Warning!!

I was driving back to Lubbock from the farm. When you live in the city, you forget how dark country roads can be. Ahead the only lights on the road were two sets of hazard lights flashing. Because I don't know what's ahead, I slowed down. I realized the parked vehicles might be sitting in the middle of the road. I slowed down even more as I approached the lights. As I was almost at the cars, something blocked the road. I quickly swerved around the black cow that straddled the yellow line. If I hadn't slowed down, I could have been killed.

How many times do we see warning lights from God? I hear that little voice in my head saying, "This isn't what you are supposed to be doing." I have to decide if I am going to listen to that voice or if I am going to preceed on a dangerous road. Often my own desires stifle the sirens that tell me what is good or not good for me. I make excuses to myself. "But I'm really lonely and God doesn't want me to be by myself." "If I work hard enough, I can make ... go the way it should." "I can change this person."

God has given each of us lights, bells, sirens that warn us when we are on a path that is destructive for us. God also gave us free will to decide whether we will follow God or our own desires. I pray that the next time I see hazard lights on my path, I slow down to decide if this is where I should go.

One More Try

In Hebrew Scriptures class (Old Testament), we have been just finishing Isaiah and Jeremiah. One thing I've noticed throughout the books that we've studied so far is that the Israelites were constantly screwing up and God was constantly giving them a second chance.

I sometimes beat myself up because I haven't been praying daily or because I was worried about money so I didn't pay my offering for the month. I feel like I have failed and think, "What's the use? I've already messed up. Why even try?" Sometimes I think I'm such a doofus that there is no way that God could still love me.

The lesson I'm learning from these old scriptures is that even in the olden (extremely olden) days God was willing to offer another chance. I always have another opportunity to follow God and the commandments that Jesus set forth. By commandments I'm speaking of "Love your neighbor as you love yourself and love God above all things."

The stewardship committee talks about how to keep stewardship in people's minds after finishing the drive. Referring back to God's recovenant with the Isrealites is one way we can help our congregants know that they can keep trying. Instead of giving up, each of us can try again. How else could we go to God's communion table?

MORE! again!?!

I've got a feeling that I'm supposed to be doing more. Like before I feel a dissatisfaction with the status quo. I'm struggling with feeling this huge jumpiness inside of me. When I sit in church, I know that we are not reaching people. Instead of trying to have a contemporary service we try to give a mixture of some praise music and some hymns.


God has put tremors on my heart that I need to start an alternative worship service. Can it be in/at MCC Lubbock? Our sanctuary feels so stale. Our fellowship hall is stark. I think this service could happen in our sanctuary. Should it be on Sunday night or Saturday afternoon (like Recovering the Promise)? Should it be Wednesday night? If Doorways, our young people's group, is going to only meet every other week, then we could have a service one Wednesday a month.

I can also envision a service at a coffee house. I can envision people noticing activity in the cafe and wandering in to see what's going on. I can also imagine people coming who wouldn't normally walk into a church. They wouldn't feel the pressure that they had to believe in anything to be welcomed in this service.

I believe that God has put these thoughts in my head because there are people in Lubbock who need MORE. So many GLBT people don't feel that they have a place at most churches in Lubbock. Probably many straight people have also experienced being on the outside.

What is going to happen? I don't know. I'm continuing to pray about what God wants from me and from MCC Lubbock.