My family had a good trip out to my cousin’s funeral.  It is wonderful to attend a funeral when you know without a doubt about the final destination of the deceased.   We are only sad for her kids and grandkids.  But I will see her one day again in heaven.  Will I see you there as well?

I was reading Matthew 11-12 in devotions this morning.  It it he condemns people and places who have seen the many miracles of Jesus and yet still do not believe.  He even mentions that wicked cities like Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off in the judgment then the places Jesus did many of his miracles.  It reminded me of the place in Luke 12:43 which says, “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”  Last week, I asked us to pray for the peace not only of Jerusalem but America as well.  But I could not help but think that we have been given much here in America.  Many blessings are ours simply by being born here.  We have been give MUCH!!!  So how much is required of us???

When you know that you are following God’s will to the best of your ability and obeying what he has called you to do, it frees you from needless worries, doubt, and envy toward others.  But this can only happen if you are walking with the Spirit and carefully listening to his direction.  I hope that you all can experience that kind of freedom because there is nothing on earth like it.  If you do not have that confidence, maybe your prayers should reflect that.  Pray that God would show you how to live in the center of his will.

We often hear that we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122:6) but have you ever prayed for the peace of America or even the city that you are part of?  Jer 29:7 says, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  (note this verse is just before the famous “I know the plans for you . . .” verse).  We need to pray more often for peace.  And peace is not just the absence of war but for spiritual well being.  So PRAY.

I am still struck by something that was mentioned at our national conference last week.  BTW, for those following along, I think I might try to post a sermon from the conference on this website (you can find some more of them from MCUSA.org/shift).  The idea that the Missionary Church empowers everyday people (that is you and me) to love like Jesus and live like missionaries is powerful.  You and I can minister to people around us like missionaries.  Sharing the love of Jesus with them, telling them about his forgiveness and grace, and helping them fulfill their God given purpose in life is something every Christian is called to do.  Are you one of them?

Pray for me this next week as well as for the whole Missionary Church denomination as we have our biannual conference.  It will be a wonderful time to get together with churches all around America to celebrate and reflect on the last two years.  God has blessed us with incredible growth was other denominations are showing decline.  I pray that God will continue to bless us as we follow closely to his word without compromise.

I had a wonderful time at camp this week.  I was also able to listen to the message that Cindi preached on Sunday.  I am so glad that she was able to fill the pulpit and I enjoyed hearing her for the first time.  I hope that she will be willing to come back some time in the future to speak to us again.

The denial of Jesus by Peter, while horrible, is softened a bit by how John presents it.  This is comforting to me.  Because if someone as strong and as courageous as Peter who is “rock” solid so many times in John’s gospel makes a mistake (and is later forgiven by Jesus (see John 21), it gives me hope when I mess up.  When I do not feel so strong or bold in the face of opposition, I can see how even the best of us can fall and rise again.  Have you messed up?  All is not lost and there is still hope for you to restore your good name just as Peter, the rock, did.

I hope you all were able to celebrate your dads yesterday.  I know my dad is a great father who taught me a lot.  But the most important thing that my dad taught me was to honor and follow God.  He was a godly example that I looked up to and admired for his love for Jesus.  I am proud to call him my dad.

How is the Holy Spirit working in your life?  Is he showing you the truth about God and about who you are?  More importantly is he empowering you to tell others about Jesus?  Something I forgot to mention in my message is that when the Spirit first appeared on Pentecost, what was the result?  It empowered the disciples to get out of the upper room and start telling people about the resurrected Christ.  I do not think it is a coincidence that the gift of the Holy Spirit did this.  As we learned in Sunday’s message, one of the key aspects of the Spirit’s character is to help us show others the truth of Jesus.  So go forth in Holy Spirit power!