Church

So.

I quit going to the church I attended for many years for reasons you well know.

I went to two different churches a total of three times and then I kinda gave up looking.

Then I was out riding one day and saw new Chapel UMC.

I thought: "You've always wondered about this place, what it's story is, who preaches there, what it looks like on the inside etc. Maybe you should go sometime. Then I went on and didn't give it much thought. A lil while later when people were getting on to me about getting back to going to church I thought: "ride over there and check it out one more time".

So I did.

I just sat there and looked at the sign and smiled.

I already knew this was where I needed to be.

I told a close friend of mine I was glad to have found a new church.

"Man you haven't even been there yet, you don't know..."

When he saw the look in my eyes he just shut up. 

He knows my story. 

It was like he had one of those, "Oh yeah, he works in you that way" sort of thoughts.

I guess, I mean I don't know, I just do what feels right.

The first Sunday I went a lay person gave the sermon as brother Joe was in Korea visiting family.

Think about that for a second now, a Korean minister for a small, rural, country UMC church :-).

Anyway, the next Sunday Brother Joe was there and started his series:

"Set your hearts on things above."

This past week's sermon was part six.

He's been preaching about how to use wealth to please God the last couple of sermons.

Tithing.

Giving to the poor.

And yesterday's message was all about sharing with others.

Go figure that right :-)?

"Why share?" he asked.

1) God wants us to be channels of blessings.

2) It's all gods anyway we are just the stewards.

He went on to say a wise steward is a channel of blessings.

A while back several people were asking if I was to come into some unbelievable blessings what would I want to do?

And I said I would want to share it with others.

Even went so far as to tell Nicholas "It may all be given away."

It just makes me happy to see others happy.

Makes me happier than them actually.

Always been that way.

Just the way it is.

So I started thinking.

A while back when people were asking me these things, it seems some people don't like to receive things from others.

It makes them feel uncomfortable.

They feel like they owe you something back now cause you did something for them so they feel obligated to do something for you.

This is absolutely not the case and it seems to me like this is the way they would be if the situation was reversed and if they did something for you, they would want something back, so they figure you would be the same and only give with some sort of expectation attached.

I mean who gives just to see others happy and not expect anything back these days right?

So I tried to work it out in my head to come up with something to make it where people would be more accepting of blessings they might be receiving someday soon and what I came up with was:

From him, through us, to you. It's not from us. It's from him. Take it and be glad.

I promise you this was like last winter or at least a fair bit ago and I finally had it all worked out in my head how to handle people who didn't want to be accepting and that is what I came up with.

Acts 20:35

Luke 12 16-20.

"And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing yesterday.

Everybody else sitting there and here I am scribbling down notes like crazy lol.

I went up to brother Joe after the sermon and told him I had no doubt I was in the right place.

That I was hearing exactly what it was big man wanted me to hear :-).

That there was an unbelievable story bout to be told that he wouldn't believe.

Brother Joe has made overtures of "wanting to hear my story"

Well...

that could take a lil while to say the least.

So I started paring it down yesterday.

I've got something bouncing around in the back of my head I'm calling "The times I was absolutely certain God was working in my life."

I got about six or seven really dramatic instances I think would get people's attention.

Anyway, that's for working on later today.

Brother Joe will get the condensed version someday here soon.

One of the instances was pulling up on the bike and looking at the sign for New Chapel and just going, "Yep, this is it, don't know why I never thought about it before."

Meanwhile there is a bible study this Tuesday PM and Wed AM at Lewisport Methodist.

(Where Brother Joe also preaches as New Chapel is not a station church.)

Do you think I would be going to bible study if I was still attending the church where I was going?

I doubt it.

Love you Virgie.

Have a great day being your awesome self today.

ttyl.