TheMoment

Ever wanted to go to Jerusalem?

pyropastor — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:11:02 +0000

Here is a nice little 360 degree tour of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where many Christians believe Jesus was killed and buried. Today it is surrounded by shops, homes and many other buildings. However, the mystery and beauty of this place is magnificent. If you have not had a chance to see this in person, maybe it will still generate the same awe. Thanks Jim for this site reference:

http://www.360tr.com/kudus/kiyamet_eng/index.html

TAKE A MOMENT and explore the history of the region where Christ lived, died and rose again!

Holy Spirit

pyropastor — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:20:46 +0000

At the 20s Group, Abbey brought up some nice thoughts on the Holy Spirit. Here they are:

I have been told that one must invite the Holy Spirit in to our hearts in order for the Holy Spirit to be with us. So during one of those “invitation” alter calls I would ask, but would not feel it. I am not speaking against Scripture because I do not know it all or understand the context in which it was written, but making it real to me so that I can grasp the concept and make it apart of my life and spiritual growth. The Holy Spirit has always been the one to walk with me, teach me, be the voice in my head and the gut feeling when something is not right about a situation. Even though Jesus has gone through it all and is the example to follow, sometimes we get overwhelmed in the moments of life and forget the example. The Holy Spirit is not something that is invited in because if it is invited it can uninvited. It is not like grace that is freely given, it is like forgiveness that has to be asked for. Not just asked for, but embraced with our whole being.

Thanks Abbey!

worship

pyropastor — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:06:11 +0000

Just came back from a great worship service. I will be writing more about it this week, but I really had fun today. I connected to the message in new ways for me and I appreciated the adult education as well. Thank you to all of you who made today a great day!

TAKE A MOMENT and thank God for the worship services that have made a difference to you in your past.

THE ANT

pyropastor — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:23:18 +0000

Thanks to all those who sent me this. It is cute. Doubt it really happened, but that is ok. Enjoy what it is trying to show us.

The Ant & the Contact Lens

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens . ‘Great’, she thought. ‘Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.’
She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn’t there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse ‘The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.’

She thought, ‘Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.’

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, ‘Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?’

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn’t end there. Brenda’s father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, ‘Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.’

I think it would do all of us some good to say, ‘God, I don’t know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it’s awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.’

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him….I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13

TIPS

pyropastor — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:02:27 +0000

I heard a report today about a diner in South Carolina who was banned from a restaurant because she was a bad tipper. Nobody knows the exact origin of the tip, but most agree that a tip means “to insure proper service” or “to insure prompt service.” Either way, the idea of a tip is to give extra revenue for a job well done. A greater tip leads to greater service (supposedly). It is ironic how that has become a mandatory part of the experience. Don’t get me wrong, I love to be generous as I realize those who rely on those tips probably are in greater need than myself (speaking of that, how come I never receive a tip for the sermon). However, it seems like businesses have used the practice to decrease the cost of doing business. Servers can be paid less because the tip covers the rest. I remember overhearing a server in a restaurant complaining because he only received about 10 percent in a tip. But, I watched the server serve (as he was my server) and believe me, 10 percent was VERY generous. Obviously it is pretty clear that we are a society that EXPECTS the rewards without the work. We expect the tip without the above and beyond service. We expect to be the CEO without paying our dues. I think that is hurting our society, but yet I consider God and the generosity shown to us even though we do not deserve it. I thank God that even though I do not do what I am supposed to do. I get the ultimate reward anyway, simply because I believe. What a TIP!!!!

TAKE A MOMENT and be SUPER generous to your server and drop a note that says I am giving you something extra because God has already given us the greatest gift. May this tip remind you of God’s love. Kind of cheesy, but you never know.

Complicated life

pyropastor — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:35:55 +0000

I just got done speaking to a group of parents as I was dropping off my children for one of their many sporting events they are involved in. As I was chatting, a question of faith came up and it took us down a long and deep conversation. As our theological conversation was in its deepest another parent was sharing how her child was going to have to have surgery for a procedure that left me, as a man, trembling, something to do with intestines and a scrotum and….well, enough said! It was amazing the depth of both conversations. One was heady and difficult to comprehend, the other was very real and (for me) GROSS. Both, however, are things that as humans we deal with every day. We think deep thoughts of God and the universe, but then have to face the reality of our limited human bodies and the things that they endure. It was funny how my mind was caught up in heavenly thoughts, but how quickly I was slapped back into the reality of life. We cannot and should not try to escape either. Some of us keep seeking the perfect world, while others of us are so caught up in our humanness that we feel no escape. What God offers is something in the middle. We are told to live in this life, to deal with the STUFF of this life and to care for the needs of this world. We cannot escape the sin, the evil, the questions and the temptations of this world nor the day to day limitations of being human. However, we can also hold onto the promise of salvation and hope of what is to come.

TAKE A MOMENT and think of heavenly thoughts and mysteries but be honest about your humanity!

Daily devotions are great

pyropastor — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:57:02 +0000

I like this devotion from lentendevotions.net

“Don’t Tell”

February 21, 2010

TEXT: Mark 9:9-10 – As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

What a secret Peter, James, and John had! Luke records “they kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen” (Luke 9:36b). Jesus had several good reasons for urging them to keep what they had experienced to themselves. One of those reasons was that what they had experienced was not primarily for them. It was primarily for Jesus. It was to encourage Him for the journey He alone must make.

Another reason they should not tell anyone about what they had seen is that they did not yet understand the full extent of the journey on which they would be accompanying Jesus. They were on the right track as they discussed what “rising from the dead” meant. But they failed to grasp its meaning because they refused to believe Jesus was going up to Jerusalem to die.

Even so, the clues were staring them in the face: They could have talked about the relationship between Moses’ journey leading the Children of Israel from bondage and Jesus’ journey to deliver all people from sin. They could have talked about the relationship between Jesus and Elijah, and the confronting of false gods. They could have talked about what the roar from the mouth of the Father must have meant for Jesus. They could have talked about any number of things-things that would have helped them understand what “rising from the dead” means.

The disciples would need to see the end of Jesus’ journey before they could understand the full story and share what they had experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration. Then they could tell about Jesus being perfectly faithful to the Father. Then they could tell about the deliverance from the captivity of sin. Then they could tell about the love of Christ that overcomes every other god. Then they could see how all would be restored and would be very good!

THE PRAYER: We are grateful, Lord, that we are free to tell what we have seen and heard. Amen.

Tom

pyropastor — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:12:34 +0000

Just a brief long-overdue thank you to Tom for helping me get this blog up and running. Thanks man! Love you man. You are awesome man!

Vasectomy

pyropastor — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:04:15 +0000

I was driving in Naperville the other day and almost had an accident when I heard a very peculiar commercial and between my surprise and my laughter, I almost rear-ended someone. The advertisement was for a vasectomy clinic. The premise was that March Madness was coming up and there would be 48 h0urs of non-stop basketball. What a great time for a vasectomy. It would allow you to stay on the couch and watch them if only you would get their vasectomy. In addition you would receive a free pizza from a local pizza place. There is a WHOLE lot that I can do with this one and I am going to…but I am still getting my head around it. Look for my theological understanding of this commercial in a future devotion that I send out daily. If you do not receive them and would like to, please contact me at jeffry@bataviaumc.com. I send them out every day, Monday through Friday. Wow, I am still giggling!

Jesus Loves Me

pyropastor — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:32:55 +0000

This is a thought from Bob:

“A thought just occurred to me as I reflected again about our devotion on Tuesday night. . . .At my Gram’s recent funeral, my aunt stood up and spoke of what she meant to all of us. EVERYBODY in the church nodded and agreed when she stated that “Gram made us each feel like we were her FAVORITE and most important person in the world”. This is no doubt how Jesus made everyone feel during his life and EVERY day since for those that have faith! ”

His words remind me of the song, “Jesus Loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I sang this a lot in Sunday School as a child, but it is more than a childhood memory. The words are so clear and real. Jesus does love me and he loves you too! What a great thing to remember as we face life.

TAKE A MOMENT and sing the song and think of the words. Make sure if you are singing it in your office, you are ready to answer questions from your boss!!!