Something to Celebrate

In my previous post, I talked about my quest to find a nativity scene… (Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait…)

…but I want to be clear that I don’t think that having a nativity scene makes one yard more holy than the rest. I marvel at the beauty of the lights as I drive around, and “ooh and ahhh” over the glowing and twinkling, just like everyone else. But it is the absence of the Birthday Boy in the midst of the birthday celebration that tugs on my heart. We are to be walking and talking proclamations, mobile billboards that announce the good news of Christ. Christmas should bring out the best in us and keep us closer to being the redeemed and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ that we are meant to be.

But, … have you been at the malls yet? Have you driven in the traffic? Have you noticed how people act and respond to each other in the busyness of the season? The kindness of drivers letting you in line and the smiles of salesclerks and shoppers seems to be missing. As several incidents began happening to me, I started to take note of how often these things are happening these days.

There’s the cranky shoppers waiting in endless checkout lanes. They avoid all eye contact and stand ready to pounce forward, making it clear that all slow purchases and newcomers to the line are unwelcome. There’s the drivers who park their cars at the expense of everyone else, and create situations that take up 2 spaces at a time or make it impossible for the car in the next space to open up the doors. There’s the tired store clerks whose long schedules and loud customers have pushed them into an apathetic mode of sales. These scenes seem to cover the landscape at times and change it from vivid colors to dull gray, and from to errands of joy to chores of drudgery.

It reminds me of a story my dad tells about his cousins. His uncle, aunt and their 8 children were on a long trip down a desolate highway. The kids knew that their dad would not stop until they reached their final destination, which was quite some distance away. There was no air conditioner in the car and the open windows allowed the hot wind to blow dust and heat onto all the occupants. Everyone was grumpy and tired to the extent that few were talking. There was even an absence of “he’s touching me” and “are we there yet?” After many, many miles, the oldest girl piped up, “Daddy, I need to go wee-wee.” Now that was an unusual request from a teenager who never used those words. The common “hold it till we get there” attitude was being challenged. “Daddy”, she urged, “Pull over. I need to go wee-wee.” The younger children may have put their request in those terms, but even so, the dad decided that nature’s call was going to have to take precedence over proper language and the call of the road.

The car pulled over and ten cranky people spilled out onto the shoulder of the road. The daughter moved to the side and began spinning around and around. At the top of her voice she joyfully yelled, “Wheeeeeee, wheeeeee!” and then stopped, faced the surprised family with a smile and said, “Okay we can go. I feel much better.” After a second of realization, the whole family burst into laughter. For the rest of the trip the crankiness was gone and was replaced by giggles and happy conversations. Sometimes we need to see that change is called for and then step up to be a catalyst for transformation.

In John 17:18, Jesus prays, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” acknowledging that His mission on this earth has been passed to his disciples. That message is a message of good news. It is a message of hope, love, peace and joy. It is a celebratory “wheeeee wheeeeeee” that allows us to see past the darkness of the world and focus on reflecting The Light of the world, Jesus Christ, into communities that can not see the hope that is available to them. I challenge you to go out into the world, sharing Christ’s love. Find ways to be that catalyst, especially during this season of good news and great joy. Wheee!

Happy Mark's Birthday!

Ahhh, Christmas time, when all the neighborhoods are decked out in pretty lights. Everything sparkles and shines, all in celebration of … well, it’s hard to tell.

For several years I have not put up Christmas lights outside my home. This is due in part to the time crunch that happens every December in the church and in part to not finding the yard art that I really wanted. This year I decided to search till I found something close to what I wanted. My quest began several days ago as I went to several stores, not finding a thing. As I arrived at the fourth store, a giant chain store, I was greeted by their Christmas section of yard art: a flying Santa, a tropical Santa, the Grinch, Snoopy, Sponge Bob, and a snowman village, to name a few. I stood back, changing my focus from pinpointing the perfect find to looking at the wide-shot of the whole department there. From edge to edge it was full of almost every decoration you could imagine, … almost.

In one little section, I could find wise men and a Santa “advent calendar”, but where was the Holy family? The next store had a similar section, but DID have a nativity, which was relegated to the back row and consisted of a few nativity snow-globes for you to shake up. The last store was same story, that is until I made it to the back row there, where (ta-dah!) I found it! In the far corner (the ACTUAL far corner) of the store, there was a box of Mary, Joseph and Jesus- not the size or style I wanted, not the beautifully made set I hoped for, but it only took me a second to wrestle the box onto my cart.

My heart grieves at this picture of how our society views the celebration of the birth of Christ and keeps Him far away in the back corner. Looking around each store at the abundance of lights and holiday decorations, I watched the holiday crowd who was seemingly oblivious to the reason for the season. I am usually a glass-half-full person, but in those moments I was struck by the sadness of the message that was lost.

Our houses glow with the strings of lights, but do we daily reflect the message of The Light of the world? We display and spotlight fun characters we think suitable for presentation, but do we remember The One who was displayed upon the cross in all his agony for the entire world to see? We quickly move from destination to destination, focused on completing our holiday tasks, but do we set aside time to sit silently in the presence of The One for whom the holiday is named? When I saw the video (above) I was amused by the premise, but as I saw Mark’s face change to dismay, and saw him being pushed away I was given a picture of God’s disappointment at the many times we push Him away.

But, like the good and perfect Father that He is, I know that this picture is meant to convict our hearts so we will be changed. I know I am not supposed to linger in an arena of sadness, but to persevere with proclaiming God’s good news and to be His witness in the world. JOY TO THE WORLD! In Mark 16:15, the risen Christ tells his disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” This year when you say, "Merry Christmas" let your words and actions point to Christ and reflect the joy of your salvation. I hope that you will allow the Holy Spirit to convict you and make you a bold and joyful witness for Christ this Christmas and all through the year.

Christmas Carols

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:12-20 (NIV)

From the earliest days of Christianity, Christians have been charged with telling the story of God’s Good News through our words and our actions. Sometimes we even sing the story. We sing praise to God for giving us His Son. We sing about God and how he sent Jesus to the world. It’s about giving God the praise and glory for the love He gave and continues to give us. The great composer J.S. Bach said, "The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." How wonderful that in praising God, He refreshes and restores us.

Through time, the songs and styles of music have changed, but the message is the same. Jesus came into the world so that we would have eternal life. Sometimes these traditions of singing developed into songs that incorporated more secular ideas and used mythical images, merely providing entertainment. But eventually the tide would turn back to the reason for the songs which is praising God and telling the story of Christ. Reading through the lyrics of most Christmas hymns reveals a rich story that comes from scripture (Angels We Have Heard On High, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Joy to the World, and O Come All Ye Faithful ).

Singing these songs throughout this season makes us witnesses and proclaimers of who God is and the extravagance of His gift to us in Jesus Christ. Take time to look at these songs with your children and listen to their understanding of the lyrics. Think about the rich meanings in them when you sing them. When you are out shopping in the next few weeks and hear these songs in the stores, use them as a reminder of who you are in Christ, calling you to love others as God loves you. When someone cuts in front of you in the long check-out line sing to yourself, “God rest ye merry gentleman, let nothing you dismay…” and hang onto your “tidings of comfort and joy.” At night, when you are stuck in the noisy holiday traffic, sing “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright…” and remember that the Prince of Peace offers you His heavenly peace, even in the storms of life. When you find yourself entangled in conflict with yourself or with others, sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and remember that because of His “mercy mild” “God and sinners reconciled.” Reclaim God’s peace in your life.

Sing and make your heart glad. Allow God to restore your joy. Sing praise to God and allow the Holy Spirit to make you a bold witness for Jesus Christ. In the next few weeks, if you see me pushing a cart through a store singing silently along with the store’s Christmas music, just smile and nod knowingly and join me on verse two.

A Measure of Meaning: Advent

I hope each one of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday last week and took a moment to thank God for all the many blessings you have enjoyed this year. I think our calendar is set up so well, in that we have a time of purposeful giving thanks right before the Christmas season . Next Sunday is the first of the four Sundays of Advent which precedes Christmas.

What is Advent you ask?
“Since the eighth century, the beginning or first season of the Christian year. Advent focuses on preparing for the coming of Christ. The term is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning to come. The season or period of Advent always includes the four Sundays before Christmas Day.” (from umc.org)

The word advent is commonly used to mean the coming or arrival of something, especially of something extremely important. The season of Advent is celebrated in the Christian calendar as a time when the Church remembers how God’s people longed for and waited for a Messiah. It is a time during which we wait for the coming of Christ and prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christ’s birth on Christmas day.

Preparation for Christmas is important. How many of you have ever taken the day before Christmas to begin buying presents for those you love? Is Dec. 24th a good time to begin the planning and cooking of a Christmas Day dinner for which you have not even invited guests yet? Of course not. The same is true for celebrations within the life of the Church.

Advent is a time of joyful expectation. I pray that you will not let the spirit of this holiday that is found in malls overwhelm you, but that you will invite the Spirit of God and the celebration of Christ’s birth to fill you with God’s perfect joy and peace. Look around. Where will His Spirit lead you to serve Him as you await the coming of the Christ child?

Guest writer: Doneeta DeTerkee

In honor of our national bird, I decided to let a guest writer share an opinion today. Doneeta DeTerkee tried to fly in today to write on behalf of those who live in her coop community. However, with flight being impossible, she tried to thumb a ride, but as she has no thumbs, she just walked. She is a refugee from a nearby farm who is gobbling up every chance to turn people like you and me away from our annual feast of turkey. You may have read other similar statements under her pen name, Iyamm Knaught Deelishus. Here she is:

Hello everyone. I am trying to get the word out about how wonderful pork is. I know that traditions are important, but did you know that barbeque is much more American and patriotic than turkey? Early Americans learned how to slow cook pork from the native Americans and passed along the joy of barbequing from generation to generation. In fact, the father of our nation, George Washington enjoyed barbeque and barbequed pork was the meal of choice at many celebrations then. If you don’t like barbeque, there is always the vegetarian or the tofu route. But whatever your choice, choose to be turkey free this year. Thank you for taking time to help save the turkeys.

I’m glad Doneeta came in today. I felt like she deserved equal time, however, I need to begin cooking lunch today and put the … you-know-what into the oven. Yep, . . . I know what she said, but some traditions are too tasty to put aside this year. Besides, turkey dressing doesn’t go that great with tuna. I hope you enjoy your day.

Thanksgiving Eve

I guess it wouldn’t be too improper to call today Thanksgiving Eve. Today, like many of you, I’m making final preparations for company and cooking. I’m leaving my brother-in-law in charge of the games on TV, and my sister will certainly help clean up after dinner. My niece and nephew are bringing the entertainment (piano solos and a fusion of several board games), and my mom is bringing the holy grail of desserts, the pies. Each of us has our own talents and opinions of how to do things. Some like things more lively and some appreciate the quiet. Some want the dog in the house and some don’t. Some want to run around the yard and others look forward to their nap (uhm, I mean to their football game.) I am thankful that we were raised to value each other and to get along. Even when there are those rare disagreements, we strive to use the WWJD principle so that we can quickly overcome the problem and get back to being the family God wants us to be.

No matter the differences, it is more important to get along with one another and treat one another with love, than it is to win an argument. Even in communities where there are cultural and economical similarities, problems naturally arise. The trouble is not that there is a problem, but it is in how we deal with the problem. In chapter 4 of James, the scripture is very clear about how to deal with problems in a Christian manner. Verse 1-2a begins the teaching with, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it.” Christ calls us to move past the temptation to judge others, so that we may deal with our everyday struggles with grace, humbleness, and above all, love.

Think back to the story of the first Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. They chose to help each other, bringing what they had to the table for their mutual benefit. I like the graphic of the dog and cat above because it is a picture of how we should make an effort to work together, bringing our gifts to the table and show grace regarding each other’s flaws. I hope you take time to look around at your family and the community around you and find reasons to be thankful, even thankful for the differences that we have. Enjoy Thanksgiving and make time to keep your whole community in your prayers, thanking God for all the benefits we are able to enjoy.

So... if you still need reasons to be thankful, enjoy this top ten list I found:

What To Do When The Turkey Is Burned, OR
Top 10 Reasons To Be Thankful Anyway

10. Salmonella won't be a concern.
9. No one will overeat.
8. Everyone will think it is Cajun Blackened.
7. Uninvited guests will think twice next year.
6. Your cheese broccoli lima bean jello casserole will gain newly found
appreciation.
5. Pets won't pester you for scraps.
4. The smoke alarm was due for a test anyway.
3. Carving the bird will provide a good cardiovascular workout.
2. After dinner, you can take the bird to the yard and play football.
1. You'll get to the desserts quicker!

All About Me...? Part Deux

The lyrics of the song, “I am the Church” remind us that that “the Church is not a building” (see “Church” under “Measure of Meaning”). However, even though we are the Church, we must not confuse that with the misconception that the Church is all about us. All you have to do is watch and listen (to others and to the words coming from our own mouths) and you will hear the excuses we give for not participating in worship or in ministry.

“It’s too hot.” “It’s too cold.” “It’s too early.” “It’s too late.” “The guitar was too loud.” “The organ played too slow.” “Someone hurt my feelings.” “I have too many other things I’m spending my money on.” “I need to sleep late.” “I am going to the (insert sport here) game.” “I need to study.” “I can worship on the golf course/in the mall.”

I remember John Osteen (the late father of Joel) telling a story about seeing a member of his church one day and how the man began to explain why he was not going to go to church the next Sunday. He said, “I’m not coming to church. There are too many hypocrites there.” John smiled, pat the man gently on the back and said, “Might as well come on. One more won’t hurt anything.” The point made here is that we are all sinners, saved by grace, called to worship and serve God without excuses.

The Church is not about making sure we are comfortable in the building or that we might try to carve out time for “church” in our busy schedules. The Church is about humbly centering ourselves on the One Almighty God who creates, forgives, saves, restores, and calls us to love, to worship, and to serve Him as a unified body of Christ.

Because we live in a consumer era, someone has taken the time to create a church for those who do require specific elements in their church. This video shows us that rare perfect church where people have no reason to complain, or to work out struggles, or to show grace, or to grow in faith, or to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Due to technical difficulties, you'll have to click on this link to view the video.)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5552251171221986681

Thanksgiving History and Traditions

Next week is Thanksgiving, and time is short for preparing for all the customary details. This year is a little trickier as there will be one dinner at my house, and one on the weekend at Dad’s vacation spot, each with a variation of family attendees. For some time we have already been in discussion of who is bringing what, and where we will be. Our tradition includes gathering, creating a “kid space” for them to run and play, locating the football games on TV, telling all the old (and new) family stories around the table, and scouting out the perfect nap place. One of our best traditions is saying grace, not in the usual way, but by going around the table with each person, young and old, telling what they are thankful for. I am thankful that we are able to get together and spend time visiting, laughing, and playing with the kids. I am thankful for being a part of a family that is unified by our faith in Christ and our desire to follow Him.

While I was preparing for our holiday, I came across a website that gave some great information about the history of Thanksgiving. There I discovered (and rediscovered) a few interesting facts beyond the grade school picture of that first Thanksgiving in 1621 where the Pilgrims and the Indians sat down and shared a meal together. Many people assume that the annual celebration continued from that moment on in its same form. Actually, for some time after that first shared meal, Thanksgiving was loosely celebrated. Eventually the celebration was proclaimed by governors of the colonies who set the date according to their own timing. The first national day of Thanksgiving was established on Dec. 18, 1777 after the American victory at Saratoga, when the Continental Congress declared that “the good people may express the grateful feelings of heir hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor.”

The day before, General George Washington wrote that we should “express our grateful acknowledgements to God.” Then, as president, he set aside the last Thursday in November in 1789 "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God." The next four Presidents (with the exception of Jefferson) issued their own proclamations of a day of Thanksgiving, and then the tradition temporarily fell back to local communities. It wasn’t until 1863 that the tradition was re-established by Abraham Lincoln, in answer to a letter urging him to set a national day of Thanksgiving. Every President following Lincoln has issued an annual proclamation calling for a day of Thanksgiving to be held on the fourth Thursday of November. I found it very interesting to read the various proclamations, ranging from FDR’s 1933 Depression era message thanking God for His blessings, to Truman’s 1945 message where he celebrates peace and prays that Americans express thanks to God “in our homes and in our places of worship, individually and as groups.”

There is JFK’s 1961 proclamation which begins by quoting Psalm 92:1 saying, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord” and then urges all citizens to use the holiday, not just for rest but as a day of contemplation. He asks people to tell the story of Thanksgiving to their children to help them understand our national heritage and the necessity of the blessing of God. Both Bill Clinton’s last and George Bush’s first proclamations recite details of the first Thanksgiving and remind us to be thankful for God’s blessings. (To read these proclamations, go to
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ThanxProc.htm).

I hope that in preparing your grocery list and your guest list you will also prepare your heart for a time of contemplating all that God has blessed you with. As you make decisions about whether to use the good china or the paper plates, that you will decide to set aside time that day to, as a gathered group, lift up prayers of thankfulness to Almighty God who blesses us, so that we will be a blessing to others.

All About Me...?

Earlier this month (11/4: “Humble Pie”) I wrote about being humble, and this video was on my mind. When I first saw it, I laughed because my immediate thought was how ridiculous it is to sing our own praises. This video is a take off of those late night commercials for CD’s, but this one zeros in on how we Christians sometimes think that worship is about us. In addition, we can get caught up in thinking that the building, the music, the activities, and even the budget is for us and about us.

So really, this “commercial” is a commercial for getting refocused on God and His will for our lives. When you find yourself thinking that maybe you’ll sleep late on Sunday because maybe you aren’t serving in worship that day, remember that we are to worship the Lord with gladness (Ps 100:2), and not by dragging our heels all the way to the back pew. When you find that the heat or the cold- the organ or the drums- the expectation of ministry or tithing, is the one of the things (or several things) that keeps you from fully participating in worship or in the life of the church, I pray you will consider reassessing your understanding of those things.

We come in to worship God. We come to hear His gospel message for us. We come to show care and compassion for each other, because God first loved us. We go back out into the world to share His gospel message, His compassion, and His love with others. It is not always the easy or the comfortable thing, and that’s okay, because it’s not all about us. It’s about serving the Mighty God who created us, and the music, and the organ, and the gold, and all things which are to be used for His glory. I hope you find time this week to get centered on Christ and sing His praises.

A Measure of Meaning: Love

In the Greek New Testament, there are many definitions of the word “love”. There is “eros” which is romantic love, and “philia” which is about friendship. Then there is “agape” which the Bible uses to describe the self-sacrificing type of love which goes beyond the “feeling” of love. The love God shows for us is there regardless of what we do. We can’t earn His love or make Him quit loving us. As a response to God’s love, the Church is called to show agape love for others. We are to faithfully love one another, whether or not we “feel” love at a given moment. A journey of faith includes learning how to “agape” those we may view as unlovable, just like Christ loves us in our own moments of spiritual struggles.

Have your actions over the past week shown the compassion, care and forgivenss that pour out of a truly loving heart? Make this week a time of fine tuning your understanding of what it means to "love one another" (John 13:34), so that you will become a sweet, sweet sound in His ear.

Marching to the Beat of a Different... Horn Player

What a proud moment in the Martin family. Their oldest was beginning that long-awaited journey into the proud tradition of the Angleton Marching Band. The great milestone here was finally marching (albeit, it was the 8th grade band) in the annual Brazoria County Fair parade. You see, band in Angleton had a proud and distinguished history, at one point marching about 350 (or more) on the field. I wanted to be a part of that, so on one very hot October day, I suited up and prepared to join the ranks of those musicians before me. My parents and grandparents coerced me into posing for the camera and marching up and down the yard. It must have looked quite funny to passersby, seeing one lone Fench Horn marching and countermarching. At a glance, it probably looked quite futile, this neighborhood marching band of one.

It reminds me of an old Simpson's episode where the rebellious son, Bart, was asked the ancient rhetorical question, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" He thought, and then folded his fingers over his palm and began opening and closing his hand, making only a weak clapping sound. Try as we may, we are made to function in concert with others. "Going it alone" is a strong American attitude of self-reliance, but when we discount others or shut them out of our daily lives, we miss out on the added talents, strengths, and opportunities for success that they bring with them. I admit that I looked goofy that day, marching in that yard, but in the years to come I became part of a cohesive group, marching and playing in sync, and winning awards.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that Christians are not suppossed to "go it alone," but are to function as a cohesive group- the Body of Christ(1 Cor 12:26-28). We can not be just one hand trying to clap, or a single musician marching to their own beat. We are called to be the church, playing in tune with one another and following our leader Christ Jesus. Take time this week to look around at your church. Are you part of the ministry there? Have you found ways to add to the harmony of your church as they seek to serve the living Christ?

Distractions

I just read a true story about an incident at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s (CSO) Centennial celebration in 1991. Three former conductors were invited to help the current conductor direct four great works of music, and a $500 a plate pre-concert dinner was held to raise funds and to honor all four conductors. Gifts of appreciation were customary, so each of the donors were handed their gift as they moved from the dinner into the concert hall. Inside this wrapped package was a specially inscribed desk alarm clock.

The concert began with a piece from Wagner and was beautiful. Then the next conductor began Beethoven’s Symphony #5, during which people began to hear an occasional beeping noise. Quite a number of people, including the conductor, were rather irritated at whomever was allowing their beeper to go off during a concert. After the intermission, Maestro Solti came out and began conducting Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto #1. The intermittent beeping from the earlier piece now grew into a more frequent sounding off of beeps irregularly placed throughout the audience. Maestro Solti was struggling and doing everything in his power to keep the orchestra together.

In the meantime, the Executive Director of the CSO and a staff member were racking their brains to figure out what all that beeping was about, and suddenly concluded that it was those 400 alarm clocks which were all set at random times and alarm settings, many of which obviously had the alarm function set to “on”. The Executive Director went to the stage entrance, ready to run out and make an announcement about this, and was waiting for a pause in the music. But when the pause came, Solti stopped and turned to ask people to turn off their beepers. Of course no one knew the real reason for the noise until the Executive Director burst onto the stage to clear everything up. His announcement, that the donors each held a randomly set alarm clock hidden in their package, was followed by laughter, and then by an orderly procession of all the packages into the outside lobby. The final piece by Dvorak was performed beautifully… and peacefully.

Even things that are good in our lives can be distracting. The alarm clock was not an evil gift. It was selected, engraved and wrapped up with care and given to show respect and thankfulness. Its purpose was to sit on the donor's desk to remind the them of timely matters (hence the alarm) and that they were appreciated by the CSO. But, this gift became a distraction to everyone there.

What distracts you from your walk of faith? How often do you let distractions get in your way and interrupt the list of priorities you try to set for yourself? In the Christian walk of faith, we easily say that God comes first in our lives, but we often justify our reasons for putting other things in front of God. Worship, Bible study, and prayer are all about God (who we claim comes first), but how often do we allow the distractions of the world to come in and stop us from fully participating in these things? How often do we let the intermittent beeps of the world fill up our lives and become our focus, instead of the beautiful music that our Great Conductor calls the symphony of His children to play? How do you stay in tune with Him?

A Measure of Meaning: Staff

A shepherd's staff is a long pole with a curved crook, which helped the shepherd to reach into tight spots and rescue a lamb. David used a staff to guide and protect his sheep. The staff didn’t get up and “do” the work by itself. The staff was an instrument which equipped David to accomplish something of importance. Without the staff, David would not be able to properly take care of his sheep. Without David, the staff would be useless and not be able to reach a single lost sheep.

The relationship between the local church and the church staff is much like this picture. The church staff is there to equip the people of God as they gather for worship and then go out in service to the world. The people of God are called into action and charged with the care and feeding of Christ’s sheep (John 21:15-19). In a thriving local church, both the membership and the staff have specific purposes, yet are interdependent in ministry. A journey of faith includes learning how to support one another as we seek to please God.

I think back to the church my family attended when I was very young. The building was an old army barracks without electricity or plumbing. The staff consisted of the pastor and the organist (my mother), whose gifts and talents were not construction. I remember listening to the staff and the leaders of the church discussing what needed to be done, and then spending many weekends at that site where a multitude of people where working. Some were swinging hammers, some were painting, some were bringing water out to the thirsty.

Although the pastor guided them and led the decision making, it was the people who made things happen. It was my mother who chose the hymns and played, but it was the people who filled that tiny building with beautiful music. It was the pastor whose preaching and teaching made me hungry to know more about Christ, but it was the men on the building committee who opened my eyes to what it means to serve the Lord with gladness. Pray for your staff and for your members, that God would give His perfect guidance and enable them to joyfully work together to build up the kingdom of God.

Good Morning

Ahh, Monday morning. The day that comes after the fun of the weekend. A day when we fall back in line, beginning with the noise of the alarm clock. Even when you truly look forward to the day in front of you, there's that moment sometimes when you struggle to keep the "good" in your greeting phrase of "good morning." Yes, there have been moments that you and I have felt like this fuzzy little creature.

But this morning, when I went outside and looked around, I received that restorative "GOOD morning" that God is so gracious to give me. The sun peeking through the branches of the tree and the hint (albeit a tiny hint) of crispness in the air lifted me up and perked up my curiosity about what the day will bring. The beauty of the morning is God's greeting and reminder that His love and mercy are new everyday (Lam 3:22-23a). It's His reminder that He created the day, therefore He is in charge of all that happens. I just have to trust Him and walk with Him.

The chorus of the song, "In The Garden" tells about who walks and talks with you while you stroll through the garden ... (hum through it... I'll wait...). In singing it, you hear that "Andy walks with me. Andy talks with me," (so if you see me smiling when singing that, you'll know I'm picturing me, Jesus and Andy walking together.) Actually though, when I make quiet time for God in the in beauty of the morning, He restores my soul (Ps 23:3). He walks with me, and He talks with me, and he equips me for the day. Do you notice the difference in your day when you begin by hearing God's "Good Morning" to you? Can you see a difference in your attitude when you you take a spiritual morning stroll with Him? I hope this Monday is the beginning of a wonderful week for you.

Humble Pie for Texas Pride

Sunday I preached (a rare occurrence for Associate Pastors) on Luke 18:9-14 about being humble. I’m reminded about my own ego back in my college days, during the time when the movie Urban Cowboy was popular. At Christmas my family entertained out-of-state kinfolk who wanted to visit the famous dancehall, Gilley’s. Being the proud Texas born-and-bread hostess, I assured them we could even ride the mechanical bull there. When our large clan arrived at Gilley’s, I led the way in (of course, complete with boots and hat) and after awhile, made our way to the bull. Standing in line with my California cousins, I explained the process of riding the bull. I would of course “show ‘em how it’s done.”

My turn came and I confidently strode over to the bull. I pulled my hat down securely over my brow, put my foot in the stirrup, grasped the saddle horn, and with one athletic swoop, threw my leg up and over. I held tight and looked up at the man at the controls. I told him, “Give me a 6!” (Speeds were 1-10, with 10 being highest), and then nodded I was ready to go. He did nothing and the bull didn’t move. I asked, “Is there a problem?”

“Uh, ma’am”, he said, “… you’re on backwards.” “BACKWARDS?” All my Texas pride and youthful know-it-allness (yep, new word) disappeared as I slid off, turned around, nodded at the man and said, “Make it a 3.” Pride certainly went-eth before my fall.

D.L. Moody once said, “Be humble or you’ll stumble,” which is a reminder to “walk humbly with (our) God” (Micah 6:8).

A Measure of Meaning: Church

The children's saying goes, (use your hands now...) "This is the church. This is the steeple. Open the doors, and here's all the people." Although we commonly call the building where we worship "the church", the Bible uses the word "church" to designate people who are believers in Christ. The lyrics, "I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together..." give a more authentic picture of what the "church" is. The church is not a building. It is the people who gather to worship and then go out into the world to proclaim God's Good News. A journey of faith is learning how to be active and faithful members of the Body of Christ: the Church.

Blog, Blog, Blog

This is definitely something new for me- that is writing a blog. I know people who write blogs and I have found them to be useful for obtaining new information, for staying in touch, and for pure entertainment. I’ve often thought about why they are called “blogs”, wondering if it is referring to someone rambling on and on, “blog, blog, blog” or “yadda, yadda, yadda.” After googling the term, I find that it is a portmanteau (today’s $10 word- look it up) of “web log.”

My desire is to continually explore ways of becoming better at being the person Christ created me to be. My calling is to serve Him by encouraging, equipping, and educating His people. I am humbled that God has called me to preach His gospel and is allowing me to grow in grace alongside the Body of Christ in my local church.

My goal here is not to add to the noise of the internet, but to follow the sentiments of the song, “I Love You Lord” and be a “sweet, sweet sound in His ear.” I hope you will join me as I explore what it means to be a faithful and active disciple of Jesus Christ. I look forward to your visits here and reading anything you’d like to share.