Worship - The Greatest Thing We Do

TIDINGS SPRING 2019

WORSHIP THE GREATEST THING WE DO

SPRING 2019

TIDINGS Asbury Tidings is a quarterly publication designed to tell stories of lives being transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.

You may read back issues by visiting www.asburytulsa.org.

CONTENTS

MOTHER’S DAY CONCERT May 12, 5 pm La Passion de la France

What is the Role of Prayer? ............................ 4 Praying as He Taught Us .................................. 5 Memory and Hope ............................................. 6 You Belong in Worship ..................................... 8 Part of Daily Life ................................................. 10 Living It! ................................................................. 12 Family Ties ............................................................ 14 What is His Worth?............................................ 16 Hymns Link Beliefs and Generations ......... 18 The Legacy of Worship ..................................... 20 Come to the Table .............................................. 22 Need for the Creed ............................................ 24 Sunday Worship Impacts Daily Life ............ 26 8 AM: A Comfortable Fit ................................. 29 Amazing Grace - Hymn for the Ages........... 30 Spotting Faith ...................................................... 32 Jordan and Jaycee Garrett ............................. 34 Coming to Faith .................................................. 36 Infused with Gratitude ..................................... 38 Gratitude and Sermon Journal...................... 40 Special Announcements .................................. 41

We need you! Do you have a story of what God has done in your life?

Please contact us and tell us a little bit about what God has done. We will all be encouraged by hearing stories of what God is doing in the lives of those around us.

Are you a writer or someone who enjoys writing? The Communications Department is always looking for someone to do an interview and write a story for us for Tidings.

Have you noticed that we’ve been making some changes in Tidings?

Please give us your feedback—both good and bad. Email Angie Brashears at abrashears@asburytulsa.org or call 918.392.1119.

Editor: Asbury Communications Department 918.392.1119 or Angie Brashears at abrashears@asburytulsa.org Graphic Design: Belinda Wilson bwilson@asburytulsa.org Photographers: Mark Moore (mark moore.photo.net) Guest Contributors: Janice Buswell, Jeremy Sanders, Stephanie Hurd, Daniel Dennison, Sharon Linsenmeyer, Cheryl Steffen, Mary Ann Smith, Lisa Witcher, Tim Tibbles, Mindy Dennison, Jay Henderson, Rob Loeber, Howard Dunlap, Guy Ames, Andrea Stephens, Parker and Mary Smith, Tom Harrison

A WORD FROM TOM HARRISON This Tidings issue is about worship. My earliest memory of worship was as a kid at Rose Hill Methodist Church in Tulsa. Frankly, it had little appeal. As Coach Bill Blankenship says, “When I was a kid, I had a drug problem. I was drug to church on Sunday mornings, Sunday night and Wednesday nights.”

We went to church on Sunday mornings (at a minimum). No “ifs, ands or buts.” Like learning a musical skill or getting crooked teeth straightened as a kid, what we learn as a child often stays with us our entire life. Worship did for me. (I’m pictured wearing a plaid sports coat and scratchy woolen pants surrounded by other kids at Rose Hill. I hated those pants!) If my parents had let me choose, I’d have stayed at home to watch cartoons, play in the neighborhood or sleep.

Things changed for me when we went through confirmation in the 6th grade and I made my first trip to Camp Egan. I was confirmed by an Asbury member, Charley Welsh’s dad, who was our preacher at Rose Hill. I had little understanding and less experience about the Christian faith. I’d occasionally prevail at a Bible trivia game and win some candy, but there was no real heart — or even head — connection. But my parents set the example and we kept going. It would have been far easier for them to have slept in or done something different on Sunday mornings, but they lived out this choice.

Volunteers led our youth group. Larry (who went to be with the Lord several years ago) and Verla Richardson (she is an Asbury member) made going to church fun. Ken and Janie Bradford (another Asbury couple) were part of our Rose Hill family too, and connected with us as teens. These young adults with kids loved teenagers.

These activities culminated in a splendid event over a weekend when my whole family truly committed our lives to the Lord. That weekend in April 1969 forever changed me. I felt forgiven, though I didn’t know I needed it. I wanted to tell others about a faith I’d never had before. I wanted to grow in my faith, though I didn’t know how. My parents, preachers, teachers and youth leaders all helped me to come to give my life to Christ. I became a worshiper because for the first time in my life, I had Someone worthy of my worship.

Worship is not about music, preaching or any of a multitude of things that happen. Worship is letting God’s love into our hearts and giving ourselves back to Him. We are not consumers sampling the goods, but worshipers giving back to the One who has loved us. We do that on Sunday mornings, but we can worship at any time and place.

I want all people to know how much God loves us. I want people to know how good God is, even though we have challenging circumstances. I want people to know Jesus and to love Him back. He is such an attractive person. I want people to know the comfort and the power of the Holy Spirit. I want people to know the love of others, even though we are imperfect and flawed. I want people surrounded by Christian community who deeply care and show great hospitality. I want people to know that there IS meaning and purpose in this life. I want people to know that there is hope for the life to come.

We do many things in church, but the greatest thing we do is worship God. We’re just rehearsing now for an eternity beyond this temporary time and place. The end for us on earth will be a glorious new beginning in heaven.

Come, kids, students and adults. Let us worship the Lord together.

In Christ,

Dr. Tom Harrison, Senior Pastor 3

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PRAYER IN WORSHIP?

By Janice Buswell I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. - Psalm 121:1 We have an idea that worship is singing, but true worship is so much more. Worship is the way we live, and prayer is the essence of worship, because prayer is any time we lift our thoughts, words, deeds and hearts to God. If you think of the Psalms – the ultimate prayer book – most of these prayers were sung. Some were danced.

Some were written in the temple; some were written in a cave.

Some were beautifully crafted; others were gutwrenching heart cries, raw and real. The common thread: each one is a communication of the heart of a man with the heart of his heavenly Father.

That is what prayer is. Prayer is communication; communicating our adoration and deep need to our good, good Shepherd. This is the heart of worship, and why worship has so many expressions.

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26);

Prayers can even be acted – … offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1).

It’s all worship.

In the end, prayer and worship are simply about the gaze of the heart. Where are we looking? For identity?

For provision? For purpose? For peace? At the other end of this gaze, we discover what we truly worship.

Is it God? Is it something else?

If we try to worship without “looking up,” we will find it’s very hard. Worship becomes work. But when we look up and behold the One we love and who loves us, and pour out our hearts to Him, worship becomes a delight.

Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul (Psalm 66:16);

This is what it is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.

This is our acceptable act of worship. How do we look up? By renewing our mind according to God’s truth. How do we renew our minds? By a constant communication with the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. As we do, our very life becomes an ongoing conversation with the lover of our souls and an unending offering of worship to the only One we adore.

Prayers can be thought –

What shall we say then?

We have thought, O God, on Your loving kindness (Psalm 48:9);

Let your every act be worship and every moment a prayer.

Prayers can be sung – Sing to the lord a new song (Psalm 96:1);

Prayers can be spoken –

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Prayers can be felt –

Praying as He taught us

By Pastor Jeremy Sanders 7 “ And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

I love the Lord’s Prayer.

Not only because it is how Jesus instructed us to pray, but because in my opinion, it contains so many aspects of prayer that we should put into practice.

It starts with naming God, indicating that there is relationship, that God isn’t some heavenly puppet master. In the very next breath, “Hallowed be your name,” we are honoring, worshipping and showing adoration for our Lord. The next statement is an agreement that what God “wills” will be done, both here and in heaven; we are agreeing that God’s plan is the best.

If you notice, we haven’t really asked God for anything – yet. So often, we get caught up in telling God what we want and we miss out on the relational side of our bond with Him. Imagine if you were to sit down with your significant other and – without any other conversation – just laid out a list of wants and needs. How do you think he or she would feel?

Asking God for our daily bread isn’t just about physical nourishment.

It is asking God to provide the things He believes we need.

The next line is both my favorite and my least favorite part of the Lord’s Prayer. We are asking God to forgive us like we have forgiven others. You are probably better than I, but I sometimes struggle with forgiveness. I understand that forgiveness is not a feeling – but much like love – it is a conscious choice. I sometimes don’t want to, plain and simple, but at the same time, I want to be completely forgiven by God; I mean the “no stone unturned” kind of forgiveness. I crave it, I want it, I even need it, but am sometimes unwilling to offer it up.

Next, we are asking God to simply be with us. To not lead us towards temptation and to deliver us from evil. I’m all for that.

I think the thing that I love most about the Lord’s Prayer is that I don’t always know how or what to pray for. The Lord’s Prayer covers those times, especially agreeing with God that His will would be done; that is really my heart’s desire. And when I don’t feel that I can say that in just the right way, the way Jesus taught us is more than sufficient.

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MEMORY AND HOPE

By Stephanie Hurd

I’m going to make a confession.

I graduated from seminary without knowing how to worship. You might be thinking sarcastically, “That was money well spent.”

I learned the mechanics, but I did not fully understand the application. Fortunately, the Lord keeps teaching me and drawing me deeper into the mystery of it all.

From what I see in the book of Revelation, heaven is completely focused on the non-stop, all-encompassing and exuberant worship of God.

I’m going to be honest folks—when I get to heaven, I don’t want to be placed in the remedial worship group. I don’t want to be at the back of the line because I’m such a neophyte. I want to 6

arrive with mad worship skills so I can jump right in. I want the good seats. I want the Lord to say, “That girl blesses my socks off! Put her in that section behind the martyrs, the capital “S” saints, and all those praying grandmas.”

In truth, I want to be passionate and intense like King David who laid aside his stiffly embroidered, royal robes and worshiped God by dancing his heart out. One of my all-time, favorite Bible history moments is when his wife, Michal, dogged him for making a fool of himself before the people and David replied, “Listen babe—I danced before the Lord today and for Him, FOR HIM, I’ll become even more undignified than this!”

I imagine he started to walk away then turned around and added, ”Oh, and before you and your handmaidens—I will be esteemed.”

King David had such a sense of propriety. He knew who he was in relation to God and in relation to his subjects.

The highest guy in the land humbled himself before the Lord and led others by his example.

My dancing before the Lord might look more like Rain Man than Bruno Mars, but I can suffer a little embarrassment for Jesus. I’m just that crazy about Him. Observing others who were worshipping was how I started to learn. Then, during the music I would close my eyes and imagine being in the Lord’s presence. This helped engage my heart and mind. What I have grown to appreciate over the years is that every part of our services is an act of worship. Worship is not just the songs we sing. Each element is there to help us recount the story of God’s love and glory from the past to the present and beyond: Creation, the incarnation (God becoming flesh and living among us) and the eventual re-creation of all things. Our worship is “ancient” because it helps us remember what God has done and it is “future” because it anticipates the fulfillment of the rest of His story—Christ’s return and His eventual reign over all things. When we worship, we

are entering God’s story in the past, the present and the future. All the elements together help us do that.

We tend to think that unless we get a warm, fuzzy feeling on Sunday morning we haven’t really worshipped. I would challenge that. Worship is

us paying attention to God. It’s us entering His story and recounting it back to Him through words and actions. The elements include giving and praying (as Jesus did and continues to do for us), passing the peace (what we call the “greeting” is a symbol of reconciliation), by singing and proclaiming God’s word (of whom Jesus is the central story), reciting the Creed (what we believe about the Trinity), by being in community with one another (also symbolic of the Trinity) and sharing in the Lord’s Supper.

Communion is when the presence of Christ is manifested in the bread and the wine—we are unified with Him through it and nourished by it. The

Lord’s Table signifies the reality of Jesus, the incarnation and God’s whole story.

I believe the Sanctuary is a “thin place,” where heaven is closer to earth than other places. I think the prayer rail is even thinner (I love praying there!). I believe we should enter worship expecting to encounter God through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit and expecting to be transformed by that encounter.

The Lord is present with us, and we must discipline ourselves to be present with Him. This means we participate in the singing and the liturgy and the readings, all of which elevate Christ. We listen

and agree with the prayers being prayed, and join in, such as with the Lord’s Prayer. We put money in the offering plate, even if it’s just a token of our actual tithe because the act is symbolic of our giving which is representative of faith in God’s provision. We close our eyes when we need to focus our mind’s eye on the LORD for introspection, and we open our eyes and allow the architecture and the environmental projection to draw our gaze heavenward as we participate in outward manifestations of His story. Sometimes we stand in “readiness” to carry the gospel and sometimes we sit or kneel “humbly” before our Creator.

Worship is being mindful that God cares about the form of worship, which He ordained, and He cares about the heart of the worshipper, whom He created and redeemed. Learning to worship is largely presence and attitude, but it is also practice. It means showing up. It means paying attention to the LORD and seeking to please Him. It means engaging the mind, body and spirit. It means actively participating in every element.

It means being OK with being undignified at times. It means bringing your kids along, too. It means coming with the expectation that we are, by God’s grace, entering His very presence and His incredible story. It means helping each other figure out what we can figure out and accepting all the glorious mystery that remains.

Worship is remembering what God has done and hoping in what He is yet to do.

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’ G N O L E B ‘ U O P I Y H S R O IN W

son

o

By Past

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nni e D l e i r Dan

September 11, 1999, was my first experience at an Oklahoma University football game. I grew up a college football fan, but the only thing I knew about OU football was that we had a new guy named Bob Stoops coaching a new quarterback, Josh Heupel.

Anybody who has a favorite sports team knows exactly what I’m talking about.

Three weeks into my freshman year, I didn’t know anybody at OU, so I squeezed into the student section with a bunch of strangers. And it was awesome! We crushed Indiana State that day, 49-0. Every time we scored, the student section erupted in celebration,

on two of the most fundamental desires of the human heart; being known by other people and feeling a sense of belonging. I don’t just mean romantic love, I mean a sense of connection, a sense of companionship and self-worth.

and I jumped up and down while hugging complete strangers.

Marina Keegan wrote an essay entitled, “The Opposite of Loneliness.” In it she says, “We don’t have a word for the

Why is being a part of something like that so deeply satisfying? I think it touches

opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want most in life. A sense that I’m not alone in this world, that there are people who would miss me if I was gone.” I think we all want that to some degree in life because it’s a fundamental desire of the human heart.

Professors at Stanford did a study on this very thing, our desire to “belong.” They found a single instance of feeling excluded can not only damage a person’s psyche, but can lower their IQ test score and even harm their immune system.

Feeling like you don’t belong can hurt you scholastically and it can compromise your ability to fight off a cold.

That serves as proof of just how fundamental this need is to the human heart!

The desire to be connected to a community of people has led to some of the most amazing, heroic and self-giving actions ever committed. Think about being in combat and some of the sacrifices our men and women in the armed forces have made because of their connectedness.

I suspect while many people agree that love and connectedness and belonging are huge needs of the heart, others would say having a mission or purpose in life is most paramount. We need to know that our life has purpose. This need is often paramount in determining what careers we pursue. It’s the reason most of us volunteer and serve on various non-profit boards. All of us desire to know our lives have purpose and meaning.

We want a sense of belonging and a sense of mission. We want “our” people

know, there’s no wrong answer here, just live your dreams,” that would be the wrong thing to say. There’s a big difference between saying, “My purpose in life is to find the cure for cancer,” versus “My purpose in life is to find the best plate of nachos.” (Seriously though, can someone tell the new guy where to find that here in Tulsa?)

We can all agree, the human heart longs for a sense of belonging and community and it longs for a sense of purpose and mission. I think we can all agree that in pursuing these needs, we can chase after things that are destructive, or we can devote ourselves to things uplifting and life-giving (for us and for others). In other words, there is a bad way and there is a good way, but I also believe there is a best way.

Even good causes fade away. Remember the ice-bucket challenge? Or that viral video about finding Kony, an international criminal court fugitive: Did we ever find that guy? Most of us lost interest in those causes as the social “hype” faded away. Sometimes, even good communities fade away. But the desire, the need to “belong” to good causes and communities remain in our hearts.

We were made for an ultimate, eternal cause and community.

This is why we worship. Because our longing for community can only ultimately be met in the church of Jesus Christ, and our longing for purpose can only ultimately be met in the mission for Jesus Christ. When we worship, we gather with a community of people.

We gather with others who may look and act and vote differently than us, but they will love us and embrace us. We find a sense of belonging and love at worship, and we’re reminded that our lives have meaning and purpose. We sing songs, hear scriptures and celebrate the Eucharist all of which remind us that we are loved and we are to live our lives with a purpose; loving God and loving others.

and “our” purpose. I think most of us can agree with this, but I want to take it a step further and say that some communities and some purposes are better than others. If you had to choose between belonging to a community of thieves or a community of teachers, one is objectively better than the other.If I said, “I don’t 9

PART OF DAILY LIFE

BY SHARON LINSENMEYER 10

Sunday morning worship has consistently been a part of our family life. It has always been a “nonnegotiable.” Even when we were dating, Rod and I would attend church together.

Though our children now range from nine to 15 years old, we realized during their younger years that it is definitely best for our family to attend Sunday morning worship services prior to a Sunday school or community group. Each of us is more apt

to be able to focus our minds and hearts and keep our bodies still and settled when we choose to wake up and worship first versus waiting until a later service.

We appreciate every worship service Asbury offers, but the 8 am Sunday chapel service has become our home for the past two years. The chapel service is a beautiful blessing in the weekly rhythm of the life of our family.

In that service, we have found a meaningful place to serve, enjoyed the worshipful opportunity of weekly communion and been part of a community with a delightful array of people.

Weekly communion has become a familiar and rich experience. Partaking in this particular means of God’s grace routinely, reciting the communion liturgy and responding in prayer at the kneeling rail continue to forge a deep and meaningful connection in our relationships with the Lord. By repeating

the communion liturgy frequently, our children now have it mostly memorized, which comes in handy when we watch online and have communion at home. We can recognize and remember that we are not only forgiven of a multitude of transgressions, but we are also freed for service and joyful obedience.

We also love community with the wonderful array o f people. Our “pew pals” have become closer friends and prayer partners, the music leaders have become mentors and encouragers, and the pastoral staff not only lead us in our understanding of the Scriptures, but they have also been confidants and burden-bearers.

In the 8 am service, we experience a deep connection with God and the people He has placed around us. The people of that service span the generations and have so much wisdom to offer that we hope to glean.

In finding an accessible place to serve, we have grown in appreciation and ownership of the worship service.

We are grateful to be among them.

Our children participate by reading Scripture aloud to the congregation.

As our family grows and changes, the time or place we attend worship service may grow and change.

The desire to worship Jesus together among this community of believers will not. We are grateful

Occasionally, one or more will join on the piano or violin, and they love to assist in welcoming the light of Christ when – as acolytes — they light the candles on the altar table.

Through these opportunities, we have all experienced deepened friendships and our children have grown in confidence. Because of the encouragement our family has received, we have enjoyed serving the needs of the body of Christ at Asbury and have been blessed as a result.

to be in this place, at this time, and among these people, worshiping the Lord together.

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LIVING IT!

A ‘how to’ for praying the Lord’s Prayer

By Cheryl Steffen and Mary Ann Smith

At the beginning of the paragraph of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:7-8, there is an instruction for us: “Do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” In other words, come to prayer in humility, acknowledging that God already knows your needs. We just need to admit to Him what we need. The phrases of the Lord’s Prayer are so full of meaning – let us not take them for granted.

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Our Father Who Art in Heaven Be still and know He is the “I AM” for our every need; our Creator, Sustainer and Guide.

Take time to realize His presence with you.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

As we appeal to God for forgiveness remember Jesus’ words that we will be forgiven with a condition – that we must forgive others to receive God’s forgiveness. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Thank Him for His Spirit living within you.

Hallowed be Thy Name

Do we beg for grace with no intention of extending that same grace to others? His grace is freely given to us so we must freely give it to others.

Stop and consider who God is and be in awe!

Know that He desires for all (all peoples of the world) to be in awe of His name.

Thy Kingdom come Seek His Kingdom to be here on earth in all its goodness and glory.

Our daily duty and privilege is to witness for God by example – and in His character – in our homes, at work and in our spare time.

Christ knows that guilt eats at us from two directions – we must forgive to be forgiven.

We forgive but may not forget – remembering helps us forge a better future.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

God does not tempt us into sin but He may refine our faith through discipline as a result of our disobedience. This may feel quite difficult at the time.

Ask God, how can I help fulfill this today?

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Surrender unconditionally to God knowing that His will is ideal.

Align your heart to want what He wants, and to receive what He gives.

Clarity may not come, but we can trust in God in every circumstance.

May our passion for God produce increasing submission to Him so that He may do in us, through us, and with us whatever He wishes.

Give us this day our daily bread Help us learn how to pray for more than physical and material needs.

Shifting our eyes off the Father can cause us to doubt Him. We need spiritual reserves, spiritual reinforcements and spiritual tactics to face evil.

Name our own enemies within. Pray for transformation.

For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Again, acknowledge who God is and who you need Him to be in your own life.

Put into practice what your knowledge of God is, even if limited.

How can I bring Him glory today?

With excerpts from Living the Lord’s Prayer by Daniel Timms and The Disciplines of the Christian Life by Eric Liddell.

Help us understand our great need for spiritual food.

Nothing is ours alone – help us live simply so we can help those in need.

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FAMILY TIES

BY LISA WITCHER

Steven Beane is a simple and accomplished man.

A sandy, blonde head of hair and full mustache complement the wisdom and kindness in his eyes. Neatly presented and agile in physical demeanor, he struck me as a man who has always found, “a place for everything and that everything has a place.” Neither a rough life nor a foxhole event brought him to the feet of God, but he came because his heart needed a place to belong.

Steven always knew there was someone looking out for him. As a young man, he didn’t give 14

nod to that something being a higher power or personal savior. His family had stopped attending a Methodist church when he was a young boy. He has a memory that something happened though he is unsure just what occurred, but afterwards, he and his parents stopped attending. He doesn’t have poor memories of church as a boy, but he didn’t experience a sense of belonging, either.

He grew, studied and became a professional architect around 1970, living near San Diego. He built his career in California and began serving his community as a reserve police officer with the San Diego Police Department.

When an economic downturn firm caught him and others in a layoff, he found himself looking and being recruited by an architecture firm in Tulsa.

He moved to Oklahoma, found stability and eventually moved his mother — who was elderly and needed his care — to Tulsa. Since Steven has no siblings and his mother’s care was at the forefront of his mind, he began to wonder what he would do when he was elderly; who would care for him?

Work kept him busy, but he also wanted to become a part of the Tulsa community and help the citizens of Tulsa County, so he decided to become a reserve deputy sheriff. When I asked how an architect finds himself as a reserve deputy sheriff, his face stretched into a wide smile and his eyes lit up as he recalled his days as a school boy working as a safety patrol officer helping younger students cross a busy intersection. At once, I recognized his servant heart.

… you will seek me …

His volunteer law enforcement service to the county allowed him the opportunity to work at a Tulsa church as a security officer two Sundays a month. He worked the interior post, greeting worshipers and being greeted; he felt a warmth he may have recognized from his childhood. He liked it and began to think about finding a Methodist church to attend, since that’s what he knew as a boy. He visited several congregations but found a warmth at Asbury that, for him, was unmatched by others.

Newcomer meal and from there, Steven not only accepted the invitation to be part of Asbury’s family, but a part of God. He accepted Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior, and was baptized into the faith.

Steven always knew someone was looking out for him; at Asbury, he found out just who – Abba, our Father.

… you will seek me and find me …

Today, Steven’s life is truly blessed. He greets hearts at the doors of Asbury before the 9:15 Sunday service and has enjoyed the discipleship he found in Vaughn Story’s Bible study.

Recently, an established architecture firm in Tulsa began looking for an architect with a special certification, one Steven has. That same broad grin returned to his face as he told me he was once again happily enmeshed in his life’s work.

Steven’s story humbles me. I hear the scripture, “you have but to be still and I will fight for you.” Sometimes quietly, other times boldly, our God, sweet Abba, searches for us. We are so thankful

for a place where the spirit of God moves the hands and feet of the body of Christ.

Welcome home, Steven.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will l hear you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with your whole heart -Jeremiah 29:12-13.

… then you will call upon me …

Life handed him another job layoff when the local architecture firm went out of business. Still, his experience as a reserve deputy sheriff allowed him to become a fulltime deputy for Tulsa County until he retired in 2017. After retiring, he once again felt a nagging loneliness and uncertainty about the future. One Sunday, ventured to the front of Asbury’s sanctuary to pray at the altar rail and encountered Pastor Jay Henderson. Jay listened, then invited Steven to come by the office to talk a little more. A relationship began that encouraged Steven to learn more about what the hope we have in Jesus Christ, and the peace it provides us. Jay encouraged Steven to explore Asbury’s 15

WHAT IS HIS WORTH?

By Tim Tibbles

Has anyone ever asked you to define worship? My guess is that at some point you’ve had to wrestle with the idea of worship and what role it plays in your life. The struggle with this question is the concept of worship can be difficult to pin down because of our church experiences.

We often equate worship with our favorite song, prayer or a congregational gathering. If you were to ask

this question of 10 of your friends, you’d likely get 10 different answers. Why is it that

something so basic and fundamental to our Christian faith can be so difficult to define in a clear and concise way?

Worship Begins and Ends with God In order to understand worship, we must first understand this simple concept: our definition of worship is determined by our view of God and His role in our lives. It really is that simple. The word worship is an old-English, compound word made by combining the words worth and ship.

It literally means to determine the worth or value of someone or something and then ship or deliver that value. This is not really a foreign concept to us. We determine the value of something every day and then make the decision if something is worth its price. How important is gas in your car? Regardless of the price fluctuations that might happen in the marketplace, we typically determine that the value of our job is worth paying the price of gasoline. This is the same underlying fundamental concept of biblical worship.

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Believers have to make the same decision every day. Is the value of God worth whatever the cost of following Him? To answer this question, me must view ourselves and our circumstances in light of who God is to us.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul writes these words, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” -Romans 12:1, NIV. Did you catch that?

Before Paul even described worship, he urged, even pleaded with his fellow believers to look at God in light of who He is and what He has done. Paul spends 11 chapters outlining the Gospel of Jesus – or in his words “God’s mercy” – to his readers before he pleads with them to worship. Paul knew in order for us to even come close to achieving the last half of this scripture, we must have a proper view of who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. In his book, “The Pursuit of God,” the famous writer and theologian A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

This is the beginning of worship. How and what we think about God will ultimately determine His value and worth in our lives.

Worship is a Sacrifice

Defining Worship in Our Lives

I always found it interesting that Paul would use the word “sacrifice” when he defines worship in his letter to the church in Rome. In our day and modern culture, this word does not carry the same weight it did in his time. However, I don’t think we have to work very hard to understand this concept of “offering our bodies as living sacrifices.” We sacrifice something every day in our lives for a greater purpose, something of greater worth. If you have kids, you know all too well the financial pain of buying athletic gear or dance costumes so we can value our children. In the grand scheme of things this may seem like a small thing, but at the moment, $150 for a dance costume your daughter will only wear once to her recital can seem like a huge sacrifice.

When Paul penned his letter to the church in Rome, they understood the weight of the word sacrifice.

It was not only a part of their history, but they were accustomed to taking the very best of their livestock, harvest or finances and offering them to the Lord as was required by the Old Covenant Law. I can imagine the conversation that might have happened between a father and his son or daughter about the importance of taking the favorite lamb to the temple and why God required it. It was their livelihood. The act of sacrificing on the altar was not just the loss of a possession, it would cost the family financially because of the income that sacrifice would have brought to the family. And if their kids were like mine, it probably felt like giving up a family member.

The first time we see the word “worship” translated in the Bible is found in Genesis 22. Here, Abraham has been asked by God if he was willing to give up or sacrifice the most important thing in his world for God. In a sense, God was asking, “Do you love me more than the blessing I have given you?” God had given Abraham a son late in his life and Isaac was his father’s world.

But, because of Abraham’s view of God — the value or worth he had for the Lord — Abraham was willing to give up his son simply because God asked. So Abraham gathered his son and some supplies and along with his servants began to journey into the mountain. After three days, when he had reached the place to make his offering, Abraham said to his servants

But today we don’t offer animals and livestock at the temple, we give offerings when the plates are passed or when the e-checks are mailed. We sing songs. We pray. But is that what Paul meant when he called worship a “… sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God?” While all of these things can be considered acts of worship, maybe we are missing something by limiting our worship to things like music and church attendance.

Maybe we are missing out on the real meaning of worship, a sacrifice that costs us the most important thing we have to offer. I once heard a speaker say,

“Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

- Genesis 22:5

For us that thing we can’t get back may look different.

Maybe it’s our time, volunteering in the nursery, our preference in musical style or our 8-year old’s future hall of fame career because we refuse to give up church for a baseball tournament.

The Hebrew word used for worship here literally means to bow in submission.

Abraham recognized the worth of God and was willing to worship by giving up the thing that meant most to him in his life. He literally and figuratively understood that in order to elevate the Lord he needed to lower himself by giving up something valuable. Simply put, worship is a sacrifice.

“Giving money isn’t a sacrifice because you can always make more. A sacrifice is something you can’t get back.”

Whatever it is, I would encourage you to look at worship differently. Worship is about giving up what we love because we love God more. It’s about giving up ourselves for the benefit of God and his kingdom. To be holy and set apart to please the Lord no matter the consequence. Jesus worshiped when he was willing to lay down his life for those the Father loved — because God was and always will be worth it.

What is God worth to you?

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HYMNS LINK BELIEFS AND GENERATIONS

BY MINDY DENNISON

My earliest memories of church are sitting in the pew beside my mother.

She discreetly carried on games of tic-tactoe we scribbled on my children’s bulletin while she kept an eye on me and an ear on the sermon. I must have been around 5 years old.

It wasn’t long after that she looked down at me with pleasant surprise when I recited the words to The Lord’s Prayer with everyone else. I learned to pray

“as Jesus taught us to pray” by listening to the matriarchs and patriarchs of my church, and by participating in worship with them.

It wasn’t long after that I was singing the Doxology and the Gloria Patri. And while I had excellent music teachers throughout my life, my first lessons in reading music from the staff were learned with the hymnal in my hands during worship.

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound the saved a wretch like me!” -John Newton “Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace!” -Robert Robinson “O God, Our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home!” -Isaac Watts My guess is you didn’t merely read those words.

Many of you likely sang them in your head.

Two of those beloved hymns above are more than 250 years old; just one of the three (Amazing Grace) is younger than the U.S. Those are just the first of many examples I could give, but you probably get the point.

Our own hymnal contains words and music written by St. Francis of Assisi and Martin Luther. There are melodies based on chants that date back to the third century — only 200 years after the real life of Christ on this earth. The Nicene Creed (UMH 880) dates to back to A.D. 325, and we believe the Apostle’s Creed is even older.

Of course, one of the beautiful things about our hymnal is that it is 18

also a very living, fluent thing, changing and growing to include new “standards” like “Because He Lives” (UMH 364, 1971), and “Here I Am, Lord” (UMH 593, 1981).

When it comes to church history, doctrine and teaching, I believe the hymnal is second only to the Bible.

Some people attribute my affinity for traditional worship to my training as a classical musician. While I can’t deny it may play some part, it isn’t the only — or even the primary — reason why I find myself drawn to services that are more orthodox in nature.

When I open the hymnal, I see songs that are hundreds of years old, and I am moved beyond measure to know that I am singing words that were sung by generations of Christians who came before me.

When we recite the Apostle’s Creed, I am overwhelmed with the idea that I am connected by these words to the believers who recited them — not just hundreds, but thousands of years ago — long before I ever sat in a pew. And I can certainly testify to the power of the refrain, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow…” -Thomas Ken, which has been a declaration of joy in times of abundance, and a comforting promise in times of deep despair.

Traditional worship makes me feel connected to my brothers and sisters across the globe and across time.

This is one of the many reasons why I am puzzled by the assumption that all young people are abandoning traditional worship in favor of contemporary styles.

I know many young people and families who feel the way I do, who take comfort and find great inspiration in experiencing the music, the prayers, the creeds and many other elements of “traditional” worship.

But regardless of style, I believe the inclusion of elements like the creeds and the Lord’s Prayer are an important part of our faith. They connect us to generations of believers that came before us, and to those who will come after us.

And when I am asked, “What do you believe?”

I am hard-pressed to find a more succinct and simultaneously complete answer than:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

And on the flipside, I’ve met plenty of 50- to 80-yearold members who enjoy contemporary or “modern” worship styles. The important thing is that we experience corporeal worship — traditional or modern — because Jesus was clear that we are meant to experience life and live our faith in community.

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THE LEGACY OF WORSHIP

By Lisa Witcher

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All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children (Isaiah 54:13)

If we are church-goers, we find a church to attend.

If we are worshippers, we find a place that reminds us of the remarkable souls who shepherded us to Christ, or where we feel safe to be vulnerable so we can be in the presence of our God. Brad and Michelle Phillips and their children, a son, 9, and a daughter, 7, love Asbury’s Sunday morning 9:15 traditional service. The couple hails from smaller, traditional churches, and treasure childhood memories of their experiences there.

From the centuries-old hymns that tell stories of loss, salvation, hope and joy, to the sermons grounded in biblical text, Brad and Michelle find relevance for life in a 21st century world and make Sunday morning worship a priority for their family.

They value the multi-generational approach Asbury implements to reach each heart who walks through Asbury’s doors because they remember being a part of a family that prayed over them when they were young.

Tears well up in Michelle’s eyes as she recalls more than one Sunday school teacher who actively engaged in her young life. She knew she stood accountable to more than just her parents; more than one adult at her church carried high expectations for her.

Brad, as a young man knew, “… that everyone in that building cared for me and interceded for me.”

These are the memories and acts Brad and Michelle covet for their own children.

There are organic lessons about worship children inherently absorb when they sit in church with their parents, when they watch men and women who have earned the crown of maturity stand and sing, kneel and pray, or take communion on a weekly basis.

In worship, children learn commitment and endurance; they are exposed to the example that practicing the faith exists as a lifetime

act, it isn’t only seasonal or the result of an authority figure dragging them to church.

Children witness that coming to church is a choice, as is engaging with the music and the hymns.

They watch people hurt, they watch people pray. They observe others reach out to comfort those in distress and learn empathy. Their circle of influence is rich.

The Phillips believe worshipping as a family enables them and their children witness the legacy of worship that lives within a church family. The traditional service helps them recreate for their children what they had years ago when the world moved a bit slower and where communities knew each other.

Then at 11 am, mom and dad leave their children in a Sunday school class each child loves, and study with community they value. Their group traveled to Israel with Pastor Jay Henderson, and formed a community that has discipled and nurtured them after the common bond of seeing the Holy Land.

Additionally, the method of worship, its repetition and rhythm create excellent learning opportunities for young minds, the Phillips believe.

They are a busy family and chase competitive sport schedules for both kids, but one day is set aside, they say, “Sundays are for us.”

The couple’s life carries an intentional message as parents and mature believers. They gradually release the responsibility and commitment worship needs, allowing their own faith to strengthen and be touched by the sweet Spirit moving in the lives of the children they influence.

Most importantly, their message is: Worship is for life – when we are young and when we are grown, in the Alpha and in the Omega.

Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these -Matthew 19:14.

So important to raise the kids in church; kids sit in church with family – then Sunday school and community Recreating their own childhoods and what was important and how it shaped them for their kids.

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Come to the Table

By Stephanie Hurd

As I sat down to write this article I thought, “How do I explain something I don’t understand?”

The Lord’s Supper is an ancient, supernatural and cosmic mystery.

A mystery, by definition, is difficult or impossible to explain or understand. So, the bigger question is, “How do I explain something that can’t be explained?” Please, bear with me as I attempt to talk about it. I pray by God’s grace, He will grant us some measure of insight into the Lord’s Table so that He may take us deeper in our experience of it.

Jesus gave us a way to remember Him—a way to taste His goodness, to be unified with Him in His incarnation, to be nourished by His grace and to experience His real presence. The Lord’s Table is a sacred place where God and humanity meet, because Jesus Christ who is both

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human and divine, took the bread and the wine and declared: This is my body. This is my blood. Most of us understand these elements point us to Jesus’ sacrificial death for the reconciliation of the world. At the Table, we are united to Christ in His suffering. The bread and cup manifest God’s redeeming work in the world through Christ and His church by the power of His Spirit. But there is still more to it: The Table embodies and enacts the overarching narrative of Scripture, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” -John 3:16-17. The Table

embodies the whole story because it embodies the incarnation—the humanity and divinity of our LORD.

How Christ is “present” in the elements is a deep and sacred mystery (from which we get the word, “sacrament”). Methodists understand a sacrament as an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. The sacrament of Holy Communion helps us “remember” God’s whole story of creation, the incarnation, and the future re-creation when Christ returns to make all things new. This remembering is not an act of recall so much as it is an act of recounting. It is a recounting of the story that shapes us and empowers us. It is a recounting that gives us the hope and promise of eternal life. We do not bring meaning to the Table, we are transformed by the meaning the Table brings to us. Through the Table, we are united with the divine.

The late Robert Webber suggested we look at the bread and the wine from “within” God’s story, not from without (which we are prone to do):

What does the Table mean to us in practical terms?

(I hope that question is not too banal for so great a mystery, but I want to get at our partaking of it.) First, the supper table is a place of community. It is the place where relationships are built and stories are told. It is the center of the home and the family (at least it used to be). Jesus upheld the high value of the supper table as He was always sitting down to eat with friends and sinners alike. His story will culminate at a great banquet, a feast, a table set in heaven—a meal we have been invited to, by God’s grace. Until that day

comes, we remember Jesus and His story just as He prescribed. Each time we partake, we are getting a foretaste of the feast that is to come.

Being absolutely brilliant, Jesus gave us a remembrance that uses all five senses: Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. This is a living picture of the incarnation—of heaven and earth coming together and bringing life to everything it touches. We contemplate the story through the liturgy, we participate in the divine mystery through our senses, we are nourished and transformed and raised again through the meal—not in solitude —but in community with one another.

We are not called to understand it, but we are called to participate in it. The LORD invites us to

come to His Table, to taste and to see that He is good.

“The story says, ‘You do not live in a natural world explained by reason and science.’ The story says, ‘You live in a supernatural world of wonder and mystery. Stand in this world and receive the mystery of bread and wine. It discloses the goodness of creation and the union of the human and divine. Bread and wine embody the images of heaven and earth united and the future anticipated restoration of the whole world under Jesus. Be free from the constraints of reason and science and meet the true meaning of life in the mystery of these elements.’”

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NEED FOR THE CREED

By Pastor Jay Henderson Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself. -Irenaeus of Lyons

What do Christians believe?

One would think if people profess belief in a particular religion, they would at least know what they profess.

But many Christians in this day and age find the answer surprisingly elusive. Contributing to their confusion, over the centuries a fairly diverse range of Christian traditions and theological interpretations of scripture have developed. So, what should we say?

Fortunately, the early church developed a useful tool for knowing the fundamental and non-negotiable tenets of the Christian faith. We call them creeds.

Creed noun \’kred\ 1: a brief authoritative formula of religious belief 2: a set of fundamental beliefs; also: a guiding principle It might surprise you to know the church actually developed creeds to teach the main points of the faith before it compiled and approved the writings we now refer to as the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Remember, these were the early days of the Christian faith, and those early followers needed to have a concise way of communicating and teaching what this religion was all about.

We once again live in an age where one cannot assume people know even the most basic fundamentals of the Christian faith. And if we are 24

going to share the Good News about Jesus Christ and encourage people to follow Him, perhaps it is time to once again embrace the creeds of the church as a basic building block for the faith.

One of the most basic and ancient creeds of the church that every Christian should learn and know by heart is the Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick* and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic** church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. * Quick is an archaic way of saying “living.” **The word catholic with a lowercase “c” means universal.

We find the basic form of this creed showing up in texts as early as A.D. 150. This means it had already been formulated, refined and used in the worship of the church within one generation from Jesus Christ himself. Now, I have heard some people ask, “Why do we need creeds? After all, shouldn’t the Bible be enough?” That sounds nice, but in practice it has not worked out so well. History has shown that if people read scripture apart from the tradition of the church (the faith passed down from Jesus, to his disciples, to early followers, and on down to us) they can interpret it in all kinds of dangerously erroneous ways.

Actually, bad teaching was one of the reasons the church developed creeds in the first place. It did not take long in the history of Christianity before people started teaching interpretations wildly different from those of the apostles. In response, the early followers of Jesus laid out the core statements of belief that defined Christianity.

I like to think of the Apostles’ Creed kind of like a pair of glasses. When we read the

scriptures, we read them through the filter of the Creed so as to bring clarity and understanding to what we read. The Bible was written and compiled with these core beliefs in mind. In fact, one could almost say that the Bible was written to teach the Creed rather than the other way around.

One valid concern about the Apostles’ Creed that I think deserves some attention — it says nothing about loving others or loving God. It actually says nothing about how a Christian should behave at all. Truth be told, even Satan could recite the Apostles’ Creed in good conscience. The reason for this: It is a statement of belief, not of behavior. The Apostles’ Creed lines out basic facts. We must never forget that because of God’s gracious acts of love and salvation offered through the atonement of Jesus Christ, it should compel us to imitate our Savior in a self-same manner.

Now, when we recite the Apostles’ Creed in worship, I hope it will stir your spirit to know that we unite with the voices of Christians who have recited it for almost 2,000 years. May its truth inspire you and guide you in your witness as you carry forth the Good News and Help Others Follow Jesus.

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Sunday WORSHIP IMPACTS daily life

By Rob Loeber

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The end of summer was fast approaching. Jason Bradley and the other camp counselors at New Life Ranch decided to hold an impromptu worship service.

Over the last few months, they had served together and formed bonds with one another. Before parting ways, it was a chance to gather one last time to give thanks and praise to God for all He had done in their lives, and in the hearts of hundreds of kids who called the camp home for a portion of the summer.

Jason, who had been a Christian since the age of 7 and was no stranger to contemporary worship, had no way of knowing he was about to have an encounter with God he would remember forever. As he joined with the other counselors in singing “With Everything”

by Hillsong, the entire room – and the people inside the room – seemed to be transformed as their collective voices gathered strength.

Our hearts will cry Be glorified, Be lifted high, Above all names.

For You our King, With everything, We will shout forth your praise.

“It was the strongest I’ve ever felt God’s presence in a worship setting,” declared Bradley. “It felt like God was standing on the stage. All of our

hands reached toward the place where it seemed as though God was dwelling. It was one of those experiences I will never forget, and every time I hear that song, it takes me back to that exact moment.”

Many Christians can relate. Like Jason, they too can pinpoint a powerful moment of worship. Some may even profess to similar feelings on a weekly basis inside of their own church. One person might raise a

hand while another cries tears of joy, and still another stands quietly with closed eyes contemplating and internalizing every sound and every lyric. There may not be a universal formula for worship, but today’s Christians and today’s churches place a high priority on taking time to honor and glorify God. Now 29 and a member of Asbury since 2012, Jason understands not every song or service is going to elicit the same kind of emotional response or dramatic connection. He realizes worship experiences – even definitions of worship – can mean different things to different people. For Jason, he has discovered the impact worship can have on his daily journey as a believer, and he views worship as a crucial piece of his relationship with the Lord.

“It refreshes me, and it helps restore me,” Jason stated. “In my community group at Asbury, we were recently having a discussion about how God is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be enjoyed.

It is such a simple statement, but it really helped me to understand my purpose. To me, worship is uplifting and encouraging, but it is also a time when I can simply reflect on who God is and what He has done for me.”

A fan of Christian artists like Switchfoot, Needtobreathe, and David Crowder, Jason finds the upbeat, modern style of worship at the 11 am service on Sundays to be most in line with his tastes.

Although he would categorize worship preferences as something deeply personal for most believers, from his perspective, there is something incredibly powerful about participating in corporate worship.

“Whether it is 10 people or thousands of people worshiping around me, it feels like a glimpse of heaven,” Jason noted. “When I’m in the midst of people praising God together, my mind goes to what it will be like in heaven when we are surrounded by God’s glory.

It’s really impactful to be able to have that moment here on earth, and it reminds me of the joyful noise we’re going to hear when we get to heaven.”

Jason describes his own worship style as “reserved

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and reflective,” but no matter the personality type, he sees one of Asbury’s strengths as the ability to take something like worship – a large, broad, almost entirely subjective topic – and have it connect with people on a deeply personal level.

“There is something here for everyone,” he said.

“Asbury does a very good job of making a large, corporate worship service feel just as powerful as a small, more intimate worship experience. Regardless of who you are or where you are in your faith, I think you will find something to make you feel something.”

While singing praise to God may be what the majority of Christians picture when they think of worship, Jason has come to value other methods during his maturation as a Christ-follower.

Whether it is recognizing the beauty and complexity of God by looking at a sunrise, talking to God during the daily commute as if He is sitting in the passenger’s seat, or being disciplined about taking time to study and reflect on Scripture every morning, Jason looks at worship in his life as a commitment to a particular mindset. It is an attitude he carries with him throughout the ups, downs, triumphs and struggles in the day-to-day grind of life.

“Whatever I’m doing, I want to be sure I’m doing it for God,” remarked Jason.

“Helping others or taking time to serve those around me feels like an act of worship. Even showing kindness in small ways or taking advantage of opportunities to show my faith is giving something back to God by using the heart and talents He gave me to the best of my abilities. Representing Christ to whoever I might be interacting with is really important for me, and that in and of itself, can be an act of worship.”

There is one other element behind Jason’s motivation to give God glory. He knows God deserves it.

“I can point to times in my life where I lost sight of what is important, and I tried to do things on my own,” he said. “God showed me so much grace in those moments. At other times, He has answered my prayers. He has replaced my fears and worries with hope and peace. He healed me from some of my deepest anxieties. How could I ever question whether He is worthy of my thanks and praise? He has proven Himself to me so many times and worship is just one of the ways I can express my gratefulness.”

Ride around town with Jason and there is a good chance the song, “Multiplied” by Needtobreathe, will be blaring from his car speakers.

Your love is like radiant diamonds Bursting inside us we cannot contain.

Your love will surely come find us Like blazing wild fires singing Your name.

God of mercy sweet love of mine I have surrendered to Your design.

May this offering stretch across the skies And these Hallelujahs be multiplied.

The song is short and simple, but for Jason, it serves as perfect reminder of God’s extravagant, amazing love.

It is just one example of a powerful God making a personal connection with one of His children.

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8 AM:

A COMFORTABLE FIT

By Howard Dunlap Paul and Anisa Kawaoka have been regular attendees at Asbury for the past four years. On the majority of Sunday mornings Paul and Anisa can be found attending the 8 am traditional worship service as members of its loyal congregation.

Getting up a little earlier than the majority of Asburians is not a burden for the young family; the Kawaokas have found their ideal niche within the larger church.

When the Kawaokas joined Asbury, their priority was to find a community that provided a comfortable fit.

Paul and Anisa chose Covenant, a well-established community of couples in their 30s and 40s with children.

Covenant meets at 9:15. Once Paul and Anisa had made that important connection, it was an easy decision to start their Sunday worship experience at 8 am.

approaching his second birthday. He attends Asbury’s child care on Sunday morning. Anisa marvels at the fact, “… he has been under the care of the same two teachers every Sunday since he was an infant.”

The couple’s 6-year-old daughter, Aliah, with her long, brown hair pulled neatly behind her back, typically can be observed toting her coloring pad and colored pens to church, where she attends worship with her parents.

Her father relates observing his daughter’s coloring pad as the service concludes. “More often than not, it reveals a colored rendition of Pastor Tom’s sermon notes and drawings copied straight from his easel,” Paul said.

Drawn to a traditional style of worship, the first service of the day provided the family of four a perfect fit.

Under the steeple of Mason Chapel, the Kawaokas have discovered the comfort and intimacy typically provided by a small church. Anisa commented that at Asbury, the sermon is the same whether you attend the early service in the chapel or one of the later services in the much larger sanctuary.

Another early-church tradition the Kawaoka’s look forward to is partaking in communion every week.

Repetition can be a positive, as Paul and Anisa were surprised recently to hear their little kindergartner reciting from memory — not only the traditional creeds — but the call and response liturgy for communion as well.

Standing together as a family singing the traditional hymns, seeing familiar faces and greeting friends and acquaintances are just a few more Sunday morning blessings the Kawaokas receive from attending early worship.

“We also like 8 am because it feels like you are in a small congregation, even though Asbury is a very large church,” she said. “Everyone who attends at 8 … knows or at least recognizes each other.”

Paul and Anisa’s two children have been baptized in the chapel during the early service. Their son, Danyal, is

“We also like to get out early to beat the crowds for when we eat out afterwards!” Paul adds.

But if you ask Aliah, one of the greatest benefits to attending at 8 am is you will immediately have a lot of new grandparents! If you don’t know what she means, you’ll have to visit the chapel early some Sunday morning.

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AMAZING GRACE –

HYMN FOR THE AGES

BY PASTOR GUY AMES No hymn compares in familiarity with John Newton’s beloved “Amazing Grace.”

Estimates suggest performers and congregations sing and play this hymn millions of times each year. For more than 250 years, Christians and non-Christians alike have responded with reverence to Newton’s biographical hymn.

Newton, born in 1725 at London, England, grew up under the basic religious teaching of his mother.

Her simple teaching and occasional Bible reading helped to instill a simple, but positive understanding of the Christian faith. When Newton was 7, his mother died from tuberculosis leaving him without a strong moral or religious influence.

His father owned and operated a shipping firm, part of which gained revenue from the significant slave trade of the 18th century.

At the age of 11, Newton’s father put him to work traveling on ships under the influence of sailors. He became incorrigible and so undisciplined that his father finally put him into naval service as a teen.

The Royal Navy did not deter his bad behavior and he finally deserted, was later caught and put into irons, chains and beaten severely. His generally 30

unruly attitude eventually forced his sale to a slave trader. His father sent a mercenary ship to rescue him, and in 1747 he took work on the ship, Greyhound. He became known as one of the crudest, coarsest men the captain had ever occasioned.

While traveling in the North Atlantic, a hurricane-like storm engulfed the ship and threatened to capsize the vessel: frightened, young John lashed himself to a mast. Only a week earlier he had taken up reading Thomas a Kempis’ 15th century devotional classic, “Imitation of Christ,” and in the midst of the storm he recalled a passage from a Kempis about the “uncertainness of life.” He also remembered a text from Proverbs 1: 24-26, “Because I have called and you refused to listen … I will laugh at your calamity.” In fear and genuine humility, the young John experienced a sincere, spiritual awakening.

Newton never fully returned to his old self; he had taken his first step toward God. Continuing in the shipping business, he served as a first mate and later as a captain, doing his best to promote a more kind and godly approach to both crew and slaves.

After 12 years, he returned to London working in the shipping office holding regular Bible studies.

His spiritual hunger led him to preaching services

with John and Charles Wesley and their evangelist friend, George Whitfield. He eventually sold his shipping company and became an ordained Anglican priest. He took his first parish in 1764 in the village of Olney, and never spoke of the horrors of the slave trade with which he had been gainfully employed.

Famed poet William Cowper moved to Olney and encouraged Newton in his writing. Within a few years Newton started weekly prayer services writing a new hymn for each service. Encouraging Cowper to do the same, they soon created quite a hymnal. Publishing the “Olney Hymns” in 1769 with 348 of their own compositions, they introduced their famous hymns, “Amazing Grace” and “There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood.”

During this same time young William Wilberforce began spending summers with his aunt and uncle in Olney. Newton’s preaching and influence found a tender place in young Wilberforce’s heart and mind until his mother, a staunch Anglican who disliked Newton’s influence, stopped allowing these trips.

While at Cambridge, Wilberforce befriended William Pitt, a rising young political star who encouraged him to consider politics. At 21, Wilberforce won a seat to Parliament and three years later William Pitt became England’s youngest-ever prime minister.

While touring Europe with family and friends, he began remembering the spiritual teaching of his youth. Recommitting his life to Christ, and began praying about the possibility of giving his life to missionary service.

Reaching out to his old mentor he sought advice about his “missionary calling.” Father Newton encouraged William to serve God as a member of Parliament. Newton, recognizing the passion of this young Christian, eventually shared his own story of the depravity of his youth and God’s intervention.

Deeply moved, Wilberforce encouraged him join him in speaking against the ungodly slave trade. Newton initially refused to let people know the part he had once played, but in 1787, he agreed and submitted his “Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade,” in order to support Wilberforce’s campaign against the trade.

In his 65th year Newton finally gained his voice speaking against “a business which my heart now shudders,” and was joined by another prominent Anglican priest in the battle. Father

John Wesley wrote his final letter to Wilberforce just eight days before his own death in 1791: …Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils.

But if God before you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it….That he who has guided you from youth up may continue to strengthen you in this and all things, is the prayer of, dear sir, Your affectionate servant, John Wesley.

The bill failed each year for 15 years. Weeks after the new year, 1807, only months before his death, old Father John witnessed Parliament’s passage of the abolition of slave trade in all the United Kingdom.

His journey of “Amazing Grace” helped bring about The Slave Trade Act of February 24, 1807.

Who could have imagined God’s work those many years earlier with a crude and angry young man fighting across the Atlantic with such hate and cruelty? With such blood on his hands, who could imagine God’s grace had the power to reach this black heart? Who might have foreseen the “coincidence” of a slave trader turned priest landing in the same village as a boy still grieving the loss of his father, needing a new spiritual father? What about the “coincidence” of this same boy developing a friendship with a teen who would be the prime minister of England? Only the amazing grace of God through Jesus Christ can so change a heart, forgive such blackness and use that heart to change history.

When we sing those familiar words of “Amazing Grace,” we might also better understand why – through tears of grief – Fr. John Newton would write, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I’m free…Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

(For an inspirational view of part of this story, find the 2006 film version of Wilberforce’s life, “Amazing Grace,” starring Ian Gruffudd as Wilberforce and Albert Finney as John Newton.)

“John Newton, Reformed Slave Trader” from “Christian History: Christianity Today” (Issue 81: John Newton: Author of Amazing Grace, 2004.) https://www.christianitytoday.com/ history/people/pastorsandpreachers/john-newton.html The Abolition Project, John Newton (1725-1807): The Former Slaver & Preacher http://abolition.e2bn.org/people_35.html “William Wilberforce”. Wikipedia.

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SPOTTING

FAITH

BY LISA WITCHER

“God is the one who created the heavens and the earth and lets you live eternally,” Laci Martin’s sweet voice confidently answered my question when I asked her what she would say about God to a person who didn’t know Him. What simple joy her answer evoked. Often, listening to children talk about the simplicity of their faith renews my spirit.

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Laci is a polite 10-year-old who is still mastering her round-off back-handspring in gymnastics. To master a round-off back-handspring, a little faith is required.

Generally, gymnasts who are first learning the skill work with a “spotter,” someone who will hold a hand out to support the athlete’s back or assist with the final rotation of the gymnast’s legs. An athlete working to acquire this skill must trust her legs, her arms, her core muscles — and in the beginning — the spotter.

Only 8 months into her life with Christ, Laci spoke with assured innocence telling me about her decision to ask Jesus into her heart. She accepted Christ without any fear, jumping straight up just like she does to perform her back-handspring. Laci visited regularly with Pastor Jay Henderson in his office, and remembers reading scripture and talking about who God is and what He wants for her life.

Parents want the assurance that their As parents, we pray for the adults, the spotters, in our lives to be kind, influential and life-changing; children have found God, His promises, children’s however, when they pour into our children so much His security and His comfort for all that a young heart offers, “I trust her. I can of the days life will bring. Laci’s mom and tell her anything,” we are filled with a dad, Ginny and Jason Martin, credit Asbury for an gratefulness we struggle to describe. environment that intricately and intentionally builds a pathway for their children to find and follow Christ.

Though raised in a church, Ginny did not experience the same kind of love she feels Asbury offers. Her gratitude for that love, that gentle hand, the family atmosphere they experience caused Ginny to pause as she spoke, “it’s so full of love and we are just … so thankful.”

“Asbury doesn’t just talk about God; they make it interesting. Sunday School is interactive,” Laci explained.

“Miss Bonnie,” as Lacey affectionately calls her Sunday school teacher, holds a special place in the young lady’s life. “She means the most to me. I could talk to her about anything.”

Yes, learning and worshiping the “creator of the heavens and the earth” is interactive and interesting at Asbury. The teacher in me offered a quiet “thank you” for a God who created sweet souls who give their Sunday mornings to provide that — adults who care but who also create learning experiences that cause our young people to hunger for heavenly knowledge about He who gives, as Laci says, “eternal life.”

The Martins, as parents and as a family unit, have done their part to build that intricate, intentional pathway to Christ, as well – attending Family Camp at New Life Ranch as father and son or daddy and daughter.

Experiencing camp as a family gave the kids a courage and desire to attend on their own in the summer, taking church friends with them and meeting new friends there. Jason and Ginny have modeled that — as believers — we seek a relationship with Christ, purposely.

Ginny’s gratefulness for Asbury’s mission in the lives of her children ended our conversation. With a wisdom only a mother can have, she knows children will need the haven of faith Asbury forges within her son and daughter; she knows they will need more than one spiritual spotter.

May we all pray that those holy moments Laci spent visiting and reading scripture with Pastor Jay and the Sunday mornings with Miss Bonnie will become sturdy roots to the foundation, to the core, of a life-long faith as Laci masters not just her round-off back-handspring but growing, knowing and loving a God who created not just the heavens and the earth – but also, a very precious Laci.

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JORDAN JAYCEE GARRETT AND

BY PASTOR ANDREA STEPHENS

“Jaycee, do you know where my black leggings could be? I’ve looked everywhere,” Jordan Garrett asked her younger sister, Jaycee, both students at Regent Preparatory School.

used to be the game room, so they could spend more time together before Jordan moves into the next stage of her life as a college student at OSU next fall.

“Oh yeah, I wore them yesterday and forgot to put them back,” Jaycee responded from her room as she returned the item missing in action.

While a typical senior would just be tolerating her little sister, Jordan has a completely different take on the situation. “This is my last year with

“OK, no problem. And hey, can I wear your Adidas shoes to worship practice tonight?”

“Sure,” Jaycee responded, carrying her newest pair of shoes for her older sister to borrow.

Most sisters would find this situation totally annoying, but for Jordan and Jaycee Garrett, borrowing each other’s clothes is a normal, everyday occurrence. But it’s not just clothes and shoes that they share. Their dogs Delilah and Maggie May are also on the list of things that get swapped between these two young women. Oh yes, and a bedroom!

OK, wait. Most sisters, especially one in 8th grade and one a senior, don’t willingly share a bedroom. Yet Jordan and Jaycee made the decision about a 6 months ago to put their wardrobes together in one room and move their beds into what 34

Jaycee. I really want to pour into her life, setting an example for her, encouraging her and seeing her faith grow.” Jordan has found that one of the best ways to do this is sitting on their beds having late-night, sister talks about the things of life.

Jordan has been there to offer advice on friends, cute boys, homework and volleyball. She regularly writes notes and scriptures in Jaycee’s journal to be found later during Jaycee’s devotional time with the Lord.

She has watched her sister take hold of her relationship with Jesus over the last year and it has meant the world to her.

You see, Jaycee was pursuing her interest in figure skating and could be found at the ice rink most nights during the week. She was dedicated to her double axels until she was diagnosed with micro fractures in her lower back.

After a year of therapy and the reality that her skating dreams were over, Jaycee found

herself asking, “Why, God?”But instead of getting bitter and blaming God, she began to attend the student ministry program on Wednesday and Sunday nights. One scripture that has become her favorite, helped her to see that sports are a temporary pursuit, but the things of God are forever.

James 1:2–3 says “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.

For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” (NLT) This verse is taped to her mirror as a reminder to put her faith first. Attending church and youth group at Asbury makes this possible. Though quite shy, she eventually began to make friends and today can’t imagine life without Wednesday night youth group, Sunday evening small group, and her fellow 8th graders who just went through confirmation class together.

“I learned so much about being a Jesus-follower and a Methodist. Before I didn’t know what I believed, but now I do.” Confirmation class proved to be a gamechanger for Jaycee. She learned about the Trinity, how the Bible came to be, prayer, dealing with doubt, how to share her faith story, spiritual gifts and more. One of her “ah-ha” moments came when she heard Pastor Andrea (OK, that’s me) share her story and Jaycee realized that what we want is not always in God’s plan for us. Thus, the dashing of her skating

her and I burst into tears! It’s like my heart exploded. I was so excited for her and this very mature decision she was making. I felt a joy that was indescribable and was overcome with emotion,” Jordan said.

But that was not the only time she was overcome with emotion.

When baptism day arrived, Jaycee was in the water wearing a white robe and there by her side was Jordan—in tears. This was a memorable lifemarker for both of them.

With only a short time before her high school graduation, Jordan is focused on continuing to be a mentor to her sister. She is a co-leader in a middleschool small group, she helps lead worship during the 11 o’clock Modern Worship Service and Wednesday Night Worship (Youth), and she continues to do her best to give Jaycee advice that is Christ-centered. Her personal pursuit this year has been to lead by love. Her go-to scripture recently has been 1 Peter 4:8 which says, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” She understands that when she intentionally loves others, it is much harder to sin, so this is her focus in life and in her relationship with Jaycee.

dreams took on a new perspective.

She also learned what it really means to be a member of the church instead of a regular attender. She was ready to pray for the church and offer her presence, gifts, service and witness. Then, came time to do the one thing she had been wanting to do all year— baptism! She met with Pastor Jay and came away with a greater understanding of the symbolism of this sacrament. When this very special day arrived, there was one person she wanted by her side at the baptismal font. Her sister, Jordan.

“Before she asked me, I heard from Mark and Shelby (middle-school leaders) that Jaycee wanted me with

Both girls took part in Spring Break Missions. Jaycee was at Beverly, Ky., service through Red Bird Missions.

Jordan went to Guatemala serving at Hope for Tomorrow Orphanage and doing a work project which she said, “had something to do with cement.”

When they returned, these car-riding, music-listening, movie-going, clothes-sharing sisters had even more to talk about late into the night sitting on their beds in their room.

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COMING TO FAITH

By Parker and Mary Smith

Mary’s story …

The third time our neighbors asked us to go to church with them was an Easter Sunday.

Feeling somewhat obligated and afraid they would not want to talk to us after another declined invitation, we said yes. After a short discussion with the kids about why we were up early and getting dressed up, we piled in the van.

The church was very close to our house, so I didn’t have time to prepare myself for the first worship service I had attended in quite some time. It was loud, flashy and was decidedly not what I had experienced growing up. Yet the message was still there.

He is Risen! He is Risen for you!

Although I had considered myself Christian for the past 20 years, I had a strong desire to rekindle my relationship with Christ.

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I was raised Catholic, attending church every Sunday with little exception. At some point after moving out of my childhood home, I fell away from attending. I don’t have a big story, tragedy or even a small excuse.

I believed in God, but finding my own church was always at the end of my list of priorities. My first teaching job was overwhelming and time-consuming.

Life continued, moving to different cities, making new friends, getting married and having kids. Funny how 20 years can fly by when you aren’t paying attention.

Parker and I had always discussed finding a church to attend as a family.

Having very different experiences growing up, we agreed we wanted something other than what we had already known. The discussions became a little more serious when we decided to grow our family and more frequent after we brought each bundle of joy home with us.

In 2017, we moved to Tulsa and all the same things kept happening; the couples down the street mentioning to the family on the corner our boys were the same age; setting up playdates, being asked to church multiple times before accepting and the

birthday party at this huge church called “Ashbury.”

The little nudges, the coincidences seemingly happenstance began to add up, gently pushing us to finally find our faith as a family.

We made a short list of churches we wanted to visit, with Asbury being second on the list. We never did get past that. The kids loved the children’s program and all the amazing staff and volunteers involved, and I felt very comfortable with the message and teachings of Asbury. After a very short discussion (considering all the time we talked about finding a church), Parker and I decided to commit to our church family and faith on his father’s birthday. I’ve never met Parker’s father; Ray passed before we met.

I can’t help but imagine Ray was watching with me as Parker was baptized and watching both of us as we took our membership vows later in that same service.

Parker’s story …

Until a little over a year ago, I hadn’t attended church with any regularity for 25 years. I called myself Christian, but I was Christian only in a superficial, cultural sense. What did I actually believe? I’m not sure. Mostly, I avoided the question. I pushed it to the back of my mind. I was always too busy or to distracted to dwell on that metaphysical “stuff.”

However, when my wife Mary suggested we try Asbury one Sunday last spring, I was open to it. We have young children (Isabella, Alexander and Dexter) and we agreed to raise them with traditional values, so attending a church was sort of the default option.

I figured they’d meet the right kind of kids at Asbury.

I also recalled that my father, who died when I was young, was Methodist. Finally, Asbury is a splendid sight aesthetically! Such were my criteria to visit Asbury that first week.

I recall the sermon that first visit was on the Book of Ruth. I was impressed. The worship, the music, the sermon stirred my emotions in ways I didn’t recall from my youth.

The children embraced Asbury right away and so we began attending most Sundays. It didn’t happen overnight but soon enough I began to read scripture and pray most days. Mary was more confident in her faith and I think she was seeing signs that we were

charting the right path.

As the weeks passed, I desired the Christian Hope.

However, I hesitated. The analytical, lawyer part of my mind was still skeptical. I wondered: Is this just an emotional appeal or can it be true? Are the stories just another collection of myths? Why does God want a personal relationship with any person, let alone me?

I had many other questions, but I was generally too embarrassed to approach and interrogate Asbury’s pastors. However, I did rely on the reason and experience of others. It turns out, quite a few people much smarter than I had wrestled with my questions long before it had ever even occurred to me to ask them. There are persuasive answers if you seek them.

And I did.

I found myself spending many hours reading through the works of popular Christian apologists such as C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel and Gary Habermas. I was stunned to learn that the New Testament accounts are considered quite reliable in historical terms. How amazing!

That lead me to read through Acts and the Gospels with new eyes and for the first time I felt divine inspiration in the words. I read and prayed. Finally, I believed in Him. Not long thereafter, I found myself in Pastor Tom Harrison’s office for a “meet and greet.” I awkwardly asked if he would baptize me. That’s how on a warm morning last fall, the day before my 41st birthday, I arrived at Asbury with a gym bag slung over my shoulder. Mary and our three children followed me upstairs to the baptistry. Once there, I was directed to a changing room. I put on the robe while trembling with nervous energy. Pastor Tom arrived and we made small talk as the orchestra and choir played below.

Then, it was time. I stepped into the baptismal tub. As my family looked on from the baptistry we learned about the sacrament of Baptism. Then, sometime around 9:30 am on Sept. 23, 2018, I was immersed in the water and emerged born again as a believer in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. My journey to follow Him had begun.

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Infused with Gratitude

By Pastor Andrea Stephens Worship at Celebrate Recovery is intentional. In fact, you can’t have a CR program at your church without worship.

It is a required component and understandably so.

According to Asbury’s CR Director Glen Grusendorf, the music is not just a nice way to start the evening. Worship focuses the heart on Jesus—who He is and what He has done for us through His life, death and resurrection. The main goal of CR is to “help you have a better relationship with Jesus than you do on the day you walk through that door and to let Him work in you.” Worship helps to facilitate this.

Scripture tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people; He is attracted to and draws near to a person engaged in heartfelt worship. The Holy Spirit is at work during these times and it is often physically evident through hand-claps of joy, dancing, toe-tapping and arms raised in surrender (surrender, the first step in a changed life).

The first time she went to Celebrate Recovery was to audition for the worship team. Angie Cockrell had been on worship teams in the past as a leader, but this audition was to be a member of the band; to sing every once in a while, just to be helpful to them. She arrived at the church, found the CLC and walked into the room with a twinge of fear and intimidation. The last time she was on a worship team, things did not go well. Angie had been hurt by things said and done to her, so she eventually stepped away from the team. But a few years down the road found her depressed and struggling with several life issues. A friend suggested she try out for the worship team at Celebrate Recovery in an effort to lift her spirit since worship always brought her joy. But would this experience be different for her?

Thank God, it was. Angie joined the team, which she now leads, and has been there faithfully week after week for the past nine years.

Angie also helps lead worship at Asbury’s modern and chapel services on Sunday mornings. Her passion and love for the Lord are obvious. She is all in. This approach in worship is contagious—especially at Celebrate Recovery. So how is it different? Why are people visually 38

moved by the music? What is happening inside of them when you see a stream of tears or hands raised high toward heaven? Perhaps it can be summed up in two words: gratitude and intentionality.

Angie explains the song selection has much to do with what happens in a person’s life at CR. First of all, fast, upbeat music is a must. It has a way of lifting spirits, heightening expectancy and bringing hope after a long or hard day. It gets them in the right frame of mind and encourages the heart. Second, the lyrics are declarations of who they are in Christ, “we are chosen not forsaken, I am who You say I am. (Hillsong Worship)” They are reminders of who God is and how He works in our lives.

“When I walk through the waters, I won’t be overcome.

When I go through the river, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way, so I am not afraid” (Not Afraid by Jesus Culture).

Lyrics are used to teach that God’s love is perfect—not that we have to be perfect to be loved; that the Holy Spirit empowers us to be overcomers as we trust God and put our faith in Him—one day at a time; that He equips us to get through our days as we live in deeper dependence on Him, knowing that Jesus is with us inside our storms.

The truths spoken of in song help dismantle the wall of self-protection one has built around the heart as a form of self-protection from any more hurts their world tries to inflict.

Angie shared one profound effect of CR worship after she introduced herself as a grateful believer in Jesus Christ who struggled with life issues.

“After worship, a lady came up to me and said it was her first time there. Because she was suicidal, someone had directed her to CR. She said she didn’t want to be there, and it was difficult for her to even lift her head up and stop crying but when she heard me introduce myself the way I did, it gave her strength,” Angie said.

“She said as I began to lead in worship, it broke something in her. She started to come every week, got involved in a small group, then a 12-step study. I see her all the time in

CR, worshipping, serving and leading others. God has transformed her and her family. This is what worship does!”

All of this is intentional. It also heightens one’s expectancy during worship.

Gratitude is another identifying word of CR worship.

It is infused with a thankful attitude. Tim Tibbles recently filled in to lead worship at CR. Did he sense a difference? Absolutely.

“It reminds me of the story in Luke 7 where Jesus is having dinner in the home of a Pharisee when a woman of ill repute comes in with her alabaster jar of ointment and pours it on Jesus’ feet, while kissing His feet and wiping them with her hair. The Pharisee degrades the woman for her actions, but Jesus praises her for her act of worship.”

The woman was a known sinner whom Jesus pronounced as forgiven then sent her away with a blessing of peace.

“People who have been forgiven much tend to rejoice and worship with a greater celebration that stems from a heart of gratitude,” Tim added.

Those who dig in and work the Celebrate Recovery program come to understand the love of Jesus, His forgiveness of their past sin, and the freedom they can now live in. This produces gut-honest gratitude, which shows up in the way they worship.

Some people mistakenly think that CR is for those who are weak and broken, when in actuality, CR is for those who are brave. At the very least, they are the ones willing to admit that life isn’t going well and they need change. They are the ones willing to show up week after week and engage in a 9-month small group study that requires vulnerability yet is the process that brings healing to the heart and soul by mending one’s relationship with God, self and others. All of this brings change. And the change brings gratitude—gratitude that is strong enough to help overcome hurts, habits, hang-ups.

Celebrate Recovery. Worship that is intentional, infused with gratitude, and enhanced with expectancy and hope. Come check it out on Monday nights in the CLC. It just might be what you’ve been looking for.

I attended CR after my divorce nearly 5 years ago. A friend suggested it might help with the forgiveness issues and depression I was struggling with. She was right. One of the main things I found transformational was learning the entire Serenity Prayer. The first few lines are well- known, but the rest of the prayer gives direction and perspective we all need.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

-Reinhold Niebuhr 39

GRATITUDE AND

SERMON JOURNAL

By Pastor Tom Harrison

When Jesus told the anxious Martha there was “only one thing that was needed,” it was for her to pay attention to Him and His word. Indeed, there’s nothing more important for us than paying attention to the word of Jesus.

This gave me the opportunity to give a sermon overview and application along with a daily supply of scripture readings anchored to the main text of the message. The journals provide space for us to write what we learn and hear from God.

I heard a tremendously popular college professor, Dr. Rufus Fears, give a presentation on Winston Churchill.

I didn’t have pen or paper, so started to take notes on my phone. Dr. Fears presumed I was preoccupied elsewhere. He stopped his presentation, looked at me, and spoke to the others in the room about what he was observing: “It used to be that when I would speak, people would pay attention to what I was saying and not play on their phones.”

Taking notes IS flattering. When I’m not preaching on Sunday morning, I bring my Bible, journal and a pen to write down what I hear in the sermon. It’s amazing how easily distracted I am. Journaling helps me focus and retain.

What I considered a great source of flattery (taking notes on what he was saying) was misunderstood.

That was a good lesson for me, as a speaker, to remember – I never truly know what is going on in someone’s head. (By the way, I kept taking notes – he was a brilliant man.)

Some years ago, I purchased a “one year” Bible.

Unfortunately, my attempt at discipline collapsed and I never made it through the Bible in a year. I’m all for the concept, however – it just didn’t connect with me.

Since “imitation is the best form of flattery,” I hijacked the idea and applied it to sermons. Since I had already been in the habit of planning sermon series a year in advance, breaking the year into three or four journals was easy.

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While people may think of it like a diary, it is intended to be more of a study-help throughout the week. It becomes a dialogue with what scripture is describing and an open-ended invitation for our participation.

Because we live in a grumpy culture, we added the word “gratitude” to it, too. My favorite people have a central trait – they are grateful, humble people. An old song goes, “Count your blessings name them one-byone.” Gratitude lifts our hearts. We have so much to be grateful for as followers of Jesus. We want to be intentional in our gratitude.

Asbury invests a lot of time and effort in creating the journal but anything worthwhile is hard. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said, “I am a man of one book” (the Bible). Studying the Bible and journaling about it are concrete ways for us to pay attention to the Lord. Taking notes on what He is saying to us through His word is more than “flattery,” it is God-honoring, spiritually nourishing and wise.

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9 1 0 2

June 18-21 from 9 am – 12:30 pm

VBS 2019 is going to be considerably large; not small or tiny, but huge, ginormous – BIG! Join us for “BIG” VBS as we have colossal fun in crafts, games, music, missions, live shows, and worship!

Register at myasburytulsa.org. Friend requests and T-shirts can be guaranteed if you register by June 9. For more information, please contact Shanon Brown at 918.392.1170 or sbrown@asburytulsa.org 41

MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES

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60 Ron & Jackie Carter

Lee & Virginia Flowers

55 John & Sue Fisher

Jack & Glenda Hinton

Ed & Leslie Lusk

Roger & Moe Westfall

60 John & Betty Jo Vogel

50

55

55 Henry & Mari Migliore

60

60

Stu & Jeannie Stephens

50 Nick & Patti Krismer

30 Greg & Penny Johnson

65 YEARS Roger & Joyce Clark

50 YEARS 5/8/54

60 YEARS Lee & Virginia Flowers Ron & Jackie Carter Ken & Lou Johnson Jack & Glenda Hinton John & Betty Jo Vogel Ed & Leslie Lusk

4/18/59 4/24/59 5/1/59 6/27/59 5/29/59 6/17/59

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30 YEARS 5/30/69 5/31/69

45 YEARS Bob & Leann Walter

40 YEARS Sue & John Bayliss John & Marti Curzon

4/4/64 5/29/64 6/27/64

Arley & Barbara Brewer Larry & Jana Annett

Greg & Penny Johnson Brad & Tracy Rinehart

4/8/89 6/24/89

15 YEARS 5/17/74

3/29/79 6/23/79

35 YEARS

55 YEARS Henry & Mari Migliore Roger & Moe Westfall John & Sue Fisher

Nick & Patti Krismer Stu & Jeannie Stephens

5/5/84 5/26/84

Matt & Tracy Emmons

5/1/04

NEW MEMBERS

Rae Annis

Debbie Axsom

Phil and Sandy Black

Jack and Sandy Bloss

Mike and Lori Collins

Gordon Daniel

Chris and Terry DeBord

Tommy and Angie with Thomas & Taylor Ganem

Robin and Kay Gooldy

Brent and Carla Hagar

Ron and Margaret Hammond

Misty with Jaxson Maxton & Joslynn Hicks

John and Brenda Hull

Braxton and Cassie Kee

Lona Lindgren

Todd and Stacia Lipe

James & Cindy McCoy

Mary Neal

Patrick & Darlene with Connor Schiffli

Curtis and Lynne Smith

John and Kayla with Katelynn Stacy

Perri Voge

DEATHS Anna Wortham Died 11-30-2018 Wife of Ed Wortham, Mother of Brian (& Debora) Wortham

James (Jim) Roberson Died 2-3-2019 Father of Tanya (& Monty) McGee

Ed Haynes Died 1-5-2019 Husband of Peggy Anne Haynes

Virginia (Dinny) Wood Died 2-6-2019 Wife of James Wood

Frances Jamieson Died 1-11-2019 Mother of Jill (& David) Looney

Jeff Cline Died 2-7-2019 Husband of Nancy Cline

Patty Lohrenz Died 1-21-2019 Wife of Marold Lohrenz

Calvin (Cal) Brusewitz Died 2-8-2019 Husband of Doris Brusewitz

Oliver Ray Miller Died 2-12-2019 Husband of Joanne Miller Bettye Knight Died 2-12-2019 Mother of Jimmy Knight Joe Limes Died 3-10-2019 Father of Andy Limes Joyce Lyons Died 3-16-2019 Mother of Cindy Lyons

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Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Tulsa OK Permit #2439

As the Site Coordinator/Enrollment Advisor for our new Tulsa Extension Site, I’m proud to be the person here to answer your questions about seminary opportunities. Asbury Theological Seminary is a mission-driven institution committed to providing education that engages and enriches both head and heart. Asbury Seminary is about more than academic excellence; it’s about spiritual formation and Christ-centered community.

With programs spanning from Master of Arts in Leadership to Biblical Studies, Theological Studies, Christian Ministry, counseling and more, Asbury Seminary has a lot to offer both vocational and bi-vocational individuals.

Hybrid courses allow for maximum program accessibility to those with families, careers, and other responsibilities.

By blending our online format with a handful of face-to-face meetings at the site, hybrid courses provide an opportunity for community with classmates and the instructor, as well as convenience throughout the semester as you learn from home.

With five years of experience in higher education, I am overjoyed to come alongside the Asbury Theological Seminary team and assist you with discovering opportunities that will enhance the manner in which you feel equipped to answer God’s call on your life.

Learn more Call: 918.392.4590 Email: allison.gardner@asburyseminary.edu

asburyseminary.edu