Present To The Presence

The Advent Worship Series begins as Pastor Blair interviews with Dr. Ruben Habito to talk about how we find and practice the presence of God in our own lives.

About Dr. Ruben Habito

Ruben L.F. Habito is a Filipino former Jesuit priest turned master practicing in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen. In his early youth he was sent to Japan on missionary work where he began Zen practice under Yamada Koun-roshi, a Zen master who taught many Christians students, which was unusual for the time. In 1988, Ruben received Dharma transmission from Yamada Koun. Ruben left the Jesuit order in 1989, and in 1991 founded the lay organization Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas, Texas. He has taught at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University since 1989 where he continues to be a faculty member. He is married and has two sons.

Cultivating Gratitude

I realized a few years ago that no matter what was going on in my life, unless I trained myself, I’d wake up thinking about what was not working in my life. It was a wake-up call. I decided I must develop a discipline to wake up thinking about what’s working in my life and not what needs to be fixed. I tried many alternatives until I found one that increases my early morning time in the focused mode. Here is my first thought in the morning, it may help you to:

As soon as I wake up and become aware of myself and the world around me, I focus on gratitude. I start with a few deep breaths and think about five people in my life I’m grateful for. As I breathe in slowly and deeply, I bring the first person’s face in front of my closed eyes. I try to see this person as clearly as I can in the part of the world where he or she is right now. Then I send this person my silent gratitude while breathing out—again, slowly and deeply. I repeat this exercise with five people. I avoid rushing through the experience, relishing the few seconds I spend remembering each person.

Then he says this:

Waking up with gratitude helps me to wake up to what’s most important in my life.

That’s #thanksliving. That’s being thankful.

The #Thanksliving Gratitude Podcast

Pastor Blair and Spiritual Director Aaron Manes sit and talk about what Tim Ferriss, Brené Brown, Robert Emmons and several others have taught them about gratitude.

Here are a few books we recommend:

“Thanks!” by Robert Emmons (click here)

“Dare To Lead” by Brené Brown (click here)

Giving Thanks In Every Thing?

Adversity happens to everyone, it’s how you respond to that adversity that separates you from other people.

How will you respond to the adversity in your life? With grumbling or gratitude? You may not feel gratitude but you can choose to look for things to be grateful for. Will you say our verse today with me again?

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Made For Gratitude

Martin Luther, the great church reformer of the 16th century was asked once what is worship, what is the nature of true worship, and he said one line: the tenth leper turning back. 

Worship is the tenth leper turning back and shouting his gratitude, glorifying God, kneeling at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. I didn’t like worship today, the message didn’t speak to me and the music was boring and the sound system messed up again and…

Look I have said each of these things before and I hope this isn’t your experience, but what is worship? The tenth leper turning back. Worship is when you’ve been running and running and you stop. You pause. You look at everything you have been given and go: thank you. Thank you for this breath. Thank you for this day.

Thank you for this community, for the car I drive, for the coffee I drink, thank you. It is recognizing that there is a giver and a gift, and we are the recipients of the gift…the breath we are given, we didn’t earn it, the sunshine, the taste of fresh bread, the smell of the air after a rain, the sound of a baby laughing…gift, it is all gift. 

When you stop and pause and take a breath and look around you, you can’t help but say: thanks. Thank you for this.

Remember Me

We remember that those who have passed on as holy, and filled with grace. And we remember that they lived out this grace in so many ways – in worship, in service, with compassion for those who hurt, seeking justice for those who are oppressed. And in remembering them, remembering those saints, we remember how they influenced us, and our lives, to share spiritual wisdom and love and light while they were here, physically, with us.

But hear me on this. Those that we remember as saints did not ‘become saints’ when they died. They were saints – they were holy – even when they lived.

Which means, then, that as we remember the saints in our lives on All Saints Sunday – we remember the duality of how we think of saints – those who have already passed, and also those who are still living. 

Including each one of us. Including you.

Beyond Racial Reconciliation

We have to go outside of the boundaries of our normal path to find people who are our neighbors.

This message from Jesus could not be more relevant today…the world is becoming more and more diverse…by 2045 America will no longer be a majority white nation…learning to see those who are different than us as our neighbors is critical… 

If we do not go outside of the boundaries of our own normal path and discover our true neighbors whom Jesus defines as neighbor, it is to our own peril, our own detriment as a society, as a planet, and certainly as people who claim to follow Jesus.

Podcast: Beyond The Border

Pastor Blair Thompson-White along with Arapaho UMC members Rick Miller, Jill Curtis and Cliff Clark recently returned from a “Courts and Ports” trip at the US/Mexico Border where there were able to observe first-hand some of the daily activities that are happening. They sat down today to discuss it together and share some stories with us.

Beyond Education

Beyond Education

Advocating for the education of all children is a discipline because the idea that every child regardless of sex or race or income level or the neighborhood they live in deserves an excellent education—is a concept at the very heart of our Christian faith and Methodist tradition.

Let me start with our Christian faith—in the beginning, you remember that line from Genesis, chapter 1…God makes it clear that every human being is made in God’s image. Let’s look at the verse:

 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ 

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them.

So why should we care about the educational journey of all children and not just our own? Because every child is created in the image of God. Every child is worthy of an excellent education. And what’s more is—according to the text—our human purpose is to care for our planet and the people in our planet.

Beyond The US/Mexico Border

Beyond The US/Mexico Border

You are citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Your citizenship, your membership, is ultimately in the house of God, that’s where you reside—and the laws in the house of God are: everybody is welcome. Everybody is invited in. Everybody is treated as a child of God. 

Any law that contradicts this, any law that contradicts the greatest commandment, any law that contradicts the law of the sermon on the mount for us who claim to follow Jesus the Christ is not acceptable and it is up to us to speak out and say so.

Testimonies: Why I Am A Christian.

Listen to testimonies from Rev. Maggie Proshek, Bob Nelson and Amy Bird as they tell us about why they are Christians.

You Can't Stop The Beat

You can’t stop the beat. You can’t stop the Spirit sweeping over the waters. You can’t stop the new thing God is doing making all things new. What is to prevent the beat? Absolutely nothing.

What I know for sure is this: there is this dance party of grace and justice and joy going on all the time and you are invited to come and dance. Yes, you. 

You who have been to the dance party before and you who have never been or never thought you couldn’t come, come and join in the party, you who think you are too old to dance, or too out of shape to dance, come to the party…

You who have been watching everyone from the sidelines, come to the dance floor, come all you saints and all you sinners, come all you who don’t know a thing about dancing and you who thought you knew but are learning new steps, come: the lord of the dance invites all to this dance party of grace and justice and joy and I don’t want you to miss it.

What is to prevent you from being a part of the movement of the spirit in the world making all things new, including you?

Absolutely nothing. 

Feed The Birds

George Banks can see there is an alternative reality, if only he can see he doesn’t have to live the bank values. If only we can see there is a better way to live, too.

We can see there is a better way. Because of Jesus the Christ we see there is an alternative vision of reality, a vision of generosity over greed, kindness over arrogance, compassion over consumerism, the question is no longer do we see the difference between the bank values and the cathedral values, the question is will we choose the cathedral values, will we choose to live our lives according to the teachings of Jesus Christ?

That is our baptismal covenant, we say the words, we make the promise, we actually reaffirm this commitment to live according to Christ every time we do a baptism, but words are just words until they are supported with actions.

Will we actually take actions and make decisions and live in a way that shows the reality we are living in - the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord of our life and we live like him, we live with his values and his way of seeing, which means we live generously.

Changed For Good (Wicked)

What is the pain and hurt you’ve experienced? Now I have learned that you can’t put an institution in the box, you can’t put the church in the box, you can’t put a business in the box or the government in the box. You’ve got to get specific here, who hurt you. People hurt other people-who has hurt you? 

Name the hurt, get your mind around what is in the box. It’s very freeing to be honest about the hurt you’ve experienced and how you were made to feel. So put it in the box and then you put the box down and you send it away. You could even do this for real, like you could do a ritual around this.

You could write it down and put it in an actual box and drive to a shredding company, watch them shred the paper and recycle the box, leave it there-you get the point: whatever you need to do whether literally or metaphorically with the box, send it away, leave it somewhere so you don’t have to carry it anymore. You can be set free from it, so this hurt is no longer in circulation.

When forgiveness happens, we no longer carry this burden around with us. We are changed for good and so is the world.

Podcast: The Arts And Faith

Pastor Blair Thompson-White sits down with Dana Effler, who is the Director of Music & Arts at First United Methodist Church in Dallas, to talk about music, the arts and how Broadway Musicals can be spiritual.

About Dana Effler:

Dana Effler is the Director of Music and Arts Ministries at First United Methodist Church of Dallas where she oversees the graded choir and handbell program, the Rotunda Theatre series, and Goodrich Gallery series. She conducts the Chancel Choir, First Men’s Chorus, First Women’s Chorus, Vox Nova and the Variations Youth Choir. Under her direction the Chancel Choir has toured to Canada, England, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Scotland and Switzerland and has sung for both Southwestern division and National ACDA conventions. Beyond the church, Dana enjoys her work as a singer, guest conductor and clinician for organizations including ACDA, TCDA, Choristers Guild, AGO and The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from Furman University and master’s degrees in choral conducting and in vocal performance from Southern Methodist University. Dana is inspired and energized by the wealth and diversity of talent represented in the FirstChurch family and is continually amazed at the beauty of God’s creation in and through it.

We Refuse To Wear Masks (Phantom Of The Opera)

If there are no sick or sad or sinful or silly people in your church, I’m not sure you are preaching the gospel…because the gospel is not just everyone is welcome, the gospel is also: you don’t have to put on a mask here. You are accepted.

The reality is that God’s love and grace is available to you, take off your mask. Accept that you are accepted. 

And when we do that, then our work together is to unmask the injustices outside of these walls—

To unmask the racism and the sexism and the homophobia in our culture—to unmask the atrocities going on at the border—to unmask the culture of guns and violence in our country—we are the ones to unmask the cruelty and carelessness and unchristian actions, because we follow a God who refuses to wear masks.

And so a group of us are going to the Texas-Mexico border in October to see for ourselves the situation there; A group of 80 clergy recently returned from the border and they said that what you hear on the news and from the White House is not what you see: they unmasked the poor conditions migrants are facing and they are telling the story and organizing to work to end policies that are causing harm.

We refuse to wear masks and play games.

When we go and serve breakfast to our homeless neighbors in downtown Dallas, we look them in the eye and we see the reality they face in their faces, and we make this human connection—the homeless are no longer other than us, they are our brothers, our sisters, our friends…

We refuse to wear masks and play games.

When we listen to the stories of our LGBTQ+ siblings, when we hear how the church has excluded and pushed them out and made them feel less than, when we hear how they have in some cases been forced to wear masks to hide their true selves…

we as the church proclaim what is God’s truth that they are loved and accepted for who they are, and God blesses them and their relationships—

We refuse to wear masks and play games. 

 So may you take off whatever mask you have been wearing, may you be real and know that you are loved and accepted for who you really are—and may we work together to unmask what needs to be seen in this world for what it is: 

so that we can right wrongs, so that we can work for a world where there is not just the appearance of peace but true peace, the kind of peace rooted in justice and respect and understanding.

Start With Why

What is it that we learn in the prologue to the Gospel John that is relevant to our lives, now? Maybe it’s this: that every day, no matter what we’re going through, we get to “start with why.” We get the opportunity by the grace of God to hand over control of the day to the One who can help us get through it, no matter what’s thrown at us.

For those of us who have embraced God’s grace, or seeking answers about how to live out your faith and embrace that grace, remember John the Baptist, who testifies to the light, as do we, in our own actions and words. We don’t just accept the grace and move on, without change. From the moment we accept it, we are a new creation. 

It’s what Wesley calls sanctifying grace – that  grace we accept and respond to by loving our neighbors in JFON, or serving meals at Austin Street Center, or learning more about each other through discussion groups and bible studies, or attending centering prayer events to learn a new way to grow closer to God. It’s the grace that compels us forward to bring hope to each other, through prayers, and visiting each other in times of need, or standing up for each other to bring justice in an otherwise unfair world.

And for those of us assume that our lives will be lived one way, and then it takes a turn in the road – as it will – remember that God has always been and always will be with you, as the light that shines through the darkness to bring you hope for a better day.

Do The Work

Our final sermon in the series "Dream. Think. Be. Do" is about doing the work of the faith: what better testimony than to hear our youth share about their two summer mission trips. On the recording, you'll hear Ashlyn and Aubrey Yarbrough talk about the middle school trip to Houston and Amelia Martinez share about the high school trip to participate in the Appalachia Service Project in Kentucky.

Be The Beloved

When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us, love has the run of the house. Sometimes we are more like renters in a life of love instead of permanent residents...sometimes we are just AirBNB’ing love. 

We stay there for a few days and we fulfill the contractual terms but we really only care about what we can get out of it, there is no real sense of responsibility, we enjoy the benefits and the beauty of the place without having to do the work of upkeep.

Have I lost you in the metaphor, how’s this: taking up permanent residence in love is work and it is sacrifice--and it is in our nature--it is our Adam 2, and yes you can live like Adam 1 and be a renter instead of a permanent resident in love but you are fooling yourself if you think that’s the best option.

Think Theologically

The book of Job is mostly Job questioning God and his friends telling him to settle for their answers.  Job wants to talk to God. And after they go around and around long enough, God appears and talks to Job.  God’s words to Job are difficult. God tells Job his idea of God is too small. God’s power is far greater and God’s ways are more mysterious than anything Job could imagine.  It’s presumptuous to imagine you know what God is thinking.  

And just when it looks like Job has been put in his place and that asking questions of God is arrogant and useless, God turns to Job’s friends and says, “ . . . You have not spoken of me what it right, as my servant Job has done.”

God is bigger, higher, deeper, more powerful, more mysterious than anything you can imagine.  Some will tell you that’s why you shouldn’t question God. I’m saying that’s why you should. God is big enough, high enough, deep enough, powerful enough, and mysterious enough to handle your questions.  And the Bible is good enough to guide you as you encounter that God.

God is big enough to trust with your questions. Your answers will only be as good as your questions. And you get what you settle for - So work out your salvation, With fear and trembling.