Cletus Hull

The Lord's Prayer: A Prayer Strategy by Ken Barnes

1/12/2023

The Lord’s Prayer (Inspirational Video)

I pray, O God, pour out on me your Holy Spirit–the spirit of prayer–that I may ever love and desire to pray; being daily free to approach you, with all confidence in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, William Loehe

(Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV)
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Categories for Prayer
1. Verse 9-Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name.
Psalm 68:5, Isaiah 66:1. Act 7:49, Psalm 19:1, Psalm 113:3-4, Psalm 69:34
2. Verse 10a-Your Kingdom come.
Psalm 22:27-28, Psalm 28:8-9, Psalm 46:6-7, Psalm 45:6tar
3. Verse 10b-Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Unity in heaven-The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-1+1+1=1- The Church (our Church) should reflect what is happening in heaven.
Matthew 3:16-17 (unity in diversity), Psalm 24:4, Psalm 143:10, Matthew 26:39
“Gloria Parti” (Minor or Lessor or Trinitarian Doxology of the Church) “Glory be to God the Father; Glory be to God the Son; Glory be to God the Spirit, ever three and ever one; As it was in the beginning, now and evermore shall be.”
4. Verse 11-Give us this day our daily bread.
Philippians 4:19, Proverbs 39:7-9, Matthew 5:6
5. Verse 12- And forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.
Luke 6:37, Psalm 51:1-2, Luke 17:3-4, Psalm 25:1
6. Verse 13- And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
Three categories of temptations of Jesus–
Lust of the flesh (Matthew 4:3-4) Jesus responded with
(Deuteronomy 8:3),
Pride of life (Matthew 4:5-7) Jesus responded with (Deuteronomy 6:16),
Lust of the Eyes
(Matthew 4:8-10) Jesus responded with Deuteronomy 13:4.
Jesus used the Word of God, and so should we.
7. Verse 13-For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
1 Chronicles 29:11, 1 Timothy 1:17
We should seek God’s Kingdom, power, and glory in our Church.

Video courtesy of www.prayerscapes.com

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As the Praises Go Up!

1/3/2023

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Adoration—As the Praises Go Up

I recently attended a birthday party of a friend who turned 50 years of age. Family members and friends lavished words of thanksgiving and praise on the party’s honoree. I thought, how we love to praise each other, and we should. It is a good practice to lift other people. Yet, do we praise God in an even greater way?

Years ago, I was taught how to open my prayer to the Lord with a very simple acronym that we can all remember...

ACTS
A-C-T-S

A is for adoration—the opening for all our prayers. We recognize this action as a key element in prayer. Yet, at times, we give a passing nod to God, and we are quick to neglect and rush by our praise for the Lord. Once you praise God, it gets your mind off what is opposing you.

When we praise our requests tend to take over our thoughts. What if we savored adoration for God, giving aspirations of praise, as we do for a birthday party? Here are three items I have learned about adoration and praise in prayer.

Adoration is passionate. When you feel passion, you do not need to pump yourself up. As David in the Psalms exclaimed, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Adoration was deep within his being and leaped from his soul Adoration cannot wait to express the worship of God. Where there is passion there is no loss of words.

Adoration is unselfish. Adoration focuses your attention on the audience of One—the God of the universe. Adoration does not know the word me. As Matt Redman sang, “it’s all about You.” We have the privilege of communicating our praise with the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Adoration is our gratitude. We are not flattering God when we adore the Lord. Adoration teaches us gratefulness as Ephesians 5:20 says,

“Always giving thanks for all we have.”

In the end, gratitude strengthens you. When the exiles returned the build the temple Nehemiah said, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Revelation, a book about the worship of the Lord in Heaven says,

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’”

When we are in Heaven, we will no longer need the other items of A-C-T-S in prayer.

C for Confession is not heretofore needed for the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. T for thanksgiving is included in our eternal praise. Plus, S our supplication and bread will be fulfilled. We have no more needs. However, all eternity will be filled with A-adoration and praise, according to Revelation. But why wait until that day?

O Come, let us adore Him!

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Is Your Desire God's Dream? by Ken Barnes

9/30/2022

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I met Ken Barnes through a school friend Michell Trish and her digital magazine Pure Joy Journal - Home which relates many stories of God’s grace and goodness in life~~~Clete

For this child I prayed,
and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.
(1 Samuel 1:27 ESV)

Hannah, the mother of Samuel, the Prophet of God, never gave up a desire for a child. Is your desire part of God’s plan for your life?

When my wife and I were first married, we wanted to have children. We prayed for six years with no answer. One day, without being prompted, an Elder in our church asked my wife if she wanted to have children. She replied she did. The Elders prayed over her, and she was pregnant within one to two months. When our daughter arrived, we sent out a birth announcement with 1 Samuel 1:27 inscribed. God had heard our prayers.

Hannah has a situation like ours, but much more complicated. Hannah was barren, but Elkanah, her husband, had another wife, Peninnah, who wasn’t, who often taunted Hannah (1 Samuel 1:6-7). Her husband was somewhat clueless about her feelings and egotistical (1 Samuel 1:8). She also had a spiritual leader, Eli, far from the ideal, judged her falsely (1 Samuel 9-14). Hannah may have had every reason to believe that God had forsaken her.

What was Hannah’s response to the circumstances? First, she wept. That’s right, she cried. As Christians, we often try to live in a spiritualized fantasy land and believe we should not experience grief or sorrow. Yet, Hannah did something critical with her weeping; she prayed. With her sadness, she never forgot that God was still good. In many cases, when we weep, we stop praying. If we stop praying, our weeping will never cease.

Hannah continued to pray, but it was also how she prayed. He told the Lord that if he gave her a son, it would be the Lord’s, not hers. 1 Samuel 2:21 tells us that “she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.” whatever you hold onto, you lose; what you give to the Lord, you keep. You can never out give God.

Hannah’s desire was part of God’s plan for Samuel to become the great Prophet of all Israel. Samuel means “God has heard,” which he most certainly did for Hannah’s prayers. Don’t be surprised if your desire is God’s dream for you.

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Christ our greatest Need by Ken Barnes

8/3/2022

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But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33 NKJV).

If I am honest, I must admit that sometimes I want what I don't need, and what I need I do not want. Such is the state of human nature. We can identify with the Apostle Paul when he said, "O wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24 NKJV)

This tendency can lead us away from seeking His kingdom first, even when the things we pursue are legitimate or good.

Most of us are needy people. We want to have our needs met, and there is nothing innately wrong with this. But it does not start with us but Him (Christ). In congregations today, many are clamoring for the pastor to meet their needs. Alistair Begg, the Pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, has said that "preachers are besieged today to begin their sermons with man and his need rather than God and His glory." It is not so much that one is good and the other bad. It is the order of importance we place on these that can lead us astray.

Begg further commented, "preaching today has become more concerned with wholeness, not holiness. We have, in many ways, developed a self-centered theology.

The critical point is where we start in our discussion about God's glory and man's wholeness. If we begin with man's needs, we allow our circumstances or the culture to determine our theology and our corresponding preaching rather than the Bible.

Those of us who preach, teach, or write are not called first and foremost to meet people's wishes but to give, as much as possible, a clear exposition of the full counsel of God, the Bible. And the critical element that enables us to focus on God and not man is our motivation for doing what we do.

Remember, Jesus was never motivated totally by need but by the will of the Father. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). When the crowds were waiting for a great revival meeting, Jesus was off to a new location. When the multitudes were clamoring for his presence, he slipped to a quiet place to commune with His Father.

Was he insensitive to the requests of His seekers? No! He understood that only if he kept his focus on what Jesus saw His Father doing would He ultimately meet the cries of His followers. But not in the manner or timeframe anticipated by the people and not by placating needs that were only wants in disguise

How could Jesus pull this off? He could do it because He was not dependent on the applause of people. Many years ago, James S. Stewart, the Scottish Presbyterian minister, said, "The disease of contemporary preaching is its search for popularity."

Jesus taught His disciples to seek to serve instead of being served and look past their desires to see a needy world. Yes, God does want to meet our legitimate needs but, in His time, and way.

A.W. Tozer put it in perspective when he said, "Faith looks out instead of in---and the whole of life falls into line." If we seek God first and His Kingdom needs, He will meet all our earthly needs but not vice versa.

Ken Barnes is the author of “Broken Vessels” published in February 2021 and “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”, published by YWAM Publishing in 2011.

Ken’s Website-- https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- contact@kenbarnes.us

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Out of the Coalfields of Western PA by Ken Barnes

7/19/2022

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Through my 35 years of pastoral ministry with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in western PA I have met several of the people named in Ken’s blog. I also served as a campus minister at California University of PA from 1989-1996. People like Clarence Johnson and John Haniford from the First Christian Church in Brownsville PA helped me in the ministry. I am sharing Ken’s blog as a story of the faithfulness of the Lord throughout our lives~~~Clete

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7 NIV)

I grew up in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and attended the First Christian Church in this small coal-mining town. I am writing this piece out of gratefulness to the people of this church for my spiritual roots. I will mention some people who most people reading this will not remember, but I remember them because they were an early part of my Christian education.

I was born in western Tennessee in 1946 and moved to Brownsville as a baby. Though my mom did not attend the church much, she made sure I was in Sunday School in the church on Second Street. I had all the perfect attendance pins down one lapel and the other of my little suitcoat. Kids wore suits to Sunday School in those days.

My junior high school Sunday school teacher was a man named Clarence Johnson, a Fuller Brush salesman. He was a fire and brimstone type of guy. One time he spoke at a Sunday morning service, and I thought for sure that he would scorch the paint off the walls. We should have had more people like him in those days.

In my high school days, my Sunday school teacher was Sarah McCloy, my elementary school teacher and Principal at Prospect Street Elementary School, where I attended. She was an old-school, teacher—she didn’t teach to live; she lived to teach. She was a strict disciplinarian—if you didn’t fear God when you went into her office, at least you would have the fear of man (or woman) when you came out. Mrs. McCloy believed that if you spared the rod, you spoiled the child. Mrs. McCloy never spared too many rods.

Several students and I got caught throwing snowballs on the school playground on a snowy day. She lined us to take us in to discipline us; momentarily, she turned away, and I snuck out of the line. I never got caught and never made it right with her at church. Maybe, this admission will have to do.

The two pastors I remember most were John Haniford and Dr. Wayne Tolson. Rev. Haniford was my Pastor during my high school years and Dr. Tolson during my college years and afterward. Dr. Tolson was an outstanding preacher. Another prominent person in my spiritual life was an Elder, Melvin Dearth. Melvin saw something in me that I was not ready to see.

Mr. Dearth was the Elder in charge of picking the speaker for Laymen’s Sunday. One year Melvin asked me to speak, and he saw that I could put some syllables into words and words into paragraphs in a talk to the Church. From that Sunday, Melvin was intent on getting me to go to Bible College and Seminary, of which I had two interests, little and none. At first, I liked the recognition I got for being in the pulpit on those Sundays, but things started to change toward the end of my high school years and during college. I realized a huge gap between what I was saying in the pulpit and how I lived. I knew when the Lyman’s Sunday was coming up, and I avoided Melvin like the plague. If he came in the front door of the Church, I would go out the back. If he sat on the right side of the Church, I sat on the left. Eventually, he would corner me, and I would grudgingly agree to speak. One year I said "no!" I decided that if I was not going to walk the walk, then I was not going to talk the talk. There was a lot of right and wrong in that decision.

In understanding my story, you must consider the church culture of the day. In the 1950s and 60s, my friends from all strata of life went to church on Sunday, yet it did not affect how we acted the rest of the week. I looked pretty good on Sunday morning and was adept and hiding some glaring weaknesses that would arise during the week. It was a dual lifestyle. I was not appreciably different from any of my non-Christian friends. One of my friends had on his magazine table his denominational magazine covering his Playboy Magazine. I thought it was funny. Songwriter Barry McGuire summed up the hypocrisy of the day in his song The Eve of Destruction. He wrote, “you hate your next-door neighbor but don’t forget to say grace.”

Life went on, and I graduated from California State College, now PennWest California, and got a teaching job in Belle Vernon, PA. I married a gal from the Methodist Church down the street from my Church, Sharon Gilmore. I guess I won the theological argument as she started attending my church and joined the church later. Life on the surface was going pretty well for me, but there was unrest in my soul. I dabbled in psychological answers, some pretty weird, but nothing seemed to satisfy. When I prayed, I would often see a half-moon, but never knew why.

One Sunday, I talked with Doug Tunney, we had grown up together in our church. He was attending Cal State and part of a Christian group on campus. They were planning a campus-wide meeting and had invited a speaker from Switzerland, and he asked me to come. I thought that he must have something to say if he had come from Europe. So, I decided to go.

The speaker for that meeting was Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With A Mission, which I would later join. I don’t remember much of what Loren said that night, but he spoke some words I will never forget. In the end, he said, “God does not want half of you or three-quarters of you, He wants of you.” Intuitively I started to understand what the half-moon meant. God wanted all of me. I was living a life of one foot in the church and one foot in the world, and it didn’t work. I felt this urge to go forward when Loren gave the invitation, but there was a problem. At the bottom of the bleacher where I was, sat an Elder from my church. It was Earl Tunney, Doug’s father. I thought that if I went forward, he would think I had been a hypocrite, who I was; I did not want Earl to know it. Pride is always the great hindrance to salvation. I took a deep breath, and as I walked past Earl, I looked in the other direction. I told the Lord that night that he wasn’t getting much, but what I had, He could have all of it.

I went home that night and told my wife what had happened, and she looked at me like I was a little weird. I knew something had happened. Several months later, my wife went forward at an evangelistic meeting at the Baptist Church, and she became strange also. Was I a Christian before that night at Hamer Hall? The honest answer to that question is, I do not know? At about twelve or thirteen, I had made a profession of faith at my church. Maybe I just had fire insurance; I don’t know. I know that from that night at my college gymnasium, I would never again be the same. When you get honest with God, He gets honest with you.

I started to attend the Bible study on campus, and I noticed they had something I did not have, a relationship with Christ, not just religion. I will be eternally grateful to Doug Tunney, who, through a simple invitation and the nurture that Bible study gave me, changed my life’s whole trajectory. Incidentally, Doug is the leader of Youth With A Mission in Philadelphia, PA.

I started to get involved with my church with a newfound zeal. Although, some who previously had wanted me to speak in church were not so sure anymore. They may have thought that I had caught some kind of fever. Not so with Melvin Dearth; I think he was happy I was finally using my gifts and calling. He possibly was tempted to tell me; I told you so.

I went on to serve God as best I could. I spent seventeen years as a missionary with YWAM, recruiting and training young adults for short-term missionary trips. I traveled in South America to Paraguay, Chile, and Argentina with missionary teams. I have worked in Spain and Ukraine in Europe. I have published two books about my missionary experience, and I am working on a third, a devotional. I have been a leader and base director and am now on the Board of Directors for Youth With A Mission in Richmond, VA. I have done a few things for God, but my greatest claim to fame is that I am a child of God. You can’t have a title better than a child of the King.

In closing, I have two regrets. First, I regret that it took me so long to thank the people who helped me along on my spiritual journey—some of whom can no longer read this. Thank you to the pastors and Sunday school teachers at the First Christian Church who taught me the Word of God and where I first heard the name of Jesus. Thank you, Melvin Dearth, for what you saw in me and Doug Tunney for being an example to me. Others have followed in other churches and YWAM, but that is for another time.

Second, I regret that it took me twenty-five to thirty years to let go of my life and put it in the hands of God. Living on the fence between God and the world is neither fun nor productive for you nor God. The Book of Revelation tells us that God hates lukewarm Christians. Young people reading this in any church, go big or go home. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” (Ecc 12:1 NIV). Don’t miss so many productive years as I did—God has always used young people for His glory. As the South African missionary C.T. Studd once said, “only one life t'will some be passed, only what is done for Christ will last.”

Ken Barnes is the author of “Broken Vessels” published in February 2021 and “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”, published by YWAM Publishing in 2011.

Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- contact@kenbarnes.us

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Ukraine's Cause for Just War

3/9/2022

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For two weeks in March 1991, I visited Russia with Penn State University students. We traveled to three cities…St. Petersburg, Moscow, and the ancient capital of Novogrod. I found the people of Russia both friendly and intelligent. This period of history was the era when Mikhail Gorbachev promoted the novel idea of perestroika (openness). The ancient Russian empire opened itself to the freedoms that the democratic world embraced, and the people enjoyed the fruits of independence.

Now, we are in 2022, with Vladimir Putin attacking a free and sovereign nation. Ukraine benefited from the perestroika reformation, and I find my thoughts in sympathy with the Ukrainian people. War is a last resort and must be resisted at all costs. However, this conflict feels different. Ukraine did not openly provoke Russia with war. Putin took it upon himself to carve a destructive path across Ukraine, targeting civilians and besieging their land. As my mind muses over this conflict while watching the horrific news reports on television, I believe if any country is justified in fighting an invasion, it would be Ukraine.

St. Augustine of Hippo, a great political and biblical thinker is remembered for his thoughts on just war (jus ad bellum). Though he did not originally coin the term just war, he certainly wrote about the topic. He recognized in his classic work, The City of God, the depravity and sinfulness that humans can inflict upon each other. Additionally, he acknowledged both an earthly city (tampered by sin) and a heavenly city (created for God’s purposes). He accepted the concept from Romans 13 that we must obey the authorities placed by God on earth and that government was meant to keep society from destroying itself. In short, his primary thought on the topic of just war concerned controlling sin and that the established order wielded the sword. Even modern theologians such as Paul Ramsey and Reinhold Niebuhr (Christ over culture) argued for jus ad bellum—the right to enter war.

With Putin blocking social media in his country and civilians in Ukraine unjustly attacked, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s cry to defend his country remains appropriate. On March 5, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine at the Poland border for a press conference. The two officials crossed the line from Poland into Ukraine and Kuleba proclaimed, “Ukraine will win this because this is the peoples’ war for their land, and we defend the right cause.” As the Ukrainian’s fight to protect their land, families, and country, Ukraine’s just war is unfortunate, but a necessary means for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are praying for a peaceful resolution.

May all Christians in both the East and West, follow the words of
St. John Chrysostom, thoughts on Ephesians 4:26-27...

"We are commanded to have only one enemy, the devil. With him never be reconciled! But with a brother, never be at enmity in thy heart."

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I learned in youth ministry... God is Still in Control!

6/15/2018

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I want to tell you about a youth ministry story in which I learned about the faithfulness of God. Over thirty years ago, two other churches, Fairhill Manor and Taylorstown Christian Churches joined our church, First Christian Church, Marianna in planning an overnight trip to Cedar Point Park in Ohio. We met at the Fairhill Manor parking lot in Washington, PA. About fifty (youth and adults) were driving on this four hour trip to the amusement park. We had ten cars to keep together. As we began driving north on Interstate 79 in Pennsylvania, and as you know, some folks drive faster than others (you know like, 70 mph and others 55 mph!) Eventually, we all became separated from each other. By the time we arrived at the Ohio state line toll booth, some of the faster cars drove on without us. I didn’t even know where Cedar Point was. We were just following the cars and now we are lost! I searched for several hours. We couldn’t find anyone. No one had cell phones. The only means of communication we had was a CB (that was like having the internet today). Still, we couldn’t find the people who knew how to drive to the amusement park. Eventually, I stopped at a church to call back to Washington, PA to find someone who may know their whereabouts. I couldn’t get in touch with anyone. No one answered at the church. The three kids who were in my car, went into the church sanctuary to look around and pray. As I gathered everyone to leave, we drove out of the church parking lot. This church had one of those big marquees by the road. I can’t remember the name of the church but it had a well-known phrase on the sign. The phrase said,

“GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!”

The young man, who was sitting in the back seat of my car said, “Hey, pastor, do you see that sign?” I was frustrated at the time and really didn’t want to read it. He chirped out,

“We'll he better be, because you’re sure not!” They laughed!!

We finally did find everyone but it was a moment I will never forget. I am glad a young person could teach me about the faithfulness of God. It’s a thought that has helped me for 30 years, ever since I’ve been in the church ministry.

God better be, because I'm sure not!

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The Healing Power of Symbols as a Christian Chaplain in a Psychiatric Hospital

5/15/2018

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For thirty-three years I have served as a chaplain at two Pennsylvania state psychiatric hospitals. I recall the first moment that I arrived on the hospital campus, just one day after my ordination in the Christian ministry in 1989, and since that time, it has been a joy to serve in this specialized vocation. The unique challenges and benefits of this work have created many rewarding moments. I would like to discuss one area of ministry that has grown in my chaplaincy. The power of symbols pertains specifically to the importance of the study of theology in the church and the academy.

THE POWER OF SYMBOLS

I discovered that we may call symbols—sacraments, ordinances, or a point of contact. Your faith tradition may have a different name; nevertheless, spiritual symbols are a concrete means to reach and touch the Transcendent God.

For many years I have been a member of The Pennsylvania Society of Chaplains. This group provides various continuing education seminars. At one meeting, a professor from a reformed Christian perspective addressed the need for God to be God and for us chaplains to not execute God's plan. He reminded us, "We don't heal, God heals. We do not need to make things happen, God makes them happen."

Then, he suggested this thought, which I wrote down:

"If you want to make every hospital visit a success, you need to bring these five symbols with you into the room—healing oil, holy communion, the Bible, laying on of hands and prayer. Ask the patient if they would receive these symbols of God's presence and watch the Lord work."

I was advised that by utilizing these five scriptural symbols, people would sense that they had received ministry; therefore, I would not need to worry about my inelegant comments. The power that these symbols represent would accomplish what was needed. Reading an open Bible, anointing with oil or grasping one's hand in prayer surpasses anything I could achieve with my initiative. "We cannot do it. Let God bear the load of ministry!" the professor would reiterate. Ministry is about the God who acts in human beings. For many in our profession, it takes deep courage to say, "I can't do this myself." The symbols unveil concrete expressions of the Lord that people touch and hold with their faith. These Bible-honored symbols are points of contact connecting us with God.

I recall one chaplain's spiritual support group that he modestly named, The Psalms. His sole intention was to recite the lament psalms with whoever attended. The group never lacked an audience. In fact, patients could not wait to arrive. Additionally, they read aloud certain passages of the Bible that affected our spiritual lives—such as Psalm 23, the Lord's Prayer, etc. When we announced over the loud speaker that a service with Holy Communion was being offered, more people came to these occasions than the regular worship services. Numerous patients desired to be anointed with oil as well. Certainly, we have experienced this divine power whether we consciously know it or not. Symbols of faith employ the five senses to associate with spiritual convictions and draw us closer to the original faith that touched our soul. That is the power of symbols!

The power of forgiveness, prayer, and symbols operate tremendously in the hard places of ministry. Because of their divine origin, I believe they demonstrate and release God's healing power. As a chaplain or a lay minister in the Christian faith, we minister the life of Christ, who brought wholeness to a fragmented world. This area of ministry—symbols—represents that God is the ultimate Healer, while we humbly share as the conduits of God's wholeness in humanity. Without a doubt, chaplaincy is a front row seat and a privileged place where we watch God work as we stand back and give him the glory!

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HONEST DOUBTS CAN TURN INTO FAITH LEARN TO LOVE THE QUESTIONS!

5/23/2017

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“Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart,
and try to love the questions themselves.”
Rainer Maria Rilke (poet)

Questions? Whys? Why does this happen to me? We do not always know the answers to our ‘whys.” Many sages and philosophers throughout history have found their greatest source of strength in…the questions.

In the Scriptures, after the Resurrection of Jesus, we read about Thomas, who unfortunately has been nicknamed--Doubting Thomas. The Bible says, in John 20:24-25:

Thomas one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So, the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Thomas missed the first meeting with Jesus and the disciples, so he needed evidence for believing that Jesus rose from the dead. In other words, just like us, he had questions. Like many of the characters in the Bible, he was a portrait of us all!

Some folks believe that questioning is a lack of faith, but that is not so. Unknowingly, some who tell others to ‘not doubt or question’ probably acquired their strongest beliefs and values through their questions. Questioning is a life-long process and it’s only through the questions that we will discover satisfaction in life.

Although the concept of questioning appears frustrating at times, the process teaches us that these very thoughts may be the source of motivation to find the answers.

Returning to the Scriptures, Jesus appeared to Thomas when he was with the disciples again. The Lord gave him evidence for his faith when he said, “Put your finger here Thomas; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28, NIV).

Church tradition tells us that Thomas eventually traveled to India to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, there is a famed church in India named after Thomas, which many believe the disciple came to share God’s love for all people.

That doesn’t sound like a doubter to me, but a real believer. This all came by way of honest doubts, which God can turn into real faith!

Therefore, learn to love the questions!

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Holy Communion at Trinity Church

8/9/2016

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For us at Trinity, Holy Communion is a precious moment. For many, it remains the high point of the cross in worship. We are one of the few Protestant churches that serve communion every week. I know our sacramental friends call it the Eucharist which comes from a Greek work that means "thanksgiving," thus, the Great Thanksgiving. It is a vertical relationship with us and the Lord. A horizontal connection with brothers and sisters in Jesus. Place both vertical and horizontal together and you have the cross. Our praise to God for His sacrifice upon the cross.

In our denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we call it the Holy Communion--communing with one another and with the Lord. On many occasions I had shared with folks at Trinity that I only have one sermon, and it is about a cross (I Cor. 1:18).

I believe the Holy Communion has through faith, great power for our soul and body. It is indicated in I Corinthians 11 that some of the Corinthians were taking the cup and the bread unworthily. They were just eating/drinking and missing what it was all about. Their sicknesses were not being healed. Some died before their time. They were not grasping the meaning of His Body and their relationship with one another. There was division in the church. Fussing and quarreling among the church members. It was as if they were cut off from the forgiveness and healing the Lord could give in Holy Communion.

So we receive Holy Communion believing in the Lord's presence to heal and forgive. We love to take the Holy Communion. We love to take it often for many reasons, not the least of which it is a sacrament, a point of contact, to release our faith to God and love the brethren--to heal and forgive. Communion is the Lord's Table--He set the table. His grace! We do not need a list of items to check off to receive His grace. He welcomes all who desire to come to know Him deeply and share in His life.

That's what I believe the Holy Communion means to us at Trinity. We can experience healing and forgiveness every time we share. It is the cross and the Blood of Jesus cleansing us from all sin (I John 1:9). That is the meaning and reality of the words,

"This is my Body and Blood I give to you"

In Christ alone,

Pastor Cletus

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