Travels with Justin

More? Why Do We Ask for More?

2010-02-19T09:54:00.001-06:00

okay church, read this:

http://networkedblogs.com/p28180600

Bishop Willimon's "Six Percent Solution"

2010-01-21T21:43:00.001-06:00

You gotta read this...
http://willimon.blogspot.com/2010/01/six-percent-solution.html

We're Not Stuck in September

2009-09-02T12:17:00.003-05:00

22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they put out, 23 and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. 24 They went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, "Where is your faith?" They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"
- Luke 8:22-25

Few saw 911. No one predicted Katrina. And we continue to live in a world of impending disaster and failed responses --- remaining asleep in the emotional aftermath of storms seemingly unable to grow forward.

My friend saw a bumper sticker the other day, "Change is Inevitable... Growth is Optional."

So just how many of us are still living in a stagnant calendar? Or how many more are trapped by the time machines of anxiety or addiction that promise to take us back to some place all the while realizing that we continue to fool ourselves with the illusion of control and the intoxication of a 'secured future'?

Can we see past the Eye of Our Storm into the Eyes of Jesus Christ?

this says it all

2009-07-28T12:00:00.003-05:00

once again I have worked at notworking to become the world's worst blogger, but pictures are worth a thousand words anyway right? then these must be 10K or a mill. Susan connected us with an amazing photographer in NWA - www.jennymarrsphotography.typepad.com -"thnx Jenny!" - gosh I now sound like Forrest - lol

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-07T09:39:00.004-05:00

When Failure is NOT Final

2009-04-29T13:44:00.002-05:00

When Failure is NOT Final
John 21:1-14
Rev. Justin Ledbetter

Too many people think success is Never Failing
Too few people have hope bigger than memory

Think about Johnny Bench who proclaimed at his high school graduation, after he received his diploma, “I want to be the greatest catcher in baseball history” – and everyone laughed. Or, consider Mickey Mantle who struck out more than 1700 times and walked another 1700 – put that together and that’s 3400 times without a hit – if you consider an entire major league season for a batter as 5-600 at bats then Mickey Mantle spent 6-7 years/seasons without a hit! Of course he went on to hit over 500 home runs and is the last man ever to win the triple crown (a feat many say will never be accomplished again).

But let’s focus on the Disciples for a minute.

You remember the mistakes they made – can you recall all the times when they didn’t get it. They were called by God and received His promise, but they often failed to make the connections – they put themselves first and often, easily gave up hope. In fact, in this mornings passage from the Gospel of John we find that they believed “nothing happened” with their faith and the church after Easter (despite 2 resurrection appearances of Jesus to them) and decided to Go Fishing as Peter proclaimed. And in this venture to – as sure as they had ‘gone fishin’ – they failed once again.It has been a long night… they were tires, fatigued – perhaps, they were not feeling very sharp and their reactions were getting weak and slow – again and again and again – they cast and cast and cast – and they caught nothing , nothing and nothing.They faced EMPTY NETS over and over and over.

WE FACE EMPTY NETS EVERYDAY!

Troubled economy, strained marriages and households, fractured friendships… The question is: can we HEAR GOD say, “Failure is NOT Final”Disciples SAW EMPTY NETS, but they HEARD GOD! He came to them in the midst of their failures and spoke to them about WHAT MIGHT BE (which moved their focus from what is).

Its an amazing fact that they heard Him – they couldn’t see Him – or at least, according to the Scripture – in the early moring light, across the sea – they did not know that it was Him.

The capacity to HEAR GOD BEYOND ALL WE SEE is vital to xian life.

NOT TO LOOK at what is “settled” but to LISTEN TO WHAT MIGHT BE.

They RECEIVED HIS WORD despite their own knowledge of fishing (remember, that some of them were Professional Fisherman – guys who didn’t ‘need to be told how to do it’), despite their failure and empty nets – THEY RECEIVED THE WORDthe world dismisses the Word as “just words”! But, We BELIEVE IN A LIVING WORD with the power to transform lives!

We have ambition and want to succeed – we want a good job and good pay – but do we want more than Mediocrity in our Faith?God doesn’t want Mediocrity Masquerading as Faithfulness!The Christian life is more than mediocre when we commit ourselves to our faith – when we take the time to HEAR GOD and what He wants to reveal to us.We don’t have to let our failures be final (in fact failure is only final when we quit):To succeed beyond our failures we must 1) DESIRE - to choose to succeed rather than quit – to have greater hope in our future success than our memory of failing. 2) LEARN – see disappointment as a temporary setback from which we learn how/what not to do – if the left side doesn’t work, then throw the nets over the right. Learning also, helps us to anticipate future problems and avoid some of them. When we learn to do something more intelligently & more prayerfully – we get better and better. 3) BEGIN AGAIN! Not having accepted failure as defeat we simply start anew. We believe that success is ahead on the other side of the boat – we seek to hear God in spite of what resources we appear to have – and be BEGIN AGAIN.

Finally, I want to finish by saying a few words about the final point of the teaching of this passage: Notice that the bounty of God’s Blessings (in this case 153 fish) are, as always, more than enough to go around. See how the fruit of God’s Word meets the needs of them all – in fact He gives this miraculous catch not simply for financial gain and personal wealth – but for the fellowship of that community of faith – here in a breakfast by the seashore. Such is the nature of God’s multiplying power and presence – when we put the loaves and fish in God’s hands – there is always enough Shared Success for everyone.

Palm Sunday

2009-04-01T15:58:00.002-05:00

Hosanna! The crowd shouts in curiosity and confusion. The disciples appear to stand, but will soon scurry. The relifious and political leaders so jealous and corrupt. He asked them to help in such a simple way: go get a donkey. Why kind of priority do we give to the simple things God often asks us to do? "Sorry, but I don't have time..." "Sorry, I have too much on my plate right now..." Of course that doesn't prevent us from wanting to sit on the right or the left. Its easy to cheer, but how many of us stand to serve when we see where He is going?

From Chronos to Kairos

2009-02-23T10:36:00.004-06:00

It must be some kind of record for nonblog that I have now set (7 months and no entries whatsoever to this blog) by my lazy and complete lack of posting (call Guinness! - oops on spelling? - the record book people not Dublin). Furthermore, it is obvious to the internet, my friends and family, and anyone paying attention that I am in no way capable of keeping up with the prolific blogging of my beautiful 1 yr old daughter Sadie Joy (seeingsadiejoy.blogspot.com), but yet I am here to proclaim digitally my thoughts to the world. First, these past few months have been an amazing time in my life as my daughter and my marriage grow daily. Second, I am still in pursuit of the bear, turkeys and bucks who have so far been lucky in eluding the flight of my arrow (thanks uncle Ted). Last, but not least - or perhaps most importantly, the reach of my mind and my heart is extending. So lost without synchronicity in the Chronos I am finding that all things are as they should be in Kairos. Still, the cry of Mark 1:15 calls to the listener, who believes, to make something of this life and its moments. So watch out world for you are my parish and I am prayerfully ingetsting the scriptures and letting go of unnecessary things like cafffine, the brown food group (all things fried, yes even french fries), pride/frustration/anger and TV. Toms better watch out too because I am on to you gobblers, April is coming, and I am already getting hungry for Turkey.

Summer Burn

2008-07-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

Well -- it has been forever since I've posted (guess I took a summer vacation from blogging). But the world and the web managed to get by without me - such a shot to my ego. Anyway, summer which was plenty rainy and cool, until just a few days ago, has now turned H O T. It makes me ready for fall except for the fact that we still haven't yet had our family 'summer vacation' - one more week! Man, I am ready to hit the open roady with Susan and Sadie (hope the long car trip to Colorado is bearable for our beautiful 5 month old baby girl!).

General Conference Streaming Video

2008-04-25T10:07:00.003-05:00

I have been watching the General Conference streaming video this morning and as the business and schedule move along - I have been impressed by the nature of our global church. Hearing the voices of people from all over the world speaking in their native languages reminds me of the coming of Pentecost and the voice of God in many tongues.

What Would You Do Differently?

2008-04-14T16:32:00.002-05:00

I read this post (and the one on "Evangelism and Professions of Faith") on my friend Matthew's blog:

http://theworldismyparish.wordpress.com/

You Can't Get It

2008-04-14T15:39:00.002-05:00

I was reading on Bishop Will Willimon's blog

http://willimon.blogspot.com/

and came across this:

Augustine, as a bright young man with a superior classical education, confessed to Bishop Ambrose that he had tried to read the Bible but frankly, he was unimpressed. To him the Bible seemed like woefully inferior literature, crudely written, poorly edited.

“You young fool,” replied Ambrose. “You can’t get it because when you read in the Bible about ‘fish,’ you think ‘fish.’ When you read ‘bread,’ you think ‘bread.’”

Hello My Name Is

2008-04-14T15:28:00.005-05:00

I thought this blogger
http://youcanthandlethis.blogspot.com/
was interesting and enjoyed reading the "Hello My Name Is" post:

"Sometimes, as a Christian, I feel as though I don't want to tell people what church I attend, only because I know that, as soon as I answer, I'll be judged by it.It's not that I'm afraid of "judgment, " -- I understand that different churches follow different doctrines, but, for once, I'd like to be judged by my own actions, my own beliefs, and my own words rather than whatever the title of my church might be, or how many people attend each week, or how many former Target stores we're renovating into new campuses.I just want to be... me.Besides, I'm a horrible spokesman -- I don't always have minty-fresh breath and I can't play guitar for beans.Oh, and yes, I'm the one who left toast crumbs in the butter. For shame.There, that's it. I'm done. Carry on."

Changing a Church Culture

2008-04-14T15:03:00.005-05:00

My friend Matthew Johnson sent me this link http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2008/04/14/changing-the-culture/

to the article "Changing a Church Culture"...

Creating a healthy ministry culture takes prayer, hard work and intentionality.
Changing an existing culture generally takes more prayer, harder work, more intentionality, patience, endurance and more hard work.

You might have stepped into a ministry role with a culture that:
Doesn’t care about evangelism
Has poor stewardship habits
Competes with other ministry areas within the church
Thinks it is succeeding when it isn’t
Has lost touch with what is happening in the world
Puts systems and procedures ahead of people
Has a scarcity mindset

If you’re the leader, it is your role to become the catalyst for change.

The first thing you must do is to identify the problem. (If you have been the leader for awhile, the problem may have developed on your watch. It might be harder for you to recognize the problem.)

Let’s start with this exercise:
What is the number one thing about your church culture that needs to change to increase the effectiveness of the ministry?

Transforming Lives & the Church

2008-04-09T17:51:00.006-05:00

I saw this Dr. King quote on Ken Carter's blog http://kenatprovidence.blogspot.com/ & found it interesting:

"I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen".

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Letter From A Birmingham Jail

After Easter...

2008-04-09T15:58:00.003-05:00

What does it mean to live this side of Easter? I find my Lenten journey continues as I search for greater understanding what it means to be a faithful follower and seek to live as a full devoted disciple.

What Next

2008-01-31T14:03:00.000-06:00

LK 3:10 And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"

What is next for us at Farmington UMC? Where do you think God is calling us this year? Which area of ministry with children, youth or adults do you feel is the place for you to grow and serve? Join us this February for a series of messages titled, “What’s Next?” which will challenge us to explore God’s call for our lives and our church.

January 2008: "Starting Over"

2008-01-04T11:33:00.000-06:00

Wk 1:

Keys to a New Beginning

Wk 2:
Keys to Success

Wk 3:
Keys to Healthy Relationships

Wk 4:

Keys to Fulfillment

Rediscover Christmas

2007-12-04T15:46:00.000-06:00

Wk 1: “Unspeakable Wish” (Lk 1:5-24)

- The promise of John to Zach

Wk 2: ‘Surprise!” (Lk 1:26-38)

– Announcement to Mary

Wk 3: “Unexpected Visitors” (Lk 1:39-45)

- Mary Visits Elizabeth and confirmation given

Wk 4: “Holiday Travels” (Lk 2:1-6)

- Traveling to Bethlehem

Christmas Eve: “The Meaning of Christmas”

– The Birth of Christ. Communion & Candlelight.

BUILT TO LAST

2007-11-14T16:19:00.000-06:00

2007-10-11T12:21:00.001-05:00

THE SAME OL’, SAME OL’

2007-08-28T13:53:00.000-05:00

NEW PERSPECTIVES:
Not the Same Ol’ Scene
(1 Corinthians 13:8-13)

BEYOND THE RUTS:
Not the Same Ol’ Routine
(2 Corinthians 5:16-20)

KNOWING YOUR ROLE:
Not the Same Ol’ Team
(1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

THE DIFFERENCE:
Same Field – New Fruit
(John 15:14-16)

BLOCK PARTY

2007-08-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

'UNEXPECTED'
Just an Ordinary Party?
JOHN 2:1-11

'UNINVITED'
Who Are These People?
LUKE 7:36-50

'UNFORSEEN'
What To Do Afterwords?
LUKE 5:29-35

2007-06-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

WHO'S PLAN WILL YOU CHOOSE?
JER 29:11

FOLLOWING THE PLAN?
JAMES 5:7-16

ARE YOU A PART OF THE NETWORK?
MARK 1:14-20

WILL YOU TRUST YOUR PROVIDER?
2 TIMOTHY 1:3-14

JUNE 2007 'VACATION: Leaving Your Burdens Behind'

2007-04-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

Have you had your R&R? Where do you find it? Do you have the right connection? Unpacking it all? Summer Vacation. Sibbling Rivalries. Cell Phone Problems. Empty Ice Machines. Long Lines. $3 Cokes. Frustrated Parents. Holiday Road - wouldn't you rather hear that than all noise? (We'll find truth for daily living in God's Word - Matthew 28:11-30) JUNE2007

JULY 2007 'MY CIRCLE: Real Community'

2007-04-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

Whether its 'The Network' or 'My Circle' - it seems the wireless guys are selling something to our ever fragmenting world... community. In contrast to these attempts to sell us community - I cannot help, but think of the real, lasting community we discover in a relationship with Christ and the church. (John 15:13-17)

MAY 2007 'HEROES WANTED: INQUIRE WITHIN'

2007-04-19T20:36:00.000-05:00

“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”- Philippians 4:13

It is funny the things we sometimes remember. I remember waking up on Saturday morning when I was a kid running to the television to watch Super Friends and see my favorite heroes battling evil forces and saving the world. Armed with a bowl of cereal, I was facing the bad guys and using my power for good. I remember that I wanted to be like Batman and fight injustice. I was captivated by the ability to save other people – and I can still relate to that.

Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? Have you ever thought about how the world might be different if only you had the power? Waking up and wanting to save our families and friends from the things that cause us to stumble or hold us back can be disappointing. We have this idea that we truly can save the world, but many times we come up empty or hit dead ends. CRASH! BANG! BOOM!

Coming May, 2007 "HEROES WANTED: INQUIRE WITHIN" - I hope you will join the adventure and discover the hero within you. See you Sundays where real power is found.

FEB 2007 'DISCERNMENT'

2007-02-28T13:46:00.000-06:00

Gods Will
Nothing More…
Nothing Less…
Nothing Else

1. A relationship of open communication with God.
2. A desire to know the will of God.
3. A commitment to doing the will of God.

FEB/MAR/APR 2007 'LENT'

2007-02-19T11:07:00.000-06:00

The journey to the cross begins for Jesus in the wilderness just after His baptism as He faces and overcomes temptation. The journey of a liftetime of faith begins for Simon Peter when he reckognizes his own sinfulness on the shoreline and falls on his knees in repentance before Jesus.

Lent is a journey of reflection and renewal. It begins with the acknowledgement that we too have failed to be obedient disciples and that we wish to be restored in our relationship with God.

Insatiable

2005-09-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

Why is it that no man can be satisfied? Regardless, of the career, salary, toys, marriage, family, or friends - men continually struggle to be happy.

We find ourselves stuck at work or feeling like were stopped at a dead end with no room to turn around. The worst part is we don't seem to know why and we can't seem to get out of it.

Many of us consider ourselves smarter than the other guy at work or even the boss. We know we could run the place better. We feel underpayed and underappreciated.

All of which gets us nowhere.

Is there an answer to our problem? For many of us, even when we know things are not going well, we can't seem to fix it. We try to get moving, but even 'going through the motions' is in itself a drag. When we stategize at work it doesn't seem to change the big picture, when we talk to our wives they can' t seem to understand, and we're not sure how to discuss it with our peers.
After all, we are sharp and we don't want some other loser thinking we can't keep it together.

For many of us, even when we try to find something at church, it still doesn't seem able to make the light go on.

Perhaps, the real truth is that we really can't do anything about it. Only God can.

Common Grounds

2005-08-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

Whether it is Moses meeting God 'face to face' near the burning bush or simply a cup of coffee with a new aquaintance, the gospel claims common grounds... if indeed the earth it the Lords and all it contains, why do we have such a hard time finding common ground?

Instead, it often seems that the world is upside down despite Jesus' continual efforts to turn the world rightside up through His life, teachings, and Spirit.

Will the children of Abraham (Muslims, Jews, & Christians) ever get together?