Sunday, July 7, 2013
Annetta United Methodist Church, Annetta, Texas
Bethel United Methodist Church, Weatherford, Texas
Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-14
A Journey in Search of Freedom
June 30, 2013
Annetta UMC, Annetta, Texas
Bethel UMC, Weatherford, Texas
Scripture: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14. Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Sermon: A Journey in Search of Freedom
-Independence Day – July 4th
What are you doing here?
Sunday, June 22, 2013
Annetta UMC, Annetta, Texas
Bethel UMC, Weatherford, Texas
Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-15a
Sermon: What are you doing here?
Bringing the Word of God
June 16, 2013, Father’s Day
Annetta United Methodist Church, Annetta, Texas
Bethel United Methodist Church, Weatherford, Texas
Scripture Text: 1 Kings 21:1-21a
Sermon: Bringing the Word of God
1st Sermon at Annetta and Bethel
Commissioned!
The Central Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church opened with a beautiful Worship Service on Sunday, June 9, and concluded today, Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at Arborlawn UMC in Fort Worth, Texas. It was business as usual it seemed for most people, but for me 2 things made it special, my commissioning and meeting up with school friends and colleagues.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013, was a very joyous, meaningful, heartfelt, and spiritual moving day. It was the most amazing evening for me, thus far, as I got commissioned as Provisional Elder of the Conference. I didn’t feel so much a sense of accomplishment as I did feel God led and that I am where I am because that’s where God wants me to be. Yes, a sense of my calling being affirmed was what I felt.
Bishop Mike Lowry preached a very relevant and brilliant sermon. The entire service was beautiful and I truly appreciated the Bishop’s message. His sense of humor and thought-provoking style was splendid. The best captured phrase that seemed to have made its round in Twitter was “If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans.” How true on so many levels.
I was so ecstatic and grateful that all of my family, which included 7 brothers, their wives and children, were present to witness and to share the special evening. One of my brothers could not make it but was represented by his son. And, I was very happy that my oldest brother was present and stood with me as I got commissioned.
I am grateful to the friends who also came to show support. And to the family and friends who were not present, I appreciated your thoughts and prayers.
I give thanks to God for my family and all the wonderful people I have met throughout the years. Your love, friendships, encouragements, and prayers have helped me come this far, and I thank you.
But now that Conference is over and I have been appointed to 2 churches, I need to attend to my responsibilities of leading God’s people which includes writing a sermon for this Sunday and every Sunday thereafter. Whoa!! Am I really not ready as the Bishop conveyed last night in his message? Whether I think I am ready or not, I do firmly believe in my response to one of his examination question, “With God’s help, I will.”
On top of that, I have 3 weeks to find a place to move to, as I close on my home the 1st week of July. Yikes! Time to get busy! But, confidently and faithfully, I do believe that with God’s help, I will! Amen!
Trustin in God
June 2, 2013
Scripture Text 1 Kings:18-20-39
Sermon: Trusting in God
Last sermon at Martin United Methodist Church, Bedford, Texas.
Heavens Telling Of Your Glory
A Lenten Devotional for Day 36: Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Heavens Telling Of Your Glory
Scripture: Psalm 19
Devotion: Some of you know that I work another job at night, and for those of you that don’t, before you start wondering “what kind of job?” I will soon explain. Needless to say, working at nights has not always been a pleasant experience, especially working 12-hour nights and being up for more than 24 hours at a time. That is never good for the body, mind, and spirit. Nevertheless, that has been my work schedule for the last 4.5 years, as I had to find employment that would work with my seminary school schedule. How I managed seminary work and this overnight job is beyond me. This is one of those things that I consider a God thing.
In any case, I realize early on working in the financial industry that while America sleeps, the rest of the world is awake, from Asia to the Pacific to Europe, and that we’re all connected in this global network, financial or otherwise. This means that what happens around the world affects the U.S., and vice versa. I think of what happens to us as individuals and a people affects God.
One of the benefits of working from evening till dawn is that I am privileged to see many sunsets, sunrises, endless clouds and skies in incredibly astonishing colors and form. Each time I see it, whether I’m on my way to work or on my way home, I am always in awe of the beauty of creation and how fortunate we are to be given the opportunity to witness the splendor and magnificence of this world that we live in. I pondered on how amazing it is that we’re all connected to the sun and endless clouds in the skies, giving us a glimpse of God’s glory.
I am reminded of how humanity seems insignificant in the midst of vast stretches of the cosmos and time and space. I think about how we’re all tiny specs in this big cosmos, but am comforted in knowing that God journeys with us each and every day and watches over us whether we’re asleep or awake.
Prayer: Creator God, We give you thanks for all of creation, and we give you thanks for the gift of life. This Lenten season, a time of self-reflection, a time of growth and renewal, open our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts, so that we may live into what you have created us to be. Amen
*Originally published as part of a Lenten Devotional Booklet that I compiled and edited for Martin United Methodist Church.
– See more at: http://www.martinmethodist.org/connect/devotions-for-the-season-of-lent/#sthash.Jm50Cxzq.dpuf
Planters
A Lenten Devotional for Day 34: Saturday, March 23, 2013
Planters
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:6-10 (NRSV) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Devotion: Today, I met with my district mentor, Rev. Judy Hunt, at White’s Chapel UMC in Southlake. As part of the UMC ordination candidacy process, I am assigned a mentor and I’m required to meet with this mentor for a minimum of 4 times a year. The process is very rigorous, selective, and lengthy and not everyone reaches the end of the tunnel. Nevertheless, the process and system are in place for a purpose.
My meeting with my mentor, in part, is to check-in with how I’m doing in ministry and life. On this particular meeting, I was excited to share with Judy my current involvement with various ministries at Martin, including our Evangelism Spring theme of Come Grow With Us in Faith & that We’re all Seeds in God’s hands.
Judy saw that I had picked up one of their devotional book and said that I should check out today’s devotional because it talked about seeds. Later in the evening as I was reading the devotional, I immediately connect it to my life. The authors talked about how “a life of faith is a life of seed-planting.” And most of the time, the planter is not around to see the seeds bear fruits. I couldn’t agree more. I thought of how it was never my intention or goal to go into seminary and ministry. But one thing led to another and I ended up in seminary, still with no plans of going into ministry, but with the aspiration to learn about the history of Christianity and my faith origin. It was in seminary that I began to realize that I didn’t end up in the classroom by serendipity and that I wasn’t just there to get an education or to fulfill my inquisitive mind. Rather, God was calling me into ministry, a seed that was planted years ago, and had taken roots in my family tree. You see many of my family members are in ministry, in the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, either working as pastors of a church, an educator for the church, have retired, or had a life working for the church. My grandparents were ministers and my great-grandparents and great great-grandparents were placed into exile when Christianity first arrived in Tonga because they chose to follow the new religion, because they chose to follow Christ.
The seeds that my parents and family instilled in my life growing up years ago are bearing fruits. While I wish that they were alive today, I’m grateful for their seed planting. Likewise, we’re doing the same in others’ lives, planting seeds. Maybe we’ll be around to see it bear fruit or maybe we won’t. But God pushes us forward to plant anyways and not be so eager to see the results. May we be reminded that planting seeds requires time to grow. This Lenten season, may you continue to grow in your faith, and may you continue to plant seeds in someone else’s as we remember our Lord who calls us to be planters.
Prayer: Creator God, Thank you for the seeds that you have planted in people’s lives. Thank you for making it grow. Amen
*Originally published as part of a devotional booklet that I compiled and edited for Martin United Methodist Church.
– See more at: http://www.martinmethodist.org/connect/devotions-for-the-season-of-lent/#sthash.Jm50Cxzq.dpuf
Happy New Year!
Just finishing up my sermon for our Tongan New Year’s Eve Worship Service tonight. It’s a bit difficult to say something relevant in both English and Tongan, to young and older folks, and stay within my time limit. Hoooiiiiii!!!! But I will get it done! Sermon text on Acts 17:28.
All are invited to our eating/feast celebration at 3:00 p.m. at Martin United Methodist Church, Bedford, Texas. Worship Service will be at 10:00 p.m. to midnight.
Uike Lotu will be this Thursday and Friday at 6:00 p.m.
Happy New Year to my family and friends around the globe, but especially those in the Southern Hemisphere celebrating 19 hours ahead of us here in Texas. May the God of old and new journey with you in the new year, 2013, and beyond!
a journey in existence 