Who are you? Really? If you are trying to live up to the expectations of the world, if you are drawn more to the attractions of the world rather than God, then you can be sure you are living under original sin - where the self is always threatened.
Jesus was forever saying deny your self; lose your self. As you trust God deeply, you will find your true God-created self. To trust God is to believe that He always wills what is best for you. Loving God is trusting God. Trusting God frees you from fear of failure, fear of death. . . well, fear of anything, actually. The apostle Paul wrote that if God is for us, who can be against us?
There is a self within us that God will release if only we surrender to Him; not with a sense of fatalism ("I give up, I don't care"), but rather with real trust and love. Jesus promises that a new self will live. I believe Him! It's just that the world seems so darn attractive to my original self that I give in to it rather than God.
May we find the grace and the way to our best selves. Let's start by trusting God today with whatever comes our way.
I invite you to comment on this post, sharing how you trusted, surrendered to God, in a situation in your own life. Let's encourage one another in this!
Yours in Christ,
George
1.27.2010
1.20.2010
Faith.... or Good Works?
In Haiti when you ask someone how they are they might answer, "M'ap debat," which means, "I am struggling". You who are reading this know something of the struggle our friends are going through. Right now there are so many shortages - food, medical supplies, and medical help. And there is so much good being done by so many people, for which I am thankful.
This morning I got a call from a local pilot who was asked by an organization called Bahamas Habitat to fly to Haiti to help bring supplies and doctors to remote areas. It seems that one or two of us might go down with him. I will let you know how that unfolds. We will donate the cost of the plane fuel for the trip down and back.
As of this blog, $20,000 has come into the church with more promised to help with emergency relief. We are so grateful for such an outpouring of love. Please pray for our friends in Haiti, many of whom feel desperate right now.
It seems that people are being brought from the mainland to the Wesleyan Hospital on Lagonave and the need there is also for food and medical help.
We are hoping that by Thursday the avenues will be open for significant funds to be wired to Service Christian and to Lagonave.
Which is more important - faith or good works? Answer this question: Which wing on the airplane is more important? . . . then you will know the answer. God bless.
Yours in Christ
George
This morning I got a call from a local pilot who was asked by an organization called Bahamas Habitat to fly to Haiti to help bring supplies and doctors to remote areas. It seems that one or two of us might go down with him. I will let you know how that unfolds. We will donate the cost of the plane fuel for the trip down and back.
As of this blog, $20,000 has come into the church with more promised to help with emergency relief. We are so grateful for such an outpouring of love. Please pray for our friends in Haiti, many of whom feel desperate right now.
It seems that people are being brought from the mainland to the Wesleyan Hospital on Lagonave and the need there is also for food and medical help.
We are hoping that by Thursday the avenues will be open for significant funds to be wired to Service Christian and to Lagonave.
Which is more important - faith or good works? Answer this question: Which wing on the airplane is more important? . . . then you will know the answer. God bless.
Yours in Christ
George
1.18.2010
Haiti Updates
We are putting all the Haiti updates on our website as we hear from our friends there. Visit the website at www.mattpres.com and click on "Haiti".
1.15.2010
More About Haiti
This was the day our team was to leave for Haiti, a trip that is now re-scheduled for March. We have learned more over the last 24 hours about our friends. On the island of LaGonave our friend, Isnel, tells us that the people are distraught and food is scarce since most of the food comes from Port-au-Prince. Our friend, Pastor Agones, has left LaGonave to search for his fiancée in Port-au-Prince. The house in Port-au-Prince of our friend, Pastor Jonas, completely collapsed. His daughter was rescued but his son is still trapped inside. We are awaiting further word from Service Chretien d’Haiti and its director, Ernst Abraham, to know when we can wire funds to their agency.
Just last night I received word from my son, Josh, who is a music teacher at a school of 700 students in Denver. The staff, students, and parents are donating funds that will be sent to us for Haiti. We are grateful for the donations that have come from other churches and individuals. Please remember that this crisis will endure long into the future and we will make sure that the funds are used effectively to help the people and the rebuilding of their lives.
This Sunday it will be our privilege to have a long-time Haitian friend, Brunel Metellus, worship with us and speak to us from his own heart and thoughts concerning Haiti. He has not heard from his family as of yet. We will be receiving a special offering for Haiti so please give thought and prayer to your donation even now. If you will not be with us on Sunday, you may send a check made out to MPC and marked “Haiti”. Our mailing address is Mattituck Presbyterian Church, PO Box 1411, Mattituck NY 11952.
We would like to share an email with you that was forwarded to us. It is from a woman named Mary, who is at James Madison University and has connections with LaGonave:
Dear friends,
Fr. Roosevelt just called me from La Gonave island in Haiti via his computer phone. (Thank you again to the two JMU students who were responsible for the satellite internet system that makes communication with Fr. Roosevelt possible! And to the folks who keep him supplied with a laptop that is in good working order!)
Fr. Roosevelt had a lot to tell, but first some background information. He was at the cathedral in Port-au-Prince all last week for a retreat, a retreat that was attended by a large number of Haiti's priests. Archbishop Miot conducted the retreat. Fr. Roosevelt returned to La Gonave this past weekend. When the earthquake struck, it leveled the cathedral, the archbishop's rectory, and a number of the seminaries. The archbishop was killed. Fr. Roosevelt told me tonight that monsignor and 200 seminarians also died.
When Fr. Roosevelt returned to La Gonave, he brought Maryann and two other children with him. They are children who, over the past few years, have been abandoned at his rectory. Mary Ann goes to school in Port-au-Prince and stays with some nuns during the school week. Fr. Roosevelt's sister was upset with him for taking Mary Ann to La Gonave during a school week. As it turned out, the home of the nuns and the school either collapsed or suffered serious damage (I can't remember exactly) killing the nuns and some of the children. Maryann is safe and sound on La Gonave.
Casime, one of the young men who has helped us a lot on La Gonave and who is now in Port-au-Prince going to school called Fr. Roosevelt to let family know he is okay. I was thrilled to hear that news. Another one of the young guys and good friend of Casime is still unaccounted for.
Jonas Louis, director of UNIBANK on La Gonave, lost his house in Port-au-Prince. They were able to remove his daughter but a son is trapped.
Monvil, my right hand man on La Gonave, has had news that his family's house in Leogane has collapsed. He is almost crazy waiting to hear if they were in the house when it collapsed.
Fr. Roosevelt said I should not travel to Haiti now. One reason that he gave is that the smell of rotting bodies is getting bad.
Fr. Roosevelt's mother lives in Jacmel, a town on the southern coast. He heard that over 60% of the houses there have collapsed. His mother was okay when he was able to reach her earlier in the week but now he can't get in touch with her.
No boats are traveling from Miragoane (on the southern peninsula) to Pointe-a-Raquette, La Gonave, where Fr. Roosevelt lives due to heavy damage in Miragoane. No business is being conducted there. Plus, people on La Gonave are afraid to go by boat to Miragoane because they are afraid another earthquake might strike while they are out at sea. As a result, no food is arriving on La Gonave.
Fr. Roosevelt has no more bottled water so is boiling rain water to drink. The people on La Gonave are becoming very nervous about the food situation. All the food in Miragoane arrives from Port-au-Prince. Right now, nothing is leaving the capital except for people looking for medical care that they cannnot get in Port-au-Prince. People are traveling to Montrouis which is north of Port-au-Prince and going by boat to the northern part of La gonave to get medical care at the hospital there.
Gasoline is now $100 Haitian (over $12 U.S.)!
While we were talking to Fr. Roosevelt, he was able to call his foster father, a priest in Leogane using his cell phone. Fr. Roosevelt's father said that my husband's (Claude's) aunt's hotel was still standing. The hotel next to it was destroyed but his aunt's is still standing. That was wonderful news.
Fr. Roosevelt's father has a parish in Leogane. The rectory there collapsed while his father was out in the yard doing some work. It collapsed right in front of his eyes.
When we were ending the conversation, I told Fr. Roosevelt to try to get some sleep. He said that when he puts his head down to sleep, he feels the bed moving. I told him I understand completely. After going through the earthquake in Guatemala, I had trouble sleeping for six months! I especially could not sleep on my back. For the first few weeks, I refused to sleep alone. I was 22-years old and insisted that my sister let me sleep on the bed with her!
That's all for now. Thank you for your email messages and all the prayers. We definitely appreciate them.
Mary
Just last night I received word from my son, Josh, who is a music teacher at a school of 700 students in Denver. The staff, students, and parents are donating funds that will be sent to us for Haiti. We are grateful for the donations that have come from other churches and individuals. Please remember that this crisis will endure long into the future and we will make sure that the funds are used effectively to help the people and the rebuilding of their lives.
This Sunday it will be our privilege to have a long-time Haitian friend, Brunel Metellus, worship with us and speak to us from his own heart and thoughts concerning Haiti. He has not heard from his family as of yet. We will be receiving a special offering for Haiti so please give thought and prayer to your donation even now. If you will not be with us on Sunday, you may send a check made out to MPC and marked “Haiti”. Our mailing address is Mattituck Presbyterian Church, PO Box 1411, Mattituck NY 11952.
We would like to share an email with you that was forwarded to us. It is from a woman named Mary, who is at James Madison University and has connections with LaGonave:
Dear friends,
Fr. Roosevelt just called me from La Gonave island in Haiti via his computer phone. (Thank you again to the two JMU students who were responsible for the satellite internet system that makes communication with Fr. Roosevelt possible! And to the folks who keep him supplied with a laptop that is in good working order!)
Fr. Roosevelt had a lot to tell, but first some background information. He was at the cathedral in Port-au-Prince all last week for a retreat, a retreat that was attended by a large number of Haiti's priests. Archbishop Miot conducted the retreat. Fr. Roosevelt returned to La Gonave this past weekend. When the earthquake struck, it leveled the cathedral, the archbishop's rectory, and a number of the seminaries. The archbishop was killed. Fr. Roosevelt told me tonight that monsignor and 200 seminarians also died.
When Fr. Roosevelt returned to La Gonave, he brought Maryann and two other children with him. They are children who, over the past few years, have been abandoned at his rectory. Mary Ann goes to school in Port-au-Prince and stays with some nuns during the school week. Fr. Roosevelt's sister was upset with him for taking Mary Ann to La Gonave during a school week. As it turned out, the home of the nuns and the school either collapsed or suffered serious damage (I can't remember exactly) killing the nuns and some of the children. Maryann is safe and sound on La Gonave.
Casime, one of the young men who has helped us a lot on La Gonave and who is now in Port-au-Prince going to school called Fr. Roosevelt to let family know he is okay. I was thrilled to hear that news. Another one of the young guys and good friend of Casime is still unaccounted for.
Jonas Louis, director of UNIBANK on La Gonave, lost his house in Port-au-Prince. They were able to remove his daughter but a son is trapped.
Monvil, my right hand man on La Gonave, has had news that his family's house in Leogane has collapsed. He is almost crazy waiting to hear if they were in the house when it collapsed.
Fr. Roosevelt said I should not travel to Haiti now. One reason that he gave is that the smell of rotting bodies is getting bad.
Fr. Roosevelt's mother lives in Jacmel, a town on the southern coast. He heard that over 60% of the houses there have collapsed. His mother was okay when he was able to reach her earlier in the week but now he can't get in touch with her.
No boats are traveling from Miragoane (on the southern peninsula) to Pointe-a-Raquette, La Gonave, where Fr. Roosevelt lives due to heavy damage in Miragoane. No business is being conducted there. Plus, people on La Gonave are afraid to go by boat to Miragoane because they are afraid another earthquake might strike while they are out at sea. As a result, no food is arriving on La Gonave.
Fr. Roosevelt has no more bottled water so is boiling rain water to drink. The people on La Gonave are becoming very nervous about the food situation. All the food in Miragoane arrives from Port-au-Prince. Right now, nothing is leaving the capital except for people looking for medical care that they cannnot get in Port-au-Prince. People are traveling to Montrouis which is north of Port-au-Prince and going by boat to the northern part of La gonave to get medical care at the hospital there.
Gasoline is now $100 Haitian (over $12 U.S.)!
While we were talking to Fr. Roosevelt, he was able to call his foster father, a priest in Leogane using his cell phone. Fr. Roosevelt's father said that my husband's (Claude's) aunt's hotel was still standing. The hotel next to it was destroyed but his aunt's is still standing. That was wonderful news.
Fr. Roosevelt's father has a parish in Leogane. The rectory there collapsed while his father was out in the yard doing some work. It collapsed right in front of his eyes.
When we were ending the conversation, I told Fr. Roosevelt to try to get some sleep. He said that when he puts his head down to sleep, he feels the bed moving. I told him I understand completely. After going through the earthquake in Guatemala, I had trouble sleeping for six months! I especially could not sleep on my back. For the first few weeks, I refused to sleep alone. I was 22-years old and insisted that my sister let me sleep on the bed with her!
That's all for now. Thank you for your email messages and all the prayers. We definitely appreciate them.
Mary
1.13.2010
Haiti Update
Our American Airlines flight, scheduled for this Friday, has been cancelled. It appears that our next trip may be scheduled for March. We are saddened to not be with our friends at this time and are hoping to make contact with them within the next couple of days. It seems that all communication is down and we were unable to speak with anyone today. Our friends on the island of LaGonave are safe but they do not know about family members on the mainland.
On Tuesday evening we received a call from Pastor Agones on LaGonave, who was concerned to know if the earthquake had caused any damage to Long Island. His fiancee lives in Port-au-Prince and as of last nite he had not heard from her.
We are advising people to make contributions to organizations they know are trustworthy. You are still welcome to make a contribution through our church and we will wire the funds to our partners in Haiti. Checks may be made out to "MPC" and marked for Haiti. Our mailing address is Mattituck Presbyterian Church, PO BOX 1411, Mattituck NY 11952.
I would like to say thank you to everyone who has expressed their concerns, their grief, and their hope for the people of Haiti through phone calls, donations, tears, and most of all, their prayers. Please pray for the rescue teams, Haitian and international.
As you have done it for the least of these, you have done it unto me. - Jesus
Updates will be posted here as we learn more.
On Tuesday evening we received a call from Pastor Agones on LaGonave, who was concerned to know if the earthquake had caused any damage to Long Island. His fiancee lives in Port-au-Prince and as of last nite he had not heard from her.
We are advising people to make contributions to organizations they know are trustworthy. You are still welcome to make a contribution through our church and we will wire the funds to our partners in Haiti. Checks may be made out to "MPC" and marked for Haiti. Our mailing address is Mattituck Presbyterian Church, PO BOX 1411, Mattituck NY 11952.
I would like to say thank you to everyone who has expressed their concerns, their grief, and their hope for the people of Haiti through phone calls, donations, tears, and most of all, their prayers. Please pray for the rescue teams, Haitian and international.
As you have done it for the least of these, you have done it unto me. - Jesus
Updates will be posted here as we learn more.
Prayer for Haiti and Donations
We know that many of you have been glued to the television and other media for news of Haiti. We are prayerful and hopeful for the people caught in the tragedy of this earthquake. We’ve been in touch with our friends there and continue to be in constant contact with them today.
At this point we are not sure about the status of our flight on Friday morning. We are hopeful that we will go as it is especially important to be with our friends now. Structural damage on LaGonave has been light and we are not aware of any casualties on the island. We have several friends and contacts in Port-au-Prince and many on LaGonave who have friends and family in Port-au-Prince. Some have not been heard from as of this time.
We would like to invite you to join us in the sanctuary from 5:30 to 6:00 pm today to pray.
If any of you would like to make a donation, you may bring cash or make your checks out to MPC and mark them “Haiti”. We will wire the funds to Haiti so that they are available to us when we get there to be used for specific needs related to the earthquake.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor George
At this point we are not sure about the status of our flight on Friday morning. We are hopeful that we will go as it is especially important to be with our friends now. Structural damage on LaGonave has been light and we are not aware of any casualties on the island. We have several friends and contacts in Port-au-Prince and many on LaGonave who have friends and family in Port-au-Prince. Some have not been heard from as of this time.
We would like to invite you to join us in the sanctuary from 5:30 to 6:00 pm today to pray.
If any of you would like to make a donation, you may bring cash or make your checks out to MPC and mark them “Haiti”. We will wire the funds to Haiti so that they are available to us when we get there to be used for specific needs related to the earthquake.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor George
Haiti
I know that, in the afermath of yesterday's earthquake, many of you are concerned with what is happening in Haiti and with our planned trip (thank you for your calls). We have been in touch with Ernst and Agones and know that there is not much damage on LaGonave. We will keep you informed as we hear more. At this point we are still planning to leave on Friday morning. Please keep our friends and the nation of Haiti uppermost in your prayers.
Sainthood
Word has it that Pope Benedict XXI is considering official sainthood for John Paul II and Pius The XII. Now, the Roman Catholic church cannot "make" a saint; they cannot confer the status of saint. They can only recognize those whom they believe to be people of that classification. So I nominate my neighbor, Bernie. (Well, at least he should be nominated for Neighbor Of The Year.) Following the ferocious pre-Christmas snowstorm, Bernie cleared my entire driveway and sidewalk with his snowblower.
Let’s be clear. According to the Bible, ANYONE who professes faith in Jesus Christ and desires to follow him, is a SAINT. Followers of Christ are termed saints. I like that. St. George. Maybe after my name, instead of degree letters, I should write "St.". Perhaps on my business cards, instead of Rev., it should read "St."
Now, not all saints are as virtuous as they could be. (I know that there are days in my life that I wouldn’t want anyone to know I am a saint.)Nevertheless, they are still a holy people, called to be holy by God’s will.
Saints are not perfect. Yet they are separated because of their relationship to God. So, even on our worst days, we are still saints.
Sincerely in Christ,
George
Let’s be clear. According to the Bible, ANYONE who professes faith in Jesus Christ and desires to follow him, is a SAINT. Followers of Christ are termed saints. I like that. St. George. Maybe after my name, instead of degree letters, I should write "St.". Perhaps on my business cards, instead of Rev., it should read "St."
Now, not all saints are as virtuous as they could be. (I know that there are days in my life that I wouldn’t want anyone to know I am a saint.)Nevertheless, they are still a holy people, called to be holy by God’s will.
Saints are not perfect. Yet they are separated because of their relationship to God. So, even on our worst days, we are still saints.
Sincerely in Christ,
George
1.06.2010
Humbled
So at the end of December I made my first visit to the VA clinic. I don’t think you can appreciate how humbling an experience it was. (You can read the “rest of the story” a little further on.) As I arrived at the clinic I realized that I’d forgotten all my paperwork. I’m uptight about going there in the first place and now I’m stressed that I left my papers at home. So when I go in for my check-up my blood pressure is 135/92. It’s usually 125/72. Thankfully, Gigi faxed my papers after I called her - from the VA’s phone because my cell phone had died (but that’s another story). Anyway, the rest of the story…
I'd never had the nerve to ask the VA for help. When I thought of all the folks more deserving than I, I was reluctant to even fill out the paperwork. See, I was a cadet at the US Coast Guard Academy for one year, 1967-68. Due to an injury incurred there, and because being a cadet is considered “active duty”, I received an honorable discharge, DD214 papers and all. (The enemy would have to be landing at Horton’s Point for the cadets to be called into service.) And what exactly would my headstone at Calverton Cemetery read? Cadet Georgie?
Anyway, I’m at the VA Clinic and the folks, who are so nice by the way, are asking me questions.
“In what war era did you serve?”
“Oh, Vietnam.”
“How long?”
“One year.”
“Overseas or stateside?”
“Uh, stateside.” [does my voyage to Wilmington, NC on “The Eagle” count?]
“Ever wounded?”
"Um, nope." [unless you count the “Dear John” letter I got while I was at the Academy]
And so it went. My blood pressure never did come down.
I was embarrassed to be treated so well. All the while I’m thinking, I don’t deserve this. But a friend told me I was legitimately eligible and she worked out all the details for me. Still, I was humbled to be brought into the presence of my government to receive help.
And I got to thinking. I wish I felt so humbled and awed at the thought of being in God’s presence. The Almighty Sovereign King has, by his grace, told me I belong. I am eligible for all his benefits. And what did I do to deserve such kindness? Nothing. A Friend brought me there.
How do we get to God? Jesus takes us into his presence. There we are, humbled and loved at the same time. Awed and yet at peace.
Please, let us not take God’s goodness and grace for granted.
[By the way, thank you, Debbie.]
Sincerely in Christ,
George
I'd never had the nerve to ask the VA for help. When I thought of all the folks more deserving than I, I was reluctant to even fill out the paperwork. See, I was a cadet at the US Coast Guard Academy for one year, 1967-68. Due to an injury incurred there, and because being a cadet is considered “active duty”, I received an honorable discharge, DD214 papers and all. (The enemy would have to be landing at Horton’s Point for the cadets to be called into service.) And what exactly would my headstone at Calverton Cemetery read? Cadet Georgie?
Anyway, I’m at the VA Clinic and the folks, who are so nice by the way, are asking me questions.
“In what war era did you serve?”
“Oh, Vietnam.”
“How long?”
“One year.”
“Overseas or stateside?”
“Uh, stateside.” [does my voyage to Wilmington, NC on “The Eagle” count?]
“Ever wounded?”
"Um, nope." [unless you count the “Dear John” letter I got while I was at the Academy]
And so it went. My blood pressure never did come down.
I was embarrassed to be treated so well. All the while I’m thinking, I don’t deserve this. But a friend told me I was legitimately eligible and she worked out all the details for me. Still, I was humbled to be brought into the presence of my government to receive help.
And I got to thinking. I wish I felt so humbled and awed at the thought of being in God’s presence. The Almighty Sovereign King has, by his grace, told me I belong. I am eligible for all his benefits. And what did I do to deserve such kindness? Nothing. A Friend brought me there.
How do we get to God? Jesus takes us into his presence. There we are, humbled and loved at the same time. Awed and yet at peace.
Please, let us not take God’s goodness and grace for granted.
[By the way, thank you, Debbie.]
Sincerely in Christ,
George
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