Brian's Blog: Love or Hate/Add or Release

“I hate this season,” the woman said, “I hate the remembrance of my son’s death.”  

“The lights are glorious around Christmas. I just love this season.”  

“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!”  

“The loss is so painful, I just wish we didn’t have the meal at all for Thanksgiving.”  

“I wish I could eat pumpkin pie every day, all day long.” 

So many contrasting feelings and emotions surrounding holidays, especially these two that fall within our longer Advent.  Each holiday and the seasons around them carry their own stories in each of your lives. For some of you, it is light and glorious. For others dark and dismal, for the losses, hurts, and pain have marked these events so the holiday comes as an annual reminder of that loss.   

The early church began the practice of fasting during Advent, and began that fast in what is now the month of November.  As we have begun Advent early, take time to reflect on the coming of Jesus and ask this question: How might this miracle impact how I live each day? 

I know, you have already been doing that. But during this season, do it all the more.  Remember the first coming and anticipate the second coming of Jesus.  

During Advent, some of the scriptures you will be asked to reflect upon in Next Steps will focus upon the second coming.  Ponder those and how you relate to the idea that Jesus is coming again?  

Also, during this longer Advent, what do you plan to take up or let go of in order to draw nearer to Jesus?  

How might you follow more closely? 

That’s a similar question that we asked during Lent.  The ancient church, and still practiced in the Orthodox church, fast in this season.  

You and I can choose to cut something out or add something in, during this season, in order to draw closer to Jesus.  

What might that be for you? 

How might you subtract or add something to experience more of Jesus in your heart and life?  

This is like waiting at a certain corner for a bus. If you know the bus is coming, then waiting at the correct corner is all that is needed. So, your ‘fast’ -- the thing you cut or add -- can be that means to wait daily upon God to show up. God will. God loves to meet us! 

Something to release. Something to add. 

Let’s do this for the longer advent and submit ourselves to God all the more.  

Embrace Advent

John 1: 1-18 reads like poetry. It is soft. Beautiful. Lyrical. Powerful. It pulls you in. It astounds you with simplicity and profundity simultaneously. And here in a passage that takes our hearts back to the very first verse of the Bible “In the Beginning God created…” we encounter both John the Baptist sent as a witness and Jesus, the Word, the One with God who came From God, the Word made Flesh. Powerful. Invitational. The word made flesh.

It is the most unique aspect of what occurred some 2000 years ago in Jesus Christ,

...that the One positioned forever at the Father’s Hand,

...that the One who was the Son and yet equal to God,

the One united to God by a love that was so tangible as to be a Person as well, the Holy Spirit,

...that this One, of the Three-One God, singular in purpose and fullness and identity yet triune in Person,

...that this One, this Son would come to earth, in an action so sublime and incredible and take flesh to live a life filled with Grace, be named Jesus by his step dad Joseph, and show us exactly what the character of God is like;

not only this, but that this One, this Jesus would come to live and die in order that we could truly live.

Unfathomable.

Incredible.

Marvelous.

Amazing love indeed.

An old Charles Wesley hymn says “contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man.”

This miracle shook the heavens and the earth. This miracle is our focus this Advent. Certainly the season does encompass not only that Jesus came, but that He comes yet again. But in the midst of that, we can be still, pause, reflect upon what this means for how we face life, the craziness of the holidays, the challenges of loss, the regrets of choices. How did the first characters respond, and how might we?

Don’t miss out by staying away. Don’t be cheated out of a blessing. Don’t stay away; come in, come be in worship, come seek the Savior.

Fall Back!

It’s that time again. Don’t forget to give yourself an extra hour of sleep this Saturday night.

Another Way to Serve

Perhaps you’re unable to volunteer on the 3rd Wednesdays at HomePlate.

Did you know that you can help by donating food and/or cash?

The Westside HomePlate team serves approximately 60 homeless youth each month. Bonnie Becker does a tremendous job of procuring donations for the meals but there are always additional items needed.

Contact Bonnie and see how you can be a regular donor to this tremendous ministry!

Join the Journey, 10.27.19

Question: What fear, habit, belief do you need to release/die to in order to live?

Answers:

1. Super low self esteem. Covering myself in tattoos because I don’t like what I see in the mirror.

2. Being in control.

3. Others control over me.

4. The feeling of being homeless and alone.

5. That I am not loveable.

6. Body image. Overeating. Pain.

7. Die to controlling my every move/step. Letting God fill me and living in the Holy Spirit.

Brian's Blog: Who's On Your Team?

“There’s a transitions team?” The brother said.  “What do they do? Who’s on the team?” 

I was surprised by his questions for it has felt like we’ve been answering them for three months.  But in the slides, verbal announcements, bulletin blurbs, email newsletters with team members listed, and published stories about each meeting, although I’ve felt like we have been communicating, others hadn’t heard nor seen a thing.   

It was a blatant “case in point” that communication is a challenging dance.  The steps are not scripted. Although an announcement is made, that might have been the moment someone said something to you and you didn’t hear it.  Or the blurb in the bulletin didn’t catch your eye. And you hadn’t been reading the church email so missed those as well.  

And that points to this blog here— it might also not be seen! 

And it takes effort to communicate. You’ve noticed that in your life as well.  Next time you are in the building look for the transitions team posters and announcements. 

Have you noticed the weekly prayer request to be praying for our new pastor?  That’s been in the bulletin for months and is from the transitions team. Have you heard the announcements and seen the sign up for “Tables of 8?”  Again, transitions team.  

At our last meeting, October 13, the energy that filled the room was incredible.  Over lunch we broke into smaller discussion groups, each with a different topic. Out of these, a plan for communication, for listening posts, for Christmas events, for skits and community times emerged.  This team, made up of the Gabels, Loayzas, Mark Smith, Jane Williams, Paige Flanagan, Gayellyn Jacobson, Kristin Walters, Francie Stacey, Kari Suppes, Wendy Fedderly, Martha Tunall and Susan Brehmer is intent upon making a transition that helps us say goodbye well and also leaves you with the bandwidth to embrace and welcome the new pastor who will begin Júly 1.  

One of our whole group conversations dealt with the possible changes coming with the 2020 General Conference.  Our Western Jurisdiction (all the states west of Colorado) has said that barring some middle road agreement this might be our (speaking of the Western Jurisdiction) last General Conference with the UMC.  What that will look like no one knows. But that it might happen and might impact us is something to discuss, ponder and hold in prayer. This discussion brought tears to a team member desiring with us all that the UMC might remain united.  

We have two new monthly “tables of 8” groups beginning soon.  One of them is comprised of families with teenagers, which ought to be dynamic.  Do you have a desire to join a Table of 8? Contact Cindy Loayza at 206-779-6208 or cknewell@gmail.com and she can help you form a group.  

A team of people with you all in heart and mind desiring to see us transition successfully is something to give thanks for.  Also, pray for the team and give your input so we can be assured to be hearing your voice too. 

Choosing Providence Over Paltriness

“I’m an atheist,” the woman was blunt.

“Really? Tell me more about how you arrived at that kind of place.” I responded. We were chatting in this echoey room filled with other chatting people. We nearly needed to yell to be heard. To say the least, it was difficult to have this kind of conversation, but we powered forward.

She told me of her childhood, her life and her belief that there was a complete lack of evidence for God, therefore, God didn’t exist. So felt that perhaps having faith was something genetic and she didn’t have the gene, she considered herself atheist.

I countered, “Ah, but actually you do believe. You believe that all this: the creation, the cosmos, trees, animals, birds, seas and rivers, everything visible and invisible to the eye, even you and me, all this came about by chance, and I would say that is a belief system much tougher to prove than my own.” She looked stunned momentarily, then excused herself to find someone else due to be at the event.

“A lack of evidence for God.” Imagine that. Visiting baby Sloane Stacey with her tiny hand grabbing onto my thumb was evidence of a mighty Creator enough for me. It’s a matter of perspective, of choice, and also of being blinded to the Real by spiritual forces. Spiritual life is an awakening, and changes everything. I’m still praying for this woman, and for more opportunities to continue our conversation.

This week we are looking with Bucky Buchstaber preaching at the passage at the end of Mark 8, which is the turning point in the gospel. It is the point at which after the disciples, through Peter’s voice, identify Jesus as the Messiah, that Jesus heads resolutely for the cross. This is why after this declaration, Jesus immediately speaks of his death. The Messiah had to die in order for a new humanity to begin with Him, and in order to defeat the power that death had over humanity. It would be man’s way to not take that path. It would be human desire to avoid suffering and self-sacrifice. But Jesus chose it, even embraced it.

And so he says to those hearing to choose the same way -- die that you may live. Choose the way of self sacrifice, “lose your life for Me and for the Gospel, that you might find it.”

To lose our lives for this reason is to die to all our self-saving tendencies. It is to release our tendency to save face, be afraid of man’s opinion, to worry, be fretful over the future or regret the past. It is to release, lay down, harsh judgments, bitterness, accusations and pride. It is to die to our own tendency to have the last word, the best opinion, the most likes on FB. It is to forgive. Laying down this life is to release anger, hate, unforgiveness, and malice. All these must be sacrificed. It is to say no to these. Peter chose “man’s way,” he chose “Satan’s opinion” by standing against the plan of God for Jesus, the Messiah to die for all people. Still the spirits that speak for this false spirit say Jesus never died in the flesh and rose from the dead.

Jesus and the Gospel he lived show us a new way, and we only live into that way by releasing the hold of the old.

The only way to really release our hold on our finances is to release ourselves first into God’s plan and desire for us. We have to die to the hold money can have on our hearts, we might have to die to our mythical thinking about money, and instead sacrifice by giving first, however much, to God in order that we can really be free to follow Him in the rest of life.

“What can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

The answer is clear.

Let’s choose to follow and live.

Health and Wholeness

You are invited to attend Vermont Hill UMC’s Health and Wholeness service on Sunday, November 10. Beginning at 6:00 pm, it’s an hour of healing mentally, physically, and spiritually, led by Pastor Bo Sanders.

VHUMC is located at 6053 SW 55th Drive in Portland.

Thanksgiving for Homeless Youth

Beaverton High School currently has 110 students who are homeless, a dramatic increase over last year. The Beaver Den, which provides free food, clothing, hygiene and school supplies, served 120 people in September. All are welcome at the Den, not just students, if you know of someone who could benefit.

For Thanksgiving, the school is asking for an army of volunteers on November 26 to help sort and deliver 150 boxes of food.

• 11:00 am: unload trucks and sort food in the auditorium

• 1:00 pm: deliver food to families

Volunteers are encouraged to take home the leftover food!

If you are available to help, there’s no sign-up necessary; simply check-in at the main office of BHS on November 26.

Join the Journey, 10.20.19

Only one answer this week but it’s a winner!

Question: What makes you feel most secure? Could you let that go?

Answer: Never will I let go, for Jesus is the best, most honest and secure thing that has ever happened to me!

Brian's Blog: A Moment in History

Fall is here. Temperatures are falling.  Leaves are changing. Beauty abounds. And with fall comes our annual Charge Conference -- which is that yearly opportunity for us to meet, celebrate, hear from our District Superintendent Erin Martin, and make decisions together.  This will be a unique year, indeed we are in a unique season in the church’s history. 

With the advent of General Conference 2020 which will occur in May, we are looking at a huge shift in what it might mean to be United Methodist in this area.  We don’t know what will occur at this gathering, but there are rumblings about the entire Western Jurisdiction of the UMC choosing to break away from the greater UMC at that point.  We don’t know how long such a thing might take, but at this point it could come about quickly.  

While I don’t think schism is best, it still may come about.  

Because of this, because we need each other, because we are stronger united than separated from one another, because no matter what happens at GC 2020 we are still in this thing together, because Jesus is bigger than anything the Western church might decide, and because we are called to a unity that is bigger than such decisions, we will be gathering in larger groupings again, in what are called Action Assemblies.  

An Action Assembly is a gathering of churches from our area meeting together in one big place (Beaverton First UMC) to hear from Erin, share together about ministries happening among us, and discuss what may come in 2020.  This is important to do this together. As Erin wrote:    

“We are at a threshold moment in the life of the United Methodist Church. We stand on the edge of a potential radical shift/break in our denomination. The future is uncertain in some ways but very clear in other ways. That is, regardless of what happens at General Conference 2020, we need new ways of being in connection with each other. Our structure may no longer determine our life together.”

We are at a point when we will need to “choose what we are to one another. We need a renewed and embodied connection.”

“The Action Assembly then helps us break down our isolation, create bigger community, and understand ourselves as interconnected with each other … At Action Assemblies, we get to experience the richness of our varied connection as we gather in larger ways.”

Choose to come, will you? 

November 17th, 3:00 - 6:00 pm
Beaverton First UMC
12555 SW 4th St, Beaverton

This is a moment in history. The church is in a new season.  Never will this be the same. Come.

Scarcity or Surplus?

I’m so thankful that our Westside friend Bucky Buchstaber will be with us this Sunday to share the message while I am at the Women’s Walk to Emmaus. Bucky is doing a work uprooting the tentacles of sex trafficking around the world. Building fish ponds, giving impoverished communities a source of income, removes the felt need of selling children into slavery. It’s brilliant and making a difference. Corner this man and hear extraordinary stories of God’s magnificence put on display. Talk about God taking a small thing, this man’s love for fly fishing, and turning it into something huge for the Kingdom!

Like the small amount of bread and fish in Mark chapter 8, multiplied unimaginably.

We all know what it is like to lack something. Not enough income to cover the bills. Not enough stamina to make it through the day. Not enough food to feed the family. Not enough gas to make it home. Not enough wine for the wedding. Not enough. That phrase alone is staggering in the weight it can bring to our hearts. We often feel we are “not enough” about any number of things.

But in this story, it is not just “not enough” that is the problem, it is scarcity -- there is literally a lack of resources. I think of those around us living on the streets, houseless, hopeless often. They are experiencing an immense scarcity. I think of times of famine when there literally was not enough to go around; and households without love where parents are suing their kids for slander.

There are only 7 loaves of bread and a few fish and somewhere around 4000 people. The provisions are scarce. The disciples having already seen Jesus feed a larger crowd, still have no idea what to do. They still don’t seem to catch Jesus’ bigger picture. And when there are scarce provisions, it is hard to see anything but that fact.

What does it look like to release or let go of scarcity? It looks like bringing what little we have to Jesus, to someone BIGGER than we are. It looks like identifying our meager faith and admitting that by bringing him what we do have and trusting Him with it. That’s what it looks like.

So, how might that play out in our lives? When have you had to release the little or nothing you had in order to receive what God offered?

I remember walking across campus at Asbury Theological Seminary in order to withdraw from classes. We had no money. No extra money to pay for school. I was heading to the admin office to drop out for the term in order to just work, save and hopefully return for another semester. We were releasing our scarcity for whatever God would do, believing our plan was the best plan, just drop out for a season. When I reached the office and told them that I was going to have to drop out for a semester, they said,

“Have you checked the balance in your account?”

“Balance?” I said. “What balance?” I had looked the day before. It was all zeros.

The admissions officer looked back and said, “You have received a gift and you have enough to register for all your classes.”

I was staggered. It turned out a friend, serving as a missionary in the Maldives had sent us money, and it had arrived just in time to pay the next semester. I still look back staggered at God’s grace.

Release what thing you are clinging to into the hand of God and let Him use it for His glory. Let go and cast those nets and watch God move. God has huge plans. There’s a multitude to feed.

Put Feet to Your Faith

Set aside the third Wednesday of each month and help the homeless youth of Beaverton.

That’s Westside’s slot at the HomePlate Drop-in Center at Aloha Church of God, 18380 SW Kinnaman Rd in Aloha. We are responsible for fixing and serving dinner to the youth once a month.

Bonnie Becker is overseeing this outreach.

You’ve been trained. Now come serve.

Your Transition Team

There are fourteen people working to achieve a smooth transition in July 2020 between Pastor Brian and our new pastor.

They meet monthly to discuss both the “farewell” and the “welcome” of this change. If you have questions or concerns, talk to one of them.

Better yet, attend the Fourth Sunday Feast on November 24 where a team member will be at each table to facilitate discussion.

Your Transition Team members are Susan Brehmer, Wendy Fedderly, Paige Flanagan, Chris Gabel, Debbie Gabel, Gayellyn Jacobson, Cindy Loayza, Randy Loayza, Mark Smith, Francie Stacey, Kari Suppes, Martha Tunall, Kristin Walters, and Jane Williams.

The Date is Set!

Mark your calendar now for next year’s Help Build Hope, June 19 and 20, 2020.

As in past years, we will join with Christ UMC and others to build all the walls for a house. The walls are then shipped and assembled for a family with Habitat for Humanity. This year, the goal is to complete two houses!

Some skills are helpful of course, but if you can hammer a nail, you’re qualified. Or assist with breakfast. Or caring for the children too young to participate. There’s a job for almost everyone.

So plan to attend next June and share the love!

News from Paraguay

The latest from our missionary friends in Paraguay:

Greetings from a hot spring day in Paraguay!

A spontaneous chess match broke out last month between a Mbya Guarani girl and a visiting public school student. You can read the results in the newsletter. Additionally, you'll read about a recent wave of attempts to prohibit Native Christians' religious freedom, and the blessed challenge of getting Paraguayan churches and ministries involved in outreach.

The newsletter can be accessed at www.tmrevett.blogspot.com.

Sincerely,

The Revett Family

Join the Journey, 10.13.19

Question: What fear tops your list?

Answers:

1. I dream I’m getting stabbed and then having the house burned down around me.

2. That I won’t make it to be in eternity with Christ.

3. Worry sometimes about future security financially.

4. Losing control.

5. Losing my family.

6. Poor health.

Brian's Blog: This Money is God's

I met the couple, Bill and Liz, at the local laundromat.  The woman worked there, her husband hung out with her there frequently, especially late at night when I would be there washing my clothes.  

That was the same laundromat outside of which, one late night, God had sent an angel.  

Here’s what happened.  I was waiting for my clothes to wash and dry, and sat down outside on the bench on that hot, muggy, Newton, Iowa evening.  My heart felt as dark as that night did, and the air as hard to pull in as water. It was full of water for certain. This man, a stranger, had walked up to me, sat down on that bench, looked into my eyes and given me this message. I don’t remember what he said, but remember the feeling that accompanied his words -- hope filled me, light penetrated me, and to quote an old hymn “love lifted me.”  It was intense. He then stood, and walked away. I never got his name, and when I thought to ask for his name, and turned to go after him to get it, he was gone. Just gone. That’s why I feel like he was an angel.  

That was the summer I had recommitted myself to Jesus and God was on the move in my young heart.  

I spoke with Bill and Liz every time I was washing my clothes. They invited me to their church, and also taught me about giving.  They said, simply, “Give 10% out of every dollar. Just make it a plan to give first to God.” That was the first training in discipleship that I received! 

After that, I began to follow that principle.  Whenever I earned anything, I chopped off 10% and gave it to the church. I began to practice that in 1978. Yikes:  41 years ago! It took a while until I learned the corollary to this was a budget. If I am giving first to God, I need to learn to budget the rest, to make a plan.  What I ended up internalizing years later was to put a “name on every dollar” I earn. In essence, that is to know where it goes. Tithe. Groceries. Gas. Recreation. Movies. Medical.  It’s a simple idea but it helps to track the income God has given and how I am spending it.  

That 10% has expanded out now so that it is more than 10% of my pre-tax income. It’s an adventure to give.  God provides. He provides again and again. But this also means learning to say “no” to some expenditures that I might have wanted to make.  Do I need that coffee? When I am out of my funds for whatever areas, I stop spending. This means planning and saving for expenses that are up the road.  

Money can have a strange influence over the human heart.  I’ve found that to give first is one way to begin to break its hold, it is a way to say, this money is God’s.  

This is stewardship time to think about giving, how we give, how much God is calling us to give financially, and also in our time and service through the church to God. How is God motivating you to give?    

We're All Afraid of Something

Something happens as we come to familiar stories. Sometimes we shut off our thinking and turn off our hearts for “we have heard it before.” But what if, instead, we engaged in a story as if we had never heard it before? What if we put ourselves into it and our lives into the scene before us.

Try this with Mark 4: 35-41. It is “the storm at sea.” Perhaps you know it well enough that you could tell most of it. But slow down. Ponder the events. Ask what it might have felt like to be the disciples obedient to Jesus caught in this life-threatening storm. And notice how this story connects to the stuff of fear you encounter in your life.

For we all have fear -- fear of what people might think of us, fear of calamity, fear of jet streams, fear of flying, fear of death, fear of bankruptcy, fear of loss of relationships or the death of a relative or friend. We all have fears.

Recently I spoke with a new acquaintance and he shared how he had gone to a retreat-- an intensive one on healing -- and there they had been impacted by looking at scripture to identify what it is within that section they needed to repent of. Time and again, the passages spoke to his heart about his own fears, and how much he needed to repent of his fears. Fear is not trust, it is, therefore, not an expression of faith, and scripture says that anything that is not of faith is sin (see Romans 14:23). So, he confessed and repented of his fears. He listed them out, repenting and receiving forgiveness. His fear of rejection, speaking up, not being heard, etc. As he did so, the Holy Spirit did this immense cleansing in his heart. He felt totally renewed.

Fears are usually unfounded. Unless we are in a plane plummeting toward the ground, we need not believe the lion’s share of fears. Indeed, fear is a liar as the song by Zack Williams reminds us.

Jesus responds to the disciples reaction to the storm, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” So, clearly, their response demonstrated to Jesus that faith was not present. Fear had trounced it.

Fears are worth facing. Are you ready to face some of your own?

Don’t miss worship.

Listen for God's Voice

Mark Virkler's incredible video series "HOW TO HEAR GOD'S VOICE" is available online for free this month through OCT 23rd. We have the video series in the office as well for anyone who would like to borrow it. But if you want to tune in, many in our congregation have grown immeasurably as they have learned to tune in and listen. Obedience actually is rooted in listening -- it is a word that means to listen intently. So, begin.

Click here and register to watch this complete video series for free: http://go.CLUschoolOfTheSpirit.com/4-keys-event-registration

- Or get a free preview (3 short videos)

- Or read the overview

If you want personal testimony of those who have taken the course, check in with Susan Brehmer or Kari Suppes. There are many others as well.

Listen. "Lord what would you speak to me?"