thoughts on revival

a few months ago i signed up for a class on route to finish my masters. the class was titled "american history of revivals." it was a one week intensive class in marion, indiana taught by dr. black. leading up to the class we read books, prepared an oral report.

a week or two before i left for the class, the senior pastor from fumc marion, iowa challenged the staff to start praying for revival. i thought it was interesting right before i leave for indiana that pastor mike would make this challenge. so the whole week i am in class i was trying to figure out how i could apply it to the church back home.

the week after i got back the staff, during a meeting which we meet the 1st and 3rd mondays of the month decided that the mondays we were not in staff meeting we would get together and pray for the church and the community. that week was also the national day of prayer and from that spun a prayer meeting every thursday.

today we decided to have three special prayer meetings during the summer months. we are still unsure of the outcome, but we are expecting God to move in a big way here in marion, ia and in the life of fumc marion. if you are reading this please pray a quick prayer for the life of our church and community.

holy week

in the last few months i have had a taste of what it is like to be a united methodist pastor. there are many similarities to the wesleyan church but it was not until this week that i noticed how seriously the united methodist church takes the holy week. it is possible that it is just fumc marion that does this but what goes on during holy week has allowed me to dwell in the love, the life and the death of Christ. tomorrow i hope it will allow me the same experience of the resurrection. here is my schedule this past week.

1. lenten moments- monday-friday at 7am started each day with a couple hymns and a devotional led by a layperson. it was followed with fellowship at a breakfast. friday was by far my favorite as one of the youth gave the devotional. she feels a calling into ministry. it is great to see her heart.

2. maundy thursday- we had a communion service. i am not sure if any of you have ever seen it done this way before but i had not. we laid multiple loaves of bread on a table and laid a white sheet on it. the frame of the sheet around the bread made it seem like there was a body underneath the sheet. it brings new revelation to the "body of Christ" for me.

3. good friday- this was a service that i was in charge of putting together. we had a combined tenebrae and way of the cross service written by robert e. webber. it was a dramatized narration of the stations of the cross, focusing on the last few hours of Christ's life.

4. friday and saturday- we had a 24 hour prayer vigil.

many times in the past, holy week would come and go. i would worship, but there was something about this week that brought a whole new light to my Savior. i am thankful for the cross. and the week is not even over yet. the best day of holy week is still yet to come. i hope and pray that you do not allow holy week to pass by like i have done so many times.