Pastor’s Blog @ Covenant UMC

Rick Warren’s popular book, The Purpose Driven Life, talks about worship in one section. He says, “God desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life.” I love that quote. It is so true. You see, real worship is living a life that is pleasing to God. Nothing less, nothing more!

The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics according to Warren:
1. God is pleased when our worship is accurate. Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture.
2. God is pleased when our worship is authentic. God looks past our words to see the attitude of our hearts.
3. God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful. Thoughtless worship is “vain repetitions.”
4. God is pleased when our worship is practical. Real worship costs us our self-centeredness. You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time.

Matt Redman’s words to his song, Heart of Worship says,
“I’ll bring You more than a song,
because the song itself is not what You’ve required.
You search much deeper within
than the way things appear.
You’re looking into my heart.”

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk. 12:30). That is the essence of worship. As Rick Warren says, “The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.”

See you Sunday as we worship together!

Hays McKay

My brother-in-law, Rory, sent me a book from New York a few years back. He found it in a book store and couldn’t believe the title when he saw it. The book’s title… Bugs: A Hays McKay Mystery. No kidding! They even spelled the name Hays the way I do!

In this book, Hays McKay is a investigator who looks into the death of a person named, Bugs. It was quite amazing to see my name on the cover of a book. Even though it wasn’t about me…my name was on the cover.

Just because my name was on the cover of that book, it wasn’t me! Many times we think our name is one thing when in reality it is quite another. For example, I know people who think there name is loser, dumb, failure and etc. But, that isn’t a person’s name. You see, your name is so much more. When you see yourself in the light of God’s grace, your name is Christ-follower. Your name is found in a different book…the Book of Life! Your real identity is in Christ. The apostle Paul said that time and time again. You belong to Jesus and there is no other name more important than that reality!

Your real name and my real name is…we belong to Jesus. Unbelievable!

See you Sunday!

Hays McKay

Rick and Bubba, the popular radio hosts, have a best-selling book entitled, “Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage.” It is a humorous look at marriage and how to have fun along the way.

In this book, they have the Top Ten Reasons Some Husbands Don’t Pick Up After Themselves:
10. They’re making sure they can find their stuff again.
9. Because then they might have to actually put it away or wash it.
8. It’s a bread trail back to the bathroom.
7. It takes them back to their college days.
6. They’re still waiting on Mom to do it.
5. They’re leaving behind emergency underwear.
4. They love their wives too much to make them feel unneeded.
3. They’re too busy working tirelessly to do their part to provide for their families - and watching TV.
2. They’re rushing to the kids’ rooms to get one of them to take the blame!
1. If they stopped, what would comedians have to joke about?

Relationships can be hilarious! Sometimes, unfortunately, they aren’t. The center of Christ’s teachings were about relationships. We have a Heavenly Father who is relational. He sent us His Son, Jesus, to reach us, love us and redeem us. Jesus desires to reveal the Father’s heart.

So remember…even when you make a “mess” of your life…God’s heart is to love you. Wow! You are loved even when you aren’t perfect! Welcome to the family!

See you Sunday,

Hays McKay

With the new found age of GPS, it seems difficult one could get lost. Not true for me! I am so gifted.

Last November, we went to New York for a few days over Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. We then flew back to Atlanta where I had left my car in the huge parking lot. After collecting our luggage we all decided to walk to the car. As we made our way through the parking lot (or should I say parking city), I knew the area where I had parked but for the life of me I couldn’t find the car! So we walked around and around until finally Trey and Lindsey located our car! It’s a sad day when you get lost before you leave the parking lot!

The truth of the matter is we all can get lost before we get started. The reason…we don’t know where we are going. We think we do…but we are lost. We need someone to direct us…a GPS system designed by God to show us the way. As a matter of fact, God does exactly that! He provides the right message and measure in all things. We just need to allow Him the power to lead. Too often we trust in our own measure. And ultimately, we are lost.

The right message is this: Living in the flow of the Spirit means doing what Jesus says. I will mess up a lot. I’m going to need his power. I say to Him, “God, with your help, as best as I can, I will do what you say. I will give you my life, my time, my obedience.” If that is not your settled intent, then its best to be honest about it.

The beauty of the GPS is when you decide to do it on your own and get lost, it will recalculate your route! Awesome! We call it grace, don’t we. Isn’t that what God does for you and me? God says to us when we are lost…”Execute a U-turn.” As soon as we are ready to listen, as soon as we are ready to surrender…God’s grace will bring you home. So, here is the right message when you find yourself lost: grow to desire and follow God’s Spirit each day of your life and you will never get lost!

See you Sunday!

Hays McKay