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WHO I AM
When I was young I would hear the teaching of being Christ-like. It sounded good, but I didn’t believe a person could be like Jesus; good like Jesus; serve like Jesus; faithful like Jesus.
As I grew and learned God sent Jesus in human form to teach us that we can be imperfect people and still be Christ-like. It is the Holy Spirit that fills us with the drive to do good, to serve, and to live by Faith. It doesn’t make us perfect, but it does give us that hunger for righteousness and discipleship.
I recently wrote a song entitled “Who I Am”. In my song, I express the feeling of wanting to be like Jesus. Not perfect, but living life the best I can. This is what God is calling us to do. This is understanding what it means to be the Church.
I just want to be like Him
Living life the best I can
I just want to walk the road
Helping others lift the load
I just want to spread the News
God is love and justice too
Chorus:
Trying to understand
Where I must stand
Knowing who I am
Who I am
Could I be just one small light
Shining in the cold, cold night
Could I help just one lost soul
Share the way to make them whole
Marching in the big brass band
Holding on to Jesus hand
Every morn I wake and pray
Asking God to show the way
And I feel the strength to be
What the Lord requires of me
Now I know God knows my name
Child of God is my claim
My First Sunday As A P.K.
shared by Collie Coburn
In June of 1967, my Dad took on his first pastoral assignment. He and Mom packed up the family and moved to Water Valley, KY. Waiting for us there was a beautiful red brick church with a lovely parsonage right next door. My older brother, Kimball Jr, younger sisters, Kathy and Cari, and I were very young. Cari had just been born before the move. Water Valley was a small rural community with lots of room for me and Kimball Jr to run around. That’s why Mom and Dad said we were always to let them know where we were going.
When I tell people that I grew up as a pastor’s kid (PK), I get mixed reactions. Some might imagine PKs as being automatically well-behaved young Christians. But for those of us who actually know preacher’s kids, we’ve seen that they can also be a bit on the wild side. I see myself somewhere in the middle. Being a PK can present certain challenges for a kid. But as you’ll see in my case, the challenge was more on the preacher.
Dad’s first challenge happened when he was preaching his first sermon ever at Water Valley Methodist Church on Father’s Day. To say he was nervous is an understatement. Mom had to slip out to take care of the needs of Kathy and Cari, so she took them home while my big brother and I stayed in the service. Kimball Jr sat quietly and listened, but I quickly lost interest and wanted to leave. I remembered the promise to my parents that I would always let them know where I was going. What happened next was reported in the local newspaper the following day.
“Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family.”
1 Peter 2:17 (The Message)
There were plenty of times I made Dad’s job difficult. But to be honest, I don’t quite remember this incident. What I do remember is how comfortable I felt at Church. Perhaps that’s why I always felt free to be myself completely. Church friends are like an extension of my own family. Even when visiting churches other than mine, I still find it natural to smile and chat with strangers. I hope you feel this way too.
When we feel loved, supported, and encouraged at church, it confirms we are part of the family. And when we love, support, and encourage others at church, we are strengthening the family. Let’s work together to build up the family of God and make the Church a place where no one wants to say, “I’m going home.”
See you on Sunday!
Collie
Kimball Receives Bishop’s Award
On June 17, the California-Pacific Annual Conference honored distinguished clergy and laypersons who have devoted their lives to extraordinary service. Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank and retired Bishop Grant Hagiya presented Kimball with the Bishop’s Award.
In his brief message to those in attendance, Kimball shared some of what Evangelism in the Prophetic Spirit means. He said, “Prophetic preaching isn’t easy preaching. Like the Old Testament prophets, it takes courage to confront those who are wrong and challenge them to follow God’s call for their life. Prophetic preaching comes from a heart of compassion and love, and contains the power to give hope to those who will listen.”
Kimball concluded with his own challenge to young pastors and church lay leaders by saying, “Don’t ever walk away from the pulpit without giving people a sense of hope. They need that hope to sustain them as they go out of the church and into their community.” Kimball ended by encouraging these leaders to “Shake us up! For God’s sake, shake us up!”
Firm and Loving
The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome,
“God is kind, but God is not soft. In kindness God takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change.” (Romans 2:4 ~The Message)
We like going to church and hearing God is kind and God is love. It is comforting and soothing, but to hear God leads us into a radical life change is unsettling. Most people hear the word ‘radical’ and think of being an extremist or fanatic. Radical comes from the word “radix” which means rooted. Having a Christian radical lifestyle means being rooted in the teachings of Jesus. Teachings that are not always comforting but are challenging and call us to change our lifestyles.
All of us who are parents know that there are times when we must be firm as we discipline our children. We do this because we love them and want the best for them. God is our heavenly parent and offers to firmly take us by the hand and guide us.
My mother was a perfect woman to be a single parent of two boys. She loved us so much, yet she was strong and firm when we needed it. Although there were days she needed to be firm with us, at night she would let us get out of our beds and go down the hall to her room. We’d climb up on her bed and lay our heads on her as she sang and told us stories and taught us her favorite scriptures.
Not soft, but firm, and oh so loving.
Things We Agree On
I get tired of writing about and commenting on what divides our country. Jesus teaches understanding and unity, but it seems like we’re not listening. I’ve been thinking of things that we agree on. Things that brighten our lives and help us realize we do have common feelings, hopes, and dreams. Here’s my shortlist:
I would like to add God’s list to my list.
PEACE – HOPE – LOVE
Make your own list ~ then read it several times ~ it will lift your spirit!
The Rev. Dr. Kimball Coburn, Sr. and the Rev. Dr. Dale Smith Receive the 2023 Bishop’s Award
Dale has been a supporter and encourager for the ministry of Evangelism in the Prophetic Spirit since its beginning. His friendship and leadership in developing Kimball’s pension plan have been invaluable. Kimball’s first evangelism event was a Pasadena District gathering at Dale’s church. Dale Smith, at the age of 95, still serves on the ministry’s Board of Directors.
The Rev. Dr. Lew Fry and Mrs. Alma Roberts, who are former recipients of the Bishop’s Award are also members of the Board of Directors. They, too, have given their creative gifts and strong leadership throughout our 44 years of doing this ministry of evangelism.
As an annual tradition, our Bishops have honored distinguished clergy and laypersons who have devoted their lives to extraordinary service for The California-Pacific Annual Conference. Kimball and Dale’s biographies will be posted online at calpacumc.org/ac2023/.
What Will Bring Us Back
I think it is about time. It’s about time we start filling up our churches again. The pandemic has kept our churches only half full, and sometimes less. There are those who predict that this will be the way from now on. They’ve shown that many of us have grown accustomed to watching our worship services at home on demand.
As comfortable as it is worshipping in pajamas, it will never take the place of being in community with friends and singing the songs to live music. Even though many churches are still wearing masks and not touching each other with hugs, kisses, or even holding hands, there is an undeniable connection when we’re together in the sanctuary and worshipping with each other.
When Pam and I are leaving and fellowshipping in the narthex, we can’t help but share some hugs and shake a few hands. I know we probably shouldn’t be touching others, but we miss it so much and find it difficult to hold back. I’m not saying it’s the healthy thing to do. What I am saying is it shows how much we miss it.
The Church is not an institution, a club, or an organization. The Church is the instrument of God. It’s the personal warmth and bond of faith that is the glue binding us together. We are a community of love that builds God’s Kingdom come, God’s Will be done. This is what will bring us back to Church.
Agape, Kimball, S.E.
I Just Want To Hug Somebody
This pandemic has put a hold on our ministry for two-and-a-half years. I miss being in your churches. I mostly miss the personal touch, I miss preaching to you, singing with you, and hugging you.
I realize why we had to stop hugging each other these past years, but I hope we never have to do it again in my lifetime. Being the Church is being in community, and being in community is a feeling you cannot have without the freedom of being together in worshipful dance, song, and touch.
Not only have we not hugged each other in church, we haven’t even held hands in a friendship circle. We haven’t been able to face each other without masks and joyfully lift our voices in song.
The scripture is true, “If we keep silent the stones will shout out” (Luke 19:40). I don’t believe for a minute this pandemic will stop the Church from being what she is called to be.
The Church is not a body that can be blown away by the winds of disease. We are built on a foundation of faith. We are filled with the Spirit of Christ that brings us together in a community of love, and nothing can stop us from hugging each other.
Agape, Kimball, S.E.
A Joyous Easter from the Coburn Family
We have experienced the joy of Easter in the city, the country, the desert, and the beach, but experiencing Easter in Mt. Baldy is one of our favorite memories. We lived there for eight years, and it quickly became a tradition for our five young grandchildren. They came up from the cities below and spent part of Holy Week with us preparing for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter.
They helped Granddad build the cross from branches found on the forest floor our first year. They climbed the hill and planted it firmly. Stones were placed around it to keep it steady. Sometimes repairs were needed, but most of the time the cross seemed to withstand the forces of wind, rain, and snow.
Kimball draped the cross with a purple cloth. It stood humbly on the mountainside above his study that we called the Servant’s Quarters. The children would run up the hill and place fresh wildflowers that grew alongside the creek beneath the cross. We had our daily meditations during Holy Week in sight of the cross.
On Good Friday he removed that cloth and replaced it with a black one. The children’s flowers lay wilted and decaying ‘neath the cross, but when they joined us for this day of quiet, they surprisingly seemed to understand its significance.
On Easter morning just at daybreak, Kimball climbed the hill again and took the black cloth off the cross, and draped it with a white one. He buried the dead flowers and replaced them with Calla Lilies from our flower garden. Having done this, he began yelling to all of God’s creatures, “He’s alive! Christ Jesus has risen! He has risen indeed! Hallelujah! Thanks be to God!
Throughout the day our family would pause and look up to the cross and feel the love and sacrifice it represented. ~ May you, also feel the joy of Easter!
Agape, Pam Coburn
A Feeling I’ll Never Forget
It was 1968. I was sitting in the library of my college when I went into a dream state. I dreamed about the possibility of serving God in a way that would change the world. I felt it so deeply it brought a warm feeling of God’s presence in me. Tears welled up in my eyes and dropped on the page of a book on my desk. They startled me but I didn’t want to wake up and lose that feeling and the vision I was experiencing.
My tears were of sadness because we were losing 58,000 young men and women being killed in the Viet Nam War. Sadness because prejudice and discrimination were rampant throughout my southern homeland. They were also tears of joy that I could be a part of God’s plan to make a difference in our country and world. I had the privilege of preaching the confronting and challenging message of Christ in two little country churches on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky. They weren’t what you would label liberal, but they listened, and gradually over time, began to be changed by the teachings of Jesus.
That day was a feeling I’ll never forget. It was a feeling I don’t want to forget. It was a feeling I wanted to carry with me for the rest of my life. Those tears gave me the blessed assurance my decision to follow God’s call into ministry was my center and destiny.
My wish for you is to have a moment like mine when you feel God’s guidance to use your talents to change the world.
Agape, Kimball, S.E.
Kimball Boyd Coburn 