Thoughts on faith, courage and strength

Faith is one of the most important words and ideas in Christianity, the decision to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus talked about it all the time and expected His followers to display faith. I think sometimes we get this important concept a little off kilter. Some think it means “what I believe.” Others think of it as a way to “get God to do what they want.” Though beliefs are important and a life of miracles is important, faith is more than this.

The evidence of faith is courage and strength!

The evidence of fear is doubt and weakness!

Let me ask a question. You might know the story of Peter walking on the water. He sees Jesus walking toward him on the water of the Sea of Galilee. After a short conversation, Jesus invites him to step out of the boat. Peter does . . . and for a short moment Peter lives beyond the bounds of earthly rules. In a few minutes he begins to take his eyes off of Jesus, looks around at the wind and the waves and begins to sink, crying, “Jesus save me,” which Jesus willingly does. Yet later Jesus exclaims, “O ye of little faith,” I am guessing sounding a little exasperated. Where is the faith in this event? Is it in the courage and strength that Peter had when he stepped out of the boat? The courage and strength He had to ask Jesus for help? The courage and strength he had to not get down on himself or doubt Jesus and continue to follow? I think these three concepts are where faith is defined:

• Courage and strength to step out;
• Courage and strength to ask God for help;
• Courage and strength to not get down on ourselves and to try again because when we give up, we shut down God’s future for us.

Here is the key idea for me: when we find our courage and strength in our relationship with God — our love for God, the grace we experience daily through Jesus Christ — then faith awakens. And even though our circumstances may not have changed, we have, and how we deal with and view those circumstances are dramatically altered. Even though the water might still be there, even the storm and the waves, we just might find ourselves walking on it.

My report to the Executive Council

I wanted to share with you the report that I gave to the Executive Council this week:

First United Methodist Church of Mansfield continues to be an effective and growing church, making an impact upon our community and world, providing leadership in the United Methodist denomination and beyond, and celebrating a membership that keeps growing in numbers, faith and ministry.

1. Our worship attendance is well beyond 2,000 per weekend.
2. Our membership has passed the benchmark number of 6,000.
3. Our confirmation class has 96, our largest class ever.
4. We are moving to complete three major construction projects:
   • Renovation of bathrooms in the Gym;
   • Creating a children’s worship venue in the Gym area;
   • Enhancing substantially the Student Ministries worship area.
5. Our Well and Saturday night services continue to be effective and successful.
6. The Celebrate Recovery service is consistent and building.
7. Our Spanish language worship service is gathering strength through Bible studies, monthly worship and ministry to our Spanish-speaking community.
8. We set the standard for mission, in our own community and in our world.
9. The GPS program continues to grow, adding a family GPS, renovated presentation, weekly podcast and the ability to interact with the study.
10. Our weekly online worship services continue to be effective, attracting new viewers and meeting the worship needs of many.
11. We will add a 5:00 p.m. Sunday service with a new focus and format that will continue our aggressive approach in reaching people for Christ.
12. The generosity of our church family continues to be strong in giving to the budget, giving to special causes, serving, volunteering, and celebrating in worship.

In a season of economic downturn and slowing community growth, First Methodist continues to thrive in vital worship and ministry, making disciples of Jesus Christ who will love God, love others and serve the world.  Our pastors, leadership, staff and congregation are enthusiastic, dedicated and willing to be a church family who make a difference.  First Methodist Church has a deep spiritual, Christ-centered core that makes it adaptable, dynamic and ready to serve a changing world.

I am also thrilled that the God Is Big Enough emphasis keeps expanding, reflecting a church that is ready and willing to share faith and hope in God with others.  We continue to see a transformed and transforming church family.

Mike Ramsdell
Senior Pastor

Thoughts on how we respond

What do we do, how should we feel, how can we help, how do we deal with it?  Sometimes we ask these questions of ourselves, especially when we see and hear with so much clarity and persistence the devastation in Japan — destruction defined by an earthquake, tsunami and even nuclear power plant melt downs. When we add to this the last few years of natural disasters from Hurricane Katrina to the more recent earthquake in Haiti, we can feel overwhelmed.  As Christians, how do we respond?  We might ask further, what’s going on?

I will try to answer the “what’s going” on question first.

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:22

“God Himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away.” Revelation 21:3b,4

The first scripture speaks as to what is going on.  The creation itself is in the process of being redeemed.  God is at work in the hearts and through the lives of all those who will turn to Him in faith.  And His purpose is to one day usher in a new heavens and a new earth, a new creation birthed by His grace and spirit where all people have turned their hearts to God.  Until God ushers in the post-sin and death Kingdom, these kinds of things will continue, just as Jesus said they would.

“In this world you will have tribulation . . . you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed, such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pangs.” Matthew 24

Then Jesus tells us what to do.

“Keep watch . . . be a faithful and wise servant.” Matthew 24

We can respond to the needs in Japan through UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, that is already at work.   But also, all the ways we influence our world and serve others is a direct and indirect response to the needs of that world — yes, when we directly give to UMCOR or another relief agency but also when we serve our neighbor, bless our family, worship our God and make a difference in our community.  As we join our daily efforts with the efforts of millions of other Christians, together we are making a difference.  Living out lives of faith, keeping watch, being faithful and wise servants consistently and lovingly — these are already ongoing responses to the seemingly overwhelming situations in our world.

Thoughts on sharing “God Is Big Enough”

I asked permission to tell a very special story that connects with the God Is Big Enough wristband adventure. Three years ago we took a group to Israel. Jim and Nancy went with us. They are from California, but Jim is the brother of Duane who is a member of our church. We often prayed for their young granddaughter who was battling cancer. These prayers have continued for the last three years.

Just a short time ago, this beautiful Christian granddaughter, Brielle, lost her fight with cancer but inherited the everlasting life that God gives so freely to those who are His. Lisa, her mother, sent this note to Duane and Kathy, Brielle’s great uncle and aunt, a few days ago. The memorial service for Brielle is this coming weekend.

Hi, Duane and Kathy, it’s Lisa. I heard your church was the one that sent Brielle the God Is Big Enough bracelet! I had no idea where she got it till now, and I can’t tell you what a HUGE blessing this has been. Brielle put it on the minute she got it and wore it until I had to take it off her wrist and put it on mine after she passed away. I had been praying and asking God for a way to get those bracelets to be able to pass out at her service. When grandpa got the text to my sister, and Heidi shared with me today about the bracelets being given, I cried non-stop, happy tears of thankfulness. THANK YOU so much for this gift!!!! God spoke to your hearts to do this and my prayers were answered!!! I love you both dearly. I have already made beautiful baskets to put them in to be passed out after the service. Again, thank you from the very bottom of my heart! Xoxo

Duane and Kathy will be taking God Is Big Enough wristbands to California with them. There is always hope because God is God and loves us. This message speaks from a cross, through an empty tomb and into our lives in whatever situation we find ourselves.

We have 10,000 more wristbands coming in this week and have ordered 30,000 more to ensure we have them through the Easter season. If you are reading this and want to share this with another church or organization, go to or share www.godisbigenough.us.  There is the info on how we did the campaign, the resources that are free to use and where other churches can order the bracelets for themselves.

Thoughts on living for what Jesus lived for

The question “What would Jesus do?” sometimes might be impossible to answer. Jesus often did unexpected things. But “What did Jesus live for?” — this is a question that is not nearly as hard to answer.

I knew a woman some years ago who did not live an easy life. She faced many financial hardships, and her two children experienced great difficulty as they grew up. She had a difficult job as well. But over a period of many years, she found an escape, a focus that seemed to help her deal with life to some extent. She discovered bingo. She loved bingo, was formed and shaped by bingo, looked forward to bingo, lived each week on a schedule that revolved around bingo. The hope of shouting “Bingo!” a couple of times a week had become the core of her existence. Last I heard, it still is.

If to follow Jesus is to make a decision, the clear choice to begin this amazing journey with God, then to believe in Jesus might include living for what He lived for. To add to this, we were designed by God to live for this, to be this, to live a life for and with God our creator. People sometimes find substitutes. After all, no one can live for nothing, even if that substitute is bingo. And sin can get in the way as life sometimes gets distorted and broken, but “Amazing Grace” is the answer. A life of grace and living for what Jesus lived for and the core beliefs that guide us are the central components to Follow, Believe, Obey.

A friend, Ken Diehm, died suddenly less than two weeks ago. Ken was 52 and served as a pastor for more than 30 years. He was most recently the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Grapevine. I knew Ken, both the public, very successful church leader and the private person who struggled to be faithful to God as a father, husband and pastor. His life was not about success or the legacy he would leave, though Ken had both. It was about a day by day focus “to live for what Jesus lived for” — at home with his family, his many hours on a bicycle, standing in the pulpit or working with me on a recent task force to restructure the Central Texas Conference.

Changing the question from “What would Jesus do?” to “What did Jesus live for?” can change everything. Jesus lived for God and for you and me!

Thoughts on getting off the bumper car of life

I don’t really know why, but throughout my life I have enjoyed the bumper cars at amusement parks — years ago just riding in one and now having a child joining me in the fun. When you think about it, bumper cars are a crazy idea. You drive around in circles, get bumped and bumped, can get stuck in a corner, and when it all is done, you are pretty much in the same place as when you started. And still, there is usually a line with dozens of folks waiting for their chance to go nowhere and get bumped while they are doing it.

When John the Baptist began to preach, his message was simple, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” People came from all over to hear this simple message. Later, when John saw Jesus heading toward him at the Jordan River, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

One might say that bumper cars are all about the 360 or going in circles and ending where it began. The word “repent” means the opposite or a 180, a complete and total change of direction. “Metanoya” is the Greek word for repentance, to turn to a brand new direction, pretty much what Jesus was both offering and asking when He invited, “Follow me.”

Peter and Andrew were two of the first who got off the bumper cars of life and began a new direction, even though they had grown comfortable in the bumper cars. At least they knew the parameters of the game, the boundaries, limitations and rules. They knew how to both make and tend fishing nets. They were familiar and competent at building fishing boats and maintaining them with consistent waterproofing with the tar of that day. They knew the seasons of the Sea of Galilee, how the weather worked, where the fish were at different times of the day, how to throw the nets and which fish were the best to eat and sell.

Jesus offered them both an exit from that life and an entrance to a new one. He did not explain what that new life would look like, just who it would be with, Jesus, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

Thoughts on Telling the Story

Like most of America, I have been paying close attention to the events in Egypt, even closer knowing that we have and are sending a great number of God Is Big Enough wristbands there by way of a military chaplain who is connected to the U.N.  We are also hearing about unrest in other countries in the Middle East including Yemen, Bahrain, Iran, as well as the ongoing American military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.  (Our son-in-law will be heading back to Afghanistan for his third tour this summer.)  It seems like the world is in chaos.  What do we do?  What did Jesus do in the midst of His world, a world equally in chaos, if not more?  (It seems like chaos is the way of the world sometimes.)  Jesus said there would be “wars and rumors of wars” and “tribulation,” just a simple promise that the world would continue to be a confusing place.  What did Jesus tell those folks then and us now to do in response?  He said, “Believe in me . . . follow me . . . tell others.”  We worry about our schools, community, Africa, the Middle East and our own families.  Is God big enough?

When I made my decision to follow Jesus, believe in Jesus, to tell others about Jesus, the world was in chaos.  In 1973, Vietnam was ending, Watergate was beginning to unfold, President Nixon was not far from resigning, America was in a post-war recession and the Cold War was going full steam ahead.  America was also beginning to experience the fallout of the false promises of the 1960s related to free love, rejection of basic values and the breakdown of the basic structure of many American cities.

A song I learned back then says something about “What do I do?”  “I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” Andre Crouch gave us that song.  He is still singing and preaching today.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life!”  When Jesus addressed the needs of the world as our savior and example, He just told the story of God’s love, grace and hope one person at a time — Nicodemus in an evening conversation, Peter, James and John on a hill side, a young ruler on the side of the road, the woman sitting at a well in the heat of the day.

We can hear and read about chaos in the Middle East and panic, get anxiety attacks and spiral into fear, or we can simply do what Jesus asked us to do, “tell the story one person at a time.”  Our God Is Big Enough wristbands are one of the ways to tell the story.  Kimberly recently told me her story of traveling to Racine, Wisconsin, on business and having one of her business colleagues see her bracelet.  This led to a conversation about God is big enough.  The man talked about his college-age son who was having some difficult health issues that had short circuited his dreams of a track scholarship at the university level.  After praying that evening, Kimberly gave her wristband to the man, and the message of God entered a situation in a powerful, life-changing way.

Who knows what God will do with these four words, and even more, the faithfulness of a church simply “telling the story” in Egypt, Africa, our schools, families, homes, work place and community.  (At this time, we are passing on this great theme to other churches that are joining us in this exciting campaign.)

Thoughts on what satisfies

When I think about it, the access to information in our culture is absolutely astounding.  As a trivia and history buff, I find myself often jumping into this world by sharing what I know with family.  I am sure they are not impressed.  Although I occasionally get a call from one of my kids with, “Dad will know.”  I am not sure it is that big a deal.

• Our culture too easily trades wisdom for information, often getting the two confused.
• Our culture often celebrates breadth sacrificing depth; shallow roots are easily cut.  (A mile wide and an inch deep is the popular saying.)
• Our culture surely focuses on quantity over quality.
• Our culture confuses being entertained with real life.
• Our culture promotes constant activity that promises reward but leaves people unsatisfied.

Psalm 1:1-3
“How blessed is the one, who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in God’s law he meditates day and night.  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever they do, he prospers.”

I watched as a truck tried to pull up a small pecan tree by its roots.  The tree won because a pecan tree has a tap root that goes deep into the ground looking for water, a tree that long ago adapted to dry spells by digging deeply into a permanent water supply.

Knowing God, peace in God, faith in God, trust in God, walking with God — this is wisdom, this is depth, this is quality, this is real life, and this is what satisfies.  Then this satisfaction and security can be reflected in our relationships, in our living, in the small and big things of life and life beyond life.

Thoughts on guarding your heart

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life!” (Proverbs 4:23)

We have smoke alarms (don’t burn the bacon), we have fire alarms, we have carbon monoxide alerts, burglar alarms, credit card and bank alerts, tornado warnings, flood warnings, weather warnings, back-up warnings on some cars; if it can happen, we are figuring out ways to alert ourselves so we can prepare or run to safety.  We are probably safer than we have ever been.

I wonder why it is so easy to let the guard down on our hearts.  I wish we had alerts or alarms for it.  Wait a minute; we do — the Bible, the Holy Spirit, a discipleship-honed conscience.  We just too often don’t listen or elect to take our chances.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!” (Matthew 5:8)

Too many attempt to live life, build relationships, search for meaning, and they do it with broken, damaged or even hard hearts.  They live in fear or possessed by worry and wonder whose fault it all is.

When we look for whole relationships, a full life, even a life in Christ, we have to bring a whole heart to the table, give a pure heart to Christ, to those we love, to the very life we want to build.

King David experienced a broken heart, a damaged heart, and became much less than the young man who faced down Goliath, the young king who later built a great kingdom.  Several things had happened — he was unfaithful to his wife with Bathsheba, he arranged for her husband to die in battle, he lost a child.  His was a heart that seemed to be damaged beyond repair.  He spiraled into depression.

Psalm 51, a Psalm of King David, is the prayer David prayed in response (this is excerpts).

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions, wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me . . . restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”

When our hearts are purified by God’s gift of grace, we change.  Our hearts once again can become soft, whole and even pure . . . and we have something to give to others, to our families, even to God.  Too many relationships fail because people attempt to build them with broken and damaged hearts.  When we pray the prayer of David, we find ourselves having much more to give to our all-important relationships, starting with those we love the most.

“Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life!”(Proverbs 4:23)

Thoughts on holy discontent

Bill Hybels wrote a book several years ago (Bill has been the senior pastor of Willow Creek for 30 years) entitled Holy Discontent! The main theme is that as a mature relationship begins to grow in a Christian, the initial joy and enthusiasm of that journey should eventually include a holy discontent with the way things are.  Here is what I think Bill means.

God is holy, that is a given, yet, God was discontented with His people living in slavery in Egypt.  This holy discontent led Him to send Moses to get His people out of bondage and on the way to the Promised Land.  This is the same motivation that caused God to send Jesus Christ into the world.  In fact, much of the foundation of redemption is the holy discontent that motivated God to send the messiah.  God’s holy discontent led to this amazing grace sacrifice on the cross.  I am glad God has a little discontent.

Often discontent is the first sign that God has a will to send you to someone or something — discontentment with poverty, homelessness, lost and hurting young people, the needs of little children, a lonely neighbor, communities struggling with broken homes, broken lives, addictions and emptiness — folks who simply don’t know God loves them and that Jesus does save, and of course, that God is big enough!

The first question we must answer is:  “Did God send Jesus to me?”

The second question we must answer is:  “Who is God sending me to?”

When we answer “yes” to the first question, we then enter a season of life that struggles with the next one.

The last few weeks, I have seen some amazing things happening in our church.  Our church has long been defined by mission.  Our ministry to youth, children and families is exceptional.  There are many opportunities to serve, worship and give.  But in the last few weeks, we have had thousands of people — all ages, children, youth, adults — sharing their faith in God by the simple gift of a wristband that says “God Is Big Enough!”  Almost 17,000 have been given out already with 11,000 more on their way.  Thousands of people have heard these simple, yet life-changing, words given to them by a friend, family member or neighbor that makes the words even more personal.  I hear daily of this impact that is reflected in multiple and surprising ways.

One simple story includes the Schwan’s lady coming to a member of our church family’s home.  As she handed her brochure to our church member, they both saw they were wearing the “God Is Big Enough” wristband.  They hugged, laughed, and the Schwan’s lady (who did not remember who gave her the band) said, “I love it!”   You are making a difference to surrounding communities in surprising places for folks who are wondering what’s going on as they touch hope.  A little holy discontent goes a long way as we respond to it by sharing the good news of a big God with the world we live in.