RICHARD'S RAMBLINGS
New Beginnings

It is a time of new beginnings at the Spirit of the Cross Church. Not only is it a new year, but on January 8, 2006, our church family voted overwhelmingly to disaffiliate from the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC). Our local church remains the same. Same beliefs. Same people. Same worship services. Same ministries. Same mission. Same leadership. Same vision for the future.

We did not leave UFMCC out of anger or hostility. The New Testament tells of the directional differences between Paul and Barnabas. Both ministries, though different, were blessed by God and were crucial for the growth of the early church. Throughout their lives, Paul and Barnabas remained friends and cooperated with each other whenever they could. In the same way, we acknowledge the directional differences between our local church and UFMCC and those differences were so great that it was best to disaffiliate. We will remain friends and will cooperate with each other whenever possible. God will continue to bless the work of UFMCC and God will bless the work of Spirit of the Cross and other congregations who have disaffiliated. There is no doubt however that Spirit of the Cross will continue to be Christ-centered and Biblically based, lead with strong ethics and accountability, and be good stewards of all resources given. We are excited about our future. Over the next year, we will be exploring the possibilities of new denominational affiliations but we are very far from making any decision about that.

It is indeed a time of new beginnings in your life as well. How can you be best prepared for the new year and all that it holds?

The first thing you need to understand is that a new year will bring new challenges. Don’t be discouraged. This isn’t anything new. But I urge you to face your new challenges with creativity. You are made in the image of God, the Creator of all. If you are a believer in Christ, God’s Spirit lives in you. Therefore, God will give you new creativity and everything you need to overcome the challenges and problems in your life. Get connected to Jesus Christ. Spend time with Christ daily and stay grounded in God’s Word. If you do this, you will be amazed at the revelations God will give you that will enable you to live victoriously no matter what the problem, challenge, or circumstance.

Secondly, you cannot let bad attitudes and fear stop you. For your new challenges and problems, you need a new attitude. Remember the old adage, “Attitudes are like diapers. Every once in a while they need to be changed or the whole place starts stinking.” Ephesians 4:23 teaches us that “there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and actions.”

Above all, do not let fear in your life. Anyone who has been to Spirit of the Cross knows that I preach, “fear is the number one enemy of the Christian.” Unlike anything else, fear will paralyze you and prevent the victorious living God desires for you. There are many fears we face (such as the fear of the future, of failure, of loneliness, of rejection, of not having enough money, of being out of control, of being inadequate). No matter what the issue (fear) is remember that God’s “perfect love expels (or flushes out) all fear” (1 John 4:18). Fear and God’s love cannot co-exist!

Finally, live your new year and face your new challenges with faith and courage. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” I know that you can move the mountains in your life this year but you can only move them in faith. God wants to show off in your life this year but God will only do so in response to your faith.

It is a time of new beginnings!

Rev. J. Richard Barham

Raised in Bridgeport, Ala.,
Richard was a Southern Baptist pastor, helped organize crusades
in the U.S. and Nicaragua and served as Associate Pastor of Birmingham's Covenant MCC.

To learn more about Richard,
click his cat Lucky.