Skittles

This past weekend, I handed out packs of Skittles during visitation.   Saturday, I got up with absolutely no intention of doing visitation but God spoke to me during my quiet time that morning and He told me I needed to do visitation.   So I obeyed.   Before I went he told me to bring you some candy, so I went to Walgreens and he took me straight to the Skittles aisle.   Little did I know that he was preparing me for a blog on Skittles.   So, hopefully everyone has enjoyed them already!

A pack of skittles can represent the world....the nation....the state....the county.....the city.....the church.    Each package contains different colors, but despite the different colors they are all yummy on the inside.  (Yes I said yummy!).    We are all a skittle!   We have a different color on the outside but our insides are the same.   We are chewy which represents our determination and drive.   We are sweet which represents our compassion and our mercy.   However, we all may have a different flavor which represents our choices and tastes and our LOVE for each other.   Love is the key to ending all  the hate in the world.   There are people right now who hate us because we live in America.  There are people in the world right now who hate me because I am white.   There are people in the world right now who hate most of you because you are black.  Not matter why they hate us, we as Christians are to LOVE.   Love yourself so you can love others.   Love your family and friends....appreciate their differences.    Love your neighbor.....appreciate their differences.   Most of all, Love your enemies.....appreciate their differences and and LOVE the hate away.   Hate is a sin and can separate us from God, so LOVE LOVE LOVE.

The next time we are all together for Friday Night Worship or Sunday Worship or small group or playing basketball, remember that we are the Skittles of  Dalraida UMC.  We are the Skittles of the City of Montgomery.  We are the Skittles of Montgomery County, Alabama, United States.   We are the Skittles of the world.    

Everytime you see a pack of Skittles, I want you to think of John 4:7-21  (see below) 

John 4:7-21

7 Dear Friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.  

8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

10 This is real love--not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.  

12 No one has ever seen God.  But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.

14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.  God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.  So we will not be afraid on the day of judgement, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

19 We love each other because he loved us first.

20 If someone says "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, who we cannot see?

21 And he has given us this command; Those who loved God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for everyone's differences.  Thank you for giving us the ability to LOVE even when we don't really want to. Father, it is not easy at times but with you in our corner it definitely helps.   Father, I ask that you give everyone the ability to love themselves, to love their family, friends, and neighbors despite their differences.  Father, I ask that you give everyone the abiltiy to love their enemies.   Father, your Son was tortured and nailed to a cross but He still showed and spoke LOVE toward his tormentors.   Father, give us all the strength and courage to be like Jesus.  Father, thank you for all that you do and I just ask you to put your arms around our church as well as our youth group.   Thank you and I love you and praise you!  AMEN

WHERE IS YOUR SEED?

PARABLE OF THE FARMER SCATTERING SEED

MATTHEW 8:4-15

4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him

5 A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed. feel on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the bird ate it.

6 Other seed fell among rocks.  It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture.

7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants.

8 Still other seed fell on the fertile soil.  This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!  When he had said this, he had called out :Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant

10 He replied, You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God.  But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:  When they look, they won't really see.  When they hear, they won't really understand."

11 This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God's Word

12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.

13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.

14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of life. And so they never grow into maturity.

15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represented honest, good-hearted people who hear God's Word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

FROM THE HEART

This is a great parable that really describes how people receive the Word of God.   I think all of us have represented one or all of the seeds above at some point in our lives.   I know that I have!

The seed that falls on the footpath---Before I accepted the Lord as my Savior during Vacation Bible School in June 1985, I knew almost every Bible verse in the world that was taught in Sunday School, Bible School, Discipleship Training, Royal Ambassadors, and every other group I was inolved.  I could say the verses backwards and forwards and was always given the longest ones by my leaders.   Then, I was given one that just stumped me.   I couldn't memorize it to save my life.     It was discouraging and I never was able to memorize it and to this day I can tell you everything about the verse but can't tell you word for word.   You try it Matthew 28:16-20.   

The seed that falls on the rock---I grew up in church and was in church from 1 week old to 17 yo because my parents "forced" me to go which I resented at times but today I am thankful for that "force".  When I got out of high school and went to college that was a different story but because of that FOUNDATION I have never felt right about being out of church on Sunday, let alone Wednesday and any other times the church doors are open.   That is why I am so hard on you guys at times because I want you all to have the same FOUNDATION for your kids.

The seed that falls in the thorns----when I was in high school, there were several times that me and friends would go out drinking after church on Sunday nights, after Youth choir, Discipleship training and then Sunday night worship....sometimes very powerful services,too.   We literally CHOKED the Word when we did that.   It is something that I am not proud of, but the great thing about God is He offers mercy and grace for my stupidity. 

The seed that falls on fertile soil---I know that I am not perfect.  I jokingly claim to be, but I know and God knows that I make mistakes, have regrets, and just get stupid at times.   In my high school days, it was mostly for show.  In college there was some rebellion but always ended up back in church.   After college and once I got out on my own and even married, it was still for show most of the time.   It wasn't until I moved to Montgomery, AL and joined Frazer and started teaching some and diving into the Word that I began to grow.  I worked with Village Green Apartment Ministry (This is Addison Park Apartments now) and mentored, taught at Bible study, and headed up a tutoring program.  I was at church Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and some Saturdays.  I was EMERGED.   Not long after I left Frazer, I ended up at Capitol Heights UMC and started teaching Sunday School and of course started working with my blessed angels (lol) in the Youth Ministry.   Long story short, I have grown more in the past 7 years than I ever did in the first 40 years of my life.   I am blessed to have a great church, great group of youth (although they test me at times), great pastor, great job, and a great home.  

I am fortunate to have my seed in fertile soil and I so hope your goal is for the same.  I am here to help you in any way to accomplish that if you would just allow me to do so, but most of all ALLOW GOD.  Where is your seed?   Is it being picked at by the birds?   Is it wilting because of no foundation?  Is it being choked by the thorns?  Or is it growing like wild in the fertile soil?   

 

PRAYER

Our most gracious, Heavenly Father.   I humbly come before you to ask for guidance and mercy for this youth ministry.   Father, we are not perfect and I ask that you just show us mercy as we are learning more about you.  Father, let your seed fall in fertile soil.  Father, be with us, guide us, protect us, and love us.   Father you are the one who makes this ministry thrive.  I personally ask that you speak through me and keep me on track because I know I can easily go out on my own....be present in my life and be present in these kids lives.   Father bless them and use them for your Kingdom.   In Jesus name, AMEN.