e-Soundings

Prayer is having a conversation with God

Prayer is defined as having a conversation with God.

 

However, most of us make it a “one way” thing.

 

We tell God what we think we need, or what we think needs to be done, and then we wait to see if it happens.

 

That’s like going to the doctor and telling him or her all your ailments, never listening to what the Doctor might say, and then expecting to be cured.

 

Prayer has to be more than a “we speak / God listens” activity.

 

Prayer is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. 

 

Yet we rarely explore the fullness and power of that gift. 

 

If our marriages and relationships were like that, one person would be constantly asking for things, and the other would be expected to deliver.  No relationship would

Have you found your “hidden” place yet?

Not your “hiding” place…  That’s the place you go when life gets too hard to bear.

No, your “hidden” place is the place that you keep the parts of you that you don’t want others to see.

It’s the place that hides your fear with you are trying to be strong.  It’s the place that hides your mistakes when you want to be smart.

It’s the place that hides your hurts when you want to seem invincible.  It’s the place that hides your failures when you want to look successful.

It’s the place you hide your prideful self, or your angry self, or your gloating self that resides in all of us.

It’s that “hidden” place that holds the parts of you that needs work, or healing, …or both.

It’s that place that is hidden from everyone but God and you.

Yes, God sees into all the places of your heart, the hidden ones as well as

"Kick Back" Time is runnning out

In a few weeks, school will be starting and summer will have ended. There will still be the Labor day weekend, but the season will clearly be over.

However, there are still a few more weekends and some weekdays that can be filled with wonder, awe and amazement.

Museums beckon, parks are shaded and cool and there’s even a Beach Party on the horizon! (Sun. Aug. 10 @ Huntington Beach! We hope you can join us.)

And be sure to take a few quiet walks on Summer mornings or late at night around your neighborhoods. Listen to the sounds and be aware of

Have you had enough of family yet?

Summertime often puts us in close proximity to our family.  And the hot days and sticky nights seem to make everyone more on edge.

The irritating habits and actions become unbearable and our tempers seem to be on a short fuse.

And the hot days don’t seem to stop.  Each day seems to make it worse. 

(Hey… how about a cooling dip in the pool or at the ocean?)

Yet somehow, we persevere, offering forgiveness and reconciliation.

If we're smart, we take the time every day to

Annual Conf. Report + More!

Annual Conference in Redlands was Hot, Hot, Hot!  (over 100 degrees every day... whew!)  [For a description of Annual Conference and it's relation to the Local Church, please see the previous post on Annual Conference.)

Yet despite the heat, we were able to reconnect with lots of old friends, ordain new clergy, retire a rather large crowd of clergy and attend to the business of the Annual Conference.

John Taylor, Pam Taylor, Pastor Sergio, Pastor Vern and Barbara Story and myself are filled with lots of connections and new ideas that were shared there.  And we are looking forward to a time to share them with you.

One surprising development is that I have been asked

Annual Conference: A Regional Gathering of United Methodists

In a few weeks, our church will be sending John & Pam Taylor, Pastor Sergio and myself to the “California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.  This gathering of United Methodist Churches in our area happens every June at the University of Redlands.  www.cal-pac.org

Our national denomination is organized into semi-autonomous regions called “Annual Conferences.”  Each one of them is presided over by a Bishop and serves the churches that make up that region.  (For more info please goto here.

Our area includes Southern California, Hawaii, Guam & Saipan and is presided over by Bishop Maryanne Swenson.

This year has been a special year in that the General Conference, the gathering of all the various Annual Conferences all over the world, was held last month in Texas. It’s at General Conference that changes and additions to our constitution, “The Book of Discipline” are made.

2008 continues to be a unique year for us in that our Bishop is ending up her normal 8 year term and is petitioning for an extension of