10-06-2019 The Rev. Dr. Charles Millikan - Houston Methodist Healthcare

A moment to reflect on our reading from Habakkuk this morning allows us to see how we are  linked to a time some 600 years before the time of Jesus. Habakkuk was troubled by the evil he saw running rampant in Judah. He brought honest concerns and questions to God, but was not prepared for God’s answer. God planned to use the cruel and violent Babylonians to punish Judah.

Life is filled with such questions. We are familiar with injustice in our society; often the bad guys seem to win. Why does God allow it? Habakkuk’s prophecy assures us that no matter what we face in life, God never changes his personality or his promises. His holy and loving character remains the same, even when everything seems to be falling apart. He will fulfill all the promises of his Word, even when the future seems to hold nothing but pain. God is powerful enough to use even the bad things in our lives to bring about his good will for us and his world.

Today we are very fortunate to have The Reverend Doctor Charles Millikan to be our guest preacher and In His Step luncheon speaker. As the still small voice of God began stirring in me about my future at St. Dunstan’s, I encountered other voices. As the Apostle Paul heard a voice that said, “Come over to Macedonia”, I heard voices that said, “Come over to Methodist”. One voice belonged to Charles. He is the Vice President for Spiritual Care and Values Integration for Houston Methodist and holds the Dr. Ronny W. and Ruth Ann Barner Centennial Chair in Spiritual Care and as a Clinical Professor for the Medical Ethics and Health Policy Department at Baylor College of Medicine. Charles works closely with all the hospitals in Houston Methodist, which includes some 84 Chaplains and 289 Lay Ministers. Prior to coming to Houston Methodist Dr. Millikan served as the Senior Pastor of the Moody Memorial Methodist church on Galveston Island. It is our great pleasure to welcome Dr. Millikan this morning.