Each Day Already is a Challenge

What's YOUR colored paper?

When I first arrived at the church office last week and was being shown around by one of the other volunteers, I noticed all the colored paper stacked in a corner. Bright shades, lots of them.

I remembered a church in Texas where folks actually left over colored paper. Some thought it was too expensive to use. Others said they would specify on their tithes (checks) that it was for colored paper. Seriously, they fought over colored paper and some folks left with all the fussing going on.

I said something about that to our pastor and he commented that every church has their "colored paper issues." Perhaps we all do.


Something was really bugging me the other day. I realized that some Christians have this idea that if they came to know Jesus in a particular place, ministry, or church that everyone should come to know Him in the same exact time, place or way.

In the UM church, it happens when someone attends the Walk to Emmaus or Disciple Bible Study or Lay Speaker Training. Each of those are good. I've participated in each one and have found each one to be helpful in different ways. I also know that each one does help folks get closer to God. But that doesn't mean that any one of them is better than the other. Frankly, the best way to get close to God is to read His word, to pray and to listen. It always has been. But these other programs are great in helping us grow. So are many others.

Someone used the term "faith transference" when talking about this. If one has been a member of the __________ (fill in the blank) church, one may come to believe that particular church is the only one teaching truth or the only one close to God.

The same thing happens when people discover their own Spiritual gifts. However they made the discovery is what they push on others as the one and only way to that discovery.

It's all amazing to me. Perhaps that's because I was blessed with sitting with my grandmother and discussing matters of faith. Since she had only a seventh grade education (and made sure she reminded us of that), she had a very simple way of looking at life and faith. She passed on her wisdom to us, but in very simple terms.

The answer is always Jesus. The answer is the Bible, God's instruction manual for the people He created and loves. The answer is God!

If we find Him in a particular Bible study, that's great. If we discover Him and get closer to Him because of a particular ministry, that's wonderful. But it's not the Bible study or ministry that was the key. The key was always Jesus.

It's Jesus we find when we go looking. Of course, He was never very far away. We're the ones who get lost.



Yesterday, as the news droned on and on about the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I kept thinking about my grandmother and couldn't figure out why. Grandma died on March 16, 1980.

Then I realized that my grandmother, my mom and I had sat glued to the TV after President Kennedy was killed. I'm sure that's why she kept coming to mind yesterday.



And just for fun, a place to play...and make weird poems. Just fill in the blanks.
http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm

Some contests:
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http://www.tjmfpublishing.com/contest.htm

http://www.utmostchristianwriters.com/poetry-contest/poetry-contest-rules.php

http://www.dancingpoetry.com/poetrycontestrules.html

http://www.rockandsling.org/contest.htm

http://www.janetteowens.com/new_page_7.htm