Often we think of a yoke as something that binds us and keeps us pinned down. However, its purpose is to actually help relieve the load by dividing it between those that are yoked together. What seems like a cruel tool for work is in reality and tool to make work and life easier.

Monday night I attended the Ordination Service for the Central Texas Conference to support a friend being ordained as an Elder in the UMC. It’s known for being a long service - similar to a graduation. In addition to a sermon and the laying on of hands on each of the candidates, there are songs, scripture, and liturgy read. And to be honest, liturgy is not my favorite part of church. For whatever reason, I never quite connect to it.

“Sometimes we think that our communities exist outside of ourselves, and I guess in a way they do. It isn’t as though that if we stop showing up, the community will cease to exist; that they would pack it all up and say, “Wait! Richard isn’t coming any more. Then what is the point of even going on!” But in another equally true way, communities are only made up of individuals. The culture of a community, the feel of a community, the resources of a community are all dependent upon and shaped by the individuals that show up for the community.”

It’s raining today. And it’s been raining for several weeks (it seems to me.) Our Communications Director, Rachel Moraw, occasionally assigns the church staff to write a devotion. And it’s my turn. And its gray outside, and sopping wet, and . . . well, you get the idea. I confessed to Pastor Chris that I didn’t have a holy thought in my head (or heart) today to share with you. He mentioned the rain and said that some of you may share my feelings of gloom.

And the words of “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” came to my mind. The lyrics were written by Robert Robinson in 1758 based on 1 Samuel 7:12. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.

"I’m currently parenting a kid that isn’t super resilient. We’re working on it. It’s a slow process. Lately, if my kid hits a stumbling block - academic, athletic, playing games...you name it, it happens - he shuts down and retreats. It’s a bit maddening. (Pray for my patience y’all.)

It’s thrown me into thinking about what my mom did that helped me bounce back when things weren’t going my way. Early in my childhood she dug in and helped/made me follow through on commitments. Some that she made for me, some that I made for myself. There are few instances that stand out."

Last weekend my family headed up to Lubbock for my brother’s graduation from Texas Tech. Because we are scattered across different parts of DFW and all had different obligations that caused us to all have to arrive and leave at different times we ended all driving separately and all bringing our dogs for the weekend.

My dog and my parents’ dog are about as low maintenance as they come. But that’s not the case when it comes to my sisters 1-year old mini schnauzer named Chester. Chester needs attention constantly and always seems to have a problem with something.

You may have noticed this recent headline. It seems a substantial crack formed on a major I-40 bridge crossing the Mississippi River between Tennessee and Arkansas. The sole purpose of this bridge is to safely move vehicular traffic from one side of the river to the other side.

As I read about this, I began to think about our lives. Are we due a routine inspection? What might we find that we too have a few cracks in our foundation that need to be repaired and reinforced.

“During this last semester of seminary, I have never been more thankful in my life that the God we worship is full of love and overflowing with grace. The content of the classes I was studying was wildly fascinating and informative, but each class demanded more from me than I had to give. I spent much of the semester feeling like I wasn’t enough. There were days when I felt like I wasn’t qualified to be a pastor because I couldn’t seem to be as prepared for class as I wanted to be, or when I did feel adequately prepared for class it meant that my house was an absolute mess or that my dogs hadn’t received as much of my attention as they deserve.”

Last Sunday Arborlawn UMC launched our latest sermon series entitled, "Photo Op." I am very excited about this series because I love pictures, and I love the story photographs can tell. A few years ago, I posted one of my senior pictures on facebook and was quite surprised by the response. I graduated from Western Hills High School here in Fort Worth in 1993. Back in the olden days, the school told you what company to go to the summer before your junior year to have your senior picture made. (This is quite different from today's practices in which our seniors have personalized photo shoots and look like models.)

Jireh - do you know what it means?

I didn’t until I listened to a worship song called “Jireh.” The song was good and catchy and I liked the lyrics! Except I didn’t really know what “Jireh” meant. The chorus rings out “Ji-reh, you are enough.” I answer my questions like most people these days, and I typed it into google to find the answer. I learned Jehovah-Jireh is a name for God. And it’s actually one of the most popular names used for God. Which I found funny because I can’t remember reading it in scripture. Where is it used and what does it mean?

When there is silence in our house, which is rare, I oftentimes will look at the pictures on our wall. The family pictures, the obligatory newborn pictures of our boys and a handful of cute and funny candid shots we have managed to take over the years. I am proud of all of them and that we were so fortunate to capture so many of these moments in our lives.

I'm pretty excited about this Sunday. For the first time in over a year, we'll have some Sunday School Classes back on campus! While I'm undeniably excited, there's quite a puzzle to put together between sprinkler flooding, construction, and COVID safety measures. Where can the classes meet? How often? What are the class wants/needs? Even with utilizing outdoor areas, we'll still have to rotate classes on campus during the Sunday School hour. One of the strengths of our church is our Sunday School hour. There are many long standing classes, each with their own DNA and preferences.

Each year, during Holy Week, I spend a lot of time thinking about sacrifice. Not just the sacrifice of God's only son, but also the sacrifices that my family made for me. I was extremely close to my maternal grandparents, who were incredibly faithful. Their faith, and what it instilled in our family, built the foundation of who and where I am today.

I help run a non- profit organization that raises money for law enforcement officers in the DFW area that are killed or seriously injured. Our last fundraiser was for a Mansfield officer that was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle on his way to work. The officer was care flighted to the hospital and taken straight into surgery. When he came out of surgery, he learned they had to amputate his leg.

My mom will sometimes talk about how I wanted to be a good helper when I was a toddler. I would see her cooking in the kitchen and want to get involved. Following her around as she collected items to make our meal, I would close doors to the pantry, cabinet and refrigerator that she had carelessly left open. That seemed pretty helpful! Only as it turns out, she wasn’t careless. She just wasn’t done with that door yet and needed something else from behind it. I thought I knew what was best, but in my helping I created more work for my mom. Luckily I was still pretty cute back then and kept letting me help. Maybe you have young ones in your life who have really “helped” you with your projects as well.

I recently heard a quote by a well-respected United Methodist pastor that I found both beautiful and convicting. This pastor was well-known for saying the following to members of his congregation whenever someone would approach him about a ministry or mission idea:

“God didn’t wake you up in the middle of the night to burden me with that ministry.”

“At a wedding shower held at my first pastoral appointment at Granbury FUMC, Carol Davis gifted Joel and myself a gorgeous cream on cream king-sized hand stitched quilt. It lived on our bed for many years until we bought our RV. Because Carol and her husband were RVers, I knew she would approve of the move to our home on wheels.”

“Christmas came this year despite the Grinch’s best efforts to stop it because even a pandemic can’t overshadow God’s divine entrance into our broken, human world. The Whos would know exactly what to do today - they would sing - and we should follow suit. With or without a big meal or presents, regardless of the amount of decorations you put up, whether you gathered with family or chose to stay distanced, I pray that today will be filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. The Christchild is born, bringing hope, peace, love, and joy with him, and shining his light into the darkness of 2020. Nothing and no one, not even the Grinch of 2020, can remove the Light of the World from within you. Merry Christmas, dear one - sing on!”

“One early morning during the Advent season of 2019, I heard the familiar steps of my youngest son skip-running towards my bed. I lifted up the covers and he crawled in beside me. I buried my nose in his dirty hair-we had been on Christmas break for several days, and I’m not really sure when he had last bathed-but it smelled distinctly of little boy, and karate, and sweat, and sleep.”