Candidacy and Psychological Evaluation...not what you think

Many of you are following me on my journey to become a minister. I am sure a lot of you have questions about whether or not, I am suitable to be a pastor and what that will look like and others have come to me with statements that let me know they disagree with where I am and what I am doing. Others have come to me inquiring about the Candidacy Process and whether it is allowing me to truly discern God’s calling in my life or if I have signed on the dotted line and am past the point of no return.

So I have decided to open up, about the Psychological Evaluation part of the Candidacy Process. When people think “Psychological Evaluation” immediately they think “Oh no! I won’t lay on a couch and talk to some stranger about my life.” or they think “We can’t put crazy in the pulpit; that’s why they are do a 3 hour psychological evaluation.” That both of these things are true, but they are also not what the evaluation/assessment is for. Think of it as a future boss asking you to meet someone you may eventually work with and they just want to get to know you.

However, what is cool about this person who gets to know you is that they do subject you to some psychological testing—4 separate personality tests to be honest with you. 1-complete the sentence, 

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, The Neo-Pi and the MMPI. I will say that the last two were my favorites, but the last one had me scared out of my mind!

I got the results from my Myers-Briggs and my type is INFP. INFPs focus much of their energy on an inner world dominated by intense feeling and deeply held ethics. They seek an external life that is in keeping with these values. Loyal to the people and causes important to them, INFPs can quickly spot opportunities to implement their ideals. They are curious to understand those around them, and so are accepting and flexible unless their values are threatened.

The other two tests the Neo-Pi and the MMPI were coupled with my sentence completion to give a better understanding of who I am. My Neo-Pi results were pretty spot on but I also think that of my scores on the MMPI, which I can’t give you tonight as I don’t have them. However, I can tell you the results from the Neo-Pi and how they present me:

• N Domain: I scored as calm, relaxed and generally free of worry. I sometimes feel frustrated, irritable, and angry and I am prone to feel sad, lonely and dejected. I am good at controlling my impulses and am able to handle stress as well as most people.
• E Domain: I am as assertive as most women when the circumstances require; I have a low energy level and prefer a slow and steady pace.
• O Domain: I have a vivid imagination, I am responsive to beauty found in music, art, poetry or nature and my emotions are normal in variety and intensity. I am conservative in my social, political and moral beliefs.
• A Domain: I am frank and sincere, you are considerate of others. I can hold my own in conflict, but am willing to readily forgive and forget.
• C Domain: I can be sloppy and disorganized and I am sometimes less dependable and reliable and more likely to bend the rules than I should. I have high aspirations and strive for excellence in whatever I do. I also sometimes act without considering all the consequences.

The last test was the MMPI. If anything this is the test that scared the blue blazes out of me! Why? It’s a psycho-pathology test. This is a test that they give in psychiatric wards around the nation. Most people tend to test extra bad when they want to seem sicker than they are and want an extra day or so out of work. Then on the other end of the scale there are people who test extra good when they are going into careers such as pastoring churches. My psychologist told me “Rachel, your test was refreshing! It’s the first test I have ever gotten where I feel like the person was being completely honest.” He went on to say that all those diagnoses that I was told I had never spiked on this test. I no longer tested for depression. I did spike a little on the “Disregard for Authority” but the psychologist said that was probably because “You like to do things your own way.”

As you can see my tests didn’t come back bad; as of matter of fact, I learned a lot about myself that I know I need to work on. While a lot of people think the Candidacy Process is long and arduous (and it is), I do see where it benefits each candidate as they move through this process. I look forward to continuing to grow through this process; and seeing where God leads me. 

When God is Silent: 1 Kings 19:9-15a

I love Elijah! He’s a man that I would probably be able to sit down with, share a pizza and maybe even a few stories with. Why? Because honestly Elijah is a lot like me! He expects more from God’s people than he is able to give of himself, he focuses on a problem and no the solution and he believes that God can be maddeningly hard to get! Even God says that His ways are not our ways and He really means it!

Let’s Read 1 Kings 19:9-15a

Some background on Elijah is that he’s a prophet, living approximately 1000 B.C. to 700 B.C. He’s probably one of the most interesting and colorful characters in the Bible, yet his life is filled with turmoil—one day he’s up emotionally, and the next day he may be down and out. He’s called fire from Heaven, stopped a drought through prayer and killed all the Baal prophet, which is why he is on the run from Queen Jezebel. This is where our story starts: It is this encounter with victory where Elijah is happy to know God. He’s just killed the Baal prophets, he’s seeing the people of Israel starting to turn back to their God…THEN…Jezebel hears that her prophets are dead and she threatens to kill Elijah!

Much like our lives…we all have then encounters with God where He breaks into our lives with power answering our prayers and wins our trust by watering the garden of our faith, making it lush and green; then out of nowhere chaos careens with apparent carelessness through our lives and the world leaving us shattered. Or an unrelenting darkness descends; maybe an arid wind we don’t even understand blows across our spiritual landscape, leaving the crust of our soul cracked and parched. And we cry to God in our confused anguish and he just seems silent. He seems absent. All God’s saints, if allowed to live long enough, are led into the lonely, disorienting, weary wilderness. Unfortunately, while we are there we tend to lament; for example:

• Job: “I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me.”

• King David: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of groaning?”

• Jesus on the Cross: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

In his lesser known book A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis wrote: When you are happy, so happy you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be — or so it feels— welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become…”

However it is in these moments of silence that God may really be answering our prayers. You see, like Elijah, we often think our problems are too big for God and then we focus on the chaos and not the still small voice. God doesn’t always speak in the miraculous—those big TA-DA moments. I found myself in this position prior to coming to Clarksbury. A year ago, I was a member of a large six campus church. I felt like I was growing in Christ and that I was being allowed to use what I had learned in seminary to teach the kids at church; I was happy.

Suddenly, the very people who introduced me to this church stopped talking to me. I went to work one day and everything was fine and the next my friend came to me and said “Let’s just say it’s [our friendship] over.” The next Sunday, a mutual friend came to me and told me “The reason your friendship ended is because everyone thinks you are crazy and need psychological help.” I was heart-broken. I went directly to our minister because our church had a peacekeeping by-law and I wanted to make use of it. So I went to peacekeeping, and their celebrate recovery group; where we’d have discussions about what forgiveness would look like. However, my “friends” were never required to make an effort. Eventually the senior pastor’s wife would tell me “Your job teaching children isn’t as important as the keyboard player…you will need to find a new campus to attend.”

That was the last time for nearly a year that I went to church. When I was approached about church and my beliefs, I would say “I believe God exists, that Christ died and resurrected—I don’t believe there are true Christians in the world today. So many people are giving lip-service to the title of Christian.” I had been hurt by people who said they belonged to God. Chaos, had literally came into my life, turned my spiritual landscape upside down.

During those 6 months, I approached God. Whether I was sitting at home crying or at home yelling at God, like Robert Duvall in The Apostle—I was asking God to give me answers and God was giving me the silent treatment. If you have been in this place, then you know it takes a lot of effort and time to pray in the silence; to present requests with prayer and supplication to God. For me, God brought Christians into my life that would become my closest friends; my life group, women who would continue to walk with me and wouldn’t allow me to retreat into my own self-pity. God was teaching me not just through direct instruction [His Word], but also through hints and subtle provocation.

When I speak of subtle provocation, I am talking about various phone calls that came from friends asking me to come back to church or inviting me to church. One such call came from a young woman named, Mary Grace, “Rachel, I’d love for you to join me at church sometime.” I think I laughed and made some snide remark. A few weeks later, I got a text from her. I decided “okay, I’ll go, but I never have to return to church!” Needless to say I found a community of believers that I am proud to call mine.

Elijah’s story doesn’t end with Jezebel threatening him and his running away; God made a way to keep Elijah safe and then God appeared in the silence and even though Elijah continued to focus on the negative, God invited Elijah to join back in His eternal plan. Just as my story didn’t end with leaving the mega-church and going through a chaotic time—God was using my time of silence to grow me and then to invite me back into His eternal plan. I can honestly say I think in the moments of silence I endured God was saying “Rachel, I want to give you something better. Different people to grow with, other people to learn from.”

Maybe you feel like God is giving you the silent treatment on something you want; instead of focusing on the negative and getting angry at God, I want to encourage you to ask six questions: “Who, what, where, when, why, and how?”

Then listen—even if it seems that God is being silent. 

Not your traditional Thanksgiving Post

It’s that time again! Time for my annual Thanksgiving post! I know everyone looks forward to this post as much as they look forward to waking up and seeing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and sitting at their TVs waiting for Santa to arrive at Herald Square in front of Macy’s department Store in New York City!

I want to talk about something that has been weighing on my mind. My previous post about racism I spoke about a young woman who went on a racist rant about how Thanksgiving was a white holiday celebrated solely on the account that “white people came here and stole land from Native American Indians and were still abusing them today.” In that light, I decided to write about some of my ancestors that I am thankful for and share some of their stories; I am thankful for the men and women who make up my rich tapestry known as my ancestry.

However, let me get my cliché thanksgiving post over with. I am also thankful for my family, my friends, and my haters. I am thankful for people who choose to bless me, to be a part of my life, I am thankful for people who are willing to join me in speaking up against social injustice and those who are terrified to do so because they think they will be unfairly judged! I am thankful to live in the land that my family helped found along with other families that left the “old world” for a “new world” of religious and eventually, political freedom.

Now, let me tell you about some of the ancestors that I am thankful for; whose contributions would not only be seen today, in history books, but in the faces of their descendants. I have several ancestors whose stories are my favorites; and I am going to share some of them with you; and maybe then you will see why I am so 1) thankful for my ancestors and 2) really upset by racism and bigotry. 

The first ancestor I am thankful for is William Anders, the first Anders recorded in the Colonies. I am pretty sure he came to the colonies as an Ulster Scot seeking a better life to worship God. It's possible, but not 100% that he could have been a Quaker. 

William Penn

My first favorite story is about Joseph Haines. Joseph’s family was coming to the new colony of Pennsylvania. King Charles II of England specified in the charter given to William Penn that the name should be Pennsylvania. This is a combination of the Latin word ' Sylvania ' meaning woodland together with Penn. Joseph was born the same day his father died on William Penn’s ship The Amity. Joseph’s family had to forge a new life in a strange land. They couldn’t just hop back on a boat and return to England, they had left England to live in a completely unknown land, just so they could worship God the way they saw fit!

Next we have the story of Benjamin Harrison, my 11^th great grandfather, maybe this name doesn’t mean anything to you and that is completely fine. However, he’s also an immigrant, and his story states: Benjamin Harrision, the Immigrant. Born in England and came early to VA. He would endure the Indian Attack of 1622. That he was a man of exceptional education is shown by his appointment as a clerk of the Virginia council before 1633. He was a member of the House of Burgesse in 1642. By his wife Mary, he had two sons: Benjamin II and Peter who died in middle life without issue. Mary, widow of Benjamin Harrison, married (second) Benjamin Sidway. Her will, dated March 1, 1687-88, bequeaths to granddaughter, Hannah Harrison; to sons Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Sidway, and John Kersey.  His descendants include President William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison V, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Huguenot Cross

The next family member that I really enjoy their story is that of my French 9^th great grandfather, the Marquis De La Calmes. Marquis was born about 1675. Marquis Calmes ... He passed away about 1741. The son of Guillaume William de Calmes “Seigneur de Barbeiran” and his wife Francoise de St. Cernin, Marquis Guillaume De Calmes was born in 1675 in Trebs Dioc de Carcassone Languedoc France. While the family was titled, Marquis was probably not a rank. The family was Huguenot, and Marquis fled with his parents from France to England in about 1685 to avoid the religious persecution in France, as the Edict of Nantes, promulgated in 1598 by Henry IV, was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685. Marquis De Calmes was granted English citizenship by King James II on 5 January 1687. He is listed as a member of Huguenot Church on Threadneedle St., London in 1687 and 1688, and while there in England, he married Isabella Elliche. Marquis De Calmes and his wife Isabella arrived in Virginia between 1696 and 1700. They first lived in a Huguenot settlement on the James River, and then were granted 711 acres on the North Run of Acquia Creek, in Stafford County, Virginia on 11 May 1706. He was granted another 744 acres on the South Run of Acquia creek adjoining his other acreage on 01 Sep 1709. He died prior to 1741 (although this cannot be confirmed due to the destruction of records during the Civil War), and his wife died in 1742. 

One of the best stories I know about the Broyhill (yes, the furniture makers) family is that of my 5^th great-grandfather John Norman Broyhill. His son Nathan was a Cherokee Indian. John Norman apparently married this Indian woman around 1803.  Her maiden name is unknown, but Paul wrote that he is also connected with the Dawes family of North Carolina. The Wilkes County, NC marriage records show that he married Polly Davis in 1810. Either he abandoned his Indian wife or she had died.  His parents obviously knew of this marriage became both Norman's father, James Broyhill, and his son, Nathan Broyhill, provided testimony in an 1828 Wilkes County hunting accident.  Broyhill family records show that his son Thomas was born October 17, 1816 at Moravian Falls, NC and that his son, John, was born in Tennessee in 1820.   John Norman Broyhill appears on the 1820 Census of Tennessee as John N. Brawhill. The family was back in Wilkes in 1821.  The following year, his younger brother William left for Tennessee, perhaps inspired by John's stories of new land.  His other brother, James Jr., later moved to Tennessee. Family oral tradition maintains that his wife and children came home from Church one Sunday to find John's new shoes sitting on the kitchen table.  In them was a note stating, "Norman is gone."  And indeed he was because he completely disappears from Wilkes County records. 

Black and White by Leslie Dula McKesson

I am going now to tell you about my ancestor, 2^nd Cousin-6x removed, James Alfred Dula. His first wife died after giving birth to 6 children. She had been given a slave, Harriet, when she married, her [Harriet] picture indicates she was probably part white, Cherokee and black. James never remarried but had 8 children by Harriet. He gave her land and money to protect her and his children. If anyone tried to take what he had given her his will states they would receive nothing. Dulatown in Lenoir, N.C. consists of the land given to Harriet and her children.

Today, I am truly thankful for my family; my ancestors for forging life in a land that was completely unforgiving and not welcoming to them. I am thankful for a God who supplied their every need; to the point that truly they could sing out “I know the plans I have for you, not to harm you, but to give you a hope and future!” Jeremiah 29:11

Racism...ugly in all it's forms!

If you know me at all you know that I hate bigotry and racism in all it's forms. Whether it's a white person making rude racist remarks about any minority or even a member of a minority group making fun or rude remarks about a white person. So yesterday when a "friend" posted this status on Facebook, I was really enraged that she would think it's okay to say what she did. 

My friend's post read "Happy 'White people stole land from native American Indians and are still mistreating them' day or in other words 'thanksgiving.' 

 My response to her racist rant was "seriously?" I am an eighth Cherokee and possibly a sixteenth Creek, and I don't feel that the "white people stole land from Native American Indians and are still mistreating them" at all. Last time I checked Native Americans are welcome to come and go and live on reservations or not live on reservations. They have educational opportunities that equal and somewhat rival those of white people. So I am a bit offended that someone of color would remotely say something this stupid. 

Her response was "Don't be mad at history Rachel."; I am not mad at history. I am mad at the ignorance surrounding history and what Thanksgiving exactly is. So yes, I did decide to write her a lengthy response on how racism is ALIVE and WELL among Americans of EVERY color and how I felt that it is very unfair that if a white person says anything at all about race, we are immediately labeled as racist; but if a minority, and in her case a person who is supposedly of "African" descent says anything it's suddenly "Okay!" 

When will the race baiting stop? My favorite movie quote is from Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves; A little girl (Sarah Alexandra) asks Azeem, a Muslim (Morgan Freeman) about his face, in the way all children do. "Did God paint you?" Azeem replies laughing "Did God Paint me? For certain..." Then the girl asks "But Why?" Azeem lovingly says " Because Allah loves wondrous variety."

For me, this quote says more about the human spirit than anything we can remotely say today about humanity. You see God didn't create people to hate one another it's a learned act. That little girl was curious as to why Morgan Freeman's character Azeem was different and he explained it in a way that amazingly anyone can understand..."God loves variety."

God didn't create just ONE race and then all others came from it. God didn't BLESS one race and curse another.

He created us all one and we are to LOVE one another, not race bait; not send out hate filled messages to anger people.

Racism is a heart issue; it's learned. It's taught by parents who post this garbage on the internet stating that certain holidays are there because White people stole land from Native Americans. We ignore the fact that those "White people" gathered their belongings and moved 3500 miles from home to live in a place that wasn't friendly to them, a hostile environment where they could worship God the way they felt was best and honorable. They struggled that first winter in 1620, when they arrived on the shores of Plymouth, Mass. and didn't have enough provisions to feed themselves or their families. Many of them died, due to not having proper medical care, and no ability to feed their families. Then in 1621, they met a group of Native Americans whom they befriended and they taught these white people how to grow corn; dig a mound, place some seeds in, throw a fish on top for fertilizer and let God bring the harvest. That harvest was so great that they had plenty of food that they set a day aside to give the creator of the universe thanks, and they invited their new friends to join them.

I doubt that the early pilgrims saw that the Wampanoag were extremely different from themselves. I mean sure they had different beliefs and dressed according to the season; while the pilgrims dressed modestly, usually wearing the same clothing style year around. But instead of dwelling on the differences of the Patuxet native American and others of the Wampanoag tribe; they focused on giving thanks to God for the bounty they had. That small group of Englishmen and women thrived and more would come to the New World in the 1600s; including my own family in 1682, on one of William Penn's Ships, The Amity. However, my family didn't steal land from Native Americans; instead many of them lived side by side with their native neighbors learning from them. 

One thing that I find most people who race bait forget is that Western Civilization has eradicated slavery. The end of slavery was purely a movement of Christians. Men like John Wesley, John Newton, William Wilberforce all spoke out against slavery. 

Another fact that people who race bait forget is that slavery is alive and well in Africa today. Men, women and children are traded in Northern Africa today, by Muslim slave traders.  Slavery isn't a "White issue." It's an every man and nation issue. 

My point to this entire thing is...yes, many people were wronged during the American Slave trade; however, instead of race baiting an American society because you feel that you have been unjustly served in life based on your  skin color; instead of getting mad because someone you don't like is president; instead of running off at the mouth and alienating people, start learning to fix the problem, don't add fuel to a fire that needs to stop burning. 

November 14, 2017: Israel Prayer Update Shut Down

 As many of you know, I have spent many years writing prayer requests out for ministries in Israel as well as just prayers in general for the country that has given my faith so much to be happy for. Today, a 5 year legacy of writing about Shabbat, Torah, Judaism, Messianic Judaism, questions and prayer requests has ended. I got one final post in, before the blog was shutdown by Google--at the request of several of my readers.

The Rejection of Jesus' Sacrifice and the Reality of Hell

            Today I have spent a lot of time thinking about the reality of Hell. Evangelist Billy Graham has said many times “Some teach ‘universalism’–that eventually everybody will be saved and the God of love will never send anyone to hell. They believe the words ‘eternal’ or ‘everlasting’ do not actually mean forever.” The reality is that everlasting and eternal mean just that, forever. The doctrine of eternal punishment, though unpopular and frightening, is found as a part of the confession of every branch of the Christian church. It has only been in the last century that under the influence of liberalism some have denied the reality of hell.

            Earlier in the week, I had a discussion about a Bishop in the Western Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. Everyone who called out sin, was seen as being hate-filled and wrong. While others stated what a wonderful person the Bishop is. These people don’t realize it, but they were trivializing sin. Sadly, Trivializing sin blocks us from receiving a full revelation of God’s love (Luke 7:47). God didn’t just look the other way or change His attitude toward sin. He paid for our sins in full through the sacrifice of His Son (2 Cor. 5:21). Anyone who rejects or ignores such a great sacrifice will spend eternity paying for that.

            Sin has to be judged (Rom. 6:23), and it was judged, in the flesh of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:24). But those who don’t make Jesus their Lord will have hell to pay for the greatest sin of all—rejecting Jesus’ sacrifice (John 16:8-9). The sacrifice that Jesus made was infinitely greater than we have ever imagined. Not only does the Bible teach that He was not recognizable as a human being (Is. 52:14) while hanging on the cross, but it also teaches that He actually became sin (2 Cor. 5:21). Just before He died, Jesus said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). God forsook Jesus. He could not look upon the sin that Jesus had become. And if He forsook His only Son, what chance would any of us have? That is why, for those who foolishly ignore this great sacrifice, there is a real hell.

            In the story about Lazarus and the rich man, the rich man spoke to Abraham from hell, the place of torment. Luke 16:22-26 says,

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:     the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted and thou are tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed.”

            It makes it clear that in she’owl, or hell, those who were in torment could see those across the gulf. They could hear, thirst, feel pain and sorrow, and even communicate with those in paradise. But the one thing that the people in hell will never be able to do is die. After the Resurrection, things concerning hell changed. Jesus went to hell, took the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18), and set the captives free—those who were in Abraham’s bosom.

Ephesians 4: 9-10 says,

“Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might      fill all things.”

            After defeating the devil and setting the captives free, Jesus took those in Abraham’s bosom to heaven with Him, where all believers go now. But we will not live in heaven forever. We only live in heaven until the end of the age. Then God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth, and all the believers will live there with Jesus in the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-4). The Scripture, in Luke, also shows that the people God honors are not necessarily the same people the world honors (Luke 16:15). This rich man had a beautiful home, fancy clothes, and the best of everything. He had it all, but he never showed the beggar any mercy. When he died, I guarantee you he had a fancy funeral. Thousands of people may have gathered, all talking about how great his accomplishments were.

            Yet the Bible says only that he was buried, left to rot in the grave. On the other hand, the beggar who was most despised on earth was carried away by angels. Which of the two would you rather have been? When you see this from an eternal perspective, it makes the suffering of this earth pale in comparison to what God has prepared for us (Rom. 8:18). That is why we have a section of a wall at Charis Bible College-Colorado dedicated to those we call “Heroes of the Faith.” These are graduates, like our extension school directors, who are giving their lives selflessly to take this message around the world. I believe that these are the people God honors, and it would serve all of us well to do the same (1 Sam. 2:30).

            We can also see from Scripture that there are no second chances. There is no purgatory, as the Catholic Church teaches. There is no ultimate reconciliation. On earth, the rich man rejected God and went directly to hell. When the rich man pleaded for mercy, Abraham could do nothing. There will be no mercy, no hope, and no goodness of any kind in hell, ever. There isn’t a single person on this earth who deserves anything good from God. And there is absolutely nothing people can do to gain His favor. If that offends you, then you have just experienced the offense of the cross (Gal. 5:11). In comparison to God’s standards, man’s righteousness is no better than filthy rags (Is. 64:6). But God loves man so much that He sent Jesus, a Lamb without spot, to be a sacrifice for sin. If Jesus died for past, present, and future sins—which He did—then what determines whether we spend eternity with Him or in hell? The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit convicts us of one sin, and it’s the only sin that will cause people to go to hell. That is the sin of rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

“And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin. and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me” (John 16:8-9, brackets mine).

            To say the least, avoiding hell is big. However, what Jesus accomplished on the cross is far more than the avoidance of hell. 

The Importance of Sound Doctrine

Since yesterday, I have had people tell me publicly “Rachel, you are asking questions, I want to know the answers to myself.”

Yesterday, the Council of Bishops allowed Karen Oliveto a chance to preach a sermon. As many of you will remember Oliveto is the Bishop who interpreted Jesus testing the Canaanite woman’s faith as His conversion story and people sadly bought it. However, while that interpretation is a heresy, so is the fact that Oliveto is an out, loud and proud lesbian and sadly holding the office of Bishop. 

This does not negate that God’s holy word, calls all manner of sexual immorality a sin. The Bible consistently tells us that homosexual activity is a sin (Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9). Romans 1:26-27 teaches specifically that homosexuality is a result of denying and disobeying God. When people continue in sin and unbelief, God “gives them over” to even more wicked and depraved sin in order to show them the futility and hopelessness of life apart from God. 1 Corinthians 6:9 proclaims that homosexual “offenders” will not inherit the kingdom of God. Our (Methodist) Book of Discipline states that “Sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.” By the very definition of sexual relationships we see that Oliveto is not following even a simple statement.

One simply cannot continue in sin and serve God. Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else, he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. This brings me to my next point…if we have a Bishop within the Methodist church who serves two masters, is she capable of sound doctrine?

As Christians, sound doctrine is important. Paul charges Titus with “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1)—Sound doctrine at the time of Titus was the Old Testament scriptures. 

But why is sound doctrine so important?

• Sound doctrine is important because our faith is based on a specific message. "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [and] . . . he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is the unambiguous good news, and it is “of first importance.” Change that message, and the basis of faith shifts from Christ to something else. Our eternal destiny depends upon hearing “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:3; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

• Sound doctrine is important because the gospel is a sacred trust, and we dare not tamper with God’s communication to the world.  Our duty is to deliver the message, not to change it. See Jude 1:3; Philippians 1:27. Also see Revelation 22:18-19 and 2 Timothy 1:13.

• Sound doctrine is important because what we believe affects what we do. In one of the Bible’s lists of sins, things like rebellion, murder, lying, and slave trading are mentioned. The list concludes with “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:9-10). In other words, true teaching promotes righteousness; sin flourishes where “the sound doctrine” is opposed.

• Sound doctrine is important because we must ascertain truth in a world of falsehood. “Many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). There are tares among the wheat and wolves among the flock (Matthew 13:25; Acts 20:29). The best way to distinguish truth from falsehood is to know what the truth is.

• Sound doctrine is important because the end of sound doctrine is life. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). The end of unsound doctrine is destruction. “Certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). Changing God’s message of grace is a “godless” thing to do, and the condemnation for such a deed is severe. Preaching another gospel (“which is really no gospel at all”) carries an anathema: “let him be eternally condemned!” (see Galatians 1:6-9).

• Sound doctrine is important because it encourages believers.  (Psalm 119:165; Isaiah52:7) A pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).

“Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28, NKJV). If we can apply this to sound doctrine, the lesson is that we must preserve it intact. May we never stray from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Truth be told, we may not like it and we may not want to admit it, but a Bishop that is living out her sinful desires and remaining unrepentant isn’t someone we need to have serve us as a Church; we must CLING to sound doctrine and remain faithful to the Words of God.

Bullet Points from: The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns

Picking your battles...2 Timothy 2:23 and Matthew 10:14-15

I often use Paltalk, a internet program that uses rooms with an "owner" to speak to people around the world. Many times these people are kind and are just out there looking for someone to talk to on any manner of topic. Usually I speak to people in the "Christian" rooms, but one thing I have noticed about the "Christian" rooms are there are few truly Christian people.

So this week I chose to just sit back and listen to how many people actually speak the gospel; how many truly speak about the Bible with Biblical truth. Well taking my Pastor's advice, I tried to decide if I speak up, or just let people sit under false teaching. I also took the advice of my friend Melinda and worked on patience. I was doing good. I sat there for about an hour, until I couldn't take it any longer. Someone asked this person if he was a Christian and he said "Nope, I don't believe in God--I just like to teach about God." Wait what? You don't believe in God, but you think suddenly you can teach about God?

I am sorry, maybe I am missing something, but I don't think there is a text book on God. I mean I used to laugh when my friend Christine used to say "Rachel, you have a degree in God!"; to me there was nothing further from the truth. I have a degree in Biblical Studies, but that is hardly a degree in God. (I really miss our conversations.)

After about 10 minutes of listening to this man expound on God, I raised the question again, "are you a Christian?" Again the man said, "No, I am an atheist." Then he went on to say "The Bible is fallible because it was written by men." That was it! I couldn't handle it. I raised my hand and said "Sir, the Bible was inspired by God's holy spirit" and before I could finish, he started interrupting what I was saying. I finally asked him, "was I respectful while you were talking?" He said "Yes, but..." before he could finish his thought I said "Then please respect me." The owner of the room said "He's welcome here." I said "I never said he wasn't, but we've been respectful; and I am asking for the same respect." The owner said "Well you need to let him speak." I felt righteous anger rising in me and I said "If you want him here, that is fine. I will leave, I can't believe people who are saying they are Christians would rather listen to the 'truth' as told by someone who doesn't even believe the Bible." And immediately I closed the room down and my heart was broken.

So while I do agree that I could do better on picking my battles, and also do better with patience, I am reminded of the verse that says "Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels." 2 Timothy 2:23.

So to remove myself from the room was my way of having nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. However, I will encourage Christians to always stand for their beliefs, however, as Matthew 10:14-15 says "14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town."


The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), 2 Ti 2:23.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Mt 10:14–15.

Kregel Book Review: The Mentoring Church

The Mentoring Church is a book that has been needed for the past 30 years. In the church, we have been so focused on church growth that we have forgotten to look at discipleship and mentoring new Christians to take on the yoke of ministry.

One thing that we forget is that leaders are the beginning of mentorships. The disciples were mentored by Jesus, the early churches by Paul and then the church fathers mentored new leaders. Today it seems that we are letting down the church by not providing good mentorship programs or even that we care enough to mentor our “called to ministry” or new Christians.

The early church lived within community of each other—they grew and shared their experiences with one another. This book goes through a historical survey from the birth of Christ to modern era and we see that there are different aspects to mentoring.

In the 16th Century, we read about the great reformers, John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli. They stressed training in biblical exegesis; preaching; sound doctrine; and godly pastoral examples. The 17th and 18th Centuries are shaped by the Puritans, the German Pietists; and Colonial American Baptists. We come across names like Philip Jacob Spener, John Gano, and how they manage to mentor leaders in the midst of their faithful labor. By the 19th and 20th Centuries, new leaders emerge in the form of Charles Spurgeon and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Both remained committed to the ministry of the Word and the training of disciples. Contemporary figures mentioned include Mark Dever (Capitol Hill Baptist Church); JD Great (Summit Church); Scott Patty (Grace Community Church); and Al Jackson (Lakeview Baptist Church). After surveying the historical developments of mentoring and learning pointers from each era, Newton proposes four different models for us to consider adopting.

The author concludes with five key observations.
1) Mentoring must be within a congregational framework
2) Mentors speak into the lives of their mentees
3) Mentoring focuses on relationships
4) Effective mentoring is more team based in training
5) Mentors trust their protégés

If I am honest, I think the modern church could take a lesson from the Methodists—to become more connectional and learn that when we don’t know the answers we can find it through speaking one to another.

Overall, I enjoyed this book; I handed it off to another church who also needed to hear Newton’s message. They are going to start implementing some of the strategies for ministry. I look forward to seeing where this leads. I’d give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Book was provided to me by Kregel Academic for an unbiased review.

Candidacy Retreat: Here I am Lord!

Yesterday morning when I woke up; I was nervous and a little upset because I was afraid of walking through Candidacy alone. Yes, I knew I would be getting a mentoring group but this journey has been really lonely. Most people who are candidates are married and they have someone to bounce ideas off of. Back in June, my best friend walked out of my life to date someone. But she was my friend that I bounced ideas off of and I always knew that if I needed prayer I could count on her. 

As I pulled into First UMC of Gastonia, I was scared to death. I walked into the church completely unsure what I was doing at this retreat, I mean God totally has the wrong candidate. I immediately meet Rev. Allen and Adri of the Conference Ministerial office. They welcomed me with open hearts and love. 

I got my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and walked into a room with a group of people. I selected a seat at the back and sat nervously looking at my scores and my paperwork. A young man sitting next to me tried to make small talk, but neither of us was really into it; both a bit nervous. Little did I know he'd be in my mentoring group. 

Then came the greeting, and welcoming to Candidacy. And as if right on time, worship. Just a short devotion, but enough to remind us all why we were at this retreat. A time to prayerfully seek after what God is asking of us and where we are to be serving, what track we are to go on to; and how we'll get there. 

Our first mentor meeting was awkward. We told our call stories; how we found out that we were to be ministers, whether we felt led to be a Deacon, Elder or Licensed Local Pastor. Each call story was unique. It brought out new levels of intimacy that I didn't think could be possible with just a mentoring group. 

After an evening devotion, I was a bit more at ease; I knew that God had called me into this special time of discernment. A time when I could just seek Him and His face. I arrived at my hotel completely tired, worn out from the days activities. Probably because I had to sit in meetings all day and possibly because I am an INFP on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Being introverted I can't do "small" talk. I don't like it, and honestly I have NEVER liked it. So for me that wasn't at all a surprise. 

In my hotel room, I sleepily climbed into the shower, and took the longest, hottest shower known to man. I washed away all the grime of the day--not that I was dirty. I just needed the physical cleansing that goes along with the mental cleansing I had felt. 

Around 5:30am I woke up, I turned over thinking I still have a hour to sleep, but my body just wouldn't allow for it. So I got up, grabbed my journal and said "God what is it?" And in my heart I felt the impression of "Seek me while I may be found." And so I grabbed my Bible and immediately sought up that scripture. Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;" Then I turned in my Bible to Proverbs and read 8:17 "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me." And finally to Psalms 63:1 "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water." It finally took root in my heart that maybe God didn't have the wrong person after all; I was looking at myself as "Rachel, the person who has done stupid things and has a past;" instead of looking at myself as "Rachel, the one I have called." I was seeing myself as the world sees me and not as my Father sees me.  And when that took root in my heart, I immediately said "Fill me, God! Fill me with your spirit. Fill me with your love. Guide me, O Lord! Give me no reason for pause, empty my heart of me and fill it completely with you!" Then I sat in my room and cried. 

Arriving at our morning worship session, we sang "How Great is Our God" and when we got to the chorus that starts into "How Great Thou Art" tears again just sprang forth as I thought about 1) my grandfather laying on his death bed singing "How Great Thou Art" and 2) that God truly is great. We went back to our mentor groups; we spoke about how Methodist Theology aligned with our own and had a great time of fellowship together. 

In our final meditation, we had communion and I can tell you, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. One by one as we walked forward to take communion with our leaders and mentors, you could just feel God's holy spirit resting with each of us. Our hearts, each finely tuned to God. When we departed, we each hugged and cried, knowing that the next time we see each other it could be at one of our other 4 mentoring meetings or if we are lucky to get through the entire process at Annual Conference. 

Truly now, my prayer is (and it comes from both Isaiah and a Hymn) "Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord? I have heard You calling in the night. I will go Lord, if You lead me. I will hold Your people in my heart."