Lenten Journey - Feb. 29

^{1 Samuel 3:1-11}

¹ The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

 ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel.

   Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

   But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

 ⁶ Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

   “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

 ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

 ⁸ A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

   Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

 ¹⁰ The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

   Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

 ¹¹ And the LORD said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.

Don't you hate that feeling when you are walking in a crowded place and someone calls your name but you can't find the person? Or how about when your all alone and you hear your name but when you look around no one is there? I hate that feeling. It actually happened to me yesterday as I was walking back to my car from class. Someone called out "hey, Austin" but as I turned to look among the cars I couldn't find anyone. Creepy feeling isn't it?

I imagine Samuel felt the same way when God spoke to him but he couldn't find God. Samuel thought it was Eli but Eli was sleeping. Finally after Samuel woke him up three times Eli realized what was happening. He told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." So, Samuel did as Eli had told him to do and there before him was God speaking to him. 

I know I miss the voice the God all the time. I get caught up in all my STUFF and I fail to hear God speaking over and over again directly to me! Have you ever just stopped and realized how busy you are? When is the last time you sat in complete silence with no outside "noise?" 

Last Wednesday night I found myself in the inner depths of the Earth's core. Seriously, I can't make this stuff up. Our Mission Team journeyed down into a cave on the Island of Eluethera, The Bahamas exploring an underground cave where stalactites and stalagmites were our general surroundings. We came to this open cavern after trekking half an hour. It was probably 40X40X40...so pretty big. The cavern was filled with huge rocks where if you stood on them it was similar to that scene in the Lion King ...you know what I'm talking about. You were the King of the World!!! After we all calmed down we decided to turn off all the lights and sit in complete silence. It was completely silent with the darkest dark surrounding you that you will ever experience. It was wonderful. Most of the girls didn't like it, though. It was enlightening to me how uncomfortable those moments were. Notice I said moments, because most people simply couldn't handle it, and they broke the silence with laughter, screams or silent sobs! I wish I could have those moments more often. Moments where nothing could interrupt the silence. Maybe then would I start listening for the voice of God and not listening to the "noise" in my life. 

For Lent, I am walking with God through the wilderness of thanksgiving. I want to live in a season where I am honest with myself about all the things I have been blessed with. I want to live in a season where I am humbly seeking God's face and His plan for my life. It's in the moments where I can be completely silent, observing all that is around me, is where I meet God. 

The hardest part is the listening and the silence....

I've been living my life similar to Samuel. I've been focusing on all the wrong things, missing God when he speaks to me. God has been calling my name over and over again, yet I am completely caught up in my own life that I have failed to get caught up in the life God wants me to live. 

Over the past few weeks God has been making Himself known to me over and over again because I am living in a season of expectancy. I don't want to be surprised by God, I want to KNOW that God is speaking to me, will speak to me and has spoken to me. God's hands are at work all around me and I pray that I will take the time to stop, listen, notice and hear the still, small voice of God.

Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening. 

The Season of Lent

Lent is my favorite season of the Church. It is a time where we get to walk 40 days in the wilderness with Jesus. It's a time where we can begin to look inward and devote ourselves to a new life in Christ. It's a time to be content with our "wilderness," walking towards our "Easter(s)."

Although this is my favorite season I get really frustrated with how some people treat this holy time. We all know the routine question during lent: "What are you giving up?" {Routine} <- For me, routine shouldn't be a word associated with Lent. Sadly enough, this has been the case for most. We see lent as a time for giving up something. Over the past few years I haven't given anything up simply because I didn't feel my "thing" I was giving up was very sincere. I had to ask myself, "Why are you giving this up?" Was I being sincere? Was my "thing" I was giving up honest, sincere or honorable to God? Was this really going to be an humble wilderness experience for me?

Saturday as I was riding back from DFW International Airport on our return trip from the Bahamas where we served a week in service to the people of the Island of Eluethera I began to think inwardly about my experience there and my life at home. My heart became heavy. These people live with so little compared to my dazzling life. I have so much STUFF and yet I am never content. These people live modest lives knowing that the next hurricane is just a few months away where devastating winds and rain will simply take more away, yet they live content with what they are blessed with.

Shame on me. Shame on us. I think I'm starting to realize what my wilderness needs to be this Lent.

I want to devote myself to be aware of my surroundings. I want to live in a wilderness of thankfulness everyday for things that come so easy to me. I want to walk with Jesus through my wilderness where I will truly commit myself to living a more holy life.

So, let me ask you:

What will your wilderness be?

Will your wilderness be sincere and honorable to God?

Why are you doing this? What are your motives?

And finally the most important question, What do you want your Easter to look like?

I pray that God find you this season in a spirit of humble submission to the Will of God. I pray that you will be convicted in your daily life to notice the little things. I pray that you are truly looking inward and living in a season of wilderness, walking with the God who calls us to a higher life than than the life we live daily.

Psalm 51

 ¹ Have mercy on me, O God, 

   according to your unfailing love; 

according to your great compassion 

   blot out my transgressions. 

² Wash away all my iniquity 

   and cleanse me from my sin.

 ³ For I know my transgressions, 

   and my sin is always before me. 

⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned 

   and done what is evil in your sight; 

so you are right in your verdict 

   and justified when you judge. 

⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, 

   sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 

⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; 

   you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; 

   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; 

   let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 

⁹ Hide your face from my sins 

   and blot out all my iniquity.

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, 

   and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence 

   or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation 

   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, 

   so that sinners will turn back to you. 

¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, 

   you who are God my Savior, 

   and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 

¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, 

   and my mouth will declare your praise. 

¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; 

   you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 

¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit; 

   a broken and contrite heart 

   you, God, will not despise.

 ¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, 

   to build up the walls of Jerusalem. 

¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, 

   in burnt offerings offered whole; 

   then bulls will be offered on your altar.

"Blessings Through the Tears"

"'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights 
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise..."

Have you ever broke an ornament or a candle holder and glued it back together? Have you ever dropped it again and it broke in the exact same place? It seems that fractures and cracks in our lives are the easiest places to feel hurt, pain, and despair. These places are hard to heal. They are hard to keep from breaking open again. 

Recently I have felt a void becoming apparent in my life. I have been missing something spiritually. I'm not quite sure what it was but I knew it was there. Over the past few weeks I have been out of town and I haven't been able to worship at my church and I was finding myself empty. I wasn't receiving the meaningful worship I needed to make it through my own trials and sufferings. It was a struggle just to make it through the week. I don't know if you've ever had this experience, but I find myself being aware of this...which I think is weird...but that's another story. 

I think most people know when they need one of those spiritual experiences....

Today, I needed one. 

It's been a tough few days, yesterday was especially hard. I found one of my broken places being torn open again. I needed to find God somewhere, anywhere! I was yearning to know His presence once again. 

This was the first week I have been back for worship at Noel since before Christmas. As Sunday School was nearing its end I really starting thinking about the service I wanted to attend. At Noel, we have two services that begin at the same time, Traditional and Contemporary. I thought that some good-ole' church hymns was what I needed. Saying the creeds, the Lord's prayer, and the Doxology might do the trick. As I headed for the Sanctuary I realized it was 10:35....Traditional service had already started. Instead of walking in late and trying to find a seat without being noticed I decided to slip into Contemporary which had just began. People were still taking their seats so I found one near the front among our Youth Group. I thought to myself, "I guess this will do, I wish I was in Traditional." 

God works in crazy ways doesn't he?

It turns out the music, people, and message in the contemporary service was just what I needed. The band played a song that has really turned my lousy weekend around and healed the scar that was broken open again this weekend. It was Blessings by Laura Story. 

"What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?" 

Today I realized that through the tears God's grace is ever-present, yearning to make his presence known even in the hard times of life. 

Even though I had a really tough day yesterday with all the emotions of life swirling around, I realized God's promise for my life, "Surely I am with you always...I will never leave you or forsake you..."

New Blog Thoughts...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the disconnect in our churches today…

What seems to be the problems? What are the solutions? Do we really have the answers to those questions?

I doubt it.

We can observe and process, though.

Lately, I have observed and processed the disconnect between contemporary and traditional worship services. Now that may seem mundane because it is done often, but I believe it is crucial for the new vision of the United Methodist Church.

It seems that the church of the 21st century will have these, but will the church utilize these services?

I have also noticed that the people that attend those services belong to opposite ends of the spectrum.

Why is that?

Over the next few weeks I am hoping to dive into that question…will you join me on this rollercoaster?

If you have any thoughts or ideas please send them to arinehart@my.centenary.edu

Thanks and God Bless!