What Is A Method?

In preparation for my radio series, the past week I have been studying the Wesleys, and Susanna in particular. Susanna was the mother of John Wesley who founded the Methodist Church.

Susanna was married to Samuel Wesley, a preacher and scholar who wrote numerous books. They were opposite in many ways, both in their opinions and in their temperaments.

In 1709, the Wesley’s house burned down. John, who was six at the time, was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom, and awakened by the light of the fire, thinking it was morning and time to get up. When Susanna and Samuel realized where he was, they couldn’t get to him because the stairs were burning.

A neighbor flattened himself against the outside wall of the house below John’s window and yelled for someone to climb on his shoulders. A tall thin man was hoisted to his shoulders and together they could just reach John and pull him to safety. Moments later, the burning roof collapsed.

John Wesley was six at the time and he escaped death literally by seconds. Susanna was struck by the providence of God, concluding that God must really have some great work for her son to do. Though 10 of her 19 children survived to adulthood, she put more energy into the nurture and instruction of John, understanding God’s hand was mightily upon him.

As stated earlier, John went on to found the Methodist movement and his influence went literally around the world.

Have you ever wondered where the word “Methodist” came from? It came from Susanna Wesley’s “methods” which she learned from her father, Dr. Samuel Annesly. Methods, simply put, means doing the same thing at the same time each day. In our culture today, we would call them disciplines.

As I have developed this series on great Christians from our past, I marvel at how much these individuals were able to accomplish in a lifetime. It’s mindboggling!

Well, they did it through discipline.

Too often in our culture we go through life jumping at every shiny object. What do I mean by that?

We are attracted continually to things that give us pleasure, and it seems, we are always looking for something new.

In my years of producing large evangelistic events, I was often approached by young people wondering if they could volunteer to help in the ministry. I was reluctant to oblige because often they were enthusiastic for about ten minutes, until something more appealing came along . . . a bright, shiny object.”

By contrast, Susanna Wesley’s “methods” shaped John’s character and set the stage for his success in life.

Because the family couldn’t afford a school for the children, Susanna taught them in a very structured system of “methods.”

Susanna was quite brilliant, by the way, and self-taught. She even had some knowledge of Greek and Hebrew.

When John and Charles Wesley sailed for America on their first missionary endeavor, they agreed to commit to Susanna’s methods. This is what their day looked like, quoting from the book Susanna Wesley by Charles Ludwig:

“They agreed to be engaged in private prayer each morning from four till five; to study the Bible together from five till seven; to breakfast from seven until eight; from eight until nine to have public prayers; and to continue on in this manner until they retired for the night between nine and ten. It was a hectic schedule.”

Okay, you say, “This is really over the top. I can’t do that . . . no way, no how.”

Yes, it is over the top, which is why they accomplished so much.

But you could take a part of it, or a small part, or look at the principle of it, and apply it in some way to your life. The point is that we should all grow in Christ, we should improve, we should become more efficient and fruitful.

The life of Susanna Wesley has made a deep impression on me. Already for more than 15 years I have been rising sometime between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. to spend time with God while everything is quiet in the world. I read scripture, write articles, pray, or just sit and listen to what He might speak to me. I also journal what He speaks to me, and later go back and review it, which is very helpful to the growth and direction of my life. I have been journaling since 1981.

Now, having studied the life of Susanna Wesley, I am challenged all over again.

Of necessity, pastoring a church and doing a daily radio program, I now have to accomplish more in less time.

How about you?

Life goes by so very quickly and the older one gets, the faster it goes. James says our lives are but a vapor which is here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14).

When you get older and look back, will you be satisfied with how you have lived, or will you have regrets?

I challenge you to consider the methods of Susanna Wesley.

Much of Scripture is “tough” and sobering. I leave you with this scripture in hopes that you might aspire to a more disciplined life.

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

2 Corinthians 5:10 NIT

I have thought a lot about heaven. Do I want to go? Well, of course, but now, here today, I am acutely aware of those hurting, in great pain, physical and emotional. I don’t know what could be worse than being in this life, and feeling no hope. Jesus gives hope. We need to tell the world about Him, at every opportunity. There is something we won’t be able to do in heaven. We will never be able to lead someone to Christ in heaven.

We Love Challenges – SORT OF

Challenges are good, but overload is not. We strive to find a balance. Waskish is a quiet little town. The internet says we have about 100 permanent residents. Aw . . . but fishing, that’s another dynamic. As soon as the ice was frozen to support fishing, a local business owner estimated there were 2000 pop-ups on the ice for the first week-end. So, it’s not so quiet, not like when I was growing up here.

I thought that when the Lord moved us here, I would have more time. The opposite is true. It is a challenge to keep up. God is growing our ministry. Today is Saturday, and I am just finishing up this newsletter. Because we live in the fellowship hall of the church, all of our living items must be put away out of sight as much as possible and fellowship hall be restored as fellowship hall. We feel this is an act of reverence for the Lord’s House. This is no small task and Lorraine is meticulous about cleaning.

Then there is the whipping of our two musical number into shape – we do two each service – I go over my sermon notes, Lorraine prepares her lesson for the children, and so on. We arise at 5 a.m. to be ready for service at 9 a.m. After the service, this week, we leave for Minneapolis to record radio spots at Praise FM on Monday.

We praise God for the response to our last newsletter. Many of you gave. We are becoming aware that with new projects on the horizon our budget must increase by many thousands. Presently we estimate the radio program reaches two to three million each week day. Pray for us! Partner with us! Thank you!

In His Service,

George and Lorraine Halama

Photograph designed and taken by Lorraine