What brought me to searching the internet - part 3

What do you do when you’re starving all you are offered is a diet of “cotton candy?”

That is literally how I felt about the sermons we were getting - “cotton candy.” They looked good, they smelled good, and they “tickled the senses” but once in the mouth - nothing.

Never in my wildest imagination would I have dreamed how God would bring us to “real food” at this time in our lives.

In 2002, our older son (20 years old at the time) decided that he wanted to take up bull riding! (Yes, “bull riding”!) Of course, we were totally against it, but hey, what can you do when they are that age? He had a full time job, was (sorta) living outside our home, attended a church different from ours, and was a part of a youth ministry called “Yoke” ( www.yokeyouth.com ). He was a “good kid” just bull headed (no pun intended!)

Anyway, he did eventually get very seriously hurt - ultimately losing a kidney, but God used that accident to lead us to some real spiritual food!

The next day after his accident, the hospital was flooded with “Yoke Folk” - the other youth ministry members. Plus, Joe’s pastor came to see him. When I met Dana Mathewson, I felt like I had known him all my life. (I found out later, that that was the way everyone who knew him described him.)

We only talked for a very few minutes before the conversation turned to theology. In the midst of this horrible, life-threatening accident, God had brought me to someone with food! I met his wife Jennifer, and we became immediate friends. Over the course of the next 3 years I would go to them for food “in between times” either when I could sneak away from our church, or when I was so hungry I couldn’t take it anymore. I could write pages and pages of our love for them and their ministry, but suffice it to say that there are not enough words to convey how God used them to touch our lives.

In July 2005, Dana officiated at that same son’s wedding, and in September 2005, Dana Mathewson was killed in a tragic car accident. We, along with all of Knoxville (TN) were devastated. The man was loved everywhere he went. His sermons were the most deeply theological, yet easily understood sermons I’d ever heard, and his ministry touched everyone he met.

A couple of weeks or so after he died, my husband and I were lying in bed one night (he was trying to sleep and of course, I was reading…) when he suddenly turned over and said with a panic stricken voice, “We have no one to go to!” (Scared the hound out of me!)

I said, “What do you mean ‘no one to go to’?” He said, “with (our other pastor) out of the picture, and now Dana dead - we have no one that we can really trust, no one to teach God’s Word, to go to!”

And I realized, he was right. Who would we turn to now?

Next - The World Wide Web…

What brought me to searching the internet - part 2

Continued from Tuesday…

As I said, I thought it would be apathy that closed the church. Like I’ve often said “I’ve lived a sheltered life!” I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I’d see what we’re seeing in the church today… but I was getting ahead of myself…

After I wrote that poem, I gave it to our pastor and challenged her to print it in the bulletin. She let me know right quick that the DS wouldn’t like it! It was very obvious, that she was afraid of her “boss.” She often said, “Oh, I personally agree with you, but that is not the “official” Church stance, so I can’t say that…”

(Oh, if only I could have seen this as a prophecy of the future!)

I decided that the only thing I could do was pray - and pray I did! I began a concerted, dedicated, daily prayer effort praying for God to send us a “man of God.” Now, let me hasten to say that I didn’t care if it was a man or a woman “gender-wise,” what I was praying for was a Biblical type of “man of God” who would stand, regardless of what the hierarchy said or did. (Paul comes to mind…)

In June of the next year (1993) God answered my prayer; well at least this man “looked” the part anyway. (Looked like an “Old Testament Prophet!”) I would soon find out if he “fit” the part, as well!

The pastor we received that year was “different.” He was about my age (early 40s - which meant he grew up in the 60’s - hmmm…) He was tall with long grey hair, a full beard, and an earring… (I knew he was a “cool guy” when the DS asked him about moving expenses and he said, “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got a pickup truck…)

Even though he was in his 40s he was a “student-pastor” as he was attending UT working on his Masters and later Doctorate in history. (I found out later that he was much more experienced as a pastor than I knew - having served in an independent Methodist church as not only a pastor, but a DS, as well!)

As an “old hippie” myself, I could easily relate to him, but what would the people say? Long story - short - they fell in love with him. Oh, some weren’t too happy about some things, but man, could this guy teach the Word of God! I didn’t realize how hungry I’d been for so long. We had “food” that I didn’t even know existed! And he remained our pastor for nearly 10 years. (Un-heard of in our Church!)

Our boys grew up knowing that one didn’t have to “look like a pastor” to be a very effective teacher/preacher. For that, and a hundred other things, I am eternally thankful.

But (you knew there was going to be a “but” didn’t you?) But, “preachers” are not perfect people and he made some bad choices. At the time they seemed like very good and noble choices. And, I’m not so sure that if he had it to do over again he’d choose differently - but that’s not my call to make. We (my husband and I) supported him then and we still support him today as he is our best friend (although, we’d really like to see him preaching somewhere today… hint, hint, hint…)

The bottom line is, he was forced to resign or face the “firing squad”, er I mean, the Board of Ordained Ministry. And he chose to resign. True, this “simplifies” the story dramatically, but ultimately, this is what happened. And I again, was hungry…

To be continued… next up “Food!”

What brought me to searching the internet - part 1

What brought me to searching the internet

In my first “welcoming” post, I wrote of what brought me to this point in my life and Spiritual journey - now let me tell you what brought me to the “blogosphere”…

As I said, we’ve tried to leave the Methodist Church for a long time, but God keeps leading us back “into battle.” It was a couple of those seeming “defeats” that began this trek. But, it began long before that...

In the early 90’s I was at the end of my rope. We’d had everything in our pulpits from mediocrity to apathy, to outright apostasy. I was sick of it, and I wrote the following poem.

The Death of a Church

The old man sat on the steps and wept
his body shook with grief.
The Church behind him was in disarray
I thought there had been a thief.

“We’ll call the police,” I gently said
trying to calm his fears.
But the old man just shook his head
and began to talk through his tears.

“I have in my hand, a notice,” he said,
“that was nailed upon the door.”
“Closed due to lack of interest”, it says,
“closed forevermore.”

I started to speak, but he raised his hand,
and motioned for me to sit.
Then the tale he told, sent chills up my spine
and scared me, I’ll have to admit.

“It could have happened to any church,”
he said with a heart-felt sigh.
“We all knew that things were bad,
but we never thought it would die.”

“You see, lots of people used to come to this church
we could have a good crowd Sunday morn.
And just mention a meal, why folks would come until
Gabriel blows his horn!

And the Spiritual food, at times too, was good.
We’ve been nourished with the Word.
Then why you ask has the church been closed?
I know it sounds absurd.

But it takes much more to build a Church
than one hour once a week,
but it seems so few were willing to work,
so few were willing to speak.

So few were willing to take a stand,
so few were willing to lead.
So few were willing to do the job,
and fill the church’s need.

Then the few, got fewer and fewer until,
none at all remained.
And though they had a choice,
none raised a voice,
and the door at last was chained.”

“I know what you’re thinking.” the old man said.
“We’re small, but we’ll never die.”
“I pray that it’s true, it doesn’t happen to you,
but when it does,
only “the few”
have a right
to cry.


Betty Newman © 1992


You see, I thought it would be apathy that closed the church. As I’ve often said “I’ve lived a sheltered life!” I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I’d see what we’re seeing in the church today… but I’m getting ahead of myself.


More tomorrow…

Betty

Why another blog?

Why did I create another blog? Well, it certainly wasn’t because I had tons of free time!

No, the main reason I wanted another blog was because there are times when I do feel like I am “Between a (Theological) Rock and a Hard Place.” And since I want to keep my “Prayerlogue” http://www.prayerlogue.blogspot.com just that - a “prayer” logue filled with mostly prayers, devotionals, meditations and sermons, I decided to create another blog for my “ramblings” and thoughts.

Who am I, and how have I come to this place in my physical and spiritual journey? That’s a long story. Fifty-one+ years long, as a matter of fact.

My husband Joe and I have been married 30 years this past summer. We have 2 boys, Joe, Jr who got married this summer, and John who has started the University of Tennessee with a Jazz major. So, while I don’t have to “see to” them much anymore, we still care for my Dad, and my husband’s Dad (my mother has “gone home” and Joe’s mother is in a nursing home in the later stages of Alzheimer’s.) Plus, we live on a 65 acre, 200 year old family farm, and I own a business,( http://www.newmanvalley.com ) with 1 full-time employee, that is located here on the farm.

We are life-long Methodists. We belong to a church in a 3-point charge in the Knoxville District, in the Holston Conference. I’ve been a member here for 41 of my 51 years, joining the church as a 10 year old after taking confirmation class in the fall of 1964.

I grew up in one of the churches on the circuit, and Joe grew up in one of the others. When we got married, I moved my membership to “his” church, but we really feel like we belong to all three. (When we got married, we didn’t send invitations, we just printed it in the bulletin, which is used in all three churches - there was standing room only at the wedding!)

I have been active in the church all my life. I remember leading “prayer meeting” when I was about 10-12, and being called on to pray in the congregation as an early teenager. We’ve held nearly every position in the local church. Joe has been/is Church and Parsonage trustee, SS superintendent, music leader, and chair of the Church Council.

My most continuous positions are member of the PPR, Lay Leader, Adult SS teacher, and since the late 70’s - Certified Lay Speaker. But my “passion” is Bible study. There is nothing I love more than studying God’s Word.

We’ve tried to “leave” the UMC for nearly 25 years now, but God keeps bringing us back here. We feel such a need to minister to these people. “Preachers” come and go but the laity stays around. (We’ve had 14 pastors in these 40 years, and with one staying 9 years - that makes 13 for the other 31 years, or an average of only 2.5 years each!) Or as I’ve often heard my Mother say, “I was here when he came, and I’ll be here when he leaves, and I’ll be John Brown if a preacher makes me leave my church!”

Well, that’s it in a nutshell. There is, of course, a much longer story, which is the reason I needed a place to write it down. I’m sure I’ll be telling some of these stories as I go along.

Oh, one more thing - I’m about as “Southern” as they come. And, I often write like I talk. So, if you need a “translation” just ask!

Betty

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