a workbook for personal and group study - saint paul's workbook for personal and group study...

A workbook for personal and group study

We wish to thank Hyde Park UMC and, in particular, Rev. Dr. James Harnish for the use of these reCONNECTmaterials, which were written for Hyde Park and edited for use at Saint Paul’s UMC. Used by permission.

Jim Harnishwith Kendra Lee and Deborah Richards

The Saint Paul’s version has been slightly edited and added to by Rev. Nathan Adams, Rev. Sally Campbell-Evans, Ms. Linda Fletcher, and Mr. Jim Nash.


Saint Paul’s United Methodist is a Christ-centered, Biblically-rooted congregation located in Tallahassee, FL.

For more than 50 years, this faith community has been dedicated to Following Jesus - Growing in Community - Transforming the World.

reFOCUS

reCONNECT

reCOMMITprayers - presence - gifts - service - witness

reCONNECT


© 2008 by Hyde Park United Methodist

www.hydeparkumc.org

All rights reserved.

United Methodist churches and other o� cial United Methodist bodies may reproduce up to

500 words from this publication, provided the following notice appears with the excerpted

material: From reCONNECT, by � e Rev. Dr. James A. Harnish. © 2008 by Hyde Park United

Methodist. Used by permission.

Requests for quotations exceeding 300 words should be addressed to Communications O� ce,

Hyde Park United Methodist, 500 W. Platt St., Tampa, FL 33606.

All scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are taken from the New Revised Standard Version

of the Bible, copyrighted 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the

Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Some of the materials in this workbook have been edited slightly to make them more

relevant to Saint Paul’s UMC. Additionally the whole chapter on “Witness” has been

added, a! er our membership vows were changed at General Conference in 2008. " is

chapter was written by Rev. Nathan Adams and Mr. Jim Nash.

ISBN 978-1-4267-0646-2

INTRODUCTION

Do you ever feel disconnected?

Do you ever feel that your life is like a computer trying to connect to the Internet?

You know that there is a larger world out there, a world # lled with all sorts of amazing

things, but some glitch in the program is keeping you from connecting to it. Do you

ever feel like you are waiting for something to happen, watching for something to appear

on the screen, anticipating some new discovery?

Would you like to experience a more intimate connection with God? Do you want to

# nd a spiritual connection that makes a tangible di$ erence in your life? Would you like

to move from knowing about God to knowing God as an energizing power in your life?

Would you like to experience a deeper connection to other people? Have you ever been

lonely, so lonely that you felt there was no one to hear your laughter or share your tears?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a real friend and not just a collection

of acquaintances?

Would you like to be connected to something that is making a real di$ erence in this

world? Do you wrestle with how to use the resources that God places in your hands in

ways that bring hope and healing to others?

Would you like to be connected to the needs of others? Have you ever prayed, “God,

why don’t you do something about the shape this world is in?” only to discover that

God is asking you the same question?

If you can answer “Yes” to any of those questions, or if you are curious about why

anyone would ask questions like them, this # ! y-day experience is for you!

" ere were # ! y days between Easter when Christ rose from the tomb and Pentecost when

the Holy Spirit invaded the lives of the disciples with wind and # re, energizing them to be

the agents of God’s life and love in the world. It took # ! y days for isolated individuals to

become a cohesive community, for spiritually empty strugglers to become Spirit-energized

witnesses, and for fearful followers to become the daring disciples who would go out to

change the world!

" is # ! y-day experience of study, worship, sharing, and prayer is designed to help you to

experience a new connection with God, with God’s people, with God’s generosity, and with

God’s transformation of the world.

5

But how? With all the demands on our time, how can we connect and stay connected?

Perhaps your experience is like Deborah, a former television news reporter, who

responded to my invitation to join the writing team for this project.

When Jim called me to work on his project I felt “chosen” and believed God would � ll my

mind with the right words to make this a success. A� er all, this was not some TV package I

needed to make deadline with and hoped to win an Emmy. � is was Holy Work. With God

inspiring me, writing would be a breeze. Since I am home with four kids, the best place to

start was to carve out time in my day, and, presto, we’d be on our way to a best-seller.

But that time never came at the right time. It typically came at night when the kids

were asleep, and my brain was fried from kindergarten spelling tests and four-year-old

imagination play.

I took my material to the pool, only to engage in a three-hour conversation with a stranger

regarding the di� erence between mothering boys and girls. I made an appointment for

a mammogram, went to the dentist, had a garage sale, and spent way too much time

looking up useless information on the Internet. Even with God on my side, the work was

not getting done. Which led me to the word ACT. We can only be connected, energized,

powered by God if we do the work … when we choose to act.

� is workbook invites you to ACT. It’s an invitation to make a disciplined change in ordinary

patterns of your life that will open the way for you to experience new connections in your life.

You can take action in three speci� c ways.

1. Connect to scripture.

On the � nal page of his gospel, Luke tells us that the Risen Christ “opened their minds to

understand the scriptures.” (Luke 24:45-46) Our connection to Christ is inescapably connected

to the words of scripture. � is workbook is designed as a daily guide for personal study and

re! ection. We invite you to act by making time in your schedule each day to connect with the

words of scripture.

2. Connect in worship.

� e last time we see the disciples in Luke’s gospel, they are in worship. “� ey worshiped him, and

returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” (Luke

24:52-53) � is experience is centered around life together in the worshiping congregation. We

invite you to act by making your own commitment to be in worship in the congregation.

3. Connect with others.

Luke’s account of the early church in the book of Acts will serve as the Biblical guide to this

experience. Acts opens with Jesus ordering the disciples to spend the next � � y days together

in prayerful anticipation of the promise of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4) And they did! Luke

records, “All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer.” (Acts 1:14)

Like those � rst disciples, we experience our connection with Christ in our connection with

other disciples. We invite you to act by being a part of a small group with whom you can share

your experience along the way.

Jesus’ last promise to his disciples was that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came

upon them, and that by that power, they would be his witnesses throughout the world. (Acts

1:8) Talk about being connected! � at’s exactly the kind of connection we expect to � nd as we

share these days together.

Like the book of Acts, this workbook emerged out of a Spirit-led community that served as a

writing team in which we shared all things in common (Acts 2:44) Kendra Lee wrote the daily

re! ections and questions. Deborah Richards developed the personal witnesses and practical

steps. John Barolo and Ferdie deVega designed and edited the workbook. Shannon Hitchcock

wrote the children’s workbook with assistance from Marsha Harnish, Deborah Richards and

Sylvia Maye. Eric Johnson, and Keith Cate led the production team for the accompanying

DVD. Justin LaRosa, Martha Chamberlain, Matt Horan and Vicki Walker o� ered helpful

critique. Together, we have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in the process and o� er it to the

Hyde Park United Methodist congregation with high expectations for the way the Spirit will use

it in our life together.

Jim Harnish

Pentecost, 2008

*And now we o� er it to Saint Paul’s “with high expectations for the way the Spirit will use it in your life together.”

“O begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises. You may acquire the taste for which

you have not: What is tedious at " rst will a# erwards be pleasant. Whether you like it or not,

read and pray daily. It is for your life: there is no other way, else you will be a tri$ er all your

days.” -John Wesley (1703-1791) [Letter to John Trambath, August 17, 1760]

76 reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

HOW TO USE THIS WORKBOOKreFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT is an individual and group study. It’s important that you

faithfully devote 30 minutes every day to read, think, re� ect, and pray. For many people, ! nding

this time is easiest ! rst thing in the morning. For you, it may be di" erent. Choose a time and place

where you are able to focus. In addition to your workbook, you will need a Bible, something to write

with, and possibly a highlighter to underscore words that resonate. Sometimes, our tendency will be

to breeze through the lesson, but slow down and savor it. Let God work on and through you during

this spiritual experience.

# e reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT workbook is divided into seven weekly sections.

Interviews with some SPUMC members are incorporated into weeks two, three, four and ! ve.

Take time to learn about these individuals and how they have grown in their faith and as disciples.

# ere is also a weekly Psalm. Read the Psalm each day before beginning to study, asking God

to open your heart and mind to the passage. Let the words speak to you. # en, review the

commentary. Be honest with yourself and with God when answering the re� ection questions.

No one is going to collect your workbook and read it.

In the margins, you will ! nd quotes from faithful Christians, prayers, connections for you to

make, and ways to dig deeper into your faith.

! e purpose of this daily study is spiritual growth and discipline, not perfection. All or some

of the readings and questions may be meaningful to you. Others will not. Don’t be discouraged.

Write everything you are feeling in your workbook. A$ er all, this is your own personal journey.

It may be one of the most important ones you ever take.

At the end of this experience, you will be asked to make commitments in the practice of

prayers, presence, gi$ s, service and witness. Saint Paul’s will provide you a commitment card

that allows you to indicate your prayerful decisions.

Week 1-- Longing for Connection ........................................................................................... 9Week 2-- Prayers: Our Connection with God’s Power ........................................................ 26Week 3-- Presence: Our Connection with God’s People ..................................................... 46Week 4-- Gi$ s: Our Connection with God’s Generosity .................................................... 66Week 5-- Service: Our Connection to God’s Transformation ............................................ 86Week 6-- Witness: Our Connection to God’s Heart .......................................................... 105Week 7-- Commitment: Making the Connections ........................................................... 122

8 9

LONGING FOR CONNECTION

When the hurricane passed by, the power went out. We were le$ in the dark, without air

conditioning, lights, or a way to connect to the Internet. We watched for the repair teams to

show up on our street. We waited for the power to return. We felt cut o" from the rest of the

world. Finally, when the repair crew came, we felt the burst of new energy that surged through

the reconnected power lines. We were connected again!

Maybe that’s what the disciples experienced between the ascension of Jesus and the day of

Pentecost. Jesus had promised that they would receive power. It may not have been the kind of

power the disciples expected, but it was the kind of power they would need. It was the power

to represent, indeed, to re-present Jesus in the world. # at power would take these confused,

disconnected, frightened, inadequate disciples and make them divinely adequate to become

the living witnesses to what God had done in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It would

form these isolated individuals into a community that would become the living demonstration

of the Kingdom – the reign and rule of God revealed in Jesus Christ – coming on earth as it is

already ful! lled in heaven.

# at’s still Jesus’ promise for each of us. It’s the promise that we can be reconnected to the

power of God’s Spirit. Whether we acknowledge it or not, it is the connection we most deeply

desire and need.

# e writer of the 63rd Psalm named the spiritual hunger within every human soul: “O God,

you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you.” (Psalm 63:1) # e Bible says that our

searching for a connection with God is the result of God’s insatiable desire to connect with us.

St. Augustine said, “O Lord, thou hast put salt on our tongues that we may be thirsty for # ee.”

John Ed Matheson captured that hunger when he said, “Psychologists tell us that most people

in America are unsatis! ed...Something deep within us is still crying out for the real deal...

Nothing will feel right until we get it.” (� e Treasure of the Transformed Life, p. 8)

# ose ! rst followers of Jesus were longing for the kind of connection with God that they

shared when Jesus was among them. Having just experienced the horror of their Master’s brutal

Week 1

reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT Longing for Connection – Week 1

death and inexplicable mystery of his resurrection, they were confused, con� icted, and hiding

out in fear. � ey sensed that something was coming, but I doubt they expected it to come the

way it did.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit swept into their lives with the force of a rushing,

mighty wind. (Acts 2:1-2) � e same Spirit who breathed life into the � rst creation (Genesis 2:7)

breathed new life into them, creating nothing short of a new creation in the Risen Christ.

Like the � rst disciples, we search for a connection in which we know that we are loved.

You don’t have to be a Waylon Jennings fan to know how it feels to be “looking for love in all

the wrong places.” � e longing for love is an essential part of the image of God within us.

We are created for it, desperate for it, and we will do almost anything to � nd it. Beneath our

searching for � nite, human love is the deeper hunger for the in� nite love of God.

� e Holy Spirit energizes our connection with God to ful� ll Jesus’ promise around the Last

Supper table that we will not be le! as orphans, but will know that we are connected to God

and to each other in the bond of love. (John 14:18-21, 15:12-17)

Like the � rst disciples, we search for a connection that will give us meaning. We want to know

that our lives count — that it matters that we are here.

When South Africans greet each other in Zulu they say, “Sawubona,” which literally means, “I see

you.” � e other person replies, “Sawubona,” meaning “I see you.” It’s their way of acknowledging

that both persons are really here, fully present with each other. � ey are connected.

We all need to know that we are needed, that it matters that we are here. � e irony is that we

discover that we matter when we discover what we have to give.

� e culture around us tries to convince us that everything that matters is within the narrow

con� nes of our own self-interest. But something deeper within us wants to break out of the

paralysis of self to live in a larger world. We long to discover the way our little story can be

connected to a bigger story. Life is not just about my story or our story, but the story of God’s

transformation of the world into a tangible expression of the Kingdom of God.

� at’s no small deal! By the power of the Spirit, we are connected to the living Christ in ways

that ful� ll Jesus’ promise that our lives, bound together with his, will bear fruit for his Kingdom

in this world. (John 15:1-2)

With these � rst disciples, we search for a connection that will give us wisdom and power to

deal with the always complex and often confusing issues we face.

Jesus never promised us a rose garden. Quite the opposite, he predicted that his followers

would face di# cult challenges in a world that is o! en hostile to the way of his Kingdom. But he

promised that the Spirit would lead his followers into truth and would give them the power to

overcome the challenges the world would throw at them. (John 14:25-31, 15:18-27, 16:32-33)

10 11Longing for Connection – Week 1 Week 1 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

Peter W. Marty describes the windy, spring day when his four-year-old daughter asked, “May I

go out and play with the wind?” And she did. Out on the back porch, she twirled and swirled

and swung with the wind in ways that reminded her father of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s

words, “She lives most life whoever dances the most wind.”

Watching his daughter dance in the wind caused the Lutheran pastor to think about “the

pushiness of the wind” that shook the � rst followers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost. He wrote:

If God is going to deal with the wreckage of the world in any substantive way…God is

going to have to o$ er the extraordinary power of the Spirit…God breathes life into the

church through a mighty rush of wind because nothing less will work...When the wind

of Pentecost blew through Jerusalem, a new world came into being…� e people of God

began to discover that their old ways of relating to one another and thinking of God had

been blown out the window. (� e Christian Century, May 8, 1996, p. 509)

� e deepest longing of our souls is to dance in the wind of the Spirit so that the same Spirit

that energized the � rst followers of Jesus will put our feet to dancing!

12 13Longing for Connection – Week 1 Week 1 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

Come now, little

child. Turn awhile

from your daily

work; hide yourself

for a little time

from your restless

thoughts, put aside

your wearisome

distractions. Give

yourself a little

leisure to talk with

God, and rest

awhile in him.

Enter the secret

chamber of your

heart, shutting out

everything but God,

and that which

may help you in

seeking him.

-St. Anselm (1033-

1109) [� e English

Spirit, p. 16]

Day 1

Luke 24:36-53

Week 1 Longing for Connection Settling In – Psalm 63

Re! ection Questions:

1. What would it mean for you to hear Jesus say, “Peace be with you”?

2. How have you experienced Christ’s peace in the last week?

3. How have you experienced repentance and forgiveness?

4. Where can you ! nd yourself in this story?

In the Gospels, the connection that the disciples felt with Jesus is

almost palpable. " en, suddenly, Jesus was gone and the disciples

were le# reeling. " e pain they felt when Jesus was led away to

be cruci! ed, the crushing guilt over betraying Jesus in his darkest

hour, haunted their daily lives.

" en, out of the blue, Jesus appeared to them. " ey can’t be

blamed for being frightened. But Jesus let them know that

they have no reason to fear. He gave them peace and their

commission: Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be o$ ered

to all nations in Jesus’ name. What a relief to the beleaguered

disciples. Jesus hadn’t deserted them. He was ful! lling the

word of God!

As if that were not enough to process, Jesus o$ ers them his

blessing and ascends to heaven in front of them. Not only is their

friend and rabbi alive, now they have witnessed with their own

eyes that he has been taken to heaven with God. Is it any wonder

“they were continuously in the temple blessing God”? Out of

the darkest tragedy, God resurrected their hope and & ooded

their lives with light. News this good certainly deserved to be

proclaimed to all nations. It still does.

””

Daily Prayer

“You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised. Your power is

great and there is no end to your wisdom. You have formed us

for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they ! nd their rest

in you. My soul is cramped and narrow. Where is there room

for you to come in? Stretch my soul, Lord, enlarge it so that you

may enter in. Amen.”

-St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.)

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Your Space

Daily Connection

Sawubona/I See You Pick one person in your life (family, friend, neighbor, etc.). See that person. Study for a moment how this person makes a di! erence in your life and the life of others. Tell them how they are needed.

Connect Now

Go to saintpaulsumc.org

and connect with others during the reFOCUSreCONNECT reCOMMITexperience. Post your questions and thoughts, and help answer the questions of others.

Longing for Connection – Week 1 14 15Week 1 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

On the day of his

ascension into

heaven Jesus had

told his apostles that

God would breathe

life into them just as

God had breathed

heaven and earth

into creation, just as

God had breathed

blessing into Jesus as

his baptism…Once

having been

breathed into life

by God…they

would have the

strength and

energy to continue

the God-breathed

creation of heaven

and earth and

the God-breathed

baptism of Jesus. -Eugene Peterson

[Christ Plays in Ten

� ousand Places,

p. 24]

Day 2

Acts 1:1-11

! e disciples were chomping at the bit to go spread the word. But

Jesus told them to wait. ! e Holy Spirit is so important that they

couldn’t leave Jerusalem without it.

Connecting with God and with other people involves slowing down.

We cannot connect with others if we live in our own universe,

absorbed in our own lives. We can’t connect with God if we are

" xated on getting the bills paid, checking o# every item on our

to-do list, and rushing to and fro all day.

It is clear that the disciples had not grasped God’s vision for the kingdom.

! e Kingdom of God will be on earth, and it will encompass much more

than just Jerusalem. ! eir minds simply couldn’t conceive the enormity

of God’s plan: Jesus’ followers will bear witness to the ends of the earth.

Everyone is invited to share in the glory of Jesus’ resurrection and the

grace that God o# ers through Christ.

”


‘‘


1. Why is it so hard for us to wait?

2. What do we gain by learning to wait?

3. What gets in the way of your connection with others? With God?

4. Do people outside our day-to-day realm really matter to you? Why?

Daily Connection

Wait Find an opportunity

today to spread the

love of God. Let

someone ahead

of you in line, let

the other driver

in, walk at the

same speed as your

children.

Daily Prayer

“O Lord Jesus Christ, which art the sun of the world, evermore

arising, and never going down, shine into our hearts, that the

night and darkness of sins, and the mists of errors are driven

away. Amen.”

-! omas Cramner (1489-1556) [� e Oxford Book of Prayer, p. 99]

Connect Now



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Your Space

I will seek you by desiring you, and desire you in seeking you. I will � nd you by loving you, and love you in � nding you. I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but believe that I may understand. For this I know to be true: that unless I � rst believe I shall not understand.

-St. Anselm (1033-1109) [� e English Spirit, p. 17]

Day 3

Acts 1:12-14

How many of us can say that we are constantly in prayer?

Sometimes it is di� cult to sneak any prayer time into a jam-

packed schedule. What would it take to connect with God in

prayer? How would we begin to build that connection?

Many people feel daunted by the thought of a vibrant prayer

life. � e way they were taught to pray doesn’t really work for

them. � e fact is that the connection is more important than the

manner in which we pray.

God expects us to pray in community with others. � at can be a

tall order. But there is great comfort in knowing that others are

praying for you and with you. And there is great wisdom to be

gained from seeking God together.


1. Why do we need Christian community? Why isn’t it enough

to show up in worship on Sunday and skip out, grabbing a

donut hole for the road?

2. What are you looking for in this group?

3. What good or bad experiences have you had belonging to a

group such as this?

4. What steps will you take to develop a connection with God

in prayer?


Daily Prayer

Now may our God and Father and our Lord Jesus make you

increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we

abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in

holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at

the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (I � essalonians

3:11-13)

Daily Connection

PraySchedule prayer time in your day.

”

Connect Now



“

16 Week 1 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

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Your Space

17Longing for Connection - Week 1

Practical Step

See God Remember the moment today (or in the previous 24-hours) when you saw God. Share the experience with someone.

Daily Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the way – the way to God, the way to

life. Lead me this day in your way. Amen.

It is impossible to live as a Christian if we are unattached to God. Our spiritual and even our physical lives become a shambles without the constant companionship with God.-Reuben Job [A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader, p. 15]

Day 4

John 14:1-14

Every day, pressures weigh down on us. ! ere are bills to pay,

deadlines to meet, personal demons to face. Yet, Jesus tells us not

to be troubled. He reminds us that the troubles of this world will

pass, that we have a place with God (both now and in heaven).

Jesus reminds the disciples that they know the way. Knowing Jesus

is knowing God. Jesus has been re" ecting God all along the way.

We see and know God because we know Jesus.


1. How do we miss seeing God, even though he is revealing

himself to us?

2. What do we expect to see when we see God? Does this

expectation match up to the re" ection of God that Jesus o# ers?

3. What does following Jesus’ example mean to you?

” Go to saintpaulsumc.org


19Longing for Connection – Week 1

Your Space

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”


Practical Step

Feel At what moment today did you feel � e Spirit? Share the feeling with a loved one and ask them the same question.

Daily Prayer

“Holy Spirit, Truth divine,

dawn upon this soul of mine;

Word of God and inward light,

wake my spirit, clear my sight.”

-Samuel Longfellow (1819-1892)

[� e United Methodist Hymnal, p. 465]

In every phase of my search I’ve discovered that Jesus Christ stands at the center of my seeking. If you were to ask me point-blank, ‘What does it mean to you to live spiritually?’ I would have to reply, ‘Living with Jesus at the center.’ What matters is getting to know Jesus and living in solidarity with him.-Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) [Letters to Marc About Jesus, p. 7]

Day 5

John 14:15-31

Jesus o! ers his disciples a Counselor that will be with them

forever. " e Spirit of truth connects us to God, o! ers guidance

and reminds us of Jesus’ words and the Spirit in which those

words were spoken. More than just our conscience, the Holy

Spirit is the whisper of God to steer us in the right direction as we

try to stay on the path that Jesus laid out for us.

Jesus also o! ers us His peace. It is clear in the daily chaos that

surrounds us, in the midst of our own personal dark times,

that we need and desire the kind of peace that Jesus o! ers…

peace that doesn’t slip away, that can’t be taken by change in

circumstance.

Jesus says, “Because I live, you will live also.” What would it

mean to live out this connection on a daily basis?


1. Do we feel the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, or do we reserve

that connection just for church?

2. When Judas asks why Jesus would show himself to the

disciples and not the world, Jesus doesn’t answer directly.

" ink of a time that you didn’t feel as if God answered

you directly. How did that impact your relationship/your

connectedness to God?

3. What di! erence does Jesus’ promise of the Spirit make in

your life?

”


”


Your Space

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21Longing for Connection – Week 1

Connect Now



Daily Prayer

“Holy Spirit, Power divine,

Fill and nerve this will of mine;

grant that I may strongly live,

bravely bear, and nobly strive.”

-Samuel Longfellow [� e United Methodist Hymnal, p. 465]

Daily Connection

PraySchedule prayer time in your day.

Day 6

John 16:4-15

! e disciples are upset because Jesus is leaving them, " lled with

sorrow over the loss of the daily connection with him. But Jesus

promises that they will not be alone. He is sending the Holy

Spirit to show them truth and to advocate for them.

Most of us don’t like change. We " nd it hard to trust God when

the ground seems to be shi# ing underneath us. It is even more

frustrating when God seems to be telling us that we aren’t ready

to see the big picture, that we need to wait for things to unfold.

! e struggle the disciples were facing isn’t really foreign to us.

! ey were faced with letting Jesus go and trusting that receiving

the Holy Spirit would really be to their advantage. What a big

leap of faith for them and for us!


1. When have you faced a situation that required a leap of faith?

Was the outcome what you expected?

2. Is it hard for you to relinquish control and simply be at peace

with the unresolved?

3. A bene" t of being part of a community is being able to o% er

up di% erent readings, to share experiences, to grapple with

the parts of the Bible and faith that are di& cult. Write down

your understanding of the passage above. If you are really

struggling with any part of it, discuss it with members of your

small group or Sunday School Class.

It is impossible to satisfy a soul that is athirst for the living God with what the world accounts religion...� e knowledge of God in Christ Jesus:the being ‘joined unto the Lord in one spirit’ – this is the religion, the righteousness, he thirsts a! er: Nor can he rest, till he thus rests in God.

-John Wesley [A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader, p. 39]

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Longing for Connection – Week 1


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Daily Prayer

“� anks be to � ee, my Lord Jesus Christ

For all the bene� ts � ou hast given me,

For all the pains and insults � ou hast borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,

May I know � ee more clearly,

Love � ee more dearly,

Follow � ee more nearly,

Day by day.”

-St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)

Daily Connection

Sawubona/I See You Pick one person in your life (family, friend, neighbor, etc.). See that person. Study for a moment how this person makes a di� erence in your life and the life of others. Tell them how they are needed.

We are at once a citizen of Eternity and of Time. Like a pendulum, our consciousness moves perpetually—or should move if it is healthy—between God and our neighbor, between this world and that. � e wholeness, sanity, and balance of our existence depend entirely upon …the steady alternative beat of our outward adoration, and our homeward-turning swing of charity.

-Evelyn Underwood (1875-1941) [Devotional Classics, p. 113]

Day 7

John 16:16-24, 33

It is hard to acknowledge that we will all su! er. We are

conditioned to avoid pain. Jesus’ admission that the disciples

will su! er greatly when he leaves them o! ers a glimpse into the

subtlety of some of his teachings. He doesn’t imply that things

won’t be so bad or that they will get over their loss quickly. But

he does say that once they move through the deep sorrow, there

will be a time of great joy.

Jesus doesn’t minimize the su! ering that we will all inevitably

face in our lives. He doesn’t try to negate their sorrow through a

lengthy discussion of God’s will. But he does reassure them that

there will be joy for them again in the future. Experiencing the

pain is a necessary step before embracing the joy to follow.


1. Are sorrow and confusion emotions that we usually keep to

ourselves? Do we share them with others? With God?

2. Jesus tells the disciples that they will not understand

immediately but, a" er the resurrection, they will see clearly.

When do you feel you have the most clarity in your faith?

3. Jesus tells us, “Ask and you will receive.” Do you know how

to ask God for what you need? Rate your prayer life. What

do you want to learn about prayer during this study? What

assumptions do you have about prayer?

”

Longing for Connection – Week 1


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Luke tells us that during the � � y days between Easter and Pentecost, the followers of Jesus were “constantly devoting themselves to prayer.” (Acts 1:14) Given their fear of the world on the outside and the confusion, anxiety and doubt that was on the inside, my guess is that their praying was more than a polite pastime or a quaint religious tradition. It was the kind of soul-stretching, heart-opening prayer that created a whole new place in their lives for God’s power to be released.

New Testament scholar Walter Wink described the creative power of prayer when he wrote: “When we pray, we are not sending a letter to a celestial White House where it is sorted among piles of others. We are engaged rather in an act of co-creation, in which one little sector of the universe…becomes…a vibratory center of power that radiates the power of the universe.” (Engaging the Powers, P. 304)

! is week we explore the basic disciplines by which we experience our connection to God through prayer. We will see the way Jesus teaches us to pray in the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus teaches us the purpose of prayer.

A frightened soldier dove into a fox hole where he found the chaplain huddled in the corner. ! e soldier grabbed the cross hanging around the chaplain’s neck and shouted, “Quick, Padre. How do you work this thing?” Far too o� en, we see prayer as a spiritual good luck charm to grab in an emergency. But that’s not the way Jesus de� ned the purpose of prayer.

When Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father…” he used the Aramaic word, “Abba,” which could be translated “Papa” or “Daddy.” Addressing God as “Abba” locates prayer in the intimacy of a parent-child relationship. ! e primary purpose of prayer is to engage us in an intimate, growing relationship with God. Prayer is the discipline by which we share our life with God, and God shares life with us.

If the purpose of prayer is to develop an intimate relationship with God, it means there are a lot of things prayer is not.

Prayer is not magic, although there is mystery to it. Prayer is not ritual, although it is formed through the spiritual traditions of the church. Prayer is not a shopping list that I send o" to a cosmic Santa Claus to get what I want. Prayer is the way I allow my life to become what God wants. Prayer is not the means by which I align God’s power with my desires, but the way my desires become aligned with the reign and rule of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls us to the practice of prayer.

Prayer is a natural response to our innate desire for a connection with God, but prayer doesn’t come naturally. Prayer takes practice. Jesus’ words, “When you pray…” indicate that prayer is a disciplined practice in our lives.

Prayer is like physical exercise. We know we need it. We might even want to do it. But it’s so easy to say, “I’m too busy for that today,” or “I’ll get around to that tomorrow.” ! e result of our lack of discipline in prayer is the same as our lack of exercise. Our souls become # abby, unhealthy and weak. When the crisis comes, we don’t have the spiritual strength we need to face it.

Week 2

PRAYERS: OUR CONNECTION WITH GOD’S POWER

! e power goes o" . ! e lights go out. ! e Internet connection in interrupted. ! e cell phone goes dead. We all know how it feels to lose our connection. And we know how it feels to get reconnected.

Have you ever felt that way about your relationship with God?

We believe God is out there…somewhere…watching over the world…caring about birds and # owers and the rotation of the planets. But sometimes we have a hard time feeling connected. We question whether the same God who reigns over creation is present within our lives. ! e writer of the 62nd Psalm must have felt that disconnect when he cried out,

For God alone my soul waits in silence; From him comes my salvation...For God alone my soul waits in silence,For my hope is from him. (Psalm 62:1,5)

We long for connection with God. ! e critical question is, “How do I � nd it?” How can we reconnect with God’s Spirit in a way that releases God’s power in our lives?

Faithful people who have walked this Christian journey before us con� rm that the primary means by which we experience our connection with God is through prayer.

I heard about a country church that was disturbed when a bar opened up across the street. ! e hot-blooded preacher called on all the members of the congregation to pray for the bar’s destruction. Lo and behold, one night the bar was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. ! e bartender sued the church for the destruction of his property, claiming that his loss was the result of their prayers. ! e church denied that they were responsible, though they did acknowledge that they had prayed for its destruction. ! e judge said that one thing was obvious: ! e bartender believed in prayer, and the church people didn’t!

Many people say they believe in prayer. It bears witness to our innate longing to be connected to something or Someone larger than our own human resources. But do we believe it can make a di" erence? How can we experience a connection with God in prayer that is more than curling up in the lap of a cosmic Santa Claus in the hope of getting what we want?

Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2 Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT26 27

Jesus calls us to trust the promise of prayer.

Jesus promised, “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” � e “reward” in prayer is not a prize we win at the end of rigorous competition or the “gold star” award that we are given for being a star pupil. � e reward of prayer is not a result of our performance, but the product of a richer, deeper, relationship with God. � e result is a life that is connected with God’s life in ways that release God’s life into the world through our lives. � e reward comes in becoming part of God’s transformation of the world.

A woman who survived cancer told me that she went through the Bible and wrote two “p’s” in the margin wherever she found what she called a “precious promise.” When she began to feel that promise being ful� lled, she added a third “p” to indicate that “precious promise” had been “proven” for her.

Jesus’ promise is that as we get clear about the purpose of prayer, as we begin the practice of prayer by � nding a place and a pattern for prayer, that God’s presence begins to transform who we are so that we can become part of God’s transformation of the world.

When Don Shelby was the pastor at First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, California, he wrote:

Prayer is not only quiet contemplation, it is also hard work ... Prayer is not always like a cloister; it more o� en is like a workout gym, a rehearsal hall, or a batter box.…A weekend golfer sometimes gets o� a great shot, a passenger assisted through radio instructions can land an airplane in an emergency, and amateur writer sometimes turns an unforgettable phrase. But to win the British Open, to command a transcontinental jetliner or to garner the Nobel Prize in literature takes more than an occasional experience and natural ability. It requires practice...� ere is no fast faith outlet, no cheap devotion, no coattail virtue. (“Santa Monica Sermons,” July 24, 1983)

Jesus invites us to ! nd a place for prayer.

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus tells us to go into our room and shut the door. � e Message paraphrases that verse to read: “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. � e focus will shi� from you to God.”

In developing a regular practice of prayer, it helps to have a speci� c place to pray. When we enter into that place, we know that we are focusing our attention on God. My place for prayer is an overstu� ed chair in my study at home. My wife’s place for prayer is along Davis Boulevard while she is taking her daily walk. Wherever it is for you, it helps to � nd a place for prayer.

Jesus describes a pattern for prayer

When I began working out at the YMCA, my trainer assessed my condition and laid out a pattern of exercise for me. � ere have been modi� cations during the years, but the basic pattern remains the same.

“� e Lord’s Prayer” is more than a formal prayer we repeat in worship. It also provides a basic pattern for prayer.

We name the One to whom we pray: Our Father in heaven.

We a! rm the greatness and goodness of God: Hallowed be your name.

We order our lives around God’s reign in Christ: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We name the essential needs of our lives: Give us this day our daily bread.

We confess our sin, experience God’s forgiveness, and are called to forgive others: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

We confront the reality of evil and temptation: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

We a! rm the ultimate victory of God’s reign in this world: Yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever.

29Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2 Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT28

Daily Prayer

Teach me, O God, how to pray. When I can’t come up with the

words, listen to the stirrings of my heart. And help me � nd

others with whom I can experience a new connection with you

through prayer. Amen.

Daily Connection

Start your daybefore you � nish your � rst cup of co� ee, ask God to guide your steps this day.

Connect Now



! e interior must become the main power of the exterior.

-Mother Teresa [Come Be My Light, p. 74]

We work from the outside in; God works from the inside out. We try; God transforms.-Richard Foster, [Devotional Classics, p. 11]

Week 2 Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power Settling In – Psalm 25:4-7

Day 1

Acts 2:1-21

One compelling aspect of Pentecost is the inclusive nature of God

sharing the Holy Spirit. Tongues of � re came to rest on each of

the followers present. No one was denied the connection to God.

It is easy to forget that there isn’t a level of worthiness that must

� rst be attained to commune with God and for God to work

through each of us. God can speak through us—no need to be a

spiritual giant.

Pentecost also demonstrates that God can reach everyone. People

were amazed when they heard their own native tongues. God

doesn’t demand that we all understand the same rhetoric. He is

willing to reach us where we are, in a way that speaks to us. ! e

Spirit reaches people on their own experiential level and God

uses us as his conduit, as his way to connect.

God is ready to connect with us. “Everyone who calls on the

name of the Lord will be saved.” What a message of unity and

unconditional love. But we ask, “How can God love someone

that is so di" erent from me?” We fume, “Why should someone

who repeatedly makes bad decisions be allowed God’s grace?”

We question God and judge others who don’t � t our own

preconceived notion of what a follower of God should look like.

But, God’s grace and the Holy Spirit are big enough for everyone

to have a share. No matter how di" erent we are, God sees unity

o" ered through his grace and gi# s.


1. When the followers began speaking in tongues, some

mocked them. Do we fear being mocked for our faith?

2. Do we believe God can interact with us in this way? Why or

why not?

3. When have you experienced the wind and � re of the Spirit?

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Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2

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31Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT30

Daily Prayer

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom

every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that,

according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be

strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,

and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you

are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have

the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth

and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ

that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be � lled with all the

fullness of God. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-20)

Daily Connection

Be Bold Be the � rst to bring up your faith in a conversation with an acquaintance today. See where the Spirit takes you.


Day 2

Acts 4:23-31

Speaking the Word of God with boldness can be a challenging

task. Messages that contradict God’s teachings surround us and

can drown out our seemingly small voices. It would be easier

to join the crowd, to look a! er our own self-interest, to become

indi" erent, rather than to stand up for God’s vision for the world.

# e apostles prayed for boldness to speak God’s word of mercy

and grace. Allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us means

o" ering our gi! s, talents, and time for God to work wonders

and signs. But for these things to happen, we must establish

a connection with God. In order to speak God’s word with

boldness, we must � rst listen to God’s word through prayer and

meditation.


1. Jesus’ followers asked for God to stretch out his hand to heal

and to allow them to perform signs and wonders in the name

of Jesus. When have you experienced power like that?

2. What would it mean for you to pray for that kind of boldness?

3. When have you o" ered that kind of prayer?

”

If I do not spend a reasonable amount of time in meditation early in the morning, then I feel physical discomfort—it is worse than having forgotten to brush my teeth!

-Desmond Tutu [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/143/story_ 14326_2.html]

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Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT32

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Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2

Your Space

33

Daily Prayer

“O My Father, my God, I am in your hand. Do with me what

seems good in your sight; only let me love you with all my mind,

soul and strength.

Deliver me, O God, from too intense an application to even

necessary business... I know the narrowness of my heart, and

that an eager attention to earthly things leaves it no room for the

things of heaven.

Deliver me, O God, from a slothful mind, from all

lukewarmness, and all dejection of spirit. Give me a lively,

zealous, active and cheerful spirit, that I may vigorously perform

whatever you command.

Above all, deliver me, O my God, from all idolatrous self-love. I

know, O God, that this is the root of all evil. I know you made

me not to do my own will but yours. Let your almighty arm so

establish, strengthen, and settle me that you may ever be the

ground and pillar of all my love.

By this love to you, my God, may my soul desire what is pleasing

in your sight. May this holy � ame ever warm my breast, that I

may serve you with all my might; and let it consume in my heart

all sel� sh desires, that I may in all things regard not myself but

you. Amen.”

-John Wesley,

[A Collection of Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week]

Daily Connection

X it out Write down one barrier which keeps you from praying. Eliminate that barrier.

Our prayers are the proper test of our desires; nothing being ! t to have a place in our desires which is not ! t to have a place in our prayers: What we may not pray for, neither should we desire.

-John Wesley [Selected Writings, p. 111]


1. What are some barriers to establishing a personal prayer

connection between myself and God?

2. What kind of discipline can I establish that will help build

that connection?

3. What misconceptions might I have about prayer?

Day 3

Mark 1:35, 6:46, Luke 5:15-16


Jesus spent a lot of time alone in prayer. Prayer was not

something reserved for his time in synagogue; it was an intimate

part of his connection with God.

When practiced frequently, prayer is both a discipline and a

desire. We don’t pray only because we feel close to God; we pray

as a means to establish a connection that is there whether life is

treating us well or battering us around. Prayer is a discipline, a

focused time with God. But prayer is also desire. ! e closer we

draw to God, the more we desire that closeness.

Why is prayer sometimes treated as a sort of bonus activity that

we can choose to participate in? If we are truly made in God’s

image, isn’t it crucial to be able to be connected to God?

”

Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2 Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT34

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Daily Prayer

“Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,

unuttered or expressed,

the motion of a hidden � re

that trembles in the breast.

O � ou, by whom we come to God,

the Life, the Truth, the Way:

the path of prayer thyself hast trod;

Lord, teach us how to pray!”

-James Montgomery (1771-1854)


Week 2 Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power Settling In - Psalm 25:16-18

Day 4

Matthew 6:1-4, 16-18

We want to do things the right way. We want to focus on God,

instead of " ailing about in the minutiae of every day life. We

want to be kind in the face of someone else’s anger and rudeness.

We want to forgive and allow ourselves and those who have

wronged us to heal. But wanting and doing are di# erent things.

Jesus’ teachings focus on the need to be private about our piety.

What we give, what we sacri� ce, is between each of us and God.

Although it is natural to want the respect and admiration of

those around us, it is hypocritical to use acts of charity to draw

attention to ourselves. Charity is an act of living prayer. Fasting

can intensify connection to God. Looking for outside rewards

only weakens the inherent rewards in each of these actions.


1. What makes us want to look to others for approval, even

when we know what we are doing is right?

2. What holds us back from being more charitable with our

gi$ s or our time?

3. Why is fasting not a regular part of our faith experience?

4. What will it mean for me to develop a personal pattern of prayer?

”

Christian spirituality has to do with the formation of the self by the Spirit of God into the likeness of Jesus Christ...It is God’s Spirit encountering and transforming our sinful selves into the self we were meant to be Coram Deo, before God.

-Dietrich Bonhoe! er (1906-1945) [� e Cost of Moral Leadership: � e Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoe! er, p. xiv]

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Daily Connection

Keep it yourself Give an anonymous gi" of yourself today. � ank God for the opportunity to spread his will and take pleasure in not telling a soul about your act.

Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2 37

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Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT36

Connect Now



CONNECTING TO GOD THROUGH DAILY PRAYER

How does prayer connect you to God?

“I was taught early in my life that God knows all. I

took that so literally that I worried as a child that God

would see me naked. I believed and still do that God goes

everywhere with me and is always listening. So I talk to

God like he is with me. I might say things like, ‘Give me

the strength to get through this crisis.’ If I lose my temper

or do something unkind, I apologize to God and promise

to do better. I can also be mad at God. I know God has a

sense of humor. When I fell down and skinned both knees, the � rst thing I thought of was, ‘Did you

see that, God? It’s ok to laugh. I know you want to.’ When I found a wallet with a hundred dollar

bill in it, I would never have kept it, because God would know I had stolen.”

You mentioned you like talking to people but God really listens to you.

“When you talk to other people, they may give you their undivided attention, they give you input

and tell you soothing stories or facts about their lives, but it is hard to know the meaning behind

those words. Communication is a hard process because we bring our baggage to it and � lter

it through our experiences as does the other person. God doesn’t do that. God has no ulterior

motives, no baggage, no misunderstanding because he hears our heart as well as our words.”

You talked about not praying for “things”.

“I have never felt comfortable asking God to help me ace a test, get a job, win the lottery or to cure

someone’s disease, or ask for a sunny day for a Bucs game. ! ese things are small in light of the

needs of a mother in Darfur or a soldier in Iraq. I do feel that God should be asked for strength to

face adversity, courage to go on living, and peace for war-torn countries. God should be thanked for

what he provides, praised whenever someone is healed or gets a new job, and acknowledged when we

don’t get what we want. We do pray, “Your will be done on earth...” I do pray for those less fortunate

and for help for others. I want him to soothe and comfort me when I feel like I cannot cope, to give

me the courage to go on when all I feel is pain. I believe that our purpose here is sel" essness.”

Was there a time when you felt disconnected from God? How did you handle it?

“When my 35-year-old brother committed suicide without any warning, I felt disconnected - like

God had dealt me a raw deal - no warning, no preparation, no time to help him. I felt God let me

down. I felt like God was not who I thought he was. I felt like a pawn. I was angry at God. My

brother was my best friend, a gentle soul, a peaceful man, my con� dant, and God took him away

from me. I kept asking ‘why’ and got no answer. I stopped talking to God like a sulking child. ”

Now, how does prayer keep you connected to your son and brothers and parents?

“I pray to them the same way I pray to God. I ask them to help me understand loss, why I have

been spared, what my purpose here is. I ask them to look out for my parents and my younger

brother who are also now with them. My entire family was wiped out except me and one son

and of course four lovely granddaughters. I tell my son about his daughters, I tell him how much

I love him. I don’t believe in going to the cemetery because they are not there. ! ey are in my

heart where God lets them live near to me.”

How do you hear God answer your prayers?

“I don’t hear God answer my prayers. God does not speak to me with words. I can tell you some

experiences from my life where I felt God’s presence.”

“God came to me when my brother committed suicide. I cannot put into words how strong —

spiritually, psychologically, emotionally and physically that pain was. Every cell of my body felt

his death and loss. My mind was asleep — in that twilight time right before waking up, when I

had the most glorious, peaceful, wondrous experience of my life. I immediately knew that it was

the feeling of being with God. I knew God gave me that feeling so I would know two things: My

brother had that feeling instead of the pain of his life and that eventually I would be there with

him to share it with those who were with God. I wanted it to last forever. It did not relieve my

feeling of loss but it reassured me he was not su# ering. I lost my fear of death at that moment

and was then able to be the caretaker to my youngest brother, who died of cancer at 47, my

mother who was conscious but dying for � ve days under hospice and my care until she took her

last breath. ! e peaceful look on her face again reassured me that she was experiencing that

feeling I had so many years ago.”

“When my youngest of two sons was diagnosed with ALS and died a very slow painful death

in September 2007 at the age of 34, I had the strength to be his caretaker and help him die

peacefully because of my past experiences with God. We talked o$ en about his dying, and he

was not afraid. I told him about my experiences to reassure him.”

Can you o! er any practical tips to help someone start praying?

“Talk to God in your mind, � rst. Talk to him about what is happening in your life. Tell him what

you need help with. Tell God what you are grateful for, share your fears and successes, and ask

him to remember others who need him. Prayer doesn’t need to be formal. When I pray in public,

which I am no longer afraid to do, I start with ‘Hello,God.’ ! is may o# end some people who

believe this is too casual a way to approach God. But if he is going to be in your life every day

and you will be praying everyday, talking is what you have to think of, since not everyone can

quote the Bible or can sound like a pastor. Talk to God even when you DON’T need him.”

Amelia Lubrano Farrell

39Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT38

Practical Step

� e Lord’s Prayer Teach the Lord’s Prayer to your children or friends. If they can work the TV remote they can learn this prayer.

Connect Now



Daily Prayer

“Almighty God, have mercy on [Name] and [Name] and on all

that bear me evil will, and would me harm, and their faults and

mine together, by such merciful means as � y in� nite wisdom

best can devise, vouchsafe to amend and redress, and make us

saved souls in heaven together where we may ever live and love

together with � ee and � y blessed saints. Amen.”

-St. � omas More (1478-1535)


Day 5

Matthew 6:5-15

Ever wonder about the admonition to avoid praying like the

Gentiles? Does it seem harsh to you? Isn’t prayer just prayer?

But there is a di! erence. � e Gentiles worshiped multiple gods.

� e Jews however, only served one God. � eir prayers could be

speci� c because they knew which God to address and had been

raised in a life that ideally centered on serving God.

Like Jesus’ followers, we can be sure of the God to whom we

pray. We know God because we have studied his teachings; we

have approached him in prayers. We have a connection with

him. � ere is no need to grandstand and act pious. God hears

us wherever we are. God accepts our petitions and asks us to call

out our needs to him. � en we must step back and allow God to

address them.


1. A central theme of the Lord’s Prayer is the Kingdom of

Heaven. It is not enough to just pray for the kingdom; we

must help create the kingdom. Prayer without action is

unful� lling. What steps can you take to bring action to your

prayers? What small step can you make this week to begin

bringing about the Kingdom?

2. Why do you need to pray for forgiveness? Is there anyone

that you need to forgive in order to reestablish your

connection with God?

”

It would be well for us to consider that our Lord has taught this prayer to each one of us, individually, and that He still teaches it to us at this very moment. ! e Master is never so distant that His disciple need raise his voice to be heard. On the contrary, He is very near.-Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) [! e Fellowship of the Saints, p. 281]

Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2 Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT40

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41

“

Daily Prayer

“I asked for strength that I might achieve;

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things;

I was given in� rmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for,

But everything I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.”

-An unknown Confederate soldier

[� e Oxford Book of Prayer, p. 119]

Daily Connection

Be Bold Be the ! rst to bring up your faith in a conversation with an acquaintance today. See where the Spirit takes you.


Day 6

Luke 24:36-53


1. How o! en should we pray?

2. How do we make that prayer time meaningful?

3. How do we seek God’s will in prayer?

4. How honest can we be with God? Can we ask for the wrong thing?

Ask, search, knock. " ese words focus on the active nature

of prayer. We pursue God through our prayers. " is pursuit

won’t be much of a pursuit at all, if it only happens on Sunday

morning. God is directing us toward a meaningful prayer

relationship in which we approach him consistently and with

purpose.

What happens when our purpose doesn’t seem to reconcile

with God’s purpose? " ere will be times when we will ask God

to grant us one thing (healing for a loved one, li! ing of our own

depression, the reconciling of a relationship) and the outcome

with be the opposite of what we asked for. Does that mean that

something got lost in translation?

We ask God to intercede with the recognition that God may

choose something di# erent than we had in mind. We have to

remember that God has a very di# erent vantage point than

we do. What may seem like a horrible outcome from our

viewpoint, may be more merciful, more blessed, more right in

the long run. Along with asking God unabashedly to ful� ll our

needs, we must also trust that He knows how to do so. ”

� erefore pray or be a prey—a prey to your impulses, to the last happening, to your surroundings. � e man who prays overcomes everything, for he is overcome by the most redemptive fact of the universe, the will of God.

-E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973) [� e Fellowship of the Saints, p. 703]

Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT42 Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2 43

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Daily Prayer

O God, give me strength to follow your way, even when that

way is hard. Give me the strength that comes in praying for

your will to be done in me. Amen.

Daily Connection

Keep it to yourself Give an anonymous gi� of yourself today. � ank God for the opportunity to spread his will and take pleasure in not telling a soul about your act.

Day 7

Matthew 26:36-46

Week 2Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power Settling In - Psalm 25:8-15

As Jesus faced his ! nal hours, he repeatedly turned to God in

prayer. Even in his anguish, even though God was still not

granting his request to be spared from cruci! xion and death,

Jesus found strength in prayer. Amazing. A much more

natural response would have been anger that God couldn’t ! nd

some other way. " e ! ght-or-# ight instinct must have been

excruciatingly strong. Yet, Jesus pushed down whatever anger

he may have felt, quelled his need to spare his own life, and

simply chose to spend his ! nal hours communing with God.

" e disciples were tired. Prayer must have seemed super# uous

at that point. Couldn’t it wait until the morning?

For many of us, prayer gets pushed to the back of our minds

and hearts. But if Jesus can ! nd strength in prayer even as he

faces his death, how much di$ erent could our own lives be if

we really came to God before all else?


1. When have you been in a di% cult situation? Did you turn

to God for help?

2. How have you felt God’s strength in a hard time?

3. What can we learn from Jesus’ prayer about how we might pray?

”

� e real problem of the Christian life comes…the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the ! rst job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come " owing in.

-C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) [Devotional Classics, p. 9]

Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 2 45Week 2 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT44

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If I returned to my hometown, folks would say the same thing about me. Worship on Sunday morning was the ordinary pattern of our family. Realizing how unusual that pattern is for most families today only makes me more grateful for it.

John Ed Matheson described a Sunday when there was an ice storm in Montgomery, Alabama. He was amazed when he saw an elderly woman making her way across the icy street toward the church. When he told her that he was surprised she had decided to come to worship that morning, she replied, “If I had waited until this morning to decide, I wouldn’t have come. I decided last November when I turned in my commitment card that I’d be here 48 Sundays this year. I know four Sundays I plan to be out of town, and this isn’t one of them.” (Treasures of the Transformed Life, p. 111)

At the conclusion of this seven-week experience, each of us will be invited to make a commitment for the number of Sundays we intend to be in worship next year. In preparation for that commitment, let’s think together about why our presence is so important.

Worship connects us with the rhythm of the Sabbath.

In the 1970s, McDonald’s taught us to sing, “You deserve a break today...” In this high-speed, hyper-active, high-achieving, high-stress, high-anxiety world, the break we most deeply need is what the Bible calls “Sabbath.” It’s the day on which God “rested from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

If the Almighty God deserved a break, a holy day of rest, don’t you suppose that we need one, too?

Luke described the Sabbath break in Jesus’ life. “At daybreak he went into a deserted place.” (Luke 4:42) “He would withdraw to deserted places and pray.” (5:16) “He went out to the mountain to pray.” (6:12)

If Jesus deserved a holy break from the work of ministry to renew his relationship with God, why do we think we can get along without it?

Week 3

PRESENCE: OUR CONNECTION WITH GOD’S PEOPLE

! e African concept of ubuntu is at the center of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s theology and laid the biblical foundation for his struggle against Apartheid.

In African traditions, ubuntu captures the essence of being human. It means that we are people through other people. We " nd our humanity in connection with others. A “self-made man” is an oxymoron. I am who I am because you are who you are.

We see the spirit of ubuntu in Luke’s account of the early Church. In the opening chapters of Acts, he consistently uses plural pronouns to refer to the followers of Jesus, culminating in the beautiful description of their life together in Acts 2:43-47. ! e readings this week also include Paul’s description of the Church as the Body of Christ. ! e writer of the letter to the Hebrews challenges us to “consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

! e New Testament declares that our connection with God’s power is directly related to our connection with God’s people. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote, “! e slogan of the church’s life is ‘not one without the other’: no I without a you, no I without a we.” (“In God’s Company,” ! e Christian Century, June 12, 2007, p. 23)

Two disciplines maintain our connection in the Body of Christ. Corporate worship in the gathered congregation and Christian community in small groups have been the essential elements in every major movement of the Spirit of God in Christian history. ! ey establish the non-negotiable patterns of spiritual discipline that connect us with each other and with the Spirit of God.

Woody Allen said that 80% of success is showing up. But in the Body of Christ, being present – in worship and in community – is more than just showing up. It means showing up in the spirit of ubuntu with the full expectation that our presence really matters!

We are connected by our presence in worship.

Luke tells us that Jesus returned to Nazareth, “where He had been brought up; and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.” (Luke 4:16 KJV)

Week 3 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT46 Prayer: Our Connection with God’s Power – Week 3 47

John Wesley records that on May 24, 1738, he went “very unwillingly” to a small group that was meeting in Aldersgate Street in London. He went unwillingly, but he showed up. He was present. � at night, the Spirit of God touched his heart. He wrote that “about a quarter before nine, while one was reading from Luther’s preface to the epistle to the Romans, I felt my heart strangely warmed.” His heart-warming experience ignited a spiritual awakening that swept across England and became the Methodist movement around the world.

Can you imagine what might not have happened if Wesley had not been present that night?

I can’t promise that your heart will be strangely warmed every time you come to worship or every time you gather with your small group, but I can promise that you won’t experience it if you aren’t there!

Eugene Peterson describes the Sabbath as “a deliberate act of interference, an interruption…so that we are able to notice, to attend, to listen, to assimilate this comprehensive and majestic work of God…Sabbath is a workshop for the practice of eternity.” (Christ Plays in Ten ! ousand Places, p. 110)

Because Sabbath is holy, it’s more than just taking a day o" to go to the beach, although that’s a good thing to do, too! Worship is essential to the Sabbath because it is the way we enter into the holiness of God. Peterson calls worship “the primary means by which we immerse ourselves in the rhythms and stories of God’s work…the primary way in which the people of God stay in rhythm with their creation.” (p. 112, 114)

� e discipline of Sabbath worship creates a “holy break” in the hectic patterns of our world. It is a sacred interruption in the chaotic pace of our lives during which we reconnect with our Creator.

We are connected by our presence in community.

� e writer of Hebrews challenges us to “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering.” For most of us, holding fast to hope can be a tall order. Being present in worship and being in community with other disciples is the most e" ective way to do it. � ere are times when I come to worship or to my small group to a# rm the faith I hold. � ere are other times when I come so that the faith of others can hold me.

John Wesley gathered thousands of people together to hear the gospel. But he said that the key to the Methodist revival that swept across England in the 18th century was the way he organized his followers into small groups called “class meetings.”

Whatever name we use to describe them, these small communities of faith always include intensive Bible study, mutual sharing, personal accountability and communal prayer. Friendships are developed, faith commitments are sustained, and ordinary people are formed as disciples of Jesus Christ as we are connected in Christian community.

Being present in worship and in community makes a di" erence in our lives, but it’s not all about us! Our presence also makes a di" erence to others. Paul said that we are one body and members of one another. � e writer of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes said, “Two are better than one...For if they fall, one will li$ up the other.…A rope made of three cords is hard to break.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Your smile may bring joy to a person who is in pain.

Your handshake or hug may a# rm one is lonely.

Your singing may li$ someone whose heart is too heavy to sing.

Your insight into scripture could open God’s Word to someone who is searching for truth.

Your acknowledgement of your need may release another person’s gi$ of encouragement.

Your prayer might draw another person into God’s presence.

� e consistency of your presence could result in new commitment for a person who is struggling.

Your presence may be the presence of Christ to someone else.

48 49Presence: Connected to God’s People – Week 3Week 3 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

Daily Prayer

God of grace, who in the water of baptism has washed away our

sins and drawn us into the new community of your love, unite

us in the Spirit of Christ, that we may be his body in this place.

Amen.

Daily Connection

Plan Ahead What is it really going to take to get yourself and your family to worship this week?

Week 3 Presence: Connected to God’s PeopleSettling In – Psalm 84

Day 1

Acts 2:41-47

For followers of Jesus, baptism signi! ed puri! cation and a rebirth

in their faith. " ose baptized became part of a community

focused on serving God and following Christ. Baptized followers

devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and

prayer. Each of these activities steeped them further into a sense

of oneness with God and unity with each other.

In our busy lives, sometimes church becomes another once-a-

week obligation. Pay your respect to God, shake hands with the

preacher and go about your day. But what would it mean for

church to be for us what it was for the ! rst followers of Jesus?

For the ! rst followers, church wasn’t something they did; it was

something they lived. Jesus’ vision of community is radically

di# erent from the rugged individualism or the insular-nuclear

family model that most of us have experienced. If we really

believe that Jesus showed us God’s vision for the world, we

should model our church (and our lives) a$ er the spirit of the

community established by those who ! rst believed.


1. Baptism is an important ritual, welcoming new believers

into the church and into God’s family. What rituals did your

family have when you were a child or do you have with your

family now and that help you feel connected?

2. Why do you believe baptism is important?

3. How would the church be di# erent if we cared for each

other the way Acts describes? Does the joy in this chapter

permeate our lives?

”

! e church is not primarily a place where we go, but a people we promise to be. ! e church is the community where people through baptism are initiated into a way of life…what baptism begins must be constantly rehearsed in worship. -Paul J. Wadell [Becoming Friends, p. 53]

50 Week 3 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT Presence: Connected to God’s People – Week 3 51

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Daily Prayer

Lord, there are times when I would like to go it alone — times

when I think I’d like to be a Christian by myself. But then I

hear your word and feel your Spirit and know that by myself

I can do nothing, but that in community with others, I can

participate in your healing work in the lives of others. So, Lord,

bind me together with your disciples in your body, that I may

share in your transformation of this world into the Kingdom of

God. Amen.

Daily Connection

Reach Out When you come to worship this week, introduce yourself to someone you don’t know.

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Day 2

Acts 5:12-16

I saw two children playing a game recently. ! ey called it

Evangelist. ! e “evangelist” preached (loudly) and “follower”

stood before the “evangelist” meekly, waiting for his attention.

! en the “evangelist” smacked the other child on the head, saying

“You are HEALED!” ! e “follower” then fell over backwards. A

few seconds later, he jumped up, screaming, “I CAN SEE!” ! e

whole scenario forced me to consider whether I believe healing

to be some kind of child’s play or if God really does heal people

through those who are in fellowship with him.

! e community of believers in Acts is strong and attracts

attention. People are in awe of the works that the apostles are

doing. ! at awe inspires them to look to God as the source of the

apostles’ strength. As a church, do our actions and our ability to

o# er healing (not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually),

invite other people to experience the presence of God?


1. People held the apostles in high esteem. How is this di# erent

than the way the church is perceived today?

2. ! e church reached out to people beyond itself. Is the role of

the church simply to care for its own? How important is it to

o# er up the hope of salvation to those outside the church?

3. How have you seen or experienced some kind of healing

through the church?

”

! e Jesus way wedded to the Jesus truth brings about the Jesus life...A Christian congregation, the church in your neighborhood, has always been the primary location for getting this way and truth and life of Jesus believed and embodied…[It] is a company of praying men and women who gather, usually on Sundays, for worship, who then go into the world as salt and light.

-Eugene Peterson [! e Jesus Way, p. 4-5]

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Presence: Connected to God’s People – Week 3 53

Daily Prayer

“Jesus, united by � y grace,

And each to each endeared,

With con� dence we seek � y face

And know our prayer is heard.

Help us to help each other, Lord,

Each other’s cross to bear;

Let all their friendly aid a� ord,

And feel each other’s care.

Touched by the lodestone of

� y love, Let all our hearts

agree, And ever toward each

other move, And ever move

toward � ee.”

-Charles Wesley

[� e United Methodist Hymnal,

p. 561]

Daily Connection

Invite Ask someone to come to worship with you. Show them where to park, sit, connect. Make it easy for them to feel at home at Saint Paul’s United Methodist.Sunday feels odd

without church in the morning. It’s the time in the week when we take our bearings, and if we miss it, we’re just following our noses.

-Garrison Keillor [Quoted in Christ Plays in Ten � ousand Places,p. 112]

Day 3

Romans 15:1-7


Our connection with Christ creates deeper connections with

Christ’s people. Each person brings his or her own thoughts,

feelings and circumstances with them. Every person brings joy

and pain, disappointment and rejoicing. Each person deserves

attention and acceptance.

Sometimes we encounter people who appear to be weaker in

their faith than we are. � ey need encouragement, not judgment.

� ere will be people who we do not believe are making the wisest

decisions. � ey need prayer, not criticism.

God calls us to strive for acceptance and unity with each other.

Creating harmony in a diverse community requires being humble

enough to ask God for his help and meeting people where they

are… not where we wish they could be.


1. How do we accept those who are not like us?

2. When is it time to o� er encouragement and guidance toward

change and when is it none of our business?

3. How do we � nd common ground?

4. What do I do when I sense that someone in the church is

going to disagree with me?

”


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COLD AND CLINICAL

A runner in the Gasparilla Road Race led Dulcinea

Cuellar to Hyde Park United Methodist. Dulcinea’s

running pace placed her right behind a man wearing

a neon shirt with the Hyde Park logo and “Running to

make God’s Love Real.” Dulcinea swears to this day the

shirt read “Follow me to Hyde Park United Methodist.”

Dulcinea was 29 at the time of that race. She was

going through a divorce, working a new job that she

says she hated and living in a new city she didn’t understand. When she showed up at Hyde

Park United Methodist one Sunday morning, she was searching for a connection.

“I was going through a spiritual drought. I knew God existed, I just didn’t know where he was.

Certainly, my life wasn’t going the way I had planned. I was looking for something to ! ll my soul.

I was looking for a family in Tampa.”

She didn’t ! nd anything close to comfort during her ! rst Hyde Park Sunday morning. She

remembers when the call came to stand and greet one another, no one said hello to her.

“My ! rst impression at the church was so discouraging I had made up my mind that I wasn’t going

to go back. As much as I enjoyed the service, I felt I didn’t connect with the church community.

" ere was politeness but no one seemed to want to connect with me.”

A" er the service the pastors reached out to Dulcinea asking her about her life and putting her

in touch with the Director of Equipping, Justin LaRosa. She was grateful and humbled but

couldn’t shake her ! rst impression. She called her parents that night to tell them she went to

church for the ! rst time in 10 years. She also told them she wasn’t going back.

But she did go back the next Sunday and says slowly it got easier. She involved herself with the

church, starting with the 20’s and 30’s group and moving into Disciple Bible Study.

“I ! nally found my family.”

# is past year her new Tampa family helped Dulcinea take care of her own family. Her father

had a cancerous tumor removed, and Dulcinea needed to be in Texas to take care of her parents.

While she was out of state, her strength came from her Hyde Park Disciple Bible Study class.

“" e prayers calmed my father and my family. Being connected with a community of caring,

loving, Christian people helped my family and I go through the very dark journey.”

Today Dulcinea believes her presence at Hyde Park United Methodist reconnects her to God.

“I tend to become self-absorbed and get in my own little world during the week. Going to church

helps me evaluate my past work week and helps me re-energize. It’s important to me to feel the

connection that only the church, the building, the people, the chapel and the community can give me.”

Dulcinea Cuellar

56 57

Daily Prayer

Lord, help us accept each other as you have accepted us in

Christ. Teach us to embrace one another in forgiveness and

grace. By your Spirit be among us that we might experience

your acceptance and discover the way you intend for your

children to live. Amen.

Daily Connection

Common Ground We all know a family member, neighbor, friend with di� erent beliefs from our personal ones. Commit today to � nd one shared belief.


Day 4

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Although there are basic tenets that we, as Christians, hold,

there are some questions that will forever remain without a

de! nitive answer. Some spend time si" ing out what works for

us, what seems true and real. Others leave the whole theological

conversation alone, sticking with the tried and true beliefs.

Neither position is wrong, unless they divide the community of

the church.

Some questions have little bearing on the way we live our lives or

the way we experience God.

Di# erence of opinion, theological or otherwise, are to be

expected in a Christian community. But, for the community

to have fellowship in Christ, there are truths that we hold in

common and a vision for living o# ered to us by Christ that are

greater than any question that we encounter.


1. Is it a realistic goal to ask that we all agree with one another

so that there are no divisions?

2. What are the core beliefs that bind us together?

3. How can we be united in the love of Christ and allow for

diversity of personal conviction?

4. What holds us together as a church?

”

! ough we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may.

-John Wesley [Sermon XXXIX,

“Catholic Spirit,”p. 493]


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Daily Prayer

Almighty God, who by your Spirit has built the Church with

Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, grant that by your Spirit

we may be built together into a community of love in which

your Spirit can dwell. Amen.

Daily Connection

Plus 1 Plan for one other way to be at church this month. Wednesday night dinner, new small group, mission project, choir. Your presence makes a di� erence.


Day 5



1. Is it sometimes easier for me to put my faith in people instead

of in God?

2. What di! erence does it make for me to know that I am God’s servant?

3. What is my part in building God’s temple?

Paul warns of the danger of becoming too devoted to a particular

pastor, teacher, writer or theologian. " e job of a pastor is to

make the word of God accessible and real to the congregation.

Pastors and teachers are simply conduits for the message of

Christ. Our leaders serve to unite the community, but they are

simply part of the community like everyone else.

Christians are committed to Christ above all else. To create a

vibrant fellowship, we must each play a part. We all have insights

and gi# s to o! er to the community. We look to our pastors to

guide and shepherd us, but all of our faith needs to remain in

Christ alone.

”

! e greatest spiritual danger for our times is the separation of Jesus from the church. ! e church is the body of the Lord. Without Jesus there can be no church; and without the church we cannot stay united with Jesus.-Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) [Letters to Marc About Jesus, p. 83]


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Daily Prayer

“Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face;

here would I touch and handle things unseen;

here grasp with � rmer hand eternal grace,

and all my weariness upon thee lean.

Feast a� er feast thus comes and passes by;

yet, passing, points to the glad feast above,

giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy,

the Lamb’s great bridal feast of bliss and love.”

Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)


Daily Connection

Reach Out When you come to church this week, introduce yourself to someone you don’t know.


Day 6


Communion always takes me by surprise. I never know it is a

communion Sunday until I walk into the sanctuary. I am pleased

with this element of surprise. It allows me to fully re! ect on the

signi� cance of the sacri� ce that was made for me. I approach the

altar with no pretense, but with awe and thanksgiving.

We may not take into consideration that the Lord’s Supper is

o" ered within the fellowship of believers. Jesus called us to

experience communion together, side by side. How much

more signi� cant would communion be if we looked at those in

our own community and acknowledged that Christ made the

ultimate sacri� ce for every person in the room? Christ’s vision

for our lives doesn’t leave room for self-importance. # ere is only

room for humility and unity in Christ’s name.


1. With what attitude do I approach communion?

2. Why is communion a communal event?

3. Does my experience of communion in! uence my

commitment to stay connected to other disciples in the

church? How?

”

“If the Lord is to be Lord, worship must have priority in our lives...Our lives are to be punctuated with praise, thanksgiving, and adoration. Service ! ows out of worship.…If we long to go where God is going and do what God is doing, we will move into deeper, more authentic worship. -Richard Foster [Celebration of Discipline, p. 161]


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Daily Prayer

O God, you remind us that your mission to save the earth

involved physically coming and being present among

us through your son Jesus Christ. Call us to that same

commitment; to be present with you and one another in the

fellowship and ministry of your church. Amen.

Daily Connection

Plus 1 Plan for one other way to be at church this month. Wednesday night dinner, new small group, mission project, choir. Your presence makes a di� erence.


Day 7


In communion, we are reconciled to God by the sacri! ce

Christ made for us. We are also reconciled with each other.

Communion fosters a sense of gratitude and unity. Everyone

eats from the same bread and drinks from the same wine during

the Lord’s Supper—regardless of the disagreements we have,

regardless of di" erence in socioeconomic standing. As we come

together before Christ, we are all equal. We are all humble. And

we are all loved.


1. How have I experienced reconciliation in the body of Christ?

2. When have I felt most deeply connected with God’s people in

worship? In a small group?

3. What commitment do I need to make regarding my presence

in worship and in community?

”

We shall not have access to God by prayer, unless we are joined together.…We must agree together, and be bound in a bond of peace, before we can come nigh, and present ourselves to God.

-John Calvin (1509-1564) [! e Fellowship of the Saints, p. 270]

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Week 4

GIFTS: OUR CONNECTION TO GOD’S GENEROSITY

Luke tucked an ugly story between two beautiful descriptions of life in the early church.

In Acts 4:32-35 Luke showed us how beautiful life can be when Christians are connected in “one heart and soul.” � e � rst Christians lived with amazing generosity, sharing everything they had and “there was not a needy person among them.”

In Acts 5:12-16, Luke reported that the Christian community was held in high regard by folks outside of it. As a result, everyone found healing and wholeness.

� at’s how good life can be when people are really connected to God and to one another in the Body of Christ! But then Luke shows us what life looks like when they aren’t. (Acts 5:1-11)

Ananias and Sapphira never got connected. � ey pretended to be part of the community, but when Ananias had a good day in the real estate market, he brought a portion of the pro� ts to the apostles while secretly hoarding the rest. When Peter uncovered the deception, Ananias fell dead at his feet, and some of the younger men carried him out to bury him.

� ree hours later, Sapphira showed up, wondering why her husband hadn’t come home. She, too, lied about the gi� . She, too, fell over dead, and the same young men carried her out to bury her with her husband.

A cra� y preacher might be tempted to use the story of Ananias and Sapphira to scare church people to give to the building fund, but I don’t think that’s the point. I think Luke links these three passages together to demonstrate the contrast between the goodness of generosity and the foolishness of greed.

The goodness of generosity

Our readings this week include Paul’s “fund-raising” letter to the Corinthians. � e apostle set a high standard for Christian generosity when he wrote: “You know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (II Corinthians 8:7)


Christ-like generosity begins not in what we do, but in what God has done in Jesus Christ. “We love,” the epistle of John says, “because he � rst loved us and gave himself for us.” We give because Jesus gave. � e Christian life is a response of gratitude to God for the gi� of God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ. We get connected with the generosity of God at the foot of the cross.

Christian people are not generous because of what they have, but because of who they are as followers of the cruci� ed and risen Jesus Christ. Christ-followers measure generosity not by what they give, but by what they have been given by God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Christ-followers � nd joy, not in what they hold, but in what they share. Christian generosity is modeled a� er nothing less than the extravagant generosity of God’s love to us in Jesus Christ.

The foolishness of greed

By contrast, greed is foolish because it consumes the consumer in an insatiable desire for more. It is sinful because it turns our hearts away from the self-giving love of an extravagantly generous God and de� nes the value of life in the things we possess. As Ananias and Sapphira sadly found out, greed is deadly because it turns life in on itself and breaks our connection with the life-giving generosity of God.

According to the Bible, the only antidote for greed is generosity. � e only way to reconnect with the generosity of God is to practice generosity ourselves.

The practice of generosity

To encourage generosity among the a" uent Christians in Corinth, Paul li� ed up the example of the poor Christians in Macedonia. (II Corinthians 8) Using the generosity of poor folks to motivate the generosity of a" uent folks is not just a Pauline fund-raising gimmick. It’s a fact of life. Lower-income folks consistently give a larger percentage of their income to charity than a" uent folks do. Perhaps that’s why Jesus de� ned generosity not by the amount a person gives, but by the percentage of its impact on the life of the giver.

Everyone noticed the way the rich folks brought their gi� s to the Temple. � ey

67Gifts: Our Connection to God’s Generosity – Week 4

could hear the loud clank as the gi� s dropped into the o� ering box. Only Jesus noticed a poor widow who dropped in two small copper coins. But Jesus said that the poor widow gave more than the rest because they gave a small percentage out of their abundance, but she gave a gigantic percentage out of the little she had. (Luke 21:1-4)

Jesus was not as concerned about how much the giver gave as he was about how much the giver had le� over. He focused our attention away from the size of the gi� and onto the di� erence the gi� made to the giver.

The discipline of the tithe

! e tithe is the spiritual discipline by which Christian disciples practice generosity. ! e Old Testament law required that the " rst 10 percent of the harvest be given back to God in gratitude for God’s generosity. In fact, the prophet said that if we don’t give the tithe, we are robbing God. (Malachi 3:8)

But for those who have experienced the generosity of God at the cross, the law is only the beginning. ! e tithe is the bare minimum below which we do not allow our generosity to fall. One person in our congregation says that the tithe is a good place for generosity to begin, but a bad place for generosity to end. We are called to go beyond the law and to give in extravagant generosity in response to the extravagant generosity of God.

! e amazing thing is that when we practice generosity, we experience more of the generosity of God. During our stewardship emphasis a couple years ago, I received an e-mail message from a man who had been out of work for some time. Here’s what he wrote.

Each year, at this time, I take a long, hard look at my budget. I begin by " rst subtracting the 10 percent tithe. ! en I subtract 10 percent for savings. ! at leaves me 80 percent, right? By the time I subtract those expenses I have no control over: taxes, insurance...the 10-10-80 formula becomes 10-10-40-40. It ba# es me that Uncle Sam and my insurance companies get 4 times more than God. But I’ve learned not to worry about that ... since I have zero control over it. ! en I cut my personal expenses down to match what is le� . Each year this gets harder and harder to do. But strangely, I " nd this “cleansing” very freeing. Each year I learn that I can live without “stu� ” that I thought I had to have. And I " nd that I don’t even miss those things. It is amazing. In fact, it is a miracle! Each year God shows me that indeed he is faithful to me when I honor his tithe. I used to dread this time of year, but now I look forward to it knowing that God will once again teach me something new. Well, I guess I better get busy on my budget for this year. I can’t wait!

The promise of a generous God

Paul concludes his letter to Corinth with a bold promise.

God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.…You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also over% ows with many thanksgivings to God. (9:8,11-12)

What goes around comes around. It’s a circle of generosity. God’s generosity to us results in

gratitude which we express through our generosity, which results in gratitude which expresses

itself in generosity in them until all our lives over% ow with gratitude to God.

On Commitment Sunday each of us will have the opportunity to indicate our " nancial

commitment for the year ahead. May the Spirit guide us in our response to the generosity of God.

“What way then…can we take that our money may not sink us to the nethermost hell? � ere

is only one way, and there is no other under heaven. If those who ‘gain all they can’ and ‘save

all they can’ will likewise ‘give all they can’ then, the more they gain the more they will grow

in grace, and the more treasure they will lay up in heaven.”

-John Wesley [A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader, p. 32]

68 Week 4 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT 69Gifts: Our Connection to God’s Generosity – Week 4

Daily Prayer

O God, give me a generous heart; a heart that enables me to see

the way my own good is bound together in the common good

for all of your children. Amen.

Daily Connection

Give Up (stu� )If you haven’t worn it, used it, opened it, in the last year give it on to someone who can.

”

! e way of the kingdom of God calls people to a higher concern than self - or national interest: namely, concern for the common good. And for Jesus, achieving the bottom line for pro" t and " nancial success without concern for the common good quali" es one uniquely—not for the heaven of the Fortune 500—but for hell.

-Brian McLaren [Everything Must Change, p. 208]

Week 4 Gifts: Our Connection to God’s GenerositySettling In – Psalm 103


1. What is hardest for me to share? My money? My time?

My expertise?

2. What is my gut reaction when I hear about tithing?

3. Would people outside the church realize I am a Christian on

the basis of my generosity?

Day 1

Acts 4:32-37

During the initial growth of the church, the believers willingly

share all that they own. ! ey take their possessions obtained

through sweat and striving, hardship and perseverance—and they

sell them. ! eir material goods no longer have a hold on their

hearts or minds; they simply serve as dispensable items that can

bene" t the common good. What freedom that detachment from

earthly riches, from the constant nagging desire to amass more,

to hoard more, must have o# ered to the followers.

Even more powerful is the fruit of their detachment: ! ere is

no needy person among them. Everyone is cared for. Everyone

bene" ts. ! ere is no clawing to get to the top. Instead, the

followers share the blessing of God’s grace. How refreshing it

must be to shed the pretenses and the material goods that so

o$ en we hide behind and look each other in the eye equally, the

way God sees us.

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Daily Prayer

O generous and gracious God, when I test the genuineness of my

love by the standard of the One who, though he was rich, became

poor for our sake, I realize how far short I fall of a fair balance

between my present abundance and the need of others. Show me

the way to a measure of generosity that is in balance with your

generosity to me. Amen.

Daily Connection

Give WillinglyMake good on your pledge to the Church.

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”

Gratitude becomes an act of de! ant contemplation, expressing rebellion against the thousands of advertisements a year that tell you to want what you don’t have, and not appreciate what you already have. Instead, gratitude celebrates what you do have.…In so doing, it bonds the heart to the ultimate source of the gi" s—God.

-Brian McLaren [Everything Must Change, p. 213]


Day 2



1. If our command is to follow Jesus, how do we become poor?

Does that mean volunteering until we are burnt out and end

up with the ! u?

2. Is there a practical way to approach this self-sacri" cial

giving? What makes us willing to give?

3. Can you imagine what an equitable world would look like?

# e act of giving brings us closer to the grace of God. Perhaps

that is because, in giving, we trust God to take our gi$ s and use

them in ways that we cannot even conceive. We trust God to " ll

in the gap that our giving has le$ in our own " nances or our own

lives. Giving places us in a position of vulnerability and reliance

and reminds us how much we truly need God.

God calls on us to be willing to give. # is willingness, it seems,

is as important as the gi$ . Our willingness to give re! ects our

understanding that we have nothing apart from God. In that

light, it makes us seem a bit foolish when we question whether

we have enough to give. Everything we have is a blessing from

God. Isn’t it only right to redistribute some of those blessings in

the way that God has instructed us?

Jesus was rich but became poor to redeem us. He sacri" ced his

entitlement as the Son of God; he redistributed the blessings of

his wisdom and his vision of a Kingdom of God here on earth.

If we truly follow Jesus, doesn’t it make sense to o% er back some

of what we have been given? Jesus set the ultimate example in

giving freely. Now it is up to us to exercise our faith and learn

how to give without reservation.


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“

Daily Prayer

O Generous God, the Cheerful Giver who scatters abroad good

gi� s and provides every blessing in abundance in my life, teach

me to sow bountifully that I may also reap bountifully. Make

me a cheerful giver that I may become like you in my giving.

Amen.

Daily Connection

Give Cheerfully Pray about the amount you can cheerfully give this year.


Day 3


”

a! uenza, n. - A painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. a! uenza, n. - 1. " e bloated, sluggish and unful# lled feeling that results from e$ orts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. [Wikipedia]


1. Can you tell when someone really wants to help and when

they are just going through the motions?

2. Do you believe the motivation behind our generosity really

matters to God?

3. What blessings have resulted from your willingness to give?

Our generosity should be willing and enthusiastic. We are

instructed to give what we have decided to give, not under

compulsion but willingly. But, if the outcome of our giving is the

same, does the spirit of our giving really matter? If, as I write my

check for tithe on Sunday, I am really longing for the new iPod I

could have bought with that money, can’t God use my gi� for His

purposes anyway?

! e problem with that line of reasoning is that, by giving gi� s

grudgingly, we are setting ourselves up to miss the blessings that

God o" ers us for our generosity. ! ese blessings may not be

tangible. ! ey may be a shi� in the way we see the world or the

way we experience God. God may choose to bless our generosity

simply by making material goods less important to us, thereby

reducing their hold on us. But if we are focused on what we gave

away (be it time, money or skills), how are we going to notice the

blessings coming our way?

Paul identi# es the ability to give as a gi� from God. Our

generosity can result in thanksgiving to God. What better

blessing than for someone to see a glimpse of God because we

gave something of ourselves?

“


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Tithing also connects Linda to her late mother, Emmalou Grable. Her mother tithed and

encouraged Linda to begin. Recently Linda needed to hire a tax attorney to help settle her

mother’s estate. A� er paying her mother’s taxes and her own, Linda witnessed the following:

“I am to receive the largest tax return I have ever gotten and was so excited for a ‘little extra.’

� en I got the bill from our accountant—no kidding—her bill was the same amount of the

di� erence in what I usually receive for my tax refund and the refund I should receive this year!

My needs were met again!’”

At a time when others may feel uncomfortable talking about personal ! nances, Linda ! nds

herself compelled to discuss tithing. It’s the ! nancial connection she can’t live without.

Linda Grable

PSSSSSST ... WANT IN ON A MONEY SECRET?

Hyde Park member Linda Grable wants to share her

! nancial strategy with you. During this time when

so many of us are worried about making ends meet

Linda has made a ! nancial connection which keeps

her going.

Just like the rest of us, Linda pays more to ! ll

her gas tank, put milk in her fridge and to repair her

home. But for Linda, rising expenses are not adding up to ! nancial hardship.

What’s the secret?

Linda admits it has nothing to do with her job as Assistant State Prosecutor. " e State of

Florida froze her salary and bene! ts 3 years ago. Linda’s ! nancial security comes from God.

“First of every month I write the check for the " rst fruit, and I always have enough money.”

His commandment and her commitment is to tithe.

“Tithing has made me a good steward of my money,” Linda says.“ I don’t just buy things anymore.”

She adds, “I used to live a real South Tampa lifestyle; if I wanted it I bought it. Now I think ‘do I

want it or do I need it?’ And if I get it will I still be able to give that 10% to the Father?”

Linda connects to God not only by signing her name on a check. Tithing, she says, leads to

some real conversations with him about money. While the concept of tithing for Linda is

simple — you give 10 percent of your income to the church — tithing does not mean she is

free of complex ! nancial worries.

“I have been scared about what is going to happen because I have had exceptional expenses. All

of a sudden I will get money always in the amount I need.”

" e key word for Linda again is “need”. To her this is not about wanting more possessions

or thinking of tithing as a “Christian lottery.” She does not give so she can get more. She’s

discovered in her Christian life, “God just opens the door.”

76 Week 4 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT 77

Daily Prayer

Teach us, O God, to give not out of guilt, or fear, or mere

obligation, but out of a spirit of joy and freedom, knowing that

as we learn to give of our means to you, we can give our whole

lives to you. Amen.

Daily Connection

Give Accordingly Have a discussion with someone about tithing. Write down the � gure your tithe should be.


Day 4

2 Chronicles 31:5-10

”

It is the preacher’s job not to tell people what to do, but rather to remind them who they are, in this instance, agents or stewards, of God’s bounty...! e goal of Christianity is not detachment from material wealth, but the loving use of it.

-William Sloane Co" n (1924-2006) [A Sermon on the Amount, Oct. 14, 1984, p. 3]


1. Many people believe that the church manipulates the idea

of tithing in order to extract money from its congregations.

What can we expect from the church in return for our gi! s?

2. What if we feel it is irresponsible in our " nancial situation to

o# er a 10 percent tithe?

3. What di# erence could the spiritual discipline of tithing make

in the ministry of the church? In my life?

$ e people of Israel o# ered up the " rst pick of all of their harvest,

their very sustenance, as a gi! to God. $ ey didn’t feed their

families " rst. $ ey o# ered back to God what he had bestowed

upon them. For the Israelites, their giving meant that everyone

had enough to eat. For giving back to God, for establishing unity

regarding what was to be o# ered as tithe, equality and abundance

were the rewards. Can you imagine if we all chose to do the same

with the fruits of our labor? What would the world say about us?

What would our internal and spiritual lives look like if we placed

that much trust in God?

Our tithe re% ects our desire to honor God. Tithing serves as a

tangible acknowledgement that all that we have is a gi! from

God. If we approach tithing with that level of thankfulness,

seeing our own possessions as gi! s, our desire to cling to material

goods wanes. If, as a church, we o# ered up our tithe to God

willingly and without hesitation, what impact could we have on

our community? What impact could God have on us?


“

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Daily Prayer

“O Lord, who has taught us that to gain the whole world and

to lose our souls is great folly, grant us the grace so to lose

ourselves that we may truly � nd ourselves anew in the life of

grace, and so to forget ourselves that we may be remembered

in your kingdom.”

-Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) [Justice and Mercy, p. 11]

Daily Connection

Give Graciously What can you do without?


Day 5

Malachi 3:8-12

”

Terry Parsons, stewardship o! cial for the Episcopal Church, describes three kinds of giving…First is ordinary stewardship: the day-in, day-out giving of a portion of your time, talent and money. " e second is extraordinary stewardship: the opportunity to make a meaningful one-time gi# because of a sudden increase in your net worth.

‘I think of it as a spiritual adventure, whereas ordinary stewardship is a spiritual discipline.’ " e last category is legacy stewardship: leaving 10 percent or some other portion of your estate to the church.

-Sean O’Neill [Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, May 1999, p. 101]

“


1. Why do we acknowledge that certain cultural restrictions

have changed since Biblical times, but we still hold fast to the

idea of tithing?

2. What is Jesus’ approach to tithing? (Matthew 23:23, 6:1-4,

19-21)

3. Are you willing to give the tithe and trust God to guide you

in the wise use of the other 90 percent of your income?

Malachi does not mince words: If we do not tithe, we are robbing

God. But how can that be? Our wealth, our material possessions,

very simply put don’t belong to us. ! ey are " eeting blessings,

given in goodwill to us by God. God expects a re" ection of that

goodwill in our interaction with the world around us. How

sel� sh God must think us when we hoard money and possessions

and turn away from su# ering, claiming there is nothing that

we can do. When we cling to material possessions, we rob God

of what is rightfully his. We rob ourselves of the experience of

placing our hope and trust in God.

God promises that tithing results in great blessings. We are

promised abundance and happiness for the small price of giving

back to God what he has bestowed on us. Why, if the blessings

seem so desirable, does giving seem so di$ cult?


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Daily Prayer

“O God, we live in a world that teaches ‘Do your own thing’

and ‘Have it your way.’ Teach us, instead, the wisdom of ‘Have

� ine Own Way’ and ‘We give � ee but � ine own.’ ...In this

o� ering, may we be making the subtle shi� from our way to

your way, from the slavery of sel� shness to the freedom of

faithfulness. Help us to apply this not only to our money, but

also to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Only through him

can we try. In his name we pray. Amen.”

-Peter L. Haynes

(http://rockhay.tripod.com/worship/prayers-etc/o� ering.htm)

Daily Connection

Give Cheerfully Pray about the amount you can cheerfully give this year. ! e only safe

rule is to give more than we can spare. If our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc. is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. ! ere ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.

-C. S. Lewis [Mere Christianity, p. 82]


Day 6

Mark 12:41-44

”Re! ection Questions:

1. When have I witnessed someone giving sel! essly?

2. What other characteristics stood out in that person?

3. What was my response to their giving?

4. What prevents me from giving a portion of my income to God?

When we hear the story of the widow’s o� ering, what is our � rst

response? Is it relief that God is pleased with any amount, no

matter how small? Does the story give us license to skimp on our

next o� ering, grabbing some spare change from the car on our

way in to church? Or do we take solace in the understanding that

God knows our hearts and understands our sacri� ce, no matter

how the circumstances may appear to others?

Unfortunately, giving can quickly become a forum to upstage

those around us. However, God knows what we have available

versus what we choose to give. � e story of the widow’s o� ering

reminds us that giving to the point of sacri� ce allows us to rely

on our faith in God, to allow God to teach us to depend on

him instead of relying on ourselves alone. We are promised

great rewards for placing God before ourselves. But in such a

materialistic world, how do we learn to give sel! essly?

“


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and connect with others during the reFOCUSreCONNECT reCOMMITexperience. Post your questions and thoughts, and help answer the questions of others..

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Daily Prayer

“Bless thou the gi� s our hands have brought;

Bless thou the work our hearts have planned.

Ours is the faith, the will, the thought;

� e rest, O God, is in thy hand.”

-Samuel Longfellow (1819-1892)


Daily Connection

Give Graciously What can you do without?


Day 7

Proverbs 3:9-10

”

Christians don’t give because they have received material blessings. Christians give even when they have not received material blessings.…� ey give generously because they pattern their life a! er the example of Christ.

-Mark Trotter [Journey to the Center of the Faith, p. 113]


1. How would my life change if I decided what I could

! nancially o" er to God at the start of each week, instead of

scrambling to check my banking account before church so

that I can make sure my o" ering check doesn’t bounce?

2. How can I learn to give willingly, gladly, the way that Christ

did—instead of o" ering whatever time, talents, money I have

le� over a� er chasing a� er my worldly pursuits?

First fruits do not apply to material items only; we also need

to be generous with the time we give to God each day. If God

ends up with the remnants of our time, how ful! lling can our

relationship with him really be? If we o" er up a commitment of

time to God each day, we may begin to see other opportunities to

give of ourselves. We need to trust God that, if we o" er our time

to help others, we will still ! nd the time to take care of our daily

tasks (and that may mean reprioritizing what is really important

in daily life). “


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Ministry happens through the church.

At Saint Paul’s, we are trying to help each member � nd a place of ministry based on his or

her gi� s, passions and availability. (Ephesians 4:1-16) At the center of ministry is the New

Testament promise that every baptized follower of Jesus is given a unique spiritual gi� by the

Holy Spirit. We believe that spiritual gi� s are:

• Special abilities that are energized by the Holy Spirit, discovered in community and

a� rmed in the Body of Christ;

• Gi� s of God’s grace, not something we crank up on our own;

• Given for the common good of the Body of Christ and the transformation of the world;

• To be used in alignment with the mission of the church and the passion God has placed in

our hearts;

• Encouraged and supported by the various ministries of the church;

• � e means by which God’s love is made real in this world.

Saint Paul’s provides two practical tools to help each disciple discover his or her spiritual

gi� s and � nd a place to use those gi� s in ministry. One is a Spiritual Gi� Assessment, found

on our Web site at www.saintpaulsumc.org, under “Learn and Grow” then “Spiritual Gi� s

Discovery.” � e other is a one-on-one conversation with a “Coach.” Coaches are lay persons

or clergy who are trained to help others discover their gi� s and � nd the place to serve that � ts

their passions and availability. Coach conversations can be arranged by contacting Rev. Sally

Campbell-Evans, 850-385-5146.

How ministry happens

Within days of each other, I received two e-mail messages that a� rmed the way people are

� nding their place to serve in this congregation. � e � rst came from the wife of one of the

guys who serves in our parking lot ministry.

Every week he comes home pumped up about something. He can see that people

really appreciate what the team is doing. He can see the importance of creating a more

welcoming environment. He can see how hard a time some people have just � nding a

place to park and what a di! erence it makes to help them. He knows that he is one of

the ones through whose life the love of God is made real in this world. It’s working! It’s a

beautiful thing!

� e other message came from one of the leaders of Hyde Park’s equipping ministry team.

I can’t describe the joy I feel when I am operating out of my gi� edness and using my

spiritual gi� of encouragement. When I am walking alongside someone in their faith

walk and they are deepening their relationship with Christ (or developing a new one), or

when I am working with a team to create some new ministry that builds up disciples and

the church, it’s clicking and I feel great JOY.

Week 5

SERVICE: OUR CONNECTION TO GOD’S TRANSFORMATION

Jesus promised his followers that they would be his witnesses throughout the world, but no one

was more surprised than they were when it happened! � e book of Acts is the dramatic story of

the way their connection with the power of the Holy Spirit energized them to become the agents

of God’s transformation of the world.

I suspect that many of us are just as surprised as they were to discover that through our prayers,

presence, gi� s and service, we are connected to the same power that energized those apostles

and that God intends to use us the way he used them as God’s agents of transformation in

this world. But that’s exactly what happens when we get connected to God’s power, live in

connection with God’s people, share in God’s generosity, and invest ourselves in God’s service.

Our connection with the Spirit means that we are not here to sit on the sidelines, but to get into

the game as the agents of God’s transformation. Jesus never intended for his followers to merely

show up at a spiritual Starbucks on Sunday morning for a hit of religious ca! eine to make it

through the week. He intended for every disciple to make God’s love real to this world by

serving in and through the ministries of Christ’s body, the church.

� is week’s readings reveal the peculiar way God has chosen to be at work for the

transformation of the world. God has chosen to redeem this world through the church.

Transformation happens when individual disciples discover the unique gi� s the Spirit has given

them and release those gi� s in Christ’s service.

Who? Me? A Minister?

� e New Testament calls the work of Christ in the world “ministry.” People who do it are

“ministers.” And by the power of the Holy Spirit, that’s what you are! According to the New

Testament, every baptized follower of Jesus Christ is called, gi� ed and empowered to serve in

the name of Christ. On Commitment Sunday, you’ll be invited to make your commitment of

service for the year ahead. Every person is critically important to this ministry. Every gi� of

service makes a di! erence!

86 Week 5 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT Service: Our Connection to God’s Transformation – Week 5 87

OK… gotta admit…I remember struggling with my job in TV news while Deb was out

“saving the world” as a social worker and missionary. All those people who she has

directly touched…for awhile I wondered if I was doing any good at all. � en at Poynter

one year… when they were talking about ethics, and morality, and doing what was right…

it hit me. BREAKING NEWS: I can be a Christian in a newsroom! I realized that I could

make a di� erence by the way we reported the news, by the way we treated the people we

interviewed…even by the way we treated fellow reporters and producers. I never really

had a way to put it into words… but your message did that. I was a “minister” disguised

as a news producer!

When I asked if I could share her message with our congregation, she went on to say that she

“got it” at Poynter while working with a news director in Austin, Texas, who died of breast

cancer. Her motto was “� ere’s never a wrong time to do the right thing.” Carrie went on

to say, “� at applies to news because you’re always under deadline, always trying to beat the

competition, always trying to get the story on � rst. But it also works for people trying to live

the way God wants us to live.” All I could say in response was, “You got that right, kid!”

“� e people of God, who are the church made visible in the world, must convince the world

of the reality of the gospel or leave it unconvinced. � ere can be no evasion or delegation of

this responsibility; the church is either faithful as a witnessing and serving community, or

it loses its vitality and its impact on an unbelieving world.” [� e United Methodist Book of

Discipline, para. 128]

Ministry reaches out from the church into the world.

When Kirbyjon Caldwell was appointed as pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church

in Houston in 1982, there were 25 members. Today, it is the largest United Methodist Church

in the nation with 15,000 persons engaged in ministry. Dr. Caldwell said, “� e point of church

growth is not to collect new people and cage them with church programs. � e goal of church

health is not to fatten up church members for show...� e church exists to equip people in order

to release them back into the world, grounded in truth and community, dangerous for the

gospel.” (� e Equipping Church, p. 9)

God intends for the ministry that begins in the church to " ow into the world through the life

and service of every baptized follower of Jesus Christ. God’s love in Christ is made real in this

world through ordinary men and women who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become the

extension of the church’s ministry in the world.

Wayne Cordero leads the New Hope Community Church in Honolulu. I remember hearing

him ask how we think God intends to make his love real to � re� ghters, teachers, business

people, lawyers or teenagers. He acknowledged that God could send a preacher or a professional

minister, but that would be a pretty ine# cient way to do it. God has a better plan.

When God wants to make his love real to � re� ghters, he takes a full-time, baptized servant

minister, disguises him or her as a � re� ghter, and sends that person into the � re house to express

his love to other � re� ghters and to invite them into the body of Christ.

When God wants to make his love real to teachers, he takes a full-time, baptized servant

minister, disguises him or her as a teacher, and sends that minister into the classroom to

demonstrate God’s love to other teachers and students and to serve them in the Spirit of Christ.

When God wants to make his love real to business people, God takes some full-time, baptized

servant ministers, dresses them up like business people, and sends them into the business world

where the witness of their lives and character becomes an unmistakable expression of the Body

of Christ.

When God wants to let teenagers know that he loves them, he takes some full-time, baptized

servant ministers, dresses them up like high school students and sends them onto their school

campus to demonstrate his love with other teenagers.

Our daughter, Carrie, majored in journalism and rose to the position of Executive Producer

at the NBC a# liate in Orlando. Shortly a$ er our second grandchild was born, she le$ the

newsroom and became an independent producer. She’s also been a visiting faculty member at

the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg which specializes in ethics in the media.

Her sister, Deborah, earned her Masters’ degree in Social Work and serves in a Catholic social

service agency near Charleston. She also spent two years as a short-term missionary with the

United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. All of that is background for Carrie’s response to

Wayne Cordero’s image of full-time servant ministry.

88 89Service: Our Connection to God’s Transformation – Week 5 Week 5 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

Daily Connection

Start Small Serve someone a surprise cup of co� ee, an ice water or a lemonade. Watch their reaction.

Connect Now



How o� en have you watched the pastor on Sunday morning and

thought, “I could never do that!”? What would happen if, in fact,

you felt obligated to try your hand at preaching from the pulpit,

regardless of whether or not you had any skills or desire to do so?

We might be in for a lot of rocky Sunday mornings.

When each member of the church plays the role for which he

or she is best suited, the church can be productive. God doesn’t

assign a hierarchy of tasks that need to be accomplished in the

church. Every role is important. If church leadership took on

every task, the ministry would become constricted.

All of us must work together to ensure that the needs of the

congregation are met. But in order to give our talents and our

time, we must understand ourselves well enough to know our

gi� s. God will nudge us in the direction we should go, but we

have to be open to unique ways God might choose to use our

talents and gi� s.

Day 1

Acts 6:1-7


1. Have you placed your talents in a box, claiming to be “good”

at some things and “bad” at others? What would it take to

challenge those assumptions?

2. When did you surprise yourself by ful" lling a task or a goal

that had originally seemed unattainable?

3. What else went into that process besides simply possessing a

talent or gi� ?

Week 5 Service: Our Connection to God’s Transformation Settling In – Psalm 86

”

! e laity had come to see, with a shock, that they were the front line soldiers of the Church. ! ey, not the clergy, were the representatives of Christ who were actually present in the factories, shops, o" ces, schools and homes of the country. If Christ’s compassion was to get into those situations, then they, the laity, must be the channels through which it would come. If Christ’s truth was to be spoken, then they must speak it.

-Stephen Verney [Fire in Coventry, p. 20]

Daily Prayer

Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead

our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of

the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good

so that you may do his will, working among us that which is

pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the

glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

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Service: Our Connection to God’s Transformation – Week 5 91

Your Space

“


Daily Prayer

“We have voices, O Lord. � ey are yours. Empower us not only

to speak as Christians should, but to reveal the Christ behind the

Christian.

We have hands, O Lord. � ey are yours. Guide us to use them

for your Glory, in prayer and in compassion.

We have hearts, O Lord. � ey are yours. Help us to love you

beyond our natural ability, and to do likewise for those who need

you in us.

All that we have, and all that we are, all is yours. May we become

ever more faithful in what we say and do, through him who � rst

was faithful to us. In Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.”

-Peter L. Haynes (http://rockhay.tripod.com/worship/prayers-etc/

o� ering.htm)

Daily Connection

Grow in Service Surprise a neighbor, teacher, co-worker with an act of service. Watch their reaction.

Day 2

Acts 3:1-16, 4:13

Self-doubt cripples the spirit. When we question whether we are

good enough to complete a task we feel called by God to accomplish,

we not only second guess ourselves, we second guess God.

Peter and John were “uneducated and ordinary men.” � eir

a! liation with Jesus, their faith in his message, allowed their

actions to become an expression of that very faith. Only then

could they heal the crippled beggar. Peter and John boldly

proclaimed their faith in Jesus in response to the awe that

the healing produced in the crowd. � eir faith in Jesus made

them conduits of the power of God; the beggar’s faith in Jesus

ultimately healed him.

God can use anyone to minister to and to serve those in need. God

can use each of us in ways that we don’t expect if we open ourselves

to the possibilities and rely on our faith in Jesus as our guide.


1. Where has God been calling me to serve?

2. Have I been ignoring the call? Why? Does fear hold me back

from o� ering certain gi" s?

3. Do I truly believe God can use me for his good and his glory

or do I believe I am not worthy?


”

! e Company of Jesus is not people streaming to a shrine; and it is not people making up an audience for a speaker; it is laborers engaged in the harvesting task of reaching their perplexed and seeking [brothers and sisters] with something so vital that, if it is received, it will change their lives.

-Elton Trueblood (1900-1994) [! e Company of the Committed, p. 45]

“


Connect Now



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Daily Prayer

“God of community,

who calls us to be in relationship

with one another

and who has promised to dwell

where two or three are gathered…

By your Spirit you have graced each of us

with di� ering gi� s...

Open my eyes, O God, to perceive the gi� s

you have placed within me

and to honor the di� ering gi� s

which my sisters and brothers o� er.

Bless our hands, our hearts, our vision

to work together for the bringing in of your Kingdom,

that in our di� erences, we may � nd grace;

in our laboring, we may � nd justice;

in our su� ering, hope;

in our embracing, love;

and in our risking, transformation.”

-Jan Richardson [Sacred Journeys, p. 192]

Daily Connection

Find your gi� Take the Spiritual Gi! Assessment atwww.saintpauls umc.org.


Day 3


We all have been given spiritual gi� s to ful� ll our calling. When

a person is baptized by the Holy Spirit, he/she becomes ordained

for ministry. All followers of Christ are ministers and all have

been given gi� s to ful� ll our calling. ! at is one of the purposes

of being a part of a faith community, to grow in the likeness of

Christ, discover our gi� s, respond to the call that God has put on

our heart and share our transformation with others.

Gi� s are given not to be le� idle, but to be used in community, to

serve God and others. ! e spiritual gi� s of followers of Christ are

ALL important. Gi� s are from the same Spirit, which means that

your gi� is equally as important as the preacher’s, or the sta� ’s, or

the choir’s, or anyone’s. Every gi� is needed to build the church

and to create other disciples. ! e Body of Christ has many parts

and many ministries. But even though there are di� erent parts,

we are uni� ed in our purpose: to grow in relationship to God and

others, to serve others and to invite others into faith in Christ.


1. Do you know what your spiritual gi� s are? What are they? If

not, go to www.saintpaulsumc.org and take the spiritual gi� s

assessment, check under “Learn and Grow.” If you do not

have access to the internet, speak with Rev. Sally Campbell-

Evans about how you can take this assessment.

2. What di� erence does it make to you to know that your gi� s

are needed in the body of Christ?

”

Service is not a list of things that we do…but a way of living. Just as there is more to the game of basketball than the rule book, there is more to service than speci" c acts of serving. It is one thing to act like a servant; it is quite another to be a servant.

-Richard Foster [Celebration of Discipline, p. 134]

“


Connect Now



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Day 4


� e world sorts people into categories and judges their importance

based on these criteria. It takes a great deal of power and in� uence

to be deemed “important” to the world. Most of us will never meet

those criteria.

It is comforting to know that within the body of Christ we are all

celebrated for our unique contributions and talents. Paul calls

for equality in the Body of Christ. No gi� is to be valued above

another; all are blessings from God to be used for the common

goal. � is common mission allows us to share not only our gi� s,

but also our su� ering and rejoicing.

Unity of mission fosters community. In order to thrive, the

community must remain connected to each other and to God.


1. In what area do I strive to gain the world’s attention? How

has that striving bene! ted or been detrimental to me?

2. Do I expect to be recognized for my gi� s in the church? How

much of that expectation is pride driven and how much is

spiritualized?

3. Are there certain gi� s I value above others? If so, why?

”

One of the principal rules of religion is to lose no occasion of serving God. And since he is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve him in our neighbor, which he receives as if done to himself in person, standing visibly before us. God is so great that he communicates greatness to the least thing that is done for his service.

-John Wesley [Selected Writings, p. 372]

Daily Connection

Appreciate Service ! ank someone who serves you at church.

97

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Daily Prayer

‘Lord, make me an instrument of � y peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.”

-St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

Service: Our Connection to God’s Transformation – Week 5

“



Day 5

Ephesians 4:1-16

Christians are called to be humble, gentle and patient, to treat

each other with love. � ese traits can seem eons away when we

are stuck in a church committee meeting where everyone has a

distinct (and seemingly incompatible) viewpoint, emotions are

running high, nerves are frazzled and the exchange of ideas is

terse at best. Should we simply chalk up our reaction to each

other as inevitable and stumble forth the best we can? Or, as

Christians, are we called to a more sensitive, more intimate

interaction with each other?

God doesn’t require us to acquiesce in all things that might lead

to con� ict. � at reaction would run counter to holding each

other accountable, to striving to work together in unity. What

God does ask is that we look at each other with compassion and

understanding, humility and love. � e dominant paradigms

that the world has established simply do not have a place in the

Kingdom of God. Unity, understanding, patience and peace are

the goals that Christ has established for us. Now we must humble

ourselves enough to follow His blueprint for a strong, e� ective

community.


1. How can we, as the body of Christ, reach out to a world that

is broken?

2. How can we o� er relief?

3. What will people see in us that will make them want to

connect with us?

4. How do we foster unity, a willingness to see problems and try

to solve them?

”

It’s important to realize that equipping is really the Biblical understanding of the church…when we begin to see that the church is a volunteer bodyand every member is gi� ed to function in a certain way, then that in my mind makes it mandatory—I don’t have an option—to be an equipping church…this is the way God has designed the church, and it’s our responsibility to � ll that.

-Vernon Armitage [Church Volunteer Central, June 3, 2008]

Daily Prayer

O God, who by your Spirit has given to each of us unique gi! s

for the building up of the body of Christ, give us wisdom to

know our gi! s, courage to claim them, and power to use them

for your glory. Amen.

Daily Connection

Jump In Decide where you will serve. Make the phone call to begin.

“


99

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Day 6

I Corinthians 1:4-9

God constantly works in us and around us, whether we choose to

notice or not. God has an advantage in cultivating our gi! s and

talents: He knows us completely. God knows exactly where our

fears and trepidations lie. He knows about our prideful moments

and our bruised egos. He sees the untapped potential that we

all hold. If we trust Him, God will be faithful in nurturing

us, drawing out our spiritual gi! s so that we can use them to

contribute to the community we are building in God’s name.

Our spiritual gi! s can’t bene" t the church and the community if

we hide them away, fearing that they aren’t good enough or that

we don’t have enough time to be worthwhile. God provides us

with the skills, talents and gi! s that we need; we must remain

faithful in our service. Our service and the o# ering of our gi! s

is our outward manifestation of our connection to God. When

people look at your life, can they see your connection to God?


1. What keeps me from being consistent in my service?

2. What skill do I have that I could ask God to nurture?

3. What immediate ways can I begin working on cultivating

that skill?

4. How can that skill bene" t the community and the church?

”

Be faithful in little practices of love…which will build in you the life of holiness, make you Christ-like…Don’t look for big things, just do small things with great love… � e smaller the thing, the greater must be our love.

-Mother Teresa (1910-1997) [Come Be My Light, p. 34]

Daily Prayer

“Lord, give me grace in everything to conform my will to

yours…and the things, good Lord, that I pray for, give me the

grace to labor for. Amen.”

-$ omas More (1478-1535) [� e English Spirit, p. 63]

Daily Connection

Start Small Serve someone a surprise cup of co! ee, an ice water or a lemonade. Watch their reaction.

“


101

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Day 7

Romans 12:3-8

Over and over this week, it has become apparent how important

unity is in the body of Christ. We are reminded to celebrate our

di� erences, to rejoice in them even. Each of us has something

special to o� er. Each person holds their place in the body of

Christ. We all make a signi� cant impact on each other, on the

world’s perception of Christians, on the emerging Kingdom of

God. God o� ers no room for pride; there is no one gi� , no one

person, that is greater than another. Instead we are challenged to

live lives of humility, compassion, love, unity, peace and service to

others. If we could really meet that challenge, how di� erent might

our world become?


1. When do I feel myself becoming prideful?

2. Where is the line between self-assuredness and arrogance?

3. Am I focusing on being thankful for the gi� s that each

person has to o� er or am I � xated on my own o� erings?

”

I don’t know what your destiny will be but one thing I know, the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.

-Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) [Quoted in Returning: A Spiritual Journey, p. 201]

“


Daily Prayer

“May the love of the Lord Jesus

draw us to himself;

May the power of the Lord Jesus

strengthen us in his service;

May the joy of the Lord Jesus

� ll our souls.”

-Archbishop William Temple (1881-1944) [! e Oxford Book of

Prayer, p. 172]

Daily Connection

Grow in Service Surprise a neighbor, teacher, co-worker with an act of service. Watch their reaction.


103

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105104

Week 6

WITNESS: OUR CONNECTION

TO GOD’S HEARTFormer President Jimmy Carter, in a Sunday School lesson many from Saint Paul’s heard, gave an account of his � rst awkward experience witnessing through speaking for Jesus Christ outside of his home church. He was part of a Southern Baptist Pioneer Mission Program trip to Lockhaven, Pennsylvania. � is was a� er his loss in his � rst run for governor of Georgia in 1966. He was only on the trip because, a� er a bit of feeling anger over his political loss to a segregationalist, he had been challenged by his sister, a noted evangelist, with the question: “What have you ever done for Christ?”

He and the deacons of his home church annually visited families in the Plains, GA community as did any number of the churches in the community. � is had become commonplace to him. He had grown comfortable on those local visits. Now, with his sister’s question, he felt he had been challenged to do something more.

He and his teammate visited 100 local families in Lockhaven who had been identi� ed as not attending church. � ey would kneel in prayer on the sidewalks outside the home of these families. � en they would knock on the door to share stories of Christ with them. Some said, “no thank you,” but others, over half of the families, decided to follow Christ- a remarkable story.

“It was a wonderful experience for me to stretch my heart, to do the best I could, and let the Holy Spirit decide what happened,” President Carter said. His experience in Lockhaven is a great example of bearing witness. � rough both the words he said and the actions of his life, President Carter has lived a life of witness.

Since 1932, Methodists have vowed to be loyal to the church and “to faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gi� s, and their service.” At General Conference in 2008, delegates voted to add “witness” to the vows.

� e petition to add “witness” originated at the 2006 spring conference of the Association of Annual Conference Lay Leaders in Minneapolis, according to Lyn Powell, the former President of the Southeastern Jurisdiction Association of Lay Leaders.

Witness: Our Connection to God’s Heart – Week 6Week 6 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

Randy Adkins

HERE I AM, LORD

When Randy Adkins talks about the church he grew up in,

you can picture what it was like. Clark’s Chapel in Pulaski,

Virginia, a tiny white building about 50 families called their

spiritual home. Randy remembers being 6 years old; he was old enough to help his Grandfather

usher, then settling in a pew to watch his grandparents sing in the choir. � eir voices rose

with “Amazing Grace” and “Blessed Assurance.” To this day when he hears those hymns, Randy

is connected.

“At times in my Christian walk, it has been my connection via music that has kept me going. I love

to sing, and I love music.”

When the invitation or call came for Randy to share his passion with Hyde Park’s Chapel Choir,

Randy’s � rst reaction was one of self-doubt. It was not because he is a stranger to service.

Randy was introduced to Hyde Park United Methodist about 18 years ago as a sta! member

with Metropolitan Ministries. When his career moved him to the private sector he took with

him his belief that he must allow his talents to be used in God’s world. Even so as he considered

this new service he wrote this e-mail to choir director Penny Walsh:

“It has been a long time since I have sung in a choir and honestly, I feel some trepidation about it.”

Randy simply worried he could not keep up with the voices he heard on Sundays. In February

of 2008 Randy answered the call. Today he sings and serves Hyde Park with his voice.

“It reinforces my connection because it reminds me of those who came before me and also sang their

praises to God ... I not only connect to fellow members of the church, but feel a connection to a long

history of Christians in my family.”

As he blesses others sharing the hymns he discovered, this service is a blessing to him. As he

describes it, “It’s like going home.”

106 Week 6 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT 107Witness: Our Connection to God’s Heart – Week 6

“In that meeting, we agreed that the biggest shi! of the laity over the last 60 years came with our disengagement from appropriate, e" ective witness in the community,” Powell said. Witness is sharing the love of God expressed in Jesus with others. We witness through the relationships we have with the various people in our lives. # rough our witness, we enter into relationships with people in the community, just as they are, and show by example the di" erence it makes to be a disciple of the living Christ we proclaim as Savior and Lord.

Referring back to President Carter, he had never done anything quite as bold as what he did in Lockhaven, but he followed the example of his more experienced partner. It was somewhat like the experience of many Saint Paul’s parishioners during the “Celebrate Jesus” initiative in July 2006. During that time, we learned from those who o! en seemed more at ease with being a witness for Christ. We were watching, taking mental notes on how they witnessed so that we might do the same.

Are we ready to apply what we have learned?

How will we at Saint Paul’s embrace the idea of witnessing to the love of God we have each experienced? Will it become second nature to us? Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone so much and so o! en that it becomes second nature?

Howard # urman, former Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University, writes in his autobiography of a time when he presided over a funeral for a student. She was a young international student from Japan. She had committed suicide. Although she did not worship at the chapel, # urman volunteered to preside at her funeral. Only a handful of people showed up for the funeral, but many people peeked in as # urman spoke about this young lady he had never met. What those observers heard were not words about the faults of the lady or words of judgment. Instead they heard words of grace, love, and forgiveness. One observer said, “Even though she had no connection with the chapel you showed so much compassion that it just turned them upside down.” When no one else stepped up to honor the young lady’s life, # urman not only honored her life, but he witnessed to the love of God both through the words he said that day, but also by the simple fact that he was there.

As the book of Acts opens, Jesus is gathered with his disciples immediately before he ascends into heaven. # e disciples must know that something important is about to occur because they ask him if he is about to restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus replies back that the time is not for them to know. He goes on to tell them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). # ese are the last words that Jesus speaks during his time on earth. Out of all the possibilities Jesus could have spoken to the disciples, he tells them to be witnesses. He wants others to experience his love and grace through their witness. So, as disciples of Christ, as his followers, we too are called to bear witness to this amazing love.

Bishop Peggy A. Johnson of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Peninsular Delaware Conference states, “A witness is someone who tells what they have seen and experienced.” We tell both through the words we say and the actions of our daily lives. # rough the movement of the Holy Spirit, we can all do this.

“We have an obligation,” Mr. Carter said in his lesson. “We must evangelize others with gentleness and reverence as expressed by Peter, Paul, and Christ himself, to demonstrate our belief by the way we live.” Are you ready to witness? # e answer is yes! Perhaps you don’t feel ready, but hopefully by the end of the week, you’ll be more comfortable with the idea of being a witness for Christ.

“I look upon all the world as my parish.” John Wesley

Day 1

1 John 4:7-16

As an older brother, my little sister o� en looked up to me. When

she was younger, like a lot of young children, she used to love

to ask questions. Her favorite question to ask was, “Why?” � e

situation or context didn’t particularly matter. She just loved to

ask why. Why can’t I play with your toy? Why does the 9V battery

shock me when I put my tongue on it? Why do I have to go to

bed earlier than you? Despite being much older than she was at

the time, most of us aren’t too di� erent from my sister. We still

like to ask why? � e context changes, but the whys keep coming.

Some of you might be reading this thinking, “Why do I have to be

a witness for Christ? I mean, can’t he do it without me?” Perhaps

he can, but he decided to include you in the process!

In the � rst epistle of John we � nd the answer to why we are called

to witness about God. In these verses, John writes that God is

love (1 John 4:16). As people who have experienced and know

this love, we are called to help others experience it too. Imagine

you have just had the best meal you have ever tasted. Wouldn’t

you want your friends and family to eat it too? Well, God’s love,

expressed through Jesus is greater than any food you could ever

eat. We witness because we want others to know and experience

the amazing love of God like we have.


1. Besides your relationship with Christ, what is something

else that you share or talk about with your family and

friends? Why?

2. Is knowing the reason behind why we witness important to

you? Why or why not?

3. Can you think of any additional reasons we are called

to witness?

”

Turn around and believe the good news that we are loved is better than we ever dared hope, and that to believe in that good news, to live out of it and toward it, to be in love with that good news, is of all glad things in this world the gladdest thing of all. Amen, and come Lord Jesus. — Frederick Buechner

“

Week 6 Witness: Our Connection to God’s Heart – Psalm 30


Daily Prayer

O God who is love, thank you for loving me. As I discover more

about what it means to be a witness, to help others experience

your love, help me to remember that you love me. Challenge

and encourage me to faithfully and passionately share your love

today. Amen.

Daily Connection

Be patient: You may plant a seed that another person will harvest.

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109Witness: Our Connection to God’s Heart – Week 6

111Witness: Our Connection to God’s Heart – Week 6110 Week 6 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

Day 2

Genesis 1:26-31

Before God rests in the Creation account, God creates

humankind. Our passage in Genesis tells us that God creates

humans in God’s image. We sometimes call this the “imago

dei.” We understand and believe that humans are created in the

image of God. ! ere is something about how God creates us that

connects us intimately with God. Some theologians point to our

capacity for reason or emotion. Others suggest our artistic ability

or sense of humor as connecting us to God. Whatever “it” is,

humanity has “it” and it re" ects part of God’s image.

Because all humans are created in God’s image, all humans are

of sacred worth. God thinks we are precious and important.

Unfortunately, we o# en do not treat one another as if we are very

important. In fact, we o# en mistreat one another. We cause

each other pain. In fact, through our actions and words, we are

essentially denying the image of God in others. As disciples of

Christ, and people in ministry to the world, we seek to honor the

image of God in all people. We do this as we bear witness to Jesus

Christ who honored all people. ! ink of all the people you have

seen or will see today. ! ey have all been created by God and

are made in God’s image. Have you treated them as such? As we

witness, we do so also to help honor the image of God in all people.


1. What does it mean to be created in the image of God?

2. How do we honor the image of God in others?

3. In what ways do you honor the image of God in the people

you come into contact with in your daily life?

”

God loved us before he made us; and his love has never diminished and never shall.

–Julian of Norwich

“


Daily Prayer

Oh Loving God, we thank you for creating us in your image. As

I go about my day today, teach me to honor those I meet. Teach

me to see your image in them. ! rough my witness, may they

see your image in me as well. Amen.

Daily Connection

Invite someone to Trunk or Treat, Hanging of the Greens, and/or the Christmas Eve services. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple invitation to make a big di! erence.

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Day 3

Matthew 28:16-20

! e Great Commission, today’s text, is one that is o" en associated

with bearing witness to our faith, to evangelism. ! e mission of

the United Methodist Church grows out of this scripture. Our

mission is to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of

the world. So, what is a disciple? ! ere are many ways to think

of a disciple: a follower, a student, a pupil, and an adherent. ! ese

all provide us with a basic understanding of what it means to be a

disciple. As we try to live out the Great Commission, we do so as

disciples of Christ who seek to help make other disciples.

! e word “disciple” might be a bit out of place outside of the

church, but the idea isn’t. Most people have been a student at

some point in their lives. Most of us are likely followers of pop

culture, sports, music, or have some other interest that gets a lot of

our time. Many of us adhere to a particular diet or exercise plan.

Others of us follow a daily routine, seek # nancial advice from

accounts or medical advice from physicians. Being a disciple of

Christ, is not simply about following advice or a plan, however.

It isn’t even about dedicating a lot of time to Christ. ! ese are

important characteristics of a disciple, but discipleship requires

more. It requires that we strive to live our whole life following

the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. As we discuss making

disciples of Christ, it is to this way of living that we invite others.


1. If someone were observing you, would they think you were a

disciple of anything else beside Christ? Is yes, what?

2. Would they be able to tell that you are a disciple of Christ?

3. Discipleship is o" en describes as “messy.” Why do you think

this is?

”

� e Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed. -Hudson Taylor

“



Daily Prayer

Loving Christ who calls us to follow, teach us to call others to do

the same. Encourage and strengthen me today as I seek to help

others follow you with their whole being. Amen.

Daily Connection

Realize that the simple can be profound. Listening compassionately to a customer or sharing lunch with a colleague can be powerful ways to plant seeds of faith in their lives.

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Day 4

Genesis 12:1-3

In our ! rst two devotions we discussed how we witness in order to

share God’s love with others and to honor the image of God in all

people. In our text today, God tells Abram that through him and

his descendents all the families of the earth will be blessed. As we

seek to witness, we must do so remembering all of this. We are

called to be a blessing to those with whom we share God’s love.

Remember though, that it is God, working through us, who allows

us to be a blessing. Furthermore, we are not called at any point to

judge or condemn people. " at is not our responsibility. We must

resist any urge to do so.

Imagine if President Carter, whom we discussed at the opening

of our week had judged those families that decided not to follow

Christ. Instead of leaving the door open for those families to

become future followers of Christ, this may have turned them

away from Jesus Christ altogether. As we witness, we must

remember that, like Abram, we are called to be a blessing - not a

curse, judge, or ! nger pointer.


1. Has someone’s negative witness ever impacted your

understanding of God? Explain.

2. Why do we so o# en quickly turn to judgment when we are

sharing our faith with others? How might we learn not to

do this?

3. How has someone else’s witness been a blessing in your life?

”

� e Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. -C. S. Lewis

“



Daily Prayer

O Source of all blessing, thank you for trusting me so much that

you have asked me to be a blessing in the life of another. Help

me to be that blessing. Help me resist the urge to judge those I

come encounter. I do not want to be a curse. Instead, help me

to be the type of witness who clearly points to your love and

mercy. Amen.

Daily Connection

Pray for others: Prayer is perhaps the strongest way God’s love is shared.

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Day 5

Mark 2:1-12

We o! en hear the phrase that actions speak louder than words. If

this is true, then the people in our lives will see how we are living

long before they ever hear anything we say. Not only that, but

they are likely to remember what we do more than what we say.

Imagine if the four men who carried the paralyzed man in today’s

text only spoke of helping their friend, but never took action. " e

man never would have been able to see Jesus. Instead, the men

act. " ey dig through the roof and then lower the man through it

to Jesus! What a witness these men show to the crowd gathered in

the house and to the man on the mat.

" eir actions make such an impact that Jesus says that because of

their faith and their witness, the man on the mat is forgiven! " e

man’s legs are later healed allowing him to walk again. " e four

men who lowered the mat, never say a word in the text. " rough

their actions, however, they are a witness to Jesus, and the love

and healing he o$ ers us all. Sometimes we get overwhelmed

with the idea that we have to say the right words in order to be an

e$ ective witness. " is is o! en not the case. " ese four men show

that frequently our actions - the way we live our life - can have a

greater impact than any words we can say.


1. By what actions are you showing that you are a witness to

those you come in contact with?

2. Are there places in your life or in our community where your

witness is needed? Where are those places? What can you

do there?

”

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. -St. Francis of Assisi

“



Daily Prayer

Precious Jesus, today as I grow in the many relationships you

have blessed me with, I pray that I would be a person of action.

I pray that through the way I live today and always, people will

experience your love. Amen.

Daily Connection

Invite someone to Sunday School with you.All it takes is an invitation.

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Day 6

John 4:16-26

We learned yesterday how o! en our actions speak louder than any

words we could ever say. However, there are times when what we

say can become a powerful witness in the life of another person.

Quite o! en the witness we live through our actions will lead

people to want to talk with us. When this occurs there is no need

to panic or frantically search for words to say. Instead we have

an opportunity to simply tell our story. Why are you a disciple of

Christ? Why do attend church? Why do you live life the way you

do? What is it about Jesus that has changed your life?

Jesus tells his story in our text today. Jesus " rst takes the actions

of walking through Samaria and stopping at the well where

he asks the woman for a drink. # ese are actions that most

Jewish men would have never considered doing because of their

understanding of Samaritans, but Jesus allows his actions to serve

as a witness. A! er this, Jesus slowly begins to tell his story. By

the end of our text, Jesus has completely revealed who he is. He

has told his story. We are invited to do the same. As people in

your life begin to ask, be prepared to tell your story as part of your

witness.


1. What is your story? Why are you a Christian? Do you

remember when you decided to follow Christ?

2. Does talking about your faith worry you, or does it make you

feel uncomfortable or anxious? Why?

3. Are you more comfortable talking about your faith or putting

it into action? Is one “better” than the other?

”

He is not seeking a powerful people to represent HIM. Rather, He looks for all those who are weak, foolish, despised, and written o� : and He inhabits them with His own strength. -Graham Cooke

“



Daily Prayer

Dear Jesus, help me to tell my story like you model for us. Grant

me the courage and an able mouth to be a witness through the

words that I say. Amen.

Daily Connection

Try this at home: Realizing that some of us spend a lot of time at church, our best friends are already devoted followers of Christ. Why not, over the next year, intentionally seek to develop a friendship with someone outside the church?

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Day 7

Acts 1:6-11

Our last day this week brings us back to the text we started the

week with. As Jesus ascends into heaven, he calls the disciples to

be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Most of us remember

that part of Jesus’ commission, but we cannot forget the ! rst part.

Jesus tells the disciples that they will receive the power of the Holy

Spirit, which will enable them to be witnesses. " e Holy Spirit

descends like a dove in the next chapter in the events of Pentecost.

" e Holy Spirit is with us today as we seek to live our lives as a

witness through our actions and the words we say. We can take

courage that we do not witness alone.

Not only should we remember that we witness though the power

of the Holy Spirit, but we also believe that the Holy Spirit is

working in the lives of those who experience our witness. We are

but one part of that person’s faith journey. As United Methodists,

we believe ! rmly in prevenient grace. " is is God’s grace that is

extended and experienced by all people even before one begins to

follow Christ. It is this grace that moves people to repent and turn

to God. Prevenient grace invites us to rest in the witness we share.

We rest knowing that we are but only one part of that person’s

faith journey. We do not comprise it all, nor do we have to try to

do so. Make sure not to push out the Holy Spirit, even as you live

your life as a witness.


1. Do you o# en forget that the Holy Spirit is with you, as you

live a life of witness? Does this lead to anxiety or comfort?

Can you think of an example?

2. Can you name two people whose witness plays/played an

important role in your faith journey?

3. What role did prevenient grace have in your becoming a

disciple of Christ?

”

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. Everything passes away except God. — Julian of Norwich

“



Daily Prayer

O Ever-Moving and present God, help me to always make room

for your spirit to move though the witness I share with others.

Help me today to trust that you are with me and that you are

moving in the lives of those who experience my witness. Amen.

Daily Connection

Digging DeeperCommit to one daily action that will re! ect Christ’s peace and forgiveness. " is forgiveness connects us to others in that we all fall short of God’s desire for our lives.

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Week 7

COMMITMENT: MAKING THE CONNECTIONS

One of the most signi� cant � ndings in a recent study of church life in American was captured in the

words of a lay woman who said, “My country club expects more from me than my church does.”

� e study found that many good, faithful church folks give more of their time, energy and

money to their country club than they do in their church. In most churches, 20 percent of the

people do 80 percent of the ministry, and 20 percent give 80 percent of the � nancial support.

� e conclusion of the survey was that far too many churches expect far too little commitment of

their parishioners.

Saint Paul’s United Methodist is “above average” on both counts! We praise God for the way the

Spirit has been moving us toward the New Testament vision of a church in which followers of

Christ are experiencing the joy of being connected to God through prayer, connected to each

other through presence, connected to God’s generosity through their gi� s, connected to God’s

transformation of the world though service, and connected to God’s heart through witness. But

we still have a long way to go!

� e readings this week bear witness to Christian disciples who made bold and o� en costly

commitments to Jesus Christ. As we prepare to make our commitments of prayers, presence,

gi� s, service, and witness for the year ahead, let’s think about why our commitment matters.

Our commitments matter to the church!

� e survey mentioned above con� rms that the church is sometimes like a football game, with

80,000 fans in the stadium in need of exercise and 22 players on the � eld in need of rest! Our

commitment matters because it is through our prayers, presence, gi� s, service and witness that

God’s work gets done in the ministries of the church.

� e practical fact is that no church can a" ord to hire enough “professional” ministers to ful� ll its

mission in the world. � e Biblical fact is that God never intended the ministry of the church to

be done by ordained clergy while lay persons sit in the pews. Our commitments matter because

the biblical vision of the church is one in which every person is connected in worship and witness,

each person o" ering their time, talents and resources to accomplish God’s work in the world.

Our � nancial commitments matter because choirs need music, Sunday School teachers need

materials, outreach ministries need support, utility bills need to be paid, and mortgage payments

come due with irritating regularity. � e church has no other source of � nancial support than

the tithes and o" erings of the people who believe in its mission. Our � nancial commitments

provide the only basis upon which our Committee on Finance can practice responsible � nancial

stewardship for the congregation.

122 123

Our commitments matter to others!

It’s not all about us! Our commitments matter because:

• � ere are broken people who need to be healed, hungry people who need to be fed,

lonely people who need to be loved, lost people who need to be found in the community

around us;

• � ere are children who need to be taught, youth who need to be encouraged and disciples

who need to be equipped for ministry through the mission of Saint Paul’s United

Methodist;

• � ere are spiritually searching people who desperately need to experience the love of God

in the context of this congregation;

• � ere are mission and outreach ministries in Tallahassee and around the world that will

not happen without our support;

• � ere are people who may never � nd the eternal life that Jesus came to bring unless they

� nd it through the life and ministry of this church.

Our commitments matter to us!

� e commitments we make, make a di" erence in our lives. In Acts 3-4, Luke tells the

dramatic story of what happened when Peter and John went to the Temple for worship. � ey

found a man who had been “lame from birth.” My guess is that they had no idea what would

happen when Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of

Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” (Acts 3:6)

Talk about commitment! � ey o" ered what they had and stood back in amazement as the

lame man jumped up and went walking and leaping into the Temple. � e story doesn’t end

there. � ey were arrested, dragged before the Council, and ordered to stop speaking in the

name of Jesus. But they replied, “We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and

heard.” (Acts 4:20) � ey returned to their friends with great joy, and “they were all � lled with

the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

� at’s commitment! � e kind of commitment that makes a di" erence to the church, a

di" erence to others, and that makes a radical di" erence in the way we live.

Like those � rst apostles, we are called to give what we have in the name of the Risen Christ -

and then to watch in amazement to see what God can do through people who are connected to

God through prayer, connected to each other through presence, connected to God’s generosity

through our gi� s, connected to God’s transformation of the world through our service, and

connected to God’s heart though our witness.

Are you ready to make that commitment?

Daily Prayer

O God, who called Matthias to share the mission of the

apostles, may we receive with joy your calling in our lives

and, by the power of your Spirit, share in the mission of your

Church in this world today, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who

lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever

and ever. Amen.

Daily Connection

WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) Make a list of all the blessings you receive from Saint Paul’s United Methodist.

Week 7 Commitment: Making the Connections Settling In – Psalm 31:1-24

God has an uncanny way of knowing exactly which role in

ministry best ! ts each of us. What can be a bit unnerving at

times is that God doesn’t necessarily consider our comfort level

before calling us to a task. But, if we remain open to the call, the

instructions on how to best ful! ll our role will come. We just

must remain patient enough to receive them.

Becoming a witness for Christ never promised to be an easy

task. Some people will discount the message as ludicrous and

dangerous. Others simply see faith itself as frivolous. " e

message of Christ holds great hope, hope that this world could

certainly use. But conveying that hope with credibility means

living like Christ to the best of our ability. Quite the call. How

willing are we to answer it?

Day 1

Acts 1:21-26


1. How am I a witness for Christ in my daily life?

2. Does witnessing mean evangelizing?

3. Are my words more important than my actions?

4. What is the most meaningful witness that I have encountered?

”

Christians have no monopoly on commitment; they simply have a di! erent object. A Christian is a person who confesses that, amidst the manifold and confusing voices heard in the world, there is one Voice which supremely wins full assent…into a single pattern of self-giving. " at Voice is Jesus Christ.-Elton Trueblood (1900-1999), [" e Company of the Committed, p. 23]

“

124 Week 7 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT Commitment: Making the Connections – Week 7 125

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Daily Prayer

“Lord, take my lips and speak through them; take my mind and

think through it; take my heart and set it on � re. Amen.”

-W.H.H. Aitken [� e Oxford Book of Prayers, p. 83]

Daily Connection

WIIFT (What’s in it for them?) Make a list of how you can be a blessing to Saint Paul’s United Methodist and beyond its campus.

Day 2

Acts 2:37-42

“Repent!” For many, the word conjures up images of preachers

shouting on street corners who never really connect with the

people who pass by. But what Peter did actually worked! By the

power of the Spirit, his words connected with a deep, unspoken

need in people’s hearts to repent, which means to turn in a new

direction or to enter into a new way of living. " at day, 3,000

people entered into a process of discipleship that was de� ned

by “the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of

bread and the prayers.” " ey were connected with God’s power,

with God’s people, with God’s generosity, and with God’s

transformation of the world through the witness of the Church.

As we prepare for Commitment Sunday, the same invitation

comes to each of us. " e Spirit of the Risen Christ is calling

each of us to turn in some new direction as we grow in our

discipleship through our commitments of prayers, presence, gi# s

and service. What new commitment will you make?


1. Does my life convey hope, faith and love?

2. When do I convey judgement and condemnation?

3. How can I live in this world, yet stand apart from it?

4. What does “repenting” mean to me?

5. If I were to share my story now, what would I say?

”

Living with Jesus is a great adventure. It’s the adventure of love. When you admit Jesus to your heart nothing is predictable, but everything becomes possible. He asks everything of you, but gives you more in return. -Henri Nouwen [Letters to Marc about Jesus, p. 85]


“


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Daily Prayer

“I’m scared, Jesus. You’ve asked me to do something I don’t

think I can do. I’m sure I wouldn’t want to do it except that

you asked me. I don’t feel strong enough, and you know that I

lack the courage I’d need…I’m not saying I won’t do it. I’m just

saying I don’t want to do it...You know me better than anyone

else does…I wish you’d just leave me alone today, but if this is

what you think is best, I’ll try. Pray for me, Jesus.”

-Malcolm Boyd [Are You Running With Me, Jesus? P. 23]

Daily Connection

Caught in the Act! Catch yourself judging someone today. Say to yourself “God loves him or her just as much as he loves me.” Repeat!


Day 3


Following Christ requires a healthy dose of self-examination on

a regular basis. Unfortunately, self-examination proves much

more challenging than casting judgment on those around us. We

are much more apt to look for ! aws in other members of our

community than we are to really re! ect on our own motivations.

But one of the many problems with spending a lot of time

judging other people is that we lack the power to change anyone

but ourselves.

Paul calls us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.

" is is a daunting task if we approach it alone. But we aren’t

alone. Because we are a community built in Christ, we can rely

on each other for help in dealing with the # ndings uncovered in

our own self-examination. We can’t let fear halt the growth of

our faith any longer.


1. Name one time where you made a quick judgment about

someone, based on outward appearances or insu$ cient evidence.

2. Why is it so easy to point out the ! aws in others?

3. How good am I at self-re! ection?

4. How do I know if I am in the faith? If I doubt, does that mean

my faith has faltered?

”

Now the whole o" er which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ.… He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other[s] the kind of life He has...Every Christian is to become a little Christ. # e whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.

-C. S. Lewis [Mere Christianity, p. 154]


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Daily Prayer

“Do with me what ever You will—I am at Your disposal—Your

willing instrument.”

Mother Teresa [Come Be My Light, p. 184]


Day 4

Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60

Humans are programmed for self-preservation. We wouldn’t have

made it very long as a species if we were simply willing to lay down

and die when approached with con! ict and danger. " is inherent

desire to live, to persevere, is precisely what makes martyrdom so

awe-inspiring. What makes someone willing to sacri# ce their own

life? What call, what message, could be that great?

As we read the story of Stephen, we have to ask if we would have

been devoted enough to have died as willingly as he did for the

message of Christ. Would we have tried to ! ee? Would we have

gone down swinging? But, perhaps the real question is would we

have ever been a strong enough witness for Christ to have drawn

that much attention in the # rst place?


1. What is worth dying for?

2. Would I be prepared to die for my beliefs?

3. Do I stand up for what I believe is right, or do I back down

when I encounter sti$ opposition?

4. What can Stephen teach me about commitment?

”

“If Christ is King, everything, quite literally, every thing and every one, has to be re-imagined, re-con! gured, re-oriented to a way of life that consists in an obedient following of Jesus...A total renovation of our imagination, our way of looking at things…is required.

-Eugene Peterson [" e Jesus Way, p. 9]

131Commitment: Making the Connections – Week 7

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Daily Connection

Get out of your comfort zone Take a stand for something right. Make a phone call, send a (polite) e-mail, write a letter, donate, voice your Christian opinion.


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Daily Prayer

“Lord, I my vows to thee renew;

Disperse my sins as morning dew;

Guard my � rst springs of thought and will,

And with thyself my spirit � ll.

Direct, control, suggest this day

All I design, or do, or say;

� at all my powers with all their might,

In thy sole glory may unite.”

-� omas Ken (1637-1711) [� e English Spirit, p. 119]

Daily Connection

Romans 12:7-8 If you can serve, serve.If you can teach, teach.If you can encourage,encourage someone. If you can give, be generous.


Day 5

Romans 12:1-2

In Biblical history, God has always required a sacri� ce for sin,

an o! ering to purify ourselves before God. � e Old Testament

is � lled with descriptions of animals sacri� ced for human

atonement. Judaism set itself apart by never calling for the

sacri� ce of human beings as a peace o! ering to God. Christianity,

however, calls for, even demands, a spiritual sacri� ce; a sacri� ce of

self for something larger than our own self-interest.

In the Old Testament equation, human sacri� ce involved death, the

destruction of life. Under the New Covenant established in Christ,

we are called to make ourselves a living sacri� ce to God. Instead of

life being destroyed, it is being recreated as we sacri� ce ourselves

to become a more complete re" ection of Christ and His love.

Becoming a living sacri� ce means living out our faith completely.

It really comes down to how much we are willing to sacri� ce and

how much we can commit to becoming Christ’s new creation.


1. Can I say I am willing to live my life for Christ?

2. Is living for something as important as dying for it?

3. What would it mean for me to be transformed by the renewal

of my mind?

”

Alas! Our weakness is very great, our wants are very many, our dependence on God for all things, all our lives long, is entire, and absolute, and necessary.

-� omas Ken (1637-1711) [� e English Spirit, p. 118]



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Daily Prayer

“Grant, Lord, that we may hold to you without parting,

Worship you without wearying,

Serve you without failing;

Faithfully seek you,

Happily � nd you,

And for ever possess you,

� e only God,

Blessed, now and for ever.

Amen”

-St. Anselm (1033-1109) [� e English Spirit, p. 18]

Daily Connection

Get out of your comfort zone Take a stand for something right. Make a phone call, send a (polite) e-mail, donate, voice your Christian opinion.

Connect Now




Day 6

Romans 14:7-11

Our commitment to Christ is a personal one, not a measuring

stick by which to judge others. We are responsible for our own

actions, for our own decisions regarding how to live out our faith.

But, in order to truly understand God’s call for our lives, we must

remain connected with God through prayer and meditation.

We cannot look outside ourselves for someone else to judge any

longer. We must humbly approach God, seeking the way to live

out Christ’s message more fully.


1. Do I view my commitment to Christ as a debt to be paid?

2. Do I make the commitment willingly?

3. What makes me choose the Christian path?

4. What commitments am I ready to make in prayers, presence,

gi! s and service and indicate on the commitment card?

”

I am ! rst, always, and last a servant of Christ. His task must be my task,his calling must be my calling, his way must be my way. Any other loyalty, whether to nation, family, people or party, must be subservient to this and must be looked at in its light. I know that on the Day of Judgment, all that I have lived for will be tested against this measure.

-Peter Storey [With God in the Crucible, p. 56]

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Daily Prayer

“I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to su! ering.

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy

Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be rati" ed in heaven.

Amen.”

John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer

Connect Now



Daily Connection

Attitude of GratitudeNo matter what we are going through, Christ walks with us on the journey. So, let us rejoice and be glad. Take time to thank God for the many gi! s in your life today.


Day 7

Colossians 2:6-7

God calls us to live in Christ, rooted, strengthened and over# owing

with thankfulness. As we continue down our own spiritual path,

our faith will continue to grow. Being a Christian is not a one-

time commitment that we can make in church on a Sunday

morning then promptly forget about. It is a process of growth and

development, requiring us to face situations and circumstances that

will sometimes challenge our faith.

Although questioning and struggling in our faith can be painful,

we can rest assured that any doubt we may have is nothing new to

God. Much worse than acknowledging our questions and doubts

is ignoring them until they fester and choke our faith. God can

certainly handle our inquiries.

God wants to give us an abundant life, one " lled with thankfulness,

love, compassion, mercy and faith. Our responsibility becomes

creating a heart and a life that is open to those very blessings.


1. When do I feel most rooted in Christ?

2. What speci" c instance in the past year has made me over# ow

with thankfulness?

3. How can I continue to grow in my connection to Christ?

”

I don’t know Who — or What — put the question. I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone—or Something—and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal.

-Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) [Markings, p. 205]

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136 Week 7 – reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT 137Commitment: Making the Connections – Week 7

HOW TO USE THE COMMITMENT CARD

1. Please con� rm or print your name, e-mail address, and phone number on the top of the

commitment card.

2. On the reverse side of the card, under the “Gi� s” section, print your name, address, and

phone number. Please note that the “Gi� s” section will be separated for privacy purposes

upon submission.

3. � e form can accommodate information for two adult household members as necessary

(household member 1, household member 2).

4. Please have adult household member mark those areas of service for which he/she is

already serving or ready to commit to serve. Refer to the Booklet of Opportunities to Serve

for a description of the service positions.

5. Each ministry area has an orientation/training date for new and existing volunteers that

will take place in January or early February. You will receive a con� rmation letter detailing

your service commitment(s) and when a training/orientation opportunity will take place.

A separate letter will be mailed about � nancial commitments.

6. Place your form in the o! ering plate on November 14 or return to the church o" ce.

(850) 385-5146 w www.saintpaulsumc.org

1700 N. Meridian Rd. w Tallahassee, FL 32303

reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT is a Scripture-based daily

workbook to help us make an intimate connection with God.

Created and written by Jim Harnish and a

Hyde Park United Methodist writing team, it o� ers daily

opportunities to help you make immediate life changes.

� is workbook provides an interactive experience

where you will connect in a small group or Sunday School

Class to enrich your study as well as have the chance

to post comments online about your journey.

reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT is an opportunity for all

to experience God at a deeper level, whether you are strong in

your faith or feel like you’ve dri! ed away.

reFOCUS reCONNECT reCOMMIT

© 2008 Hyde Park United MethodistEdited for use by Saint Paul’s UMC - www.saintpaulsumc.org.

Used by permission.

a workbook for personal and group study - saint paul's workbook for personal and group study...

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