Well, when you plan to go see your daughter out of town and you leave work and forget your computer, you take it as a sign the Lord doesn’t want you to write what you were planning on writing. Or, you take it as a sign that you needed the weekend to focus on other things. Either way, there is no meaningful blog this week. Just me rambling about nothing.
So, y’all have a great weekend, and remember what this weekend is all about. A great shout of appreciation to those who gave all for our nation and freedom.
Maybe I’ll write that blog I was planning today next week.
So, I’ve often told folks that I never preach a sermon that I haven’t first preached to myself. In large part that’s true…but not always. It wasn’t necessarily true this week when, in the middle of a sermon I was preaching, the Holy Spirit convicted me on a deep, deep level on a matter I had not previously considered.
Going on a “Journey”
I had the blessed opportunity to preach on Thursday evening to the gathered body at the last “Journey” session for the Evangelical Methodist Church in Copperas Cove, Texas.
What is a “Journey” session? For all my former United Methodist (and present UM) friends, think Annual Conference. “Journey” is the time of year when EMC pastors and laity gather for meetings, business, worship and encouragement.
The theme of the evening was “Be Watchful,” and the passage of scripture around which the Journey session was framed was Paul’s departing speech to the elders from the church at Ephesus in Acts 20:
28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. 31 Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.
I chose as the text for my message Ephesians 6: 10 – 20:
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Bermuda Shorts and Battleships
I’ll do my best to make a long story short. The title of my message was “Wearing Bermuda Shorts on a Battleship,” with the point being that many people come to Jesus expecting life to be a cruise ship when, in fact, we are boarding a battleship. We have to have the correct attire for the occasion. We must put on the full armor of God to be prepared for life as a disciple, otherwise it’s like wearing Bermuda shorts on a battleship.
The full armor of God is, of course, Jesus Himself. He is our salvation. He is our righteousness. He is our peace. He gives us the gift of faith. He is Truth. He is the Word made flesh. We must clothe ourselves in Christ and we do so through prayer. And, that’s where the Holy Spirit convicted me in the middle of the message.
I was bringing the message to a crescendo (don’t you like that word?) with these words:
“Friends, we don’t strap on a Colt 45 and look for some evil to confront. Evil will find us on its own. Our battle is won or lost on the field of prayer. We cannot advance, let alone win the spiritual battle, if we are not empowered with prayer. We need to pray for each other. We need to pray for protection from the evil one. We need to pray that God would guard our moral lives and protect our people from moral failure. We need to pray for the strengthening of families in our church. We need to pray for love and unity within the church. We need to pray for wisdom to discern false teaching. We need to pray and not give up. But, we must never pray to be taken out of the battle.”
And, there it was…”we must never pray to be taken out of the battle.” I even repeated it twice for emphasis. In that moment, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that praying to be taken out of the battle is exactly what I had done in 2019 when I left the United Methodist Church.
Jumping Ship
Between 2019 and 2024, the United Methodist Church was in a battle for its future. I like to believe that in 2019 after General Conference, I saw the handwriting on the wall…that the battle was already lost…so, what was the point of sticking around?
I prayed for a door to open so I could make my exit. Time to move on…time to fight other battles. Well, doors did open, and I thought those doors were answers to prayer. Perhaps they were answers to prayer because, well, God is just good that way, but as a result of the message I preached on Thursday evening I feel convicted that I left friends on the battlefield. To use the analogy of the message: I jumped ship. I abandoned a church I loved and friends I loved because I thought the battle wasn’t worth fighting.
I don’t mean to suggest that either side in the battle for the UMC was “good” or “evil.” What I am suggesting is that the devil got all up in the business of the UMC, and the division is a direct result of the devil having his way with us. We spent years fighting each other when who we should have been fighting was the devil. At least, that’s my perspective (with all due respect for those friends of mine who remain UM).
Now that I’ve had a couple of days to reflect on the Holy Spirit’s conviction, I think I need to apologize to my shipmates–I’m sorry I jumped ship. I got caught wearing Bermuda shorts on a battleship.
The Goodness of God & Coming Home
Yet, God is good! After almost a year of being spiritually homeless, the Lord (in July 2020) led me to the Evangelical Methodist Church. In His goodness and grace, He has shown me over the past three+ years that I have always been an evangelical Methodist, now it’s just official. I’m glad to be home. Yet another answer to prayer, for sure. He answers our prayers in positive ways even when we’re not praying for the right things.
So, I’ll do my best to fight the good fight in my new home. I’ll do my best to serve Him wherever He might lead me as a result of this new relationship. I’ll do my best every day to put on Jesus Christ (the armor of God) and board the battleship in the fight against the spiritual forces of wickedness. I’ll do my best to pray and never give up. I’ll do my best to never abandon my shipmates again. I’ll do my best to honor Him at every turn. I’ll do my best to be prepared for the journey that is faithful discipleship in Christ. I’ll try not to bring Bermuda shorts to a battleship.
I’m certain I may fail at some point. For those times, as in this one, I’ll ask for forgiveness, for mercy and for grace. I’m sure the Lord will extend all three, well, because He’s just good that way. I can only pray that others will, too.
Happy Mother’s Day! Let me take a few lines on this special day to say “Thank you!” to the mothers in my life, and to all mothers everywhere. None of us (and I mean literally none of us) would be who we are without our mothers (for better or worse).
I say “for better or worse,” because I know not everyone has been blessed with incredible examples of motherhood in their lives, and that is truly unfortunate. I, on the other hand, have been blessed beyond measure with those mothers who are shining examples of what it means to be a mother.
Great is Thy Faithfulness
I tell folks that I was raised at the foot of a Methodist piano. My mother, Sonda Womack, played piano for three Methodist churches in our home area. She rode the circuit just like the circuit rider preacher every Sunday so that those congregations had the benefit of music in worship. Most Sundays, my brothers and I had to make that circuit with her, and there we would sit, often listening to the same sermon three times (talk about insufferable!) just for the opportunity to make it to the “big” church so we could be with all our friends.
I didn’t necessarily enjoy all that time at the foot of a Methodist piano, but her faithfulness in serving the Lord by serving those congregations gave me an early example of what discipleship and servanthood looks like. Being an accompanist for all those years was ministry for her. I know that because she was never paid a salary by any of those churches. Yes, there were frequent love offerings the congregations shared, but she never “charged” for her services. It was a gift of love to the Lord.
Her faithfulness shaped me and my brothers. Of that, I have no doubt. She was, for much of our early years, a single mom. She worked long, hard hours to insure that we had what we needed…not always what we wanted…but always what we needed. I can remember her working three jobs when we were little. She worked at the local bank. She would leave that job and head to the local post office where she was a part-time flexible worker. And, if you think playing piano at three churches on Sunday morning isn’t work (whether you’re paid or not), well you’ve got another think coming.
Even now, into her 80’s, she continues to serve two congregations through her gift of music. Still riding the circuit after all these years!
She was, and is, an example of faith and faithfulness and love for which I am forever grateful. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
The Heart of Our Family
Let me tell you something else. When I married, I married up. I mean I married way up! My wife, Vanessa, is the most amazing mother I know (my own mother notwithstanding). Vanessa has throughout our lives together demonstrated the sacrificial love of Jesus in the most profound of ways. I honestly believe that she was born to be a mother…and grandmother.
I have spent the last forty years watching her nurture our children and grandchildren. I can tell you that she raised our children while I was off going to school and pastoring churches and chasing dreams. Anything good our children have attained or become can be credited to her love and diligence in caring for them.
Raising our children was never a sacrifice for her. It was her gift. She was, for many years, the nurturer, the care-giver, the chauffeur, the cook, the cleaner, the confidant, the disciplinarian, the encourager, the helper and the friend to all four of our children, and she has quickly become that to our grandchildren, too. I might also add, she is all those things to me as a spouse. She is my best friend, and I’m not so sure our children wouldn’t also call her their best friend, either.
She is amazing and beautiful and funny and sacrificial and loving. Try as I might, there really aren’t words to describe what she is to me and to our family. She is the heart and soul of who we are as a family. Happy Mother’s Day, Vanessa!
An Enduring Legacy of Love
The examples of love and sacrifice goes back beyond our present generation. My grandmothers…well…what can I say about them?
My maternal grandmother, Aline Johnson Roberts, demonstrated for me how to serve your spouse. My Papaw lived with rheumatoid arthritis for as long as I have any memory of him. He was bedridden for most of later years of life. Mamaw never left his side.
Everyday, she busied herself waiting on him hand and foot. I never once heard her complain (and mind you, my brothers and I lived with them for several years) about his illness, or the necessity of her caring for him. She did it out of love. She did it out of compassion. And, that was after raising ten children and dealing with 18 (I think) grandchildren (nine of which either lived with them or next door to them).
She remains an example of self-giving love that demonstrates the heart of motherhood. Happy heavenly Mother’s Day, Mamaw!
My paternal grandmother, Kittie Oxford Malone, is a saint if there ever was one. We called her “Mama Kit.” Mama Kit earned her sainthood by putting up with my grandfather, my dad and my uncle. Don’t misunderstand me. I love all three of those men dearly, but they could be…oh, let’s just say…challenging to live with (that’s all I’ll say about that!).
When Vanessa and I married, we moved into her backyard. There we started raising our family. She was there when all our children were born. She was the go-to babysitter for our children. Every afternoon when the kids would arrive home from school, their first stop was usually her house. She generally had cheese toast or cinnamon toast prepared for them when they arrived.
She would spend countless hours reading to our oldest daughter and as she would read she would gently rub our daughter’s back. Our oldest daughter is her namesake, and I honestly think she still misses those back rubs today.
We discovered when ministry called us to Kentucky for seminary, that the worst part was not having Mama Kit to care for us from our backyard. Yes, we missed all our family, but not in the same way we missed Mama Kit. I only wish my grandchildren would have had the opportunity to know Mama Kit.
Mama Kit gave me an example of perseverance in the face of adversity, of commitment to life-long marriage and of selfless love. I am blessed to have her as part of the legacy of faithful motherhood in my live. Happy heavenly Mother’s Day, Mama Kit.
Thank You Mothers!
There are so many more memories and reflections I could share, but this is a long post already. Thank you for indulging me in this overly personal blog. And, thank you to all the mothers that we celebrate on this Mother’s Day.
If your mother is still with you, give thanks to God for her and make sure she knows how much you appreciate her. If your mother is no longer alive, then simply give thanks to God for the memories of love and faithfulness you have.
If you have no good memories of your own mother, can you at least be grateful to God that she gave you life? That is a gift unto itself and you should be grateful.
So, Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers and grandmothers. May God bless you all on this special day.
I’m not one to say, “I told you so,” so I won’t tell you that what I expected to happen, happened. What happened? The United Methodist Church changed this week.
My phone notifications dinged numerous times over the past week from friends, colleagues and former colleagues alerting me to and asking about the “changes” that were happening at the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, which met April 23 – May 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
I don’t intend to use this venue to offer commentary on the events or decisions (though I could!) of the past two weeks as it relates to the United Methodist Church. Any of you reading this blog, and who know me any at all, should know my position of many of the issues that were before the Conference (there’s a reason I left the UMC in 2019).
As I wrote in last week’s blog, I’ve moved on. I’ve had neither the time, nor the desire to follow the General Conference closely. I will simply say that nothing happened that I didn’t expect to happen.
General Conference Action
Since many have asked about the events and decisions, I’ll post a summary written by Rev. Chris Ritter. He has followed the legislative process closely (God bless him!) and prepared the following summary (no point in me reinventing the wheel):
May 4, 2024, Version 1.5 The main governing body of the United Methodist Church, General Conference, met in Charlotte, North Carolina from April 23-May 3, 2024. By anyone’s estimation, this long- delayed meeting was a watershed event marking a new direction for the UMC as a progressive denomination, especially in the United States. The denomination prepared a summary of laudable legislative outcomes. What follows is a summary of notable actions that run counter to traditional Methodism. Marriage is Redefined in United Methodism A revised set of social principles were approved that broaden the definition of marriage to include two consenting adults. The new language is, “Within the church, we affirm marriage as a sacred lifelong covenant that brings two people of faith, an adult man and woman of consenting age, or two adult persons of consenting age into union with one another.” Restrictions on LGBTQ Clergy Are Removed The following language was stricken from the Book of Discipline: “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church. ” Language Forbidding Same-sex Weddings in UMC Sanctuaries Are Removed Language barring same-sex weddings from being hosted in UM sanctuaries was removed. Although the Judicial Council ruled during General Conference that local church boards of trustees can set policies forbidding same-sex weddings, the ruling was vague on whether clergy are required to honor such policies. Non-binary Gender Categories Are Embraced Even before General Conference, official statistics used in the UMC allowed for a non- binary category of gender. At General Conference, all speakers were asked to state their name, conference, clergy/lay status, and age category for statistical purposes. Delegates who wished were invited to share their “preferred pronouns,” and many did. Specific Language Related to Adultery Is Removed from Clergy Chargeable Offenses General Conference edited the list of offenses for which a clergy could be charged by removing: “(a) immorality including but not limited to, not being celibate in singleness or not faithful in a heterosexual marriage; (b) practices declared by The United Methodist Church to be incompatible with Christian teachings, including but not limited to: being a self-avowed practicing homosexual; or conducting ceremonies which celebrate homosexual unions; or performing same-sex wedding ceremonies.” While “sexual misconduct” remains a chargeable offense, this definition of misconduct is less defined and subject to the discretion of bishops. There are concerns this change could open the door to permitting sex outside of marriage if consensual. Abortion Stance Changed General Conference approved a petition affirming a right to abortion and pledging “solidarity with those who seek reproductive health care.” The petition, “upholds a person’s right to an abortion after informed consideration with their family, medical practitioners, pastor, and other pertinent counsel.” It also denounces abortion bans. The Revised Social Principles are more nuanced on the topic of abortion, but the overall position of the UMC on abortion is pro-choice. The following words were deleted, “we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child.” Church Funds Can Be Used to Promote Homosexuality Annual conference and general church monies are no longer prohibited from being used to promote the acceptance of homosexuality. The General Commission on Archives and History quickly announced the formation of a new “Center for LGBTQ+ United Methodist Heritage” using apportionment dollars. Sexual Orientation Now a Mandated Diversity Category on Church Boards The category of “sexual orientation” was added as a required category for mandated diversity on church commissions and agencies. Alongside race and gender diversity, people of various sexual orientations are now to be included in governing bodies. Protections Previously Developed for Traditional United Methodists Mostly Omitted The 2019 One Church Plan produced by the Commission on a Way Forward provided a raft of protections for traditionalists in the UMC that would accompany liberalization of the human sexuality position. These protections were mostly omitted from the changes approved at General Conference. While General Conference made clear that no clergy can be coerced into conducting same-sex weddings, the following One Church Plan protections were omitted: (1) Language to “affirm those who continue to maintain that the Scriptural witness does not condone the practice of homosexuality. We believe that their conscience should be protected in the church and throughout society under basic principles of religious liberty.” (2) Language stating that marriage has been “traditionally understood as a union of one man and one woman,” (3) Language stating that same-sex weddings would only be allowed in churches that specifically voted to host them, (4) Language allowing annual conferences to develop their own policies on human sexuality, and (5) Allowances for bishops to decline to ordain practicing gay clergy (the jurisdiction would have provided another bishop to ordain gay candidates in such an instance.) Annual Conferences Required to Prepare Local Churches to Accept Gay Clergy The definition of Open Itineracy was expanded to include accepting clergy regardless of sexual orientation. The revised ¶ 425.1 directs annual conferences to train Pastor Parish Relations Committees to receive pastors regardless of sexual orientation. The UMC Divests from Israel In the first such action by a major Christian denomination, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church voted to divest from Israel bonds. Approved Petition 20554-CC- R6111-G calls on the UMC to lobby the U.S. government to end military aid to Israel. The General Board of Global Ministries Tasked with Furthering Intersectional Ideology General Conference added a new ¶ 1302.16 requiring that the UMC mission board “provide training, resources, and consultation for and with all levels of the global church to actively resist intersecting structures of white supremacy, heterosexism, sexism, patriarchy, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, colonialism and classism.” Constitutional Amendments Allowing Regionalization Were Approved Sweeping changes to the UMC constitution were approved allowing U.S. jurisdictions to organize as a U.S. Region and adopt their own rules. If ratified in the annual conferences, these changes would prevent conservative global regions from affecting U.S.-based rules. Why the Shift in Church Teaching was So Dramatic In the fallout of a special General Conference in 2019 where the traditional understanding of marriage and human sexuality was upheld, U.S. progressives organized opposition with cooperation from certain U.S. bishops. Progressive slates of delegates were elected to represent several U.S. conferences. Amid this fallout, a high-profile plan, the Separation Protocol, was negotiated to divide the denomination. The General Conference set to approve separation was delayed twice due to COVID-19 and without controversy. A third delay until 2024 was viewed by traditionalists as unnecessary and shrewdly calculated. The Global Methodist Church announced plans to form in May 2022 and traditionalists began to disaffiliate under a provision approved at GC2019 (but only applied to US churches). A quarter of the 30,000 UMC churches in the USA exited. Meanwhile, the UM Commission on the General Conference styled the 2024 meeting a “delayed General Conference 2020.” This allowed the US the same delegate as before the exodus. African delegates, already disenfranchised from their new majority status, suffered further set- backs when a quarter of their delegates were unable to attend due to travel visa issues. All these factors created a ”boomerang effect” from the stated positions of the church in 2019. No Exit Pathways Were Approved The disaffiliation legislation had a sunset clause of December 31, 2023. It was not renewed by General Conference. This means that churches that wish to exit the United Methodist Church have no clear pathway out of the church. Some annual conferences, like South Carolina and South Georgia, have temporary mechanisms in place for churches that wish to depart. Other congregations will need to negotiate their way out if they wish to keep their properties.
The Future is Now
Thanks to Rev. Ritter for his diligence in compiling the information. Find the original post here. You can also find a list of helpful links to additional articles by clicking here.
In the interest of fairness (and because I have many whom I still consider friends in the UMC) I’ll share the official summary provided by the United Methodist News Service. You can do the work of comparing the two yourself.
Conclusion
So, why am I sharing this information if “I’ve moved on?” One reason: There are many congregations that remained United Methodist who adopted a “wait and see” attitude. They chose to wait and see what the General Conference would do.
Well, the GC has acted, and those congregations might now choose to make a decision about their future. I share this information for those congregations, lest they miss it in their discernment process.
If you are a part of one of those congregations, and your congregation will be entering a discernment process to determine its future, I’d love to visit with you and your congregation about the Evangelical Methodist Church. The EMC is where I’ve found my home, and I would love to help you explore the advantages of being a part of our denomination. Simply reply in the comments section below, or email me your contact information. We’ll go from there.
Not the Perfect Pastor 