Earlier this month I was privileged to fly to England with the incoming class of Ordinands, the Bishop, and others from our Conference. It was an outstanding experience, one that I will treasure for years to come. I can't tell you how many sermon illustrations I took home with me! But I will share one here. Part of me expected to experience the presence of God in a special way as I entered the ancient cathedrals where saints and sinners throughout the centuries have bowed before God and worshipped Him. Or maybe I would share in Wesley's "Aldersgate" experience as I stood on that same street. It didn't happen. Not on Aldersgate Street, not in York Minster, not even in Westminster Abbey. I'm not saying God wasn't present there, but I didn't have a special experience like I had hoped for. Ironically, I found that the spacious cathedrals captivated me and drew me to focus more on the architecture of the building, rather than on the God the building was supposed to represent. My Aldersgate experience took place in a UM Church in Conneautville, PA in the late 1970's. I felt God's touch in a special way again in 1994 at a beach in Long Island when God called me to be a pastor. One thing I learned on this trip to England is that God isn't limited to spacious cathedrals, or ancient places. God can reach out and touch us anywhere, at anytime. That's part of the beauty of serving a God without borders, and I find great comfort in knowing that God cares enough to reach out to us wherever we are.
7 comments:
Amen...prevenient grace, brother. Prevenient grace.
Welcome to the blogosphere!
Jeff,
Nice to have your thoughts added to the blogroll.
However, are you sure you really know what you're getting yourself into??!! :)
I look forward to reading more.
love,
r
P.S. Say "hi" to Karen for me!
Jeff, I could say so many negative things but since you're new, I'll just think them to myself and then make disparaging comments about you behind your back on other blogs.
Seriously, welcome aboard...glad you're getting into this. Too bad John Shaver can't seem to do it.
Oh yeah, if you're looking to find God's presence, then don't look at Keith McIlwain's blog.
Welcome, Jeff.
And pay no mind to Probert. He was voted "most likely to annoy" in high school.
Welcome to the blogroll, Jeff. I look forward to future musings. I already like your taste in music, if not you taste in friends. Probert and McIlwain both have serious issues.
Actually Eric, I was voted "most annoying to like" not "most likely to annoy". Just for clarity...
It's nice to see that we're all like-minded individuals here! I look forward to expressing ideas and opinions that challenge and inspire as we all move on to perfection. And, as I noted on Probert's blog, if Brett can do it, how hard can it be? Shaver, get on board!
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