Thoughts from Pastor Chuck

It is has been a crazy couple of weeks so please forgive me on not being able to blog. A brother needs all the mercy I can get.....Just some thoughts. (My mind has been all over the place so it will probably be best that I break them up in different posts. So here goes...)

In our Prime Time Bible Study here on the Hill, we have been studying the book Who Stole My Church by Gordon MacDonald. In one of our sessions, the question was posed, "Why do we come to church?" This question got the class stirred up and after various answers were given, I interjected mine. I see that some of us come to church to be entertained. Some of us people watch and clown, some of find out the latest gossip, some of us want to see what is going to happen this week, some go for the music, some for the pastor, etc. Sad to say that the purpose of worship and giving thanks to God doesn't even register in the list for some of us. Some of us are finding our entertainment from the church.

Let me break it down in economic terms. In this economy, do you really think that the church is a wise investment for your entertainment dollar? Who have to get up, burn costly gas, use up resources at the church, just for you to get your entertainment jones off? When you could stay in bed, cut the TV on, grab some food from the kitchen and relax? Really? What are you saying Pastor Chuck....

What I am saying is this. The church (when I say the church, I mean us in it...) need to be about the business of serving those at the margins, those who don't have a voice, those who need a family...Simply put when need to be about God's business. The days of being simple minstrels, entertainers, court jesters and clowns are over. The stakes are too high and things are truly going down hill. Right before our eyes...Just my .02 cents, what do you think??? Hit me up here on FB or email me at smupreacher@highlandhillsumc.org.

Peace and One Love

It Is Election Time Folks....

Yes, it is election time again. Time to exercise the right to vote, the right that many of our ancestors died to protect and died to obtain. Without making any political endorsements, lets talk about this election season. I have taken much time in listening to the diffferent ads, the different candidates from across the country, the different pundits and pols and to different folks in my neighborhood and around HHUMC. The rheotric of this election has been horrible at best; it has set us back at least 30 years in our public discourse. Policy hasn't been discussed, intelligent debate on the direction of our communities and country has been ignored. Bottom line, we as the voting public, really don't have much to work with. The candidates want us to use our "retail" mind when it comes to the voting booth. We may remember an ad, our a cute sound bite and vote accordingly to what sounds or who looks cute. Some areas in our lives, this "retail" thinking does not work. Election time is not one of them. 

First of all, please go vote!!!! Secondly, research the candidates and find something about them besides the ads that are on TV. Thirdly and really most importantly, pray for discernment about your vote. The electorate is the gatekeeper of our government. IF we are asleep at the gate, then who knows who will be in leadership....Is that a risk you want to take??? Please GO VOTE!!!!! Just my .02 cents...What do you think??? Post your comments here, Facebook fan page (Highland Hills UMC) or on Twitter (praiseonthehill).

My Views on the Koran Burning Uproar

Let me begin with Brother Paul in 1 Thessalonians:



5:12 But we appeal to you, brothers
and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of
you in the Lord and admonish you; 5:13 esteem them very highly in love
because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 5:14 And we urge
you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help
the weak, be patient with all of them. 5:15 See that none of you repays
evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.
5:16 Rejoice always, 5:17 pray without ceasing, 5:18 give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 5:19
Do not quench the Spirit. 5:20 Do not despise the words of prophets,
5:21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 5:22 abstain from
every form of evil.



The Apostle Paul was very plain here when he was encouraging the church
of Thessalonica especially in verse 15, "See that none of you repays
evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all." I
have been watching the coverage on this issue and I have heard countless
times that "This pastor is starting all of this commotion and he is
over a church of 50 people." Well I say, it took one woman to push for
prayer to be removed from schools. But I digress that point.



I won't go through the gyrations of Pastor Jones and his logic but at
this point, he was willing to cancel the Koran burnings if the folks in
NYC move the proposed mosque away from Ground Zero. So it is ok to try
to broker a deal by threatening to burn the book of someone's faith. In
our country, Constitutionally, Pastor Jones and his church can burn the
Koran and everything they can get their hands on. Yet in the same token,
Constitutionally, the Moslems in NYC can place a mosque near Ground
Zero. (I know I am bouncing around a little bit but please bear with
me.) Yet Pastor Jones, today in essence, told everyone that he is
holding the Koran symbolically for ransom. How in God's name does these
actions even jive with what we as Christians claim to believe through
the love of Jesus. Pastor Jones claims that he is taking a stand, but he
is no better ANY, let me restate again, ANY terrorists or as the
neo-cons would call, the extremists. One of the first known terrorist
groups, the Ku Klux Klan, burned crosses as a part of their methods of
terror on African-Americans. Now, the Klan was considered a Christian
based group. Don't get it twisted, I am not calling Pastor Jones a
member of the Klan, I have no clue on that. But he seems to have taken a
play from the playbook...



But even deeper than this, I do question the motives of Pastor Jones and
straight up, I am wondering what Jesus he is serving. I also wonder
what Jesus is his church serving. My brothers and sisters, we have to
have a personal relationship with Jesus. Our walk with the Lord is
communal and personal; simply put, God has blessed us with common sense
and reason. The Lord speaks to each and everyone of us and through the
love Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we get the ability to
discern things. Not to be blind, powerless sheep to men. This pastor is
holding not only the Koran hostage but Christianity hostage as well. I
don't want no part of it and I will flatly say that Pastor Jones has
needs to get saved and get saved today. Those are my .02 cents...What do
you think???

Pastor Chuck Coulter