CityRoadChapelUMC's Blog

No Fries With That, Please : A Thought to Share

cityroadchapelumc — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:34:58 +0000

I do not eat out much, and when I do I often eat on the run. That means the drive-thru window. One thing I hate, however, is to pull up to the menu outside the place and see nothing but combo meals. No price for just the sandwich, only for sandwich, fries and soft drink. I eat fries very sparingly and almost never drink carbonated beverages, but almost invariably I have to ask for the sandwich-only price, with the person on the other end of the magic talking box either not knowing the price or not knowing how to ring it up. Surely I am not the only person who doesn’t order the combo?

I have found that, in many ways, life is often like the combo meal. There are things that people only understand when they are part of a package. They cannot be imagined apart from that package. People who have had bad experiences with Christians can only imagine them as self-righteous or closed minded. Those who have only worshiped in one style all their lives cannot comprehend a service without using a specific hymnal or without a choir and organ. Either way the idea is of the combo meal, the complete package, unimagined without all the parts.

Now I am not one to believe in cafeteria Christianity where one picks the parts of Christ’s teachings that one wishes to take and leaves those that are inconvenient. On the other hand, I am more open to a cafeteria style of practicing my faith. The best way for me to express myself in worship is not always the same way as it is for others. (I remember a preacher who absolutely could not believe that I sometimes feel closer to God praying in the pew than at the alter rail.) And I would like to be able to offer the parts of my faith to others in a way that they can understand, without requiring that they see everything my way. Sometimes it is too easy for me to want to put unfair expectations on others in the sharing of my faith, or to feel that I cannot share my part if I don’t have the full combo. I hope God will see fit to remind me that we all have different ways of experiencing and sharing our faith. And make mine a happy meal. (I’ve been dying to use that line since I began writing. Sorry.)

The Boat of Life : Thought for Today

cityroadchapelumc — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:20:31 +0000

I love to sail. Particularly in small boats that react to every breath of wind, but I’ll take any size. I serve in any position of the crew. We test our skill against the elements. Sailing with the wind is not really difficult, although it requires more skill than some might imagine. The real trick is to work your way to a destination when all the winds are against you or to maneuver when there is very little wind in the sails. It takes a skilled helmsman and a skipper’s judgment as to exactly when to make what move, how to trim which sail, and even where the weight of the crew must be distributed to do this.

I have often thought that sailing is similar to life. When the winds of the world are blowing where we want to go, we have little problem. When we need to go against the wind, or we have no support to help us to our destination, it is far more difficult. It is at times like this that I try to let God be the skipper and Jesus the helmsman. I am not wise enough to navigate life’s waters without running aground. I need the wisdom of the Lord. Thankfully I have scripture, prayer, and the words of other Christians to help guide the boat of my life.

Madison Community Meal Every 4th Sunday Evening

cityroadchapelumc — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:08:20 +0000

Beginning January 22, every 4th Sunday of the month City Road Chapel will host the “Madison Community Meal” for poor, homeless and lonely of the community. Meal starts at 5:00 and is in the church’s fellowship center(enter through glass doors off the parking lot and up to the 2nd floor.)

Tests : A Devotional Thought

cityroadchapelumc — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:36:36 +0000

I see the doctor tomorrow. Tests. There is nothing new wrong with me to the best of my knowledge, but I have several tests done periodically because I am “at risk” for certain things and because I do have some physical conditions that need monitoring to be sure that my condition has not changed. So I see the doc, have some tests, and make sure I am on the right track (or have him tell me to get on the right track; like maybe go on a diet.)

I am a member of several groups of people who share certain values and beliefs with me. In most cases, it is not official membership, but just people who agree to meet at a certain time or who communicate very regularly with each other. In other cases, such as my church or certain Internet-based groups, I am a formal member. All these groups have some things in common. The most important, I think, is they provide a series of reality checks. By discussing beliefs and ideas with these people, I am able to get a better handle on whether or not those beliefs are consistent with my spiritual help as a Christian. A couple of these groups are intimate enough for me to share my own sins and shortcomings and to help hold me accountable for doing what needs to be done on my part to overcome my shortcomings. These folks also lend me the support of members of the body of Christ.

I remember a time when I thought religion was a personal thing. I now believe that religion is the public face of one’s faith. That faith is both an intensely personal thing, as is my physical health, and a thing that requires relationship with others. Like my physical health. I need others to help me see how I am doing spiritually just as I need a doctor and his tests to help me stay physically healthy. My personal relationship with God is to some extent dependent on my relationships with other sinners trying to be better Christians. I do not go on this walk alone. This is good, for I do not believe that I can successfully do so. God- Thank you for my brothers and sisters that help me see the way and hold me accountable.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3: 16-17)

[Devotionals, blog posts, and commentary by members or friends of City Road Chapel will appear, Lord willing, on this blog as often as possible. Please visit us here again or subscribe through the RSS feed to be sure you do not miss these devotionals. There are also posts on news and events and opinions and observations. Please comment if led to do so. (We will remove malicious comments, but welcome those that disagree with us if done co without resorting to personal attacks or terminology that is generally considered unacceptable on a church blog.)

Should you wish to come see us, City Road Chapel, UMC is located in Madison, TN, in the northern section of Nashville, within easy distance of Opryland (see map.) Most Sundays we have a small, early church service at 8:00a.m., Sunday School at 8:45, and another, larger worship at 10:00. We also have The Foundry, an informal, “conversational” worship in the welcome center at 6:00 P.M.

We have Sunday bus service to pick up those who cannot make it themselves. (Call 615-868-1673 for inquiries regarding this.)

All are welcome. We will try to post any changes in worship time due to special events here or on the official site. (Map) If you wish to find out more about us, visit our official Website.]

Spiritual Basic Training : A Devotion for Today

cityroadchapelumc — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:08:02 +0000

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:17-18)

Basic training was a fascinating experience for me. There are several major life lessons that I came away with, lessons that were not exclusively related to my military service. One of those was the ability to be transformed. You see, in basic training, they intensely work to strip you of any sense of superiority you may feel or others may see in you. They tear down your pride, sense of accomplishment, in many ways your sense of self. You become a recruit, a “boot”, no better or worse than any other boot. Then they teach you how to do things you never thought possible. They build your pride in yourself, but not based on your own accomplishments but rather your unit’s, your branch of service, and your country. You still are no better or worse than the next guy you serve with, but you are proud and feel you can take on any mission, not because of who you are, but whose you are.

There is an echo of being a follower of Christ in that process. Before I can truly follow his will, I have to learn humility. I need to get rid of my pride in myself and my abilities and learn to draw strength instead from the fact that I am a follower. Despite having different gifts and talents, I am no better or worse than any other follower. Once I acknowledge that, I am ready to take on whatever mission He has for me. I have been prepared. Yes, learning to follow Christ is a special form of basic training for me. The difference is that I must constantly repeat the process to be spiritually fit.

We have Sunday bus service to pick up those who cannot make it themselves. (Call 615-868-1673 for inquiries regarding this.)

All are welcome. We will try to post any changes in worship time due to special events here or on the official site. (Map) If you wish to find out more about us, visit our official Website.]

My Meditation for Today

cityroadchapelumc — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:35:02 +0000

from Emily

After the decorations are packed away, the special foods eaten and the presents mostly out of sight – here is what we’ll want to remember and remind each other:

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among people,

To make music in the heart.

Howard Thurman

The Mood of Christmas

Chumly : A Devotional Thought

cityroadchapelumc — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:44:03 +0000

Chumly was sick. We could see that from the droop of his head and tail as his owner carried the big dog into our veterinary clinic. We could also tell, from a ways away, that Chumly had recently had a close encounter of the third kind with a skunk! He smelled as bad as he looked. But Chumly wasn’t well enough for a bath, so it was a good thing that the doctor who cared for him has a poor sense of smell. Chumly is a big Great Pyrenees mix, and his job is to live on a farm and guard the sheep, so he spends all his time outside, roaming many acres. We questioned his owner as to why he might be so sick. Did he eat some dead animal? Do you think he was exposed to any other sick dogs? Could he be sick from fighting with the skunk? Chumly’s owner didn’t know, but he explained, “Chumly didn’t tangle with the skunk; Chumly’s mother did.” The mother dog is a guard for the sheep, too, and Chumly still liked to snuggle up with her at night. Chumly’s horrible smell came from tranfer of the skunk spray from his mother.
We sometimes are like poor Chumly, snuggling up to people that we shouldn’t. When someone is doing things that we know are wrong, or unethical, or maybe even illegal, we must be careful or we will end up smelling of sin, too. It is easy to hang around a dog that’s been skunked for so long that you begin to not notice the odor. It penetrates your nose, your clothes, even your tongue, but you get used to it, and it takes someone new, from the outside, to point out the stink. We may excuse what someone is doing or saying because we are friends, or because they are our co-worker or boss, or because we love them. We may justify our ignoring of the sin, or our pretending that it doesn’t exist, but the taint may rub off onto us, and we may begin to think that it’s what’s “normal” or “right.” God has a keen sense of smell, and He doesn’t like the stench of sin. As Rick Vincent says in a sermon, “Our actions may be sweet and pleasant or they may stink to high heaven.”
Skunk-Off spray will sort of take away the worst of the skunk smell on dogs, but it has a peculiar smell of its own. We may try to cover our “sin smell” with perfume or deodorant, but the bad odor always lies just underneath. The word Christ means ‘Anointed One’ in Greek, someone anointed with a sweet fragrant oil, so as to be consecrated or set apart. God wants us to smell good. He tells the Israelites through the prophet Ezekiel, “I will accept you as a fragrant incense (or a pleasing sacrifice) when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the nations.” Ezekiel 20:41(emphasis added)
After some surgery and recuperation time, Chumly got better and went home. He didn’t smell much better, though. He ran around the farm, spreading his skunky aroma. Paul says, in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.” Better to wear the pleasing smell of the anointing oil of God than the smell of the Skunk of Sin!

An 8th of January Meditation

cityroadchapelumc — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:26:26 +0000

Matthew 19:26

The 8^th of January is the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans. In the Battle, a small force of well entrenched men on the American side defeated a much larger British force, inflicting many more casualties on the British than were taken by the Americans. Ironically, the Battle was fought after a truce had been signed, but neither side had received that information. The battle made Andrew Jackson famous, a fame that would help him win the office of President some years later.

Jackson is a controversial figure in history. A complex man, he took actions that seem in retrospect to be in opposition to other actions taken by him at other times. He is known for a specific statement that has been attributed to him. “One man with courage makes a majority.”

How many times in the history of our faith has a single individual courageously stood his or her ground and affected the world with a strength that one might think would only come from larger numbers? Aside from the people of Biblical times, such as Paul, what about Martin Luther, John Wesley, or Mother Teresa? I often wonder what I could accomplish if I was truly called to do something that required great courage. Of course, if the call was from God, I could accomplish anything. Maybe Jackson should have said, “One man, with God, is a majority.”

We have Sunday bus service to pick up those who cannot make it themselves. (Call 615-868-1673 for inquiries regarding this.)

All are welcome. We will try to post any changes in worship time due to special events here or on the official site. (Map) If you wish to find out more about us, visit our official Website.]

Good Enough for Jesus

cityroadchapelumc — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:30:53 +0000

Good Enough for Jesus

John 1:43-51

In my days as a farmer’s son in Robertson County, a tree at the edge of a field was very important. On my grandmother’s farm, there was a large hickory nut tree very near the hay field and in the middle of the July afternoon’s it provided us a place of refuge. It protected us from the scorching sun and gave us an opportunity to rest from the strenuous task of hauling bales of hay. Under its branches we would drink ice water, lay down for a few minutes on the grass and talk. Sometimes the clouds would float overhead and we would imagine the faces of Washington, Lincoln or Ben Franklin. Sometimes we would imagine our futures. And sometimes we would take a short nap. That old hickory tree, which still lives, provided us a retreat, a place to think for a while, a place to be still and know that God was not far away.

Nathanael’s tree of refuge was a fig tree, the most favored place, outside of the synagogue and temple for a rabbi to teach. Today in Kenya, Christians gather under the trees for worship. Nathanael, the friend of the new disciple Phillip, comes from under the protection of the fig tree and into the uncertain world of a man named Jesus, to explore Phillips claim, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

After centuries of seeking, Nathanael, like the three other disciples: Phillip, John, Andrew and Simon Peter, and John the Baptist; become the first Israelites to encounter the Messiah, Jesus. Before he could say a word, Jesus spoke to him: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” A person with no guile is a honorable human being who practices integrity, behaves in a manner pleasing to God and conducts his moral live in line with the ten commandments. A guileless individual is deeply in love with God and wants the best for his neighbor. He sold no blemished sheep, traded with no false coins or weights and practiced radical hospitality even toward strangers. In other words if you want to know what in Israelite at his best looks like, look at Nathaniel. At the same time, Nathaniel is investigating Philip’s claim that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah, Jesus is x-raying the personality of Nathaniel and declaring him to be a fine specimen of what a pure Israelite looks like. At the same time Nathaniel proclaims Jesus to be Son of God and King of Israel.

How can we be “good enough” to be praise-worthy of Jesus?

Believe in the good news of fellow believers
Practice virtuous, holy living
Expect to experience a relationship with Jesus in this life.
Leave our comfort zones
Always be moving from where we are to where we can experience Jesus
Listen for him to accept us, just as we are and good enough to follow him.
Expect to see greater things: Heaven open, angels ascending and descending

First Fully Engage Brain : A Meditation

cityroadchapelumc — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:01:21 +0000

When I was in 8^th grade, my English teacher praised my ability to debate and to analyze an argument in such a way that I was able to see the pros and cons of the matter. She got me started in formal public speaking and debate. Nonetheless, she said that my greatest downfall was that I engaged my mouth before my brain was ready to be taken out of gear. By this she did not mean that I spoke without thinking, but rather that I tended to speak without thinking out the consequences of my words. I have been told that I am much better about this now, though there are those who did not know me then that cannot believe I was ever worse about it than I am today.

In the past year or two I have been on the receiving end of falsehoods spoken by other Christians. I have watched others devastated by words spoken by people who either did not think or could not believe they were doing the right thing. I have watched people quit jobs over unthoughtful words and people filled with righteous anger over statements made by others regarding events they had not even witnessed. I have observed forgiveness withheld and forgiveness granted.

Each time I see and hear these things, I eventually recall the words of my 8^th grade teacher. I read somewhere that the average American speaks enough words each week to fill 500 pages of paper. I do not know if this is true or not, but certainly we speak a good deal. With all that talking, I cannot help but wonder how much unintended harm I might do when I speak without thinking. My hope is that any I harm will bring their grievances to me so I may make amends. For as scripture says, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.” (James 1:26)

We have Sunday bus service to pick up those who cannot make it themselves. (Call 615-868-1673 for inquiries regarding this.)

All are welcome. We will try to post any changes in worship time due to special events here or on the official site. (Map) If you wish to find out more about us, visit our official Website.]