Authentic Being Before God With Others

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because of they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.... (2 Timothy 4:3)

My Mother-in-law, Annie Lee Gardner Davis, recently died. She was not the laptop theologian as was my Mother. No, she was my "theologian of the practical." She taught her children the example of doing for others not for personal gain, but "for the sake of goodness." In other words, she did the right things. She loved the theology of the Apostle Paul, and no doubt her faith was grounded in Jesus Christ. While she learned the teachings of Paul to Timothy, she lived as though receiving her instructions directly from Jesus Christ. Her goodness brought great joy. She truly related authentically.

When she died, Lanecia, our first born daughter, stated: "Grandma loved you Dad! There are pictures of you in practically every room." On the surface it is easy to consider it was about me. I knew it not to be me. It was all about her love for Jesus Christ, and the call to discipleship on the life of her son-in-law. It was her love for God. I represented the part of her being that answered the call to preach the faith that she lived. She knew our bond in the end to be through the leap of faith. We did not have great laptop conversations about God. However, during coffee hour in her home, I could enjoy her godliness and listen to her experiences in caring for people. Yes, she loved me, and I loved her because we both love God. Though she died, yet does she live. And, the pictures of a dear mother-in-law continue to abide on the walls of my heart.

Writings of Soren Kierkegaard "upholds the idea that every human being exists in one of three spheres (or on planes) of existence, the aesthetic, ethical, and religious. Most people, he observed, live an aesthetic life in which nothing matters but appearances, pleasures, and happiness. It is in accordance with the desires in this sphere that people follow social conventions. Kierkegaard also considered the violation of social conventions for personal reasons (e.g., in the pursuit of fame, reputation for rebelliousness) to be a personal aesthetic choice. A much smaller group are those people who live in the ethical sphere, who do their best to do the right thing and see past the shallow pleasantries and ideas of society. The third and highest sphere is the faith sphere. To be in the faith sphere, Kierkegaard says that one must give the entirety of oneself to God." (unknown author)

The challenge to "authentic being" on the plane of faith has to do with total surrender to God. Annie Lee Davis lived a practical example of a life in surrender to God. Persons witnessing to her live acknowledged that at her resurrection service. While listening to their witness to her life, I thought of my own. Have you ever done that at a memorial or funeral service? I did. I thought of times when I have, in the likeness of John Wesley, wondered if I have been truly authentic in my Christian faith. Am I Christian? Have I ever been? Being there is no"almost Christian," you are either Christian or you are not Christian. Am I a Christian?

Today assuredly, I am a child of God. I live into the purpose of my birth, and I was born into the purpose I live. I live to love in the spirit of Agape-the highest form of godly love known to human beings. Like my practical theologian, who has crossed over into eternal life beyond death, I am taking the leap of faith. My life belongs to God, because I am a disciple of Jesus Christ by faith. Right or wrong, its my choice and I am staying with it. I came to this not by "intelligent design," but by faith in my experience of Jesus as Christ. Yes, I am a Christian! Annie Lee Gardner Davis is among my great cloud of witnesses. Praise God!

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, grant us assurance in taking the leap of faith. Amen.

Help In The Time of Trouble

...I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me." (Psalm 3:5)

The Word of God teaches us that Jesus once slept deeply on a boat that tossed and whirled on troubled waters of a stormy sea. We may not be sure of His level of exhaustion, but we are assured of His confidence and faith in God. He knew God would sustain Him in safety.

Some times I just want to sleep soundly. I average four hours of sleep daily. Some nights I work through without moments of closed eyes. Why? I do not have to live the pattern I choose. It is not mandated that I so work or sleep as I do. I decided that I want to live as I love, and love as I live. I love being awake and doing whatever it is that I do. I depend on God to see me through in my choices. What I know for sure is that God sustains me in all matters. Sleeping or waking, the Lord guides my life. I minister to people called United Methodists and all who will hear the Word of God as spoken in my life. And, I love it!

I am not alone it this ministry. In fact, when I do sleep beyond four hours any given day, I know that am supported by a team of potential ordained ministers. In our local church, there are seven known candidates for ordained ministry. I invite you to pray for them. They are: John Wood, Jay Williams, Victoria Gray Lewis, Maxxwell Magee, Richard Edme, Mryna Moore, Comfortbliss Ezeji, Ronald Topping, and the ordained Rev. Dr. Hae Young Park. Daily I pray for them to be sustained as they assist me in ministry.

Resting is a gift from God. Living in the state of awareness is a gift from God. Both, waking and sleeping, carries blessings from God that are for our enjoyment and sustaining. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we trust and hold fast in hope of God providing for our needs. In response to God, we refresh ourselves and work in harmony to care for the needs of people of God in accord with the will of our Lord.

Prayer: Dear God, ministers of the United Methodist Church are meeting with laity in annual conferences throughout the denomination. Bless us, so that we are indeed blessed; sustain us, so that we are sustained indeed. For we humbly depend on you for the means necessary to our being instruments of your means of grace in the world. In the likeness of Jesus, we are confident in you, and on you alone we depend. Amen.