From Our Pastor's Heart 9.10.2015

From Our Pastor September 10, 2015

Wow, hard to believe Cindy and I have been here almost 3 months now. We again thank you for your patience as it took us so long to get moved in and settled. I case you missed it, I had to complete 12 weeks of cardiac rehab to be released from that program, I had several seeks left to complete on “Moving Day.” It was much easier to attend those sessions in Gainesville from our home in Dahlonega so that’s what I did. But now, we are totally out of our Dahlonega place and have made our home here in Carnesville.

We especially appreciate the welcome provided by both congregations, Vanna’s breakfast was first rate, as have been the Wednesday morning coffee and conversation gatherings we have attended. We look forward to continuing to get to know folks from both places as we begin to visit and be visited. We have scheduled some game nights at each church, a parsonage open house and will be inviting different small groups to the parsonage for fellowship starting real soon. Some of those dates will be in this week’s bulletins.

We want you to know that our home is open to visitors, especially church members/regular attenders. I am keeping “office” hours at both churches, and welcome visits at the church in the study. But know if I am working at the study in the parsonage and you need me, please call or come by. Call first if you want to double check.

I am learning a lot as I talk with others. It is taking me awhile but I think I’m getting a grasp on where we have been, where we are and where we are supposed to go. For sure I believe that God wants us to reclaim our place as the Spiritual Lead in this fine city. To truly be the heart of Carnesville, all of Carnesville, not just portions of it. To be in the future what we were in the past we must welcome all to worship God in our sanctuary.

Same holds true for Vanna, it’s just a different set of circumstances. I’ve already received some great ideas for serving our community there.

It’s late summer, we will begin the Charge Conference process real soon. Filling and changing out Leadership positions, building budgets, deciding salaries, filing appropriate reports and hosting Cluster III’s Charge Conference (Allens, Royston 1st, Lavonia 1st, Carnesville-Vanna, Bold Spring, Sandy Cross UMCs) on Sunday November 1 at 2 p in our sanctuary and fellowship hall.

I want to share and discuss a suggested/recommended alternative way to organize our congregation leadership; it’s called 3M, Ministry, Maintenance, and Mission. Here is what it would like in both churches:

-Church Council Executive Committee: Pastor; Chair; Lay Leader/Lay Member to Annual Conference; Secretary/Alt Lay Member; Committee Chairs. -Full Church Council: Ex Committee; Committee Members; Members at Large -Committees 1. Ministry (Worship; Education; PPRC) Chair and 2-3 members 2. Maintenance (Finance, Trustees; Nominations*): Chair and 2-3 members 3. Mission (Evangelism and Outreach): Chair and 2-3 members 4. KEY in using this is to have in print the official, administrative committees (e.g., PPRC, Trustees) listed along with newer names. 5. *The pastor would chair the “Maintenance Committee” whenever it was serving as the Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development.

We can elect a charge wide treasurer if we so desire

PPRC is to be a charge-wide committee, with at least the lay leaders and one other representative from each congregation

Reorganizing this way, meets the requirements of the Book of Discipline while streamlining processes, reducing the number of committees individuals must serve on and simplifies decision making.

I ask you to be in prayer about this and look for the time when we will discuss at each church. Obviously, we’ll need to make a decision to try this or not before we start the nominations process in a few weeks.

I look forward to the years of being in ministry with you, in both communities. I promise to pray for you and ask you to pray for me – often. If/when you need me call me, come see me at the church or the parsonage, it’s what I’m here for, regardless of what you may have been told in the past.

In His grip, Ed

Scripture Nugget 9.10.2015

“Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel? And you, mortal, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not save them when they transgress; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, it shall not make them stumble when they turn from their wickedness; and the righteous shall not be able to live by their righteousness when they sin. Though I say to the righteous that they shall surely live, yet if they trust in their righteousness and commit iniquity, none of their righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if they turn from their sin and do what is lawful and right – if the wicked restore the pledge, give back what they have taken by robbery, and walk in the statues of life, committing no iniquity – they shall surely live, they shall not die. None of the sins that they have committed shall be remembered against them; they have done what is lawful and right, they shall surely live.

Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turn from their righteousness, and commit iniquity, they shall die for it. And when the wicked turn from their wickedness, and do what is lawful and right, they shall live by it. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge all of you according to your ways!” Ezekiel 33:10-20

So much for the idea - once saved, always saved. “The Lord asserts God’s passionate preference that God’s people live and regret at the death of the wicked (v.11). God repeats the desire that the wicked turn form their wickedness to embrace the way of the Lord and thus live (vv 11, 15). Further the Lord reviews God’s continuing engagement with persons, responding to their present course of life (cf. ch 18). Neither their heritage nor their previous moral commitments, nor even God’s proclamations need bind them. If they turn and live righteously they will surely live – and this the Lord wants.” Wesley Study Bible page 1027

Sctprute Nugget 9.9.2015

“Further, thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered; and I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin; and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and never again exalt itself above the nations; and I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations. The Egyptians shall never again be the reliance of the house of Israel; they will recall their iniquity, when they turned to them for aid. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 29:13-16

Notice it is God who gathers those who were scattered by Him, God restores, God brings back, God decides the size. God is the one who forgives sin and forgets sin, however the sinner remembers past sins (recall their iniquity) as a reminder to turn to God not others, to rely on God not things. Knowing the Lord we will rely on God, will turn to God, will believe in and have faith in God.

Scriptuire Nugget 9.8.2015

The verses you are about to read come from Ezekiel, chapter 28; they are clear demonstrations of God’s grace and judgment. Though the first portion is addressed to the King of Tyre, notice the similarities to the creation story found in Genesis 2; and in the second section the similarities of the promises God made to the Israelites as they departed captivity on Egypt for the Promised Land.

“You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald; and worked in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from among the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries. So I brought out fire from within you; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.” Ezekiel 28:12b-19

“Thus says the Lord GOD: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall settle on their own soil that I gave to my servant Jacob. They shall live in safety in it, and shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall live in safety, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God.” Ezekiel 28:25-26

Now insert yourself into both, as if written to you personally.

Scripture Nugget 9.7.2015

“And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire my wrath; I have returned their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 22:30-31

                                                                              Wesleyan

Life Application Topic

                                                                                           Righteousness

“God wants us to repent just as God wanted the children of Israel to repent. We read in Ezekiel 22:30 that God is looking for a person among us who is righteous enough to repair the walls of righteousness and stand before God. In essence, God is looking for someone who will build trust, who will stand in the breach, who will take up our slack, so that we can again have a right relationship with God. God will then lead us to repentance and fullness of life. Thank God for Jesus!” (Wesley Study Bible, page 1011)

Scripture Nugget 9.6.2015

“I gave them my statutes and showed them my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live. Moreover I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, so that they might know that I the LORD sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not observe my statutes but rejected my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.” Ezekiel 20:11-13a

We are given the freedom to choose; we can say yes, but we can also say no. As a professor of mine often says, “Our yes is meaningless without the freedom to say no”. Saying yes to God is choosing life, life abundant, while saying no is choosing death, which will we choose? Life or death, light or dark? Joshua chose life for himself and his family, “Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

How do you choose? How does your choice lead others? ………..

Scripture Nugget 9.5.2015

“The person who sins shall die. A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own.

But if the wicked turn away from all their sins that they have committed and keep all my statues and do what is lawful and right, they shall surely live; they shall not die. None of the transgressions that they have committed shall be remembered against them; for the righteousness that they have done they shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live? But when the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity and do the same abominable things that the wicked do, shall they live? But when the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity and do the same abominable things that the wicked do, shall they live? None of the righteous deeds that they have done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which they are guilty and the sin they have committed, they shall die.

Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and tuned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. Yet, the house of Israel says, ‘the way of the Lord is unfair.’ O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you, according to your ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live.” (Ezekiel 18:20-32)

Scripture Nugget 9.4.2015

“Yes, says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath, breaking the covenant; yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant. Then you will remember your ways, and be ashamed when I take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, in order that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 16:59-63

Take a few minutes and read Ezekiel 16, the entire chapter – then re-read verses 59-63; the Grace of God is limitless, receive this gift that He offers.

Scripture Nugget 9.3.2015

“Then the word of the LORD came to me: Mortal, your kinsfolk, your own kin, your fellow exiles, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘They have gone far from the LORD; to us this land is given for a possession.’ Therefore say: Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far away among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a little while in the countries where they have gone. Therefore say: Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. When they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose heart goes after the detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, says the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 12:14-21

“In a small treatise, ‘The Character of a Methodist,’ published in 1742, Wesley stated that the marks of real Methodists are that they have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit and that they love their neighbors. He also pointed out that this was in fact the essence of Christianity and the Methodists were those who understood this reality.”

Scripture Nuggett 9.2.2015

“According to their way I will deal with them; according to their own judgments I will judge them. And they shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 7:27b

                                                                                                         Justice

“When children are warned first of the consequences and repercussions of doing wrong, and don’t heed the warning, there is no excuse for surprise when they are disciplined. Parents call this justice. This is also true for God. If we do not heed God’s warning, justice will flow. But God’s justice is not human justice; it is tempered with God’s grace and mercy. “The Wesley Study Bible, pg 990