ryansgemsandjunk

Using Scripture to guide your Praise

2009-10-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Using scripture is a great way to engage in acts of devotion and praise of Christ. One of this weeks lections was Hebrews 7:23-28. Within that text, there is a wonderful description of Christ.
It reads: " Such a high priest meets our need - one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens". Below is an example on how we might use that in worship. I invite you to offer it to the Lord in prayer. We will be using a litany form of this in worship on Sunday at Hopeland UMC

An Act of Praise based on Hebrews 7:26

You, Lord, are our high priest .

Holy! Holy! Holy are you ,

Lord God almighty!

All your works
Will praise your name

in earth, and sky and sea!

Only you are holy!

There is none beside you!

We praise you, Holy Son of God, most high!

You Lord, our high priest are blameless!
You walked among us, born of the Virgin.

You lived a life like ours, yet you never sinned.

You never once disobeyed the will of God!

You provided us with the perfect example to follow in faith!

Forgive our sin.

Forgive the times we have fallen fall short of the mark.

Create in us new and clean hearts, ready to serve you.
.
You, Lord , our high priest are pure, set apart from sinners!
O lamb of God – you are the one who takes away the sins of the world!

Holy are you! You are without blemish.

Pure and spotless – the only one able to be that pure sacrifice – offered on our behalf!

You, Lord, our high priest are exalted above the heavens!
High and holy are you, Lord Jesus!

Exalted above the heavens, that every knee should bow before you!

Yet, even as the exalted one, you came down to be with us, and are yet with us still.

You choose to dwell within us, and call us to be yours.

Praise to you Lord Jesus!

Do you have a "biblical World View"?

2009-09-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

I've been reading the book "unChristian" by David Kinnaman, and would highly recommend it to you! David Kinnaman is with the Barna Research group. In a chapter I just read, he listed what the Barna Group defines as "A Biblical World View". Here are the eight "tests" they use to define that view. A person with a biblical worldview believes:
1. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life.
2. God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and he
still rules it today.
3. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.
4. Satan is real.
5. a Christian has a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people.
6. the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
7. unchanging moral truth exists
8. such moral truth is defined by the Bible.

David Kinnaman writes that "In our research we have fond that people ho embrace these eight components live a substantially different faith from other Americans - indeed, from other believers. What we believe influences our choices".

By these eight tests, I would be defined by the Barna Group as having a "biblical world view". What about you?

The Elimination of Poverty

2009-07-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

One of the four focus areas of the United Methodist church is working towards the elimination of poverty in our world. We are encouraged to be doing this both locally and globally. It can be a challenge, sometimes , for us to find ways of eliminating poverty globally. One of the ways that Jeanette and I are trying to do this is through volunteer work at Ten Thousand Villages. We are fortunate to have their warehouse located just 10 mins from our house. Until she gets a job, Jeanette is volunteering twice a week, I am just doing it on Fridays, my day off from my church job. We do simple tasks like check that the tags are right, change out tags, or like just the other day, we were adding a "for decoration only. not a toy. keep out of reach of children" to a product from Africa. The beauty of Ten Thousand Villages is that the crafters are paid a fair wage for their product and with out this outlet, they would have very little income at all. What we do seems kind of trivial and insignificant - but its a part of the whole process. If they had to pay someone to do what we were doing, their profits would be less.

It's also important to be in ministry with the poor locally. In the past we have worked at food banks, and in a ministry that sought to help people out of poverty by establishing positive relationships. Here at Hopeland UMC there is a clothing bank ministry that we want to help out with. Right now, my little task, is to bring in the clothing that is dropped off at our door, and take it to the back room where it is sorted. Its just a little thing - but already I have found myself tempted to grumble about doing it. At those times I need to remind myself that each little part of the process adds to the whole.

I want to encourage you , beloved reader, to find a way to serve where you are. Even if it is in just a little way, it can make a difference when added to the things that others are doing. Blessings!

Tervis Tumbler and the Spirit!

2009-07-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

My Beloved Tervis Tumbler! My tervis tumbler was a "house warming" gift from my sister Amy. She told me when she gave it to me that I would love it - and she was right. She said her beloved tervis was the only glass she ever used these days. She used it for coffee, then when the morning was over, for cold drinks, you name it, if she drank it, it came from her Tervis cup!

I could not help but notice in these last days the similarities between my tervis glass and the Holy Spirit and some ways its different.

Here's how my thinking goes.

1. My Tervis was a gift - so is the Holy Spirit. I didn't know what I was missing before my sister gave me my tervis. I did not know what I was missing before God gave to me the gift of the Holy Spirit! I didn't even know I needed the Spirit. I wouldn't want to go through my day with out my tervis, but I could if I had to. I can't imagine going through the day without the Holy Spirit - infact, I know I couldn't!

2. One of the great features of my Tervis is that there is never any condensation on the glass. No furniture gets a mark on it from it being wet. The reason it works, is that the liquid in the glass is surrounded by a protective pocket of air. The Holy Spirit is all emcompassing! It totally surrounds me and protects me where ever I am. Thanks be to God!

3. Changing the illustration a little bit...I hope to be a bit like my Tervis. My tervis is clear. It is easy to see what is inside of it. The Tervis is not the drink - its just the container. I want my life to be so clear that people can clearly see the gifts of the Holy Spirit in me. I want to get to the point where I am "just the container" for the gifts that God wants to give to others.

4. I'm trying to take my Tervis where ever I go. But sometimes I forget and leave it behind. Thanks be to God that such is not the case with the Spirit. I can't leave the Holy Spirit behind. The Spirit is with me where ever I go! Its not up to me to remember.

5. My tervis just feels good in my hand. It fits. The Holy Spirit is an even better fit! It feels good to be held by the Spirit of God!

There are, I am sure, plenty of ways that this illustration breaks down - and i apologize for that ahead of time....but I just wanted to let you know about my Tervis...and even more, I wanted to let you know about the Holy Spirit!

An Illustration that didn't work for me

2009-07-16T09:57:00.001-07:00

The other day I got into the car and a radio preacher was on. I am usually tuned to a country station, but Jeanette had the car before me and had it tuned to the local christian station. It was one of those short spots where a preacher tries to share a thoughtful, inspirational story meant to encourage the lives of the listeners. He shared this illustration: A story is told of a certain ruler and one of his subjects. The subject, a youth known for bad behavior was brought before the ruler. The youth it seems was becoming known for his participation in illicit activities. The ruler wanted to change the youth's outlook, and handed down this judgement. He told the youth that unless his behavior changed, he would be executed. To help him change, he was sentenced with the task of carrying a shelf throughout the city upon which were placed two pots of oil. If any of the oil spilled he would be executed by the two guards who would walk beside him. The young man agreed to the sentence, and walked through the crowded city, consentrating hard on his task - after all, his life was at stake. His eyes never strayed from the pots of oil perched on the shelf he carried. He accomplished the task set before him. Brought again before the ruler, he was asked if he spilled any . "Not a drop" the young man reported. "How did you acheive this?" the ruler inquired. "I paid attention only to the task set before me" he said. " I never took my eyes off those pots, and so no oil was spilled". "Well done" responded the ruler. "Learn that lesson for the rest of your life", he said, and sent the youth on his way. The radio preacher went on to say that that is how we should live our lives - with our eyes only on Christ - and thus we will be able to avoid any of life's temptations.

I get what the preacher was trying to get across. And I agree, we need to learn ways to avoid giving into temptations. But my first thought was "How sad". How sad that this young man went through the whole of a city, and saw nothing but the pots he carried. He saw nothing of poverty. He saw nothing of oppression. He saw nothing of suffering. Likewise he saw nothing of beauty, of kindness, of joy. Christ calls us, I believe, to be fully alert to life around us. He does not want us so to concentrate on just one thing, that we miss all other things. Keeping our eyes on Christ does not mean that we don't see the world around us. What it does mean, is that we are called to see the world through the eyes of Christ. May we learn to see with they eyes of Christ - see the beautiful things as well as the ugly, and by that have our lives changed.

BUiLDiNG CHARACTER

2009-07-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

The other day we found a great place in Lancaster City called BUiLDiNG Character. Its a store that reclaims architectural items and resells them for either use in homes or to be "transformed" by artisans into something new. OK - basically - its a junk store - old stuff that was going to be throw out, things that were cast aside, deemed no longer useful.

I was struck with all the possibilities! One of the things I appreciate about the eye of an artist - ( and sometimes I have one, sometimes I don't) is the ability to see the possibilities. Our God is our role model in this. God takes my junk - my old stuff - stuff that others would just abandon and say - "what's the use" - and transforms me into something that is pleasing in His sight - something that He can use! Praise be to God that He sees potential in me. I got plenty of junk in my life that needs to be transformed. I'm glad God is patient and as the most skilled artist, he slowly changes me. Re- purposes me. He makes me into something new. Thanks be to God!

The Blessing of Kindness

2009-07-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Blessing of Kindness

This week's sermon is taken from Micah 6:8. "God has shown you what is good. Act justly, love kindness ( mercy) and walk humbly with your God."

On one of our first days in Ephrata, we sent grocery shopping at our nearest market - Martin's. We were greeted at the cash register by Cory. He had a warm and engaging smile. As he surveyed our shopping cart, he said - "wow - looks like you guys are stocking up!". That lead into a conversation about how we were new in the area - just moved in and so on. Cory, in just a few minutes time, showed a genuine interest in us. Welcomed us warmly to the area - said he hoped he would see us around often. We left with big smiles on our faces and our hearts a little lighter because of this small kindness shown to us.

Since that day, I've seen Cory often. In fact, I make it a point to look for him. Those of you who know me well know that I stop at the grocery store often! If he is at the cash register, I'll go in his line just to get a blessing from him. I've seen Cory helping an elderly woman in a wheel chair do her shopping. He did more than take things off the shelf. He chatted with her warmly - making her feel special I think. I've seen him help another customer unload their cart and put bags in their vans for them. I've seen him smile at little ones and just engage in a positive way with every person he sees. It's easy to see Christ in Cory. He displays God's grace in such a natural, simple way. He's not pushy. He's not obnoxious about it. He's just kind. Cory lives out Micah 6:8 . I want to be more like that - what about you?

A New Chapter

2009-06-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well Friends - its time for a new chapter in my life - and hence time to take up new things - or in this instance to pick up again a project once started that for probably a myriad of reasons got set down for a while. I hope to keep up with this particularly as a way to keep up with old friends and especially make new friends with the congregation of Hopeland UMC.

We are in the midst of what in United Methodism is called a "transition week" - an in-between time - for clergy with new appointments. Last Sunday was my last at QUMC, next week is my first at Hopeland. It's good, I think, to make time for transitions. Time to let the past rest - and become the past - to rest - and take a little break before diving in to new present. We probably don't do that enough. In this fast paced world, we are always on the go. Jeanette's a lot better at taking things easy than me. I like to go go go - and that's not necessarily a bad thing - and part of it, I am sure is a personality thing - but its good for a go go go person to slow down once in a while.

Even so, in this transition week I have not especially been resting - just doing some different things. I took a really inspiring course at Lancaster Seminary with Jonny and Jenny Baker on the creative process of planning worship. It was so great to meet with Jonny after reading his blog for many years. You can read more about his ideas at jonnybakerblogspot.com I'll be doing some more thinking and writing on that in the weeks to come. I've been dreaming on how we might do some different kinds of worship at Hopeland at a time other than Sunday Morning..thinking of calling it "The Gathering". I was going to try to come up with some fun gaelic word - but then perhaps that would only confuse people! Watch for more to come! We ended up the week with a really GREAT time at the Celtic Fling at Mt. Hope winery. More about that to come as well!

Today, Jeanette and I are joining our dear friends Charlie and Marion Coon for an open house at "The House of Ruth" - a ministry of B.I.R.D. which is an outreach to women in Prison and helping them transition to life after prision. I wanted to go on a long hike this morning - but Jeanette said, "enough is enough. If you want me to walk at all on Monday, we rest today". Tis a wise woman I am married to! And besides that - there were plenty of little projects to attend to this morning here at home. Pray for me as i dive in to my work at Hopeland tomorrow! Peace.

2007-10-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

We recently invited ministries, families and individuals to create a chair for world communion Sunday which would somehow represent them. We had 10 contributions - not as much as I was hoping for - but enough to make a nice display in the narthex. My chair, pictured to the left here, had to be painted over a few times before i got it right! Is that an indication that the process of self- discovery is always on going? Perhaps. I of course had to paint my chair purple- with some green thrown in for good measure. On the seat, I painted a labrynith - I've ben pulled to them for a while now, added a few celtic swirls and my favorite scripture verse - which is Zephanaiah 3:17.

It was wonderful to see the diversity represented. You can see the rest of the chair pictures in my flickr account under ryansgemsandjunk.

Ever feel like this?

2007-10-05T19:09:00.001-07:00

Ever feel like this? Saw this on a t-shirt at the Celtic Fest. I do wonder about parallel Universes sometimes...the books I am reading - " The Golden Compass", "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spy Glass" deal with parallel universes...kind of fun! Where things are almost the same, but yet not quite the same...my luck..i'd be diagonally parked!

2007-09-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away!

A life friend send me this pic of a sign he took while on vacation - its been a favorite of mine for sometime. I believe that life is made up of moments. Most of them are just ordinary. Some of them a really hard moments and tough to make it through...but some of them are breath taking! And it's my belief that those really good , breath taking moments make up for all the bad ones, and make the ordinary ones worth living as well. I'm keeping a journal of breath taking moments...i hope i have enough of them in this life time to fill it up! But if not...perhaps someone else will pick up the journal when my days here on this earth are done, and fill it with more of their own. God is good....and the breath taking moments will go on!

bozo

2007-09-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

When I was little, and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always say, "A Clown ...or a Pastor". Maybe it's because of Bozo. I got to watch Bozo every Saturday mornings - yes way back then, cartoons were only broadcast on Saturday mornings - it was an event we kids looked forward to! Every Friday Night, I would go to the Booth's Corner Farmer's market, buy some popcorn to eat while I watched "the Partridge Family" that night, and a giant sweettart or other candy for Saturday morning. Bozo was always happy. He loved kids, he loved to laugh, his life seemed carefree. He got to wear cool clothes, and generally shared the joy of life. As a grown up, I know now that there was a man behind the makeup - undoubtedly, his life was not always carefree - and I am sure there were Days when he didn't feel like putting on the makeup, the skullcap with the crazy red hair, and all the rest. But he did it anyway - and I am glad he did! Sometimes, I confess that I don't feel like putting on my robes, smiling and putting the energy into preaching. Most days I do, but now and then I don't. Bozo taught me that "the show must go on"...and he did it Saturday after Saturday...I guess being a clown and a Pastor are not all that different! I'm glad that Bozo did his job....hopefully there are some who are glad I do mine.

P.S. Link to a history of Bozo: http://www.tvparty.com/lostbozo.html

101 Things You Might Want to Know About Me - Part One

2007-09-03T17:32:00.001-07:00

I am borrowing this idea from a friend of mine....items are listed in no particular order

1. My favorite color is purple.
2. I think of myself as a person of great joy.
3. My most prominent spiritual gift is hospitality - which includes helping people feel welcome in

the presence of God
4. If I was not a Pastor, I think I would be a caterer

5. I really don't like most sports. Have a basic "ball phobia"...maybe its cause as a kid, I was

always one of those "last picked kids".

6. I love a well baked sweet potato!

7. I really enjoy being creative and like "painting with big strokes"

8. I grew up in Delaware County, PA.

9. I went to Asbury College, where I majored in Christian Education, and minored in Drama.

10. After College, I went to Wesley Seminary.

11. After Seminary, I was appointed to Washington Crossing UMC, where I met my wife,

Jeanette. We have been married almost 21 years.

12. One of my favorite hymns is "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation"

13. I've been serving as an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church for 22 years.

14. Jeanette and I have two sons, Jon ( now 19) and Zac ( now 17)

15. I love watching Big Brother on TV, and The Amazing Race, and almost anything on the Food

Network.

16. When i was little, when people asked what i wanted to be when i grew up, I would tell them,

a clown or a Pastor.

17. In college, I was in a Puppet Ministry and got to be a clown. Now, I'm a Pastor.

18. I love long walks on the Beach. Any beach will do. Laguna Beach is especially nice!

19. One my my best "mates" is my Internet Friend, David, in London. He is a "frum" Jewish

man I admire.

20. The Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favorite movies. I always cry when Dorothy has to

say goodbye to the scarecrow. I hate goodbyes.

21. I have a great Secretary and a wonderful assistant Pastor!

22. I treasure my collection of rocks. I have one from Ireland, one from Martha's Vineyard,

one from Laguna Beach, a few from the Grand Canyon, one from Jellyfish Joel's, several from Israel.

23. I'm trying to learn how to draw a labyrinth with out looking at the directions.

24. I love reading sci-fi fantasy novels - ones filled with wizards and dragons, elves, magic, good

verses evil. I especially love it when there are a number of books in a series. Loved

Ann McCafferty's "Dragons of Pern".

25. I majored in Christian Ed in College because I thought all the bible majors were nerdy.

26. I love preaching and leading worship. I try to do it with great enthusiasm!

27. A messy desk does not bother me, but I like a neat one for the few hours it stays that

way

28. I've had training as a Weight Watchers instructor. I don't always follow instructions!

29. I try to work out at the gym - at least several times a week.

30. I'm enjoying reading the blogs of friends. Also regularly read "jonnybaker".

31. We have three pets....two cats who are brothers - Max and Timothy, and a dog - a Puggle,

named for " Miss Sadie"a character from "The Mitford Series".

32. I love candlelight, and sometimes have many burning!

33. I enjoy doing really big cross-stitch projects. I'm currently working on a Celtic Cross - for the

two and a half years.

34. Lately I have been buying way to many shoes!

35. I'm excited to be working with "Circles of Opportunity" - our goal is to move individuals

and families out of poverty.

36. I like Celtic Music, but most of the time my radio is tuned to a Country station - since there

isn't a Celtic station around!

37. I can play the guitar, and a little bit of piano. I'd like to learn how to play the Button

Accordion

38. I talk to my Mom and Dad on the phone almost every day.

39. I love to get a Massage!

40. I find it's a lot harder to write out 101 things about me than I thought!

Pinwheels

2007-09-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Pinwheels

Color in Motion

Whirling in the Wind

Round and Round it goes

Where it shall stop, nobody knows

Fortune

2007-09-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I was always fascinated by the mechanical Fortune Tellers found along the Boardwalk. For a just a quarter, you could find out what your future held! The lights would come on, the mysterious lady would move her hands over the ball....and in just a few moments...your fortune would be there for you to read. Funny that I don't remember what any of those slips of paper said! Maybe its just as well...cause as someone once said..if we could know everything that would happen in our future..we probably would not want to go there! Its better to find out as we go along!