have a lively, intelligent class of 26 kids going through this process of confirming their faith.
                If you are like me with no kids at home and over 40, you may have noticed that today’s young people are speaking a different language. Not only that, but that language changes every month or two. I stay behind the learning curve. Just this week I heard a few new terms, one of them was the encouragement to keep it real.
                The person who was using the lingo was a youth leader from one of the churches. And this guy was on the mark; OMG, too legit to handle. The man was totally fly in regards to teen lingo…I mean he could requestion better than anybody I ever heard, all the while chillaxing and fist-bumpin’ with the mix. I was totally wowed how he kept the haters lovin’ and the bouncers from bouncing.
                So I asked Mr. Fly, “What does it mean when you say keep it real”? He explained to me what term meant to the youth.  I was intrigued how even today, our life in Christ is all about keeping it real.
                I got from him that to keep it real means to live with integrity, maintaining honesty, and being able to live a life that keeps oneself from living a life of fantasy and make believe. 
                Confirmation in our church is one of the first places in a young person’s life when they come to grips with their personal (not mom’s or dad’s) life of faith, and how they will live it.

                Jesus was a keep-it-real teacher and preacher. In fact, his life embodied that idea. He was always shoving the make-believe world, which people thought they should live in, to the sidelines. He said things like:

“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged” (Matt 7:1).
“If you want to be perfect, go sell all you have, give to the poor and follow me (Matt 5:44).
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44).

                You can tell when somebody is keeping it real because, it causes people to respond like, “What?!....Don’t judge?! Love and pray for my enemies?! Sell my stuff and give it all to the poor?! Are you serious?”

People said the same things in the 1^st century to Jesus, using different words of course, but the sentiments were the same. The Pharisees made it their life’s work to act as judges. The Romans thought killing enemies was how a ruling power kept the peace and increased territory. The rich spent their time building bigger storage units (barns).

                For keeping it real Jesus also heard the people shout, “Crucify Him.” And that is what happened.
                During confirmation, part of what the young people study is basically what it means to live a life of faith, following Jesus, and being part of our community of believers (the UMC). It is important that they also understand that such a life is a choice they make. We hope to teach them that the life of faith will not always be easy, is not make-believe, and is most definitely real.
                We ministers and teachers walk a fine line sometimes. We want to make the life of faith attractive by telling of the blessings, the peace, and the hope found in Christ, while at the same time identifying the suffering, the restlessness, and the confusion that is also part of our life of faith.
                The good news is: God is there with us through all of our life, helping us to keep it real, even in the face of everything that comes our way. God never ceases to love us, pour out mercy upon us, forgive us, save us and strengthen us when we are weak.
                Join me this month in praying for all confirmands. These young people are soon coming to times of decision, ones which will set the course of their lives. Pray for them to have courage, boldness, and wisdom so that they will be able to keep it real for themselves.

© 2014 Judy H. Eurey

Wonder what God will be up to this year?

           Sitting here in my office, I am faced with the left-overs of the holiday rush. There are stacks of papers, reference books, news articles I thought I might use, files, letters, Christmas cards, used bulletins, scribbled-on pads, and just a lot of stuff that needs to be cleaned out. During the season of Advent I did intend to set aside at least an hour or two to clean up my office. But it seems like my intentions just haven’t panned out. The New Year is upon me, and so now I must give up my procrastination and “get ‘er done.”  I can’t start the New Year in such a mess!

 I am glad that January is almost here. I like new beginnings. I like it when I open that new bag of chips, or pull out a new pair of socks, or open a book for the first time. I like things when they feel fresh and new. The possibilities of a new year always make me feel hopeful, for who knows what wonderful things God might do this year.

                Whatever God intends to do around Long Shoals this year, I am hoping and praying that God will use me in it. Since I have known God for a while, and I have studied some, I have come to know a little…a very little…about who I believe God is, and some of the things I might expect God to be involved in this year.

                God is in love with us humans. Because of that love God desires the very best for us. So I could see God getting involved this year in activities and events that promote us to love and care for one another; checking on friends with visits and calls, getting together for fellowship, and offering help to one another.

                God also desires justice. When justice prevails, innocent people are not oppressed, and oppressors are thwarted. So, this year, I envision God being a part of ministries that help the poor, that tend to the sick, and that visit and offer friendship to those who are alone.

                I have also learned that God wants to be with us. So I am very sure that God will be involved when we worship, when we are praying or doing Bible study, or working, or playing or anytime we are seeking a closer relationship.

God’s desire to be with us and to have us intimately connected is revealed in the birth of Jesus, God’s son, who came to give us a way back through the muddle of our sins into a loving relationship with God.

                I believe God intends to do some great things in 2014. As yet I have not a clue to what those things could be. I'm not going to procrastinate. Rather I am going to join in with God’s ministry for 2014, whatever they may be. I know that they will be good for us all! Today though...I got to clean up this office!  

 

 

 

Happy New Year Y'all!

 

 

 

Advent Post 2

Today I’m thinking about a lot of things. It is the day before the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, Saturday. With the season cranking up to a fever pitch, I begin to long for a quiet place of rest and peace…just for a minute. But if your world is like mine, it is difficult to find.

The small Advent calendar has been marking the days with tiny slips of the Word. They are meant to cheer us, meant to illumine our time of waiting, and meant to drop into our consciousness a bit of the real meaning of the season.

Today’s bit is striking me with both longing and joy. That Jesus will make me a house. I do long for the day when my house, my home will be exactly complete. A place where peace is easy to find, and joy is there for the taking; no more sorrow, no more ache, no more giving people up to death. Praise God for the sweet baby that God sent for us, for he has made all the difference!

I believe, do you?

Amen!

Advent Post

It is always a blessing when you get the word that someone was actually listening to your sermon! Sunday was the day our lectionary gospel text introduced John the Baptizer in the new Year A. We all would have rather had the run-up-to Christmas story to contemplate…but it was what it was. So I went with it.

I introduced John as a herald…explaining what exactly a herald's task was…the one sent ahead to announce an important coming event. The word did not get lost in the sermon, as one of my younger parishioners looked up at his grandmother and asked, “Who is Harold?”

I was thrilled that the little guy was listening.

God is still sending Harolds today. Who is heralding Jesus for you?

Happy 10^th day of Advent!

Incarnate

               Here at the Eurey house we have already searched out our Christmas CD’s. We have stationed our ITunes playlist and radios to play all our holiday songs. Soon Ed will drag out the movies, Christmas Story, The Nativity, Christmas Vacation, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, and The Polar Express. Our movie marathon will soon commence. Decorating will begin in earnest at the week’s end with tinsel, ribbons and greenery abounding. That’s just the way we roll around here at Christmas.

                Over at the church, the Chrismon tree is up, the lights are on, the wreaths are on the doors, and the banners of Christmas are hanging throughout the place. The scent of cinnamon and pine has become the incense of the season.

                The first Sunday of Advent is the start of the Christian year. I think that is very appropriate because Jesus’ birth marks the beginning of life for each of us (whether we know or accept it or not). This year I have been thinking about Jesus and the miracle of God becoming one of us. The first question I have is always, why? Why would God leave glory in the first place? I mean, would you? Would you leave heaven for earth?

                But that is just what God did. God became incarnate, embodied in flesh. God moved in with us, took the name of Jesus, and was a son, a brother, an uncle in his family. Jesus was loved by his mother, his father, his brothers and sisters, and his friends. He walked on legs like ours, held hands like we do, combed his hair and whispered in a soft voice. He worked hard (in those days there was no easy work). He enjoyed people, had compassion, ate supper and laughed. Jesus was kind to children and to people whose lives were torn apart.  He got perturbed. He argued. He went off by himself. He cried, was hurt, got cold, and felt grief same as us. He was tempted by things and people. He was misunderstood, criticized, called demonic and abandoned by his best friends. In the end, God was murdered for moving in with us.

                So why? Why did God give us God’s self for Christmas? Every day I realize that it’s simply a mysterious, mind-bending, unplumbable reason. God loves us.

                Therefore this is our story, the story of God who loves us so much that he was willing to leave heaven just so we can know him, just so we can be rescued from, well…ourselves. Jesus came to give us what we could not get on our own, freedom to live without fear of death, freedom to live in peace and joy, freedom to know God’s love, and freedom to continue to tell this beautiful story over and over again in our Christmas songs, in our Christmas movies, through live nativities, from brightly adorned trees, in millions of twinkling lights, and in gifts given and received.

                And the most amazing thing is this. Jesus still comes today. Every day that we receive him he is among us; he is around us; he is within us; he is present. Because really, God never left. God’s Spirit has been and will be the eternal abiding way for life for all of humanity.

                Let us ring the Christmas Bells, celebrate, and be thankful to the one who saves us!

 

M e r r y   C h r i s t m a s!

Healing Basket

I need a place

     to sit and cross my legs,

where I can think,

a nest,

where rays of sunlight warm and coach my play

where moats drift by like smoke

where consciousness is dimmed to the present

where the Spirit slips through

     the morass of distractions

where I can touch the hem of his garment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2013 Judy H. Eurey

 

Ending Season

Almost all the leaves are
on the ground now.
Some golden clingers remain moored to
the limbs, refusing to let go; their
shivering shapes reveal real fear of
being the final one to drop.

What if I am the last one to fall?
Would anybody be there to notice?
Am I shivering now?
It is cold today. Snow's coming.


©2013 Judy H. Eurey

Hard End

Hunger-driven hands break
the so contented egg
into a kill it skillet
of chattering butter.

The soft orange orb
is protected
by its ivory-filigreed edges

until the molting grease-heat
sets it plump-firm.


©2013 Judy H. Eurey

Lest I forget...

Sometimes I must admit...I get tired of church! The endless meetings, the tasks of preparing for yet another charge conference, the next thing, and the next thing...and the next thing. Yet, through it all, as I dither about in my fatigue of faithfulness, God has it all in hand. The community I serve with in God's kingdom is truly awesome! Because even when we are weary of church, weary of the programs and even weary with each other, these faces keep us (me) from forgetting that God has given us a great hope...the hope of Christ in every one of these faces. See for yourself!

vbspics from Judy Eurey on Vimeo.

Thank you Lord for your grace and faithfulness to me!

Giving

Many people have the gift of generosity. Were it not so, many worthy causes would go unfunded. Yet for today's family, faithful giving to church in the form of tithing and special gifts is often confronted with many financial realities. I know that people have always had financial realities to address, but it seems these days...well...the issue is compounded by all that is available to us that maybe our foremothers and forefathers never even considered.

I believe it is in such times that we can apply the timeless advice of John Wesley about how to give.

Stewardship from Judy Eurey on Vimeo.  Take a look!

 

 

Tell me what you think.

A Day Off

Today I am spending time in my other home. Ed and I have a home in Morganton that we purchased when we got married back in 1989. At the time is was our dream home, a small brick cottage with both a half-finished basement downstairs for Ed’s “man-cave” and a 2^nd story studio space for my meanderings. (That is where my doctoral thesis was rendered, papers and poetry written and many, many books consumed.)  Our home has always been a safe haven for me. It is a quiet place of rest and relaxation, and I am always refreshed when I come away from here.

Today it is raining softly. I love the sound of the rain on the tree leaves, and how they shiver when the drops tick through them. Our home is basically in a wooded area, and so we have never had much of a lawn to speak of. Grass and flower just don’t grow here for lack of sun, but moss is plentiful.  It forms a soft green carpet over much of the yard. The English ivy we got from Ed’s grandmother, Knoxie, thrives and has taken over a great portion of our back yard. Yet Ed still has to mow the weeds down that pop up in the shady yard.

Behind our home is a steep hill of woods that go down to a small creek. Beyond is a tree nursery, and in the winter and fall, we can see the rolling rows of shrubs, hemlocks, and boxwoods which stay green all year. When we had Toby, his greatest pleasure was to bounce down the hill with Ed or me behind him to the fields of the nursery, or into the irrigation pond on a hot day. I miss that good boy every time I come home.

The neighborhood has not changed much since 1989. Only about 4 new homes in the subdivision. Our street is a dead end, so we don’t get much traffic, just the mail carrier, Jehovah Witnesses who love a dead end street, and the occasional lost soul.

I am so thankful for this little space in the world where I can be. I love a day off when I come to my home to rest and recharge. Ministry is always waiting to be done, but for today, it must wait. Ummm…unless there is an emergency of course.

 

 

But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired. (Isaiah 40:31 CEV)

Fruit of the Spirit

This week I have been studying on ways that living a life of faith is a better way to live than to live without faith. When I talk about faith, because of my tradition, I’m talking about faith in Jesus, whom I believe to be God and the way back to God for all people. (As contrasted with those whose faith responses are to money, wealth, health, fame and other non-God entities.)

Using an agri-metaphor, Paul, the apostle writes to the people in Galatia (today that’s Turkey) about what it means to live a life of faith in response to Jesus’ grace. (Letter to the Galatians, chapter 5) Paul insists that an appropriate life response is that we “bear fruit," what he calls the Fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is not any action we do, not prayers we pray, nor stands we take, but rather it is ways of being. The fruit Paul says we bear is love, peace, kindness, faithfulness, patience, generosity, joy, gentleness and self-control. (Fruit…so it includes all of these ways of being.)

• What do you think that the fruit of the Spirit would look like in people today?

• Do you think living a life of faith in Jesus is better than not living such a life?

I invite you to comment, sound off, complain, or otherwise give your opinion.

Summer Produce

In her muck boots she walked through
  the tall dew-dripping grass to feed
at the barbed wire fence, stood and
  lifted the bucket of grain over
calling, Hereboy, Hereboy

Morning was bonding time,

  bovine and beauty in their dance of discovery
Through the warm months, heft and brawn grew
  succulent tendons, marbled flanks

I watched this ritual as it came to be known to me,

  from the front window of the 10x50
trailer I called my first home 
As neighbors do, we threw up hands,
  waved when passing, shared the occasional
garden overages and took account of each other’s visitors

The slow summer of gestation in

  unairconditioned rooms drove me outdoors
and to walking, past Hereboy, and down to Flower’s store
where I charged my way through my cravings

The stifle of the summer heat lifted

  as did my belly burden presenting me with the bundled
  face and toes and smile of my summer’s produce
fat and round-faced, I bottled her, rocking
  from toe to toe  singing by the window
watching for the familiar ritual and
  teaching the pretty words, cow, grass, mother

As before the beauty, the bucket, the shake of grain,
  the call: Hereboy, Hereboy
the eager trot, the expectant muzzle,
  the season's growth of trust brought
the man, the gun, the shot, exacting and final

the pre-parted window curtain closed, and I sang on

Reporting from 2013 WNC Annual Conference

             It’s that time of year again, when I get to bring news of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference which took place last week.  I want to report on this year’s focus which was: Becoming the “Missional Church.” As you may be aware, last year the annual conference made the decision to shift from 15 districts down to 8. The changes we have experienced over the last year have been both tedious and helpful.        
              Our district superintendents are now referred to as District Missional Strategists. Missional Networks have been formed so that churches can work together to extend the mission of the church into our local geographical areas. The way forward is fully about missions…of all kinds, local, national and international.
              We were encouraged last year to focus on change and innovation in our local churches in order to reach those people outside our churches who do not (and marginally) have a relationship with God.        
              The focus this year at annual conference centered on motivating churches to be intentional about moving beyond the walls of the church to serve Jesus in our communities.  We are no longer to be about maintaining our organizations, but rather we are to focus all our resources in mission.
              Bishop Goodpaster summed up the theme with his words to the conference in our last worship together. “Get outta here. Get busy. Go. Go. Go. Get outta here!” The Bishop hopes that we will develop and play-out a “missional faith.” A missional faith is one that “stays focused on the heart of God in order to serve Christ in the present age.”


Bishop Goodpaster
(Photo captured from WNCC Facebook photos)

              Serving Christ in the present age certainly presents us with a great many challenges. However, Bishop Goodpaster explained that faith is not something we have and hold, but rather “faith is a verb.” Faith as a verb means that we live it out, love it out, give it out, send it out, serve it out. Having faith is like having a new pair of dancing shoes, unless we go dancing…what good are they? We are to go out fearlessly. In the clergy session, Bishop Goodpaster told all pastors, “Be brave, be bold and be reasonable. Take the authority that you are given by the church to make a difference. Don’t worry…I’ve got your back.”
              We were also blessed and inspired by great worship and messages. Bishop Peter Weaver brought us a word about who Jesus really is from Matthew 25. He said that Jesus is the person “out there,” in those to whom we are sent. He said that many people are facing the “midnight” of their lives, grieving, oppressed, broken, hurting, hungry, ready to give up. Bishop Weaver said that we are called to serve them…to serve Jesus in them…to go into those dark midnights with love, help, service, and friendship. We are to stand on God and God’s promises, so that our courage will overcome any fears or threats that are pelted at us by naysayers, friends, families, committees or councils.
              We were excited and encouraged by reports of the varied missions and ministries that have developed during the last year in the “just-outside-our-door” mission fields. For example in Stanley, the First UMC developed a mission called Common Ground by making available a 90 acre plot of ground where people can come and connect with the out of doors; where they can worship, play, be with their families, and experience God in a non-traditional setting. This is just one of the exciting new missional endeavors happening in our conference.
               I could go on and on about the encouraging words we received, but what I am encouraged by the most is that I know that God knows exactly what we are supposed to be doing. Both in our individual lives and in our community life at Pisgah UMC, seeking God for the way forward is thrilling prospect. This year is the year to let go of the fears that hold us and “get outta the church into our communities.” This year let’s commit to meeting Jesus in the people we are yet to know…He’s out there. If you don’t believe me…read Matthew 25.