I have been preaching for about 35 years and have delivered over 1,500 sermons. There have been some occasions when I have been very anxious about preaching. One of those times was in 1989 when I delivered my first sermon at Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. It was a privilege to stand where Dr. Norman Vincent Peale preached for so many years inspiring people. But it was also very intimidating—especially since The New York Times had just done an article about me with the title, "Nervous Rookie Ready for Debut in Peale's Pulpit". It was a day I'll never forget, but one that my racing heart is glad that's over. 

But the anxiety I had that day doesn't match the fear I had when I preached my very first sermon. I preached it in 1968 when I was only nine years old. I had just completed Confirmation Classes with The Rev. Gene Cariker of Epworth Methodist Church. For some reason, Rev. Cariker felt led to ask me to preach for one of our Sunday evening services. (This was back in the day when we attended church twice a day - a Sunday morning service and a less formal service in the the evening). Truth be told, my mother wrote most of the sermon...I simply delivered it. Some say that my mother has been writing my sermons ever since. And I suppose because of her influence on me, they're right.

When we gather in church on Sunday, I will be just as nervous to preach as I was in 1968 and 1989. You see, the Gospel text for the first Sunday in Lent is Matthew 4:1-11. It's the famous story when Jesus goes out into the wilderness and is tempted by the devil. My sermon title is, How to Beat Temptation. I will be offering suggestions on what to do when faced with temptation. 

Why am I so scared to preach this sermon? 

As part of my Lenten discipline, I am going to try to eat healthier and lose some weight. Most of you know that this will be a big challenge for me. I have battled my weight and my love of food my entire life. How will I do with temptation during the forty days of Lent. Will the suggestions I offer on Sunday work? Will I even follow through in using them? 

Well, by Easter Sunday, you will be able to tell if I've been able to practice what I preach. And I am scared to death!

One of the reasons that this is one of my favorite times of year is because of the Taizé Service we have on Wednesdays during Lent. Our souls and bodies are crying out for a time to be still and to connect with our Creator and Sustainer. So come and join us from 6:30 - 7:00 pm as we gather in the sanctuary in silence and listen for bat Kol — the still, small voice of God. These services will also be Live Streamed for those who cannot be with us in person. 

Before the Taizé Services on Wednesday, come and have supper with your church family. Come share in the good food and fellowship. We hope that folks from both the Asbury Campus and the Wesley Oak Campus will come and commune together. Please see our website and our newsletter for details. We want to be sure to have enough food and place settings for everyone, so please make a reservation by contacting the church office.

We will soon be sending out our March Newsletter, and you will see a wonderful new addition. Rev. Richard Allen, who serves on our Stewardship Committee, will be offering a piece on stewardship in each of our monthly newsletters. 

One of the goals of our Stewardship Committee is to help us realize that stewardship is not only important during our Pledge Drive in the fall. Stewardship is a mindset — a way of living. So thank you, Richard, for taking part of your "retired time" to bless us with your writings about stewardship.

As you know, the reports of the suffering and loss of life from the earthquakes in Turkey have been devastating. We want to assist those in need as best we can, but it is often hard to know how to help. It is even more challenging when the disaster is so far away. You may wonder which organizations are reliable and how your gift will be used. If you would like to assist, here are some organizations that have a good track record of using resources responsibly:

Thank you for all of the prayers and texts of concern offered for my mother. Let me give you a brief update. She had fallen at Christmas and had injured her head and ribs. The recovery has been slow as ribs injuries take time to heal. We had a bit of a crisis this past week as the abdominal pain we thought were from ribs injuries were actually from an infected gallbladder. She has had some wonderful medical care and is on the road to recovery. Hopefully sometime in the coming months, we'll be able to get the "songbird of Asbury" back in the sanctuary again! Appreciate all of the prayers.

Love,
Billy