BY GREG WEST
​greg@lifeinhisname.net 

      Are you sharing your story frequently? If not, ask the Lord to revive you, to awaken you to His Presence, power, grace and glory! If you want to or are sharing, here is a good framework to help: 1) My life apart from Christ 2) Coming to and encountering Christ 3) My life in Christ. Two mistakes we can make in sharing our faith are reducing faith to a formula and treating people as projects. Avoid these! Below is an example of a framework I use when meeting with someone I haven't seen in a very long time as well as some tips for having conversations with those who deny the existence of God.
      Here is an example of a framework I use when meeting with someone I haven’t seen in a very long time. After catching up on some life events I ask:

      This can be a whole conversation where if the answer is “Yes,” you can listen and empathize with them. I have on numerous occasions apologized for the “church” when a person shares a story of hurt, abuse or betrayal by the church. ​

The implication is Jesus remains faithful and true in spite of His followers.
​      When the person doesn’t seem to have negative experiences with the church and they are rejecting God on a more intellectual basis I ask: 

If the answer is “everything came from nothing,” i.e. atheism, here is a good follow up: ​

Here’s one more:

​ ​“You say that you don’t believe there is a God. Do you deep down, hope that you are wrong?” ​

The answer to this question may give you an opportunity to ask them more personal questions or to share how your life changed as you came to know Jesus.

BY ASHLEY KLINE
​ashley@lifeinhisname.net

      You know the types of Christian books you see at the checkout of Hobby Lobby or in the book aisle at Target? The devotional and study resources written by popular preachers and lay scholars? l I tend to be skeptical of such works due to my presupposition of such resources as being filled with “quack theology” to use the words of my theology professor and renowned Wesley scholar Dr. Ken Collins. I tend to prejudge these books as being filled with ideas about God and Scripture that someone came up with while sitting on their couch attempting to string together encouraging words for the sake of sales, whether they be true or not. I’ve also silently accused the authors of such works as trying to play scholar, attempting to transmit intelligent ideas with good intent but with no proper training in theology or biblical scholarship to ground them in.
      Ironically, I was given one such book as a gift recently, which I coincidentally enough saw at the checkout of Hobby Lobby. This work, “The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak” by Shannon Bream, was a surprise as it appears to be rooted in sound theology and biblical scholarship, even making proper use of original languages. It reads a bit too much into the text for my taste, but that’s beside the point.
      The book’s chapter on Ruth and Naomi struck me and brought up points about the text that I failed to recognize the significance of. The relationship between Ruth and Naomi demonstrates the importance of relationships to evangelism. Naomi and her family being in relationship with Ruth is what led Ruth to embark upon a relationship with YHWH. It was neither a priest nor synagogue leader that brought Ruth to faith, but an average, everyday family, attempting to make it through day to day by relocating to Moab following famine in Bethlehem. Ruth’s faith flourished as she went through life with Naomi, a seemingly insignificant woman going through the very human experience of grief as she witnessed her family gradually perish. As Bream says,

BY GREG WEST
greg@lifeinhisname.net 

   Isn’t it fascinating that when the Son of God came from heaven to earth, He did not start a mega-church? He chose the twelve disciples and had female disciples among them. They were a constant part of His ministry. When He commissioned the disciples He also commissioned you and I to: “Go and make disciples of all nations ...” He did not mention small groups, but he didn’t have to; it was implied. He spent three years with His disciples in a mobilized small group, all the while drawing in more disciples to His ministry. His method was apprenticeship within a small group.
      As you know, I’ve spent many years working with churches to equip them for small group ministry. I’ve recently partnered with a group of people who are passionate about recovering the small group ministry modeled by John Wesley’s “Class Meeting.” This model isn’t a Bible study. Rather, it allows the Bible to study us! We aim to recover small groups that seek to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ and obey God’s Word. In our groups, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we create an atmosphere of “grace and truth.” Most of the meeting time is dedicated to inviting each person to answer the question: “How is your walk with Christ?” After this, the leader either gives or prompts encouragement and guidance for each member.
      In the original Class Meetings of the 1700s, non-Christians were welcome to join too. Often when we think about small groups in the church, we only think about discipleship, not evangelism. We need to also create groups that welcome seekers, doubters, the disillusioned and broken. As we welcome them into Christian community, the Holy Spirit will draw them to Christ through our love, our stories and struggles as the Spirit sovereignly works!
      Our goal is to assemble 12 churches or ministries that want to have this small group training and coaching with the goal of establishing small groups that can be replicated.  Our training will use Kevin Watson’s book, The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience. Our heart is to recover “a vital method of Jesus” by bringing people to life-saving faith in an environment where they can help one another to deepen their love and service to Christ. In this initial launch, we are seeking churches or ministries in the Hampton Roads and Peninsula areas.

BY ASHLEY KLINE
ashley@lifeinhisname.net

   ​      Last month I had the pleasure and honor of hosting Dr. Ellen Davis from Duke Divinity. I have long admired Dr. Davis’ scholarship and look up to her as one of the few females in biblical studies of broad renown. The time I spent with Dr. Davis was pleasurable, enlightening and, most importantly, convicting. I was excited to hear that Dr. Davis wanted to be picked up from the house of her good friend, Wendell Berry. For those who do not know, Wendell Berry is a Kentuckian author and activist, primarily focusing upon environmental sustainability. He also speaks out regarding issues impacting those in Appalachia as he advocates for reform in the coal mining industry. Anyone who is familiar with Berry’s work knows he enjoys a simple and sustainable lifestyle in the beautiful rolling hills of Kentucky. His life is based around living in the moment. Thus, he limits distractions by refusing to purchase a computer, not owning a television, and only having a landline telephone. 
      Despite knowing that Berry enjoys an off the grid style of living, when we went to pick up Dr. Davis my travel companion and I were shocked to see that the address for the Berry’s was not even on the map! We decided to simply put in the address to Port Royal, KY where he is based, and planned to call his wife Tanya once close. After several wrong turns, driving longer than we should have without signal and waiting for directions from Tanya, we finally made it to the Berry’s house an hour later than planned. In our frenzied state, we also tried to back down the driveway upon arrival once I remembered halfway into our ascent the instructions Tanya had given us for our own good: park at the bottom of the driveway. Their driveway was incredibly steep, causing us to veer off into a ditch while coming down. Not only did we get stuck, but also crashed into the Berry’s wooden fence! Luckily there was damage neither to the car nor the fence and Wendell was able to drive us out. 
      Sometime on the drive home I realized that despite how frustrating the Berry’s style of living appeared in the moment, there was something beautiful about it. As my friend and I struggled to find our way to the Berry’s and continuously lost signal, we were able to make some incredible memories we would not have gotten the chance to otherwise. This gave us space to commune with one another. Additionally, this gave us the chance to bond with Dr. Davis as we all shared many good laughs about the situation. 
      During her trip to Kentucky, Dr. Davis spoke in one of the seminary’s chapel services. The sermon she delivered hit a similar note regarding the beauty of a distraction free lifestyle. One of the major points of her sermon was that a distraction free lifestyle can positively impact our relationship with God. Reading Scripture is hard and making sense of it can and does take up a great deal of mental energy. Thus, “distraction is the bane of the Christian life” to use Dr. Davis’ own words. She stated that we should approach Scripture the way we approach a friend, or someone whose opinion we value. This means giving Scripture the respect it deserves by intentionally avoiding distractions, actively listening, and hopefully not putting words in its mouth or making assumptions about what it is going to say. Would you pick up your phone to text, check social media, or play a game while your friend was speaking, unless there was an emergency? If not, then we should not do so as we listen to God while searching the Scriptures. 
      Ultimately, these are words I felt very convicted by, particularly as an aspiring biblical scholar. When you intend to build your life around being in Scripture, it is easy to treat reading the Bible as merely a job as opposed to a conversation with God. Therefore, it is easy to let distraction seep in and continuously think, how much longer do I have until this assignment is done? However, being in Scripture is a conversation and God deserves the same respect given to anyone else.
      One of my professors recently commented upon our tendency to unconsciously assume that the Israelite way of life is built upon the same foundations as our own. This is simply not so. So much of our modern culture is based around free time. In contrast, living in an agrarian society, the Israelites did not have the time for distractions to be an issue. More free time means more distractions. Even if the Israelites had access to phones, would they have the time or space to use them? Perhaps the lack of distractions enhanced the Israelites' relationship with God and their ability to hear his voice.
       Dr. Davis concluded by saying that only way we can combat our propensity for distraction is to focus upon the call God has placed on our lives and strive towards whatever calling that may be. 

BY ASHLEY KLINE
ashley@lifeinhisname.net 

      For a long time, the United Methodist Church has remained united in form, though not in practice. In recent times, we have watched as the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Lutheran Church split. However, there was hope the UMC could avoid such a split. The General Conference (GC) is the international gathering of delegates from the UMC which meets every 4 years to guide the church and legislate changes. Approximately 850 delegates are elected from every Conference around the world. There has been a long-standing division in the UMC regarding the authority and interpretation of Scripture, the practice of homosexuality being the main issue presenting the divide. At every GC since 1972, this topic has come up and each time the church has affirmed the clarity of Scripture. The UMC’s Book of Discipline, which contains, among other things, our doctrine and principles of organization, reads: “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” Therefore, United Methodist pastors are prohibited from officiating at same sex weddings and those practicing homosexuality are prohibited from serving as pastors.
      As some may recall, there was a special called GC in 2019 to deal with the divisions based upon issues of human sexuality. The prohibitions against the practice of homosexuality were upheld. Those taking a progressive point of view, who are pushing for full affirmation of homosexual practice, see the issue at hand as one of justice. Those taking a traditionalist viewpoint, see the issue at hand primarily as one of Scriptural authority, considering homosexual practice as a rejection of God’s Word. Thus, we have an impasse. It became clear the divide was not going away. The direction of culture was made equally clear. In 2016, a group of United Methodists who had a high regard for Scriptural authority gathered and formed the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA). They agreed that if the UMC did not uphold the clear teachings of Scripture, they would start a new denomination.
      In summer 2019, Kenneth Feinburg, a world renowned mediator, met with a group of theologically diverse United Methodists to see if a solution to the long division could be found. They came up with the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation. Amazingly, traditionalists, centrists and progressives agreed on this being the best way that the UMC move forward. Yes, it was a split, but a peaceful one. It was a way to end the decades long division that consumed far too much time, energy and resources that could be used to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission! Things looked hopeful. 
      Then, the pandemic hit and General Conference 2020 was postponed until 2021. Some progressives felt they could not wait. Therefore, they split and formed the Liberation Methodist Connexion. The GC 2021 was postponed until 2022. In March of this year the announcement was made: General Conference further postponed to 2024. On that same day, the Wesleyan Covenant Association announced that the Global Methodist Church, a new denomination, would launch May 1, 2022. A short time after these announcements, a pastor who served on the Commission on General Conference wrote an open letter to the church stating that the decision to postpone GC for the third time was done without integrity and was part of a strategy to prevent the UMC from splitting. You can read his letter here: Why I Resigned from the Commission on General Conference
       So, it appears that the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation’s promise is on life support. Now, churches across the nation are making plans to separate from the UMC. Rather than one clear plan for separation accompanied by reconciliation and grace, a splintering is occurring. From my vantage point the whole thing is sad. Rev. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, has a sermon entitled On Schism. In this sermon, he states that splits in the church are always grievous, yet sometimes necessary.
      We have a shared covenant as a church, the Book of Discipline (BOD). For decades leaders in our church, including bishops, have openly rejected it and taught others to ignore certain parts of it. We have whole jurisdictions of our church that have voted to reject and ignore parts of the BOD pertaining to human sexuality. However, Bishop Sharma Lewis, our current Bishop in the Virginia Conference has held to the covenant, upholding the BOD.
​      I grieve that when the historical questions of Rev. John Wesley are asked to those about to be ordained, many are not answering truthfully. “Do you know our doctrines and discipline?” – “Yes.” “Are you in agreement with them?” –*fingers crossed* . . . “Yes”. When I shared this with a friend who serves the UMC in Connecticut, he said in his Conference, they answer that second question with, “No,” and they ordain them anyway. We are already split and have been for a long time. The crucial question is can we formalize the split in a peaceful way. I pray the answer to that question is, “Yes.” I humbly ask you to pray for the UMC. 

 
 
​

     Before I became a Christian my mom would talk to me about Jesus and the ways of God. However, I was stubborn! I countered her sharing with objection and nonsense because of my pride and sinfulness. My mom came up with a good strategy for whenever this happened. She’d ask, “Can I pray for you?” I answered, “Okay,” often rolling my eyes. The truth was that I liked it when she prayed for me but didn’t want her to know that! My mom would pray the Scriptures over me, and my spirit was confronted with God's truth and love. Prayer after prayer, my resistance melted away. There was a power in prayer that I could not deny, and I kept opening up. 
      We Christens often take it for granted that we have numerous people around us that will, and regularly do, pray for us. There are people you know who haven’t had someone lift them up to the Lord with love and concern. Recently, I met with someone outdoors at a restaurant. We had a great conversation about Jesus and His ways. Before we left, we prayed for each other. Then, as we were leaving, a woman sitting nearby said to us, “That was wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two men pray like that.” This began a great conversation about prayer and gave us an opportunity to share Christ with her. She was somewhat receptive and open to us praying for her and receiving some information on a nearby church. 
      I had another great experience with a pastor friend recently. We were eating at a restaurant and after the waitress took our orders, he looked at her and said, “We’re going to be praying before the meal, is there anything you could use prayer for?” She teared up and shared some difficulties she was going through. Then she said, “I was thinking about not coming in today, but now I’m really glad I came.” It is very simple and yet so powerful both in witness and in terms of our Father in heaven hearing us and answering our prayers. Let’s be bold in our prayers and reach out to people who don’t know that Jesus’ arms are open towards them!

      Isaiah's prophecy that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. This was written more than 700 years
before Jesus's birth.

• Prophecy: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14
• Fulfillment: "How will this be?' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God'" - Luke 1:34-35

      Isaiah's  prophecy that the Christ will reign forever on David's throne.

• Prophecy: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of
  the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." - Isaiah 9:6-7.
• Fulfillment: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” - Luke 1:31-33.

 
      Hosea's prophecy that the Messiah would be in Egypt was written more than 750 years before Jesus's birth. 

• Prophecy: "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." - Hosea 11:1
• Fulfillment: "So he (Joseph) got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'" - Matthew 2:14–15

      Micah's prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem was written more than 700 years before Jesus's; birth.

• Prophecy: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." - Micah 5:2
• Fulfillment: "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." - Luke 2:4-7

​      Elva McAllister wrote a powerful and insightful Christmas poem called “On Fragrant Hay.” In it, she shines light on our attempts to sanitize that first Christmas in our art re-creations of the scene. In doing so, we distort reality and minimize the breathtaking humility and awesome grace of God as He willingly comes into our messy, fallen world.
      "'Sweet infant,' trills the smiling choir. 'He sleeps on fragrant hay.' And Christmas card Madonnas smirk all thoughts of pain away. How was it really when He came? Did Mary moan and scream and grind her teeth and retch (Poor wretch) before His star could gleam its gleam above that inn yard barn? He slept on fragrant hay? Perhaps. But sheep and cows were not made then of plastic, nor of Styrofoam and paint. Half-rotten straws and stinking wet manure were surely winter odors Joseph smelled, not sweet new hay, nor clover blossoms. No dainty crèche had been prepared and kept detached from stench of urine-mingled mud where ox feet stood, where ox teeth chewed or dribbled fodder. God did not come to antiseptic scented neatness, but to a winter barnyard’s muck and filth. God always comes; to things as they are and not to wished-for rearrangements of the facts.”

      Let’s welcome Jesus anew into our messy lives and let Him bring His order, His cleansing and His Life into ours! Also, during this time of year people are more open to talking about the meaning of life and about Christ. Jesus will lead us, if we are willing to follow.