We have been very blessed here in Lamont. Depending on which news reports you listen to, between 500,000 and 250,000 people were without power this morning in Oklahoma. We had a substantial amount of rain last night, and the wonderful thing was the temperature actually rose slightly last night. So, it really was just rain, and not freezing rain.

We still don’t have heat in the parsonage, but with four space heaters throughout the house, we are staying pretty warm. I am thankful this morning for electricity!

In my post yesterday, my original intent was to reflect a bit on leading worship on a day where winter weather kept many people from attending worship. (I was distracted by the picture of McFarlin I stumbled across on MSNBC…) Our attendance on Sunday was somewhere around 45, which was actually better than I was anticipating. That is about half of our average attendance. Our organist lives in a town to our west and our pianist is not comfortable getting out in icy conditions. (I think they both made the right decisions for their safety.) The interesting thing is this meant that we had no accompaniment. This made me realize how blessed we are to have such gifted folks leading us in our musical worship. But I also found that singing without accompaniment helped me to hear the words in a different way.

Finally, as we were singing our final hymn, I looked out at the congregation and I thought about the many people who wanted to be in worship, but just didn’t feel like they could get there safely. (Of course there were probably some who could have easily made it, but the weather provided a good excuse to sleep in.) But many of our older members just don’t feel sure-footed enough to get out when there is so much ice. I couldn’t help but think that we were worshiping God, not just on our own, but on their behalf as well. We were carrying on the church’s witness to God in the absence of those who could not be there. In reality, we do this every week, but it was particularly evident this Sunday when the weather kept so many folks away. It made me realize that when there is inclement weather, for those who are able to make it to worship, it is their privilege to carry on the whole church’s task of worshiping God.

I thank God for showing me blessings in the midst of difficult situations!

The weather here in Oklahoma has been crazy. I woke up Sunday morning to a phone call from our church’s organist saying that she would not be able to make the drive in to church. I looked outside, and immediately understood why she would not be able to make the 12 mile drive, everything was covered in a thick layer of ice.

During the day, we didn’t get too much more ice, but south of here in both Tulsa where my parents are and in Norman where my wife’s parents are, they got much more. The picture I have included is from an MSNBC news story posted this morning about the storm. The structure in the picture is of McFarlin UMC, the church that I received my calling to ordained ministry in. So, if there is a plus side in all of this, McFarlin is famous!

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has received a half inch of ice so far and forecasters are predicting another half inch. Our heater quit working yesterday afternoon, so we are pretty cold, but I can’t imagine how much worse it would be without the electricity that powers the space heaters we have running.

Please pray with me for all the people without power in this very cold weather.

This week’s Friday Shout Out goes out to Scott Meier.  Scott is the youth minister at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church.  He has had a big impact on my life as I experienced a calling to ministry while working with him with the youth group.  He provided me many opportunities to explore and confirm that calling.  (He also drove me out to Washington DC to move into my dorm room at Wesley Seminary.)  In gratitude for all that you have done for me and so many others, Scott, this Friday Shout Out goes out to you.

 Here’s how it works, all you have to do is shout back by leaving a comment.  I would be particularly interested to know what you see coming or changing in youth ministry in the future.  And what have you found to be particularly effective in reaching today’s youth? You don’t have to answer these questions, the mic is yours! You just have to shout back.

Matt Judkins, at Catching Meddlers has a great post this morning connecting Eugene Peterson’s book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places with the themes of Advent. Check it out here.

In other news I have been reading two very interesting books that deal with a bit different subject matter than I normally delve into here. First, is Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. I am certainly not qualified to critique a book about TR, but I would just say it is a very readable and interesting book, as is the first one The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.

The second book I am reading is one that is giving me a bit better idea of what is ahead for me in the next major stage in my life: being a father. The book is called Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. It can be a slightly terrifying read, but I appreciate her perspective.

It is good to read in some different areas. My brother is a history buff, and I am hoping that he is going to send some other great history books my way for Christmas. Stay tuned.

I spent some time during lunch today updating my google reader account so that it is more in-sync with my blog roll. In doing so, I realized I had somehow missed a great post that Steven Manskar at Accountable Discipleship has about a recent meeting that all of the cabinets in United Methodism had called “The United Methodist Way.” One of the focuses of the meeting was Wesley’s General Rules. Manskar talks about what he hopes will come of this meeting.  It is worth a read.

Today, I am working on my sermon for this Sunday. I am preaching on the Gospel reading from the lectionary, Matthew 3:1-12. This morning I have been reading the commentaries I have on Matthew. One of the commentaries I bought when I first moved to Lamont was a commentary by D.A. Carson that was on sale at one of the nearby Christian bookstores. I often use it as a supplement, but this morning I was struck by his characteristic of repentance:

What is meant is not a merely intellectual change of mind or mere grief, still less doing penance, but a radical transformation of the entire person, a fundamental turnaround involving mind and action and including overtones of grief, which results in “fruit in keeping with repentance.” (The Expository’s Bible Commentary, Matthew 1-12, p.99)

I don’t know that there is much that I have to say that would improve upon that explanation of repentance. I simply would say amen and hope for God’s grace to continue to enable true repentance in my life and in the live of others.  At this point in my sermon preparation, I think the focus of my sermon will have something to do with a deeper understanding of repentance.

A group of pastors in the Enid District of the Oklahoma Annual Conference began meeting together in September to work through Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today. I think the study went over well, but we also found that we just enjoyed getting together and having a chance to check in and see how things are going in our ministries. So, what began as a group meeting specifically to go through one book has become more permanent as we decided to continue meeting.

We met today to discuss what to do next. We decided to read together Bishop Robert Schnase’s Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. I am excited to read and discuss it together because it is a book that has been on my radar for awhile, and I just haven’t gotten around to picking up a copy. The way we decided on this book was that we all brought books that we wanted to recommend and then we talked about each one and finally arrived at a consensus to read Bishop Schnase’s book. I really enjoyed getting to hear from different folks about the books that had spoken to them, and now my “Book to Read” list is several titles longer!

The best part about this group, though, is that we are really getting to know each other. I think we are starting to form a degree of trust and comfort with one another. It has been exciting to me because I now feel like I know some pastor’s pretty well that I didn’t know at all before. It has increased a sense of collegiality in our district and it has caused me to feel a deeper sense of hope for our conference and our church as I have come to realize what gifted and passionate pastors God has blessed us with. I have often heard people mention that they are struggling to feel connected to other people. I think the simple act of committing to meet once a week with members of the covenant community is a powerful way to connect to each other, and strengthen the connection that all Methodist ministers are a part of.

Are you in a group of other pastors? What have you done that has made you feel the connectional system was strengthened?

It was good to be an OU fan last night as the Sooners pretty well dominated a very good Missouri team. I was not sure we would be able to beat them twice in the same season. It is amazing that Bob Stoops has now won his 5th Big XII championship with his 5th different starting quarterback. I would not be shocked if his 6th championship comes under the current quarterback.

Meanwhile, the BCS has been exposed as ridiculous at a whole other level. (Check out this poll at espn.com where more than a quarter of a million people have voted and more than 80% would approve of a playoff. Apparently the one place where public opinion does not rule is in college football.) I will not even make the case for OU to be in the national championship game. So many teams can make a good argument for why they should be in it this year, that it is almost absurd. I will just say that I would, of course, love to see OU playing for the championship and I think that they would give whoever they played a run for their money. But this afternoon fans of Ohio State, LSU, Georgia, Virginia-Tech, USC, Kansas, Missouri, Hawaii, (insert your team’s name here) are all saying the same thing. No matter what happens it will probably be tough to say with a straight face that there is a consensus “best team in the country” when the season is over.

Either way, just as long as we don’t play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, I will be happy!

This week’s Friday Shout Out goes out to Bobby Gruenewald. Bobby is the “Pastor, Innovational Leader” at LifeChurch.tv. He is also one of the co-authors of Swerve, LifeChurch.tv’s blog that deals with “leadership, technology, and innovation.”

Ok, Bobby, here is how this works. You have received this week’s “Friday Shout Out.” All you have to do now is shout back. I would particularly be interested to hear what role you think communal formation, especially small group accountability, will play in the internet church, or in online communities in general. Do you prefer physical gatherings for more vulnerable things like holding one another accountable for growing in faith, or do you see potential for online community that could not be met through more conventional small groups? These are just some things I would be particularly interested to hear your thoughts on, but the microphone is yours! You are free to say whatever you like, all you really have to do is shout back!

I know I have been off-line for awhile. I apologize for the absence. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with both sides of our family. It was a relaxing time and great to reconnect with family. The best part of the vacation was when my dad and I teamed up against my brother in Axis and Allies (the board game that my brother always destroyed me at when we played). Although we didn’t get to finish the game, we were beating him pretty bad.
Brad, my brother, might see that a little differently… but this isn’t his blog.

This week I went to Canyon Camp for my last round of Board of Ordained Ministry Interviews. I had my interview at 10:00am this morning, and I was approved for ordination at this Annual Conference. The process towards ordination has been going on so long, I think I had sort of become numb to how much it meant to me. When I was called back into the room and told that they had voted unanimously for me to be ordained, I became a bit overwhelmed and teared up.

I have been especially aware today of what a blessing it is to be a member of the Oklahoma Annual Conference. I am excited to become a part of the covenant community at this next Annual Conference. Thank you to all of you who have helped me along the way, whether through giving advice and wisdom, support, encouragement, or a listening ear. I have been blessed by so many different people’s love and support. Thank you!

God is so good! May God’s love touch your life this day as it has graced mine.