Good morning Lord Jesus, just as the rain is failing on the outside of my window, let your Spirit rain down on my heart and mind this morning.
“While they were eating, he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it. This is my body.” And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many. I tell you the truth, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Mark 14:22-26)
This morning my reflection is a little more personal.
Every Thursday evening I lead a men’s group called Bibles, Brothers, and Beer, B3 for short. We meet in a local craft brewery. We share our weeks joys and struggles, read and reflect on a passage of Scripture and it’s application on our life, and pray. I love our time together, and last night was even more special. On the small table in the corner of the brewery, with the small group of men sitting around it, I consecrated and shared the Lord’s Supper for the last time as an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church (UMC). The UMC has departed from what I understand to be Biblical Orthodoxy and God’s intention of creation, marriage, and human sexuality. So tomorrow morning a Special Session Conference of the North Alabama Conference of the UMC will convene at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. Myself and all the other pastors I have served alongside of in ministry for years, who are disassociating with the UMC, will line up and walk up to the UMC Board of Ordained Ministry, which includes the Bishop that ordained me. I will hand over my certificate of credentials as an Ordained Elder in the UMC,, have them stamped with some sort of “void” stamp, signed by the board, and returned to me. I will then turn and walk out into whatever God’s will is for myself and my family. It will be a sad day, full of many emotions, as was last night celebrating The Lord’s Supper for the last time.
A lot of sacrifice by myself, but more importantly my wife, and two daughters went into fallowing my calling into Ordination in the UMC. Shutting down my construction company and going from making six figures a year to my family qualifying for free lunches, food stamps, and social services. Laying all the “things” my wife and I purchased over the years on a table at our yard sale and selling them for 50 cents, and packing and moving away from family and friends to a city we knew no one, from a 2,500 SF home to an 1,100 SF home, so I could attend seminary for 4 years. After seminary. Packing up again, same yard sale process, pulling my daughters out of school and away from their friends, and moving to another city where we knew no one, to plant a church from scratch out of the living room in our home. And pastoring new different congregations over the years. Jesus has successfully lowered my salary every year since I turned my life over to Him. He has led my family into unknown and difficult places and situations, that challenged my family financially, my relationship with my wife and daughters, and brought us to our knees in prayer. However, Jesus has also blessed my family over and over, never forsaken us, and we have lacked for nothing.
It was a 10 year journey to becoming an Elder. Two years of the discernment process in both the Episcopal and UMC churches, four years of seminary, a year of CPE training in hospitals and difficult situations, and three years of serving and study as a Provisional Elder. All this leading to when I kneeled down in a church before God; with two bishops, several Elders, and my wife laying hands on me; surrounded by a congregation affirming me, I surrendered and vowed to faithfully obey and serve my Lord Jesus.
Ecclesiastes chapter 3 states, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven… a time to plant, and a time to pluck up… a time to seek, and a time to lose;.. a time to weep, and a time to laugh…”
So tomorrow will be a sad, emotional day for me, and my family. However, I am called to follow, imitate, and be obedient to Jesus Christ, not any religious denomination, church, person or other organization. And any sacrifices my family and I endure for fallowing Jesus, pail in comparison to the sacrifices He endured for me.
My family, I pray over any changes, challenges, directions, uncertainties, you find yourself in in this season of your life. You are not alone. If you have read my reflection blog posts in the past, you know I always end with the request, “Please pray the same for me as well.” This morning I place that request before you with more importance and gratitude of heart. I thank all of you who have prayed over myself and my family and journeyed with us over this past season of our lives, and I look forward to and I am gratefull for the season together that lay ahead, in Jesus’ name. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.
Can You Be Generous?
As we close out the year, if you have the ability to be generous, I invite you tp partner with me and One Direction Community to support our ministries. My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. We would be so grateful for your one time gift or monthly support. Thank you!
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Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
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