Friday, November 4, 2011
Ordination Service - October 30, 2011
We just experienced a great day in the life of Mount Olivet, the ordination of Pastor Todd Lilley. We were also honored to have Bishop Phil Whipple officiating.
Pastor's PenPoint - "The Rightness of Scripture" - November 2011
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (Psalm 19:8)
Stan bought his grandchildren a new toy. After glancing at the directions, he set the booklet aside to get busy building. A few frustrating hours later, Stan humbly opened the instructions again and followed the steps to assemble the toy. Soon he was done, and the grandkids were playing happily.
O.K. ... I admit it ... this could easily be me, except the grandfather part. I hate to read directions, which usually creates a lot more work and less than stellar results.
Stan knew that the manufacturer had a plan for putting together the toy. But he assumed he could figure it out too. Many people take the same approach to the Scriptures that Stan took to those directions. In stead of treating God's Word like a manual to live by, they glance at it occasionally when they aren't sure what to do next.
This has certainly been a wonderful, emotional and God centered couple of weeks. While true my going through the process of ordination had a huge impact on me ... it also had an impact on the church. This was a wonderful day in the life of the church; when the affirmation the members and Administrative Board relayed to the denomination and the Bishop resulted in another piece of God's plan for Mt. Olivet being laid in place.
Further, the planning that we are doing not only for our annual ministries and programs, but for the coming years is another step toward a permanence in seeking God's plan ... or in this case, reading in God's instructions!
The Bible is like God's diagram of Himself. He teaches believers who He is, what He thinks, and how He acts. Knowing the ways of the Lord ensures that we make wise decisions, which honor Him.
The Bible is like God's diagram of Himself. He teaches believers who He is, what He thinks, and how He acts. Knowing the ways of the Lord ensures that we make wise decisions, which honor Him.
The Bible is also God's instruction book for living. I advocate reading it every day because believers cannot be spiritually successful or victorious without it. In the above passage, we read that if a person wants to be righteous, his or her life must comply with the rightness of Scirpture. Of course, the only way to know what those principles are is to read, study, and meditate upon the Word.
God's Word is our most valuable possession. Casting it aside is as foolish as tossing away a wallet full of money. Among the Bible's riches are stories teaching us how to serve the Lord and principles about pleasing Him. And there is a wealth of instruction for building a righteous and meaningful life.
I pray blessings on each and every person who calls Mt. Olivet home. Thank you also to those who have affirmed me, our family and the call for us to join Mt. Olivet in the business of Kingdom building.
You ready??? Let's get back at it!
~ Pastor Todd
Stan bought his grandchildren a new toy. After glancing at the directions, he set the booklet aside to get busy building. A few frustrating hours later, Stan humbly opened the instructions again and followed the steps to assemble the toy. Soon he was done, and the grandkids were playing happily.
O.K. ... I admit it ... this could easily be me, except the grandfather part. I hate to read directions, which usually creates a lot more work and less than stellar results.
Stan knew that the manufacturer had a plan for putting together the toy. But he assumed he could figure it out too. Many people take the same approach to the Scriptures that Stan took to those directions. In stead of treating God's Word like a manual to live by, they glance at it occasionally when they aren't sure what to do next.
This has certainly been a wonderful, emotional and God centered couple of weeks. While true my going through the process of ordination had a huge impact on me ... it also had an impact on the church. This was a wonderful day in the life of the church; when the affirmation the members and Administrative Board relayed to the denomination and the Bishop resulted in another piece of God's plan for Mt. Olivet being laid in place.
Further, the planning that we are doing not only for our annual ministries and programs, but for the coming years is another step toward a permanence in seeking God's plan ... or in this case, reading in God's instructions!
The Bible is like God's diagram of Himself. He teaches believers who He is, what He thinks, and how He acts. Knowing the ways of the Lord ensures that we make wise decisions, which honor Him.
The Bible is like God's diagram of Himself. He teaches believers who He is, what He thinks, and how He acts. Knowing the ways of the Lord ensures that we make wise decisions, which honor Him.
The Bible is also God's instruction book for living. I advocate reading it every day because believers cannot be spiritually successful or victorious without it. In the above passage, we read that if a person wants to be righteous, his or her life must comply with the rightness of Scirpture. Of course, the only way to know what those principles are is to read, study, and meditate upon the Word.
God's Word is our most valuable possession. Casting it aside is as foolish as tossing away a wallet full of money. Among the Bible's riches are stories teaching us how to serve the Lord and principles about pleasing Him. And there is a wealth of instruction for building a righteous and meaningful life.
I pray blessings on each and every person who calls Mt. Olivet home. Thank you also to those who have affirmed me, our family and the call for us to join Mt. Olivet in the business of Kingdom building.
You ready??? Let's get back at it!
~ Pastor Todd
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Freemason Run Road Cleanup
7 people from the missions groups and the youth picked up trash along Freemason Run Road this morning. Mount Olivet is responsible for cleaning from the square in Mount Solon to Stokesville 3 or 4 times a year through the Adopt-a-Highway program. It was a great morning to enjoy the fall colors.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Pastor's PenPoint - "Tick Tock Tick" - October 2011
"I expect to pass through the world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
You've probably seen this quotation many times. It's over 200 year old and from the Quakers.
May I ask you a question I have asked myself recently: If you knew that today was the last day of your life, who would you call? What would you say? What act of kindness would you provide? What broken relationship would you try to heal? Whenever we ask a question like that, it always tends to be theoretical because deep inside, most of us expect to live many more years. That's certainly a reasonable expectation, and I hope it comes true for you. But perhaps we should take Martin Luther's advice to live every day with the day of our death placarded before our eyes. Leadership experts call that "living with the end in view."
I wish to everyone who reads these words long life and good health, but I can't guarantee it for myself or for my own family ... much less for anyone else. Things can change so quickly. Just one phone call and life will never be the same again.
We can reach out to people around us. There are things we need to say now:
If you intend to serve the Lord someday, why not now? Time moves fast ... tick ... tock ... tick ...
Grace ~ Pastor Todd
You've probably seen this quotation many times. It's over 200 year old and from the Quakers.
May I ask you a question I have asked myself recently: If you knew that today was the last day of your life, who would you call? What would you say? What act of kindness would you provide? What broken relationship would you try to heal? Whenever we ask a question like that, it always tends to be theoretical because deep inside, most of us expect to live many more years. That's certainly a reasonable expectation, and I hope it comes true for you. But perhaps we should take Martin Luther's advice to live every day with the day of our death placarded before our eyes. Leadership experts call that "living with the end in view."
I wish to everyone who reads these words long life and good health, but I can't guarantee it for myself or for my own family ... much less for anyone else. Things can change so quickly. Just one phone call and life will never be the same again.
We can reach out to people around us. There are things we need to say now:
- "I love you."
- "I'm sorry."
- "Please forgive me."
- "Thank you."
- "I miss you."
- "I wanted to see you one more time."
- "I wanted to squeeze your hand."
- "I wanted to give you a hug."
- "I wanted to hear you laugh."
- "I wanted to see your beautiful face."
If you intend to serve the Lord someday, why not now? Time moves fast ... tick ... tock ... tick ...
Grace ~ Pastor Todd
Monday, October 3, 2011
Hayride
67 people from Mt. Olivet enjoyed a hayride yesterday on a brisk afternoon. We rode from church to Showalter's Corn Maze, ate lunch, played games, huddled by the fire, then returned safely to church. It was a great day!!!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Kentucky Mission Team
Pray for our mission team as they work at Laurel Mission in Kentucky this week. It will be a challenging time with the recent passing of Rev. Titus Boggs and with the rains from tropical storm Lee.
Pastor's Penpoint - "Preparing ... not Planning" - September 2011
James 4: 13-16. "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'
Is James telling us not to plan? Yes and no. James' warning is important to leaders in that leaders are to plan for their organizations but not to plan for their own lives. Does this mean that we are not to establish our 10-year plans for our lives? Yes. James' advice is that if we, as individuals, want to do something, then we should ask God to wish it for us rather than for us to wish it ourselves. The reason for this is that when a person sets out to accomplish his personal will for his life he negates the opportunities that God provides. This is evident in the lives of people who sought their own success and achieved it, yet comment that they feel like something is missing. Contrast this with the people who seem fulfilled in what they are doing and who tell people they would not have predicted a few years earlier that they would be doing what they are doing or going where they are going. The difference between the two types of people is that the first is planning and the second is preparing.
What's the difference between planning and preparing? Planning is deciding what you will do and preparing is becoming ready to do what you might be called to do.
Did Moses 'plan' to tend sheep for 40 years? Did Saul 'plan' to join the very Christians that he persecuted? Think about how Moses' tending sheep prepared him to lead the Israelites from Egypt. Moses argued with God and pleaded with God not to call him to this task. Can you imagine Moses talking to his father-in-law and saying how a few years before parting the Red Sea that he would not have believed that he would do what he did? Can you imagine Paul meeting his pre-conversion friends on the road and commenting to them how well his personal career plan was going? It is a common refrain from folk that if someone told them a few years earlier that they would be doing what they're doing now they wouldn't have believed it. But, using hindsight it is easy to see how our past experiences have prepared us to serve God in where He has placed us.
In the coming months, those who have stepped forward in leadership at Mt. Olivet will be preparing for the plan God will put before us. The Nominating Committee will convene and prayerfully discern who God has called to leadership, the Commissions will meet to prepare the various calendars of activities and work that needs to be done, and the Administrative Board will meet in November to prepare a plan based on how we believe God is calling this church to serve in ministry in the years to come.
As we prepare for our God's plan for our church, please join us in preparing for how God is planning for you individually as well. ~Pastor Todd
Is James telling us not to plan? Yes and no. James' warning is important to leaders in that leaders are to plan for their organizations but not to plan for their own lives. Does this mean that we are not to establish our 10-year plans for our lives? Yes. James' advice is that if we, as individuals, want to do something, then we should ask God to wish it for us rather than for us to wish it ourselves. The reason for this is that when a person sets out to accomplish his personal will for his life he negates the opportunities that God provides. This is evident in the lives of people who sought their own success and achieved it, yet comment that they feel like something is missing. Contrast this with the people who seem fulfilled in what they are doing and who tell people they would not have predicted a few years earlier that they would be doing what they are doing or going where they are going. The difference between the two types of people is that the first is planning and the second is preparing.
What's the difference between planning and preparing? Planning is deciding what you will do and preparing is becoming ready to do what you might be called to do.
Did Moses 'plan' to tend sheep for 40 years? Did Saul 'plan' to join the very Christians that he persecuted? Think about how Moses' tending sheep prepared him to lead the Israelites from Egypt. Moses argued with God and pleaded with God not to call him to this task. Can you imagine Moses talking to his father-in-law and saying how a few years before parting the Red Sea that he would not have believed that he would do what he did? Can you imagine Paul meeting his pre-conversion friends on the road and commenting to them how well his personal career plan was going? It is a common refrain from folk that if someone told them a few years earlier that they would be doing what they're doing now they wouldn't have believed it. But, using hindsight it is easy to see how our past experiences have prepared us to serve God in where He has placed us.
In the coming months, those who have stepped forward in leadership at Mt. Olivet will be preparing for the plan God will put before us. The Nominating Committee will convene and prayerfully discern who God has called to leadership, the Commissions will meet to prepare the various calendars of activities and work that needs to be done, and the Administrative Board will meet in November to prepare a plan based on how we believe God is calling this church to serve in ministry in the years to come.
As we prepare for our God's plan for our church, please join us in preparing for how God is planning for you individually as well. ~Pastor Todd
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