Some might want to blame God for the weather events of the past few weeks. I do not blame God. There is a balance to nature. When nature gets out of balance, we see the incredible power of nature moving in sometimes tragic and devastating ways. Where is God in this devastation? God is with those who are hurting. God is inspiring individuals to bring help and hope to those in need. God is about the business of bringing hope to those who are lost. Our pain is God’s pain, and God is working to help the hurting.

One of the great debates of the Christian faith is that to ask God to not lead us into temptation reads like it is God’s nature to lead us into temptation. Is this right? It seems to fly in the face of what we believe about God – that God is good. If God is good, then God should not be tempting us. Surely there is something wrong with the wording of this phrase. Is there?

Do we believe God leads us into temptation? Do we really believe that God intentionally puts temptations in front of us, to entice us to do wrong? The answer is no. God does not tempt us as some kind of cosmic test. 

Few, if any of us, can relate to the desperate situation of Nazi Germany during World War II. Bonhoeffer did not deserve the imprisonment and eventual execution he would suffer. Our lives, though complicated at times, are pretty easy in comparison. We live in a free country, in relative comfort and ease. Our churches face no threats of arrest, persecution, or execution. Schools are readily available for our children. With a phone call, emergency aid, police, and fire are at our disposal. Our lives are blessed. 

As Paul begins his letter to the church at Philippi he writes, “I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5) 

This scripture came to mind today as I was praying over the staff, leadership, servant volunteers, and membership of Stonebridge UMC. I was overcome with joy to be the pastor of Stonebridge UMC. God showed me the deep faith of this congregation and the willingness of this congregation to do whatever it takes to advance the cause of Christ. I am not just your pastor; we are partners in the ministry of leading this church to reach those in this community and make a difference for Christ. 

So… I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers.

At Stonebridge UMC we are the church that empowers others by preaching and living Christ’s love and forgiveness instead of judging and condemning. We are the church that meets people where they are in a world of contradictions, to let them know how much God loves them. We are the church where we can discuss the most difficult issues and still love each other. We are the church who is constantly applying the holy and sacred Bible in such a way that speaks to the 21st century. 

We are the church that offers new life… through hope, love, acceptance and seeing the world in new and transforming ways. We are the church that is bringing people into a positive, life giving relationship with Jesus Christ. 

For the next six weeks we are going to look at the practice of prayer. We will use the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 as a guide. The prayers of Jesus were not “hit and run” prayers when things got tough. Jesus prayed at all times in all places. There was power in the prayers of Jesus. Luke 11:1 records the disciples asking Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray.”

Prayer is a major emphasis in the New Testament. There are over 370 references to some form of the word pray or prayer. Not only do we see Jesus praying with power, but prayer is a major emphasis for the early church writings.

This week I want to celebrate the great work our congregation is doing to make Stonebridge UMC UNSTOPPABLE for Christ and His Church. Last week I shared with you a vision for our ministries this fall. In this email I want to celebrate the progress we have made. 

In May, we had our first of seven “Listening Tour” home meetings. Our theme was Making Stonebridge UNSTOPPABLE. All the meetings were well attended. The energy was high. After the first three home meetings, momentum started to build around improvements to the landscaping. Money quickly started to come in, and volunteers responded to the call to get this done. The theme of Making Stonebridge UNSTOPPABLE has begun to catch people’s imagination. I have had several people ask me, “What’s next?” 

Ok… here it comes!

School has begun again, and we all know what that means. It’s football season. The Cowboys have played their first preseason game and soon the high schools and colleges will begin their seasons. I am ready. I am excited. The fuel for my excitement is that it looks like my school, SMU, is going to have a good team. Of course, the truth is that every team looks good in the weeks leading up to their first game. Optimism abounds. Then reality sets in and the hype begins to die.  But until then, SMU is undefeated!

God is asking the same question today. He's looking for those who are close and ready. When God is searching the sidelines for someone to take the field, I want to be standing close to God. Very few ever get the chance to participate in the Olympics, much less win a medal, but all of us can be ready for God's call.

We have finished the last home meeting of the Summer Listening Tour – Making Stonebridge UNSTOPPABLE. It has been an incredible run of seven meetings over the past seven weeks. I have collected well over 200 cards with your expectations, dreams, and ideas on how to make Stonebridge UNSTOPPABLE. My plan is to take the discussion notes and cards from these gatherings and put together a report of the major themes with a recommendation of a strategy to address the future of Stonebridge to make our church UNSTOPPABLE. 

Despite the rise of divisive ideologies, our nation is still the beacon of hope and freedom for the world. As such, we still worship without fear of persecution like much of the world sees. So let us give thanks for the blessings that God continues to offer his people. Let us not take for granted the opportunity to celebrate and worship our Lord. Let us make this time of celebrating our freedom a time for celebrating our freedom to believe and the unity of the Holy Spirit.

June has been an exciting month for Stonebridge UMC. VBS energized our building with a host of children. Last Sunday we commissioned one of the largest groups of youth in the past few years for their mission trip to serve the helping agency UM Army. The Summer Listening Tour – Making Stonebridge UNSTOPPABLE has been outstanding with great participation and a host of ideas to consider. And… this month we received another 8 members into our church family. 

Paul believed that the community of faith we call the Church would be the center of bringing Christ to the world. Through Paul, the Church became a movement that would shake the world. 

As we look at the foundational work of Paul, we might ask if the Church really matters today? Can the Church really make a difference in our world today as it did in the first century? 

This is Vacation Bible School week. I love VBS. It is a time to connect with children and share the love of God through Jesus Christ with children who are eager to learn more about Jesus. 

I hope you have been able to visit our Facebook page and see the pictures. The Spirit of God has been moving through the hallways, worship areas, and classrooms. The kids are having fun, learning Bible stories, laughing, making snacks and crafts. 

This week our building has been teeming with volunteers decorating for Vacation Bible School. The upstairs area has been transformed into an underwater wonder. This weekend the rest of the decorations will go up in the worship areas and downstairs to finalize preparation for VBS.

This is an amazing church. When we need volunteers, workers, and servants, the response is outstanding. We have over 50 volunteers for VBS. Great job! Keep it up! We can always use more. If you want to show up even for one morning, please do. I promise, it will be fun!

As we look at our world what would Jesus say? Jesus would give us the same assurance he gave his disciples on the night before his suffering. He taught his disciples many things about the power that was coming to them. Then Jesus said, “I have said this to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33)

We have hope in Christ. We have the assurance of our Savior. For this reason, I look forward to the future with great, undying hope in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Do you have a child or teenager? Do you know a child or teenager? Give them a hug. Listen to their wisdom. Tell them how much you love them, just the way they are. Invite them to the exciting things that are happening at Stonebridge UMC. 

God continues to bless Stonebridge UMC with new vitality and opportunities to reach people. At the car show, I had several people, when they noticed my pastor name tag, ask me about the church. I probably gushed too much about how great things are, but I can’t help it. I love this church and the people in this church. Sunday, one of my mentors came to worship. I greeted him before the worship service and asked him what brought him to Stonebridge UMC. He said, “Are you kidding me, everyone is talking about Stonebridge. I had to come see what all the buzz is about.”

I want to invite you to a series of Summer Listening Sessions to discuss and dream about our future. Can we make Stonebridge UMC an exemplary church for others to follow? Do you believe that God is alive in our midst and calling us to work together to achieve more – to bring more souls to Christ? I believe God is calling us to such as part of the high and holy task of being a Kingdom Church.