Brainstorming!

Last evening our Ministry Management Team met for a fantastic brainstorming session. We tried to meet at the North Park Deckhouse for dinner but the wait was 30 minutes so we moved the session to Dairy Queen! DQ was equally crowded, but we managed to snag a booth.

What a great time...we focused the entire evening's discussion around one issue: Christian discipleship. We talked about what we're trying to accomplish in that and how to best approach it. We came up with an approach that melts together small groups, our Stepping Stones discipling ministry, and community outreach.

I am so excited...I could hardly sleep last night. I am surrounded by some great people who help me to think clearly and to keep my focus. I am a way better pastor because of the people God puts in my path...thank you Lord, and thank you my friends!

God says through Solomon in Proverbs 11:14 "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure." I'm thankful for those who are helping to make the victory...HIS victory...sure!

Took a Break!

Here is a picture I took on our mini vacation. OK...that was a joke.

I was at Annual Conference for a week...a great time was had by working with the youth. I was frustrated as usual with the politics and a incessant penchant for talking about ministry instead of doing it. No wonder the United Methodist Church is losing people instead of building the Kingdom. When will we learn? When will we stop doing the same things while expecting different results? Lord, have mercy.

Then I took 5 days off to just rest and goof. Here are the highlights:

I almost finished the backyard dirt leveling project. Woohoo! Just a little grass seed, straw, and rain and I am good to go.

I slept!

I played my guitars A LOT!

Carla and I did an overnight tent camping trip to the place you see pictured...NOT! Actually we went to Raccoon Creek State Park and had a wonderful time. We hiked and talked and just reconnected with one another, the creation, and the Creator. What a great time.

Now I'm back...refreshed...and ready to go. Thank you Lord for your refreshing Spirit....

A mini vacation

I'll be on vacation through Saturday of this week. I promise to return to blogland in earnest on Monday the 18th.

Life is Good

As you can see, I love to play guitar. And today should be fun...me and a few of my jammin' buds are playing a 'gig' at College Hill UMC for their 100th anniversary celebration. The church celebrated last night with a throwback service...they worshiped i the style of 1907 when CHUMC was founded. Tonight after a street fair, they are having a more modern service to reflect how the times have changed and how the church needs to as well. I praise God for their fine pastor and friend who will lead them into their second century. Make Jesus smile guys!

A great weekend...

Well it is back to work after a holiday weekend. I had a great one! Here are the highlights:

Cookout w/ the Friday Night home group. Lots of laughs and pushing kids on the swings.

Worship w/ my favorite church family. Cornerstone . . . some of the finest people on earth.

Cooking and serving at the soup kitchen of New Hope UMC on the Northside.

Visits to the gym and kayaking w/ my best friend Carla.

Pickin' bluegrass on my Collings.

Life is good! Lord, thank you for setting me free for freedom. May I never again return to a yoke of slavery...(Galatians 5:1)

Hey! Your real name is Mephibosheth!!

Check out 2 Samuel 9. What a cool story. David is king of Israel. He has been shown grace by God. God used him as a little boy to slay a big bully. And now, filled with that grace, seeks to allow it to overflow from his life. He remembers Saul...his enemy. You know this is God's grace, because David wants to show kindness to anyone left from Saul's family. You know who he finds? Mephibosheth. What a name, and what a guy. He is the crippled son of Jonathan. He is the nobody. He refers to himself as a "dead dog." For real...read it in verse 8. But what does David do for the dead dog? He seats him at his table...the kings table...as if he were his own son. Why? Because Mephibosheth deserved it? Earned it? Had it coming? Not so much. David did because he was filled with the grace of God.

Did you know that YOU are Mephibosheth? That I am? It is true...we are the dead dogs...the enemies of the King...and what does He do? He treats us as sons...as daughters...as worthy.

Thank you, Jesus.

Love always,
Mephibosheth

Be Bold! (?)

I find that I am not stepping out in boldness in my preaching lately. I have gotten into a rut of complacency in what and how I am sharing. I think I need a "sermon retreat"... some time away to be inspired...transformed.

Mark 9:2 - "After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them."

Cool! Jesus' ministry was bold after that experience. May mine be as well...

Blogcation

It seems all my blogger friends have taken some time away!

John never started his.
Chris adopted a baby.
Jeff lost his blog's address.
Randy is taking some time off.
Greg isn't very intelligible.
Keith never got over the passing of Jerry Falwell.
Robyn got a hole in her sock, darn it.
Eric must have fallen asleep in one of the pews.

I miss you guys!

Messiness, the sequel, the sequel

Why do we have this concept of God that says "He'll love me if..."? We feel like we have to earn His favor, or measure up, or be super-Christian or something. Well, I'm not. I'm a mess, remember? So I'm havin' this conversation with someone this morning and they're basically telling me that they're a mess. OK, so am I! So we look to some of the messes in Scripture...here's David, for one: Look at what he writes to the Lord in Psalm 51:1-12:

1 Have mercy on me, O God,according to your unfailing love;according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions,and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 10 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Can I paraphrase? David says to God, "I'm a mess, but you love me anyway!" Good stuff. So now read on to verse 13: "Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you."

Do you see that? The THEN word? David realized that God will use him, and that he can teach others, and that sinners will turn to the Lord, THEN! When? When he realizes that he is a mess, and he admits that to God, and allows the Lord to love him anyhow.

Now I'm inspired...to write my own Psalm. Here it is:

Brettspsalm 1:1 "Yo God. I'm a mess. You know it and I know it. Love me anyway, and I'll do my best to love you back. And then you can use me..."

Messiness, the sequel

Well, here it is, "tomorrow." I said on Wednesday that "tomorrow" I would share a followup story. Ooops...how time flies. And my friend, John Shaver, reminded me of it. Thanks John.

So anyhow, back in the 90's (I think it was 1998) on a dry, windy March day, I decided to burn the old hollow wooden doors that had graced our New Paris parsonage. Um, that was dumb. Anywho, to make a long story short, I ended up burning 45 acres! Lots of brown fields and forest, there was. And a melted garage... After helping the fire companies to douse the flames for nearly four hours, I headed back down the ridge to our parsonage. There was my loving wife Carla waiting for me. I had done the most stupid thing in my life. I was humiliated and felt so stupid...words don't adequately describe it. I faced my wife...and deserved a good tongue lashing for my stupidity. She came over to me, sweaty and dirty and tired and ashamed, and she hugged me, she kissed me, and she said "Brett, I love you." I couldn't believe my ears. I deserved the worst, but I found grace. My best friend Dick was standing right there and he was amazed. He thought I was going to be chewed out, but he just saw unconditional love from Carla to me.

So it is with God. I come to Him after having done stupid things...dirty and sweaty and tired and ashamed...and even though I deserve the worst, He puts His loving arms around me and says "Brett, I love you." Wow....

And then He says, go and do likewise. And remember, ministry is messy...but it is what I have done for you...

What a MESS!

Last night (taking advantage of some much needed "free evenings" time!) I read a book. That's right, a whole book. It was a small book of only 140 pages entitled "Messy Spirituality" by Mike Yaconelli. Oh my, what a book. This is the best book I have read in a long time. (OK, you caught me...it is the ONLY book I have read in a long time, but still, an EXCELLENT book) Wow...I couldn't put it down. I was laughing one minute and crying the next....fantastic.

The nutshell: God loves you most when you're a mess.

The reality: I'm a mess.

The good news: God loves me A LOT!

Tomorrow, I'll share my most earthly affirmation of this truth, ever. Stay tuned...same time, same blog.

The pressure is ON!

My pastor friends are apparently "profiling" me according to my blog entries! Oh, the danger of living in such a public forum!!! One of them said that I have absolutely no ability to engage in theological dialogue. True story! Greg said that I apparently have a devotional life because I sometimes post about what I'm studying. Boy, do I have him fooled!!! I REALLY need help with that. But, in a good way, I feel 'pressured' to work on my devotional life and to blog about it more. Thanks dud...I mean dude.

The people called Cornerstone share a devotional journey each week. It is one of our core values. Today's entry is from Ecclesiastes 3:4. We're in the midst of a message series entitled "The Time of Your Life." In it, we are discovering that God intends for the Christian journey to be joyful, even if it isn't always easy. In this verse, He reminds that there is a time for everything....including laughing and dancing. Why do we find it so easy to cry and grieve (and moan and groan!) and we struggle to laugh and dance?

I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off and dance. I may not laugh, but others sure will!

Candyland PIX

Click here for some cool pix from Saturday!

Life Size CANDYLAND!!!

Saturday is the BIG DAY! After months of preparation, we will open the doors of our ministry center from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm to host Life Size CandyLand! We did this last year and had about 100 kids from our community participate. Thanks to lots of marketing and advertisement, we are hoping for 500-600 kids this time around!!! And it is way bigger and better this year!!! Each "station" of the Candyland game will be hosted by a character actor. The kids will be the players and will go through the game in search of the sweetest thing of all...Jesus. Each of the stations represents a fruit of the Spirit so the kids will learn about who God is and how He can transform our lives as they live the dream of life size Candyland!

13 Stones

At the gym this morning, I was talking with a friend about Glenn Beck's global warming special on Headline News last night. I was a little disappointed in the fact that the warming temperature was given in Celsius (as 0.7). We don't use Celsius much in this country (I'm writing from the USA (that was a note to my vast audience of international readers)). I think they may have done it last night to make it sound like it is less. 0.7 degrees Celsius is 1.26 degrees Fahrenheit. See what I mean?

So another guy says that he weighs 16.1 stones and that his target weight is 16 stones. Pretty cool...this whole "other measurement unit" thing can really work to our advantage! Yes, it is true, I weigh 13 stones! Awesome!!!

So then, how do we manipulate the truth of God to suit our own particulars slants and desires....?

This will preach!

2 Corinthians 3:12-18
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NIV)

I'm sharing these verses as a part of our leadership gathering this evening. A couple of pretty neat things:

1. The veil has been taken away!!!!
2. We are to reflect God's glory!
3. We are being TRANSFORMED (or we should be!) into HIs likeness!
4. We are (or we should be) VERY BOLD!

So church...are we?

When a person's life is controlled by the Holy Spirit...

Check this out from Galatians 5:22 in the NLT: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy...

We've been working through a message series entitled "The Time of Your Life" and yesterday focused on kids. They are what bring so much joy and love to our lives. Jesus encourages us to be childlike in our approach to life.

So why am I sometimes so joyless and unloving? Maybe I'm trying to act too much like an adult. Maybe I'm trying too much to be in control. Maybe I'm trying to make it on my own instead of looking to my heavenly Daddy to carry me.

I am here...

Yo! Sorry for the absence from blogland lately...been kinda busy.

The big thing I wish to say today is how thankful I am for my wife Carla. She is such a great best friend! She is a constant source of joy in my life and I am thankful to the Lord for her!!!

In memory of Sammy

Samuel J. “Bubba” Gilson Jr., 56, of 1400 Woodside Ave., Ellwood City died the night of April 20, 2007, in Jameson Hospital. Born Jan. 9, 1951, in New Castle, he was a son of Samuel J. Gilson Sr. and Mary Genareo Gilson Allen. His father preceded him in death. His mother survives in New Castle. He married the former Michelle McDonald on June 21, 2003. She survives. Mr. Gilson was employed as a welder at Kasgro Rail Corp. in New Castle. Before that, he was supervisor at Remacor for 30 years. A Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, he served on the USS Intrepid. He was a motorcycle enthusiast and loved to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He was also an outdoorsman who loved to camp, fish and golf. Mr. Gilson was a member of Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Cranberry. In addition to his wife and mother, survivors include five sons, Christopher Gilson of New Castle, Phillip Gilson and Sam Gilson, both of Cleveland, Jeremy Gilson of Paris, Tenn., and Logan McDonald, at home; a brother, Frank Gilson of New Castle; two stepbrothers, Ralph Lee Allen and Wayne Allen, both of New Castle; his mother-in-law, and father-in-law, Mark and Shirley McDonald of Wayne Township; and several grandchildren. In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by his stepfather, Ralph Allen and a brother, John R. Gilson. Visitation is 5 to 8 p.m. today at the Ed and Don DeCarbo Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S. Mill St. A service will be conducted at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the funeral home. Pastor Brett Probert of Cornerstone United Methodist Church will officiate. Burial will be in Parkside Cemetery. Military rites will be performed by the New Castle Area Veterans Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to Sky Bank, Ellwood City office memorial fund. Online condolences may be received at www.decarbofuneralhome.com.

One Sick Puppy!

Our poor puppy Shadrach hurt his foot and now instead of being our little bonehead, he's our little conehead! He's gonna hafta have this on for a week...I think it will be one sad week for him!

Time!

The people called Cornerstone just started a new message series entitled "The Time of Your Life!" In worship this past Sunday, we studied Genesis 1 and discovered something about how God created time. He intended there to be three categories of time in a day:

• Night: intended for sleep!!! The plan: 10 pm to 6 am. The idea: Adequate rest is needed in order to have The Time of Your Life!
• Morning: also called "day"...intended for productivity. The plan: 6 am to 6 pm. The idea: One must be productive for an appropriate time in order to have The Time of Your Life!
• Evening: intended for relationship building! The plan: 6 pm to 10 pm. The idea: We must spend time building relationships...not just being busy with stuff...in order to have The Time of Your Life!

Now obviously, we cannot always maintain this schedule, but the concept is huge. Are we spending 8 hours daily in rest? Are we spending 12 hours daily being productive? Are we spending 4 hours daily building relationships...both with the Lord and with one another? And we wonder why we're not having "The Time of Our Lives!"

PS: Thanks to Randy Frazee and his book "Making Room for Life" to open my eyes to the truth behind God's creation of time!

Monday Mornings...

I feel whooped this morning. It was a great weekend, but a long one and I am tired. Lord, I come to you today that you may give me rest...

Fun Things to Try

At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.

Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "in box"

Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.

In the memo field of all your checks, write "for smuggling diamonds".

Finish all your sentences with "in accordance with the prophecy."

As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

Order diet water with a serious face whenever you go out to eat.

Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."

Sing along at the opera.

Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.

Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, rock bottom.

When the money comes out the atm, scream "I won! I won!"

When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "run for your lives, they're loose!!"

Tell your children over dinner. "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."

BRING A FRIEND!

Extra, Extra, read all about it... HERE!

Preparing God's People for Works of Service

The Lord reminds us, through Paul, in Ephesians 4 what our role is as leaders in the church:

"It was he (speaking of Jesus Christ) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." NIV

So the question is this: Am I, as a pastor, doing that? Or am I doing ministry? My first, last, and only job description in Scripture is to prepare Christians for works of service. I am to be "preparing the saints for ministry" as another translation puts it. Am I?

In the most recent edition of REV magazine, Bill Easum says "If you're the pastor of a church, your pimary role isn't to care for your people. Your role is to help them to grow into mature Christians..." The premise is that mature Christians will care for "your people."

Pastors and lay people...thoughts? I wanna hear from you on this. What IS my job description? How am I doing? What can I be doing better?

Of hollow chocolate bunnies, and such...

Jesus is alive. You ask me how I know He lives? Well, because He lives within my heart. And Jesus lives in the lives of the people called Cornerstone Church.

We had an amazing worship service today and wrestled with why we "look for the living among the dead." We learned that "money", or "a honey", or "things that make you feel funny" are the equivalent of a hollow bunny! (If that makes no sense, you'll have to listen to the message ) The only thing that truly brings life and happiness and peace and lasting purpose is Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. We can look elsewhere, but we'll only find things that bring death. We must look for life in LIFE Himself!

Now I can't wait for next Sunday when we kick off a new series we're calling "The Time of your Life." We want to explore how the life that Jesus brings can transform every area of our lives. Remember, next Sunday is our big "Bring a Friend" push and we're serving refreshments afterwards. Let's bring some friends who need an introduction to LIFE, and let's show them "the time of their life!"

Why Me Lord, What Have I Ever Done...?

What a song...and what truth. That the Lord would choose me to do the work of a pastor in this world today. And have I mentioned lately how humbled I am that He has chosen me for this work in the life of the people called Cornerstone Church? We had an awesome time of worship last night...a family of believers sitting around tables sharing the word, and the Word, in songs and in communion and in Holy Communion. What a blast, and what a blessing.

Also, bishop, if you're reading this: If you ever try to send me to a church with pews instead of chairs, I may have to try to bribe you out of your decision. I am an intinerant UM pastor, but let's not take that too far!

Good Friday

Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice for me on the cross. May I never use my freedom for selfish gain...

I Just Fell Down the Steps!!!

Yes, it is true. I went into our worship center to put something on my music stand (for you traditional types, read: pulpit!) but decided that I didn't need to turn on the lights! So as I tried to navigate my way around and up onto the platform (again, traditionalists read: chancel), I stumbled and fell down the steps. Fortunately, there are only three steps and with the exception of my machismo, I was uninjured. All of this could have been avoided, however, if I would have simply turned on the lights.

Now the faithful Psalmist in 119 pens "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." How many times do I "fall down the steps" in my faith because I refuse to turn on "the light?"

Lord, forgive me. Let your word, and your Word, be a light for my path today. Oh yeah, and thanks for picking me up when I don't let you do that!

"Holey" Week

Yesterday as the people called Cornerstone worshiped together, we were reminded that we are in Holy Week. But we also were reminded that this week, as always, is holey week. People's lives are full of holes....

...so many have a holey Sunday because they're not in worship...

...so many have holey hopes because they put their faith in wealth or material possessions or sin-scarred relationships...

...so many have a holey faith because they're living by some feel good philosophy of life...

This holy week, I want to reach out to those who are having a holey week, and I want to show them the holes in Jesus' hands that make all the difference...

This holy week, I want to reach out to those who are having a holey week, and show them an empty tomb that makes all the difference...