Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:41:53 -0700WeeblySun, 09 Mar 2025 02:58:45 GMThttp://communitychurchdhs.org/our-blog/what-you-see-aint-always-what-youve-gotInteresting how God speaks to us through the everyday things! Today I spent some time in the dentist's chair, dealing with a broken tooth that was the side anchor for a dental bridge. The tooth had been bothering me from time to time, especially when I took the removable bridge in and out, and finally, it gave up the struggle and just cracked off. Apparently, this began as a little cavity under a crown, out of sight, out of mind, ultimately resulting in an extraction and the need for further repairs and expense.

How like our Christian lives that can be! A little "hole" develops -- too tired for worship this week? Well, maybe next week when things slow down a bit.  Budget's a little tight? I'll catch up on my giving next payday. Been a little irritable lately? Well, with all the pressure I've been under...  Bible Study and Prayer? You've got to be kidding - I can barely get the laundry done! A small accountability group or mission project? Out of the question!!  Little by little we put God on hold, and let the things of this world take precedence, weakening the structure of our faith. Little by little, our support system breaks loose and our response to Christ decays. Oh, we may look fine on the outside, but underneath, our relationship with God has disappeared, and the shell that remains is insufficient to bear the pressure of life's trials. 

This is not the first time I have been through this situation! A previous dentist was able to x-ray a bothersome tooth, disclose the extent of hidden damage, drill through the outer shell and remove the decay within. Then he put in a post, and built up the surrounding material until the tooth was once again able to support the bridge. Similarly, our Heavenly Father knows the extent of our damage! When we go to Him with our emptiness, He exposes the decay and allows Jesus to wash it clean. He puts in the supporting post of the cross, and builds us up with His encouraging Spirit until we are able to bear the pressures of life again. Of course, evidence of the broken places remain, but function is restored. Oh, if only I had gone to the dentist sooner!  If only I had taken better care of my teeth in the first place!

It is not God's will that His people should suffer emptiness, holes in their faith. It is His will that we should be employed in "preventive maintenance," washing away the debris of this world and making sure that our relationship with Him is solid and intimate. (The floss and the toothbrush do no good when they sit on the sink!) As a dentist once told me, "Take care of your teeth, they're the only set you have!"  Take care of your faith - it's all you have! 
See you in Church!   -- Pastor Randa

(Just so you know, the dentist was able to pull the tooth, insert bone graft material, and prepare me for a possible implant. At some future date, a post can be inserted that will eventually be able to support a fixed bridge, thus sparing the need to have even more teeth removed! It's not ideal, not for sure, and expensive - but praise God, my faith is still in good health!)]]>Tue, 07 Jan 2025 01:55:54 GMThttp://communitychurchdhs.org/our-blog/challenge-for-a-new-year-is-this-good-for-my-goalsWhat did you do in 2024 to benefit the Kingdom of God and spread the Gospel of Christ? Did you make a difference in someone's life from the standpoint of faith? If you had been unconscious for the entire year, would there have been a significant difference in the advancement of Christ's cause? In His mission of salvation for all?

In looking back over my past, it occurs to me that there are some years in which I seem to have done nothing memorable!  At least, if I did anything of lasting value for the Kingdom of God, I cannot now recall what it was! Do you have years like that also? I remember the year I was converted and first began to take my place in the ministry of Christ's church as a layperson. I recall the year that I began bringing the children's message during worship. I remember the year I did the Walk to Emmaus, and learned what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. 1992 stands out as the year I was called by God into full time ministry, and being placed into my first charge, Duncan UMC, and the year Bob retired and I received the care of Safford UMC. I think I touched a few lives in Yuma, when I was assigned to Trinity UMC, and of course our work with Casitas de Cristo brought hope and help to 30 poor families, but that was mostly Bob's doing! Retirement and our subsequent involvement with Community UMC, and now Community Church, have brought great joy and a sense of purpose. I think it is not vain to say that the Lord used me to help some people grow in all these places, but there are many years in which my efforts seemed to be mostly for myself, my family, and my own comfort and security.

Perhaps you might say, "Doesn't God want us to be attentive to our own needs? He doesn't call everyone to be a missionary to China, or go into full time ministry! And besides, I am doing more for the Kingdom of God than many people I know!" This is true; we live out our faith in the context of our own personal lives. We are good people, living honorable Christian lives most of the time. And most importantly, we know that we do not merit eternal rewards because of the hours we spend doing "Kingdom Work." But still, something is missing in our lives if we do not regularly engage in ministry of a lasting nature.

The Bible tells us that we are created "in the image of God," having some of the divine nature in us. Part of that nature includes the creative force, and some, I believe, is seen in the human drive to accomplish something lasting in life, to make our mark, to achieve. We want to make a difference! We don't want to die without having had an impact on the world. From King David's Temple to Donald Trump's Tower, from "It's a Wonderful Life" to "Lord of the Rings," this theme has been part of the human story across the centuries. But in our power-based, self-oriented culture, our jobs, income, and leisure activities often take precedence over everything else, and few people seem interested in accomplishing anything of an eternal nature. 

One thing seems pretty sure, you can't hit what you don't aim at! It's very easy and comfortable to just drift along from day to day, taking care of what seems urgent without considering what things are important. This is especially true if we haven't spent time intentionally deciding what things ARE important, and asking ourselves, "Is this action, food, thought, relationship, going to help me achieve my goals? Or is it keeping me from them?" For example, if my goal is to be healthy in my later years, it would be wise to ask myself a question like, "Is sitting on the sofa for three hours helping me to be healthy?" "Would standing up for 5 minutes and walking in place every 30 minutes be helpful?" If my goal is to make a difference in someone's life, it would be wise to ask myself, "Would sending a note to this person help me to achieve my goal?" "Would just thinking nice thoughts about them help me to achieve my goal?" If, like a dear friend says, my goal is to "not be a difficult old woman," will getting riled up at the current state of the government contribute positively to that goal? If my goal is to be a witness for Jesus, what will help me achieve that goal?

I challenge you to make 2025 a year in which you -- and I! -- give some concrete planning to the formulation of real, spiritually based, goals. Let us develop a clear target to aim at, a basis from which we can ask, "Is THIS good for my goal, or bad for my goal?"  And if you would like to be part of a small group that meets together for an hour or three to work on your goals, please give me a call -- 928-246-9062.   

Let's make 2025 a year to remember!   Blessings, Randa

]]>Thu, 12 Dec 2024 05:57:04 GMThttp://communitychurchdhs.org/our-blog/a-picture-perfect-christmasI want a Norman Rockwell Christmas, with snow-dusted carolers wrapped in woolen coats and fur caps singing on my front porch. I want Christmas trees freshly cut in the forest and brought home by laughing families that gather around the fireplace to warm up with hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies before decorating each bough with handmade ornaments. I want gifts thoughtfully crafted or purchased with the tastes and interests of the recipient in mind, and then carefully gift-wrapped in paper printed with potato-cuts dipped in paint by little hands. I want curly ribbon, a thoughtful note on the gift tag, and I want to see them given one at a time, while everyone watches to see what treasure is inside the box. I want bountiful meals, with various relatives bringing their special dish for everyone to ooh and aah over, and adults and children who enjoy one another's company, never argue or fight, or get on each other's nerves. I want a beautiful Mary, and a wise Joseph, with clean, deodorized sheep and shepherds, and Baby Jesus lying on a soft, fluffy bed of straw in a warm, cozy stable surrounded by dander-free, freshly-bathed farm animals looking on. 

But that's not the real Christmas, at least, not the one experienced by so many in our world today. There's always some element that doesn't measure up to the beautiful Rockwell picture.  Perhaps it's that many do not know, let alone sing, the carols of Jesus and Wise Men and Angels, for there are many who are alien to the joy of Jesus' birth, opting instead for the myth of Santa Claus or the drive of consumerism. Or perhaps it's that poverty has prevented the table from filling up with food, or alcohol or drugs that have so preoccupied the parents (or children!) that they have no interest in family interaction over a cup of cocoa. Perhaps it's that the children have been so busy with school, sports, day care, dance, or some other "leisure" activity that they have not had time for the foolish pastime of making wrapping paper -- and anyway, isn't it better to buy the shiny foil kind? Perhaps it's that phone calls, or business, or career pursuits, or sickness have stolen the time away from Christmas trees and gingerbread. Perhaps it's that our "what's in it for me?" society has conditioned us to rip open our boxes as quickly as possible, ignoring others who are similarly occupied. Perhaps it's that we have become so accustomed in our world to strife and quarrels that we accept chaos as a way of life. Or perhaps it's just that we live in an imperfect world, where things go wrong for no discernable reason. 

But then, Mary and Joseph didn't have it so good, either. The "cozy barn" was most probably a dark, stuffy cave or a lean-to behind the in, redolent with the odors of sheep and goats and chickens, unbathed and unperfumed. The birth was not antiseptic; Mary was likely exhausted and disheveled from her labor, and Joseph "unclean" from contact with her birth waters and blood. Straw is not very soft, no matter how you chop it up, and an audience of rough and smelly sheepherders is the last thing I would want!

Yet this is the world that our Savior chose to enter, as a tiny and helpless infant. Not for Him the Norman Rockwell nostalgia of twinkling lights and gentle beasts!  No, He chose to be born into the chaos of humanity, not so very different from the reality of our world today.  He chose to experience just what we experience, so that we would know His intention was to love us just as we are, and to show us a way to overcome our difficulties by His grace. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)

This is the greatest concession He could have made for us, this identification with our condition. Because we know that Jesus understands, we can trust Him enough to draw near and receive the gift of salvation from Him.  The very chaos of His experience reminds us of His love. 

So think this, when your Norman Rockwell visions of the perfect Christmas go terribly awry. You are participating in Jesus' Choice! You are experiencing what He did, and in some small way, identifying with His suffering on the cross. May it be a comfort to you, as your Christmas tree falls sideways and you slip your gift into a red and green paper bag, to know that Jesus accepted frustration and pain in order to give you the best, most carefully chosen and perfectly suited-to-your-needs gift of all, the gift of salvation. 

Have a most Merry and Blessed Christmas!
]]>Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:39:15 GMThttp://communitychurchdhs.org/our-blog/ministering-to-the-lord     Dr. Roxanne Brant has written a challenging little book called "Ministering to the Lord" in which she states, "One of the main reasons for "power failure" in the Christian Church
is that believers have neglected to minister to the Lord." By this she means that people and churches may have focused on doing the right things, but not dome them simply "out of love for the Lord." Or they have seen God primarily as One who supplies what then need, like a heavenly grocery store. How much this reminds me of the following story about Abraham Lincoln:
     A very  elderly lady made an appointment to see the President one afternoon. As she entered the office, he arose, seated her and asked, "How may I be of service to you, Madam?" The little lady said, "Mr. President, I know you are a busy man. I have not come to ask you for anything. I simply came to bring you this box of cookies because I heard that you enjoy them so much." A silence followed in which tears overflowed from Mr. Lincoln's eyes. Finally, he raised his head and spoke, "Madam, I thank you for your thoughtful gift. I am greatly moved by it. Since I have been President of this country, thousands of people have come into this office asking for favors and demanding things of me. You are the first person who has entered these premises asking no favor, and indeed, bringing a gift for me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
     In the same way, God longs for us to come to Him for Himself, not simply for what He can give us. He has formed us for Himself, and it is we who are to present ourselves to Him and offer Him our worship, as we minister to Him out of love.
     There are many ways to minister to the Lord. We learn how to do it by studying in the Scriptures how God's people ministered to Him. Among these are :
     1.   praise and worship - Praise is responding to God for what He has done (mighty works, etc.) while worship centers in who God is, in His person (How Great Thou Art, etc.) Many of us are limited by our vocabulary when it comes to expressing words of praise and worship! Nicky Gumbel, in one of the Alpha videos, makes this point when he says, "Try writing a thank-you letter. After you've described their kindness, your gratitude, and the gift, what else is there left to say?"  After you've thanked God for His wonderful, beautiful, precious, loving, and 10-other-adjectives gift of salvation, and you've told Him how you feel happy, grateful, amazed, thankful, and appreciative, that about does it!  And yet the Creator of the Universe is so much more! How do you worship Him adequately? This is one reason why music is such an important part of worship! The combined melody and words have the capacity to engage our entire being, intellect as well as emotion, as we use ears, eyes, voices, and hands to praise God. Music is a means of offering ourselves to the Lord wholly and  completely, whether we sing like angels or can't carry a tune in a bucket; even when our "perfect harmony" is totally wrecked by Zoom! In the words of Psalm 150, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!"
     2.    Holy Communion - The sacrament of the Eucharist was given by Jesus, as He sought for a way to make His presence felt even after death and resurrection. When we take the bread, and receive the wine (or juice) we re-enact the experience of the first disciples who spent not just "worship time" but daily life with the Master. We minister to the Lord when we share the meal with Him, acknowledging His gift and His presence.
     3.     service to those whom God loves - Jesus said, "When you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me." Christ made it clear that our faith in Him is authenticated by our ministry to the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, the lame, the naked;  in short, to those who are in need. This may mean physical need, or spiritual/emotional need, for many are "poor" because they don't have Jesus in their lives. They are imprisoned by doubts, fears, anger, etc., blind because they cannot see the truth of the Gospel, crippled by their failures, naked because they do not have the covering of the blood of Jesus. It is our responsibility and our joy, to minister to God by caring for others as if they were Jesus in human form.
     4.     presenting Him with our tithes and offerings - The Bible refers to sacrificial offerings as  "a sweet fragrance" to the Lord. We m minister to God when we honor Him with our financial and material giving. Jesus is not the Lord of your life if He is not the Lord of your money! Giving is to be sacrificial, as Abraham indicated when he went to offer up his son Isaac to the Lord, "I and the boy will go yonder and worship."  The wise men worshipped Jesus by presenting Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
     5.     obedience -- God commanded King Saul to put the entire nation of the Amalekites to the sword, including all the animals, but Saul thought he had a better idea! He would save some to sacrifice to the Lord at Gilgal, Saul's favorite shrine. To him, the prophet Samuel said, "To obey is better than sacrifice!!"  We minister to the Lord when we obey Him, when we do not try to gain an advantage for ourselves, or figure out some other way.

To whom do you minister? Do you do what you do out of love for the Lord, or because you think you have something to gain? Only what is done for love is ministry, the rest is just good works!     See you in church!  Randa


      
]]>Sat, 06 Jul 2024 05:33:46 GMThttp://communitychurchdhs.org/our-blog/should-christian-hate​In light of the seemingly endless violence in our society, which manifests itself not only in far away wars but also closer to home in “hate crimes,” gunshots, insulting and vicious social media posts, and casual use of language that bludgeons the ears, it is appropriate to look at a Christian attitude toward the subject of hatred. There appears to be a feeling among Christians that we ought not to hate at all; tolerance is the word of the day and we are to be tolerant of absolutely everything, from those things that mock and repudiate God to those the merely intrude upon our personal space. We rationalize criminal behavior on the grounds that the perpetrators had “poor role models,” suffer from parental inattention, have been abused, or are mentally ill. They are victims who cannot help themselves, therefore we must tolerate their invasions, overlook their bad manners, and minimize their crimes. But on the inside, most of us are far from understanding. We experience a feeling we would not want to name as “hatred” even as our resentment builds to monumental proportions. We have taken the passage in 1 John 2 “Anyone who hates his brother is still in darkness” to mean that hate is wrong, and only love is acceptable. This love we have termed “tolerance,” and when we feel intolerant, we feel guilty.
But the Bible tells us that there is a time to love, and a time to hate.  We are to hate what is evil, and cling to what is good; to hate robbery and iniquity and bribes, wickedness and bloodshed. As God hates sin, so are we to “hate every wrong path” and everything that aligns itself against the truth of God. This is not to be an idle, unproductive feeling, but an active, initiative-taking hatred that must be focused toward the correction of situations for the betterment of the Kingdom of God.  Christians may – indeed, must! – hate, but with caution and purpose. As author Olive Moore puts it, “Be careful with hatred. Handle hatred with respect. Hatred is too noble an emotion to be frittered away in little personal animosities. Whereas love is of itself a reward and an object worth striving for, personal hatred has no triumphs that are not trivial, secondary, and human. Therefore love as foolishly as you may, but hate only after long and ardent deliberation.  Hatred is a passion requiring one hyndred times the energy of love. Keep it for a cause, not an individual. Keep it for intolerance, injustice, stupidity. For hatred is the strength of the sensitive. Its power and its greatness depend on the selflessness of its use.”  --- Olive Moore, Collected Writings
How might a Christian use hatred for a cause, in a constructive manner?
Remind yourself of the ultimate source of the behavior. – Ephesians 6 tells us that we do not fight with flesh and blood, but with “powers and principalities and rulers of darkness in heavenly places.”  While it may seem that we are facing people who are worthy of hatred because of their cruel actions, the Bible tells us that there is first a spiritual problem going on. This is not saying “the devil made them do it,” and therefore overlooking personal choices, but it identifying the ultimate source of temptation and sin which is the presence of evil in the world. Being reminded of this fact will prevent us from hating any of the people whom God has commanded us to love, and keep us from acting in hateful ways toward them or taking God’s justice into our own hands. Christians should hate the enemy of God: this is healthy hatred. Identify the behavior.  --  This should be self-evident; in fact, it’s the place where m any of us stop.  We see or experience an evil action and want to end it, so we take steps to curb the behavior.  This is analogous to taking a stone away from a protester. It may stop the behavior until another weapon is found, then it may begin again. The behavior cannot be isolated from the root problem. Christians may hate hurtful behavior; this is healthy. Identify the root problem that is underlying the behavior. --  In the broadest sense, the root behavior is always a lack of respect for God’s authority and commandments.  People who seek to follow after and honor God will also honor human life, have a desire to help others, and show consideration for another’s personhood. However, there are generally unmet needs in the life of one who hurts another; needs for significance, love, acceptance, forgiveness, autonomy.  Many violent people suffer from a lack of love, and in their pain, strike out at others. Christians may hate the injustices that bring about such pain and consequent hurtful behavior, and take a stand against them. Take a stand against evil. – We are first to take a spiritual stand; hating evil and fighting against it in the dimensions of prayer. We do not tolerate evil, or even poor behavior, but we attack it first with the best weapons available to us; the weapons of intercession and supplication.  We pray against selfishness that results in neglect of a child’s well-being, and against fear that results in greedy acquisition and furthers the poverty of others.  Then we get involved in meeting the needs that come about because of the spiritual problems.  For example, the blaring, booming music that you hate is caused by lack of consideration on the part of the owner. Most likely, he was not taught to ask if his actions were intruding on anyone’s private space, and his feelings were not treated with consideration by parents and others in power. The rudeness and crudeness of political opponents can be caused by fear of loss and the resulting anger and frustration that comes from not trusting God’s providence or seeking His wisdom.  Take a stand by rebuking your own spirit of selfishness, fear, anger, or resentment. Treat everyone you meet with consideration, look for ways to inject your faith into the situation,  really get to know people so that you can understand their lives and needs, and be the change you want to see. Is it appropriate for Christians to hate?  Yes!  Hate evil, injustice, ignorance, and other causes of pain. Hate those things that demean God and God’s creation. Let your hatred for these things be the impetus that moves you to address the violence and hurt you see with the love of Jesus.  Happy hating!
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