Today I went to church at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Tallahassee, where my friend, the Rev. Eric Dudley, is the Rector. I have always respected Eric for his stand for the Gospel and his love of the historic liturgies and forms of the Church. He was on vacation, but another stalwart of the Faith, the Rev. Jim Hampson, one of his assistants, was there. I got to know Jim when I was at Sewanee in seminary when he was the rector of St. Philip’s, Charleston. It was good to see him as he has steadfastly stood for the Biblical Faith for decades.
St. Peter’s formed about three years ago when a large number of people (I believe it was 500+) left the Episcopal Church because of its departure from Biblical Christianity. Some of the men bought a church not far away in downtown Tallahassee, and they began holding services. God has blessed their efforts to stand for Him and they continue to grow with vision, the Spirit, and numbers. Each Sunday they have the following services:
8:00 Quiet Service
9:00 Family Service
11:15 Formal Service (Smells and Bells)
5:00 Contemporary Praise Service (They call it 'Veritas')
I attended the 11:15 Service with incense and sanctus bells (incense is representative of the prayers of the God’s people ascending to heaven – see Mal.1:11, Rev. 5:8 and Ps. 141:2; and sanctus bells are symbolic announcers of the Presence of the Holy Spirit ascending from Heaven on the Bread and Wine at Communion). Although the service was a high, formal service, the liturgy was a contemporary adaptation from the English Book of Common Prayer. The Music was a mix of good hymns, and at communion, there were several praise songs. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Andrew Rowell, a newly ordained minister who is their Associate Rector for Youth and Families. It was good and engaging.
This church is alive. There is a lot going on for the Lord. Many classes and Bible Studies, children and youth ministries, and dynamic parish life ministries. Their current vision is to build their church – quite impressive!!! Check it out at www.steppingoutinfaith.net. St. Peter’s website is www.saint-peters.net.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Intimacy with God
From Charles Swindoll's, Intimacy with the Almighty...
"I am more convinced than ever that there is no way you and I can move toward a deeper, intimate relationship with our God without protracted times of stillness, which includes one of the rarest of all experiences: Absolute Silence."
Psalm 46:10 --
NIV -- "Be still and know that I am God"
NAS -- "Cease striving and know that I am God"
TLB -- "Stand silent! Know that I am God!"
AMP -- "Let be and be still, and know -- recognize and understand -- that I am God"
Moffat -- "Give in," he cries, "admit that I am God"
TEV -- "Stop fighting," he says, "and know that I am God"
The Message -- "Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything."
"We are commanded to stop (literally)... rest, relax, let go, and make time for Him. The scene is one of stillness and quietness, listening and waiting before Him. Such foreign experiences in these busy times! Nevertheless, knowing God deeply and intimately requires such discipline."
"I am more convinced than ever that there is no way you and I can move toward a deeper, intimate relationship with our God without protracted times of stillness, which includes one of the rarest of all experiences: Absolute Silence."
Psalm 46:10 --
NIV -- "Be still and know that I am God"
NAS -- "Cease striving and know that I am God"
TLB -- "Stand silent! Know that I am God!"
AMP -- "Let be and be still, and know -- recognize and understand -- that I am God"
Moffat -- "Give in," he cries, "admit that I am God"
TEV -- "Stop fighting," he says, "and know that I am God"
The Message -- "Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything."
"We are commanded to stop (literally)... rest, relax, let go, and make time for Him. The scene is one of stillness and quietness, listening and waiting before Him. Such foreign experiences in these busy times! Nevertheless, knowing God deeply and intimately requires such discipline."
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sam Shoemaker
Being in Pittsburgh brought to my memory another one of my spiritual heroes from the 20th Century, Sam Shoemaker. The Rev. Shoemaker was the Rector of Calvary Church in New York and then Calvary Church in Pittsburgh. He was a man endowed with evangelical zeal, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and dedicated to the ministry of the universal, global church. He was the author of the "12 Steps" of Alcoholics Anonymous, and most people don't know they are based on Scriptural principles. When he moved to Pittsburgh, he gathered community leaders together and challenged them to make "Pittsburgh as famous for God and it is for steel." He wrote numerous books about faith, the Holy Spirit, the Church, and Living the Christian life.
What Shoemaker has deposited in me is a summary of my calling to ministry in a poem he wrote entitled "I Stand By the Door." Many are called by God for various ministries in the church or through the church into the cultural mission field, either at home or abroad. And though I am called to serve in the church to equip God's people for their ministries, He seems to keep me near the "door." Here is how Shoemaker puts it in the following poem which is in his book by the same title.
I stand by the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out,
The door is the most important door in the world-
It is the door through which people walk when they find God.
There's no use my going way inside, and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where a door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind people,
With outstretched, groping hands.
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it ...
So I stand by the door.
What Shoemaker has deposited in me is a summary of my calling to ministry in a poem he wrote entitled "I Stand By the Door." Many are called by God for various ministries in the church or through the church into the cultural mission field, either at home or abroad. And though I am called to serve in the church to equip God's people for their ministries, He seems to keep me near the "door." Here is how Shoemaker puts it in the following poem which is in his book by the same title.
I stand by the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out,
The door is the most important door in the world-
It is the door through which people walk when they find God.
There's no use my going way inside, and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where a door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind people,
With outstretched, groping hands.
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it ...
So I stand by the door.
The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for people to find that door--the door to God.
The most important thing any person can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands,
And put it on the latch--the latch that only clicks
And opens to the person's own touch.
People die outside that door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter—
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live, on the other side of it--live because they have not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him ...
So I stand by the door.
Go in, great saints, go all the way in--
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics--
It is a vast roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms.
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in,
Sometimes venture in a little farther;
But my place seems closer to the opening ...
So I stand by the door.
There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get part way in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them
For God is so very great, and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia,
And want to get out. "Let me out!" they cry,
And the people way inside only terrify, them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled
For the old life, they have seen too much:
Once taste God, and nothing but God will do any more.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving--preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door,
But would like to run away. So for them, too,
I stand by the door.
I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not, yet even found the door,
Or the people who want to run away again from God,
You can go in too deeply, and stay in too long,
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him, and know He is there,
But not so far from people as not to hear them,
And remember they are there, too.
Where? Outside the door--
Thousands of them, millions of them.
But--more important for me--
One of them, two of them, ten of them,
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.
"I had rather be a door-keeper ..."
So I stand by the door.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Christ Church at Grove Farm
In Swickley, Pennsylvania Bill Arnold and I attended the church of one of my spiritual heroes, the Rev. Dr. John Guest. John is an Anglican pastor who I have not only respected for his incredible Bible teaching, but his evangelistic gifts of calling people to faith in Jesus Christ. An Englishman, he came to faith himself at a Billy Graham crusade in England
Wow! Wow! It was exciting to see the Lord at work in this church. The sermons (two different ones) were clear, concise, and gave a clear invitation to follow Jesus (note: the 11:15 third service runs at the same time as the 11:15 second service so we heard two different preachers). The atmosphere and the environment of the church’s layout was warm, inviting, pleasant, and engaging. The use of contemporary items was informative – a café which is open all morning until after the late services, children’s ministry and youth ministry worship spaces which were awesome, and banners and signage which were very well-done. The Presence of the Holy Spirit was not only obvious in both of the services we attended, but in talking and fellowshipping with the people. The dedication to the Bible and historic aspects of Christianity was also very encouraging with Bible classes, prayer groups, and home groups.
Check out their website at www.ccgf.org (I am told they are launching a new website on June 15).
See what they are doing.
Listen to one of John's sermons.
You will be greatly encouraged in your walk with Jesus.
* Picture above is Bruce Cote (left) and John Guest at the Allegeny Country Club in Swickley, PA.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Intellectually Overwhelmed
The Ancient Wisdom - Anglican Futures Conference concluded today at Trinity School for Ministry. As someone said, the amount of information and theological input was like trying to "fill a cup of tea with Niagara Falls." This was some good stuff and made me appreciate even more that the Lord has called me to serve in the Anglican church. We have such a rich heritage, yet are positioned to reach out to folks with the Gospel of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit.
I heard the following theological papers....
Jason Clark on the Emerging Church
Pastor of the Vineyard Church, Sutton England
Holly Zaher on the Emerging Church in the United States
Director of Student Discipleship, St. George's, Nashville
David Neff on "Robert Webber's Ancient-Future Faith"
Editor in Chief and Vice President, Christianity Today
Dr. D. H. Williams on "The Labor of Defining and Preserving the Christian Tradition"
Professor of Religion in Patristics and Historical Theology, Baylor University
Dr. Tony Clark on "Authentic Participation in the Great Tradition"
Associate Professor of Ethics, Friends University
Dr. Edith Humphrey on "Presumption, Preparation, Parresia, Perichoresis and Worship"
Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Dr. Simon Chan on "The Future of the Liturgy: An Evangelical-Pentecostal Contribution"
Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Theological College, Singapore
Dr. Stephen Long on "The End of Community"
Professor of Systematic Theology, Marquette University
Dr. George Sumner on "Apostolic Ministry Revisited"
Principal and Helliwell Professor of World Mission, Wycliffe College, Toronto
Dr. Dominic Erdozain on the "Emerging Church: A Victorian Prequel"
Lecturer in the History of Christianity, King's College, London
Dr. Samuel Wells on "Three Kinds of Evangelism"
Dean of the Chapel and Research Professor of Christian Ethic, Duke Divinity School
Lots of GOOD STUFF to digest. As a pastor of a congregation committed to being a church which reaches out to those who don't know the Lord, who are unchurched, and those who are forgotten, my mind is swirling. A lot of my presuppositions have been challenged, and yet I have also felt so affirmed that what we have been doing is exactly what we need to be doing to be effective in evangelizing and discipling folks into the kingdom. The depth of our liturgical worship, whether in a classical or contemporary setting, takes people beyond themselves and helps them enter into the worship of God.
I heard the following theological papers....
Jason Clark on the Emerging Church
Pastor of the Vineyard Church, Sutton England
Holly Zaher on the Emerging Church in the United States
Director of Student Discipleship, St. George's, Nashville
David Neff on "Robert Webber's Ancient-Future Faith"
Editor in Chief and Vice President, Christianity Today
Dr. D. H. Williams on "The Labor of Defining and Preserving the Christian Tradition"
Professor of Religion in Patristics and Historical Theology, Baylor University
Dr. Tony Clark on "Authentic Participation in the Great Tradition"
Associate Professor of Ethics, Friends University
Dr. Edith Humphrey on "Presumption, Preparation, Parresia, Perichoresis and Worship"
Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Dr. Simon Chan on "The Future of the Liturgy: An Evangelical-Pentecostal Contribution"
Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Theological College, Singapore
Dr. Stephen Long on "The End of Community"
Professor of Systematic Theology, Marquette University
Dr. George Sumner on "Apostolic Ministry Revisited"
Principal and Helliwell Professor of World Mission, Wycliffe College, Toronto
Dr. Dominic Erdozain on the "Emerging Church: A Victorian Prequel"
Lecturer in the History of Christianity, King's College, London
Dr. Samuel Wells on "Three Kinds of Evangelism"
Dean of the Chapel and Research Professor of Christian Ethic, Duke Divinity School
Lots of GOOD STUFF to digest. As a pastor of a congregation committed to being a church which reaches out to those who don't know the Lord, who are unchurched, and those who are forgotten, my mind is swirling. A lot of my presuppositions have been challenged, and yet I have also felt so affirmed that what we have been doing is exactly what we need to be doing to be effective in evangelizing and discipling folks into the kingdom. The depth of our liturgical worship, whether in a classical or contemporary setting, takes people beyond themselves and helps them enter into the worship of God.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Ancient Wisdom - Anglican Future
Ambridge, PA on the Ohio River
Today was the first day of a symposium at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA entitled Ancient Wisdom - Anglican Future. We heard a fascinating array of speakers describing the Emerging Church in the UK and US. The Emerging Church Movement is difficult to understand as it is described in different ways by all kinds of different people. From my perspective, the Emerging Church Movement is a discovery and recovery of church history and traditions by those who have not valued these in their Christian experience. Many people desire to go deeper with God and many of the historic practices and liturgies resonate with them. For some this is a reaction to the mega-church and seeker-sensitive churches in our country who offer low-key approaches in order to reach unchurched people with the Gospel.
Jason Clark from the UK
As Anglicans we have an incredible richness in our heritage in which to draw from in order to help folks encounter the Living God in Jesus Christ. I am reminded what happened in the 1980's when Pentecostals from all over the U.S. discovered the Book of Common Prayer and the Historic Church, joined together, and started the Charismatic Episcopal Church. Many people are looking for authentic and genuine worship, not superficial meaningless ritual or shallow twittering glitz. Our challenge is to continue to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and passing on the deep heritage we have.
More to come.
Today was the first day of a symposium at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA entitled Ancient Wisdom - Anglican Future. We heard a fascinating array of speakers describing the Emerging Church in the UK and US. The Emerging Church Movement is difficult to understand as it is described in different ways by all kinds of different people. From my perspective, the Emerging Church Movement is a discovery and recovery of church history and traditions by those who have not valued these in their Christian experience. Many people desire to go deeper with God and many of the historic practices and liturgies resonate with them. For some this is a reaction to the mega-church and seeker-sensitive churches in our country who offer low-key approaches in order to reach unchurched people with the Gospel.
Jason Clark from the UKAs Anglicans we have an incredible richness in our heritage in which to draw from in order to help folks encounter the Living God in Jesus Christ. I am reminded what happened in the 1980's when Pentecostals from all over the U.S. discovered the Book of Common Prayer and the Historic Church, joined together, and started the Charismatic Episcopal Church. Many people are looking for authentic and genuine worship, not superficial meaningless ritual or shallow twittering glitz. Our challenge is to continue to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and passing on the deep heritage we have.
More to come.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Let's Start a Sabbatical
As folks were leaving the church yesterday, there were many folks who wished me well or said they would be praying for me while I take a Sabbatical this summer.
A couple of comments stood out.... One woman shared that the Lord told her while I was preaching to tell me "not to feel guilty for taking a Sabbatical." That was a good word. Hard to let it go. Hard to leave friends and calling alone for a season. Another comment: "Climb up into HIS lap and soak in His Presence." That is what I am going to try to do this summer. Besides the study, the time with other ministers, and being present for the Provincial Assembly of the New Anglican Church in North America, I am going to try to be "still and know that He is God" spending lots of time alone seeking His Face and dwelling in His Presence. As Psalm 31:20 says: "In the shelter of Your Presence" and "In Your Dwelling place."
Charles Swindoll writes: "Our Lord operates in realms far beyond our ability to comprehend, but He longs for us to explore and experience that which is beyond the obvious. Some of His best truths, like priceless treasures, are hidden in depths most folks never take the time to search out. Our loss! Patiently and graciously He waits to reveal insights and dimensions of truth to those who care enough to probe, to examine, to ponder... Job 11:7-8 - 'Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?' ... He reserves these things for those whose hearts are completely His... for those who take time to wait before Him. Only in that way can there be intimacy with the Almighty."
A couple of comments stood out.... One woman shared that the Lord told her while I was preaching to tell me "not to feel guilty for taking a Sabbatical." That was a good word. Hard to let it go. Hard to leave friends and calling alone for a season. Another comment: "Climb up into HIS lap and soak in His Presence." That is what I am going to try to do this summer. Besides the study, the time with other ministers, and being present for the Provincial Assembly of the New Anglican Church in North America, I am going to try to be "still and know that He is God" spending lots of time alone seeking His Face and dwelling in His Presence. As Psalm 31:20 says: "In the shelter of Your Presence" and "In Your Dwelling place."
Charles Swindoll writes: "Our Lord operates in realms far beyond our ability to comprehend, but He longs for us to explore and experience that which is beyond the obvious. Some of His best truths, like priceless treasures, are hidden in depths most folks never take the time to search out. Our loss! Patiently and graciously He waits to reveal insights and dimensions of truth to those who care enough to probe, to examine, to ponder... Job 11:7-8 - 'Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?' ... He reserves these things for those whose hearts are completely His... for those who take time to wait before Him. Only in that way can there be intimacy with the Almighty."
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