Follow where the Holy Spirit leads you

Verses: John 16 : 5 - 15

My thoughts about the verses:

We know now that Jesus was talking about his own death.  We also know that Jesus would come back from the grave and walk among the disciples.  Then in the right moment the Holy Spirit would fill those that believed with the endless love of the Helper.  Yet, the disciples really did not understand this.

They were told Jesus was going away and if you listen closely they do not ask where you are going. I really believe they were all in denial.  I believe this is because who would ever want to acknowledge that your teacher was going to leave you.  Even harder for this group was to accept that someone different was coming to help them.  You can understand why they were so sad. If you were in their shoes could you truly accept that Jesus was going away.  I know I would have tears forming in my eyes if I was there in that moment.

Have you ever had a teacher or mentor move on?  A person you trusted and had shared a lot with.  Then one day they are no longer in that role.  I have had this happen to me several times and I will tell you it is hard to accept in the beginning.

The first time this happened is when Rev. Mel was leaving Faith MCC.  She had led me and been a strong mentor in my life.  She had encouraged me to walk down the path that I am on now.  She trusted me and was not only a mentor but my friend.  The day that she told me she was resigning my heart skipped beats.  Tears ran down my eyes.  For one moment I thought what am I going to do now.  She encouraged me to follow my passion.

Following my passion the last service of Faith MCC I drove 80 miles to my new church home.  I remember that moment so much, just like it was yesterday.  In fact, this happened to me the first Sunday of Pentecost in 2001.  I made the leap of faith and handed Rev. Dee my letter from Faith and joined MCC Louisville.  I can remember the Sunday that I was introduced to the congregation.  It was wonderful.

I grew and had a new mentor a helper that would guide me further down my spiritual path.  What is amazing is that I never thought I could have a mentor that made as much impact as Mel. Yet, I gained two.  Dee and Judy did the same thing they became my new helpers in life.  They trusted me. Dee and Judy both  guided me and became my friends.  When I went into the Diaconate I knew this was exactly what I needed to do.  That day was wonderful and I can remember every moment of the service as we were presented to the Church as new Deacons.

I thought I can go on like this forever.  I have found my niche.  I have the best mentors and I am getting stronger spiritually.  Then it happened Rev. Dee retired.  Now at first I thought I am not going through this again.  I already had to transition to one pastor and it was so hard to trust someone.  I didn't share that with people because I knew people were looking at me in a leadership role.  Yet, my heart was breaking and I was afraid of the unknown.  Could I do this one more time. A Deacon plays a special role in the church and has a close relationship with the pastor.  Was I ready to give it one more go around?

I spent two years questioning this.  People who knew me the closest had no clue how hard a struggle I was going through.  I wanted to just break away and hide.  During this time I had two people that helped me deal with the changes. Rev. Bob and Rev. Barry encouraged me through these times.  As I was dealing with my changes they kept on encouraging me.  My voice still was important and they didn't let me loose the faith that had been building over all those years. They not only helped me but they helped so many others.  I was still questioning what my role would be at the end of the whole process.

Then they announced the pastoral candidate.  The weeks that followed we learned more and more about the person that was coming for us to meet.  It was something that I read that made my heart get motivated again.  I realized that there can be many helpers that come in your life.  As long as there are sent from God. What sealed it for me was when the church voted 100 % to bring Rev. Colleen.  I knew that this was who God wanted as the head.  I realized that I was gaining yet another mentor in my journey. So as Rev. Colleen comes into my journey  I feel like the disciples anxious and excited at the same time.  Yet, I know that God is in the center.

My theory God sends who we need in our life to help us grow.  They are not replaced by others. Instead the people that come are there to lead us further in our journey.  We have to remember that we are doing the same for others.  We must live by faith and show that truth in all things.  As people come in and out of our life may there be two things that we know.  Number one we remember what all they have done to help us grow.  Secondly, we should pray that we have been something special in their life.

I do want to dedicate this to all of the spiritual leaders from my childhood through today that taught me to love Jesus.  In their own way they taught me to do what God was leading me to do.  They all played parts from Sunday school teachers that taught me simple songs and how to love God.  I learned from Pastor's to accept Jesus in my heart.  I came to the understanding that once Jesus was in my life he would always be there.  To the teachers that taught me how to study the Bible and to learn what God wanted me to do.  To Mel, Dee and Judy that taught me that I could have a voice from the pulpit and fully be who I was meant to be.  To Rev. Bob and  Rev. Barry that kept me going when things were rough.  Finally to all of the future leaders that are coming into my life like Rev. Colleen.

I hope if you are reading this right now you take a moment and thank all those that God has sent your way to grow you spiritually.  I also ask that you look at those people that are around you right now and make sure that you are not a stumbling block for their growth.  The question is you allowing them to help you go further down your Spiritual life?

Prayer:

Dear God thanks you for sending the greatest helper into our midst.  Thank you for sending others into our life that have accepted Jesus and are willing to share their gifts with others.  Help us be there for others as they grow closer to you.  May we truly come to understand that you are the center of all of our existence.  Help us remember to always follow you and to allow you to place us on the path that you need us on.  Help us as people go in and out of our life remember that you never leave us.  In your Holy Name we Pray.  Amen.

Questions:

Who are the people that God has placed in your life to help you along your life journey?  Have you thanked them for what they have done?  Do you follow the ultimate Helper?  Are you being a mentor for others?  What do you need to do right this moment to allow others to grow?

As Servants of God we have a Helper with us All the Time

Verses: John 15 : 18 - 16 : 4

My thoughts about the verses:

Imagine being a disciple of Jesus.  There you are getting told that you would soon be despised. people would desire to kill you because your connection to Jesus.  That Jesus would not be there to help you.  Yet, at the same time you are told a different helper would come to get you through this hard time.  What thoughts would have gone through your head at that very moment?

Some people cannot imagine being a Christian and being hated.  Yet, throughout the world there are groups of individuals that hide their religious beliefs so that they will not face death.  The fact is that some people in our own country hide their identity to keep from being judged by others. We have to understand that not everyone has the same freedoms.  You can still walk in faith and witness to others even if you cannot openly share your religious views.

Let us look at the Helper that was coming to be there for the disciples.  They had heard numerous times that Jesus would come back.  Yet, they couldn't even grasp him leaving never alone returning from the dead.  During this time the disciples had to act out of total faith.  The event was happening right before their eyes.  They do have an advantage in this because they actually were able to visibly see the resurrection.

Yet, they also were at a disadvantage.  We are blessed with knowing what happened during Jesus's life all the way through the ascension into Heaven.  We have an understanding of the Helper who had come to live with the disciples.  We still have to have faith that all we have read is true.  Yet, once you have the counselor living within you there is no doubt that this is truth.

The Helper is sent to protect us from the world.  We need to know Jesus is with us even when we go through hard times.  We need to understand even when we must hide our Christianity to stay alive.  Even when we are ridiculed the Helper is there with you.  The weight is distributed between both you and the Holy Spirit.  The part that we have to understand is that the Helper will only allow you to carry what you can handle.  The rest is on the shoulders of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for filling our lives with love and peace.  Thank you for being with us when times get extremely hard.  Thank you for sending a helper to be with us all the time.  Dear God we ask that you help us carry the weight that we face each day.  Dear God we ask that you give us hope when we fill despair.  In all things we just ask that you guide us so that we can walk the faith we need to show.  In Your Holy Name we Pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you asked for the Helper to come into your life?  During your hard times do you ask the comforter to calm your spirit?  When you face people that dislike you for being a Christian do you still hold your head high?  Are you looking for someone to be there to help you get through the sticky patches of light?  Is today the day to say yes to Jesus?

Jesus is the Vine

Verses: John 15 : 1 -17

My thoughts about the verses:


Many of us love pictures.  It helps us to understand the point that a speaker or teacher is trying to get across.  We need a concrete example to help us focus on what we are to learn.  Jesus understood this concept and related principles to things the followers would understand in their time.

The story of the vine and branches is an image we can still understand.  If you grow any fruit or plant you understand the need for pruning and taking care of the plant.  if you neglect the plant it will eventually die.  If you prune it and take good care of the plant it will produce great fruit. To make a vine grow you need four things.

First you need a healthy vine.  A vine that is healthy will set the foundation for a healthy plant.  If the vine is not healthy to start with you will need to work extremely hard to accomplish anything. When working with unhealthy plants it will be futile because the vine will eventually die without ever producing any fruit.  In this example Jesus is the healthy vine.  Jesus gives us a strong starting point.  As long as we stay firmly attached with Jesus we will be fruitful.  If we allow the storms to snap us from the vine we will start to wither.  During the storms of life we need to grasp even tighter to the vine to make sure that we continue doing our call.

The second thing that you need is a good Gardner.  A Gardner who doesn't take care of the original vine or branches the plant will not produce fruit.  The Gardner insures that the plant is pruned and fertilized.  It is the Gardner that decides if a particular branch needs to be trimmed back to grow healthier.  The Gardner also decides if a branch needs to be cut off the vine so that the vine will not die.  God is the ultimate Gardener.  God prefers for all of the branches to produce fruit.  Yet, when it is jeopardizing the vine it will be trimmed off.  Remember, you cannot hide your true beliefs from God.  So therefor if you profess to be a Christian live as one and also witness to those around you so that you can bear the fruit God desires from each of us.

The next thing that is needed is healthy branches.  Those that profess their love to God and accept Jesus in their life  are the healthy branches.  They will live a productive life and lead many others to Christ.  Throughout their life God will prune them and ensure that they are refreshed so that they can continue to be healthy.  Those branches that are healthy can help in this process by walking the talk.  By reading and studying God's word.  Lastly, they need to give of their gifts, talents and tithe to stay healthy.  It is important to note at this point that the vine and the Gardener desire nothing but the best from all the branches.  Any obstacle that arises in the branches growing fruit are all placed by the individual branch.  If you strive to be connected to the healthy vine and allow the Gardener to work in your life you will be successful in all things.

The last part is something that we miss in this story yet is essential.  The last thing you need is enriched soil.  Now we all know not all soil is healthy.  Sometimes plant will not produce fruit no matter what we do because the soil is not enriched with minerals.  In this case I want to plant out that the vine isn't the problem it isn't the branches or the Gardner who are at fault.  It is solely because the soil does not have the right composition.  In this story the soil is the people that we associate with.

How does this imply in our lives and how can we ensure that we are in the right soil.  Jesus tells us in another part of the Bible that if you go into an area and they do not treat you with hospitality then move on.  You have to know when you are in a group of people that drain your energy and keep you from serving Jesus you need to move on.  We all have people that keep us from doing what we need to do for God.  If we stay around these people we are not able to grow and be strong and healthy.  So if your friends are dragging you down think are I around the right people.  Are they encouraging me to do things that are not of God's will.  When you are surrounded by people that walk the talk you to will grow stronger.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for loving us.  We thank you for supporting us through the hard times of life.  We offer up praises to you for providing the vine that we can put our trust in.  Dear God we ask that you help us discern between healthy and bad soil.  We ask that you work through us to lead others to the vine of truth and life.  We ask that you help us do things that will bring great reward to God.  In you Holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Jesus in your life?  In the hard times of life do you depend on Jesus to help you through?  Are you walking the talk that Jesus has set out for us to do?  Are you studying the word so that you can get stronger in your faith?  Are you giving God all of your gifts, talents and tithes? Are your closest friends of the same spirit?  Are you allowing people that do not trust Jesus to sway the things that you do?

The Holy Spirit Lives witin those who Follow God

Verses: John 14 : 15 - 31

My thoughts about the verses:

Those that accept Jesus forgiving grace.  Have something that the rest of the world only dreams of. That is a comfort and peace that comes from having the Holy Spirit live within us.  The Holy Spirit can be a central part of your life if you allow the presence to flood your thoughts.  Only those that accept the risen Savior have the gift of the Holy Spirit.  There are many names for the Holy Spirit and each one represents a different aspect of the gift we are given.

The first name is counselor.  Haven't we all had times in our lives when we have searched out advice from friends and family?  Some of us may even go and talk to a counselor to help us talk through the thoughts that we are thinking.  Yet, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will be our Counselor.  I can think of no better gift.  Our ultimate counselor in all of life is that of the Holy Spirit.  Once you accept the atoning power of Jesus you are filled with this wonderful Counselor.  When things are going astray and your mind is wondering if you listen closely you will find the answers you need.  It is often scary in this world yet those that accept Christ have a voice of reason within us.  The Holy Spirit will guide you down the right path if only you allow it.

The Spirit of Truth is also a name given to the Holy Spirit.  Have you ever wondered if what you are doing is right?  We all go through times when we allow our fear of the unknown to overtake us. We fear that we will do the wrong thing and make our situation worse.  I can tell you if you Listen to  the Holy Spirit you will not be led astray.  Things may seem impossible, but with God in your life all will work out in the right time and place.  I know there was a time in my life where I had to step out in total faith.  Looking back it is kind of ironic that this all happened because my home Church in Lexington Faith MCC was closing its doors.  I can remember driving to Louisville and handing Rev. Dee my membership transfer papers.  I had no clue how I would make that drive every Sunday.  I wasn't making much money.  I just knew it was right.  The voice inside of me was telling me that I was doing the right thing.  All these years later I know that I was being led by the Spirit of Truth.

There is also one more name that means so much to us in our times of needs and that is the Helper.  The Holy Spirit is the ultimate helper in all things.  There is no way that I know that I could go through this world without the Holy Spirit living within me.  I am so grateful to have an everlasting Helper.  When things seem so hard and difficult and I feel like just giving up there is a feeling deep inside of me that makes me push forward.  My body has started to play its tricks on me and I am not able to do the things I could do.  Yet, the Holy Spirit helps me every day to keep on keeping on. I know that I would not make it one day to the next if the Helper was not living within me.  There is comfort in knowing that during your struggles you are not alone.  The Helper is carrying the weight that you cannot shoulder alone.

The Holy Spirit is that soft voice in your ear that says it will work out.  The soft gentle arms that comfort when you are afraid are the arms of the Holy Spirit.  The guide that leads you through the roughest of times is the Holy Spirit.  Those that trust in God will have the Helper live within them. The only thing stopping the gentle Spirit from entering your life and changing everything is you.  If you decide that you believe in Christ you will feel the strength that you need.  For that part of God will enter into your very being and you will feel the presence of God.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for loving us.  We thank you for giving us the strength that we need when things are rough.  We thank you for giving us the truth that we need to live our life centered in your peace.  We ask right now that God that you fill us with your presence.  May we accept you for the salvation that you are.  May we put our trust in you so that we can go forward rejoicing in new life.  In your Holy Name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the love of God?  Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to enter your life?  Have you allowed the Spirit to guide you?

The Trinity

 Verses: John 14 : 5 - 14

My thoughts about the verses:

This is probably one of the hardest things to understand about the Creator.  There are distinct personalities of the spirit of God.  Yet, they are one in the same.  The fact is at this point Jesus was already telling the disciples of the Holy Spirit that would soon come to the Earth to cleanse them of their sin.  Therefore God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were here in the beginning and continue to be here to this very day.

I guess the easiest way to explain this is using the analogy of a book that has been turned into a movie and also made into a sound track.  If you have ever read a book before seeing the movie you will find yourself seeing things differently.  Reading the book allows you imagination to create a world of your own imagination.  When you listen to a sound track you will have a different experience because words that you have said may be spoken much differently.  We all have heard the saying the movie isn't as good as the book.  The problem that occurs is that our mind has created a reality that is just ours.  When we hear the sound track or the movie is mind is trying to compare what we have seen with what someone's mind is thinking.

The book that we read is like the Creator.  It is the beginning.   When you read a book your mind gets to create the things that occur in the book.  You can imagine yourself playing a role or allow others to be a part of the book.  You may focus on one thing when you read it the first time.  The parental role of God is the one who does the creating and shows the first signs of love.   Therefor the love we experience comes through the beauty that we see around us.  This is a total trust issue our connection is done on a spiritual basis that only we can see.  We can only guess what God is truly like we have a relationship of awe when we think of God.  Our mind allows us to view the parent with such openness and we are allowed to see all things as a possibility.

Jesus is like the movie.  The creator is now in flesh.  We can see and hear the words spoken like through a new interpretation.  The son is a bodily form that we can visually see.  Jesus loves us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own flesh so that we could have life.  This time the movie is just as good as the book.  Yet, a set image comes into play.  We are able to take the thoughts of our mind and place them within a set image.  We can see the pain as nails are driven in his hands.  We can feel the tears as they roll from his eyes.  We can feel the love that is shared by him washing the feet of his followers.  The imagination is completed because we now have a God that is both spiritual and human.

The Holy Spirit is like the sound track.  The spirit lives within those that have accepted Christ. Once this occurs what we hear is the Holy Spirit talking through us.  New thoughts and ideas are created through the connection that we share with the divine.  We now have a part of the Trinity that lives within us and we do not have to look outside you to experience true love with God.  We need to realize that the thoughts  we have to do service, to love, to bring peace comes from that inner voice that is God.  We have our own interpretation of those words because they will be unique for each person that hears them.  Those that have not accepted Jesus's death will not hear that true spiritual voice.  Yet, once you say yes to Jesus the Holy Spirit floods you with new life and new thoughts.  Those thoughts are not all your own because they are intertwined with the divine Spirit of God.

All three have been here since the beginning preparing a way for us to get to Heaven.  Yet, we have to be open to the fact that different times in our life one part of the Trinity will be more influence than another part.  I know for me there are times I feel the Parent encouraging my imagination and my thoughts.  At other times I see Jesus embracing me and giving me the contact of love that I so need.  Then there are those times that I feel the Holy Spirit flooding my mind with thoughts that are directly linked with God.  If you allow yourself to experience all that God is then your life will be more complete.

Prayer:

Dear God we want to thank you for all the endless love you have shown to us.  We thank you for allowing us to feel you on a daily basis.  We offer our praises to you for your compassion, protection and hope.  We ask you right now God to help us accept what you desire for us.  Help us listen to the voice of wisdom so that we accept your calling.  Help us understand the Spirit so that we may live up to all you have expected in our life.  Help us return the love that you have shown us to the rest of the world.  In the name of the Parent, and the Son and the Holy Spirit we pray. Amen

Questions:

Have you allowed God to work through you today?  Do you understand the power that is God? Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to flood you with wisdom?  Are you willing to accept the challenges that lay ahead?  Have you seen the love that Jesus gave by dying on the Cross?  Have you allowed your imagination to expand through your connection with the Parent?

God has provided All that Accept a room of Peace

Verses: John 14 : 1 - 4

My thoughts about the verses:

One of my favorite scriptures because it promises the gift of everlasting life.  I know for me that it makes me feel so special that God is preparing my own place.  A Place that is special for me and me alone.  That God loves me so much that I will receive my special place in eternity.

This is an awesome thought if you think about it.  How many of us only dream of our own place? We desire a place where we can lay our head and rest without any fears.  Think of those times in your life when you struggled.  For many of us our secret place was the best place to be.  No worries, no anxiety just peace.  These were mini excursions from the reality that we were facing at the time.

Those secret places may not be an actual destination, but a safe place within us.  A place where we commune so closely with God that our soul finds the peace it desires.  I have learned a lot in the last few months as my body has changed and I am faced with a new way of life.  I have come to find that the peace I often needs come from reading different books.  Some of them are not your typical Christian novel, but they let my mind slip away to a place where limitations are not a reality.

I had heard a lot about the Rick Riordan's book about Percy Jackson.  I thought these would be great books for the Grand kids.  The series is about kids that find out that what they thought were limitations are actually gifts.  The books meant as much for me as it did the grand kids because it allowed my mind to explore new possibilities.  To realize that as my body was slowing down and there were times that my mind wasn't as clear I still had gifts to share.

I learned that I could turn my bad situation into a positive situation.  So my body isn't better but I am starting to find my peace.  Yet, it doesn't always mean I am super positive there are times I slip out of my peace zone.  When the limitations come slamming into me like a brick wall.  When that happens I get anxious, I start to fear the unknown.  But, God always has a way of snapping me back to my private place of peace.

We need to understand this simple lesson for today.  God is preparing us the perfect place that is all our own when we go to join Jesus.  Yet, God does not leave us while we are here on Earth.  Jesus promised that he would come back to show us the way.  When you are feeling at your lowest remember that the Holy Spirit dwells among us.  Those that have allowed the Holy Spirit in their hearts have a place that they can always go to receive the comfort and protection they need.  So in all things know that your Savior has not abandoned you.  You have a risen Savior that you can tell all your troubles to.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for giving us places of peace here on Earth and in Heaven.  We ask that you be with us as we go through our day to day trials.  Help us feel your peace and comfort.  Thank you for choosing to die in our place so that we may live forever.  Thank you for rising from the grave and leaving our sins there.  We ask right now that the Holy Spirit surround us so that we may have the comfort that you have promised.  In your Holy Name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

What do you do to find your safe place with God?  How can you allow God to fill your life?  Can you bring peace to someone who feels abandoned?  What do you do to have that alone time with Jesus?  Have you accepted Jesus in your life?  Is your room waiting for you?

God is Present even when we Deny the Existence of the Creator

Verses: John 13 : 36 - 38

My thoughts about the verses:

Imagine for one moment what must have been going through Peter's mind.  He loved Jesus with all his heart.  He knew that Jesus loved him.  He had truly accepted that Jesus was the Messiah that had come to set him free.  He loved Jesus so much that he was willing to  lay down his life.  Then Jesus tells him that you will deny me before the rooster crows.  Wouldn't you have been shocked? How could Jesus even say such things?  Doesn't he know that you love him and that you would do anything for him?

We have all been in this place at one time or another.  I know that there were times in my twenties that I thought God has forsaken me.  That he doesn't love me and I denied even knowing the presence of God.  I was ashamed of who I was.  I did not want people to dislike me because I was a Christian.  So there were many times after I was outed that I denied Christ.

I can remember one time in particular that I was so mad at God that I even said that God did not exist.  In my heart I believed that there was a God.  Yet, I knew that he hated me because of the fact that I was a Lesbian.  I had grown up in a Church that taught that being Gay was an unforgivable sin.  I can remember at one point the pastor was even being targeted because of the stance he had made against Gays.  I was no longer welcome in the Church so that must mean that God was no longer in my life.  I actually felt that I had lived a lie thinking God was ever there in my heart.  I can remember how alienated I felt when it came to God.  My life was turned upside down because being who I was meant that I was no longer one of God's children.

One of my lowest days one of my professors stopped me and wanted to talk to me.  He had seen how I was so depressed and he was really worried.  I told him how everything was how I felt alienated and unloved.  He did something that I will never forget he called his pastor and set up an appointment for me to talk to him.  I walked in that Church mad and walked out filled with love. This man didn't know me and has never seen me again.  Yet, what he did was tell me that God loved me.  That I was wondrously created and that all I had to do was believe.  This is when I realized that it wasn't God who had left it was me.  I had put up a wall out of anger.  So I truly understand how you can turn your back and deny the one who is given you everlasting life.

Now I know Jesus is with me in all things.  I go to an affirming church.  This means they love and accept me for who I am.  I am also a Deacon and am able to shower others with unconditional love.  So if you are in a place where you do not think God loves you.  Just think of all the things that God has done for you.  Be assured that God is with you even when you build walls.  Jesus is there to break down those walls if you will only allow it.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for never leaving us.  Thank you for breaking down the walls that will build to separate ourselves from you.  We ask that you take away anything that we have placed between us and you.  We thank you for carrying us through the hard times in our lives.  Dear God help us open our heart so that we can feel the love that you freely pour out on us.  In your Holy Name we pray. Amen

Questions:

Have you ever felt alone?  Have you ever worried that God was not there with you?  Have you allowed God to break down the walls that you have built?  What can you do to show others the love of God?