Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
Celtic Cross at Dawn in Ireland
Here Is Our Order of Worship
A Celtic Prayer link
I arise today
in your strength to uplift me,
in your power to direct me,
in your love to enfold me,
in your wisdom to guide me,
in your way to lead me
this day and every day.
Amen
A Prayer of Ambrose (c 339-97) link
O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore thee,a heart to delight in thee, to follow and to enjoy thee, for Christ’s sake.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Our guest preacher is Paul Burleson, Wade's father. Several years ago in a Father's Day tribute, Wade Burleson wrote:
Dad began pastoring at the age of seventeen and has spent over fifty years in ministry, not only pastoring several churches, both large and small, but mentoring pastors from all across the United States. From 1976 to 1982 he was the pastor of Southcliff Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, not far from Southwestern Theological Seminary. I can remember as a high school student going to church on Sunday night and hundreds of seminary students would all sit in the center section to hear my dad teach. He not only related to the seminary students, he became friends with many SWBTS professors and administrators including T.W. Hunt, John Seelig, and others. His ministry continues to reach people across the nation through his revival meetings, blogs, and personal mentorship of those who frequently call him for counsel and advice. The people I pastor love to hear him teach more than anyone else. Everything I know about ministry I learned from my father. Many times on Sunday's after the roast my mom prepared for the family, my dad would sit at the table with me and discuss theology, ministry and various other subjects. He prepared me to pastor when I was only in my early twenties.
But the greatest thing that I could say about my dad has nothing to do with ministry and everything to do with life. He lives and loves more than most. What I mean by that is he knows how to simply enjoy life and people. Whether its riding his motorcycle, or going to OU sporting events, or attending various social events, or ministering in churches, my dad meets people, hears their stories, and ministers to them. Ministry is not something my dad does, it defines who he is–simply because relationships are everything to my dad. Whether it is my mom, Mary, who is his best friend and love of his life, or his four kids, or a fellow pastor, or the stranger off the street, my dad is interested in people. I love to hear him laugh. It's a laugh that comes from inner joy and happiness. You can't fake the kind of laugh my dad has. His heart is full joy, and he makes the atmosphere around him joyful.
I used to hear my dad say that when people get older "they either get bitter or they get better." That saying used to be just an illustration to me, but as I've seen my dad get older, I now see the euphemism as a more colorful reality. My dad is getting better. Not only has he not gotten stuck emotionally and spiritually, he far surpasses any human being I know in both categories. I hope that I am half the man my father is when I am his age.
Paul Burleson has been married for 56 years and has been in the ministry for the same number of years – forty of which were in pastoring and the rest in conference/revival work. Pastorates included, among others, Southcliff Baptist, Fort Worth Texas, First Baptist, Broken Arrow Oklahoma, and First Baptist Borger Texas. He and his wife have 4 children, 15 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. In addition to his speaking engagements at pastors conferences and other events, Paul blogs at vtmbottomline.
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 34:4-7 (NASB Bible Gateway)
Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.
Prayer of Benedict link
O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
and a life to proclaim you;
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
The Aaronic Benediction link
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
may He cause his spirit to shine on you
and be gracious to you;
May He lift up His smile on you and give you peace.
Amen
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“The people I pastor love to hear him teach more than anyone else. Everything I know about ministry I learned from my father.”
what a beautiful tribute from Wade to his father Paul Burleson 🙂
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Prayer requests:
*Dee. Health and pain.
*Harley in Texas. Shoulder surgery.
*Shauna in Texas. Finances and job (she needs more hours and works part-time at a grocery store). Healing for her son Billy, abused by a church member.
They continue to need, and appreciate, assistance with their bills: phone, electricity, car insurance, gasoline, food, and rent. https://www.gofundme.com/pxs5dk
*Christiane and family. Death of her beloved sister-in-law.
*Nancy2. Death of a pet.
*Daisy who sometimes comments here. Personal difficulties that she does not wish to disclose.
*H.U.G. – health situation.
*Jeannette Altes. Health, job, and finances. https://www.gofundme.com/ljahelp
——————
Thank you.
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Velour wrote:
Thank you for including me on the list. I had no idea my name was popping up.
I could still use the prayers.
One thing I don’t mind sharing (I’ve brought this up before at Julie Anne’s blog and I think on here before) is I have problems with anxiety. I have other things going on or worrying me that I don’t want to get into, but anxiety is one of those things.
Best wishes to every one else on this list, or who may be lurking, who is in a rough patch in life and would like prayer or help.
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“Dealing With Disappointments” … What an appropriate title for me today. My wife’s cancer has returned after only three months in remission. It is very aggressive, chemo resistant, inoperable and incurable. She has been hospitalized twice in the last three weeks for complications due to the cancer. She has begun a management chemo protocol in an attempt to at least slow it down and to give her some temporary relief.
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@ Uncle Dad:
I am so sorry! I will keep you and your wife in my prayers.
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Daisy wrote:
Welcome, Daisy.
Praying for you regarding anxiety.
Hugs,
Velour
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Daisy wrote:
Yes, praying for others as well. If you have a prayer need, please post and you don’t have to use your real name. Just use a screen name (not Anonymous!)
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“There will be a day when the burdens of this place
will be no more,
we’ll see Jesus face to face.”
There Will Be a Day by Jeremy Camp
Come Lord Jesus!
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@ Uncle Dad:
🙁 Keeping your wife in prayer and you as well.
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Paul, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation for your ministry and especially for the words you spoke in this message about Moses and disappointments.
Thank you so much…it blessed me.
Mary Ann
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@ Uncle Dad:
Prayers for you all in this crisis.
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@ Velour:
Velour, thank for continuing to post these. It means a lot.
I have posted a new update on the open discussion thread. Thank you!
http://thewartburgwatch.com/open-discussion-page/comment-page-11/#comment-315338
http://www.gofundme.com/ljahelp
Uplate on my friend’s son: he is getting better daily, but there’s a long road still. He will have surgery on his hand on Tuesday. They will monitor his face every few weeks to make sure the bones are knitting back together properly. So far, though, they are optimistic that that will not require surgery. But thete is still about a year expected for full recovery. We are grateful there is no brain damage and that he was not killed. Thank you all for your prayers for him.
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@ Velour:
Also Eagle.
According to his blog, his mother is back in the hospital after an apparent turn for the worse.
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Dear Dee and Deb,
I heard through comments at Eagle’s blog that he was censured for talking about politics here at TWW. I find that strange, since anti-abuse advocacy in itself is political.
My question to you is this: what is your motive for suppressing honest discussion of alleged abuse on any political side, especially when it is relevant as undeniably linked to evangelicalism?
This administration has put military families I know personally under intense stress, and they can’t speak freely as civilians can. Neither can missionaries I know who are financially supported by folk who voted a certain way. What happened to speaking up for those who can’t speak for themselves?!
This silence and silencing at TWW is, objectively speaking, complicity with a bully- ie an abuser.
Instead of silencing the concerned who are trying to seek the truth honestly, perhaps you should try listening to how much your silence hurts those of us with personal experience and/or expertise in politics, culture, national security, foreign policy, and/or military life. I am aware there are many who would disagree with my understanding who have expertise or experience in those also, but if we cannot even discuss it when it is pertinent to the topic up for debate, you have effectively pushed those out with whom you apparently disagree.
As your sister in Christ, you must know, your selective silence and silencing is not consistent with integrity and truth. Truth, even spoken in love, can hurt, but it does set us free, and it does require conversation and freedom. This needed to be said, whether you publish it or not. No response required, peace.
http://atckmelodythoughts.blogspot.com/2017/03/watchblogging-and-evangelicalbetrayal.html
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Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:
Oh no. Thanks for the update, H.U.G.
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For the intentions of those whose needs are known to us, and for those whose sufferings and needs are known only to God, may the Lord have mercy.
Hear our prayer and come near to them O Lord. Amen.
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Christiane wrote:
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Thy grace. Amen.
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@ Jeannette Altes:
Welcome, Jeannette.
So glad that your friend’s son is doing better!
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Christiane wrote:
Mine joining Christiane’s prayers.
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Update on our dogs:
Thanks for the prayers. They worked in more ways than you know.
Amos, the dog we lost is still missed and always will be. He was a strange with some odd quirks that made him one of a kind. It is so different without him, but I’m so glad that he was part of out lives for a time. Those quirks of his, they were not bad quirks, just odd enough that not many people would have provided a home for him. He came from a druggie house, and Amos was the only one of his litter to live past the first year.
New puppy, Jackson: he developed a horrible cough last Tue. We took him to the vet and learned that the animal shelter in a neighboring county where we got him had been shut down due to distemper. Our vet was the one who diagnosed distemper in another puppy and connected it to that shelter. Many puppies/dogs at/from that shelter either died from distemper, or had to be put down because of it. My heart goes out to all of the families, children who, lost their new best friends to the distemper outbreak.
Jackson did test positive for distemper, but he is doing well – we caught it in time …… He eats well and plays hard. Truth be told, he’s a little monster. He goes round and round with Allie, our 17 mo. old red tick/boxer. The only symptom he had was the cough, and it is now gone!
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@ Nancy2:
That’s wonderful about Jackson the puppy.
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Folks,
Please pray for Harley in Texas who is having her shoulder surgery.
Thank you.
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Velour wrote:
Uhm hm, and let’s hope for some good news about/from some people, not just puppies!
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Velour wrote:
Let’s see some pics of the little yip-yap.
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Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:
I got me a pic of the little yip-yap tugging on Allie’s lip! He’s fearless, and lucky for him Allie is a very easy-going hound dog!
Oh, PS! Allie caught herself a ‘possum last night – all by her lonesome!
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Melody
Do you know how many people are furious at us for discussing abuse issues in the church? There is just so much fury and anger that the two of us can cope with. We are sticking to within the church issues. Politics is not church specific. As Russell Moore said today http://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/seeking-unity-in-the-southern-baptist-convention
As I thought about my own role in this division, I attempted in December to write a reflection on how I sought to go about the task of attempting to speak to issues of conviction for me during the tumult of an election year. Some who saw things differently than I did received those words, and we’ve gladly joined arms in unity. Others didn’t receive them, not because of any deficiency of grace on their part, but due to my own fault. So I want to share my heart in trying both to foster unity and to explain what I was trying—and sometimes failing—to do.
… I was not, in so doing, intending to talk about Southern Baptists and others—and there were many—who were open about all of these issues but believed in supporting candidates, however flawed, who would appoint good people and carry out good policies on some issues.
It is the opinion of the Deebs that thoughtful Christians on all side of the political spectrum have considered the facts involved and voted their conscience. Jesus did not address political situations during his ministry, merely saying to render unto Caesar that which is Caesars? He did not say “Throw the bums out” nor did He say “Vote the bums in.”
Currently we have a number of stories within the church which must be told. We cannot keep up with those. Add politics and then the inevitable will happen. It would go something like this “Good Christians cannot vote like xxxxxxxxx.” The Deebs deeply disagree with this approach. I, particularly, have been intimately involved with politics for much of my life. I decided to walk away from that since I have only so much time. Fighting abuse within the church is one of those hot button issues for me.
To be frank, I could give a litany of pros and cons about all of the political candidates. None on them, IMO, adequately represented the faith that I know. But I was voting for a politician, not a pastor.
I am sorry that this has caused you concern. I am thrilled that both you and David are writing what is on your hearts in this matter. Your voices are needed. But this blog is not going down the political path. I am sorry if that causes you to doubt our faith or our motives. I can assure you that the two of us thought and prayed long and hard about this.
Finally, you do not know for sure for whom the two of us voted. To be frank, neither of us even discussed it with one another until things started getting heated in Christian circles.
In the end, the only thing that will set us free is Jesus because He is the ultimate truth.
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@ Headless Unicorn Guy:
Hey HUG, check out the OD page. I put a couple of photos of Jackson on another website. Don’t know if it worked, but I tried to post a link.
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@ Nancy2:
So glad the distemper was diagnosed and that your dog is recovering. 🙂
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dee wrote:
As I think back to our discussions about starting this blog, politics were NEVER a motivation.
And that hasn't changed in the eight years we have been running this website.
BTW, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! We published our very first blog post on March 19, 2009!
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Paul Washer had a heart attack and is in the hospital. His surgery went well. Please remember him and his family in your prayers. Thank you.
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dee wrote:
I agree with Dee and Deb’s position on this.
It’s what this blog a safe place to come to — that politics is checked at the door and to not derail the threads.
As Dee has pointed out that you and David/Eagle are each using blogging and social media to get your views across.
I am very pragmatic. I see the nation vote liberal for a few terms and then conservative. We see the same thing happen across The Pond in the UK and other countries. Those that howl in anger don’t really seem to take that into account.
Finally, Dee has her own struggles — a health problem and pain. Deb works a family farm. These ladies give us all they have and then some. Please respect that.
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Deb wrote:
Woo hoo! Happy Anniversary to the Deebs (Deb and Dee), our blog queens.
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Brian wrote:
Praying.
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Please pray for Harley.
She’s in a great deal of pain after shoulder surgery today.
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Nancy2 wrote:
Amen.
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Velour wrote:
yes, I’m keeping her close in prayer. She will likely have a very painful few days ahead, and her rehab won’t be any fun either.
So many others need prayer. Will vigil again tonight for known and unknown needs as if seems timely.
But happy and grateful for the little puppy anyway. 🙂 Some good news comes in small packages from them with big hearts and so much love.
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Christiane wrote:
Thank you so much sweet prayer warrior, Christiane!
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Velour wrote:
this was for @melody
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A prayer for all whose needs are known to us and all whose needs are known only to God:
“Lord of all kindness, be present at our sleeping, and bring to us Your peace” Amen
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A prayer for all whose needs are known to us and all whose needs are known only to God:
“In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Help us, save us, have mercy upon us,
and keep us O God, by Thy grace.”
Amen.