I love this verse in John Chapter 15, Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

I refer to this idea as “abiding presence”. It is the practice of living within the awareness of the presence of God. I admit I am not always sure what that means, however there are times in my life when I experience such an abiding presence. It usually happens in the midst of worship or the experience of some divine appointment where you can only explain what happed as a God moment.

In reality God moments happen all the time, our problem is becoming aware of how they happen and when they happen. Jesus gives us some insight into this idea when He encourages His followers to remain in Him, and He will remain in us.

I could say a lot about that passage but there are three main thoughts which I want to discuss with you today.

The first is the practice of worship where I empty myself, where I release my anxiety and fears and come before God in awe. In worship we enter into relationship so that we can connect at a deeper level.

The second is the practice of sustained remaining. I use this term to express my belief that to really know someone you do it through the long-term. God is not into short term relationships.

The third idea is fruitfulness. Unless we are in the practice of fruit producing, (which is defined as growing in grace) we tend to lose the ability to do any of the above mentioned things.

So the question is this. What kind of worshiper are you? Do you have an abiding presence? Do you come to worship to empty yourself? Are you producing fruit?

Now granted these are sometime difficult to determine but they are marks of a worshiping follower of Jesus.

Tell me what you think.

Blessings

Pastor Rip

CLICK HERE to read today's Gospel.

OK, foot washing yesterday, and today I am talking about GIVING! Well, don’t shoot the messenger. I am just reading the Gospels and reflecting upon some of the directions for living life that I find there.

Today, I was struck by the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 in the Gospel of Matthew.  So cool!  However, there are some important lessons for us in this passage. Note first of all that there was very little given--five loaves of bread and two fish. Not much for even one person let alone 5000. However, I think the first lesson I get from this is that God will use whatever I give Him.

If you’re like me, I sometimes think that I really don’t have much to offer God. Truth is, I really don’t have much to offer God.  No, that was not a reprint. It is a truth which says: I would have nothing at all except what God in His mercy has provided. I guess the question I raise is this: who am I to determine how much enough is for God?  I mean, I did not create it in the first place; I am only entrusted with the power to use God’s resources wisely.

A second lesson is that God is in the habit of creating miracles. My problem is that I have little understanding of how miracles work. Apparently, so did the disciples of Jesus. I think we live in a society that does not expect much from God. We are self-sufficient in many ways and depending upon God is difficult because we tend to think it shows a lack of strength.

 My question is this: which action below requires more?  The ability to do it ourselves or  the trust/faith required to see and expect God to act?

So here is a challenge for today.  Trust God to do something out of the ordinary through you. Perhaps your act of courage might be an opportunity for God to perform a miracle. Now, how cool would that be!

Pastor Rip

CLICK HERE to read today's Gospel

 In our reading today we are faced with a real challenge.

                John 13: 12-14   When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

Before you close this page… please know that I am not going to ask you to wash each other’s feet--even though this is a practice in complete surrender and humility. I know of some churches that still practice this, and it is a very moving and humbling practice, but not here for us today…not now anyway.

 What I want you to think about is why we do service for others.  What is our motivation? In our passage above, Jesus states that it was done unto them (by Jesus) so they should do the same to each other. Service is not something we do in order to receive something back; that’s not what this says.  Service is, however, something we do to demonstrate to others a better way.

 Here are some questions to ponder: 
 What would happen if we took on this attitude modeled for us by Jesus in this act of service?
 What would your family look like?
 How would people respond to us differently at work, at school, and even at church?
 Does service make a difference, or do we continue along in our own self-serving attitudes? 
This week I am are going to look at some of the issues that affect how we usually do things and examine these issues in light of what God's word says.
I encourage you to journey along with me, and together we can learn a better way the feet of the master.

Oh by the way ….see you at the foot washing next time.

 Pastor Rip

Click here to go to the Gospel reading for today.

Convicted

The story of Mary and Martha in our Gospels reading today has always convicted me.

Luke 10:38-42 

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,  but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

I am reminded that often it is not so much what I do but how and especially why I do things. This is true especially in the Church. It is easy to get caught up in activity and miss one of the core teachings from Jesus. We  can serve on teams, sing in the choir, serve as ushers, even lead as pastors...the list goes on and on, and yet in all this activity we can lose  sight of the very important reality of spending time with Jesus.

I love to work, but at the same time I realize  that I can become consumed with the work that I do and forget to just stop and sit at times. One of the  practices which I encourage others to do, and I have practiced for many years now, is the practice of getting alone in solitude. It is in those  times I connect with the Master Creator of the  universe.  It is in those times that my soul sings songs of praise  and worship; it  is in those times that  I stop and listen to hear what God may be  trying to say to me.  Meaning, if I am too busy, I might just miss these most  wonderful times in my life.

In the midst of a fast, we have a great  opportunity to have one of those alone times--just you and God! Why not do that  right now?  Right where you are. Take 15 minutes and listen, sing, pray, or whatever you need to do to hear again the  voice of  the  Master.


Blessings
Pastor Rip

Click the link below to go o the Gospels reading plan.
TODAY'S GOSPEL READING

My Friends Cross

This is a first day of sorts for me. Yesterday was spent in moving our belongings into the place I will call home.  It’s a nice place overlooking a lake, and as I look out my window I can see ducks swimming, and a cool breeze is blowing.  It’s nice to have a place like this, yet it is just a place and not my final destination.

I’m in transition.  What that means is I need to learn to adapt.  Learn how to apply what I know to the place I find myself in.  As this relates to spiritual realities, I need to apply the teachings of Jesus and the scriptures to my surroundings.

I have a practice that whenever I move into a new home the first item I place in a position of importance is a cross that was given to me early in my ministry. It is old and outdated to other more detailed crosses; yet, it receives the place of honor in each and every home I have lived in. I place it in this position of honor, not because it is a masterpiece of art, but because it was a gift of LOVE from a friend.

In spiritual discipleship, sometimes we practice these things that are not pretty or even popular; however, we continue to do them because of who we know to be our friend.   Every time we practice a discipline like fasting (which we will do starting tonight at 6pm to Friday night at 6pm), we do so not because it is easy but because it is the right thing to do.

So here are three practical things to do during a FAST:

• Start with prayer.  Ask God to lead you in this. Stop throughout the day and ask God to keep you on track and end the fast with a prayer of thanksgiving.   
• Drink plenty of clear fluids.
• Scripture teaches us to wash our face, anointing our head with oil, and don’t go around sad or somber.

And because this is only a one day fast, I am planning a nice meal on Friday evening in my new home, where I can see the cross made by my good friend.

Blessings,

Pastor Rip

BTY, I will be online most of the day on Friday if you want some encouragement or just need to visit about staying the course.

youversion.com/reading-plans

Fasting Often?

OK, folks, here goes. I am going to talk about FASTING…now if you are still reading past that last line, please be encouraged. There are many directions I could take with this idea of fasting. Suffice it to say, all you need do is a quick Internet search and you will find a variety of ideas and Bible verses to back them up. Some of the stuff is good, but most of it, I think, is used to prove a point the writer is trying to make.

However, when I look at this passage from Matthew’s Gospel (chapter 6), I see “fasting” as a relational invitation. That would be consistent with Jesus’ teaching on prayer and giving mentioned in the same chapter. I do believe that there are other positive results that come from fasting, but it really comes down to one BIG idea; when I fast, I simply want to know Christ more and myself less.

What that means is that I want to discover that He is more important than food. He is more important than a particular self-gratifying activity. He (GOD) is more important than even life itself.

Now that is a bold statement, and to be honest I am not there yet. But I am growing in that direction and fasting helps remind me that this life is about responding to a relationship with the one who created all there is even life itself. Are there other benefits from fasting?  Yes, I believe so, but the most important is for me to understand just how important God really is in me. If I can discover that God really is important in my life through this simple practice, well then, I believe that life can be more full and meaningful because the trivial loses its influence.

SO…this Friday I invite you to set aside 24 hours through the act of fasting. I will begin at 6PM Thursday evening and end at 6PM Friday evening only drinking clear fluids. Can you do it?

Please note that if you have a medical condition that would keep you from participation in a food fast, you might substitute some other activity where you can join with me on the journey.

I am looking forward to hearing your stories of discovery with the God who loves us all so much.

Pastor Rip

Click the link below to go to:

Todays Reading plan from the Gospels

The Big Three

This is day 6 in our reading through the Gospels. Actually, this is where for me it gets exciting. It is here that we gleen some of the rich teaching from Jesus. Matthew gives us the "Lord's Prayer," Luke gives us the "Beatitudes," and John shows us this amazing story of the feeding of the 5000. Rich stuff to say the least!   But what does it mean if there is no application for our lives?


 One of the passages which spoke to me today was from Matthew. Here we find a very interesting road map for Spirtual Discipleship. I'lI call them the big three. In this reading, we discover three things we SHOULD do. The first thing I noticed is that these are not suggestions for living a better life; these are not popular "How-to Books" from a respected leadership guru. This is a simple road map given by God to enable us to live life free from self-control.

 It consists of three points, When you GIVE!  When you PRAY! and When you FAST--the reality of this third point, and my confession to you, is that this is an area of life that I sometimes struggle with. Well, let's be honest. Giving and praying are great, they make me feel good inside, but to put fasting in the same place of importance for  the Christian life is rather scary.

Here is something to ponder.  We give insight to those struggling with finances to put God to the test; in fact, God invites us to  test  Him in this area of our lives so that He can prove Himself faithful. (Reference Malachi 3:10.) We encourage all to pray during times of great  trouble as well as in the good times; yet when it comes to fasting, we don't talk much about Jesus' words where He says "WHEN YOU FAST!"

OK, so here is a challenge. I invite you to a one day fast this Friday, August 17th.  I will give us some directions over the next few days as to what this would look like.


Would love to hear your feedback on this part of Scripture.
 Pastor Rip

 At this time the comment portion of my BLOG is not working please respond to me through e-mail, rjenkins@mtco.com     Thanks.