Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author - Vernon's Blog

Shirley's Retirement Open House

8/16/2018

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Alpena MI, hosted a Retirement Open House in honor of Shirley and me to acknowledge our six years of ministry as Shirley begins her retirement from full-time ministry.

Besides the congregation, the wider Alpena community was also invited to the Open House. We had a wonderful turnout for this event, and we were humbled and honored by all those who came and wished us well and showered us with love. We are extremely grateful to the gracious folks at St. Paul who pulled this event together.

Shirley preached her last sermons at St. Paul on August 11 and 12. Sometime in mid-Sept, Shirley and I will be moving to Colorado to start our next great adventure. We look forward to what God will be calling us to do next.

Enjoy the pictures! My thanks to Nancy Smith, a member of St. Paul, for taking some of these pictures. Peace, Vernon T.

Scripture Reflection: Faith to Trust in the Promises of God

8/9/2018

“No distrust made him [Abraham] waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’” Romans 4: 20-22

The story of Abraham and the faith he showed in God’s promises is recorded in several places in the Bible. He believed that God would do what was promised, even when things around him seemed to suggest something different. On our spiritual pilgrimage we often are called upon to have faith to trust in something that others can’t see or understand. You may know others that have been in this situation, or you may have been in a similar position.

One of the times in my life when this occurred was when I was thinking of going to the Trinity Lutheran Seminary. I had spent more than twenty-seven years in the insurance industry and wasn’t in a position to take early retirement but was given some really clear direction to go. The odd thing for me was that I knew that I should think about going, but I wasn’t sure why I was going before I went. I very strongly believe that in order to become an ordained pastor, a person had to receive a call from God in some form or fashion, and I had not received that call. However, it became clearer as I went along that I should go anyway.

After I started, people would ask me why I was here, I would say that God told me to come, but I didn’t know why. After I was there for a few months, people began telling me that I would make a great pastor, but again I didn’t feel called to be one. Going to Trinity took faith in God’s promises, for at the beginning I truly did not know why I was there. Later on, I found out why when I met and married Shirley Ross, and became involved in my current ministry, however that was after I went.

On your spiritual pilgrimage, may you like Abraham have the faith to trust in the promises of God, so that when you are called to act, you can do so knowing that God will be with you! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2018 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Scripture Reflection: Guided by the Spirit

8/2/2018

“By contract, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. . . . If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” Galatians 5: 22-23, 25

If we acknowledge the fact that we have the Holy Spirit in our lives and is a very important aspect of our spiritual pilgrimage, then according to this verse we ought also to be guided by this same Holy Spirit. This seems like stating the obvious! However, if the Spirit is truly leading us, are the fruits of the Spirit present in our spiritual core?

Can we say that we attempt to love all those around us, do we have the joy and peace that come from knowing that God’s infinite love is always with us, and do we have faithfulness in our spiritual pilgrimage? Taking part in this journey and being directed by the Holy Spirit will change us and cause us to grow spiritually and emotionally.

I know that I am more understanding of those whom years ago I might have been inclined to look at from a very judgmental standpoint. I also know that I am more willing to let go of things that have happened to me and around me then I used to, these are but some of the ways that I have been changed. Some of these changes may have come about because of my life experiences, however, I believe that the Holy Spirit has also impacted and helped mold me. May you be open to being guided by the Holy Spirit and in the process be changed by that same Spirit! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2018 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Scripture Reflection: Bearing Fruit

7/26/2018

“I [Jesus] am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.” John 15: 1-3

I don’t claim to know much about farming or growing gardens, however, I have known many people who were really good at it. One such person was my late wife’s father, Vito, who knew a lot about growing things. He had a huge lot on his property in Ashtabula, Ohio where he generally put in a very large garden, until his health slowed him down.

He loved seeing things grow and of course grew more then he could use, thus he always gave much of it away. When we were able to visit him during the summer, we always came away with wonderful fruits and vegetables from his garden. Every morning, before the sun got too hot, he would get out into his garden to weed, clear out, prune, and water his garden. He knew in order to have a good harvest much work was needed, which he was willing to do.

What Vito and countless other gardeners and farmers have done, is what Jesus is saying about branches (in him) that require pruning. As followers of Jesus we are like branches in need of pruning in order to bear more fruit. Jesus said that his disciples have already been cleansed (pruned) by his words. This removing of the unfruitful branches and the pruning or cleansing may at times be painful or cause us some discomfort, however, it is a necessary step for us to bear the fruit of God’s kingdom. We may not fully understand about this process when it is going on, but generally later on during our pilgrimage we can see why the removal or pruning was needed.

As you take part in the spiritual practices of prayer, Bible study, and reflection, may you be open to allowing God’s word and the Holy Spirit to remove, prune, and cleanse those parts of your inner being that will allow you to become the person that God wants you to be! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2018 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Scripture Reflection: God’s Kingdom in Our Daily Lives

7/19/2018

“And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his [God’s] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” Luke 12: 29-32

The beginning of this passage begins with the words, “he (Jesus) said to his disciples.” Thus, it is implied that the message that followed was for those who were his closest followers, and not specifically for the crowds who were mainly interested in following Jesus because of the miracles he performed, or the religious leaders who wanted to be there when Jesus did something wrong in their eyes.

As he tells his disciples, they were to strive first for the kingdom of God in their daily lives and trust that the Lord would provide for whatever else was needed. This is a very challenging concept in our world today that places a lot of emphasis on being overly concerned about one’s stock earnings, retirement nest egg, status in society, etc. Striving first for God’s kingdom before anything else is not for the faith of heart and for us who are trying to live in our modern culture.

This is a lesson that I have had to learn over and over again in my life, and it continues to be a challenge for me. One of the first major times that I encountered this was when I was working full time in a steel mill and going to college part time. Twice during that time, I was forced to sit out a quarter from taking college courses because my grade point average was too low compared to the number of hours I was taking. I kept thinking that I could do more than I was capable of and couldn’t pull up my grades fast enough, and thus was forced to sit out and think about what was going on.

I was able to get off probation for a number of reasons, but the major one was that I consciously tried to strive for God’s kingdom while taking my classes. I had to try to put God’s will and kingdom first in my life, versus anything else. This focus didn’t happen overnight, but slowly my heart and mind tried to strive for God’s kingdom in my life on a daily basis and it impacted how I prepared for my class work, and how I saw my college experience. During your spiritual pilgrimage, may you recognize the importance of striving first for God’s kingdom on a daily basis, versus anything else that you may encounter on your earthly journey! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2018 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Scripture Reflection: Spirit of Adoption

7/12/2018

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abby! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8: 14-16

For those who are being led by the Spirit of God are also children of God. When we engage in our spiritual practices and invite the Holy Spirit to come into our lives, we come to realize that we are indeed children of God. This point should influence how we live and interact with those around us, for as children of God our focus is on God’s kingdom and the Lord’s will in our lives versus the things of the world.

The point of being adopted by God holds special meaning for me and may also hold importance for those of divorced families. My parents were divorced, and both of my grandparents were divorced, this made for some challenging dynamics in and around my family. I am sure whom I am today was impacted by this situation. As a child I didn’t fully understand about being a child of God and what that meant.

However, as an adult on this spiritual pilgrimage, I become increasing more aware that as a child of God, the Lord loves me no matter what may happen in my life. That even when humans can cause me pain and fail me, because they are human, God is love and can’t help but love me and will never fail me.

It doesn’t matter what your situation is in life, if you are from a divorced family, or if you are recently divorced, or you have been hurt by a divorce, please know that because of this spirit of adoption, you are a child of God and the Lord wants to give you an infinite grace-filled love!

Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2018 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Scripture Reflection: God is Near

7/5/2018

"So that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is nor far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being;’ as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’" Acts 17: 27-28

For many years I have tried to learn and memorize Bible verses. I started doing this to help with my low self-esteem after reading positive thinking books that encouraged practices such as this. I found this routine to be helpful for me, and it has been continued. The middle part of this passage is one that has helped me lot.

"In him we live and move and have our being," I think this says so much for us who are struggling with life’s challenges. The fact that in God we can live a renewed life daily, in God we can take steps knowing that God will walk with us, and in God our very being and existence can make it through whatever comes our way.

Think of using scripture as a way to reinforce your spiritual practices, try memorizing scripture as a way of coping with life’s ups and downs. It will not keep you from having problems in life, but it may help you get through them. This verse would be a good one to start with, and you could even personalize it like this. "In God, I live, move, and have my being!" Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2018 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Scripture Reflection: Old Self into a New Self

6/28/2018

" . . . seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator." Colossians 3: 9b-10

Two months after my high school graduation, I started working in a steel mill’s open-hearth department near my hometown, Youngstown, Ohio. I continued to work full time for nearly nine years until I earned my undergraduate degree. I had many different jobs during my time there, and some of the jobs required me to either get really dirty or be around a lot of heat causing me to perspire quite a bit.

Thus, I normally had to take off the work clothes and shower before putting on my street clothes. It was a wonderful feeling to remove the dirty and smelly work clothes after my shift was over. After the shower and putting on the clean clothes I felt almost like a new person.

In this passage from Colossians we have the image of being stripped of the old self (old clothes) and being renewed into a new self (new clothes). The reader is encouraged to leave behind the old practices that they were once involved in, and to be renewed with the knowledge of a new life in Christ.

As we take part in the spiritual pilgrimage, the practices of the old self (old clothes) maybe something, we don’t feel like wearing any longer. Somewhat like when I couldn’t wait to get my dirty clothes off after my shift was over. While striving to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ, may you leave behind those old things that prevent you from being renewed. May you be clothed with your new self (new clothes) in the image of Christ! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2018 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Vernon's "Living Lutheran Magazine" Article

6/25/2018

The “Living Lutheran Magazine” recently published an article I wrote. It talks about how I started a new prayer routine, when my late wife was in a nursing home recovering from surgery. Please go to the link below or above to read it. Peace, Vernon T.

https://www.livinglutheran.org/2018/06/prayer%e2%80%8a-%e2%80%8athe-breath-of-life/

Personal Retreat

6/21/2018

I have been very fortunate to be able to take several personal retreats in my life. One of them was when I was able to take part in a personal retreat at St. Augustine’s House, a Lutheran Monastery, in Oxford, MI. Part of the retreat was silent, and there were many opportunities for worship, as the Monks normally worship eight different times a day. I was able to make several of their worship periods each day, and I had time for my own prayer, reading, and reflection.

The Monks were very welcoming and gracious to me while I was there. It was a very good experience for me, and I came away with a few good insights for me and the ministry that I feel called to. I would encourage you to think about taking part in something like that, somewhere, some day, when moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. You could also do a mini retreat, by just going off to a park, a waterfront, an empty church, basically any place where you can feel calm and quiet in your inner core, where you are able to pray, read, and reflect.

Peace, Vernon T.