Puerto Vallarta Food Drive

I’m sitting here in my office, drinking my Piña Colada Fruitista from Taco Bell, and imagining my feet dangling in a deep blue swimming pool surrounded by hundreds of Palm trees.(Wait…. Excuse my 5 second brain vacation…ahhhh. There. Okay. Done. Actually, I just got back from a week’s vacation with family in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I love going to Puerto Vallarta(or “PV” as mom calls it). Mom’s been going there on vacation for many years and I’ve had the privilege of going with her on a number of occasions. It is a beautiful place to just… be. In fact, it is one of my favorite places in the world.

Today is Wednesday, and I’ve had four days to get back into the swing of things since my vacation. Usually, the Monday after a vacation is a very blue get-back-to-work kind of day, but this week has not had one day like that. Being home is a good thing, and getting back to doing the things (well, the other things) that I like doing, has been energizing. So in short, “Veni, vidi, vici, visa” (I came, I saw, I conquered, I shopped) and then I returned refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated.

Some folks were concerned about my going to Mexico with all the Swine Flu that was supposedly everywhere. In truth, there was more Swine Flu in Houston, Texas than there was in PV (PV had no cases that I am aware of). But, as the rumor of the raging beast of Swine Flu blew through the vacation minded population, people chose not to go to Mexico. No tourists? No tourist dollars. No tourist dollars? No jobs. No jobs? No food on the table for lots of families. But I did the research and found out PV was just fine. Rumors weren’t going to stop my family from going there. But I also learned that the people in PV were working to solve the hunger issues by having food drives. I found about this at the last minute before my departure to Mexico, and put one quick email out to a short list of generous people. I let them know that only $5 would buy a packet of food that would feed a family. These kind folks came through and in only a very tiny amount of time, I had a quick $450 to take to PV. I did the math… that’s 90 families who were helped.

The video you will see here is of Chris Benson, the owner of The Coffee Cup, one of the places where people in PV dropped off money and food that would be given to families in need. I had the pleasure of visiting with Chris and here he shares just a short bit about the process and how families were affected. I wish to thank Chris for helping me out before my trip began. I wish to thank the generous folks who were so kind to offer up money and prayers for the people in PV. Too many times we forget just how blessed we are. Hope you are counting your own blessings today.

Consider the Doggies

The granddogs are here. While their parents are on vacation, my granddogs are staying with me a whole week and changing the way I live. I have to come home earlier and more often, to make sure that they go outside and are watered and fed. I wake up earlier than normal and do the same. I have made my fake groans about it, but really, I like having them here. They make bad decisions sometimes, (okay, one of them presented me with a half eaten pillow), but they are good dogs that I enjoy being around.

I like watching them from my kitchen window as they play in the yard. They chase daring squirrels and nose about the vegetation. They play tag with each other and wrestle until they find something new that catches their attention. And when I bring out the leashes, they excitedly gather around me waiting for that long walk together. They are so trusting and know that grandma has rules that must be followed. They know that I will provide whatever they need. And, because I love them I give them all of those necessary things, plus those extra things (a half eaten couch pillow).

In Luke 12:22-30, Jesus tells his disciples to think about watching the birds that peck about looking for food. He tells them to consider the lilies that grow and thrive without lifting a finger (errr…, a pedal) for themselves. He then points out how God takes care of the needs of such little creations and asks the disciples to consider the fact that God will also take care of the people whom He loves so dearly.

So in watching the granddogs, I am reminded, that as much as I truly care for them, God cares for me and all his children even more. How would my life be if I trusted God with as much fervor as the granddogs trust me for all their needs? We all need to put God first and trust that He… oh, I’d finish but I need to let the granddogs inside… Have a blessed week.

A Grammar Lesson

AA grammar lesson? Ick! I confess that I never learned the myriad of carefully recited grammar rules at school. That is due to the fact that my parents spoke using correct grammar and expected their children to do the same. So when it came time to make the correct multiple choice selections on the grammar test at school, I just read the sentence and selected the word that I would naturally say. Now I did memorize “i before e except after c”, but that is Spelling, and a whole different story…(…she said after silently being thankful for the ever-present computer spell checker.) …but back to grammar.

The United Methodist Church is engaged in a new thought process of what it means to be Christ’s church. This “program”, for lack of a better word, is called Rethink Church and challenges us to re-evaluate how we think, what we do, and what we DON’T do as members of the United Methodist Church (UMC).

The word “church” was originally used to mean the people, the followers of Christ. These faithful Christians gathered together on Sundays to worship in homes and wherever they could. Eventually buildings were build specifically for that time of gathering and worship, and the buildings gained the designation “church”. The word “church” moved from a noun, describing people, to a noun, describing a building. This redefinition has been the focus of many sermons and Sunday school lessons that try to bring the people back around to the understanding that we are the “church”, the body of Christ who is to be in active ministry, together.

With the advent of Rethink Church, another redefinition comes forward. The UMC has put out a series of videos and materials to explain this in more detail. One of the main challenges made is rethinking “church”, and moving from is solely as a noun, and recreating it to be an ACTIVE verb. Church then becomes less about where you go, or a label to wear, and more about what you are actively doing. The runner runs. The cook cooks. The church churches, which means the “church” (Christ followers) “churches” (behaves like Christ).

If we the Christ followers are behaving like Christ, then our complete lifestyle is filled with thoughts, words, and deeds that come together to constantly show our love to God and to the others around us.

One video states, “What if we rethink church? What if church was less about Sunday, and more about the other days of the week? What if church wasn’t just a place we go but something we do?” Instead of taking the TV remote for its nightly spin tonight, perhaps you might consider going to the UMC’s YouTube channel to discover more about this concept. There are plenty of heart-grabbing and challenging mini-movies (each of them under 10 minutes and some just minutes long) that may spark something new within you. Watching some are so great that you want to share them with someone else… kinda like evangelism… but I’ll save that for another time.

Spending Time Together

“Mom, I’m kidnapping you, so clear you calendar for the whole day.” The invitation was made, and with that I was told to prepare for celebrating my birthday with her. My daughter wanted me to set aside the other things I might do that day, and spend time with her. I didn’t know her plan. I just knew that we would be in each other’s presence.

On “the day”, she brought me a beautiful card that told me we were about to embark on a journey of memories, and she told me how much she loved me. With that, we were off and down the road. That was basically our day. She took me places that were special in our lives and gave me more messages and gifts that spoke about how much she loved me. I was overwhelmed by it, and I knew she loved me. But just being in her presence that day, knowing that she really wanted to be there with me and tell me those things, touched my heart and gave me the opportunity to respond to her, telling her how much I loved and appreciated her. (Ahhh, what a lovefest.)

Let me tell you about another day- another lovefest. There is a day that I set aside each week, because I’ve been invited to just spend time with someone who loves me. I am given time to anticipate that day together and prepare for it. Then, when that day comes, there is a celebration. The Person who adores me comes to me and tells me how much He loves me and reminds me of the love and gifts that have been given to me that show me of His great love for me. The special time that we spend together is a time to listen to Him, and gives me the opportunity to respond to His great love by telling and showing Him how truly thankful I am that He is present in my life.

Of course, this goes way beyond a birthday celebration. This is what should happen as we celebrate and worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. God doesn’t demand that we worship Him just because He’s the greatest thing around (which He is). He is telling us that we are so important to Him that He wants to spend that special time together with us, AND, He wants us to want that also.

Too often we view “worship” as a block of time that we “have to do”, because we are afraid of wrath, or honor-bound to do our “duty” on that day, or simply out of habit- a habit that has lost site of the joyful anticipation of gathering with others to celebrate. Worship should be anticipated throughout the week and culminate in excitedly arriving at the church building where you enter the worship space ready to be in a communal response to God’s love. None of this arriving 10 minutes late every week because… (insert repeated excuse here). None of this half hearted singing and inward complaining about the music because… (insert gripe out too loud/ soft, too fast/slow, “we’ve done this song before”/”I’ve never heard this song before”). No quick exit afterwards to beat the church down the road to the nearest restaurant.

Instead, it is your primary concern to be there, connecting to God, connecting to one another, and preparing to go back out in the world to serve others with love. THAT… is worship… worship with a full heart of love, ready to give, ready to receive, and ready to give again. Thanks be to God.

Blue Like Jazz

I like to read. I really do. But as of late I’ve been eyeball and elbow deep in reading a number of books, studying, and writing a number of papers for a course I’m taking. It is time consuming, but I happen to enjoy the topic and digging deep into understanding more about faith, grace, being the church… very Wesleyan. But though I like to read, I have very little time… strike that… I make very little time for reading just for fun in the midst of the stack of books on my desk. So when my daughter began telling me about her latest book, I was interested in her thoughts about it and made a mental note that I would have to read that book… someday. Time passed but someday hadn’t made it to my door, and then I discovered you could download Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller, as an audio book. Bingo! One can’t read while you drive (or rather one shouldn’t), but these days the thought of being stuck in traffic doesn’t really bother me. But regardless whether you prefer to read or listen, the book is worth your time.

I’ve read many many Christian books. I’ve bought Christian books I’ve not read yet and they sit there in the waiting line, queuing up to enlighten me or teach me something. Christian writers talk about Christ of course, so there is a certain expectation I have when I begin said books. But when I first began this book, it was so unlike the standard stories and thoughts in other books, and caused me to hit “pause” while I mulled over things he just said. Very out-of-the-box and marvelous. He explains his title by saying:

“I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.”

Being a musician, I was intrigued. Miller then goes on to tell about his life and how he viewed God during different periods therein. Who is God? How do we react to God? Does ignoring God make Him go away? Does God love everyone? You have probably asked those or similar questions, and may have found yourself in an ebb and flow of faith. Miller allows the reader to join him on his journey and opens up a new perspective of what it means to have faith and live a Christian life. His themes and chapters weave his personal experiences into stories about faith and surprise you with little gems that arrive suddenly from around a corner.

I haven’t finished it yet, but I will. I’m reading, savoring, pondering, and enjoying the layer it adds to my daily devotions, scripture reading and prayer. You might just check it out…

A Thousand Tongues

A thousand? I don’t know what to do with one sometimes, and here is this comment that suggests what someone would do with a thousand. The hymn, “A Thousand Tongues to Sing” is pretty well known in Christian circles, and many a church goer has sung the hymn, possibly by rote, not even hearing the meaningful lyrics being sung for the umpteenth time. The hymn by Charles Wesley was prompted by a quote from the Moravian preacher Peter Boehler, who said to Charles, “If I had a thousand tongues I would praise Jesus with every one of them.” Again comes the question, “a thousand?” Wesley responded some time later by writing these words:

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.

My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad, the honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears, tat bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears, ‘tis life, and health, and peace.

His love my heart has captive made, his captive would I be,
For He was bound, and scourged and died, my captive soul to free.

He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood availed for me.

So now Thy blessed Name I love, Thy will would e'er be mine.
Had I a thousand hearts to give, my Lord, they all were Thine!

Boehler and Wesley recognized a few things here. First, that God was GOD and was so magnificent beyond our understanding that mere mortal lyrics just couldn’t do justice to praising God. Mere mortal words couldn’t speak descriptively enough to encompass the greatness of God, who He is and what He has done. Mere human hearts aren’t capable of loving God back with the same completeness with which God loves us. So the question wrestles with the concept of using finite human words and emotions to respond to the power, the greatness, and the magnitude of the unending love of our infinite God.

If I had a thousand tongues and the wisdom of the ages, could I then tell God how grateful I was for his love, and tell others about how much God means to me? My answer is “probably not” but part of the adventure of this Christian life is to keep moving forward in that conversation with my Father God (what parent doesn’t enjoy hearing that their children love them?), and keep telling others about Him in the best way I know.

What does God mean to you? What is there about Him that you would ever want to share with someone that you care about?

(To hear David Crowder's version and instructions on playing it, go here. He also adds some insight about the writing of the hymn.)

Run, JOYFULLY, With Perseverances

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

Even when I was younger and athletic, I never like to run. Running was something you did in short bursts in basketball or tennis, or that long run around the bases. Running was that grind that you did around the track in the off season only because the coach’s drill-sergeant yells intimidated you and moved you forward. I never understood those who CHOSE to run and how they spoke about the freedom of being out and running free.

It’s been many years since then and, due to a change of attitude about health, I’ve begun to job. If you knew me when, you’d be quite startled. At least several times a week, I don headphones and begin to jog, and it is only now that I understand what I missed all those years. Now I’ll also admit that my jogging incorporates praise music and prayer, and between that and the actual act of jogging, I can honestly say that I relish that time as a physical and spiritual workout. The first time I experienced that joy, I was quite surprised. I should be groaning, but I just couldn’t do it. It was then I remembered an episode of the TV show “Friends”, where Phoebe went jogging. Her style of jogging was so wildly joyful that she couldn’t contain it. Not THAT was a picture of running with perseverance, and doing so with joy.

The verse from Hebrews is one of my favorites, and I always read it with the seriousness due a marathon runner, running forward with a serious face and eyes fixed on the prize. It was a test of endurance in which you grit your teeth and had your game face on. But in thinking of Phoebe, it put a different spin on the text. I now could see that joy was a major part of enduring. For those of you who are steadily involved in ministry, lay or clergy, I know that sometimes enduring and persevering are difficult positions to hang on to. I’ve set my game face and endured many a task or ministry, perhaps because I felt alone or put upon. But Phoebe’s joyful running reminds me that there is joy in the journey. I can and will endure, with joy. I pray you will too.

Mighty to Save

I haven’t been in the best of spirits as of late. I’ve had bronchitis and been out of the office and haven’t accomplished the things that I had planned to have done by now. I haven’t felt good enough to continue my regular jogging. I’ve had to handle a few situations that weren’t the happiest of things to deal with. On top of that, it has rained most of the weekend. By all rights, I should be feeling blue, depressed and at my wits end. I’m guessing, yes, just guessing here, that I’m not the only one who has had to deal with difficult things in life.

As I listened to the rain today and peeked outside, I noticed how fresh and green everything looked. God renews and transforms the grass, the trees, the azalea bushes, the birds, and even me. I’m old enough to know that there will be good days and bad days. And I’m grateful that God has consistently showed me that even though there are bad days, He will carry me through it. In times of trouble, and in times where I feel lower than a caterpillar’s tummy, I have a firm foundation and know there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that no matter how low I ever feel, God is right there with me, holding me up.

While surfing YouTube, I found this video of the song “Mighty to Save.” The lyrics are wonderful reminders that God is there for us, in the good times and in the difficult times. I’ve learned over the years that even when despair is about to take me over, that I must choose to remain faithful to the One who has rescued me and continues to save me from the pit of despair. Because of his saving grace and compassion, we don’t have to live in fear, sadness, and hopelessness. If He is mighty enough to save us from everlasting death, He is mighty enough to bring me though any trouble. Because of that, I can find joy again. You can too. In Him there is hope, peace, and mercy, and the mountains we face are moved. I hope you enjoy the video and find reason after reason to rejoice always.

Happy Easter

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, a day when Christians celebrate the transforming power of Jesus Christ. To some, it is one of the two days of the year when you show up at a church building, because, well, it’s what you are supposed to do, or your family decides that it is the proper thing to do, or because it is something you used to do when you were a kid. To some, it is a Sunday, the same as any other Sunday, when you “go to church” and do the same things that you do every Sunday. And to some, it is a day like no other- a day that is not about the status quo, or being in a church facility, or having the perfect new clothes or hearing the perfect Easter music. It’s not about the noun, church, commonly defined as a institutional building, and scripturally defined as the followers of Christ. It’s about the verb, church- the movement of gathering together with joy and anticipation, simply to be unified in praising and thanking God- Christ centered worship, not “me” centered worship. It’s about the verb, church- the movement of Christ followers back out into the world and living out the Good News by loving, caring, sharing, giving- Christ centered living, not “me” centered living.

For whatever reason you entered the church building on Sunday, you were there. Hopefully you experienced the presence of the risen Christ in a way that moves you beyond your past and all the baggage attached to it, and moves you into a new understanding of what it means to be a Christian- not a “church goer”, but a Christ follower.

One of my favorite Easter songs is simply titled, “The Easter Song” (sung by Keith Green) and tells the story of what happened when Jesus’ disciples discovered he was no longer dead, but alive. The lyrics are a full blown proclamation of the overwhelming joy that comes when you realize even just a portion of the power and majesty of God that forever demolishes the perceived power of death and overcomes it with the real and tangible power of eternal life. I pray that you will invite the Holy Spirit in, to guide you to a deeper understanding of God’s love for you, and show you how to respond to His love by loving others with your words and actions. Happy Easter.

Holy Week

Holy week, the time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, is intended to be a time of intentional preparation for the celebration of Easter. Palm Sunday is a day that we remember Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people cheered and welcomed Jesus into the city shouting “Hosanna!” Thursday was the Last Supper, where the disciples were told, “Do this in remembrance of me.” They learned about servanthood as Jesus washed their feet. This was followed by betrayal, and the crowd’s cheers turned into jeers. Friday was the finality of the tomb… or so they thought. But on Sunday, death and hopelessness were overcome by Christ’s resurrection. Now there was grace, redemption, life, hope, joy...



Holy week provides time to remember this journey of our faith. As we remember these events, we give of ourselves, intentionally setting aside time with the Lord just to be in his presence. On Maundy Thursday at 7 p.m., we remember Christ’s words and share the bread and the cup. We put our feet in the sandals of the disciples and are reminded about humble servanthood.



This year we will have a footwashing for those who choose to come forward and participate in this unique remembrance of how Peter told the Lord, “You shall never wash my feet” and then learned about the example that Jesus was setting for his followers (John 13:1-17).



On Friday, we enter into a time of being still before the Lord, remembering that he gave his all for us. This year our Good Friday Tenebrae service will be held at 7 p.m. in the Family Life Center. It will be multi-sensory and will use music, video, readings, and candlelight to experience the passion story of Christ. Experiencing the fullness of Holy Week leads to a better understanding of the light, life, and joy of the Easter celebration. We encourage you to make time for Holy week, not just to “be at church,” but to come together as a people of faith yearning to experience God’s presence in a real and powerful way. Holy week culminates with the joy of Easter as we will gather to celebrate God’s redeeming gift of grace.



Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another Heb 10:25a (read Hebrews 10:19-25),

How Majestic Is Your Name

“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8

I’m out of town today at the wedding of my cousin and his finance. It was held outside at a beautiful estate near Austin, complete with 1800’s era plantation home, innumerable trees, and a sky that is barely given it’s due by the word “blue.” I know plenty of people that call this part of the world “God’s country,” as if God stopped just one extra moment to make this place more beautiful than human words can put into language.

As I took my first look at the morning, I was met by the brilliance of the bright sun, the vast sky, and the cool breeze, all I could think of was David’s words, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Yes, God speaks to us through the Bible and those words are vital to my journey of faith. However, I think that he also speaks through the beauty of his creation, a beauty that we struggle to define. I can see David looking out across the land and noticing all that God has created, trying to put it all into words. “How majestic is your name in all the earth!” All the beauty of the hills, mountains, icy glaciers, warm sandy beaches… all here for God’s children to enjoy and ponder what kind of mighty Creator brought all of this into being. What kind of Creator knit everything together with such wonder, and why would this Creator do so? In short, He did it because He loves us. Simple, really. Of course we can get into the more complex nature of it all, but for today, for this moment, I just marvel at the mystery of it all and the depth of His love for me and every single one of us, past, present, and future. Praise God!

Trading My Xbox

While doing some serious YouTube surfing this week, I stumbled upon this video I found at allaboutworship.com. It is called Trading My XBOX and is a response to Darrell Evan’s song, Trading My Sorrows. It poses the question about the place that “things” have in our lives. Are all the “things” in our lives stumbling blocks to us or are they all useful to us? I’ll admit that I’m a techno-freak in the making, and left to my own devices (well, literally and figuratively), I could inch my way off the path that draws me closer to Christ. I don’t have an Xbox or gaming “things”, but I keep my iPhone on, I twitter, my laptop is ever at the ready, and spend a bit of time online every day. Not saying that as a pro or con regarding technology, but I simply pose a question: What are you doing with your technology? Does it aid in or hinder your relationship with Christ and with others we are called to love?

I figure that if nature can praise God (You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:12 NIV) that technology should too. Is your phone only used for gossip or judgmental texting about someone you dislike? Does the Xbox provide you with an excuse to ignore the other people in the room for hours every day? Does time online replace time visiting with people in your family, your friends, your community? Does the “daily Bible verse” you get in email on Sunday morning become your “out” for sleeping in instead of worshiping in a community of faith? Is your only connection to other people merely twittering?

What if… (thinking caps on now) what if we used our technology to reach out to people with words of grace, hope, comfort, encouragement, and then spend time with them in person (of course, if that is possible- doesn’t take into account folks you meet across the country/world). What if we utilize online Bible study and take that knowledge out into the world? What if we become so focused on Christ’s mission in the world (both as individuals and as a community) that our joy spilled out into everything we do, even in our day to day communications.

Jesus used everything around him to speak about the love of God: flowers, birds, vineyards, a plank, sheep. He spent time with people. He also spent time alone in prayer. Why shouldn’t Christ-followers do the same? What are you willing to trade in for time with God?