08/22/2023
Thankfulness is the Mother of Nearly All Good Things
Of all places, I came across a quote from the Roman Senator, Cicero, on the business website, Forbes.com. He said, back in Julius Caesar’s time, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” That was the gist of what Bishop Trimble said to us from the pulpit. ‘Thank you’ is not only a beautiful prayer, it is the well spring from which love, grace, and Christian living flow. When it becomes clear that God has accepted me for who I am, forgiven my dumb and hurt decisions, loved me in spite of my unloveliness I am so filled with gratitude and joy that I want to pay it forward. I am motivated to accept, forgive, and love others for Christ’s sake.
I hope you joined us in worship on Sunday. What a day of celebration. We had Bishop Trimble, our Conference Superintendent, Saneta Maiko; the President of United Theological Seminary, Dr. Kent Millard; former pastor Patti Napier, and a variety of other distinguished guests. We all had special pride in the graduation ceremony we held for Pastor Daisy, as she prepares to return to Sierra Leone. And our Bishop’s preaching was outstanding. (And don’t forget my role…standing up there looking as dignified as I could muster at various points.) I thought my wife Sue, who coordinates worship for us, was going to collapse Sunday afternoon. So many pieces in play, especially when you realize that Pastor Jessica both preached and served communion at a significantly different 10:30 service.
Kick Off Sunday was such a thrill under the big top out in the parking lot, and Daisy’s graduation and hosting the Bishop was such an honor and pleasure, I’m afraid that you all are going to get bored with plain old Tim for the next several weeks.
Pastor Daisy will go on to do great things for God and you should find satisfaction that you made her education and credentialing possible through your generosity to our church budget as well as its missions ministries. The number of volunteers who played important roles in transporting Daisy, helping her adjust to life in the U.S., and being there for her when she needed a helping hand—they are just too many to list. As we say goodbye to Daisy, she will leave a hole in our staff and in our hearts, but at the same time it fills me with great gratitude to be the pastor of Carmel UMC.
Archived Posts
Let’s Not Overlook Joseph of Nazareth
I asked my research assistant—a certain ChatGPT—what the most interesting facet of Joseph’s life might be. She shared a couple of things that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon but you might still find inspirational...
Key Takeaway from Sunday
If I had to identify a specific take away from
Sunday’s sermon it would probably be this:
The Rest of the Story
I mentioned Russell Conwell in Sunday’s message. He was a famous preacher, educator, and lecturer. His sermon/lecture “Acres of Diamonds” was turned into a book and sold rather well. I used Conwell’s illustrations to talk about sharing the good news of Jesus with those closest to us first—family, friends, coworkers, and church family. The wider world is our ultimate aim, but until you invest in the people God has already put in your life, you are unlikely to have much success.
No One Said It Would be Easy
To love Jesus first is to learn to love all the other people in our lives with greater intensity and less selfishness
What’s Saved Is Often Lost
Here’s the benediction we didn’t have time for yesterday (Sunday, November 3). It’s one of my favorite quotations (portions of a newspaper column). I hope you find it as inspiring as I have
Leftovers Continued…
It’s not just the fact that God is un-impressed by our leftovers, it actually goes deeper than that. In a sense, Jesus is passionately and purposely opposed to anything leftover. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to work diligently to make sure that in the end nothing at all is left over.
Less Stuff and Fewer Wants
Here’s a point I left off Sunday’s sermon due to time and length. In dealing with an Entitled mindset it is very helpful if you can Reduce Materialism and Consumerism.