Last One For 2009!

The way my writing skills have been lately, I had better start a couple of days early to write this last post for 2009! I noticed that when I signed on I hadn't written anything since December 10th. That's okay! Blogs are supposed to be about feelings for the day and I guess I just haven't felt anything since then. What is the shame of it all, my lack of feelings have come right during the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Christmas was great for us this year. Ashley was home from Ireland and we had a great Christmas eve celebration with most of the family. Jason and Marcee were in Canada this year at Macee's mom and dad's. We had met with them and the kids the Sunday before Christmas and got to spend time with them and the kids. The boys are an interesting pair of little boys, now ages 5 & 7, and Anna is growing like a little weed. She is six months or so, not exactly sure, but really at a cute age.

Things at the church have been up and down for a couple of years, but even then mostly up! God has truly blessed us and we have many of the old faithful and many new faces at the same time. I am so blessed by the kids that are a part of our congregation and the joys of watching them grow into the Sonshine jar offering, and then beyond.

So why am I not having the feelings I need to write about? I am not sure. It could be from getting older and all the things that go along with getting older. It could be that the world is in such a mess and people don't seem to think right anymore. It could be that ....

Anyhow, in my last post for 20009, I want to wish you all a happy New Year. My prayer is that 2010 is a blessed year for us all and that Jesus comes back again soon!

Wow, And Again I Say Wow!

Paul told us to "Rejoice and again I say rejoice!" Today I am saying, "Wow, and again I say wow! Yesterday the entire area around us was shut down with a major snow storm. I got into the office for a few minutes yesterday afternoon, mostly to make sure everything (heat and water) were working right, and then regretted that I had come in at all. With the wind blowing like it was, I was fearful that I would not get out of our 600 long foot driveway that was drifting shut. At that time in the afternoon, the front and side doorways were drifted shut with 2 to 3 ft drifts.

When I came in today, I was glad to see that the driveway was plowed and open for traffic. I never thought of the doorways. As I came up the driveway and topped the hill into the parking lot, I was met with the most beautiful sight. Coty was at the front door with his snowblower and had all the entrys cleared and ready for the day. I hadn't even thought about them, but he was here taking care of the need. Wow! What a service to me, (I would have had to dig them out to get into the building.) and what a service to God. I truly appreciate what he did for all of us who will be in and out of the building today.

What can you do to serve God? Something as simple as bring your snowblower to clear the walk ways is a big deal for everyone. Think about it!

What To Do?

I'm sitting here looking at my schedule for the next three weeks. It is about as full as I have ever let it get. That is not good. Too heavy of a schedule makes for too much stress. I am at a point in my life that I don't like stress. On top of a heavy schedule, it seems like there is always those who eagerly add to the load, not meaning anything bad by doing so. It leaves situations where more stress is added to the mix.

This week, to add to the load, we have a major snow storm coming in that could dump as much as 18 inches of snow on us. Thankfully, it is in the middle of the week and not at the end when we have three Christmas dinner/theater productions scheduled, plus dress rehersal on Thursday night. The forecast for the weekend is clear and cold.

Speaking of stress related issues (the snow storm), listen to the schedule of one of the boys in the play this weekend. Thursday night: Basketball game, dress rehersal for the dinner/theater production at church and madatory band concert at school. Friday night dinner/theater at the church. Saturday morning 10:00 AM basketball game, noon dinner/theater production, 4:00 PM basketball game, 6:00 PM dinner/theater production at the church. And I think I have a full schedule in life!

What is your weekly schedule like? Way too busy? I believe we all need to purposely slow things down. We need to not get so totally involved in life that we can't take time to love on God as He wants. Stress is one thing that will slow down our attitude of love toward each other and toward God in a big way! Think about it!

I Can't Do That!

My memories take me back to when I was about 13 years old. I was on a farm with my uncle and he was backing a tractor into a machine shed to hook onto a wagon. Between my uncle on the tractor and the wagon that he wanted to hook onto, was a conveyor of some kind. It lay on the ground between them. Lee said to me, "Move that conveyor out of the way." I replied, "I can't do that!" He came back, "A big boy your size should be able to move that little thing," and he jumped down off the tractor and tossed it out of the way. His comment hurt my feelings, but when he wasn't looking, I reached down and sure enough I was able to move it.

Today, I was coming to work and there sat a car in the ditch with a young girl behind the wheel. I drove past her and then turned around and went to see if I could help. She had slid on the first snow of the season and barely missed a telephone box setting in the grass. I could see someone else had hit the same icy spot and drove right through the ditch and back onto the road. I kidded her a little bit and asked her why she was parked in the ditch. She didn't have much of a sense of humor.

I have recently hurt my back and yesterday was not a good day. I had no business trying to push her out of the ditch. But I suggested she straighten out her wheels and we would see if my help would be enough. Sure enough, as I was bent over the front of the car to push, she just backed it right out onto the road. My presence there meant nothing other than to give her the direction and encouragement to try. I am sure she could have done the same thing without me, but she didn't know she could. She thanked me and we both went our separate directions.

Ministry is much the same thing. It is helping people get their wheels straightened out (life) and then giving them an inspirational push to get out the pit or ditch that they are stuck in. Most of the time they could do it themselves if they just knew they could do it. What ditch are you stuck in? Do you need someone to give you a push? Think about it!

Rice Crispy Treats

I don't like rice crispy treats. This morning when I came to work there were two rice crispy treats on the counter in the kitchen. I ate one, and then remembered that I don't like rice crispy treats. Immediately I was offended because someone would even buy rice crispy treats and leave them set on the the counter. I think I will take my family and leave this church. I am sure the one down the road doesn't like rice crispy treats either.

By now, you must think I am out of my mind. But the story (it isn't true--I do like rice crispy treats) is as absurd as the excuses I've been getting lately for people not coming to church. "So and so didn't speak to me!" "I don't like the flowers on the pulpit." "No one paid enough attention to my ongoing problems!" "I'm just over worked and burned out. The next church I go to won't let me work so hard!" On and on they go. The bigger the church gets the more excuses I hear from people looking for the perfect church.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:10-14, "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people, because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." In the KJV it says, "Many will become offended and will turn away from the faith."

As we enter into the last days before Christ comes again, I pray for all who are trying to decide if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Matthew 24 makes it very clear that many will be deceived in these days. If you are unhappy where you are going to church, look very very deep within you and make sure your reason for leaving is more sound than rice crispy treats. Think about it!

Therapy-oooooooohhhhhhh!

Today I started therapy on my back. It is pretty messed up. The Therapist tells me the muscles are stretched so tight that it is a wonder I am able to walk. When my back goes out, like it did a couple of weeks ago, I can't walk without someone holding me up. Anyhow, this therapy thing is supposed to loosen the tightness and make things all better for me. After an hour of stretching this and that, I wondered if my Therapist knows what she is talking about. I came close to crawling to the car. Pastor Tim said I looked like I had been run over with a steam roller when I walked in the office door.

I have noticed this before, and now notice it again. Physical pain and spiritual pain work about the same way. They come from something being messed up within us. I could just live with this as I have for several years, or I can trust the Doctor and the Therapist for what they say and begin to do something about the physical side of my pain.

People come into our offices all the time with spiritual pain. There are certain things they can do to get rid of that pain. They have to trust me as a Pastor to know what I am talking about. Far too often, they don't. They want a quick fix. Make me well but don't put me through any exercises that I have to do because I won't do them. Read my Bible? Maybe tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes. Pray? Okay. "Lord, I need rent money!" or more than likely "Lord, why haven't you given me the rent money?" Serve at church? Are you nuts? I barely come to church because I have so much going on.

If I missed my month of appointments with the Therapist and then blamed her for a lack of results, she would laugh, I'm sure. She would laugh at my stupidity! Everyone wants a quick fix. I'm told quick fixes can be bought on about any street corner- they are called drugs. If you want a life changing fix, then you have to do your excersizes and your stretching and your time at the where it is all happening-the church! Think about it!