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27 Jan

January 27, 2009 |

I remember a young man who had come to faith in one of the churches I pastored. His wife was already a believer. They just had their first child. Anyway, in a sermon I talked about how the man of the house is responsible for seeing that prayer takes place in the family.

Well this young man came to me and told me he didn’t know how to pray–not even to give thanks before a meal.

“What time do you eat your evening meal?” I asked him.

“About 5:30,” he said.

I told him, “I’ll be there tomorrow night and teach you how to return thanks for the meal.”

I did that several times before he told me he could do it. Then I asked him whether he prayed with his new baby when they put him down for the night. He said he didn’t know how. “When do you put your baby to bed?” I asked him. And for a couple nights, I showed up at their house, showing him how to pray over his new child until he told me he thought he could do it.

The point is–don’t assume that people know how to pray.

19 Jan

January 19, 2009 |

Ron Ramsey, Bishop

I was with a group of guys who were discussing the question something like this: “When was prayer most meaningful and when was it not meaningful.” 
I’ll never forget what one man said. “Prayer is most meaningful when I have something specific to pray about, and is least meaningful when I don’t have something specific to pray about.” How profound! I have continued over the years to think about that answer.
But I have since changed my mind. 
A believer should always have something specific to pray about, don’t you think? I mean, isn’t one purpose of prayer to bring praise, honor and glory to our Lord? Yes, I know, we are also invited to share our petitions and then confessions, but to me the most urgent reason to pray is to give praise and glory to our Lord and King. 
I guess that is why I enjoy reading the Psalms over and over. They teach me how to think properly about God and how to regard him in my praying and worship. Even aside from praising and adoring a holy, loving and generous God, is there any moment of any day that I don’t have needs to be met? 

17 Jan

January 17, 2009 |

This is from the Sillly file. Hey, it’s Saturday.

Seasoned ministers understand the importance of getting your spouse’s approval before using her in a sermon illustration. Here’s an amusing video about that, a parody of Carrie Underwood’s song “Before He Cheats.”

16 Jan

January 16, 2009 |
Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries, is traveling to Costa Rica today. Here’s where he’s been and where he’ll yet be during this extended trip.
  • Jeff attended Honduras Conference last week.
  • Saturday, January 10: He traveled to Masaya, Nicaragua, to attend Nicaragua Conference. 
  • Friday, January 16: Travel to Costa Rica to visit the UB churches there. Joe Leighton, pastor of Salem Chapel UB (Junction City, Ohio), will join him there. 
  • Wednesday, January 21: Travel to Guatemala to visit the UB churches there (Joe Leighton will return to Ohio). 
  • Monday, January 26: Travel to Haiti to visit Oliam Richard and the UB churches in Haiti. 
  • Thursday January 29: Return to Indiana. 

14 Jan

January 14, 2009 |

phylis_soldier500.jpg

Phylis Stouder, right, displaying the Nutcracker soldier given as a parting gift. On the left is Marilyn Waters, the bookstore manager. Phylis and Marilyn have been a team for about 15 years.

Steve Dennie, Communications Director
Healthy Ministry Resources said good-bye to Phylis Stouder, who has worked there since October 1986. That’s 22 years. 

On Tuesday, January 13, we held a farewell luncheon for Phylis at the Habecker Dining Commons at Huntington University. Pat Jones and Jeff Bleijerveld were traveling, but everyone else was there. The staff gave her a couple gifts, including a Nutcracker wooden soldier to add to her collection. 
Phylis originally came as a secretary in what was then the Church Services department. I was editor of the monthly United Brethren magazine, and Phylis did a variety of chores for me, and helped out the others in the department–Paul Hirschy, Carlson Becker, Denny Miller–in whatever ways she could. 
Since 1993, Phylis has worked primarily with the bookstore. Every quarter, she packages hundreds of boxes of Sunday school materials. She also helps with everyone else’s mailings–the Bishop’s office, Global Ministries, you name it. If you receive something from the national office, Phylis probably had her hands on it. 
Phylis and her husband, Lowell, are members of College Park UB church in Huntington. They spent most of their married lives running a dairy farm (Lowell got out of that a while back). They’re also big Purdue fans. Please don’t ask Phylis for her opinion of Bobby Knight.
We’ll miss Phylis a lot. She worked hard and conscientiously, willing to do anything asked of her. 
Over the years, she learned how to do some of everything, an office jack-of-all-trades. We’ll miss her good sense of humor. 
Actually, Phylis will keep coming back occasionally to help in the bookstore or do mailings or whatever. But she’s basically retired, no regular hours. Which is what she wanted.
Twice a week, we start the day with office devotions. After our prayer time, Phylis would always say, “Have a nice day.” That was our signal to head to our desks and get started. We haven’t decided who will say that now.

13 Jan

January 13, 2009 |

Ron Ramsey, Bishop

A few weeks ago I suggested that you read the book “Prayer Coach” and that we begin a discussion around the ideas of that book. It has been longer than I intended, but at last here is my first post about this matter of prayer and coaching others to pray.
Before we get any further, be thinking: do you have a daily plan for spending time with God? Because I’d like to hear about it.
To introduce the subject, I want to begin with an example. 
Many years ago, probably around 1985, I developed the habit of reading five Psalms and five  Proverbs every day. I either heard or read years ago that Billy Graham follows this practice. 
While I was attending a convention representing Scripture Press, I found in another exhibitor’s booth a little book called “31 Day of Wisdom & Praise,” which has long since become out of print. This little booklet structures my Psalms/Proverbs reading. Each day I read five Psalms, and they are spaced 30 apart. For example:
  • On Day One of a new month I read Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91 and 121, and Proverbs 1. 
  • On Day Two, I read Psalm 2, 32, 62, 92 and 122, and Proverbs 2.
Today, January 13, I read Psalm 13, 43, 73, 103 and 132, and Proverbs 13.
As I read each day, regardless of how many times I have read it, I find new and exciting things that God seems to be saying to me. Even in personal times of deep disturbances of my heart, God has spoken to me with comfort and help. 
Yesterday I read Psalm 12:8, a verse I have read many times, yet this verse seemed to describe our culture. Listen:

The wicked freely strut about
when what is vile is honored among men.

Boy, is that true or what? Sin is being honored in our society and wicked people strut about. It is getting more and more pronounced. Wow! What a verse. Nearly every day I find a passage that speaks to me in a way that it has never spoken to me before. After all, if it is the Living Word, that is what we should expect. Is it not?
I follow the reading with a time of prayer. And I have adopted the pattern in my private prayer life to talk to God as I would talk to you. I would say that my private prayer is more of a dialogue with God than a “formal” prayer. I talk to him as a friend. In the past I have written my prayer out in a journal. For some reason I have not done that these past three years.
Now, I say all of this not to have you follow my plan but to ask a simple question: What is your prayer plan? Our prayer lives are lacking to the degree we have no consistent plan. If I skip a day or two or three or four etc., I really miss the time with God. 
So, I’d like to hear about your plan. Caution: don’t make something up to impress me. I’m not the one you have to impress. Post something in the comments (my preference, so others can see it), or use the “Contact” tab on the right to send me an email.

12 Jan

January 12, 2009 |
  • Bishop Emeritus Wilber Sites, Jr., came home from the hospital on Sunday. 
  • Harold Wust, a former UB missionary and former associate director of Missions, has been diagnosed with leukemia. He and his wife live in Huntington, Ind. Today, he begins aggressive treatment in the oncology center at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. He’ll be there for an extended time. 
  • Gary Reiber, pastor of Union Chapel (Fort Wayne, Ind.), remains in Fort Wayne’s Parkview Hospital after a serious bout with Toxic Shock Syndrome. On Friday, doctors operated on his knee to remove bad tissue and some infection. He’ll be on an IV with antibiotics for three weeks. The knee will need to be reopened today or tomorrow. 

12 Jan

January 12, 2009 |

Found on the internet, in an obituary: “They are consistent members of the United Brethren church and he is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.”

It’s always amusing when stuff like this surfaces.

09 Jan

January 9, 2009 |

Bishop Emeritus Wilber Sites, Jr., has improved greatly since Wednesday. He was suffering from congestive heart failure which is now being managed and is under control, and he is headed the right direction. The other complication was an upper respiratory infection (rather than the suspected double pneumonia). The family
greatly appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers at this time, as well as the graciousness of God in Wilber’s life.