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We all have memories that continue to shape us throughout our lives. For me, many of these memories took place on the small farm located between Lorie Lane and Jackson Creek in Falfa, Oklahoma. I have so many memories of wandering the woods and Potato Hills located near our property. I’d trek across the pasture fighting imaginary invaders for hours. I’d huddle in the barn surrounded by enemy soldiers looking out for my family. I’d crawl up and down the wooden corral by our barn and pretend I had to scale across this makeshift cliffside without touching the ground below. I always give thanks for having this kind of childhood.

One memory, however, stands out above all the rest. In fact, I often revisit it in my mind. Just northeast of the pasture in front of our barn was a little grove of trees surrounding a low marshy plot of ground. On one side was a small hillside and on the other was a thicket of trees and brush. It was always a little wet and well shaded, so moss grew heavily in that area. On one side, there was a large tree that had fallen, so you could easily sit and enjoy this little sanctuary. One particular day, for reasons I don’t remember, I spent time there in worship. I prayed to God. I sang a hymn or two out loud from our old church hymnal that I had memorized from years of worshipping consistently with our church. I don’t know the exact songs after all these years, but they were probably some of the hymns I knew best: The Old Rugged Cross, How Great Thou Art, or Victory in Jesus.

Over the years, I’ve been to retreats and at gatherings where speakers have said, “close your eyes and go to a special place where you encountered the presence of Jesus.” Many times, when I close my eyes, that’s where I go. In my mind, it was a place of pure worship. I didn’t do it because anyone but God was listening. I didn’t do it because I “had to.” As I reflect back, I think my motivation was simply that I felt the presence of God, and I knew the only adequate response was to enter into worship.

Scripture emphasizes that worship is primarily with others. Hebrews 10:25 (NLT) reminds us, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Jesus himself told his followers, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 NIV. However, in seasons where we are prevented from those corporate gatherings, we are still able to worship.

The poetic worship of the Old Testament, exemplified in the Psalms, provides us with many examples. David cried out to God, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” Psalm 42:1 (NIV). He continues, “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:8. David wasn’t with others at night, but the songs of faith and prayer were still available to him!

So how do we worship during this season of separation, whether we are gathered with two or three or if we are living alone? Here are a few things I have learned over the years.

1.) Spend time in God’s word. 

In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Spend time reading a chapter or two of scripture, which is the inspired word of God full of powerful promises and truth. If you’re gathering as a family, you can invite your children to do this out loud. If you’re living alone, read a chapter or two, perhaps even out loud. Reading aloud slows us down and engages the brain to create a memorable experience. It may be why I still remember that moment of worship when I was a child. I sang the songs of faith out loud!

2.) Listen to or sing songs of faith. 

I have noticed that my faith is always stronger when I saturate it with the things of God. How many of you have had a song stuck in your head? I would guess everyone reading this post has had that experience. With that in mind, is it more valuable to have Hey Macarena! stuck in your head or Be Thou My Vision? Since the lyrics of the former are in Spanish, I’ll just include the latter and let you decide!

The Gospel of John begins with these powerful words,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:1-3

These magisterial words refer to Jesus, the Word made flesh. They also remind me of the power of God’s word. First and foremost, God’s word is revealed in the Bible. No other word carries the weight and final authority of Scripture. However, God’s word continues to be living and active, as we read in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” 

God’s word is living and active in the world today. We must always be mindful that we will never receive a word from the Lord that will contradict anything contained in the Bible, but the Lord continues to offer his life-giving word to shape and mold our lives.

Paul writes, “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

While some believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased with the first apostles, Scripture doesn’t share that view. God’s word is still expressed through revelatory gifts such as words of knowledge, words of wisdom, and prophetic words. While I have always trusted the words of scripture, it wasn’t until adulthood that I was able to look back and see just how impactful prophetic words have been in my own life.

The first prophetic word I remember being spoken over my life came when I was around nine years old. My mom and I were standing in front of my house near some of her beautiful irises. As we were standing there, she said, “For the longest time, I’ve always had the feeling that one of my sons would be a teacher and the other would be a preacher.” My older brother had recently started college and was studying to be a high school science teacher. My first thought was, “poor Philip, when is God going to get him on the right path?!” Because in my nine-year-old mind, there was zero chance I was going to be a preacher. Most of the preachers I knew in my little church were either elderly, sick, strange, scary, or some combination of the above! And yet that word both planted a seed and revealed a picture of who I was created to be.

I can remember many Sundays during the altar calls that were part of our church’s tradition holding tight to the pew in front of me, hoping and praying the Lord wouldn’t call me to be a pastor. Little did I know this wasn’t the common experience of most people! I assumed lots of people had that inkling of a call and resisted it until it went away. Years later, I knelt in the back of a church at a spiritual retreat where I had experienced God’s love in a profound way. There I prayed these words, “God, whatever it is you want me to do, all I ever want to be is your man.” In that prayer, I already knew I was saying yes to a lifetime of serving God in the local church.

As I approached seminary, I had doubts. What if I had misunderstood God? What if I was just trying to find a way to earn God’s love? On a day when I was wrestling with these questions, I received a letter in the mail from the wife of one of my former pastors.

During high school, we had a pastor who was a former butcher. Brother Simon, as we called him, was not the most dynamic pastor, but he simply and faithfully preached the gospel each week. While I would attend worship almost every week with my family, I was not “into it,” and I often just went through the motions. Our little church had a song leader who would stand and call out the hymn numbers before the congregation would sing. When he was absent, he tabbed me as the assistant song leader. I did NOT enjoy it. Not only could I not sing very well, but I also didn’t like being at the front. Each time I was tapped to lead, I would secretly hope no one from my school would show up and see me up there.

As I opened this letter, I was shocked by what I read. Brother Simon had died many years before, and I had not thought of him since he was my pastor. But after finding out that we were now Methodists and that I was heading off to seminary, Simon’s wife Elizabeth sent me this letter.

After reading this, I immediately felt the confirming weight of this word from the past. “They don’t know it yet, but that boy is going into the ministry” was a prophetic word spoken over my life, without me even realizing it. To this day, when I begin to feel the temptation to turn away from the plow and find an easier field in which to make a living, I am reminded that my call is bigger than me and supernatural in its origin.

Every now and then, when facing difficult decisions or situations, I will pull this letter out to read through it again. Just today, I was thinking about what we are facing in the life of the church. We are walking into a season, however long, of having our doors closed because of coronavirus. We have had to make difficult decisions and uncertainty is in the air. When I opened up the letter today, I immediately noticed the bookmarks Elizabeth included for me and my wife. Listed on the back of my bookmark is Psalm 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” KJV, which is the very passage our church staff has been reading and meditating on this entire week.

Then, I noticed something I’d somehow missed for the last 19 years. Her address is on the exact same street as the church I serve and less than a mile away from where I sit as I type this post. What an amazing confirmation that I am right where God wants me to be for such a time as this!

Friends, we are who God says we are. Nothing more, nothing less. When God speaks a word of promise over your life and mine, our world shifts and new possibilities open up. In the middle of a world that is shifting faster than we could ever have anticipated, I pray that today, you will hear the most basic word that God speaks over you. You are loved. God gave his only Son so that you would have the opportunity to receive eternal life (John 3:15). He will never leave you, nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), and we can be sure of this: God is with us forever, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)! 

Growing up, my family lived about 30 minutes from a city large enough to have a Wal-Mart. We’d often make the drive over the mountain to a small town called Poteau, and these trips would almost always include a visit to Wal-mart. I may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, because after I was old enough to hear that I was born in Poteau, I asked my mom if I was born at Wal-Mart!

More often than not, when we’d go shopping, I’d get bored and go to the toy section while my mom finished up. After I got bored with that, I’d walk up and down the aisles of the store looking back and forth, trying to find her. My brother and I even had a pattern for finding her more quickly. Start with the craft section, go through women’s clothes, and then work your way back through the aisles.

We were fortunate. My mom never met a stranger, so we could often overhear her talking to someone long before we ever saw her. No matter how young or old you are, you can pick out your mother’s voice in a crowd. It was the same way in the days before caller ID on our phones. If you knew someone really well, you would recognize their voice without them ever saying their name.

Scripture talks about the exact same sort of thing in a phenomenon that would’ve been as familiar to the first people to hear these words as the “Wal-Mart phenomenon” was for me as a child. In Jesus’ time, a shepherd would walk into a crowded sheepfold and call out his own sheep. They would recognize his voice and come to him. Much of this comes because of the familiarity of the sheep with the shepherd. They spend time together. They know each other’s mannerisms. The sheep listen for the one voice they trust.

In John 10:1-5, Jesus shares the following parable, “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

In this short parable, Jesus demonstrates that he is the way through which we enter into a relationship with God as well as the good shepherd whose voice we must listen to. He knows us by name. He leads us into good pastures. At the same time, Jesus’ voice isn’t the only voice out there.  He makes that perfectly clear.  There are other voices that offer us life and freedom. However, they are only interested in death and destruction. These are the thieves and bandits that Jesus talks about in this passage.  Anything or anyone other than Jesus who promises a life that is true and fulfilling is being deceitful.  There’s a reason that in scripture the devil is called the “deceiver.” The devil is ultimately opposed to the kind of life and security that the true shepherd offers his sheep. 

We experience a world full of things that offer us security and happiness.  Sometimes we feel that if we just had more money we’d be secure and happy.  Sometimes we believe that if we just had more power or control over our lives, we’d have true security and happiness. There are a number of things that promise us a full life.  But that’s the promise that only Jesus can fulfill.  Years ago, when my daughter was just a little girl, my family and I were watching TV. After a commercial, she looked skeptically at the TV and said, “Yeah right…you’re just trying to make that toy look good to sell us stuff!”

The enemy does the same thing. He makes that which is destructive look good because he is trying to sell us on listening to and responding to another voice than that of our Good Shepherd.

The primary way we learn to hear from God is to familiarize ourselves with Scripture. The Bible is the definitive word of God and gives us something like a rosetta stone to learn the ways God speaks and the things He would never say. For instance, it is very much like God to say, “love your enemies.” It is nothing like God to say, “check out that other person’s spouse. I bet they would be a better partner for you than your own.” The more time we spend with God, reading God’s word, reading and drinking deep of the truth of Scripture, and simply listening, the easier it will be to discern the voice of our Shepherd.

Over time, you’ll notice God communicates with you in familiar patterns as well. For instance, in my life, when the Lord speaks, it often happens that he will answer my questions even as I’m asking and before I finish the question. For instance, one day I was talking to one of my friends who is a pastor. He had just learned of an elderly man in his church who had fallen and needed to be taken to the hospital. The problem was that this man and his wife didn’t have cellphones, and my friend didn’t have any contact information for them. He was worried that he couldn’t be there to support them because there are so many hospitals in Oklahoma City. I prayed and simply asked God, “what hospital is this family in?”  Even before I could finish speaking the words in my mind, the word “Mercy” came to mind. My friend was able to call, and sure enough, this family was checked in at Mercy Hospital. The greater blessing came as he was able to pray with them and share that God cared enough about them to give him guidance to find them through a conversation with a friend. At the end of the day, hearing from the Lord is never about elevating or drawing attention to ourselves. Hearing from God is always about communicating the life-changing love of the Lord to those who hear His voice, and to those who are impacted through the hearing of that word.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd! He came to offer us life in abundance. As the sheep of His pasture, we are not called to be desperate, boring, or isolated people!  We’re called to have a full and meaningful life, and this is the kind of life we can only receive by following the One who gave his life for us, only to be raised to eternal life! 

When my daughter was four years old, I was sitting in our kitchen as Nanci got off the phone with the soccer coordinator for a local kid’s league. As she hung up the phone she looked at me with a big smile and said, “Guess what honey!? You’re going to be Emma’s soccer coach!”  In a matter of seconds, I became the coach of The Cheetahs, five girls ranging in age from four to six who had never played soccer in their life. They were soon to be coached by a man who had never played soccer in his life! Our season started off with a bang. The girls were so excited to be playing their first game, even if it was against a bunch of boys with a few seasons of experience under their belt. Our girls ran up and down the field, but didn’t score a single goal. That was fine because we knew what we needed to work on…everything! 

A few weeks later, we were still desperate to score a goal. A few games later, in the last half of a game, one little girl broke free from the pack and began moving toward the goal. As she closed in, all of our Soccer-moms had to restrain themselves from running out and kicking the goal for her! By the time she neared the goal, most of our parents were three steps over the foul line screaming, “KICK IT ANNIE! KICK IT!” In a moment of sheer exhilaration, we scored our first goal of the year. Excitement filled the air. We knew this was the first of many more to come. 

Instead, our schedule got more and more difficult, and it seemed that the boys got taller, faster, and stronger…three more games, four more games, five more games…zero goals. I tried my best to keep the girls motivated. Its OK girls, you really improved your kicking this week! But the frustration was mounting. Weeks passed with zero goals. The drought was almost unbearable. One girl decided she wouldn’t play against boys and sat out a few games.  Another showed up with her head hanging low.

As we entered our last week, I gave it everything I had as a coach. We were about to play one of the other all-girls teams, and I hyped it as if it were the NBA Finals, World Series, and Super Bowl all wrapped into one. We practiced like crazy the final week of the season. The morning of the big game, our girls marched in like little 5 & 6-year-old soldiers. Even our little soccer girl who had been sitting out told me, “I’ll play this game coach.” We were facing the “Little Divas,” but they looked huge! They were beaming with confidence. They were taller and bigger than any of our little Cheetahs. After seven games and only one goal, I held my breath and waited for the whistle to blow. Our girls held hands as they stood in a line for the coin-flip.  Immediately after the whistle, their biggest girl took the ball down and kicked it toward the goal like a rocket. Our entire sideline winced as the ball bounced out of bounds off the goal.  All of a sudden, the girl who had sat out the last three games took the ball and got a look of determination on her face. She weaved and kicked it down the field like a professional before kicking a goal with authority! 

Our side erupted and jumped up and down in excitement! But our girls didn’t stop there. They looked like Real Madrid. They were blocking goals, stealing the ball, and eventually scored eight goals! I almost felt sorry for the Little Divas. What happened? Our girls played with passion and determination. They were on fire. There is only one way to describe the way they went out and played. They were inspired, and as everyone who has ever watched a sporting event knows: there is a huge difference between “just playing” and “playing inspired.”

As followers of Christ, sometimes it feels easy when you first start out on the journey of following Jesus. We start off in our faith just like our girls began the season. We’re excited; we’re resolved to put on a fresh uniform and try to do things the right way.  We share our faith, we bring friends to church. We’re different. But oftentimes, it only takes one stumble before the wind goes out of our sails. There have been times in my own life when I’ve felt so spiritually dry that I’ve wanted to go to God and say, “God, the game is too hard. I’ll just be here on the sideline.”

To be inspired is to be filled with the urge or ability to do or feel something. It is to be animated with a motivating force beyond yourself. For Christians, true inspiration comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, which we see described in Acts 2:1-4.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

This is a different way to live. This is the way of being filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the way of inspiration.

On Pentecost, God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Church and filling normal men and women just like us. The disciples were waiting in an upper room after Jesus’ Ascension. All of a sudden, the room was filled with God’s presence – the event was so indescribable that we read is that the sound was like a rushing wind and there was something like tongues of fire that deeply touched everyone who was there. As soon as these disciples were touched and filled by God’s Spirit, they began to witness in an inspired way. The fire of the Holy Spirit lit the fuses of the disciples and the Christian Church spread like wildfire from a tiny upper room in Jerusalem to eventually reach the entire world.

And just as there is a difference between “just playing” and playing inspired, by the power of God’s Spirit, there is a world of difference between just living and “living inspired.” God’s Holy Spirit can and will inspire you and give you the ability to be the person God created you to be. We simply have to receive the infilling by God’s mighty personal presence. When you are filled and inspired by the Spirit of God you can do things beyond your own power and ability, things that are spiritually heroic. Sometimes we miss it because the heroism happens in ordinary settings and extraordinarily ordinary ways.

Years ago, I was working in a job and I had some difficult experiences with my boss. There was one person I worked with who often did things that were blamed on other people at work. One day, during a meeting, I was accused of leaving several things unfinished and several mistakes that were actually the fault of this other person. Every fiber of my being wanted to stand up and let everyone have it with both barrels. At the very least, I was ready to walk out. However, for several months, three of us who were Christians had been meeting for prayer and bible study before we started work. Everyone else knew we did this and watched us very carefully to see how we lived. As badly as I wanted to react, I heard a whisper in my heart saying, “Don’t say anything. Just sit there.” Against my own inclinations, that’s what I did. As I was walking out to my truck that day, one of my co-workers who knew I hadn’t done what I was accused of said, “I don’t know how you did that. You know you weren’t responsible for what they blamed you for.” 

By the power of God’s Spirit, I was able to say, “You’re right. I wanted to let them have it and tell them whose fault it was. The only reason I didn’t is because I’m a Christian, and I felt as though God didn’t want me to react.” By the power of the Spirit, I was able to understand in a very minor way how Jesus endured so much and suffered for things he never did. I would have missed that blessing if I had reacted under my own power. Instead, I was able to respond calmly because of the grace-filled inspiration of God’s Spirit.

Perhaps you aren’t living with this inspiration. Perhaps you’re a follower of Christ, but the Spirit feels as foreign to you as anything you’ve ever heard of. If so, here is a prayer that goes back hundreds of years that has been incredibly important in my spiritual life.

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.  O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy Your consolations. Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”

You can even shorten this prayer and pray simply, “Come, Holy Spirit.” In 1980, on Mother’s Day, Pastor John Wimber prayed this simple prayer, “Come Holy Spirit,” and an incredible movement began that would later be called the Vineyard. Since then, that movement has impacted the world with a radical commitment to taking risks in obedience to Christ and in submission to the Holy Spirit. 2000 years ago, God poured out his Holy Spirit on a group of Christ-followers to fill and inspire them with His divine presence and the world has never been the same. What would it mean for you to open yourself and receive the same Holy Spirit today? I’m convinced it would result in a new level of life, adventure, and love. You’d stop “just living” and begin living inspired.

We often walk through moments and seasons of disappointment in life. Even though we have a tendency to glamorize the lives of our spiritual mothers and fathers, they experienced the same. John Wesley responded to God’s call to inspire and challenge the Church of England. Eventually, the Methodist Church grew out of his passion for seeking a deep relationship with the Lord and ushering in revival. Over the years, Wesley preached all over England and kept a meticulous journal of his activities which we still have today.  Some of the entries might surprise you. 

For instance, here are a few entries from his journal that were written in the early years of the Methodist movement: 

Sunday, May 7th: I preached at St. Lawrence’s in the morning, and afterward at St. Katherine Cree’s Church. I was enabled to speak strong words at both; and was therefore the less surprised at being informed that I was not to preach any more in either of those churches. 

Sunday, May 14th: I preached in the morning at St. Ann’s, Aldersgate; and in the afternoon at the Savoy Chapel, free salvation by faith in the blood of Christ. I was quickly apprised that at St. Ann’s, likewise, I am to preach no more. 

Friday, May 19th: I preached at St. John’s, Wapping at three and at St. Bennett’s, Paul’s Wharf, in the evening.  At these churches, likewise, I am to preach no more. 

Sunday, 5, in the morning, at St. Botolph’s, Bishopsgate; in the afternoon, at Islington; and in the evening, to such a congregation as I never saw before, at St. Clement’s, in the Strand. As this was the first time of my preaching here, I suppose it is to be the last. 

Many people would have likely quit after they were kicked out of the second or third church, if not sooner! John Wesley faced overwhelming challenges, and I have no doubt that it would have been easy for him to give up and quit.

The earliest Christians were in the same boat. They faced threats on every side because of their newfound commitment to Jesus.  On one hand, they faced threats from the Imperial Government in Rome.  When fires swept across Rome in 64 AD, Emperor Nero blamed Christians for setting the blaze and ordered their mass arrest and execution across the city. On the other hand, they faced persecution from local authorities and peers that shared their religious traditions.

Throughout the first three hundred years of the Church, many people felt that Christians were pagans because they only worshiped one God. In fact, early Christians were often called atheists because they refused to worship the numerous gods worshiped in surrounding cultures. Many people even believed having Christians in their towns would upset their gods!  Tertullian, one of early Christians who observed these persecutions wrote, “if the Tiber rises to the walls, if the Nile does not rise to the fields; if the sky stands still, if the earth moves, if there is famine, if there is pestilence, the cry goes up, ‘Christians to the lion.’” There are countless stories of Christians appearing before their accusers, who asked them to deny and renounce their faith in Jesus Christ!

That’s the kind of environment in which the letter of Hebrews was written. The early Christians who first read Hebrews were sorely tempted to turn their back on the faith to escape the torture, imprisonment, and execution they could easily be facing. They needed encouragement to persevere, and they needed resources that would allow them to be faithful even in the face of incredible odds. The book of Hebrews gives one of the clearest descriptions of the kind of perseverance and endurance we’re called to have as Christians, even in the face of insurmountable challenges. 

In Hebrews 11:1, we read, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for – the conviction of things not seen.”  Abraham is then offered as a living embodiment of this incredible definition of faith. God called Abraham and his family to leave their home to cross the desert to a land they had never seen.  Even though he’d never seen this land, he trusted God in faith. It was Abraham’s faith that convinced him to move his family somewhere he couldn’t even picture in his mind. Later on, God promised he would create a great nation of people out of Abraham’s descendants, even though he and Sarah were too old for children. It was Abraham’s faith that convinced him of what seemed impossible. It was his faith that continually assured him of things he couldn’t see. Over and over again, Abraham’s faith gave him confidence and assurance to press on in faithful obedience. Even though he couldn’t see the outcome, Abraham knew that God’s promises are more real than anything else in this world. His faith in God was what gave him the strength to press on, to keep the faith, and to persevere.

When I was little, there were times that I would get sick and tired of something I started.  I remember one summer I got tired of Little League Baseball and I was ready to quit.  My dad wouldn’t have it!  He wouldn’t let me quit, and he let me know in no uncertain terms that our family simply didn’t quit. This was a man who worked for over forty years at the same job with only one or two promotions, so I knew better than to argue!

Little did I know that dad was trying to instill in me a lesson that can be one of the greatest resources we have in our faith. Often times things don’t go the way we expect in our lives, and we think it would be easier to give up. Sometimes, we’re tossed by storms in our lives and we think it might just be easier to quit. The message of Hebrews reminds us that faith means never giving up. Faith is what allows us to hold tightly to the goodness of God even when our circumstances whisper lies that nothing will ever be OK again. Faith is trusting God who enables us to keep pressing on in faith even when things feel overwhelming! Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. 

John Wesley was kicked out of almost as many churches as those where he was invited back to preach. Yet, he had faith in an invisible God. He trusted in God’s promises because he trusted in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. As a result, the things that happened at the beginning of his life did not end up being the final word.  As he neared his 85th birthday, on Saturday, August 22nd, Wesley wrote in his journal as he had continued doing throughout his life:

I crossed over to Redruth and at six preached to a huge multitude, as usual, from the steps of the market house. The Word seemed to sink deep into every heart. I know not that ever I spent such a week in Cornwall before. 

Sunday, August 23. I preached there again in the morning and in the evening at the amphitheater, I suppose, for the last time. My voice cannot now command the still increasing multitude. It was supposed they were now more than [five and?] twenty thousand.

Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, the promises of God in Jesus Christ, and the reality of the resurrection (the ultimate promise of faith), Wesley was able to press on in his faith, preaching a bold message about the reality of God and God’s power to transform lives. He persevered like the great saints of old. He pressed on in faith like Abraham and Sarah. Because of his faith, Wesley never allowed opposition to keep him from proclaiming the good news.  And so we find him, in the 85th year of his life, sharing the message of faith with more than 20,000 people. 

That is what faith is all about – it’s the reminder that God’s promises and God’s power are more real than anything else in this world.  When we feel like we can’t go on, when life seems so rough, we need to persevere and continue trusting in the one whose promises never fail and never end – no matter what.

In the first church I served, I attended a local ministerial alliance meeting at a local church’s monthly men’s breakfast.  It was at a small country church sitting next to an old cemetery. The biscuits and gravy were delicious, the coffee was stout, and the bacon was cooked crispy, which is the only good way to cook bacon. After breakfast, the preachers who were there broke off into another room to carry on the business of the day. There were only eight of us there that day. Southern Baptist, Freewill Baptist, Church of God, and a couple community churches that weren’t affiliated with a denomination. We took care of the business of planning our upcoming Thanksgiving service with the usual conversation.

After a few of us left, the real conversation began. Several of the men took turns sharing how God was working in their lives, oftentimes sharing how they had led someone to the Lord. Finally, one of the men who I had come to know and respect started to share. This preacher was an old-fashioned “whoopin’ and hollerin’” sort of preacher. He came from a mostly-baptist background but didn’t really belong to a denomination. He didn’t have any kind of degree and he couldn’t quote a theologian to save his life, but he proceeded to share a remarkable story that I will never forget.  

He began to share about a man named “Catfish.” Catfish was a friend of his, but he was not someone who ever darkened the doors of the church. His wife had gone to my preacher friend’s church for many years, but Catfish wouldn’t come with her. Catfish got cancer. Each time my friend would visit him in the hospital, he would ask Catfish if he was right with God before he left. To this, Catfish always replied, “The Lord’s Spirit don’t strive with me anymore, because I denied him and missed my chance.” This happened a couple times before my friend returned to find Catfish in terrible shape, on the verge of death. They began the same conversation they always had about various things from the weather to fishing to how the doctors thought he was doing.

Before leaving, my preacher friend reached out to hold Catfish’s hand. He said, “You know what I’m going to ask. I want to know if you’ve made your peace with God.” Again, Catfish said, “The Spirit don’t strive with me anymore. I’ve missed my chance.” My friend’s voice slowed and became more intense as he continued the story, “Right then, I tightened my grip on his hand just a bit…and I looked him in the eye.” In a quiet trembling voice, he shared with us the words he spoke to Catfish, “I said, my God is more merciful than that.” At this, he said, Catfish broke into tears. At that moment, he entered into relationship a merciful, forgiving, and loving God – a God who doesn’t give up. Catfish made a commitment to Christ right then and there, with his wife and my preacher friend weeping tears of joy by his bed.

Over the years, I’ve heard educated preachers flippantly talk about rural uneducated ministers, dismissing the possibility that someone without a seminary education could possibly be effective in a modern world. Hearing that sentiment makes me sick and reminds me of Paul’s words to the church at Corinth,

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

God doesn’t need someone with a degree or a pedigree to carry out His work in the world. God works with those who are willing to be obedient. Granted, God can just as easily call someone with a doctorate or a GED, but the only absolute requirement is to receive him as Lord and walk in obedience to His Holy Spirit.

John Wesley, in his advice to preachers, reminded them, “You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go always, not only to those that want you, but to those that want you most.” While education has value, there is nothing more important than spending and being spent in the work of inviting the lost into a saving relationship with Christ, which is made possible by the amazing mercy and love of God. 

In this passage, Jesus tells his followers that the only way to bear fruit that lasts begins with abiding in him. Apart from abiding, we accomplish nothing of lasting value. Apart from abiding and obeying, we will not live a life filled with the joy of Christ. The foundation of a faithful and fruitful life is abiding in the love of Jesus.

My word of the year for 2020 is “abide.” I want everything I do as a disciple of Jesus to come from a place of abiding and obedience. For me, this means two important things.

First, it means prioritizing time in God’s presence. Even as a pastor, it is tempting and easy to prioritize productivity. Like anyone else, we are tempted to focus on the many things that need to be done. We end up, like Martha in Luke 10:38-42, being so determined to do all the things that need to be done that we miss out on God’s presence. In those moments, we hear the words of Jesus, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (vv. 41-42 NKJV) For me, this means taking time at the beginning of each day to read the Bible and pray. It also means intentionally spending extended time in prayer to seek the presence of God. Without abiding in God’s loving presence, nothing we do or accomplish will last.

Next, this means understanding the Kingdom’s order for effort and grace. A wise pastor once said that grace means that as Christians we work from love, not for love. In our world, we often work to prove ourselves. We work to show everyone how valuable we are and how productive we can be.

In the world of God’s Kingdom, our value is based on the deep and abiding love of God who sent his Son, Jesus Christ to save us and restore us. We receive this love as a pure and unearned gift. That is grace. All of our efforts for the Lord are not to earn His love or favor. Instead, our efforts flow from abiding in His love and favor!

While abide is my “one word” for 2020, it will likely not be yours. I believe as you pray over the next day or two, God will share a word to guide and direct your life and faith for the year ahead. What is your word for 2020?

I was almost finished with my seminary education, and I had worked through most of the process preparing to be commissioned and licensed for ministry. All that remained in the process at that point was a final interview with the primary board responsible for ordination within my denomination. My family and I lived in Wilmore, Kentucky at the time, so I had to fly back to Oklahoma city for this interview.

I had scheduled plenty of time to get my rental car and make it to the interview with time to spare, but flights are never predictable. Our flight was running late, and by the time I arrived in OKC, I had just enough time to get my rental car and drive to the church where interviews were being held.

Just a few miles north of the airport, I heard a pop and the tell-tale sound of a tire that went flatter than a pancake. This was before everyone had a smartphone, so I wasn’t able to call and let the board know I would be late. A million thoughts went through my mind, but the first was that I needed to get off the road and find a safe place to deal with the problem.

Taking the logical approach and pulling off into a business to the right didn’t seem right, so I kept driving a couple hundred yards and then turned left across two lanes of traffic into a nondescript building with no signs indicating what it was used for. I hoped to walk in and find a phone book and use their phone to call for help.

The lady at the front desk looked surprised when I asked for the rental car company’s phone number. She laughed and said, “you don’t know where you are, do you?” Of course, I did not. She said, “this just so happens to be the regional repair center for several rental car companies here in Oklahoma City. Don’t worry sir, we’ll just get you a new car in a few minutes and you’ll be on your way.”

I couldn’t believe it. In my mind, I had already failed my interview and would soon be calling my wife to tell her about the whole ordeal. Instead, I just so happened to have taken an illogical turn into the perfect place for God to meet my need at that moment. I was in a car and on my way in plenty of time to make the interview!

I don’t know what you’re facing today. I don’t know what your urgent “flat tire” situation might be. But I do know this. Sometimes, in the middle of these moments of confusion and fear, you’ll take a turn that doesn’t seem to make sense. And it is often in those moments that God leads you to the perfect place to receive an amazing dose of His provision and grace.

Maybe you’re experiencing a relationship that is going bad or has already ended. Maybe you’ve had a family member receive a terrible diagnosis, or you’re facing the fear of receiving one yourself. Maybe your business or work situation has gone as flat as the tire on my rental car. As you look for a safe place to pull off, you may instead be feeling a nudge to turn into a place that doesn’t make sense.

For instance, it could be that turning to a church is the last thing you’d consider for facing a situation like those I described. Or maybe talking to a trusted counselor, pastor, or friend about the situations you’re dealing with makes no logical sense in your mind. But it just might be that turning in a way that seems unnatural to you could be just the way God wants to meet you and provide grace for your need. God still leads. God still guides. And God wants to pour His love into your heart and life today.