On board a ship to Georgia

Here is an excerpt I found interesting:

Sunday, November 23, 1735: At night I was awakened by the tossing of the ship and roaring of the wind, and plainly showed I was unfit, for I was unwilling, to die.

I find if very interesting that the fear of death creeps in on Mr. Wesley. He states that he is unwilling to die, unwilling to come to meet eternity. At this point Wesley is in his 30s, and he is well educated man in the things of God, especially knowing the teachings of life after death. Yet here we find a man unwilling to meet his maker. I think this is a good example of what Wesley characterized as being unsure of his salvation; he would later attest to this assurance at the Aldersgate meeting a couple of years later.

Exploring John Wesley's Theology

Greetings my mom, my mother-in-law, and anyone who might stumble upon this blog!

I'm back, and badder than ever, and This course will be dealing with John Wesley's Theology.

This module will mostly cover excerpts from the Journal of John Wesley, noting my insights and feelings from particular readings. The first of which is this:

Upon his (Wesley's Father) encouragement we still continued to meet together as usual; and to confirm one another, as well as we could, in our resolutions to communicate as often as we had opportunity (which is here once a week); and do what service we could to our acquaintance, the prisoners, and two or three poor families in the town.

This particular excerpt dealt with the origins of the Holy Club. I like this excerpt because Wesley clearly communicates to me the art of living in Christian fellowship with other believers. He spells out three things that I believe are significant:

1) Meeting Together: I think it is important for Christians to meet together on a regular basis, both in and out of the church service. I have had the privilege of meeting with my Pastor and other men from our church for coffee every once in a while, and the times I get to do that lift me up and affirm my call to ministry.

2) Confirm one another & communicate: I believe that it is important as a Pastor to meet with other pastors and confirm the work we are doing. I think a lot of laypeople do not fully understand the amount of energy that is put into being a minister, and I believe Pastors need regular support and confirmation from their peers.

3) Service: Wesley outlines engaging in service to acquaintances, prisoners, and to the poor. I think all three of these areas are great opportunities for individuals to engage and support those who may or may not believe in Christ.