Life Lived

One of the things I like to do most is fish and camp and the best I have ever found is in the Boundary Waters and Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. By going into an area where you don’t see very many people for six days, live in a tent and travel by canoe, you get a real perspective on life. All you see is God’s creation, rocks, trees, water, moose, eagles, fish and an occasional bear.
You are disconnected from the digital world, no phone or computer, and you find it real easy to take your watch off and put it away for a few days. You really don’t need to know what time it is, you just eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired, and fish when you feel like it. Sounds like paradise doesn’t it? In the busy world we live in today it is kind of like paradise. God provides all we need but we really can’t just sit back and enjoy because somebody has to do the cooking, clean the fish, collect wood and prepare the fire, set up the tents, and paddle the canoe. It isn’t the Garden of Eden.
The picture above was taken on my last trip into the area, and when I say last I mean there may not be another like this because it is getting more difficult to do the portages with the canoe on my back and sleep on the rocks. This trip was through the United Methodist Camping program at Ely, Minnesota and I took my son, my grandson (9 years old at the time) and four others from the church I was serving. It rained every day and the day we decided to go for a long excursion with lots of portages to different lake areas, it rained all day. We were soaked and exhausted when we got back to our camp site. As soon as we got our fire going and a tarp erected over the fire so we could get dry and warm, our spirits returned and we enjoyed the fresh walleye and northern pike along with some fried potatoes and onions and slept soundly through the night.
The last night on our campsite we had a terrible storm that lasted all evening and into the morning. We needed to paddle out for about 6 hours to meet our host at a pick up point and with the choppy water and loaded canoes it was quite an experience. We chose a route that would give us some cover from the wind part of the way and were able to make it on time but just barely.
This to me is life lived to the fullest. It is beautiful, peaceful, reviving, exciting and refreshing. Some people will say that they don’t need to go to church to worship God and that is true, but God does call us to be in communion with our brothers and sisters. Enjoy God’s creation to the fullest but remember to participate in ministry.

Your Fellow Servant,
Pastor Homer

Undefeated

Post from the church newsletter for October.

Life is good (no, it’s GREAT) for this old pastor. Lawson High School football
team is undefeated. My KSU Wildcats are undefeated. Kansas City Chiefs are
undefeated. As many of you know I really love football and I can’t remember a time
when my three favorite teams were all undefeated. The amazing thing is all three teams
are really looking great. Lawson has been on top of their game for years but the other
two, as you know, have been struggling the last few years (seems like decades for the
Chiefs) and that makes this moment even more exciting.
Many teams, football and other sports, go through rebuilding periods, eras where
they aren’t quite on top of their game because one portion of their defense or offense or
one particular position is slightly lacking. Recruiters in college and General Managers in
the pros look for players to fill those voids and get back to the level of play they expect
from their team.
The church is similar but yet very different. We as a church function as a team
and when we are all doing what God has called us to do we operate very smoothly and are
undefeated by any obstacles placed in our path. One of the differences is we are not
called to compete with one another for positions in the church. Each one of us has
different gifts and graces and there is room for all on this team. When we recruit we don’t
replace players but rather try to find the right niche for ministry for each new person that
becomes a part of the congregation. That is why it important for each member to explore
where they feel called to function as part of the whole.
We are in the nominations process at this time and doing our very best to discern
each member’s gifts in order to connect all persons to the ministry of Lawson UMC . If
we do our job well this church will be undefeatable. What would make our task easier is
to hear from each of you. What is it you like to do? What gives you joy? How can that
be connected to the church in a constructive way? It isn’t just the offices that make this
church function, the most important groups are the committees that function as ministries.
It is the people that everyone in the community sees as the hands of the church, as Christ
in the world.
At the present time there are folks at Lawson UMC exploring new ministries that
will assist those in need in this community and beyond. As these opportunities are
presented to you, the congregation, listen with an open heart and mind and listen for God
to speak to you. Then answer by making that commitment to be involved. I encourage
you to be a part of the greatest team ever, God’s Team, the Church. Still
UNDEFEATED.

We are READY

I want to echo a few of the thoughts I shared with the congregation Sunday, August 22nd as we begin the new school year and opportunities to make Disciples for Jesus Christ are at hand. St. Paul said “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone,doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” (New Living Translation).
We have made lots of changes over the last year. I think it all started when we saw the opportunity for ministry through the renovation of what was formerly called the Dungeon. It was a place that was dark and damp and musty and moldy. Walls were takenout. Carpet was removed. Trash was taken out. Outside drainage was improved and now we have an area that can be used for ministry. From that day something began to happen.
The Library was cleaned. The Southwest room off the sanctuary was redecorated. The storage rooms off the sanctuary were cleaned and organized. Children planted flowers at the entrances of the church and provided some color to the curb appeal. We have reestablished the Cry Room for parents who feel uncomfortable when their child is a little fussy. It really doesn’t bother me. I would rather have them crying in church than not there at all. This Cry Room also doubles as a fellowship area.
The service times were changed to attract and be available to a larger diverse group and was combined into one service in order that we might be more in fellowship with one another. Through the summer we have experienced spirit filled services that allow persons to connect to their faith.
We already have a great missions programs involving over 20 folks on trips to Oklahoma last year and Kentucky this year. We have ministries in Kansas City of feeding and clothing the homeless. We have a connection with Grand Avenue Temple and
Lazarus’ Table. We are constantly looking for new ways to connect people to the ministry of Christ right here in Lawson, Missouri.
The last change occurred when I moved my office into the Library. Having my office in the back of the sanctuary made it difficult for guests to find me. It was dark, hot and humid in the summer, cold in the winter. We needed to have two air conditioners or two furnaces running all week and now require only one saving the church funds that can be used for ministry. We have moved some of the library books into the old office making them readily available to all. This change also provided a restroom close at the back of the room and we plan to put a changing table in the restroom. There is already a sign beside the door that says, Restroom/Changing station.
WE ARE READY. Now we need to be like Paul and call the Spirit to guide us to invite those who are without a church home. We are not in the business of stealing other church’s parishioners. We are called to reach those without a connection. Who can you invite over the next four weeks? Start now by asking God to point you in the directions of those persons and then follow His lead.

Home Sweet Home

I returned home a week ago from our mission trip to Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky and haven't caught up on my energy level yet. Part of the problem is all the little projects that were waiting for me at home. My wife and daughter had painted most of the inside of the house and my son-in-law and grandson had powerwashed the back wood deck. I painted the deck the second day home. The next day I trimmed the hedge (gas powered trimmer wouldn't start so I did it the old fashioned way, with arm power). Then I powerwashed the front deck and the next day stained it, looks great!!! While I was doing all that the cable on one spring of the garage door broke and needed to be fixed and I accomplished that yesterday (July 5th). Now maybe I can get some rest.
As I thought about my complaints about all the work I had been doing my mind wandered back to the hollars of the Appilachian Mountains where we met two families. One family was tickled to have the holes in some of their walls repaired and painted. The other didn't have walls in part of their house, only 2X4 studs. The roof on both houses had leaked for some time and was in dire need of repair. They both have a roof that doesn't leak now so maybe they can start repairs on the inside with the next crew that comes to help from Red Bird. These families live on almost nothing and they have very little.
After remembering what I had seen the last week I believe we are very, very, very fortunate to have the things we have, even if it involves a little work to maintain it. The one thing we do have is hope for tomorrow. I pray that our work crew inspired a little bit of hope to the good people of Appilachia and I praise God for the work that Red Bird Mission does in that community.

Missouri United Methodist Annual Conference

I just returned from the Missouri United Methodist Annual Conference and am totally amazed at what our denomination is doing in this state and in the world to reach people in the name of Jesus Christ and to change the world we live in. United Methodist have always been those who have made a difference in the world and pushed for change to combat social injustices, not only here in the United States but in the world. I heard Michael Slaughter from the United Methodist Church in Ginghamsburg, Ohio speak of the ministries reaching out to the Sudan and Darfur and their work of ministry there in addition to the Dayton, Ohio area. They have four Mission Trips planned for Haiti already. They continue to be involved in healing for the Katrina disaster along with many many other United Methodist Churches. The church I serve is planning a trip to Gulfport, Mississippi in 2011(thanks to our youth leader, Liz Hull) . What other denomination or organization can claim that they are still there? Not many!! We are!!! The United Methodist Church is making a difference in the world but we are also in the process of changing and becoming a new church with what I see as an old focus, the same change in focus brought about by John Wesley when he went against his denominatin and took Christ into the streets where there was a need. We are getting back to focusing on the people that live in the margins of life; those who are without food, clothing, water, homes, family, and friends. We are standing up for the rights of individuals that have been oppressed by our society like we are called to do. Sometimes that involves standing up and speaking out for the rights of those individuals. I am proud to say that I am part of the United Methodist Church, a denomination that is making a difference in the world rather than focusing on ourselves.

Memorial Weekend

This Memorial week my wife Barb and I drove to North Central Kansas to visit family and friends and to participate in the bi-annual alumni banquet of Simpson High School. It was a wonderful experience with six of our thirteen class members present. As usual there weren't any of the local graduates there, all of us coming from Missouri, Arkansas, and Goodland Kansas but we enjoyed stories of forty-five years ago and were the last group to leave after the gathering. Most, if not all of the folks gathered there, still can't believe I became a pastor because they knew me and there was no evidence that I would ever change my ways. I always jokingly comment that the reason they closed the school the year after I graduated has something to do with who I was. I know there is no truth in that statement but it does identify the tremendous change that has happened and continues.
ON this drive of four hours each way I noticed the beauty of the landscape. I really love the rolling hills and forests of Missouri but I saw a new wonder in the plains and flint hills of Kansas today. Particularly exciting was the view from the tops of the hills in the northern borders of the flint hills south of Manhattan, Kansas. You can see for miles across the valleys of lush green grass spotted with cedar and Osage Orange trees. Relaxing in the warm season grass after a morning of grazing were cattle; cows, yearlings and newborn calves. Most herds were all one breed, either red, white, black or brown, but one or two pastures were covered with a mixture of all. Either was a beautiful sight. Amazing what simple experiences like this can bring joy to the eye and the soul. I think I will try to keep my eyes open from now on.

June Newsletter notes

I don’t know about you but in my life there have been lots of peaks and valleys, mountaintop experiences and those moments where it seemed as though it would be impossible to continue. There were those days and sometimes months where I felt as though I didn’t want to get out of bed and face the world because it was just going to throw something else at me. It always seemed like those moments came just after a mountaintop experience. When things are going the best, evil has a way of stepping in and challenging our commitment, our joy in life. Can you relate to this? If so how do you cope with these valleys?
The way I have been able to handle the stresses of these moments is to accentuate the positives. If the dark moments are about your relationships with family or friends, stop and look at all the moments you cherish in that relationship and then begin to rebuild that connection. If those dark moments are financial issues, examine your current status, get help if needed and make a plan and follow it. If you need help one of the greatest resources I have heard of is the Financial Peace program with Dave Ramsey. If those low times are because of your job the best advice I can give is to begin to look for your vision for your job and how it fits into the organization or company you work for. If you are achieving those personal goals the rewards will help you find those peaks and mountaintops.
I am very fortunate in my life to have a wonderful family. Barb’s health is better than it has been in at least a decade and she is finding new energy every day. Our children have great spouses and we have the best, smartest and most beautiful and athletic grandchildren in the world (some of you might challenge me on that one.)
I have the best job in the whole world. I work for the greatest boss in the universe and my coworkers are some of the smartest and most innovative people I have known. A lot of good is happening at Lawson UMC. Attendance is up from last year which was up from the year before. The physical plant is in great shape with a new roof, storage areas organized, drainage problems solved, landscaping improved, flowers planted for color, and more ideas for improvement in process. New ministries have begun with excitement; older adult ministries, youth breakfast, children’s church, and Vacation Bible School. Our participation in missions has grown each year and this year we are taking about one fourth of our average attendance to Red Bird Mission.
God is good!! Let’s continue to build on His promises.

Pastor Homer

Good Beginnings

I decided this morning that it is time for me to start a blog and am struggling through the process. I love to write short notes about what is happening in my life and the life of the church so I hope this is a good beginning.