Monday, June 18, 2012

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Friends- Part Eight

Friends defend friends! My year-younger brother, Dennis, is a dear friend. He and I still speak for a few minutes nearly every morning. One expression of Dennis’ defense of his older brother occurred when we were in elementary school. Roger, a slightly older and of more combative temperament, decided to pummel me for a reason I forgot a long time ago. I was not much of a fighter, physically, at least, and was soon losing the quarrel rather badly. Dennis, the better athlete and apt at combative arts, stepped into the fray in my defense. A few well-placed hits, and Roger retired from the fray!

While walking this morning I mused on the second stanza of a Gospel song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Life experience informs us of our frailty, imperfections, and sheer foolishness. The Holy Spirit and Word lead us to honestly confront our sin and accept personal responsibility for our own decisions, behavior and attitude. We learn that we need an advocate, someone to represent us. Jesus, friend of sinners and defender, is the One who presents our case.

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-3)

The Authorized Version says, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

If we represented ourselves, we would lose every case. When we allow Jesus, our defender-friend, to represents us, He wins every appeal!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Friendship - Part Seven

Friendships are usually deliberately built, cultivated, developed with effort and last for extended periods of time. Friends celebrate and suffer together. The music of dance and dirge mingle as friends share life experiences. Friends anticipate how to be helpful, determine to be present when needed, and wishes they could share more than is possible.

Occasionally, however, someone enters our life, unanticipated, and only briefly. Momentary friends are not fickle or unfaithful, they are apparently designed as God’s gift to us for a season, and are gone. As the building now called Resurrection Life Church was being readied for use, we needed painters, professionals with ample experience and equipment. At that point, a mutual friend introduced me to Billy Donnely, a person whose personal and business experience highly qualified him.

I hope to never forget the afternoon when Billy Donnely appeared at Resurrection Life. He banged, I thought impatiently, on a secured door until I opened it to his broad smile and staccato, “Hi, I’m Billy Donnely! Bob Monreal said I might be able to help. I’m looking for a Pastor Wegner!”

After the initial greetings, Billy and I walked through the building’s 20,000+ square feet while I explained how we dreamed how we would use the space. Colors, finishes, time lines and costs were discussed in sweeping terms. Billy pressed me on the kind of congregation we envisioned, the neighborhood, and my personal experience with Jesus. Pentecostal doctrine and practice ranked high among Billy’s priorities. He also questioned me about different meetings he had attended and what I thought about a variety of preachers, including his pastor. He shared in some detail about being delivered from drug and alcohol abuse and being wonderfully transformed by the power of the Spirit. He was, and is, an enthusiastic follower of Jesus. But, Billy’s last words before departing were, “Pastor, this is a huge job. I just don’t know how I can help you.”

When I went home that evening, Pat asked, “How did it go with the painter?” My response was a tepid, “I don’t think anything will come of it.” I just sensed that Billy and I were not a “match!”

Was I ever wrong! The very next day, my cell phone rang and Billy announced quickly, in an “I’m-a-busy-man-no-nonsense” manner, “Pastor, I went to my suppliers and got them to donate all the paint. I have rounded up five of six painters and we will be there two weeks from Saturday. I think we can knock out your project in a couple of Saturdays!” And, they did. More than a dozen painters and helpers completed a project that could have easily cost more than $50,000.

Billy Donnely moved on. Still involved in his church, Billy has since established a home for recovering alcoholics and people addicted to drugs. He qualifies as one of those momentary friends who enrich our lives, one from whom we learn and then moves on. I hope you have experienced as an expansive array of friendships as God designs. Friends make life better and blessed!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Next Generation Speaks!

Some comments our pilot-year interns. Please continue to pray and support Alvin, Brittany, Kayla, and Zachary.  Contact us at NextGenPhilly@HighwayTabernacle.org to find out other ways that you can support this ministry.


  • Well, TNG has gotten through the summer. Throughout the summer TNG was able to inspire many people as well as teach people about God and how amazing He is. But, the inspiring and teaching doesn't just stop because the summer is over. Now, TNG gets a huge opportunity every Friday night in leading the youth ministries at Resurrection Life Church (RLC).  Many would think that without a true youth leader the youth group would diminish. Not at RLC though. Some teenagers come more than others, but that doesn't matter. Whenever these teenagers hear about God and learn about Him, they become captivated. They ask questions because they want to learn more. They tell their friends to be quiet because they don't want to miss a word of what is being taught. These teenagers at RLC have the same drive and enthusiasm the members of TNG do.  I can see the change in the members of the youth group. For me, it's also great to know that I'm helping to continue the cycle of evangelism and discipleship. TNG's teachings on Friday nights are changing the lives of the youth group. Some are now coming to church on Sunday. Some are now willing to volunteer at chuch events. God does amazing things. He's using TNG to make His kingdom bigger. God can never have enough followers. I'm glad to be apart of and help with the growth.  Please pray with us!     (Zach)
  • It has been great being a part of TNG and now continuing the program this Fall. A huge part of what we are doing takes place at youth group at Resurrection Life Church (RLC). Every week, we see the hunger that these youth have for God. It is a growing experience for me and all the others who are in TNG. Ministering at times may be hard (like when people don't show up or we, as leaders, lose faith), but overall doing something because the youth deserve it and being obedient to God are our rewards in the end.    (Kayla)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Missions Trip!

Thanks to East End Assembly for hosting our missions trip to Pittsburgh!

Here are some snapshots from the trip.

Kids' Outreach: Making Melodies in My Heart

Worship Team Practice with Pastor Dave

Psalm 139

Thanks for praying!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Some things change. others do not

Pat and I returned home Sunday morning from Phoenix, AZ where we attended General Council. We have attended every council since1969. We drove from Michigan to Dallas that year. Candace who was only three months old. Our Ford was not air conditioned and temperatures daily approached 100 degrees.

The contrasts between the first council and the one convened last week are many. I list a few of the most striking differences.


• On a personal level, three of our granddaughters attended this year and enjoyed special sessions for youth. I am no longer the youth movement!

• Business sessions were once long and tedious. Resolutions were endless and often adopted after intense debate. I remember one issue being debated for more than eight hours in 1975. Most resolutions were adopted last week with few comments or amendments.

• In the past appeals for offerings were long, and many. On Friday night, following the message, the speaker asked that everyone contribute to a special offering for youth by texting from their i-phones and digital devices! Devices flipped open and tiny screens lit up as people younger than me eagerly entered codes and amounts in response to the challenge.

• Several daily wardrobe changes were the norm a few years ago. Men wore suits and ladies often appeared as if they were on their way to a dinner party. Last week I saw a district official in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops in a business session. This is the first time I did not wear a tie to a session, but shorts and flip-flops are a bit much for an old guy like me. Suits and ties are a bit much when daily temperatures are over 100 degrees.

• The music and language now is different. “How cool is that?” sounds funny to me when used as an aside from a speaker approaching the mandatory age for filing for Medicare. But the message was a profoundly important and solidly Biblical.

Other things remain the same. I celebrate what has not changed and commit myself to investing in those who embrace the same call of the Spirit which gripped my heart as a youth.

• The preaching remains outstanding. We heard Biblically sound messages filled with promise and warnings. The same call to holy living and faithfulness to vocation we heard as fledgling preachers in the 60's continues.

• Youth still fill arenas with praise and cry out to the Lord at altars when invitations are extended. Large crowds worshiping were meaningful instruments of the Spirit used to shape me. I will always remember the times when an elder minister prayed words of assurance with a hand on my shoulder following the General Superintendent’s keynote message. The opportunity for another generation to experience the support of elders is still being repeated.

• Leaders continue to define our mission. Pentecostals have never satisfied with past accomplishments. The command to “go into all the world” is still on our lips and in our hearts. Today’s methods are more sophisticated yesterday’s, the mission remains unchanged.

• Friends still gather at alumni receptions. Our hair is grayer, or gone; out gait is stiffer; and our hearing imperfect; but our outlook remains optimistic, hopeful. We are aware that our sons and daughters, and grandchildren, will be the ones filling offices, chairing meetings, defining vision. They will do it with excellence and in the power of the Spirit.

Some waste time lamenting change. Let us choose to remember the past with fondness and look forward boldly. As youth, we believed we would change the world. And, we did the best we could. The work of world-changers is incomplete. The Holy Spirit continues to effectively prepare people for His use in the mission. Change ought to be celebrated if we are confident that Jesus remains at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit will fill all who seek Him, and that the Kingdom of God is indestructible!

Another thing has not changed. While I was gone, no one did my work for me. There are weeds to pull in my garden, bills to pay, and errands to run. There will be someone with whom I may be able to spend time and encourage. Let’s look forward! Positively!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Something New!

Pat and I laugh about our first home decorating. We tease each other that while our peers were doing their homes in Early American, we were doing ours in Early Attic. Our stuff was found at curb sides, saved from decomposition in landfills. (Green people ought to love us!) A few pieces have survived three children and eight grandchildren. They remind us of a happy era and wonderful people.

“New” is special. I have been making a mental list of “new” experiences. A freshly washed the car feels new. New tires make the ride safer, but pleasingly new for a few miles. An old room with a fresh coat of paint has a new attraction. And, have you shared a small, but distinct pleasure of being the first to squeeze a new tube of toothpaste? I enjoy opening a new ream of paper, writing with a new disposable pen, or opening the morning newspaper are small pleasures for me.

And, then there are a few really BIG “news,” firsts that represent life-altering change. As I write this item, I am aware that it is unlikely that I will ever be a pastor again in the same manner that I have been for most of the past 45 years. I will write as frequently as possible with a pastor’s viewpoint and desire in my heart. But, this forum is new in a significant way.

Above my boyhood pastor’s head, on the rear wall of the sanctuary, was a banner which read, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17. At my bedside at age 5 or 6, in the middle of the night my father and mother prayed with me and the “new” began. And, it is still happening in me. The “old” is more “passed away” than it was when I began, and everything remains new.

Our plans are to travel to Phoenix for the General Council of the Assemblies of God this week. If we do not post something new before Monday, August 8th, it is because we are absorbing “new” and spending time with old-time friends. That never gets old!

Enjoy something new today! We expect to continue exploring and discovering too!