FOUR THINGS

March 17, 2024March 16, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

As I have been in my place of contemplation during the days of my Mom’s hospice care, I have come to realize that as a minister I am focused on four things.

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The first focus of this part of my work is prayer. By prayer I mean five to six hours a day of deep abiding prayer. It has become my call and when I miss one of my prayer sessions I feel it.

The second focus of this work is the study of the Word of God, the Bible, and teaching it.

The third focus of this part of my ministry, is congregational visitation. One of the directives I feel God has set for me is to sit with every congregational member in an order for the purpose of encouraging and giving spiritual direction. This is not hospital visitation or counseling it is not crisis intervention. I feel I will be writing more about my ideas concerning crisis visiting in the future. In fact I am making a note of it right now. Suffice it to say, that crisis visits are a part of my work but not a focus of it. My focus is just visiting and being in the lives of the church body. Being a rather severe introvert I am surprised by how much I am enjoying this focus of the ministry.

The final focus of my work just now is leadership development. My desire is to see a second tier of leaders raised up in Cornerstone to replace those aging out of leadership (including myself) and to fill the slots of growing outreach in the community.

As my coach says, “What you say ‘Yes’ to automatically makes you say ‘No’ to other things.” So this is what I need to say yes to. It is what I have been saying yes to during the last three years and as I launch into the deep beyond THIS NEW THRESHOLD, I feel like I will be saying yes to these four things in an ever increasing measure.

WHAT IS YOUR BURNING YES?

The Watches Of the Night

March 7, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord

who minister by night in the house of the Lord.

2Lift up your hands in the sanctuary

and praise the Lord.

3May the Lord bless you from Zion,

he who is the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 134

Mom’s health is now at a place where someone is with her in her room or the next room 24/7. As I write, Brenda and I are working remotely with our ministries from the table just outside Mom’s room while she watches Jessica Fletcher from her hospital bed. She has just had her morning meds and is slowly falling back to sleep, which she does a lot these days.

I generally have the night watch. I sleep really well in the recliner at the foot of Mom’s bed (an ability no one else in my family shares).

Mom is usually up at least one time in the night if not twice. This has radically changed my sleep schedule and that has blessed me greatly. One of the things I have always wanted to implement in my prayer life was the Benedictine rhythm of prayer: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline.

I have managed to implement the sessions but not in their proper time slots…that is… not until this season of life.

Mom’s nighttime schedule has made it very easy to get up and pray for Matins and Lauds. I have to say, spreading out the hours of prayer into more evenly spaced sessions has made the prayer-life balance so much richer. Life flows out of prayer, then life flows back into prayer. One of my hopes is that I will be able to establish this rhythm permanently and naturally into my life.

PREPARE TO PRACTICE COMPASSION PT. 3

March 4, 2024March 5, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

THIS YEAR OUR CONGREGATION IS FOCUSING ON DEVELOPING 7 PRACTICES ARRIVED AT THROUGH A SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE BOILED DOWN INTO SOMETHING WE HAVE DUBBED THE CONGREGATIONAL SENTENCE, WHICH SAYS … “Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare you Spirit (come out of the decay of your strongholds). Prepare your Souls(Prepare to practice and feel compassion). Prepare your facility (your structures, infrastructures and plans). Prepare for the storm (Pray for action plan, Pray for a spirit of perseverance). Prepare your witness (know your gifts, earn the right to speak, build your relationships with those outside the church, build your example). Prepare your hope and faith (think hope, speak hope, act in hope). Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).“

I HAVE BROKEN THIS SENTENCE DOWN INTO 21 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS TO SHARE HERE THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. HERE IS OUR 6TH DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT. THIS WEEK WE WILL… PREPARE OUR SOULS TO PRACTICE AND FEEL COMPASSION.

WHICH COME FIRST, THE FEELING OR THE PRACTICE?

Is it always necessary to feel compassion before we practice compassion? Is there a place where we practice compassion simply because it’s the right thing to do regardless of how we feel about it?

The answer to that question is….OF COURSE. The book of James teaches us, “¹⁷If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:17

There are many things we do in our Christian walk that go against our “feelings”. Walking in the Spirit means letting the spirit (that part of us that connects to the Spirit of God) lead rather than our souls (our logic, personal will and emotions). We begin walking in the Spirit by coming to know and obey the commands and principles of the Bible. After a time of such practice we can begin to hear the voice of God directing us in the place of prayer.

What I have discovered is that when I practice walking the way the Spirit leads, my emotions line up with the Word, but if I wait to obey God until I feel like obeying Him my “feelings to want” godliness never grow.

Steadfast Sons

March 3, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

Our church is comprised of small groups of people we call Doing Life Together Groups. Each group is encouraged to

STUDY THE BIBLE TOGETHER/ TO PRAY TOGETHER/ TO FELLOWSHIP AND BUILD DEEP RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER/ AND TO MEET NEEDS IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER.

One of our “DLT” groups is a group of men called The Steadfast Sons. This year they chose to minister to the greater community of men in our church though and event called “BE A GODLY MAN”.

About 40 men from 8 different DLT groups showed up for breakfast lunch and five breakout sessions

Andy Ross and Stephen Sandoval were our co facilitators in Doing Life Together for the day.

Here are some of my take aways from the day.

BOYS CANNOT CONFER MANHOOD ON THEMSELVES. MEN NEED TO CONFER MANHOOD ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF MEN.

WORRY IS ANTI-PRAYER.

JESUS NEVER OFFERED US A COMFORTABLE LIFE. THERE WILL BE CHALLENGE AND PAIN.

YOUR PROBLEMS ARE NOT OTHER PEOPLE. TROUBLE IS ALWAYS CENTERED IN THE SPIRIT REALM FIRST AND FOREMOST.

MEN MUST CONTINUALLY “GOSPEL” THEMSELVES ACCORDING TO EPHESIANS 6.

THERE ARE NO CHUBBY BREASTPLATES IN THE ARMOR OF GOD. THE ARMOR MAKES US FIT AND ENCOURAGES US TO STAND IN THAT FITNESS.

THE ARMOR SHOULD MAKE US FILL THE WORLD AROUND US WITH PEACE.

THE ARMOR OF GOD IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN LINKED WITH A BAND OF BROTHERS.

PRAY THE WORD NOT JUST THE NEED.

Our men had a great day of fellowship together. I was greatly blessed by all the relationship building I saw going on.

In our final sessions I got a few more thoughts to think about.

STRONG MEN ARE SABBATH MEN. ADAM RESTED FOR WORK NOT FROM IT. REST IS FOUND IN JESUS NOT IN “REST”.

GOD LONGS FOR US TO BE IN RHYTHM NOT NECESSARILY IN BALANCE.

GOD HAS CALLED US TO PERSEVERE.

GOD HAS CALLED US TO HUMILITY AND SUBMISSION

GOD HAS CALLED US TO SERVE.

It was a great day of worship, spiritual reminders and challenges, fun, and fellowship.

THANK YOU ANDY AND STEPHEN!

PREPARING COMPASSION PT. 2

February 26, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

“Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare you Spirit (come out of the decay of your strongholds). Prepare your Souls(Prepare to practice and feel compassion). Prepare your facility (your structures, infrastructures and plans). Prepare for the storm (Pray for action plan, Pray for a spirit of perseverance). Prepare your witness (know your gifts, earn the right to speak, build your relationships with those outside the church, build your example). Prepare your hope and faith (think hope, speak hope, act in hope). Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).“

OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I WILL BE REPOSTING THESE DEVOTI0NAL THOUGHTS I WROTE DURING OUR CHURCH’S 21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER. TODAY WE CONTINUE TO…

PREPARE OUR SOULS TO PRACTICE AND FEEL COMPASSION.

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WHAT CAN I DO TO BUILD THE HEART OF COMPASSION?

In Matthew 9 the Bible says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

A heart of compassion starts with God moving on that heart to see things the way He sees them. When we see a need that is the beginning of God moving on our hearts to build compassion. The recognition of the need is the first step.

When we begin to pray for God to send someone to meet the need we further align ourselves with His plan, because I promise you He wants to help.

I love that Jesus told the disciples to start praying for God to send someone to help and then as God He sent them into the very harvest field they were praying about…

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,^[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Mat. 10:1, 5-8

When we learn we are the answer to our own prayers for help for others and then become willing enough to actually do something rather than make excuses we will have gained a heart of compassion.

A HARD RIGHT TURN

February 21, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 6 Comments

Life took something of a hard right turn on Monday.

As regular readers will know, Mom started with hospice about three weeks ago. She started sleeping a lot on Saturday and Sunday and eating almost nothing. We also saw an increase in her pain level. Then on Monday she became very nauseous and her pain level spiked beyond control. She started vomitting dark black liquid. The nurse came out to help us, the doctor called and we made some adjustments to her meds. It was an intense 24 hours in which none of us got much sleep.

It seems we have moved very quickly to a new level of hospice. We now have the hospital bed mom had been resisting in house and the old couch she loved sleeping on removed. We have asked for and I think received an upgrade in PCA care to five days a week and today the doctor is coming out to review Mom’s meds to make sure we have what is needed for her comfort.

Dr. Harrington, the director of the hospice agency, is actually one of the doctors Mom worked with during her career as a nurse. She remembered him.

Today she is looking and feeling much better, but in the last few days Mom has eaten nothing more substantial than two or three scoops of ice cream. She seems to have no appetite for solid food. Good news… She has been drinking her Pedia-lyte and rehydrating. She is very weak. Walking to the bathroom is not at the moment a possibility. Thank God for all that has been provided in the way of adaptive tools, the transfer chair and commode my cousin gave us have been a life saver, and the hospice meds have been so helpful in keeping Mom comfortable.

I can’t say enough about the hospice staff who have been helping us through this season. They have all been so kind. I also am also so blessed by family and my congregation. So many in the church have reached out with offers of help. My friend, worship leader and deacon, Jody came to help me and my son, Joe, move the couch yesterday. My family, also, has really circled the wagons during this season. We all gathered and prayed together last night with many tears and much hope that God would see us through this life stage with grace and love.

Regardless of the hard right turn, I know God will see us through and we will end up right where we are supposed to be.

PREPARING COMPASSION PT. 1

February 19, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

This year our church is focusing on seven prepare statements we are calling our 2024 congregational sentence.

PREPARE YOUR SOULS TO PRACTICE AND FEEL COMPASSION.

Jesus was known as a man of compassion. Compassion is the movement of concern, love, pity. It is an emotion that results in action. Kind actions devoid of the emotions of concern, love and pity are not compassion. Further feeling concerned or loving or pitying without doing something as a result of those emotions is also not compassion.

Jesus did the things He did because He loved people and He pitied their condition. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9: 36

We must be like him!

WHAT ARE YOU PRAYING MORE FOR, COMPASSIONATE FEELINGS OR COMPASSIONATE ACTIONS TO FOLLOW THROUGH?

Preparing To Come Out Of the Decay Pt. 3

February 12, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

This year God has given our congregation a Series of thoughts to focus on. We are calling this THE CONGREGATIONAL SENTENCE. It reads: “Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare you Spirit (come out of the decay of your strongholds). Prepare your Souls(Prepare to practice and feel compassion). Prepare your facility (your structures, infrastructures and plans). Prepare for the storm (Pray for action plan, Pray for a spirit of perseverance). Prepare your witness (know your gifts, earn the right to speak, build your relationships with those outside the church, build your example). Prepare your hope and faith (think hope, speak hope, act in hope). Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).“

Each week I am going to take one day to speak to one of these thoughts. Today I am writing on:

PREPARing YOUR SPIRIT(COME OUT OF THE DECAY OF YOUR STRONGHOLDS).

HOW DO WE BREAK SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLDS?

Paul the apostle gives us this instruction. “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. ^4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. ⁶And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.” 2 Cor. 10:3-6

Fighting the good fight of faith and tearing down strongholds cannot be accomplished by using worldly methods of fighting and resisting. The Art of War cannot help us when it comes to fighting spiritual battles. Anger, aggression, fighting, confronting, rebuking are nearly useless when it comes to spiritual warfare. It is not for nothing that Paul indicates that the weapons of our warfare in Ephesians chapter 6 are almost all defensive.

The real key to fighting spiritual battles and tearing down spiritual strongholds is not found in what we tear down or get rid of but of what we build in place of the stronghold.

Paul writes in Galatians 5 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. …the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

SO WHICH OF THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT ARE YOU GOING TO PRAY OVER YOUR LIFE AND STRONGHOLDS TODAY?

SCHEDULING

February 11, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 4 Comments

Back in the time before lead pastoring, when I was writing four blogs a day, I would have writing sessions. In those sessions which came about twice or three times a week I would write and schedule several blogs at a time into their respective time slots. I had a pretty organized schedule of which blogs were posted when.

These days I am happy when I just get seven blogs a week done on “Notes From the Vicarage”. I haven’t yet figured out how to schedule each post into its respective time slot, because while I am writing everyday (or just about everyday), it is still catch as catch can as to what time the writing gets done.

I had worked out a pretty good rhythm before life changed, but I am in a new movement in the symphony of life and so I am still figuring out the new tempo, meter and rhythm of this particular section. Part of this change is learning to give myself grace and space as I hunt and peck my way to my new normal. It’s funny. It took me almost two years to realize I needed a new normal.

ARE YOU A STICKLER FOR SCHEDULING OR DO YOU FIND IT EASIER TO JUST LET LIFE HAPPEN?

SHARE YOUR WORLD FEB. 10TH 2024

February 10, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 13 Comments

I am choosing SHARE YOUR WORLD as my community participation blog this week. SHARE YOUR WORLD is hosted by Pensitivity101. Check out that blog and the other contributors by clicking on the link above when you are done reading my answers to the challenge.

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “cuddly”? I think of puppies or kittens.
2. Would you like to own an exotic pet? If so, what? I would not like to own an exotic pet. Exotic sounds like a lot of work. I currently have two dogs and they are more than enough work. I think when they pass from this earth I may be done with pets for a bit.
3. If you were suddenly gifted £1000/$1000, what would you do with it? I would probably save it for a vacation somewhere. I don’t think I will be taking any kind of a vacation until after Mom passes, but by then I think I will need a vacation. I have been looking at VRBO a lot lately. Which one do you like?

4. Do you wear slippers at home? It is cold here in New England and keeping the floors warm is near impossible. So yes we all wear slippers, in fact I have one of my pairs on now.

Gratitude: I am grateful for the VNA Hospice that has begun to help us care for Mom this week. Everyone has been so kind.