1/6/2022
The phrase I hear most often when I suggest Lay Servant Ministries is, “I’ve been thinking about it!” Too many people still believe LSM training means pulpit supply, which scares many away from a call to LSM. While the program began with that one purpose in mind, folks quickly realized that lay persons can do so much more and the need for training in other areas was needed. Often an individual only needs a little nudge to go from “thinking about it” to “acting about it.” Where do those little ...
10/27/2021
Have you been lost, but didn’t know you were lost, until you were found? I understand, from scientific reports, many people found themselves lost during the pandemic. Depression, boredom, fear, despair, and loneliness, all taking its toll on many of us. I certainly felt the effects of the isolation. Attempts to recover from the pandemic are still preventing “back to normal” for most of us. I believe we are in a process of defining a new normal. Accepting that life will never be the same again is...
10/15/2021
Is your cup half full or half empty? That’s an old, old question which somewhat defines how we view life. A lot of us see the cup as half empty. Pastors are stressed out trying to meet the needs of their charges and families while struggling to decide whether it is better to meet in person or in some other setting. Are we going to lose members to other churches if we require masks? Will people come back or will they get used to staying in their “jammies” on Sunday morning? All questions that ...
7/20/2021
Is your Bible a coffee table book setting at one end and big picture book at the other end? Or is it on a hutch with the family pictures? These are fine places to display and honor the word of God, but does it do your mind or heart any good? The only time it is open is to record a birth or death of a family member or to see when someone of the family died or were married. There are 66 books in our Protestant Bible, 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament. Within the Old Testament we ...
12/14/2020
Do you know where God is calling you to go? Okay, let us get a bit more general. Do you know where you are going? More basic? Do you know where you are coming from? How about considering from a larger perspective? Can you answer these questions about your local church congregation? If not, read on and think about where these thoughts might lead. Like many others, I have a bit of curiosity about where I come from. What is my family origin? What is my family history? How did we get to northeast ...
12/1/2020
When God called Cliff Hall to service as a lay speaker more than 40 years ago, it may have been to prepare him for just this moment in time. As the horrible COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged our community, Cliff, at age 92, has been serving as essentially the acting chaplain inside the Kansas Masonic Home in Wichita. For years, he’s helped out as assistant to the facility’s part-time chaplain, acting as liturgist and fill-in preacher. But the ongoing safety of the residents, only essential care ...
11/9/2020
This year, 2020, has been filled with so much stress, apprehension, and uncertainties. The pandemic has affected us all. It has permeated our health, education, and economic ways of life. I have also had recent health issues that have caused me to make lifestyle changes. We simply can no longer take things for granted. We can no longer assume that our jobs, health, social life, and practices of faith will be "as they always were." We must find new and innovative ways to meet our needs, and the ...
10/29/2020
We are in a time that is different than we have known before. This does not mean before was not good, however it means we must learn new ways of having Lay Servant classes. In the Great West District, we had a class scheduled and what happened? Covid-19 hit and we were not able to hold this class in the traditional face-to-face way. I was so fortunate to have Rev. Bonnie McCord scheduled to lead this class. She called me and we discussed what we were going to do instead. She was being moved to ...
10/13/2020
I was lying awake in bed early this morning and found myself praying. Praying for my family and friends, praying for “my enemies.” I don’t really think I have enemies. This is a phrase Jesus used, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44. I think of it as praying for those who don’t like me or who are on opposite sides of issues from me and so on…and then I prayed about this virus and asked for a safe and effective vaccine. But then it dawned on me…like a light ...
9/28/2020
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a Basic Lay Servant Ministry class. It has been a number of years since I took my Basic class, and back then it was basically a preaching class. It was energizing to see the enthusiasm of the participants in the class. Each had their own reasons for being there that day, but by the end of the day, were all united in one purpose–to find our individual gifts and discover ways to use them in our ministry settings. We all go into Lay Servant ...
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