Sowing and Reaping

Rob Bell resurrection video

2010-04-29T10:23:00.001-04:00

Resurrection: Rob Bell from The Work of Rob Bell on Vimeo.

Stewardship Resource

2009-09-22T11:04:00.002-04:00

As we begin our stewardship season, find some excellent stewardship notes by Rev Bob Sheldon here. Stewarship is a large topic. Money is a subset of stewardship, but there are many ways of looking at the issue. Stay tuned....

Envy at Work

2009-08-11T09:53:00.002-04:00

Check out this speech by Alain de Botton at the TED conference. Chapter 3 of James touched briefly on envy; de Botton's speech is an excellent follow-up, particularly as envy relates to our work life.

James begs us to act as equals, neighbors, in the church. His divine wisdom realizes that egalitarianism and equality struggle constantly with envy and selfish-ambition.

Calvin's on Kindle

2009-07-27T14:51:00.003-04:00

Kindle users (don't own one myself) - John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion for less than a buck! Can't beat that! The Commentaries are also available!

Moon Landing 2

2009-07-20T15:27:00.001-04:00

Google Moon Landing

Moon Landing

2009-07-20T08:52:00.004-04:00

On this anniversary of the moon landing, I realize that the last time we stepped on the moon was a month before I was born. To my knowledge, no one since has left low-earth orbit. Been there, done that? Did we get so distracted by everything else going on in the world (Vietnam, the Cold War)?

Actually, the moon-landing is a great example of vision carried out through goal-setting. Listen to Kennedy's speech that started it all. America has lost its vision and needs new goals (as Kennedy says - "and the other things"). For Kennedy, the vision was Freedom, Knowledge, and Exploration for humanity. Have we lost the idea that America is here on behalf of humanity?

What is God's vision for the world? Jesus proclaims the Reign of God. Do we share his vision? What is the church's equivalent of a moon landing for today?

Calvin's Excommunicated Father

2009-07-14T14:01:00.002-04:00

Just three pages into William Stacy Johnson's John Calvin:Reformer for the 21st Century, I have had a startling revelation. Gerard Calvin was excommunicated when his son John was 19 years old, dying two years later. What an impact this must have made on the young reformer. Calvin must have been destroyed by the church's graceless attitude. No wonder grace became suddenly free. Have we sought Calvin's conversion and ecclesiology in all the wrong places?

Radical Hospitality

2009-07-14T11:18:00.005-04:00

Interesting blog post by PC(USA) Vice-Moderator Byron Wade.

New Blog

2009-06-09T15:36:00.003-04:00

My regular blog has moved - check out the following link!

morganfpc.blogspot.com

"I AM..."

2009-06-04T13:34:00.003-04:00

This week we begin a new sermon series on the "I AM..." sayings of Jesus from the gospel of John. "I am the Bread of Life", says Jesus. A fitting statement for celebrating the Lord's Supper. What does it mean for Jesus to be the bread of life? And what are these stories about manna from the Old Testament? Read Exodus 16 and Numbers 11 to understand the people's experience of manna in the wilderness.

If bread is nourishment, what does it mean to rely on Jesus for nourishment?

The Complete Series

1. John 6.25-59 I am the bread of life

2. John 8.12-20 I am the light of the world

3. John 10.1-10 I am the gate

4. John 10.11-18 I am the good shepherd

5. John 11.17-27 I am the resurrection and the life

6. John 14.1-14 I am the way the truth and the life

7. John 15.1-17 I am the true vine

Congratulations to our seniors. Look forward to getting to know you this weekend. May God bless you in these exciting years ahead - your adventure has just begun! Take Christ with you on the journey.

Our second graders receive their Bibles this Sunday. A special gift for special kids. Remember, Bibles are meant to be read.

Lent as Life Without Limit

2009-02-26T09:57:00.001-05:00

In Uprising, Erwin MacManus tells us about a rafting trip he took with his wife. He fell out of the boat; she did not.

In the rushing waters, on instinct, he began to struggle for control. Then he remembered the words of the guides - roll up in a little ball and float down the river. Don't put your feet or legs down, there are dangerous rocks and tree branches on the bottom. Keep your head just above water. Hold on to your (should be tight) life-vest.

After struggling for a time, McManus almost gave in to the power of the river. He thought he would die and felt great regret for the things in life that he had left undone.

McManus wanted to live and was determined to get out of the rapids. He almost gave up. But something inside said, "I want to live!" He was able to grab a branch and get out, rescued for part of a bigger journey.

McManus goes on to say, "The same people who fell out of the rafts got back into the rafts but were not the same... what was really important became very clear to us, and it was the important things that really mattered."

Lent is a time for letting go of the control we desire or think we have. In the rushing waters of life, rather than struggle, fight, break bones and choke on the rapids, let us trust and follow our guide, Jesus Christ. Let us confidently fold ourselves into a ball and float, trusting in the grace of God. Let us also grab tightly to the branches God has stretched out for us to use.

May we let go of our struggles; may we trust in God more fully; may we allow God to make us more into what He wants us to be and to do.

American Fervor

2009-01-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

"Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all." - Rick Warren, inauguration of Barack Obama

Inauguration prayers say something about where we are as a people.

In years past and in better health, Billy Graham, most important of the 20th century evangelicals, and later his son Franklin have delivered the opening prayer. In 1977, Jimmy Carter called on William Ragsdale Cannon, a liberal, anti-Vietnam Methodist pastor.

This year Barack Obama called on Rick Warren, who defines faith in God as seeking after purpose and whose small group ministry has built one of the largest congregations in America, and Joseph Lowery, a Methodist who has struggled for Civil Rights. Both men follow Jesus; Jesus leads them to do different things in his service.

Historian Simon Shama says that American religion is all about "fervor". Fervor is what American faith brings to the public square. Fervor begs us to serve God. And religious fervor begs Americans into service for truth, justice, and equality. The church has no candidate or political office; no law can or should be tied to religious commitment; yet faith always demands service to the community and, in most religions and denominations, calls for a transformation of society. Pastors have, over the years, called America to change.

Joseph Lowery and Rick Warren can offer powerful prayers at the same inauguration, asking God to do very different things for America.

Rick Warren begged God to help us "remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all" - acknowledging our unity. Joseph Lowery prayed "work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right" - acknowledging the challenges of our diversity.

May we show our fervor and zeal for God by what we do. May we transform America....

In his fervor,
Morgan Whitfield

Clarity

2008-12-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

An old year ends, a new one begins. We will have a new president on January 20. Either Florida or Alabama will be national champion. As a nation, we value decisiveness. Yet electing a president and picking a BCS championship game have one thing in common - millions, nay billions, of details. Not all of the details along the way were perfect (is anybody really comfortable with allowing coaches to vote on the BCS rankings of rivals?), but a clearly defined process led to a clear decision.

As Patrick Lenicioni says in The 5 Temptations of a CEO, organizations often face "the temptation to ensure that your decisions are correct" (50). We are tempted to choose certainty over clarity. We overanalyze and get caught up in details that derail us from our true purpose and goal.

At some point, not far in the future, clarity will lead to decisiveness.

A church that is clear about its goals and where it is going is looking forward. When we have clarity, we know where God is leading us. We know that God is leading us. In many ways, human certainty is the opposite of faith. It is our faith that gives us clarity.

As the congregation meets again with Joe Donofro on January 7, we must remain clear to our purpose. We intend to provide space for the growth and development of the members of our church. The church is a place "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4.12). Yes, there will be lots of details and some big decisions for either session or (in the case of borrowing money) for the congregation to make. No decision will be perfect or please everyone; yet we can make a "best" decision that is faithful to Christ's mission for our church.

And, more importantly, in seeking the mind of Jesus Christ together, with clarity of purpose, we will make the decision that He wants us to make. After all, it is His church....

MORGAN

Jubilee!

2008-12-01T09:39:00.000-05:00

Christmas is in the air. I'm writing this before Thanksgiving, and one area radio station has already switched to Christmas music. Operation Christmas Child has been a great succcess and put us all in the giving spirit. CHildren everywhere are getting antsy and anxious about Christmas.

Yet for many, this CHristmas will be a difficult one. Stocks have fallen sharply. Pension funds and 401(k)'s have taken a big hit. Home values are lower. In short, we're all a bit poorer this CHristmas.

Chances are, you know someone this CHristmas who has been laid off or lost their job. Chances are, this CHristmas you know someone who is worried about their financial future. Chances are, you know someone who will struggle to keep their home, much less to give their children Christmas gifts.

Mary and Joseph lived in a tumultuous financial time. The Middle East was in great poverty; only a few had great wealth. Jesus was born into a time of injustice; "he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty." Jesus came to bring good news to a time of financial burden and political oppression.

Jesus still brings a message of good news to harsh financial times. Jesus brings "release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's' favor" - Jubilee!

Jubilee was the year when debts were released and property was restored. Jesus proclaimed a new Jubilee to the people, setting them free from their sins and iniquities.

Jesus still sets his people free. Jesus still sets us free from sin and oppression. Jesus proclaims hope in the darkness.

Jesus came for those who need him most. This Christmas, let us receive him and proclaim his message of good news.

Merry Christmas!

MORGAN

Operation Christmas Child

2008-11-15T18:35:00.003-05:00

This week kicks off collection of shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This year, First Presbyterian is once again a Relay Center for Operation Christmas Child. As of Wednesday night, our church had assembled 108 boxes. Imagine if we had 200 boxes from our church. What a blessing that would be to children around the world.

If you haven't assembled a box, please do so. Directions can be found here:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/

For diections to our church:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Drop_Off_Locations_home_search/?zipcode=39845

SEE YOU THERE!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

20 year plan Town Hall Meeting

2008-11-12T14:08:00.001-05:00

Town Hall Meeting

Where: Sanctuary

When: 6 PM - Wed, Nov. 12

In seeking God’s will for the future, the Session is formulating a 20 year plan for our church with the assistance of Joe Donofro of Donofro and Associates. Joe has worked with several churches and organizations in town. Please come to share your ideas with Joe. Session is committed to listen to the ideas of the congregation as we take on this important project together. Pray for Joe, the Session and one another as we seek God’s will for the future.

Be there!

2008-10-23T23:53:00.002-04:00

Just got back from the Montreat Wee Kirk conference. Was a great reminder of the missional nature of the church. Heard powerful messages from Andrew and Kathy Purves, Stephen Hayner, and many others. Also had a chance to connect with Herb Coddington, the pastor from Clinton, SC who heads up the mission trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
More Sunday!

Bono Links

2008-10-08T14:36:00.002-04:00

These are links to the Bill Hybels interview with Bono referenced in the sermon on Sunday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilSef9kJapo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvthfJVlnH8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO1EbQQmO08&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHm_NBstdzE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_AEHe_RE5w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsmY83W3lBI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O3fm33u1AI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy3YeNTMXaQ&feature=related

2008-09-24T11:23:00.000-04:00

"...life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Lk 12.15

Stewardship season is upon us. Please give more money. Simple enough.

But that is not everything there is to say. That is incomplete theology. The scriptures talk about giving ten percent (Micah 3). Yet in Luke 11.42, Jesus does not want our tithes separate from justice and the love of God. Jesus also talks about selling all you have and giving it to the poor (Lk 18.19-30 - Jesus can demand a higher standard - he gave his life). We cannot buy salvation; yet we respond to God's grace by giving.

What do we give?

First, money is hard-wired value in our brains. Money is also a gift from God, the subject of a surprising number of scriptural texts and the source of much of our anxiety. How we deal with money says a lot about what we believe about God.

We are also largely unconscious of our talents. God has given us spiritual gifts flowing from our created bodies and souls. Are we allowing God to use us where we are really needed?

What about time? What do we believe about the other 95% of our time outside "church." Is it ours? Our family's? If it's all God's, then what does that mean about the time we spend on our job, our family, our recreation, and our community.

Stewardship is more than increasing your financial commitment to the church. Use this stewardship season as a time of reflection; seek out how you can be "rich toward God."

in His richness,

MORGAN

New Website

2008-09-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

Congratulations and welcome to everyone who has joined our ning website! The items on the homepage are a work in progress and will change often. Here are some features you can and should take advantage of:

1. If your group (Sunday School class, etc.) does not have a group to the left of this post, please start one. It is an easy way to connect people to one another. You can use the groups to send out mass emails and to help the group schedule events.

2. The google version of the church calendar is above. Committee chairs and India have the ability to change the calendar. Let them know if something is missing.

3. You can find the address of my sermon blog at the end of this post. The "feeds" for that blog would not behave, so use that address for printed sermons.

4. Please add your pictures to the site. If you need help, I'll be glad to walk you through it.

Thank God for all of you!

MORGAN

Rally Day

2008-09-07T23:14:00.002-04:00

Rally Day was an excellent time in the life of our church. Thanks to Will Fain and the Christian Education Ministry for preparing for this most exciting day in the life of our church. We had 101 people in worship. That is a blessing indeed!

Thanks also to Bud Youmans and John Hanna. The pancakes and bacon were great. I hope that we have that many people at assembly every Sunday!

Thanks also to Debbie Clarke for scheduling the water slides from the previous year's Christian Education Committee. Over 60 people enjoyed the slides, some are probably still aching from it.

Thanks also to anyone else I have forgotten.

May God continue to rally us around his Word every week!

MORGAN

PS - If you have photos from Rally Day, please upload them to the website.

Rally Day 2008

2008-08-22T23:58:00.002-04:00

Matthew 18.20:

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Rally Day is one of the most exciting times in the life of our church. Children are back in school. Summer vacation is over. The last major holiday until Thanksgiving is over.

On Sunday evening, September 7, we are going to have slides outside again to celebrate the new Sunday School year.

On Rally Day, we recommit ourselves to learning God's purpose for our lives. On Rally Day, we recommit our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. On Rally Day, we recommit ourselves to service in Jesus' name.

Our faith grows when we are together. When we are gathered together, Jesus Christ is there, too. Let us remember to gather together. And, more importantly, let us rally around our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

See you there....

Relay Thoughts

2008-05-15T14:07:00.003-04:00

"Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly."
Isaiah 58.8
On Friday May 2, during Relay for Life, darkness fell upon the wagon wheel that makes up the center of the new recreation complex. Dotted around the outside of the track, simple white paper bags stood resolute against the skyline. In the scope of the universe, the bags are diminuitive. Inside the bags, candles fell like hockey-pucks into sand. Yellow flame, gently extended into the bag, marked memories and hope. The flames marked life and love.
In the black night, over the hum of air compressors and slowly hushing conversation, light began to rise to meet the darkness. Luminaria candles reminded us of the hope God gives us in the face of cancer.
This year, at the new half-mile track at the new Seminole County recreation complex, so many people placed luminaria that the bags almost made it all the way around the track. Half a mile of remembrance and honor. Half a mile of hope.
Many of you remembered loved ones and friends. Many of you reached out to encourage survivors and caregivers.
We are reminded that nothing is impossible with God. We are reminded that there is always hope, especially when there is despair.
Thanks to everyone who made relay for life a success. The $3700 we raised makes a difference. Yet, standing together with God to heal the world is priceless and immeasurable.
In Christ's hope,MORGAN

Relay for Life Shave

2008-05-05T14:44:00.006-04:00

First Presbyterian Reached its $3500 Relay for Life goal (Almost $3800). I promised to shave my head if we made our goal. Here are the results....

Happy Anniversary

2008-04-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

May is a busy month in the life of our church and this community. Homecoming (May 3-4) celebrates the founding of our church; Pentecost celebrates the founding of the Jerusalem church. At Homecoming, we will celebrate 110 years of ministry in Donalsonville. The Rev. Dr. Raymond Guterman will return to his home church from his ministry in Florida to preach that Sunday. Saturday night will be a time of fellowship and stories about the life of our church. If you have any stories or photos from years past, please bring them or tell them. Even if you do not tell them Saturday night, tape them or write them down. The best witness to faith is an eyewitness. At Pentecost, we celebrate the 1975th anniversary of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Jerusalem Church, the same Spirit present in our church. The prophet Joel's words were fulfilled (Joel 2.28-29), Jews from around the world understood the message of the gospel in the many different languages spoken at the festival. We will celebrate the Lord's Supper and remember the gifts of the earliest church. We belong to the same God. The good news of Jesus Christ is the same today as it was then. The same gospel message spread from Jerusalem to Judaea to Samaria and even to Donalsonville, Georgia. Come celebrate our 1975th anniversary and our 110th anniversary. Happy Anniversary! In His Spirit, MORGAN WHITFIELD

Human Nature 2

2008-04-14T14:50:00.002-04:00

To confront the nature of humanity in Christ is to confront the nature of God.
In our lives, our contact with the nature of God is the humanity of Jesus Christ. We see a God in whose image we are created. God has emotions; God makes choices; God makes covenants; God teaches.
To understand God is to have a deeper understanding of our own nature.
God is revealed in the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ; the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments tell us of the life of God who is life itself; the Bible tells of a God whose ways we should make our ways...

2008-04-12T22:00:00.000-04:00

It has been said, "Politics is the art of the possible."
Ethics is the art of the ought.

Human Nature 1

2008-04-12T20:00:00.001-04:00

Has human nature changed or has our view of human changed? How can the Enlightenment (Locke, Hume, and Rousseau) hold such a different view of human nature than its predecessors? And what about our views of human nature today? Do human beings have reason, spirit, and body or are they undifferentiated? Is anthropology a human construct itself?
Human culture and society have changed greatly over the centuries. As they change, the ways we interact changes. Naturally, our understanding of ourselves changes. The "Wired, amped" generation is socialized very differently from the television generation of baby boomers, even if some of the latter use some of the technology.
In truth, our relationship to Jesus Christ causes us to confront our human nature. What is sin? What does redemption mean? What is true freedom, especially in Christ?

The Long Tail of Amateurs

2008-04-12T08:15:00.001-04:00

Just read The Cult of Amateurs by Andrew Keen. Keen presents a distressing picture of the internet and its culture. I agree with Keen that theft and fraud are rampant in some quarters of the internet. But for those of us who legally download music, Keen should reassess the internet and theft. Illegal downloaders represent the 80's mixtapes and dubs. Most people want to pay fairly for content; most people do not want to waste the shelf space or the plastic it takes to make a CD. The trade-off is that some of us are going to need to learn about myspace. I do miss album artwork (but not that much). But I like sifting through music at home on Rhapsody.
As for Keen decrying the flood of Amateurs queing up to play expert, guilty as charged....
Keen raises a good question: what ever happened to expertise?
Mostly, thanks to Keen for pointing out some of Chimera of the internet. For all of the ease and goodness, there is much mischief and foolishness there (excuse me while I answer an email from Nigeria). Yet, I love blogs and legally downloaded music and movies, banking and email, library access and, above all, online convenience and freeness. Would not trade it in!
I am currently reading Chris Anderson's The Long Tail. Anderson has good points as well.
For the most part, they are Burke and Paine - two men with good arguments talking past one another. More on this subject later (and what it has to do with God).

Ou Haitian

2008-03-12T08:00:00.008-04:00

My Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ paid me the ultimate compliment just before they left for Haiti. Metellus said, "Ou Haitian!" - You are Haitian. I am Haitian in Christ. When we are Christians, we serve the same Lord Jesus. In him, all else melts away. I pray that God will give them abundant ministries full of grace and truth.

Why We Are Called Protestants

2008-01-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

In Here I Stand, Roland Bainton points out that the name Protestant derives from the Second Diet of Speyer in 1529. The Protestants opposed religious liberty being imposed in Lutheran states, while the Catholics disavowed liberty in Catholic lands. I am reminded by Bainton that Lutheranism is an "evangelical" version of the catholic faith. And that the name "Protestant" derives from a strange source.
Luther's view of the Christ of the state (the Magnificat God who topples) and the Christ of the church (the suffering servant of the cross) is food for thought for Calvinists. Bravo to Bainton!

Luther on Reason

2008-01-07T11:06:00.000-05:00

In reading Roland Bainton's book on Luther, Bainton points out that when Luther assaults reason, he is assaulting common sense, not scientific deduction. At seminary, much ink was spilled over the Wesleyan quadrilateral, with people often assailing reason or staunchly defending it. Maybe we are dealing with a Lutheran problem in reason - people mean different things by the word reason.
Luther also talks about usury. His idea for debt really speaks to today's subprime situation. Luther wants borrower and lender to share the risk of loss on the loan (seemingly asking lenders to be cosigners to loans). That is an interesting concept. Lenders who shared in economic loss would be more cautious.

2007-01-05T11:24:00.000-05:00

“Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”” James 4.15

The scriptures are not big on “New Year’s resolutions.” The Bible seeks to change the inward person and lead to outward actions . God’s grace in our lives constantly renews us and leads us to good works.

Rather than make resolutions for the coming year, find solutions.

One solution that you can make in the coming year is to solve illetaracy. Get a library card. Our library receives funding based on the number of cards issued in our county. In order to move toward solving illiteracy, we can make a simple step in that direction

James has a way of summing all of this up. God sent a solution for humanity in Jesus. Living in Jesus’ footsteps means seeking ways that God would solve problems.

James says that works are as just as important as faith (2.17). Turns those resolutions into solutions. Live in a way that changes lives and changes the world for Jesus Christ.

Resolutely,

2006-12-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

Christmas is in the air. The radio stations have switched over to 24-hour Christmas songs. The strangest is probably the one about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas. Another favorite is wanting your two front teeth.
If Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, then we should ask, what would Jesus want for Christmas? Would Jesus ask for peace in Iraq or world peace? Would Jesus want a world fed, clothed, and sheltered? Would Jesus ask for justice everywhere?
Those things might be on his short list— From His heavenly Father.
To turn the question around, what should I give Jesus on his birthday? What do you get for the man who has all authority in heaven and on earth.
WWJW—What would Jesus want?
On Jesus’ birthday, the day we remember that God became flesh, we should ask what we can give others to let them know that this new birth changes us. And we should ask what of ourselves we can give to serve the one whose name is “exalted... above every name” (Phil 3.9).
May God bless you in this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

2 John

2006-09-20T10:22:00.000-04:00

Tonight, we begin a (brief - one lesson) Bible Study on the book of 2 John. John refers to the church as the "elect lady" and the church's members as "her children." The church is a family of "fellowship."
As an elect lady, the church lives by Jesus' incarnation and by the commandment to "love one another." How wonderful for such a simple prescription for the church. In Simple Church, Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger say that the church should return to its simple roots. For the elder in 2 John, truth for the church is simple - faith in the incarnation of Jesus and love.
My prayer is that Christians and churches will return to the "simple" truths of the scriptures.

2006-09-19T10:23:00.000-04:00

This is a photo of me. I will be moving to my profile later, but for now....

Silence

2006-09-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

Silence seems to have been the theme this year on Septmeber 11. Silence will always be the memory for me. We lived at Union seminary in Richmond, Virginia, directly under the path to the Richmond airport. Plans came over all day/night. On September 11, 2001, I immediately noticed how silent that clockwork became. No noise overhead. Only silence. Many believed that the Federal Reserve bank in Richmond was a target, since it was designed by the World Trade Center architect and since the Richmond circuit courts had somehow handled many terror cases.
It was months before the planes came closer and closer, finally resuming something close to their original path. Silence was good yesterday. For that day, words reveal more about where we are in the grief process and how we stand in relation to death. Everyone is at a different point in their grief about that day, some want to trade to get something back, some angry, others depressed, still others in denial. Few of us have emotinally accepted what happened that day.
Paul says that we are "always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh."
Affirming life through and in spite of death is the Christian message and the good news of the power of Christ's resurrection. May it be for September 11th as well.

Rally Day

2006-09-05T14:40:00.000-04:00

"Make two silver trumpets; you shall make them of hammered work; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation, and for breaking camp.” Numbers 10:2

When the people of Israel were in the wilderness, God gave them two silver trumpets. Sometimes, when the trumpets were blown, the people knew to move out, toward the promised land. They would take down the tent and move. But when both trumpets were blown, the whole congregation gathered. September 10th is rally day. We blow the trumpets to tell everyone that God is calling us to come to a new year of Sunday School. Rally Day should also reminds us to come and fellowship with God (at worship) and with one another (at Sunday School).
In order for us to hear the trumpet blast of service, we must first learn how to serve. Sunday School deepens our faith and teaches us more about discipleship and ministry together.
Heed the trumpets’ call! Come to Sunday School and bring a friend!

In the fellowship of Christ,

Rev. Morgan Whitfield
mwhit3@gmail.com

Alabama Island

2006-08-30T00:44:00.000-04:00

I heard on Alabama public radio today that the capitol in Montgomery is actually an old barrier island, lapped by the waters of the ocean on either side. It reminded me of playing out in the county, near the line of Lee and Pontotoc counties. Clearly, North Mississippi was a beach. The shells and chalkiness meant that water was there at some point.
I can easily believe in the rise and fall of sea levels. I believe that dramatic climate change has happened and will happen again. I believe that God flooded the world.
Jesus cares about fostering change in the human heart. We can measure this change by results. Yet we speak of it in the real world. If God can easily put Alabama south of Montgomery (and, logically, Donalsonville as well), then image what God can do with your heart.

Song of Songs

2006-08-29T09:11:00.000-04:00

This week, I am preaching on the Song of Solomon or Song of Songs. What is interesting is that the Song is one of two books in the Bible (Esther is the other), that do not have the words Lord or God. The song must, then, be some metaphor for our life and how it relates to others and to God.

Often, life does not have the word God in it. We can go hours, even whole days, without contemplating how God is at work within our particular situation. I hope that God will show you how He is at work in your life today. I hope that He will write his name all over the pages of your day.

Presbytery Dismissal Policy

2006-08-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

Today, in Valdosta, Flint River Presbytery passed a policy on dismissal of congregations from the PC(USA) to another reformed denomination. Three months ago, the first time this idea came up, we brought it up based on anxiety. Now, we do so for prevention.
Such a policy will have little bearing on the success of the gospel. Where Christ is preached, and him crucified, the Word will find soil. The question is not: is our polity successful? The question should be: does our polity equip its members to be "Christ's faithful evangelist" as the Book of Order proclaims its ministry to be?
When we answer this question, all others will melt away.

Lemonade Stand

2006-08-12T00:39:00.000-04:00

Today, in the sweltering, 100 degree heat, we sold lemonade with my son. The heat brings out the greatest thirst, but also the greatest generosity in people. The generous people who are searching for something to drink, touched by the cuteness of kids and the realworld practicality of a cardtable.

The thirst on a hot day is overwhelming. Two pitchers of lemonade lasted about an hour, and made about twenty-five big cups.

The thirst of the world is overwhelming. Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty." Everybody who drank our lemonade, although refreshed, got thirsty again. With so much thirst in the world, we point to the free drink of living water offered in Jesus Christ. Once that drink is truly taken, spiritual thirst is quenched.

As you see people drive past you this week, think of their spiritual thirst. Think of your own spiritual thirst, and how God has mercy on you and sits at the well of living water, ready for you to drink.

Christians/Georgians in the Ballot Box

2006-08-09T01:53:00.000-04:00

As the primary arrived in Georgia today, I realized what an antiquated and stupid procedure we have for voting. I went to a precinct further away from my home than the downtown precinct in order to cast a ballot with two offices up for grabs. Seems like small potatoes.

But then I realized that this ballot was extremely important. Both Republicans and Democrats nominated people to certify that elections were free and fair, among other things. And, in a largely agricultural area, we voted for the person who will set farm policiies and ensure that gasoline is fairly regulated and dispensed at the pumps.

The decisions we make as Christians at the computer terminal (ballot box) should uphold the wisdom of God, the justice shown in our love for humanity, and the mercy that has been extended to us as Christians. In order to be good Christians, we must also be good citizens, voting to ensure that the laws and policies of the state of Georgia are fair, free, and with our consent.

2006-08-03T01:09:00.000-04:00

Presbyterian Seminaries are very important for training future ministers for the PC(USA), and, more importnantly, for making new disciples. If your church or session does not give to the Theological Education Fund, please clink on this link to read more about how you can help fund seminarians at every Presbyterian seminary. This is the seminaries major source of support from the church. Please give.
PS - If your church is in Flint River Presbytery, please send your check to the presbytery office marked "TEF" or Theological Education Fund.

2006-07-31T09:52:00.000-04:00

When was the last time you invited a friend to church? When was the last time you created some “buzz” for the kingdom?
Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. believes that creating “buzz” for our church is not only desirable, it is a commandment.
He calls Luke 14:23 the “Buzz Commission” - “Compel them to come in so that my house may be full .“
The research (Barna, Gallup polls) shows that 40% of the people in America attend church regularly (pollsters also suggest that 20% of those are fibbing).With over half of the people at home on Sunday morning, chances are that you have at least one friend who is not in Jesus’ house on Sunday morning. Many of them are waiting to be asked.
On September 10, Rally Day offers us the opportunity to compel a friend to come to church with us. Pray for and about this day. Pray that we will keep the “Buzz Commission.”

Mark Batterson interview

2006-05-06T08:43:00.000-04:00

At Relay for Life, I led the prayer at the candle lighting ceremony. Since we faced the soreboard this year, every line of the prayer came right back to me a second later. Strange feeling to hear your words coming back to you..

There were tears from many and there was joy from some. But over the dark track, as people lit their luminaries, a solitary, white balloon rose into the air. It never made it above the lights in the stadium. That balloon represents the battle against cancer. We get so close to a cure, so close to erradicating cancer, but then another death, another loss comes into the mix.

We must continue the fight. People around the country should continue to give and to research and to fight. Survivors can encourage others, and everyone can comfort those who greive the loss of their loved ones. Together, with God's help, we can defeat the dreaded cancer.

2006-04-29T08:29:00.000-04:00

As I sat in the Louisville airport, reading "Blue Like Jazz", I got tired and decided to move across the terminal to the television playing MSNBC. I sat down next to some soldiers. I started talking to them a little, about the war and what they thought was going on and I could tell that these guys were officers, but I had no idea what rank.

One told me about the insurgency, and basically about the plan for Iraq that had begun to unfold on the news. He talked about how different Middleeastern culture is and how similar the war is to Bosnia. The strategy has become rather simple - get on the ground everybody wants and keep them all in their corner. The Sunnis cannot get along with each other much less the Kurds or Shiites. He was well spoken, and seemed pretty content with life.

People came by and thanked them, and they stood at relative attention and shook hands. Others studiously avoided them.

That same guy sat right behind me on the plane to Atlanta. The flight was turbulent. I asked if that was like an Army flight. Then he told about the death-spiral that leads into Baghdad - spinning endlessly to avoid rocket attack. Finally, I asked him what his rank was - he said General. I was humbled but also reassured. I thanked him for his hard work and told him that I prayed for him. I asked if he was going back and he said no, but that he deployed others over there. I said, well, somebody has got to tell everybody where to go.

Humble leaders like him are a blessing from God. I hope to listen more to the orders that Jesus is giving.

Holy Week5

2006-04-14T14:46:00.000-04:00

Good Friday is a day of wonder. At the community Holy Week services, a glorious thing happened. Brother Isaiah from the Lighthouse church preached a rousing sermon on the atoning work of Jesus. As a freind of mine from the Baptist church offered the closing prayer, the tears flowed as he confessed his own and all of our racism and division. Today we worshipped together in Spirit and in truth; we gave a window onto the Kingdom of God. God desires full communion between his people. We can all worship together at the feet of the crucified one.

At lunch and at worship, at least ten pastors of nearly every stipe of Protestant Christian joined together for five days of community (there were Roman Catholic members there as well).

Jesus died for that very kind of reconciliation. When we turn toward the cross, we see our sin and brokenness, the places where we are cut off from God and one another, and how God can turn the cross into the bridge to unity.

God has been so great to bless us all with the saving blood of Jesus Christ. What should we do to proclaim our love for Him?

Holy Week4

2006-04-13T00:35:00.000-04:00

My secretary came into the office this afternoon, having visited the Methodist church, where they were opbserving a passover seder. Key to the Old Testament ritual is the slaughter of the lamb. As Becky and her son Matthew came into the office, I realized that worship has a smell also.

On this sacred Maundy (Mandate) Thursday, we remember the institution of the Lord's Supper. I will especially remember the smell of the gospel. As I carried the bread (foccaccia bread sans rosemary) for communion to the church, I could smell the slightly warm, fresh bread smell. The simple earthy elements draw us back to special worshipful, communion moments.

I remember the elders and pastors of the Pennsylvania Wee Kirk conference in 2003 discussing different bread recipes for communion. That week, the communion bread was a grainy wheat bread, rich and hearty. I'll never forget that texture, smell, and taste.

Communion is meant to engage the senses, as we not only hear of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we taste and touch Him as well. What a blessed Lord, who is present to touch, taste, and see.

Holy Week3

2006-04-12T14:20:00.000-04:00

Today at the ministerial association, Tim Bell gave a great sermon about Jesus' betrayal at the hands and kiss of Judas. Tim pointed out that we can all act like Judas. And that the price of Jesus was 30 loud silver coins. A small price for His life.

For Karl Barth (Church Dogmatics II.2), the story of Judas is a contrast between the election of Jesus and the rejection of Judas. Judas gives us a picture of man in opposition to God. Judas gives the church, as God's elect in Christ, the purpose and goal of reaching out to those who stand rejected, to let them see that God elects them and loves them.

So many feel they stand rejected, yet there can only be one Judas. With God's help, let there be no more.

Holy Week2

2006-04-12T08:26:00.000-04:00

Tuesday (4/11/06), at Lions Club, I brought Maj. Wendell Cofer as our speaker. Maj. Cofer helped to explain the need for a Community Anti-Drug Coalition and tell what it would do for our community.

Many ask the theological question: why do people do drugs. Taking drugs is a symptom of a larger, deeper spiritual and emotional problem. The problem of original sin, coupled with even a mild mental illness and/or emotional diificulty, leads us to self-medicate our problems. Many of us medicate through foods, some through alcohol, some with drugs. These "medications" become idols. The difference, as a "Frontline" report showed this year, is that Crystal Meth has a much higher feeling of euphoria than any other drug. The amount of Dopamine produced by using that drug is so great, that it overpowers the pleasure centers of the brain. It becomes a god to its user. We can more easily leave idolatry behind, trust God, and recover from food and alcohol abuse.

The sickness and mental illness of other drugs are more difficult to heal. Meth has only a 3-5% recovery rate. Prevention is the best medicine. As Christians, we can seek to help friends and neighbors to heal through the grace and love of Jesus Christ. God's grace is the best medicine. During Holy Week, we remember the expensive price of that grace. Such an expensive and abundant gift, how could we not share it.

Holy Week

2006-04-10T14:18:00.001-04:00

My freind Eric preached today that we must follow Jesus to the cross during Holy Week. The old life must go, and the new life can begin. What will we crucify to become the new person that God wants us to become?

Holy Week can be a time life rushes so fast. Jesus did a lot before he got to the cross.

Jesus withered a fig tree and cleaned out the Temple on next first day there (Mark 11.11-25). His actions were symbolic and loaded with meaning. A fig tree that cannot bear fruit for its master is destined to wither. A temple that is no longer a house of prayer gets off track, focused on the means and ends of this world.

Pray that the Lord will gives us new commitments to prayer and to bearing fruit. Jesus said that we can even doubt, if we will only believe that the words we say have real power. That is hope for the season!

2005-12-21T00:03:00.000-05:00

"...and places for the worship of God, abound with that frequency which characterises a moral and reflecting people, and with that variety of exterior and canonical government which flows from unfettered liberty of conscience." The Pioneers, James Fennimore Cooper
This quote about "upstate" New York holds similarities and contrasts with today. America has always had a great variety of congregations and confessions, with each citizen free to chose the confession that fits conscience and faith. Madison and the founders envisioned a land where freedom of religion would promote a general moral climate, with good citizens who learn metaphysical ethics from the church, with the common denominator of freedom.
As Tom Wolfe has noted, America has moved from a period of freedom of religion (Cooper's time) to freedom from religion (now). The churches no longer teach a particular morality. The state cannot even listen to the opinions of disestablished religions on questions of science and morality. In fact, churches generally avoid discussions of ethics (the poor, immigration, abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, etc.) in favor of a religion that sweetens the heart, reaches the affect and makes adherents not moral agents, but nice people, who do not have a language or context for genuine moral engagement with people who differ from them, or the tools and skill to come to their own conclusion or convince another. When the church does engage in ethical talk and persuasion, it begins to look like an arm of political ideology, and not genuinely interested in moral and ethical peresuasion.
Which leads back to the lordship of Christ. Christ is Lord of conscience and heaven and earth. In order for a conscience to be truly free, it must submit to Christ. All other consciences are bound, and unfree.
Before that, we remember that Cooper's wilderness is wild, but tamed by religion. Our dogma becomes more serious, as our ethics become more societal. Maybe churches can become wild places again.

Christmas 2005

2005-12-20T14:05:00.000-05:00

With less than 5 days until Christmas, I am reminded that the event of Christmas and the person of Christ are equally important.
The event, God stretching down to earth, to get in this creation with us as flesh strikes the human heart as a touching act of steadfast love. The event of Christmas reconciles God and man. The person of Jesus Christ came to bring, as John 1.17 says, grace and truth. Grace and truth active in one person, alive in the King of Kings, born in a lowly stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. The person of Jesus is the gift of the love of God. The person of Christ is God and man.
In this Christmas season, our great hope, no matter how much strife we have personally, no matter how much sickness we or our loved ones endure, no matter how grave our sins, no matter how many wars continue overseas, no matter how unjust human society, is that we can never be cut off from the love of God in Jesus Christ.
We have so much to thank God for and so many reasons to worship Christ at Christmas. God truly is with us in the babe born in Bethlehem.

Ad fontes

2005-06-07T20:27:00.000-04:00

Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Welcome to my internet journal devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. My name is Morgan, and I am pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Donalsonville, Georgia. Most of my postings will deal with theology, faith in Christ, and their intersection with life.

Ad fontes was the cry of the Reformation. Imagine, the reformers lived at a time of unbelievable technological innovation and the (re)birth of science. Yet, they wanted to go back to the sources (the fountains) supplying faith: the scriptures and the most basic doctrines, which they believed would lead them closer to Christ.

We live in such a time as well. Our world is changing around us, yielding inventions that function on principles that are inexplicable, almost magic to us. How can a person live as a faithful Christian with an mp3 player in one hand and a bible in the other (to [inter]change an image from Karl Barth)? How can we make time for God in a world that barely leaves us time for "ourselves"?

As Alan Roxburgh said this weekend at a Presbytery missional leadership conference, "our maps have changed." The maps changed during the lifetime of the reformers to include the Pacific Ocean. Our maps have changed, with people defined more by their internet relationships than by their geographical relationship (to paraphrase Alan).

To put it another way, how can we make sure that everyone sees that Jesus is everywhere on every map, fulfilling the Great Comission? How can we sow the Word in every place, using the technology of today as the Reformers used the technology of their day?

God Bless!
In Christ,
MORGAN

PS - Special thanks to Alan www.mliweb.net