Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves even as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 CEB It has been an exhausting election season with the overwhelming abundance of political ads. I must admit that I stopped watching TV a few days before the election because of all the negative ads. My stress level was elevating. All the negativity, on both sides, was contributing greatly to the divisions and nastiness among us. I was dismayed to see the lengths that people would go in being ugly toward each other. I saw a video from Neal Forde, who has a YouTube Channel. He was sharing an experience in the late 60’s when he and his father were driving to Oakland in an old beat-up car, when the car died, 9 miles from the nearest town. And this was before cell phones. He says that a young cowboy drives by and offers to give them a ride to get the car fixed. He accepts his offer but tells him that they don’t have any money. So, he drove them into town and rouses up the local mechanic. They need a new water pump, but it is Sunday, and the auto parts store is closed. But the store manager is a friend of his and gets him to open his store to get the part. Again, his father said that he didn’t have any money. The young cowboy made a proposition for them to help unload some watermelons from his truck and he would call it even. The mechanic got the water pump installed and they were getting ready to drive away when the cowboy said, “Wait a minute before you. Come over to my home and we can feed you a meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, before you get on the road.” Neal said that it was the best meal he ever had. They finally made it home. Neal got into bed. His father stood at the doorway and said to him, “no matter what you see in the movies or on TV or read in the papers, you listen to me. That’s how people really are. Keep the faith.” A similar thing happened to me at my first job out of college, living in St. Louis, when my car died out in the middle of a strange neighborhood. And it was dark. It was before I got my first paycheck, and I only had $20 to my name. But I was taken care of by some good people, for which I never got their names. When we are being torn apart by hostile language and mean behavior, just remember what Scripture tells us who we are deep inside. The core of who we are - children of God. So, keep the faith. #fruitofthespirit #faith #goodness

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us," Hebrew 12:1 NIV This Sunday, we commemorate All Saints’ Sunday. It’s a day we remember the saints in our own lives. Especially those in our church family we lost this past year. The ones that have shaped us, who have made us who we are. They may not have been well-known in the public sphere; they may not have a building, or a street named after them, but they hold a special place in our hearts. It’s a day when we stop to recall and realize that this all didn’t start with us. We are linked with history and the past and we realize and are reminded of the reality. The author Maya Angelou said that “We’ve all been paid for.” Every time we come into the church, we have a sense of our forebears sitting on their perch, staring at us, Abraham, Sarah, Ruth, Jacob, Stephen, Mary. And the saints of this church that are gone, who for what they paid for in the past, are why we are here. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, as the book of Hebrews says. We are just a part of the divine story that started long before we got here and will continue long after we are gone, that is richer and broader than our own little personal bit part in the story. So, what is a saint in our lives? Hear these words of author Barbara Brown Taylor as she describes a saint, “What makes a saint? Extravagance. Excessive love, flagrant mercy, radical affection, exorbitant charity, immoderate faith, intemperate hope, inordinate love. None of which is an achievement, a badge to be earned or a trophy to be sought; all are secondary by-products of the one thing that truly makes a saint, which is the love of God, which is membership in the body of Christ, which is what all of us, living and dead, remembered and forgotten, great souls and small, have in common. Think about the saints in your life. Most likely they are ordinary people with an extraordinary willingness to take belief and turn it into action. And an extraordinary willingness to make some promises that stretch out over the years to us, to persevere, to persist, to give their word and keep their word. Yes, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses from those who have gone before us. And on this Sunday, we will rejoice and say a word of thanks to those saints in our lives and in the life of the church. #AllSaints'Sunday #faith #legacy

We heard on the news this week that there is a trailer park in Valrico that is still flooded. The waters from Helene and Milton have still not receded. There are thousands who have lost their homes in the last month from consecutive hurricanes. There is also a fear that the insurance companies will not pay out for these hurricanes since word has gotten out that people suffering from Hurricane Debbie in June still have not received any help. T he people of Florida are suffering and there are plenty of folks who do not believe in God because of these types of events. How could a good and loving God allow this type of devastation to the people of Florida? One thing I know from my time in seminary is that there is no good answer to these questions. It is called the problem of evil and while people attempt to give answers, they rarely are satisfying, and they certainly don’t convince someone to start believing in a loving God. So, here are some thoughts for the person who already believes in God but finds themselves without words when hard questions about the problem of evil are thrust at them. We serve a God that is unlike the gods of other faiths. We serve a God who choose to suffer with us and understand us so that we could be joined with Him in our understanding of what life as a human here on earth is like. We serve a God that gets us and knows how we feel. We serve a God that grieves with us when we grieve and comforts us when we are at the end of our rope. Unfortunately, God does not always spare us pain and struggle. Yet He does join us in our painful moments and understands us when we despair. He also set aside his divine privilege and hung on a cross suffering unbearable pain, and even experienced the agony of death. There seems to be no other reason for that sacrifice other than His deep and abiding love for us. No, He does not always spare us from suffering, but He always loves us, and we know He gets what we are feeling in our saddest moments. One could even argue that God empathizes with us, knowing exactly what we feel because He too knows what it is to be human. While that might not convince someone to believe and put their trust in God, it does help the believer when we are the one suffering. The devastation Florida has experienced makes no sense, and there is no defense of God in that He allowed it to happen. Just know, He is here with us and among us and He knows the weariness and sadness we are feeling. He knows the worries we have about insurance. He knows we are people who are grieving much loss right now. And He sits with us in our pain, and He encourages us and reminds us that we are never alone. In all honestly, sometimes it is in these spaces that we can feel the closest and most encouraged by our God. #grief #hope #love

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Philippians. 3:12 One of the greatest joys in my life is when my first child, Natalie was born. As I stood in that delivery room holding Natalie for the first time, I realized I was finally a father. For the rest of Natalie’s life, she was going to call me Father or Dad, or Daddy. That could not be taken away, I was a father. At last, I could be called a father. But did that make me a father? If Natalie could talk, she could have legitimately called me father. But was that enough to be a father? So, from that point on, the journey was for me to be her father. I want her to know me as her father, not just because I fathered her, but because I cared for her, loved her, nurtured her, cherished her as a father would. I wanted to move from just being called a father, to actually being her father to that little baby Natalie. It’s the same way with God. Once we have accepted Christ in faith, He accepts us as His child, adopted into the family of God. There is nothing that God can do to take that away from us. That happens when we confess our faith in Christ. We can be called a Christian. Yet, that is just the beginning, for we are not to be satisfied with just being called a Christian. We should strive to become a Christian. We should strive to grow in Christ, mature, and become like Christ. This is what Paul was writing about in this Scripture passage. I like the way Eugene Peterson translates these words and the surrounding verses in his translation of the Bible known as The Message. Listen to his words: "I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus. I’m off and running and I’m not turning back." Paul is describing sanctification, in a way that John Wesley would have loved. As we grow, we are to use the grace that God has given us, the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the salvation of Jesus Christ that cleanses all the ugliness in our lives to renew us as new creations, to transform us, to restore us to health and to our original image, as the image of God. Being a United Methodist means putting on the cloak of Christianity and living the rest of our lives getting used to that cloak. But it is striving toward the likeness of Christ, that transforms us and the world around us.  #sanctification #faith #grace

Friday Connection October 9, 2024 The Friday Connection is coming out early today in anticipation that many of us may not have power for a few days after Hurricane Milton arrives.  Today we are on pause waiting for this monster hurricane to possibly devastate portions of Florida. It almost makes you ache inside knowing that some folks did not evacuate for many reasons that made sense to them, and now their lives are at risk. We also ache because so many people are still hurting from the loss they experienced from Hurricane Helene just a week ago. It is in these times that I am deeply aware that Scripture does not give us all the answers we need.  Why is there so much pain and suffering? Why is there so much evil in our world?  Why is God allowing these bad things to keep occurring? It is the same ache we feel for the people of Ukraine or the innocent citizens of Gaza. Why is Florida getting hit again with so much devastation?  There is a passage in Luke 19:41-44 that describes Jesus having this same kind of internal ache over what was coming to His beloved city of Jerusalem:  “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”  Jesus is most likely grieving the destruction of the second Temple in Jerusalem that will occur forty years after his death and resurrection in 70 CE during the time of the Roman-Jewish war, when Rome reclaimed the city and destroyed the temple and the city leaving only a portion of the western wall remaining of the temple. Jesus understands the pain that is coming, and He cries, and He aches for those it will impact. I think there is a theological truth here.  We are called to feel and to suffer with each other. We are never meant to live above the heartache of this world. We are meant to be in and among it. Crying for those in pain and feeling the ache of this unjust world. We are also called to do what we can for those who are hurting.  Checking in on our neighbors, sharing of our resources. Doing whatever we can to ease another’s pain and suffering.  Remember, Jesus had both human eyes and divine eyes. He knew about the joy we would experience after death one day, but that did not mean he dismissed the suffering here on this earth. There is work to be done here and so we get ready, as we wait for this storm, to push up our sleeves and help our neighbors.  Note: As of now, we have plans to have our regularly scheduled worship services on Sunday, October 13 unless you hear otherwise on via email or social media. ( Or, unless Pastor Gary does not finish his sermon in time for Sunday. *Smile ) #loveyourneighbor #discipleship #service

Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ Matthew 25:40 With disbelief, we have all seen the scenes of the devastation that Hurricane Helene unleashed last week. Homes that were places of shelter and warmth for so many, now filled with water. Cars, buildings, and other structures swept away by a deluge of stormwater. Some of you have had serious damage to your homes or businesses and some have lost everything because of the hurricane. Many of you have been asking, “What can we do to help?” As Christians, we have a compelling drive to help people who are suffering. It’s in our nature. And we are eager to do something practical to help. Well, the Disaster Recovery Ministry of the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church is asking for individuals or groups to put together flood buckets , to be distributed to those who are in need for the cleanup of precious property damaged by floods. We refer you to the article in this Friday Connection that describes what should be included in buckets. When the buckets are filled, then you can bring them to the church. On Sunday mornings, bring them to the sanctuary narthex. During the week, bring them to the church office. We will take them to the Disaster Recovery Office in Lakeland. Because there is an urgent need for the buckets, we ask that you bring them on or before Monday, October 14. In this passage from Matthew 25, the question asked to Christ is who are the ones that have acted righteously and will inherit the Kingdom of God. Christ’s answer is that those who acted virtuously are those who helped others they saw in need. Not those who saw people in need and felt sorry for them. Or those who thought about offering help. But those who actually fed the hungry, gave drink to those we were thirsty. Those who welcomed strangers. Those who gave clothing to those who could not afford them. Those who took care of someone who was sick. And the ones who visited the prisons. Jesus concludes by saying ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ #loveyourneighbor #discipleship #service

" God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble. That’s why we won’t be afraid when the world falls apart, when the mountains crumble into the center of the sea, when its waters roar and rage, when the mountains shake because of its surging waves." Psalm 46:1-3 CEB I am writing this on Wednesday evening, the night before Hurricane Helene is expected to strike Florida in a powerful way. By the time you read this, you will know what damage it caused in our area, and other areas in its path. But at the current time, it is an unknown. There is a great sense of apprehension and concern in our area. Some have forecasted that this will be a powerful storm having a tremendous impact, causing great damage. You often read that when an event or situation that is incredibly grand, extraordinary, or monumental takes place it is described as being of “biblical proportions.” It often denotes a scale that compares to events portrayed in the Bible, known for its epic and grand narrations. Examples are, “Winds threaten to whip more blazes into fires of biblical proportions” in Southern California and “Canada endured weather of biblical proportions in the past decade.” Yet the phrase is not restricted to natural disasters; for example, a city council meeting can result in a dispute “of biblical proportions.” We get the message. “Of biblical proportions” is used to describe something that is so immense, so all-encompassing, so staggering in its scope that it cannot be of this world. It must be from something that transcends us. You may find yourself in a situation where you feel you are sunk in the depths of despair or hopelessness. You may find yourself trapped in life, an unfulfilling career, troubling relationships, or a stressful existence. One of biblical proportions. Yet as difficult a situation you may find yourself within, this crisis of biblical proportions, know that God pours out His love, mercy, and compassion in biblical proportions. Or even greater. That is not of this world. God hears the cries of His people and responds by offering shelter and deliverance from our struggles, pain, and bondage. This true power “of biblical proportions” is greater than anything that this world thrusts at us to work in grand, extraordinary and monumental ways in our lives. In all things, God is our refuge and strength. #strength #refuge #faithulness

"I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy." 1 Timothy 1:4 These are the words that the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy at Ephesus. It is a sentiment that we all can relate to, when we so desire to be together with our church community. I have seen churches that support a tag line that reads, “It’s Better When You’re Here.” Some provide t-shirts that say just that. One of our initiatives at St. Andrew’s UMC for 2024, was to be known as a church of hospitality. To greet new and long-time friends at our church and to do so with sincere warmth and kindness. And this not only applies to visitors to the church. But we want to re-connect with those who for one reason or another have not been with us in a while. This is the purpose behind initiating a membership audit. We are reaching out to those who may not have been a part of the church for a while. I say, “may not”, because we don’t really have any surefire method for people to mark their attendance at church. We must do the best we can. The list you see in the Membership Audit section are those we are trying to reach. To let them know “It’s Better When You’re Here.” Because we don’t have a reliable record of who has been participating at the church, we will and have made mistakes. People who are active members have been mistakenly listed. All we can say is “We’re sorry.” The list has been scrutinized by staff and some long-time members. Then we have tried to reach the remaining individuals and families, via email or US mail. Some have responded. But as of yet, those on the list are the ones we have not heard back from. These are the people who remain “not found.” This is where you can help, if you know contact information for any these listed, please contact me at gary.rideout@saumc.net . The reason we are doing this is not because we want to “clear the membership rolls.” But to be a hospitable and welcoming church and invite people to join us again. Granted that if there are some who have joined another church, or some reason, do not desire to be a member, they will be removed. Yet, understand that we are not doing this process hastily, but over a two year period. So just know, that at St. Andrew’s UMC, the message that we want to convey is “we long to see you, so that we may be filled with joy.” #community #connection #faith

During September, we are using Rev. Tony Portell’s book, "No Longer Stuck" to understand the way science and Scripture can help us find healing for our emotions and minds. In the book, Tony focuses on a Hebrew word, hesed, which is a difficult Hebrew word to understand because it has 169 different ways to translate it. It is a word that talks about the love of God which is challenging to define for human understanding. The NRSV translates God’s love in Exodus 34:6-7 as steadfast love. “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (hesed) and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love (hesed) for the thousandth generation…” It can be hard to understand the unconditional love that God has for humankind, but I think I experienced it with new understanding this week. On Monday I flew up to Michigan and stayed with my sisters and father in Atlanta, Michigan. My baby sister has a cabin just south of Mackinaw Island. While up there I was able to enjoy some time on the lake in a kayak. It was during that time my brain was experiencing God’s love and I felt His healing touch. Let me explain. Scientists theorize that the “soft fascination” evoked by natural scenes engages what’s known as the brain’s “default mode network.” When this network is activated, we enter a loose associative state in which we’re not focused on any one particular task but are receptive to unexpected connections and insights. In nature, few decisions and choices are demanded of us, granting our minds the freedom to follow our thoughts wherever they lead. Soft fascination is a way of calming and soothing ourselves and restoring our stressed-out brains by spending time in nature and allowing our focus to be gently engaged by the natural world around us. Another way to explain this is to say I drew closer to God by the beauty of His earth, and I felt loved by Him for it. Of course, you don’t have to go a long way away to experience soft fascination. In can occur on a walk in your neighborhood, if you let it. Soft fascination will increase the release of serotonin in your brain, and you will be flooded with the peace of God, just as He intended. #love #calm #nature

Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature. Romans 12:2 CEB As I have been reading through the book for which we are focusing on in our sermon series, “No Longer Stuck” by Tony Portell, it has been made ever so clear to me that we are body, mind, soul, spirit, all wrapped together. We see this in the Bible, written about in Old and New Testament Scriptures. This is opposed to the view that we are divided into a separate body, a separate mind, a separate soul, and a separate spirit. We strive for joy and peace in our lives. Yet, there is body chemistry that takes place in accordance with these drives. Chemicals such as dopamine, which feeds the brain’s primary desire for joy, and serotonin which provides for a feeling of peace in your body. We can strive for joy and peace, the release of dopamine and serotonins through healthy, Godly ways. Or we can endeavor to release them through other unhealthy ways. Through our sin. As one article I read by Christian author Timothy Merrill, that this is the difference between being conformed or being transformed . He writes, “The conformed are always trying to add on, do something else. Our culture says that you can never have enough. You always need more. More. More. The transformed are focused on the ministry the Spirit gave them. The conformed seek a promotion; The transformed seek a ministry. The conformed seek more stuff; The transformed seek the right stuff. The conformed seek the comfort of the flesh; The transformed seek the renewal of the mind. The conformed invest in the temporal; The transformed invest in the eternal.” God created our body, mind, soul and spirit to together be renewed day by day. Not to conform to the values of the world. But to be transformed so that we turn toward God and walk in the image of Christ. Body chemistry and all. #transformation #creation #renewal

Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. Ephesians 4:29 CEB We seem to be an angry society these days. When we disagree, we cannot have a respectful discussion anymore. Listening to each other has been replaced by shouting our views on what we believe. Anger did not originate in our days, but social media has aggravated it and has given it a public forum. Paul has some choice words to say about limiting anger and establishing boundaries, when he wrote “Only say what is helpful when it is need for building up…” How do we rein in such vitriol and ire that is too commonplace in our world today? That will not allow us to come to an understanding among others. That blocks forgiveness, when resentment forms. That divides people into those who agree with me – my friends, and those who disagree with me – my enemies. Jesus had the prescription for such a dilemma when he said love others, even your enemies. Make no distinction between then. And forgive one another. I think Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor said it best when she wrote, "When you allow your enemy to stop being your enemy, all the rules change. Nobody knows how to act anymore, because forgiveness is an act of transformation. It does not offer the adrenaline rush of anger, nor the feeling of power that comes from well-established resentment. It is a quiet revolution as easy to miss as a fist uncurling to become in open hand, but it changes people in ways that anger only wishes it could." #love #forgiveness #discipleship

For the month of September, we are going to preach out of a book called, "No Longer Stuck," by Tony Portell. Tony is the Lead Pastor at Vineyard Life Church in Indianapolis, and he also has a MA in Counseling. The goal of his book and our sermon series is to combine biblical wisdom with neurological and psychiatric studies that can help us to deal with the traumas from our past. One of the chapters in Tony’s book talks about God’s pursuit of us. This is also our Wesleyan understanding of God that He pursues us with His grace. Sometimes we can feel stuck in our relationship with God because we don’t take the time to be quiet with Him so that we can hear His inspiration. We almost block God’s pursuit of us by our busyness and the constant distraction of our phones and social media. So often our prayers are limited to our petitions and requests and very little time dedicated for quiet meditation. Ecclesiastes 5:2 says this, "Don’t[a] be quick with your mouth or say anything hastily before God, because God is in heaven, but you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few.” As a pastor, I am frequently encouraging folks to talk to God about their lives, their needs, and their desires. I still think talking to God is important to begin a relationship with Him. Yet, time for quiet meditation for listening to God is also important. It is in those spaces that we can be inspired to be creative, more attuned to God, and experience His peace. Tony Portell suggests that when we pause to meditate, we should picture everything we are holding on to emotionally or mentally. We must decide to let go of these cares and worries and let them fall to the floor to be picked up later. We should imagine these worries and cares literally dropping to the floor. That will allow us to be still, to expect to hear God’s inspiration, and fully listen to what He wants to say to us. Meditation is not easily done, but with practice you will get better at it, and it will eventually be spiritually rewarding. GO DEEPER. Open space for time with God through this video "In The Whispers." It is easy to get caught up in the noise of the world around us, the constant chatter of social media, the blaring of car horns, and the buzz of everyday life. But if we pause for a moment, if we quiet our minds and listen, we can hear the soft whisper of God calling to us. God whispers to us....can you hear Him? #meditation #quiet #healing