Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:43 (NIV)
What is forgiveness? How have you forgiven others? How have you experienced forgiveness? How does it work?
If you are interested in stories of forgiveness may I recommend www.theforgivenessproject.com
Perhaps you think it odd of me to lift up a passage about Good Friday as we are so near Christmas. However, is not the baby we celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? We remember that Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul because of the baby she held. The shadow of the cross was upon the manger in which that baby was laid. His life was never free of his fate, and thereby when we celebrate the baby we must do so with awareness as to the death of man the baby would become.
What is forgiveness? I am not completely sure, other than to say that it is the highest form of love. Luke tells us that the two criminals on either side of Jesus while he hung on the cross argued among themselves. One wanting to be saved from his fate mocked Jesus. One knowing that he was receiving what he deserved and Jesus was not stood up for the Suffering Servant.
Not believing himself worthy of forgiveness he simply asked Jesus to remember him. Rarely is such repentance ever seen. His life was a waste and he knew it. No good things would be remembered of him, and yet in the presence of Jesus he asked to be remembered, not forgiven since he could not come to forgive himself.
What a miraculous thing that he heard from Jesus, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus forgave him and gave him life! The criminal knew he had done wrong and stood convicted in his sin. This is repentance, that moment we realize we are in fact wrong. The criminal did not know about, about the highest form of love, about forgiveness. That is what Jesus offers, and in the shadow of Jesus cross he receives that which he did not deserve, but which love gave him nevertheless.
The child we celebrate is covered by the shadow of the cross in order that in the shadow of that same cross we may discover the greatest gift we shall ever know; forgiveness that is neither deserved nor expected but is given by the God who is love. Rejoice in this child for he offers us life!
Merry Christmas,
Garrett
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Minister's Minute from December Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
“Do you really believe in the virgin birth?” I was asked recently.
“Why yes I do,” I stated as matter-of-factly as was asked of me.
Perhaps you believe that the person asking me was not religious, but an unbeliever attempting to unmask my obvious ignorance. However the person asking me this was not a nonreligious person, but a believer. What does it mean to say that Jesus was born of a virgin? It is preposterous! Ludicrous! Ridiculous! It defies everything we can know, and helps to make those who do not believe as we do paint us as fools. I suppose some of us are tired of being foolish.
Some biblical scholars have pointed out that the Hebrew word that was translated as “virgin” in the ancient Greek translation of the prophet Isaiah actually means “young maiden.” Therefore, so the argument progresses, the gospel writers using the Septuagint (the name of the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) took a mistranslation of the Hebrew and used it in the New Testament. Some then say that Jesus was born, just like us with an earthly mother and father, but a mistranslation changed it all up.
If one is in need of looking less foolish in the eyes of the wise then I advise them to consider such an argument. Some, however, believe in the virgin birth and do so unashamedly. Eugene Peterson writing in the Advent devotional book “Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas: God With Us” claims,
The miracle of the virgin birth, maintained from the earliest times in the church and confessed in its creeds, is, in Karl Barth’s straightforward phrase, “a summons to reverence and worship….” Barth maintained that the one- sided views of those who questioned or denied that Jesus was “born of the virgin Mary” are “in the last resort to be understood only as coming from dread of reverence and only as invitation to comfortable encounter with an all too near or all too far-off God.”
I had not read Barth’s description until I read Peterson quote it. I was struck, and still am, by the phrase, “invitation to comfortable encounter.” It might be true that to deny the mystery and miracle of this season is to seek a comfortable encounter with God. We do not have to revere and worship a God we can explain so easily, because in our explanations we cease allowing God to be God, and attempt to hold onto a God who cannot be held. Do we need to be able to explain God to accept God?
By keeping God from being God we seek that comfortable encounter, that one where we dictate the rules and know the outcome in advance. However, Scripture makes a different claim. It speaks of a God that cares little for our rules, who is dangerous at times, and will seek us out in the most uncomfortable of encounters.
We remember the story of Jacob who wrestles all night with God and leaves with a limp he would have until death came for him. It is a story that is easy to recall because of its certain truth. When we find the God who has found us we rarely leave the same as we arrived. Sometimes we are forever altered by our experience. Limping throughout life because God encountered us.
At Christmas we claim that God encountered us as a child. This is no normal child, this is one born without a father, from a virgin, therefore one that is due our reverence and our worship. To revere (which comes from the Latin which meant to stand in awe of and fear) him is to know that when we encounter him he will change us forever. To keep him at a safe distance, to seek an invitation to comfortable encounter, that is not what Christmas is about.
Christ has come into the world, is still coming, and will come again. This year pray that we meet him and are changed forever. In being changed by God perhaps we can be used by God to help change the world into a place where peace and justice flow under the reign of the Prince of peace. A lofty Christmas wish you think? Perhaps, but one that is possible through faith I am sure.
With faith that I am riding the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
“Why yes I do,” I stated as matter-of-factly as was asked of me.
Perhaps you believe that the person asking me was not religious, but an unbeliever attempting to unmask my obvious ignorance. However the person asking me this was not a nonreligious person, but a believer. What does it mean to say that Jesus was born of a virgin? It is preposterous! Ludicrous! Ridiculous! It defies everything we can know, and helps to make those who do not believe as we do paint us as fools. I suppose some of us are tired of being foolish.
Some biblical scholars have pointed out that the Hebrew word that was translated as “virgin” in the ancient Greek translation of the prophet Isaiah actually means “young maiden.” Therefore, so the argument progresses, the gospel writers using the Septuagint (the name of the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) took a mistranslation of the Hebrew and used it in the New Testament. Some then say that Jesus was born, just like us with an earthly mother and father, but a mistranslation changed it all up.
If one is in need of looking less foolish in the eyes of the wise then I advise them to consider such an argument. Some, however, believe in the virgin birth and do so unashamedly. Eugene Peterson writing in the Advent devotional book “Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas: God With Us” claims,
The miracle of the virgin birth, maintained from the earliest times in the church and confessed in its creeds, is, in Karl Barth’s straightforward phrase, “a summons to reverence and worship….” Barth maintained that the one- sided views of those who questioned or denied that Jesus was “born of the virgin Mary” are “in the last resort to be understood only as coming from dread of reverence and only as invitation to comfortable encounter with an all too near or all too far-off God.”
I had not read Barth’s description until I read Peterson quote it. I was struck, and still am, by the phrase, “invitation to comfortable encounter.” It might be true that to deny the mystery and miracle of this season is to seek a comfortable encounter with God. We do not have to revere and worship a God we can explain so easily, because in our explanations we cease allowing God to be God, and attempt to hold onto a God who cannot be held. Do we need to be able to explain God to accept God?
By keeping God from being God we seek that comfortable encounter, that one where we dictate the rules and know the outcome in advance. However, Scripture makes a different claim. It speaks of a God that cares little for our rules, who is dangerous at times, and will seek us out in the most uncomfortable of encounters.
We remember the story of Jacob who wrestles all night with God and leaves with a limp he would have until death came for him. It is a story that is easy to recall because of its certain truth. When we find the God who has found us we rarely leave the same as we arrived. Sometimes we are forever altered by our experience. Limping throughout life because God encountered us.
At Christmas we claim that God encountered us as a child. This is no normal child, this is one born without a father, from a virgin, therefore one that is due our reverence and our worship. To revere (which comes from the Latin which meant to stand in awe of and fear) him is to know that when we encounter him he will change us forever. To keep him at a safe distance, to seek an invitation to comfortable encounter, that is not what Christmas is about.
Christ has come into the world, is still coming, and will come again. This year pray that we meet him and are changed forever. In being changed by God perhaps we can be used by God to help change the world into a place where peace and justice flow under the reign of the Prince of peace. A lofty Christmas wish you think? Perhaps, but one that is possible through faith I am sure.
With faith that I am riding the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Made in the Divine Image
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” – Acts 17:24-25 (NIV)
What does this speech of Paul’s say of God? What does it say of people? What does it say of you?
The following is an excerpt from Nelson Mandela’s book “Long Walk to Freedom” where he speaks of a particularly brutish officer in the prison in which he spent 19 years:
A few days before Badenhorst’s departure, I was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the island and wanted to know if we had any complaints. Badenhorst was there as I went through a list of demands. When I had finished, Badenhorst spoke to me directly.
He told me he would be leaving the island and added: ‘I just want to wish you people good luck’. I do not know if I looked dumbfounded, but I was amazed. He spoke these words like a human being and showed a side of himself we had never seen before. I thanked him for his good wishes and wished him luck in his endeavours.
I thought about this moment for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most callous and barbaric commanding officer we had had on Robben Island. But that day in the office, he had revealed that that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been obscured but still existed.
It was a useful reminder that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency and that, if their hearts are touched, they are capable of changing. Ultimately, Badenhorst was not evil; his inhumanity had been foisted upon him by an inhuman system. He behaved like a brute because he was rewarded for brutish behaviour.
Jesus told those who thought themselves as righteous that he did not come for the well but for the sick. Apparently God gives up on no one, and thereby robs no one of life and breath. Even the vilest can be changed by the love of Christ. Mandela saw in Badenhorst a flicker of the divinity with which we are all created. It is that flicker, that light that no darkness can extinguish, which Jesus works to turn into a roaring flame. If God does not give up on people, we must not either.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this speech of Paul’s say of God? What does it say of people? What does it say of you?
The following is an excerpt from Nelson Mandela’s book “Long Walk to Freedom” where he speaks of a particularly brutish officer in the prison in which he spent 19 years:
A few days before Badenhorst’s departure, I was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the island and wanted to know if we had any complaints. Badenhorst was there as I went through a list of demands. When I had finished, Badenhorst spoke to me directly.
He told me he would be leaving the island and added: ‘I just want to wish you people good luck’. I do not know if I looked dumbfounded, but I was amazed. He spoke these words like a human being and showed a side of himself we had never seen before. I thanked him for his good wishes and wished him luck in his endeavours.
I thought about this moment for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most callous and barbaric commanding officer we had had on Robben Island. But that day in the office, he had revealed that that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been obscured but still existed.
It was a useful reminder that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency and that, if their hearts are touched, they are capable of changing. Ultimately, Badenhorst was not evil; his inhumanity had been foisted upon him by an inhuman system. He behaved like a brute because he was rewarded for brutish behaviour.
Jesus told those who thought themselves as righteous that he did not come for the well but for the sick. Apparently God gives up on no one, and thereby robs no one of life and breath. Even the vilest can be changed by the love of Christ. Mandela saw in Badenhorst a flicker of the divinity with which we are all created. It is that flicker, that light that no darkness can extinguish, which Jesus works to turn into a roaring flame. If God does not give up on people, we must not either.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, November 21, 2011
Prayer Changes Things
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. – Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
What does this image of Jesus standing and knocking mean to you? Do you believe Jesus is chasing after you? Have you opened the door to your heart and life? Are you willing to become a temple for the presence of God?
Last week I was attending a Presbytery meeting. After driving an hour and a half to the church where the meeting was being held I was not in much a mood to worship, but the first thing we do at such meetings is worship. My mind was wandering, I was thinking of things I had to do, I wasn’t worshipping God.
Then after the offering I went out to wash my hands and take a breather. Perhaps in the act of washing my hands some of my concerns washed away, or maybe it was that grace poured over me.
Whatever it was when I went back in the Prayers of the People started. People lifted up names that were heavy upon their hearts, and names that gave them reason to rejoice. They shared the reasons for naming each person and we held their names as a group. It felt holy.
The prayer itself wasn’t the normal kind of prayer prayer, as when a person stands before the rest of us and utters a prayer on our behalf. It was responsive where the leader read some and then the congregation read some. It also left time for silence after various groups of people were named. As we prayed for groups of people across the world I could feel them. Those people whose names I will never know and faces I will never see I could feel and I sensed them close in the Spirit. As I prayed for them I realized something else… I loved them.
In that moment I knew something had happened. Right then I was living in the heart of God.
Jesus pursues us hoping that we will open the door of our lives, so that he might enter into them and eat with us. In the Bible eating together is one of the highest forms of fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us so that we might experience life together. In our times of prayer and while we sit at the Communion table we open our hearts to God so that we might find ourselves living in the heart of God. It is there, within God’s heart, that we find out we can love as God loves. So pray on, it does in fact change things, it changes us.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this image of Jesus standing and knocking mean to you? Do you believe Jesus is chasing after you? Have you opened the door to your heart and life? Are you willing to become a temple for the presence of God?
Last week I was attending a Presbytery meeting. After driving an hour and a half to the church where the meeting was being held I was not in much a mood to worship, but the first thing we do at such meetings is worship. My mind was wandering, I was thinking of things I had to do, I wasn’t worshipping God.
Then after the offering I went out to wash my hands and take a breather. Perhaps in the act of washing my hands some of my concerns washed away, or maybe it was that grace poured over me.
Whatever it was when I went back in the Prayers of the People started. People lifted up names that were heavy upon their hearts, and names that gave them reason to rejoice. They shared the reasons for naming each person and we held their names as a group. It felt holy.
The prayer itself wasn’t the normal kind of prayer prayer, as when a person stands before the rest of us and utters a prayer on our behalf. It was responsive where the leader read some and then the congregation read some. It also left time for silence after various groups of people were named. As we prayed for groups of people across the world I could feel them. Those people whose names I will never know and faces I will never see I could feel and I sensed them close in the Spirit. As I prayed for them I realized something else… I loved them.
In that moment I knew something had happened. Right then I was living in the heart of God.
Jesus pursues us hoping that we will open the door of our lives, so that he might enter into them and eat with us. In the Bible eating together is one of the highest forms of fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us so that we might experience life together. In our times of prayer and while we sit at the Communion table we open our hearts to God so that we might find ourselves living in the heart of God. It is there, within God’s heart, that we find out we can love as God loves. So pray on, it does in fact change things, it changes us.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, November 7, 2011
God Will Supply
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
Do you believe God meets your needs? Why or why not? What do you lack? What do you need? What to you give thanks for?
The following story is about the 7th century English saint Cuthbert:
Once upon a time, the good Saint Cuthbert of Lindesfarne, went forth from his monastery to preach to the poor. He took with him a young lad as his only attendant. Together they walked along the dusty way. The heat of the noonday sun beat upon their heads, and fatigue overcame them.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "do you know any one on the road, whom we may ask for food and a place in which to rest?"
"I was just thinking the same thing," answered the lad, "but I know nobody on the road who will entertain us. Alas why did we not bring along provisions? How can we proceed on our long journey without them?"
"My son," answered the saint, "Learn to have trust in God, who never will suffer those to perish of hunger who believe in Him."
Then looking up and seeing an eagle flying in the air, he added, "Do you see the eagle yonder? It is possible for God to feed us by means of this bird."
While they were talking thus, they came to a river, and, lo the eagle stood on the bank.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "run and see what provision God has made for us by his handmaid the bird."
The lad ran, and found a good-sized fish that the eagle had just caught. This he brought to the saint.
"What have you done?" exclaimed the good man, "why have you not given a part to God's handmaid? Cut the fish in two pieces, and give her one, as her service well deserves."
The lad did as he was bidden, and the eagle, taking the half fish in her beak, flew away.
Then entering a neighboring village, Saint Cuthbert gave the other half to a peasant to cook, and while the lad and the villagers feasted, the good saint preached to them the Word of God
An old story you say? Yes it is, but it still speaks an eternal truth. God will supply our needs! As things are getting harder economically we begin to worry. As our things are going away, and budgets get harder to meet and the needs keep increasing our faith wanes. It is a good time that we pray for faith – not just belief in God’s existence, but faith that God can do what God promises. God can!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Do you believe God meets your needs? Why or why not? What do you lack? What do you need? What to you give thanks for?
The following story is about the 7th century English saint Cuthbert:
Once upon a time, the good Saint Cuthbert of Lindesfarne, went forth from his monastery to preach to the poor. He took with him a young lad as his only attendant. Together they walked along the dusty way. The heat of the noonday sun beat upon their heads, and fatigue overcame them.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "do you know any one on the road, whom we may ask for food and a place in which to rest?"
"I was just thinking the same thing," answered the lad, "but I know nobody on the road who will entertain us. Alas why did we not bring along provisions? How can we proceed on our long journey without them?"
"My son," answered the saint, "Learn to have trust in God, who never will suffer those to perish of hunger who believe in Him."
Then looking up and seeing an eagle flying in the air, he added, "Do you see the eagle yonder? It is possible for God to feed us by means of this bird."
While they were talking thus, they came to a river, and, lo the eagle stood on the bank.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "run and see what provision God has made for us by his handmaid the bird."
The lad ran, and found a good-sized fish that the eagle had just caught. This he brought to the saint.
"What have you done?" exclaimed the good man, "why have you not given a part to God's handmaid? Cut the fish in two pieces, and give her one, as her service well deserves."
The lad did as he was bidden, and the eagle, taking the half fish in her beak, flew away.
Then entering a neighboring village, Saint Cuthbert gave the other half to a peasant to cook, and while the lad and the villagers feasted, the good saint preached to them the Word of God
An old story you say? Yes it is, but it still speaks an eternal truth. God will supply our needs! As things are getting harder economically we begin to worry. As our things are going away, and budgets get harder to meet and the needs keep increasing our faith wanes. It is a good time that we pray for faith – not just belief in God’s existence, but faith that God can do what God promises. God can!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Things Needed to Be Good Missionaries
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. – 1 John 4:7 (NIV)
What do you think of love? How do you show your love to others? How might you do a better job showing love? How do you show your love to God? What does it mean to love God?
Someone recently shared this story with me:
There was a man doing a study of missionaries who went down to Haiti years ago, this is before the earthquake. Even then Haiti was filled with people attempting to do good work.
In his study he asked many of the locals what they thought of the missionaries that saturated their land. One Haitian man said without conviction, “Oh they are all right.”
“All right? Are some not so good?”
“Well there are bad ones and good ones… more bad ones really.”
“What makes bad ones bad?” the man doing the study asked.
“Well one can tell they come down here to make a name for themselves, or for some other selfish reasons, they just do not really seem to care for the people. They still do some good work, but they do not seem to be good people,” came the reply
“What about the good ones, what makes them good?”
“Only two things are needed to make a good missionary as far as I can tell,” replied the Haitian man. “First a love of Christ Jesus our Lord that is obvious in everything the missionary does. Second a love of Haitians that is obvious in everything the missionary does. That is what all good missionaries have.”
Look in the mirror. What do you see? You see a missionary for the mission-field of life in which God has set you. There are people who need to be loved, and there is a God whom we also must love. Pray today that we all may have a heart for people. Love has the power to change the world, in fact it is the only power that has ever changed it for the better. It is power that comes from God.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What do you think of love? How do you show your love to others? How might you do a better job showing love? How do you show your love to God? What does it mean to love God?
Someone recently shared this story with me:
There was a man doing a study of missionaries who went down to Haiti years ago, this is before the earthquake. Even then Haiti was filled with people attempting to do good work.
In his study he asked many of the locals what they thought of the missionaries that saturated their land. One Haitian man said without conviction, “Oh they are all right.”
“All right? Are some not so good?”
“Well there are bad ones and good ones… more bad ones really.”
“What makes bad ones bad?” the man doing the study asked.
“Well one can tell they come down here to make a name for themselves, or for some other selfish reasons, they just do not really seem to care for the people. They still do some good work, but they do not seem to be good people,” came the reply
“What about the good ones, what makes them good?”
“Only two things are needed to make a good missionary as far as I can tell,” replied the Haitian man. “First a love of Christ Jesus our Lord that is obvious in everything the missionary does. Second a love of Haitians that is obvious in everything the missionary does. That is what all good missionaries have.”
Look in the mirror. What do you see? You see a missionary for the mission-field of life in which God has set you. There are people who need to be loved, and there is a God whom we also must love. Pray today that we all may have a heart for people. Love has the power to change the world, in fact it is the only power that has ever changed it for the better. It is power that comes from God.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Minister's Minute from October Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
During my first year here in Georgia I was a bit surprised to discover that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I was further surprised when I learned that it is a “national” month. Seems like something I would have heard about before, but alas I had not and I enjoyed receiving gifts and cards.
It is nice to be appreciated and I suppose some pastors long for a month when they may be told nice things, but quite honestly I feel appreciated all of the time. Therefore please allow me the opportunity to use this space as something I will call, “Parishioner Appreciation Month.”
I appreciate the silent workers of our church. Maybe you do not know about them, but they are there. They make sure air conditioners are running, lights are turned off, doors are locked, people are served, vestments are in place, bulletins are in place, forks are in place, and much more that only God knows. These people volunteer their time to ensure that the rest of us can come in to a place of worship and go right into it. I appreciate you all.
I appreciate the not-so-silent workers of our church. These are the people whose names appear as committee heads, elders, deacons, Samaritan Saturday group leaders, Community Resource leaders, Meals-on-Wheels volunteers, people who bring food to After Church Fellowship, ushers, greeters and more. Somewhere they’re names are written down. These people are rarely thanked, but do what they do not for the recognition, but instead because God has laid a burden upon their hearts and they follow their call. I appreciate you all.
I appreciate the people who go all over the church during our Ritual of Friendship to tell visitors “hello.” I have never had a guest of the church tell me they feel unwelcomed… maybe because some have never been given the chance, but more so because we are an incredibly welcoming church. There have been people who walk right by me to say hello to someone they have never seen. I appreciate you all.
I appreciate our staff. I recall one day when Ms Annie was mowing the dirt (this is before we our lawn sorted out). It was hot and dusty and yet there she was. Thankfully we have a landscaping service now, but Ms Annie works harder than ever. She is here until past 11 at night ensuring our sanctuary is perfect for a Sunday service after a wedding on Saturday evening. She works in the heat and in the cold, and does whatever is asked. I appreciate her.
I appreciate Lynn who comes in early and generally stays late. If I need something crazy done for a flyer or bulletin she will spend days getting it just right. People come in and will have long conversations with her, and she won’t complain but do her work later. She’s not a member of the church but cried when times were bad and there was only enough money in the bank to stay open for a couple more months. I appreciate her.
I appreciate Marilyn with her flair for the dramatic and her musical talent. She came in right when we needed her and is great for me to work with as I change things up at the last minute and tell her I am having people sing. Many pastors call their music departments, “war departments.” I have not. I appreciate her.
I appreciate Elaine with her amazing skills in the kitchen that have grown our Wednesday Nights. I recall one time that I was hosting some other clergy of the area and asked if she would prepare a meal. It was excellent, and I have had many of those who were there tell me it was the best meal they’ve had in any church. I am sure it was. I appreciate her.
I appreciate our newest staff member Pat. She is hard at work ensuring that our books are in order. Some ministers are great administrators and know everything about a church’s budget. I am not one of these ministers, and I thank God that we have a person who knows what she is doing and will lead us on a sound path for the future.
I appreciate the people who tell me when I am doing a good job; those that tell me what specific part of a sermon meant a lot to them; those who tell me to my face when I am doing a bad job so I can learn; those who send me cards with words of encouragement that always seem to come at the right time; those who try to invite more and more people to church… I appreciate so much about this church and about you all. Together we are blessed to have each other as we ride the wave of the Holy Spirit into better tomorrows.
With appreciation and gratitude,
Garrett
It is nice to be appreciated and I suppose some pastors long for a month when they may be told nice things, but quite honestly I feel appreciated all of the time. Therefore please allow me the opportunity to use this space as something I will call, “Parishioner Appreciation Month.”
I appreciate the silent workers of our church. Maybe you do not know about them, but they are there. They make sure air conditioners are running, lights are turned off, doors are locked, people are served, vestments are in place, bulletins are in place, forks are in place, and much more that only God knows. These people volunteer their time to ensure that the rest of us can come in to a place of worship and go right into it. I appreciate you all.
I appreciate the not-so-silent workers of our church. These are the people whose names appear as committee heads, elders, deacons, Samaritan Saturday group leaders, Community Resource leaders, Meals-on-Wheels volunteers, people who bring food to After Church Fellowship, ushers, greeters and more. Somewhere they’re names are written down. These people are rarely thanked, but do what they do not for the recognition, but instead because God has laid a burden upon their hearts and they follow their call. I appreciate you all.
I appreciate the people who go all over the church during our Ritual of Friendship to tell visitors “hello.” I have never had a guest of the church tell me they feel unwelcomed… maybe because some have never been given the chance, but more so because we are an incredibly welcoming church. There have been people who walk right by me to say hello to someone they have never seen. I appreciate you all.
I appreciate our staff. I recall one day when Ms Annie was mowing the dirt (this is before we our lawn sorted out). It was hot and dusty and yet there she was. Thankfully we have a landscaping service now, but Ms Annie works harder than ever. She is here until past 11 at night ensuring our sanctuary is perfect for a Sunday service after a wedding on Saturday evening. She works in the heat and in the cold, and does whatever is asked. I appreciate her.
I appreciate Lynn who comes in early and generally stays late. If I need something crazy done for a flyer or bulletin she will spend days getting it just right. People come in and will have long conversations with her, and she won’t complain but do her work later. She’s not a member of the church but cried when times were bad and there was only enough money in the bank to stay open for a couple more months. I appreciate her.
I appreciate Marilyn with her flair for the dramatic and her musical talent. She came in right when we needed her and is great for me to work with as I change things up at the last minute and tell her I am having people sing. Many pastors call their music departments, “war departments.” I have not. I appreciate her.
I appreciate Elaine with her amazing skills in the kitchen that have grown our Wednesday Nights. I recall one time that I was hosting some other clergy of the area and asked if she would prepare a meal. It was excellent, and I have had many of those who were there tell me it was the best meal they’ve had in any church. I am sure it was. I appreciate her.
I appreciate our newest staff member Pat. She is hard at work ensuring that our books are in order. Some ministers are great administrators and know everything about a church’s budget. I am not one of these ministers, and I thank God that we have a person who knows what she is doing and will lead us on a sound path for the future.
I appreciate the people who tell me when I am doing a good job; those that tell me what specific part of a sermon meant a lot to them; those who tell me to my face when I am doing a bad job so I can learn; those who send me cards with words of encouragement that always seem to come at the right time; those who try to invite more and more people to church… I appreciate so much about this church and about you all. Together we are blessed to have each other as we ride the wave of the Holy Spirit into better tomorrows.
With appreciation and gratitude,
Garrett
Looking Within
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV)
How easily do you see the specks in other’s eyes? Do you have a plank in your own? What is Jesus trying to teach here? Do we have ears to hear?
A couple of days ago I was having one bad day. I suppose we all have them, those days where things seem to pile up. It started off good enough, but when I finally got to my computer and opened up my e-mail I was greeted with loads of bad news.
By the time I finished reading through those e-mails I was quite upset. I was upset with how people act, I was upset with what people don’t do, and I was going about blaming people for it.
In the course of being upset I found some angry music to listen to on my phone. I thought, “Good something to help me feel how I feel.” I listened to such music for about half an hour or so until my phone received a call. It was not a happy phone call either and I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with frustration.
After the phone call I pushed the button to resume my angry music selection and yet something else came on instead. It was a gospel song and maybe you know it. A grand voice cried out, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord standing in the need of prayer.”
How that song got on I do not know… perhaps it was one of those minor miracles we call a coincidence. I call it a miracle and it forced me to stop worrying about others and realize that I have a lot to change about myself before I can go worrying about how others need to change.
That is what Jesus was concerned about as he spoke about planks in eyes. It becomes so easy for us to look at the obvious faults of others that we can somehow ignore our own obvious faults completely. I was not taking time realizing I needed to change. Instead I allowed my anger to keep me wondering why everyone else was so messed up. Somehow through a minor miracle that others might call a glitch of technology I realized that indeed I stood and still stand in the need of prayer myself. If we all take the time to work on ourselves, I cannot imagine the ways in which we can change the world.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How easily do you see the specks in other’s eyes? Do you have a plank in your own? What is Jesus trying to teach here? Do we have ears to hear?
A couple of days ago I was having one bad day. I suppose we all have them, those days where things seem to pile up. It started off good enough, but when I finally got to my computer and opened up my e-mail I was greeted with loads of bad news.
By the time I finished reading through those e-mails I was quite upset. I was upset with how people act, I was upset with what people don’t do, and I was going about blaming people for it.
In the course of being upset I found some angry music to listen to on my phone. I thought, “Good something to help me feel how I feel.” I listened to such music for about half an hour or so until my phone received a call. It was not a happy phone call either and I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with frustration.
After the phone call I pushed the button to resume my angry music selection and yet something else came on instead. It was a gospel song and maybe you know it. A grand voice cried out, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord standing in the need of prayer.”
How that song got on I do not know… perhaps it was one of those minor miracles we call a coincidence. I call it a miracle and it forced me to stop worrying about others and realize that I have a lot to change about myself before I can go worrying about how others need to change.
That is what Jesus was concerned about as he spoke about planks in eyes. It becomes so easy for us to look at the obvious faults of others that we can somehow ignore our own obvious faults completely. I was not taking time realizing I needed to change. Instead I allowed my anger to keep me wondering why everyone else was so messed up. Somehow through a minor miracle that others might call a glitch of technology I realized that indeed I stood and still stand in the need of prayer myself. If we all take the time to work on ourselves, I cannot imagine the ways in which we can change the world.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Confessions of Faith
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV 1984)
Why is the cross foolish? How is it also the power of God? When thinking of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus do you discover hope? Why?
The following is by Timothy George, “Delighted by Doctrine,” Christian History and Biography (Summer 2006):
Judaism has its shema and Islam its shahadah, but Christians, responding to Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” have produced literally thousands of statements of faith across the centuries.
As a capstone to his lifelong interest in the central texts of the Christian faith, Jaroslav Pelikan edited (with Valerie Hotchkiss) Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, a four-volume critical edition with a one-volume historical and theological guide called simply Credo.
Pelikan’s collection includes several hundred creeds, including the Masai Creed from Nigeria, which Africanizes Christianity by declaring that Jesus “was always on safari doing good.” It also declares that after Jesus had been “tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died, he lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from the grave. He ascended unto the skies. He is the Lord.”
This creed was brought to Pelikan’s attention by one of his students, a woman who had been a member of a religious order working in a hospital in East Nigeria. Pelikan wrote, “She brought it to me, and I just got shivers. Just the thought, you know, the hyenas did not touch him, and the act of defiance — God lives even in spite of the hyenas.”
Not only do we believe Jesus died, that God died, but we believe Jesus lives! Yes it is foolish! It is crazy to believe such a thing, but we defiantly proclaim it. Who do we say Jesus is? What parts of our culture does the Christ who changes culture change? Where does God live in spite of death dealers? Now let us proclaim who Jesus is each morning as a confession of faith. Within our confession we say something about the power of God!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Why is the cross foolish? How is it also the power of God? When thinking of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus do you discover hope? Why?
The following is by Timothy George, “Delighted by Doctrine,” Christian History and Biography (Summer 2006):
Judaism has its shema and Islam its shahadah, but Christians, responding to Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” have produced literally thousands of statements of faith across the centuries.
As a capstone to his lifelong interest in the central texts of the Christian faith, Jaroslav Pelikan edited (with Valerie Hotchkiss) Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, a four-volume critical edition with a one-volume historical and theological guide called simply Credo.
Pelikan’s collection includes several hundred creeds, including the Masai Creed from Nigeria, which Africanizes Christianity by declaring that Jesus “was always on safari doing good.” It also declares that after Jesus had been “tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died, he lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from the grave. He ascended unto the skies. He is the Lord.”
This creed was brought to Pelikan’s attention by one of his students, a woman who had been a member of a religious order working in a hospital in East Nigeria. Pelikan wrote, “She brought it to me, and I just got shivers. Just the thought, you know, the hyenas did not touch him, and the act of defiance — God lives even in spite of the hyenas.”
Not only do we believe Jesus died, that God died, but we believe Jesus lives! Yes it is foolish! It is crazy to believe such a thing, but we defiantly proclaim it. Who do we say Jesus is? What parts of our culture does the Christ who changes culture change? Where does God live in spite of death dealers? Now let us proclaim who Jesus is each morning as a confession of faith. Within our confession we say something about the power of God!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, September 9, 2011
Broken Hearts
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Sometimes we do not need questions to help to think about things. Sometimes we just need to hear good news. This is good news.
This comes from A Turbulent Peace by Ray Waddle
“Religion’s for old people,” my buddy declared as we drove through the countryside. I found his comment a little insulting: I was a churchgoer, age nineteen. Was that so wrong? I lost touch with him; now it’s been twenty-five years since we’ve spoken. But he was on to something. At twenty, the road looks clear all the way to forever. We arrogantly waste time, try a hundred new jobs or relationships or ideologies, believe and fool thing. The heart is not yet broken, not in the way it is when time crashes down on it – soured dreams, career missteps, divorce, illness, the death of loved ones, the passing of so much we love. By old age the ghostly procession of the once-was can be unbearable.
My heroes include any elderly persons who keep the flame lit, who still feel inspiration and outrage at ideas, current events, history, movies, books, national tragedies, spring flowers, the passing parade. Somehow they take it all in. Life enlarges their spirit, becomes fuel for the remaining journey, seasoned with humor, not bitterness. They age with dignity. Part of the dignity is keeping the inevitable heartbreak framed by larger perspectives and by going deeper into the grief, not denying it.
The heart breaks again and again. In the midst of heartbreak God moves ever closer. I saw a sign recently that read, “Faith is not faith until we have nothing else to hold on to.” Someone told me, “We are always trying to reach the place where we do not need faith, but that is when fear kicks in.” Yet when life tears us down and we are left with nothing sometimes all we have is faith… and that is when some of us may realize that is all we need.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Sometimes we do not need questions to help to think about things. Sometimes we just need to hear good news. This is good news.
This comes from A Turbulent Peace by Ray Waddle
“Religion’s for old people,” my buddy declared as we drove through the countryside. I found his comment a little insulting: I was a churchgoer, age nineteen. Was that so wrong? I lost touch with him; now it’s been twenty-five years since we’ve spoken. But he was on to something. At twenty, the road looks clear all the way to forever. We arrogantly waste time, try a hundred new jobs or relationships or ideologies, believe and fool thing. The heart is not yet broken, not in the way it is when time crashes down on it – soured dreams, career missteps, divorce, illness, the death of loved ones, the passing of so much we love. By old age the ghostly procession of the once-was can be unbearable.
My heroes include any elderly persons who keep the flame lit, who still feel inspiration and outrage at ideas, current events, history, movies, books, national tragedies, spring flowers, the passing parade. Somehow they take it all in. Life enlarges their spirit, becomes fuel for the remaining journey, seasoned with humor, not bitterness. They age with dignity. Part of the dignity is keeping the inevitable heartbreak framed by larger perspectives and by going deeper into the grief, not denying it.
The heart breaks again and again. In the midst of heartbreak God moves ever closer. I saw a sign recently that read, “Faith is not faith until we have nothing else to hold on to.” Someone told me, “We are always trying to reach the place where we do not need faith, but that is when fear kicks in.” Yet when life tears us down and we are left with nothing sometimes all we have is faith… and that is when some of us may realize that is all we need.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Minister's Minute from September Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
This month, like a couple of others when I have had to write this monthly piece, has been trying for me. Some times I just do not know what to write. I am preacher, not a writer. However the deadline loomed 5 days ago, and something must be written.
Let me start with a lyric from the band Mumford and Sons. “But hold on to what you believe in the light. When darkness has robbed you of all your sight.”
I came home from work the other day and said hello to my family in the usual way. Sometimes I feel very much like a stereotypical family man, and while a younger version of me would be nauseated at the idea, today I quite like being a family man. I kissed my wife and the baby she was holding. I had to find my son who was hiding simply by covering his eyes. All was right and I was happy.
Like other families I heard stories of what the children did when I was away. The girl is smiling now. Her mother can play a little game with her and her face will light up with joy that cannot be taught, but simply exists waiting for us to take it… or at least to acknowledge it. Then my wife said, “And Langston did the cutest thing!”
“Oh really?” I asked, “What’s that?”
“I was sitting on the couch feeding the baby when he marches into the room with his flashlight on,” she tells me. “I asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ and he tells me, ‘Looking for the dark mommy.’” We laughed together as I imagined my son walking around in the fullness of day looking for darkness to illuminate.
Then as I sat with that image I wondered if there was not incredible truth some mixed with a boy’s play. He holds the light, and he knows the purpose of light. Light makes darkness go away. Perhaps my profession insists that I spiritualize his play, or perhaps his play forces me to become more spiritual.
Paul once wrote to a group of people frightened by the darkness that reached for them, “you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” It was his way of reminding them that even though dark days loom ahead, even though evil would try its hardest, and even though sometimes we feel lost we are not. For we are heirs of salvation, purchased by God and thereby children of light.
In my little boy’s playtime he gave voice to a great truth. It is not darkness that can overtake light; it is light that overtakes darkness. Jesus once preached, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Perhaps he could have added a story about a boy with a flashlight that goes looking to eliminate darkness.
Darkness still saturates our lives, our families, our communities and our world. There are those who believe that it will win. Perhaps during the rough and tough days of life we wonder if the light is gone completely. It is then that we must remember what we believed in the light. If darkness has somehow robbed us of all our sight hold on to the belief that we share of Jesus. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not over come it.”
A friend of mine told me that he was quite afraid of dark as a child, a little more so than even normal. During a prayer meeting at his church his parents informed the people gathered that he was scared of the dark. He was not mocked or told it was silly to be afraid of the dark. Instead those who carried light surrounded him and prayed that he would know himself as a child of the light, as the beloved of God, as someone the darkness cannot touch. It was as though someone with a flashlight went looking for darkness in order that it would disappear.
Oh that we all would carry such lights… I imagine the world would change.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Let me start with a lyric from the band Mumford and Sons. “But hold on to what you believe in the light. When darkness has robbed you of all your sight.”
I came home from work the other day and said hello to my family in the usual way. Sometimes I feel very much like a stereotypical family man, and while a younger version of me would be nauseated at the idea, today I quite like being a family man. I kissed my wife and the baby she was holding. I had to find my son who was hiding simply by covering his eyes. All was right and I was happy.
Like other families I heard stories of what the children did when I was away. The girl is smiling now. Her mother can play a little game with her and her face will light up with joy that cannot be taught, but simply exists waiting for us to take it… or at least to acknowledge it. Then my wife said, “And Langston did the cutest thing!”
“Oh really?” I asked, “What’s that?”
“I was sitting on the couch feeding the baby when he marches into the room with his flashlight on,” she tells me. “I asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ and he tells me, ‘Looking for the dark mommy.’” We laughed together as I imagined my son walking around in the fullness of day looking for darkness to illuminate.
Then as I sat with that image I wondered if there was not incredible truth some mixed with a boy’s play. He holds the light, and he knows the purpose of light. Light makes darkness go away. Perhaps my profession insists that I spiritualize his play, or perhaps his play forces me to become more spiritual.
Paul once wrote to a group of people frightened by the darkness that reached for them, “you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” It was his way of reminding them that even though dark days loom ahead, even though evil would try its hardest, and even though sometimes we feel lost we are not. For we are heirs of salvation, purchased by God and thereby children of light.
In my little boy’s playtime he gave voice to a great truth. It is not darkness that can overtake light; it is light that overtakes darkness. Jesus once preached, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Perhaps he could have added a story about a boy with a flashlight that goes looking to eliminate darkness.
Darkness still saturates our lives, our families, our communities and our world. There are those who believe that it will win. Perhaps during the rough and tough days of life we wonder if the light is gone completely. It is then that we must remember what we believed in the light. If darkness has somehow robbed us of all our sight hold on to the belief that we share of Jesus. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not over come it.”
A friend of mine told me that he was quite afraid of dark as a child, a little more so than even normal. During a prayer meeting at his church his parents informed the people gathered that he was scared of the dark. He was not mocked or told it was silly to be afraid of the dark. Instead those who carried light surrounded him and prayed that he would know himself as a child of the light, as the beloved of God, as someone the darkness cannot touch. It was as though someone with a flashlight went looking for darkness in order that it would disappear.
Oh that we all would carry such lights… I imagine the world would change.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
In and Out of Season
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. – 2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV)
How do you preach the word? Do you believe you are called to such a thing? What does it mean to be prepared in and out of season? Have you corrected someone? Rebuked someone? Encouraged someone? Have you been corrected, rebuked or encouraged?
The following story is an Aesop Fable called “The Horse and His Rider”:
A horse soldier took the utmost pains with his charger. As long as the war lasted, he looked upon him as his fellow-helper in all emergencies and fed him carefully with hay and corn. But when the war was over, he only allowed him chaff to eat and made him carry heavy loads of wood, subjecting him to much slavish drudgery and ill-treatment.
War was again proclaimed, however, and when the trumpet summoned him to his standard, the soldier put on his charger its military accouterments, and mounted, being clad in his heavy coat of mail. The horse fell down right away under the weight, no longer equal to the burden, and said to his master, “You must now go to the war on foot, for you have transformed me from a horse into an ass; and how can you expect that I can again turn in a moment from an ass to a horse.”
Toward the end of his life Jesus shared a story about 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom and falling asleep. Half brought oil and half did not. As the story goes the bridegroom was long in coming and they all fell asleep. He arrived at the midnight hour and the half without oil found out they were not ready. These parables about being prepared share a great truth of life. We never know when we will be needed to participate in the Gospel! Keep reading up on scriptures, keep praying and studying, keep practicing because one day Jesus will need us. Let us pray that we are ready.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How do you preach the word? Do you believe you are called to such a thing? What does it mean to be prepared in and out of season? Have you corrected someone? Rebuked someone? Encouraged someone? Have you been corrected, rebuked or encouraged?
The following story is an Aesop Fable called “The Horse and His Rider”:
A horse soldier took the utmost pains with his charger. As long as the war lasted, he looked upon him as his fellow-helper in all emergencies and fed him carefully with hay and corn. But when the war was over, he only allowed him chaff to eat and made him carry heavy loads of wood, subjecting him to much slavish drudgery and ill-treatment.
War was again proclaimed, however, and when the trumpet summoned him to his standard, the soldier put on his charger its military accouterments, and mounted, being clad in his heavy coat of mail. The horse fell down right away under the weight, no longer equal to the burden, and said to his master, “You must now go to the war on foot, for you have transformed me from a horse into an ass; and how can you expect that I can again turn in a moment from an ass to a horse.”
Toward the end of his life Jesus shared a story about 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom and falling asleep. Half brought oil and half did not. As the story goes the bridegroom was long in coming and they all fell asleep. He arrived at the midnight hour and the half without oil found out they were not ready. These parables about being prepared share a great truth of life. We never know when we will be needed to participate in the Gospel! Keep reading up on scriptures, keep praying and studying, keep practicing because one day Jesus will need us. Let us pray that we are ready.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Good Thing to Remember
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. – Philippians 4:4 (NRSV)
How do you go about rejoicing in the Lord? Why can you rejoice? What do you do that hampers your joy in God? Why do think Paul repeated himself, “again I will say, Rejoice”?
The following story was sent to me via e-mail:
A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not. Along came a man who had recently completed studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth he asked the boy about the source of his joy.
“Hey,” asked the boy with a bright laugh, “Don't you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.” The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible.
“That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”
The boy countered with, “Jesus rose from the dead.” The enlightened man responded with, “Jesus no more rose from the dead than the Israelites walked through the Red Sea. Common sense will tell you all that. If that book can prove they crossed on dry land I'll believe Jesus rose from the dead and eat my hat.”
The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.
“Wow!" exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water.”
The man said, "Do you have any salt?"
Sometimes as life goes on and people try to bring us down we need to be reminded to rejoice in the Lord always. I’ve been told that when you become important to God you become important to Satan. Situations will arrive that will try to rob us of our joy. Paul has some advise for us in those situations. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!”
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How do you go about rejoicing in the Lord? Why can you rejoice? What do you do that hampers your joy in God? Why do think Paul repeated himself, “again I will say, Rejoice”?
The following story was sent to me via e-mail:
A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not. Along came a man who had recently completed studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth he asked the boy about the source of his joy.
“Hey,” asked the boy with a bright laugh, “Don't you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.” The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible.
“That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”
The boy countered with, “Jesus rose from the dead.” The enlightened man responded with, “Jesus no more rose from the dead than the Israelites walked through the Red Sea. Common sense will tell you all that. If that book can prove they crossed on dry land I'll believe Jesus rose from the dead and eat my hat.”
The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.
“Wow!" exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water.”
The man said, "Do you have any salt?"
Sometimes as life goes on and people try to bring us down we need to be reminded to rejoice in the Lord always. I’ve been told that when you become important to God you become important to Satan. Situations will arrive that will try to rob us of our joy. Paul has some advise for us in those situations. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!”
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Some Good Medicine
A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. – Proverbs 17:22 (NRSV)
How do you know this is true? When have you been good medicine for someone who needs it? When have you dried up bones because of a downcast spirit? Can you give life?
The following is a story that came from LiveScience.com on May 26, 2006 and was written by Jim Fitzgerald.
Dr. Samuel Weinstein, chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery for Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, went to El Salvador in 2006 with Heart Care International to provide life-saving operations for poor children.
It would take more than expertise and advanced equipment to save the life of Francisco Calderon Anthony Fernandez, eight, however. After twelve hours of surgery, the boy began to bleed out of control. The hospital lacked both the medicines to stop the bleeding and the blood to give the boy transfusions. Francisco’s blood type was B-negative, which – according to the American Red Cross – is present in only 2 percent of the population.
Dr. Weinstein had the same blood type. So he set aside his scalpel, took off his gloves, and began washing his hands and forearm. Then he sat down and had his blood drawn.
When he had given his pint, Dr. Weinstein drank some bottled water and ate a Pop-Tart. Then – twenty minutes after stepping away from the table – he rejoined his colleagues, who watched as Weinstein’s blood began flowing into the boy’s small veins. Weinstein then completed the operation that saved Francisco’s life.
I am sure the good doctor could have given up hope after twelve hours of operation, but instead somewhere within he found the source of good medicine. Jesus said that whoever has faith in him will be able to do greater things than he did. I’ve heard that Christians built 90% of the schools and hospitals ever built. I’d say that is doing great things. We could look at the world and become downcast, or we could be cheerfully determined to be good medicine. Good medicine can save a life!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. – Proverbs 17:22 (NRSV)
How do you know this is true? When have you been good medicine for someone who needs it? When have you dried up bones because of a downcast spirit? Can you give life?
The following is a story that came from LiveScience.com on May 26, 2006 and was written by Jim Fitzgerald.
Dr. Samuel Weinstein, chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery for Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, went to El Salvador in 2006 with Heart Care International to provide life-saving operations for poor children.
It would take more than expertise and advanced equipment to save the life of Francisco Calderon Anthony Fernandez, eight, however. After twelve hours of surgery, the boy began to bleed out of control. The hospital lacked both the medicines to stop the bleeding and the blood to give the boy transfusions. Francisco’s blood type was B-negative, which – according to the American Red Cross – is present in only 2 percent of the population.
Dr. Weinstein had the same blood type. So he set aside his scalpel, took off his gloves, and began washing his hands and forearm. Then he sat down and had his blood drawn.
When he had given his pint, Dr. Weinstein drank some bottled water and ate a Pop-Tart. Then – twenty minutes after stepping away from the table – he rejoined his colleagues, who watched as Weinstein’s blood began flowing into the boy’s small veins. Weinstein then completed the operation that saved Francisco’s life.
I am sure the good doctor could have given up hope after twelve hours of operation, but instead somewhere within he found the source of good medicine. Jesus said that whoever has faith in him will be able to do greater things than he did. I’ve heard that Christians built 90% of the schools and hospitals ever built. I’d say that is doing great things. We could look at the world and become downcast, or we could be cheerfully determined to be good medicine. Good medicine can save a life!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
God Is There
Don't panic. I'm with you.
There's no need to fear for I'm your God.
I'll give you strength. I'll help you.
I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. – Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)
When did you panic last? What was going on? Of what are you afraid? Where is God? What is God doing?
This came from the Christian Century on July 26, 2011:
When Fred Rogers received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy award in 1998, he asked the celebrity audience to take ten seconds of silence to think about people who had loved them into being and helped them become who they are.
Within seconds weeping and sobs could be heard throughout the audience. Then Rodgers said, “May God be with you,” and sat down. Eliot Daley, a Presbyterian minster who had worked with Rogers, says it is significant that Rogers didn’t say “God bless you.” Rogers knew that the people were already blessed by God. He wanted the people in the audience to be aware that God was with them.
Sometimes when things seem hard we forget the many blessings that have saturated our lives. However, even when the world seems more full of curses than blessings God is still with us. I know we need to be reminded of this from time to time, because I know I need to be reminded of this from time to time. When we walk in valleys so deep they can be called the valley of the shadow of death, God is still there. Even though God tells us not to panic, not to be afraid, and all the rest we will be. Today let us pray that we may be filled with faith. In that way when fear knocks on our doors we may open them and discover God is there.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
There's no need to fear for I'm your God.
I'll give you strength. I'll help you.
I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. – Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)
When did you panic last? What was going on? Of what are you afraid? Where is God? What is God doing?
This came from the Christian Century on July 26, 2011:
When Fred Rogers received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy award in 1998, he asked the celebrity audience to take ten seconds of silence to think about people who had loved them into being and helped them become who they are.
Within seconds weeping and sobs could be heard throughout the audience. Then Rodgers said, “May God be with you,” and sat down. Eliot Daley, a Presbyterian minster who had worked with Rogers, says it is significant that Rogers didn’t say “God bless you.” Rogers knew that the people were already blessed by God. He wanted the people in the audience to be aware that God was with them.
Sometimes when things seem hard we forget the many blessings that have saturated our lives. However, even when the world seems more full of curses than blessings God is still with us. I know we need to be reminded of this from time to time, because I know I need to be reminded of this from time to time. When we walk in valleys so deep they can be called the valley of the shadow of death, God is still there. Even though God tells us not to panic, not to be afraid, and all the rest we will be. Today let us pray that we may be filled with faith. In that way when fear knocks on our doors we may open them and discover God is there.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, July 29, 2011
Minister's Minute from August Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
We brought her home the other day. Our little daughter that is. She is so tiny she makes her brother seem like he is far closer to adulthood than I would like. Everyone always told me life moves quickly, and they were all right. It did not move quickly as a child, but it does now. As I age more I imagine it will move even faster.
Such a thought is equally sobering and horrifying. It is sobering in that I know that now, and therefore should not be surprised when I find myself with far fewer years to live than I have lived. It will happen. It will come up fast. Somehow it will be a surprise, because it seems to surprise everyone. “Where’d the time go?” I’ve heard so many ask. “How’d I get to be so old?” is the same sentiment asked another way.
It is sobering because it means that I know I should pay attention. I should enjoy the time I can get on the webcam with my parents or better yet I should visit more because one day I will not. Not because I will not want to, but because I will not be able to do so. I should enjoy watching my little daughter move and squirm around, and the way her eyes take in everything. I should enjoy the way my son becomes a boy because one day he will be man. I should enjoy the way clouds move in the sky. The way a Sunday service is always unique. The way people smile when helping others. I should pay attention because it is all fleeting, momentary, and worthy of my attention. I should pay attention because somewhere right now God is at work.
Yet this thought is horrifying because while I know I should do all of these things, I probably will not. I still struggle not to check my e-mails when I am having a phone conversation. I still think about what I have to do during the day when my son is talking to me over breakfast. I still am always trying to stay two-steps ahead of whatever life will throw at me. All I am doing is losing the moments I have. One day I will say with actual puzzlement, “Where’d the time go?” or “How’d I get to be so old?”
Well the time is going on right now. Somewhere my wife is playing with our little girl. Somewhere my son is running around. Somewhere a prayer is being uttered and it might be for me. Somewhere a smile is beginning. Somewhere the wind begins to blow through the leaves and braches of a mighty tree. I will not be able to see it all, but wherever I am, if I pay attention, I will be able to see something. Perhaps it is an awful sight or possibly a great one, but it is there!
A woman dying of cancer told me about the last time she went to the beach. She described the waves, the sound, the smell. The way her feet went into sand as she stood at the cusp between the shore and the ocean. She saw a crab disappear into the sand. She smiled as she told me about what her husband looked like searching for a shell to take home with them.
Two days after telling me about this she died. And maybe she wondered where the time went and maybe she did not. Alas there was a moment she had at the beach that transcended time, and God smiled. In that moment she lived eternally if only because she lived in the moment.
I need to stop writing. I need to turn off my e-mail updates, and facebook pushes, and… it is time for me to have a moment, because it is here where God is.
Riding the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Such a thought is equally sobering and horrifying. It is sobering in that I know that now, and therefore should not be surprised when I find myself with far fewer years to live than I have lived. It will happen. It will come up fast. Somehow it will be a surprise, because it seems to surprise everyone. “Where’d the time go?” I’ve heard so many ask. “How’d I get to be so old?” is the same sentiment asked another way.
It is sobering because it means that I know I should pay attention. I should enjoy the time I can get on the webcam with my parents or better yet I should visit more because one day I will not. Not because I will not want to, but because I will not be able to do so. I should enjoy watching my little daughter move and squirm around, and the way her eyes take in everything. I should enjoy the way my son becomes a boy because one day he will be man. I should enjoy the way clouds move in the sky. The way a Sunday service is always unique. The way people smile when helping others. I should pay attention because it is all fleeting, momentary, and worthy of my attention. I should pay attention because somewhere right now God is at work.
Yet this thought is horrifying because while I know I should do all of these things, I probably will not. I still struggle not to check my e-mails when I am having a phone conversation. I still think about what I have to do during the day when my son is talking to me over breakfast. I still am always trying to stay two-steps ahead of whatever life will throw at me. All I am doing is losing the moments I have. One day I will say with actual puzzlement, “Where’d the time go?” or “How’d I get to be so old?”
Well the time is going on right now. Somewhere my wife is playing with our little girl. Somewhere my son is running around. Somewhere a prayer is being uttered and it might be for me. Somewhere a smile is beginning. Somewhere the wind begins to blow through the leaves and braches of a mighty tree. I will not be able to see it all, but wherever I am, if I pay attention, I will be able to see something. Perhaps it is an awful sight or possibly a great one, but it is there!
A woman dying of cancer told me about the last time she went to the beach. She described the waves, the sound, the smell. The way her feet went into sand as she stood at the cusp between the shore and the ocean. She saw a crab disappear into the sand. She smiled as she told me about what her husband looked like searching for a shell to take home with them.
Two days after telling me about this she died. And maybe she wondered where the time went and maybe she did not. Alas there was a moment she had at the beach that transcended time, and God smiled. In that moment she lived eternally if only because she lived in the moment.
I need to stop writing. I need to turn off my e-mail updates, and facebook pushes, and… it is time for me to have a moment, because it is here where God is.
Riding the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Minister's Minute from August Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
We brought her home the other day. Our little daughter that is. She is so tiny she makes her brother seem like he is far closer to adulthood than I would like. Everyone always told me life moves quickly, and they were all right. It did not move quickly as a child, but it does now. As I age more I imagine it will move even faster.
Such a thought is equally sobering and horrifying. It is sobering in that I know that now, and therefore should not be surprised when I find myself with far fewer years to live than I have lived. It will happen. It will come up fast. Somehow it will be a surprise, because it seems to surprise everyone. “Where’d the time go?” I’ve heard so many ask. “How’d I get to be so old?” is the same sentiment asked another way.
It is sobering because it means that I know I should pay attention. I should enjoy the time I can get on the webcam with my parents or better yet I should visit more because one day I will not. Not because I will not want to, but because I will not be able to do so. I should enjoy watching my little daughter move and squirm around, and the way her eyes take in everything. I should enjoy the way my son becomes a boy because one day he will be man. I should enjoy the way clouds move in the sky. The way a Sunday service is always unique. The way people smile when helping others. I should pay attention because it is all fleeting, momentary, and worthy of my attention. I should pay attention because somewhere right now God is at work.
Yet this thought is horrifying because while I know I should do all of these things, I probably will not. I still struggle not to check my e-mails when I am having a phone conversation. I still think about what I have to do during the day when my son is talking to me over breakfast. I still am always trying to stay two-steps ahead of whatever life will throw at me. All I am doing is losing the moments I have. One day I will say with actual puzzlement, “Where’d the time go?” or “How’d I get to be so old?”
Well the time is going on right now. Somewhere my wife is playing with our little girl. Somewhere my son is running around. Somewhere a prayer is being uttered and it might be for me. Somewhere a smile is beginning. Somewhere the wind begins to blow through the leaves and braches of a mighty tree. I will not be able to see it all, but wherever I am, if I pay attention, I will be able to see something. Perhaps it is an awful sight or possibly a great one, but it is there!
A woman dying of cancer told me about the last time she went to the beach. She described the waves, the sound, the smell. The way her feet went into sand as she stood at the cusp between the shore and the ocean. She saw a crab disappear into the sand. She smiled as she told me about what her husband looked like searching for a shell to take home with them.
Two days after telling me about this she died. And maybe she wondered where the time went and maybe she did not. Alas there was a moment she had at the beach that transcended time, and God smiled. In that moment she lived eternally if only because she lived in the moment.
I need to stop writing. I need to turn off my e-mail updates, and facebook pushes, and… it is time for me to have a moment, because it is here where God is.
Riding the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Such a thought is equally sobering and horrifying. It is sobering in that I know that now, and therefore should not be surprised when I find myself with far fewer years to live than I have lived. It will happen. It will come up fast. Somehow it will be a surprise, because it seems to surprise everyone. “Where’d the time go?” I’ve heard so many ask. “How’d I get to be so old?” is the same sentiment asked another way.
It is sobering because it means that I know I should pay attention. I should enjoy the time I can get on the webcam with my parents or better yet I should visit more because one day I will not. Not because I will not want to, but because I will not be able to do so. I should enjoy watching my little daughter move and squirm around, and the way her eyes take in everything. I should enjoy the way my son becomes a boy because one day he will be man. I should enjoy the way clouds move in the sky. The way a Sunday service is always unique. The way people smile when helping others. I should pay attention because it is all fleeting, momentary, and worthy of my attention. I should pay attention because somewhere right now God is at work.
Yet this thought is horrifying because while I know I should do all of these things, I probably will not. I still struggle not to check my e-mails when I am having a phone conversation. I still think about what I have to do during the day when my son is talking to me over breakfast. I still am always trying to stay two-steps ahead of whatever life will throw at me. All I am doing is losing the moments I have. One day I will say with actual puzzlement, “Where’d the time go?” or “How’d I get to be so old?”
Well the time is going on right now. Somewhere my wife is playing with our little girl. Somewhere my son is running around. Somewhere a prayer is being uttered and it might be for me. Somewhere a smile is beginning. Somewhere the wind begins to blow through the leaves and braches of a mighty tree. I will not be able to see it all, but wherever I am, if I pay attention, I will be able to see something. Perhaps it is an awful sight or possibly a great one, but it is there!
A woman dying of cancer told me about the last time she went to the beach. She described the waves, the sound, the smell. The way her feet went into sand as she stood at the cusp between the shore and the ocean. She saw a crab disappear into the sand. She smiled as she told me about what her husband looked like searching for a shell to take home with them.
Two days after telling me about this she died. And maybe she wondered where the time went and maybe she did not. Alas there was a moment she had at the beach that transcended time, and God smiled. In that moment she lived eternally if only because she lived in the moment.
I need to stop writing. I need to turn off my e-mail updates, and facebook pushes, and… it is time for me to have a moment, because it is here where God is.
Riding the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Children In Need
But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom.” – Mark 10:14 (The Message)
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” (NRSV)
Is there any child Jesus was not talking about? Where are there children in need right now? What can Jesus do for them? What can you do as a member of the body of Christ? What will you do?
I have no story to share this week. Instead these are statistics about what is happening to children right now.
In Dougherty County in 2010 138 children suffered from neglect, 90 suffered physical abuse, 17 were abused sexually, and that is only what was reported! It is estimated that more than 80% of cases go unreported.
In an average year in Georgia 60 children will die from neglect, that is more than 1 a week.
Every day in Georgia over 40 children are victims of confirmed abuse or neglect.
34,540 children were substantiated victims of child abuse or neglect in Georgia in 2007.
Over 8,500 abused and neglected children are in state custody at any one time because their homes aren't safe.
The most recent research suggests that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
Dougherty CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children) is working to ensure that children who suffer this evil have a voice. The Lily Pad Center is working to ensure that people who care surround these children of the living God.
Right now many dozens of children are under the care of Dougherty CASA. They need school supplies. Children in one family need two size 6 uniforms and one size 8 uniforms for girls. This Sunday at our 11am service and our 5:30pm 5th Sundays Together First Presbyterian Church will be collecting school supplies that go to the children Dougherty CASA is caring for. We do not need bags, but everything else. Please help, it is the work of Jesus, it is the work of the kingdom. In fact these children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. If you do not live close to help, find out who supports children in your hometown. The need is everywhere.
With belief that hope and joy is on the horizon,
Garrett
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” (NRSV)
Is there any child Jesus was not talking about? Where are there children in need right now? What can Jesus do for them? What can you do as a member of the body of Christ? What will you do?
I have no story to share this week. Instead these are statistics about what is happening to children right now.
In Dougherty County in 2010 138 children suffered from neglect, 90 suffered physical abuse, 17 were abused sexually, and that is only what was reported! It is estimated that more than 80% of cases go unreported.
In an average year in Georgia 60 children will die from neglect, that is more than 1 a week.
Every day in Georgia over 40 children are victims of confirmed abuse or neglect.
34,540 children were substantiated victims of child abuse or neglect in Georgia in 2007.
Over 8,500 abused and neglected children are in state custody at any one time because their homes aren't safe.
The most recent research suggests that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
Dougherty CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children) is working to ensure that children who suffer this evil have a voice. The Lily Pad Center is working to ensure that people who care surround these children of the living God.
Right now many dozens of children are under the care of Dougherty CASA. They need school supplies. Children in one family need two size 6 uniforms and one size 8 uniforms for girls. This Sunday at our 11am service and our 5:30pm 5th Sundays Together First Presbyterian Church will be collecting school supplies that go to the children Dougherty CASA is caring for. We do not need bags, but everything else. Please help, it is the work of Jesus, it is the work of the kingdom. In fact these children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. If you do not live close to help, find out who supports children in your hometown. The need is everywhere.
With belief that hope and joy is on the horizon,
Garrett
Monday, July 18, 2011
Having Some Hope
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. – Romans 12:12
How’s your hope? Are you patient when the bad times come up? How do you cope? What does it mean to persevere in prayer? How’s your prayer life?
The following is by William M. Buchholz, M.D. and was e-mailed to me.
As I ate breakfast one morning, I overheard two oncologists conversing. One complained bitterly, "You know, Bob, I just don't understand it. We used the same drugs, the same dosage, the same schedule and the same entry criteria. Yet I got a 22 percent response rate and you got a 74 percent. That's unheard of for metastatic cancer. How do you do it?"
His colleague replied, "We're both using Etoposide, Platinum, Oncovin and Hydroxyurea. You call yours EPOH. I tell my patients I'm giving them HOPE. As dismal as the statistics are, I emphasize that we have a chance."
In the movie “Dumb and Dumber” Lloyd asks Mary what his chances are of being able to date her. She says, “Not good.” When he asks if they are about one in a hundred not good she replies, “More like one in a million.” After pausing for a second Lloyd says, “So you’re telling me there is a chance… YEAH!” Some might say he was being optimistic but what he was really being was hopeful. Hopeful that however small the light there is, that there is a light. Paul believed there is always a light, even when it appears nearly extinguished. In that light he always had hope. It is what allowed him while locked in a prison to sing hymns and to pray. May we hold onto that same hope! With it we can do so much more.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How’s your hope? Are you patient when the bad times come up? How do you cope? What does it mean to persevere in prayer? How’s your prayer life?
The following is by William M. Buchholz, M.D. and was e-mailed to me.
As I ate breakfast one morning, I overheard two oncologists conversing. One complained bitterly, "You know, Bob, I just don't understand it. We used the same drugs, the same dosage, the same schedule and the same entry criteria. Yet I got a 22 percent response rate and you got a 74 percent. That's unheard of for metastatic cancer. How do you do it?"
His colleague replied, "We're both using Etoposide, Platinum, Oncovin and Hydroxyurea. You call yours EPOH. I tell my patients I'm giving them HOPE. As dismal as the statistics are, I emphasize that we have a chance."
In the movie “Dumb and Dumber” Lloyd asks Mary what his chances are of being able to date her. She says, “Not good.” When he asks if they are about one in a hundred not good she replies, “More like one in a million.” After pausing for a second Lloyd says, “So you’re telling me there is a chance… YEAH!” Some might say he was being optimistic but what he was really being was hopeful. Hopeful that however small the light there is, that there is a light. Paul believed there is always a light, even when it appears nearly extinguished. In that light he always had hope. It is what allowed him while locked in a prison to sing hymns and to pray. May we hold onto that same hope! With it we can do so much more.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Clean Windows
Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn't so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you've done. – Romans 2:1-2 (The Message)
Go ahead and look up some other translation, what does this mean for you? What might Paul be calling you towards? How do you judge others? Do you know you are judging?
This story was e-mailed to me:
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
I once read, “It is a vital moment of truth when a man discovers that what he condemns most vehemently in others is that to which he himself is prone.” Maybe we aren’t always judging in others the faults that we ourselves have (although we often do), but we use others as a way of making sure we never have to look in the mirror and do some self-assessment. It is easier to point the finger than it is take time working on ourselves, but quite honestly, if we don’t start at home we won’t be able to help anyone else either.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Go ahead and look up some other translation, what does this mean for you? What might Paul be calling you towards? How do you judge others? Do you know you are judging?
This story was e-mailed to me:
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
I once read, “It is a vital moment of truth when a man discovers that what he condemns most vehemently in others is that to which he himself is prone.” Maybe we aren’t always judging in others the faults that we ourselves have (although we often do), but we use others as a way of making sure we never have to look in the mirror and do some self-assessment. It is easier to point the finger than it is take time working on ourselves, but quite honestly, if we don’t start at home we won’t be able to help anyone else either.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Minister's Minute from July Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
I am going to use this space for a couple of things this month. For those of you who look forward to whatever I normally write I apologize but I have to make sure you know some things.
I would love to see you at our 5th Sundays Together on July 31st! If there is one thing the South does better than other places without a doubt it is a potluck… or covered dish… or whatever term you think is best. Before we eat we will have a little time of worship and prayer and song. It is our little way of acting like that first church in the book of Acts, and it is a great way to get to know each other. I’m going to be exhausted from a lack of sleep, and changing diapers, and God knows what else, and can’t wait to see you all that night and just feel at home. Come be at home with me, Jesus is our host.
Also I hope you get a friend to bring to church on our Bring a Friend to Church Sunday on August 7th! I know it is only July but start inviting people now. Get it on their calendar! I’m writing this after our service on June 26th, and it was incredible. Someone came up to me afterwards and said, “I wish I invited my friend to come to this service, he needed it.” Too often we open up the doors of the church and just wait for people to come in. While we wait others are waiting for an invitation. The purpose of having a day for such is to make sure that we give that invitation. There will be giveaways and celebration and maybe someone’s life will change through the power of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.
At some point during this month I will be holding a newborn, a little girl. Perhaps she will be crying, or then again maybe she will be silent, or maybe even asleep. However she is, she will be my daughter, my little one, and I shall rejoice. I think one of the reasons I want to see you all at our church is so that I do not rejoice alone. You see you have all become family to me. I thank my God that I have been able to come to this foreign land and discover family. I thank my God that I have been blessed with children and yet they will not live as aliens, for they have brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord who make sure they have all the family they need.
I think another reason I want to make sure this church is full is because I know there are others who feel all alone in our community. They need some kind of family, some kind of connection… they need us. And quite honestly we need them.
Life is better together, because there is much that we cannot do alone. We try to do a lot of things alone, but that is a mistake. Pain is easier to handle when there are others to hold us up, and joy is better when there are others to share it with. So yes I can’t wait to share my joy with you on our 5th Sunday Together, and I can’t wait to see others who may need this family on that first Sunday in August. Together we will ride the wave of the Holy Spirit into a brighter tomorrow.
Riding that wave now,
Garrett
I would love to see you at our 5th Sundays Together on July 31st! If there is one thing the South does better than other places without a doubt it is a potluck… or covered dish… or whatever term you think is best. Before we eat we will have a little time of worship and prayer and song. It is our little way of acting like that first church in the book of Acts, and it is a great way to get to know each other. I’m going to be exhausted from a lack of sleep, and changing diapers, and God knows what else, and can’t wait to see you all that night and just feel at home. Come be at home with me, Jesus is our host.
Also I hope you get a friend to bring to church on our Bring a Friend to Church Sunday on August 7th! I know it is only July but start inviting people now. Get it on their calendar! I’m writing this after our service on June 26th, and it was incredible. Someone came up to me afterwards and said, “I wish I invited my friend to come to this service, he needed it.” Too often we open up the doors of the church and just wait for people to come in. While we wait others are waiting for an invitation. The purpose of having a day for such is to make sure that we give that invitation. There will be giveaways and celebration and maybe someone’s life will change through the power of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.
At some point during this month I will be holding a newborn, a little girl. Perhaps she will be crying, or then again maybe she will be silent, or maybe even asleep. However she is, she will be my daughter, my little one, and I shall rejoice. I think one of the reasons I want to see you all at our church is so that I do not rejoice alone. You see you have all become family to me. I thank my God that I have been able to come to this foreign land and discover family. I thank my God that I have been blessed with children and yet they will not live as aliens, for they have brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord who make sure they have all the family they need.
I think another reason I want to make sure this church is full is because I know there are others who feel all alone in our community. They need some kind of family, some kind of connection… they need us. And quite honestly we need them.
Life is better together, because there is much that we cannot do alone. We try to do a lot of things alone, but that is a mistake. Pain is easier to handle when there are others to hold us up, and joy is better when there are others to share it with. So yes I can’t wait to share my joy with you on our 5th Sunday Together, and I can’t wait to see others who may need this family on that first Sunday in August. Together we will ride the wave of the Holy Spirit into a brighter tomorrow.
Riding that wave now,
Garrett
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Audacity of Faith
Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you see me. Those who believe without seeing me will be truly blessed." – John 20:29 (NCV)
What do you believe? What is it like to believe in a God you cannot see? Do you wish you could see some proof? What proof would be good enough? How would that change your belief?
This comes from the book, “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
On this day, Morrie says that he has an exercise for us to try. We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment.
Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl whom I notice almost always wears bulky, white fisherman sweaters, crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool..
For a moment, I am sure she is going to thump on the floor. At the last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulders and yanks her up harshly.
“Whoa!” several students yell. Some clap. Morrie finally smiles. “You see”, he says to the girl, “you closed your eyes, that was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too – even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling”.
Belief and trust go hand in hand. Abraham took God on a promise, and trusted that promise even when all evidence pointed to the contrary. It is true that sometimes faith seems utterly ridiculous, especially when we are looking for something to give us some certainty in the face of uncertain times. Yet all we have is a promise. When life feels like we are falling it is still best to close our eyes and trust in the Promise Maker. Should we do such audacious and ludicrous thing, somehow we will be truly blessed.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What do you believe? What is it like to believe in a God you cannot see? Do you wish you could see some proof? What proof would be good enough? How would that change your belief?
This comes from the book, “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
On this day, Morrie says that he has an exercise for us to try. We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment.
Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl whom I notice almost always wears bulky, white fisherman sweaters, crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool..
For a moment, I am sure she is going to thump on the floor. At the last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulders and yanks her up harshly.
“Whoa!” several students yell. Some clap. Morrie finally smiles. “You see”, he says to the girl, “you closed your eyes, that was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too – even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling”.
Belief and trust go hand in hand. Abraham took God on a promise, and trusted that promise even when all evidence pointed to the contrary. It is true that sometimes faith seems utterly ridiculous, especially when we are looking for something to give us some certainty in the face of uncertain times. Yet all we have is a promise. When life feels like we are falling it is still best to close our eyes and trust in the Promise Maker. Should we do such audacious and ludicrous thing, somehow we will be truly blessed.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Eyes On The Prize
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. – Romans 8:5 (NRSV)
What does it mean to set your mind on things of the Spirit? What about setting your mind on things of the flesh? Does it have anything to do with doing good? Does it have anything to do with living well?
The following story was e-mailed to me:
An ancient Indian sage was teaching his disciples the art of archery. He put a wooden bird as the target and asked them to aim at the eye of the bird. The first disciple was asked to describe what he saw. He said, “I see the trees, the branches, the leaves, the sky, the bird and its eye.”
The sage asked this disciple to wait. Then he asked the second disciple the same question and he replied, “I only see the eye of the bird.” The sage said, “Very good, then shoot.” The arrow went straight and hit the eye of the bird.
Unless we focus, we cannot achieve our goal. It is hard to focus and concentrate, but it is a skill that can be learned.
Our goal is to focus on God so we can live according to the Spirit! In life there is so much that goes on that demands our attention, and often God is rarely focused on. So how do we do it? Some say the best way is to give thanks for every little thing that we can think of. That’s probably a good way to start. As we give thanks our attention is always turned again to God. “God thanks for this running water I use to brush my teeth.” “God thank you that I can taste the sweetness of that fruit.” “God thank you for…” There are millions of reasons to give thanks each day. When we do we begin to look at God, until one day, God is all we see.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does it mean to set your mind on things of the Spirit? What about setting your mind on things of the flesh? Does it have anything to do with doing good? Does it have anything to do with living well?
The following story was e-mailed to me:
An ancient Indian sage was teaching his disciples the art of archery. He put a wooden bird as the target and asked them to aim at the eye of the bird. The first disciple was asked to describe what he saw. He said, “I see the trees, the branches, the leaves, the sky, the bird and its eye.”
The sage asked this disciple to wait. Then he asked the second disciple the same question and he replied, “I only see the eye of the bird.” The sage said, “Very good, then shoot.” The arrow went straight and hit the eye of the bird.
Unless we focus, we cannot achieve our goal. It is hard to focus and concentrate, but it is a skill that can be learned.
Our goal is to focus on God so we can live according to the Spirit! In life there is so much that goes on that demands our attention, and often God is rarely focused on. So how do we do it? Some say the best way is to give thanks for every little thing that we can think of. That’s probably a good way to start. As we give thanks our attention is always turned again to God. “God thanks for this running water I use to brush my teeth.” “God thank you that I can taste the sweetness of that fruit.” “God thank you for…” There are millions of reasons to give thanks each day. When we do we begin to look at God, until one day, God is all we see.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Words Aptly Spoken
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. – Proverbs 25:11 (NIV)
What are good words you have told someone else? Who has cheered you up with an encouraging word? While I am not sure what an apple of gold in a setting of silver is, I know it is precious; what about a kind word is precious?
There is a story about George Washington when he took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge. Upon his arrival he looked over a group of soldiers that looked to have no hope at all to most who would have seen them.
Some had uniforms and some did not. Some had guns and others only had sticks or not even that.
Apparently the regiment from Connecticut looked particularly bad. They were just a few poorly armed and poorly dressed men who did not even stand at attention.
Most of that regiment’s soldiers appeared to be discouraged. Many were hungry and had gone without a meal for days. They were a sorry lot.
As the regiment was drawn up for Washington to look at them, the general stood erect and, looking at them as if they were the finest regiment in the world, he said, “Gentlemen, I have great confidence in the men of Connecticut.”
One of the soldiers wrote home to his family and said, “When I heard Washington say that, I clasped my musket to my breast and said to myself, ‘Let them come on.’”
When Jesus was following Jairus to heal the latter’s little daughter word arrived that the little girl had died. “Don’t trouble the master any further,” someone told Jairus. Then Jesus grabbed the stricken father’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes, “Have no fear, only believe!” What hope, what joy! There are plenty who need to hear good words, and let us thank God that we can share them.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What are good words you have told someone else? Who has cheered you up with an encouraging word? While I am not sure what an apple of gold in a setting of silver is, I know it is precious; what about a kind word is precious?
There is a story about George Washington when he took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge. Upon his arrival he looked over a group of soldiers that looked to have no hope at all to most who would have seen them.
Some had uniforms and some did not. Some had guns and others only had sticks or not even that.
Apparently the regiment from Connecticut looked particularly bad. They were just a few poorly armed and poorly dressed men who did not even stand at attention.
Most of that regiment’s soldiers appeared to be discouraged. Many were hungry and had gone without a meal for days. They were a sorry lot.
As the regiment was drawn up for Washington to look at them, the general stood erect and, looking at them as if they were the finest regiment in the world, he said, “Gentlemen, I have great confidence in the men of Connecticut.”
One of the soldiers wrote home to his family and said, “When I heard Washington say that, I clasped my musket to my breast and said to myself, ‘Let them come on.’”
When Jesus was following Jairus to heal the latter’s little daughter word arrived that the little girl had died. “Don’t trouble the master any further,” someone told Jairus. Then Jesus grabbed the stricken father’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes, “Have no fear, only believe!” What hope, what joy! There are plenty who need to hear good words, and let us thank God that we can share them.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
A Blessed Life
Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do. I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer. If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.” – John 13:12-17 (The Message)
What does this say about Jesus? Have you washed anyone’s feet? What are other ways of serving others? Is Jesus concerned with the people around us? If so what does that say about how we are living?
I once heard a story about an astronomer who lived in an ancient time. He used to go out at night and observe the stars. One evening, as he wandered through the suburbs with his whole attention fixed on the sky, he accidently fell into a deep well. He whined and cried about his sores and bruises while yelling out for help. A neighbor ran to the well, and upon learning what had happened said, “Hey fellow, why in striving to pry into what is in heaven, do not you manage to see what is on earth?”
Jesus never lost sight of what was on earth! What a shame it is that we so often do. Often time it is good to remember the way Jesus lived. When he said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” perhaps he didn’t mean it in a way we could stare into the heavens and wait for a life after death. Maybe he actually meant that the way he walked, the truth he spoke, and they life he lived were for us too, here on earth where our feet walk. “What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious.” “If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it – and live a blessed life.” A blessed life, that sounds good.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this say about Jesus? Have you washed anyone’s feet? What are other ways of serving others? Is Jesus concerned with the people around us? If so what does that say about how we are living?
I once heard a story about an astronomer who lived in an ancient time. He used to go out at night and observe the stars. One evening, as he wandered through the suburbs with his whole attention fixed on the sky, he accidently fell into a deep well. He whined and cried about his sores and bruises while yelling out for help. A neighbor ran to the well, and upon learning what had happened said, “Hey fellow, why in striving to pry into what is in heaven, do not you manage to see what is on earth?”
Jesus never lost sight of what was on earth! What a shame it is that we so often do. Often time it is good to remember the way Jesus lived. When he said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” perhaps he didn’t mean it in a way we could stare into the heavens and wait for a life after death. Maybe he actually meant that the way he walked, the truth he spoke, and they life he lived were for us too, here on earth where our feet walk. “What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious.” “If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it – and live a blessed life.” A blessed life, that sounds good.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Minister's Minute from June Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
Every now and then I think about what it was like being a child. Maybe I do that more than I use to. The consequences of watching a child, my child, grow up in front of me. I watch him play, and run, and use his imagination to make worlds where before there were none. As I watch him memories fill my mind. These memories have faded and yellowed as if they were photographs of a long ago time, but they are mine, and they are of me as I once was.
I watch my boy play. He runs in the grass with his eyes closed and his head lifted toward the sun. Running without any care for what is in front of him. A gentle smile accompanies what to me is an angelic glow.
He goes into his bed proclaiming to all who will listen that it is not a bed, but a “choo choo train.” Guests come into the house and they have to go see his train. I don’t quite understand how he came to believe it is a train, because I can’t see it. Maybe I’m too old, too set in my ways, or whatever else.
But again my memories remind me that once I could create worlds out of nothing. Universes that existed only in my mind, or maybe in my soul, or some other place within us that we do not know. I remember couches that became submarines and exploring the ocean floor. The memories are a little dated, but if I sit with them for a moment I can still recall seeing the most incredible animals from those couches.
I recall being a bit older, at that age when we begin to tell children that their imaginations cannot run wild. “There is a real world out there, and you can’t be lost in your day-dreams.” I remember running through a field in the playground at my elementary school. I ran alone, but in my mind I was running with a full army into some battle of huge proportions. Some older kid laughed at me. Like any child I tried to stop pretending, because no one wants to be ridiculed. After trying for a while eventually I succeeded. I stifled my imagination, if not all the way, at least enough of the way to keep the laughter at bay.
Then soon we are all in the real world, whatever that is, and we accept it. This is what is and it must be. Yet there is my son and he reminds me that there is more, he can see and I cannot.
I recall working in the hospital and meeting an older man. “His mind isn’t all there,” I was told. He enjoyed having conversations, but since his mind wasn’t all there they were interesting. He lived in a place outside the real world, but still within it. Once I walked in to say hello and his head was facing the window. The sun’s light was streaming in. His eyes were closed and there was a certain smile on his face I couldn’t understand. In hindsight it seems similar to my son’s smile as he runs across the grass with his eyes closed and facing the sun.
I said hello and he opened his eyes. While I do not recall the details of our conversation, most of it dealt with things that may not have been real, but were nevertheless real to him. He spoke of dreams, and more than once mentioned sailing across the world.
Once long ago the prophet Joel wrote, “Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.” While that means something particular in its context, as I think of my son and that older gentleman I cannot help wondering if those who are neither old nor young are left out of dreams and visions because for us the world is only real. We do not see choo choo trains where there are none, nor dream of sailing around the world when we know we won’t.
Neither do we dare to look at all that is wrong and evil and believe that there is something more to be had. The world is what it is, but it seems the young and old know better. They know there are always reasons to look toward the sun with eyes closed and smile. They know this because if a better world can still exist in our dreams and visions, by God’s grace maybe one day they exist for real too.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
I watch my boy play. He runs in the grass with his eyes closed and his head lifted toward the sun. Running without any care for what is in front of him. A gentle smile accompanies what to me is an angelic glow.
He goes into his bed proclaiming to all who will listen that it is not a bed, but a “choo choo train.” Guests come into the house and they have to go see his train. I don’t quite understand how he came to believe it is a train, because I can’t see it. Maybe I’m too old, too set in my ways, or whatever else.
But again my memories remind me that once I could create worlds out of nothing. Universes that existed only in my mind, or maybe in my soul, or some other place within us that we do not know. I remember couches that became submarines and exploring the ocean floor. The memories are a little dated, but if I sit with them for a moment I can still recall seeing the most incredible animals from those couches.
I recall being a bit older, at that age when we begin to tell children that their imaginations cannot run wild. “There is a real world out there, and you can’t be lost in your day-dreams.” I remember running through a field in the playground at my elementary school. I ran alone, but in my mind I was running with a full army into some battle of huge proportions. Some older kid laughed at me. Like any child I tried to stop pretending, because no one wants to be ridiculed. After trying for a while eventually I succeeded. I stifled my imagination, if not all the way, at least enough of the way to keep the laughter at bay.
Then soon we are all in the real world, whatever that is, and we accept it. This is what is and it must be. Yet there is my son and he reminds me that there is more, he can see and I cannot.
I recall working in the hospital and meeting an older man. “His mind isn’t all there,” I was told. He enjoyed having conversations, but since his mind wasn’t all there they were interesting. He lived in a place outside the real world, but still within it. Once I walked in to say hello and his head was facing the window. The sun’s light was streaming in. His eyes were closed and there was a certain smile on his face I couldn’t understand. In hindsight it seems similar to my son’s smile as he runs across the grass with his eyes closed and facing the sun.
I said hello and he opened his eyes. While I do not recall the details of our conversation, most of it dealt with things that may not have been real, but were nevertheless real to him. He spoke of dreams, and more than once mentioned sailing across the world.
Once long ago the prophet Joel wrote, “Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.” While that means something particular in its context, as I think of my son and that older gentleman I cannot help wondering if those who are neither old nor young are left out of dreams and visions because for us the world is only real. We do not see choo choo trains where there are none, nor dream of sailing around the world when we know we won’t.
Neither do we dare to look at all that is wrong and evil and believe that there is something more to be had. The world is what it is, but it seems the young and old know better. They know there are always reasons to look toward the sun with eyes closed and smile. They know this because if a better world can still exist in our dreams and visions, by God’s grace maybe one day they exist for real too.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Builders or Destroyers
What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. – 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NRSV)
Paul is talking about worship here, but might he be talking about life too? What do you have to offer? How can you make a difference? Who has built you up? Who have you built up? What should be done then, my friends?
This was sent to me via e-mail:
I watched them tearing a building down, a gang of men in a busy town. With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell, they swung a beam and a sidewall fell. I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled, as the men you’d hire if you had to build?” He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed! Just common labor is all I need. I can easily wreck in a day or two what builders have taken a year to do.” And I thought to myself as I went my way, which of these two roles have I tried to play? Am I a builder who works with care, Measuring life by the rule and square? Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan, patiently doing the best I can? Or am I a wrecker who walks the town, Content with the labor of tearing down?
It is a question each one of us should ask; are we builders or destroyers? When we tear others down that is easy and quick. Recent studies say that children need to hear ten positive things about themselves to combat the negative psychological effects of every one bad thing they hear. We know this is true. A compliment runs off our backs like water, and a hurtful remark will stick with us for a long time. Therefore we must be in the business of building others up. It is what scripture commands us to do, and God knows it is what the world needs. It might take work, and we might have to put a fight, but it is the good fight!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Paul is talking about worship here, but might he be talking about life too? What do you have to offer? How can you make a difference? Who has built you up? Who have you built up? What should be done then, my friends?
This was sent to me via e-mail:
I watched them tearing a building down, a gang of men in a busy town. With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell, they swung a beam and a sidewall fell. I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled, as the men you’d hire if you had to build?” He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed! Just common labor is all I need. I can easily wreck in a day or two what builders have taken a year to do.” And I thought to myself as I went my way, which of these two roles have I tried to play? Am I a builder who works with care, Measuring life by the rule and square? Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan, patiently doing the best I can? Or am I a wrecker who walks the town, Content with the labor of tearing down?
It is a question each one of us should ask; are we builders or destroyers? When we tear others down that is easy and quick. Recent studies say that children need to hear ten positive things about themselves to combat the negative psychological effects of every one bad thing they hear. We know this is true. A compliment runs off our backs like water, and a hurtful remark will stick with us for a long time. Therefore we must be in the business of building others up. It is what scripture commands us to do, and God knows it is what the world needs. It might take work, and we might have to put a fight, but it is the good fight!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, May 16, 2011
The One Who Won't Give Up
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” – Luke 15:31-32 (NIV)
What is the father doing now in this parable? Is it strange that Jesus ends the story without resolution? What does it mean that it is not finished? What does it mean for the older brother?
I was reading “Who Can Be Saved?” by Will Willimon, and he shared a story that went something like this:
They hadn’t seen their son in four months. They hadn’t even heard from him. Not a call, not a letter, not an email, nothing.
Then one night as they are eating dinner, he busts right through the front door of the house and comes right up to them. Cursing at them, demanding money, refusing to sit down and eat dinner with them, cursing at them some more, and finally going down the hall and slamming the door shut to his room.
Her husband gets up from the table and pours himself a drink and sits down on the couch looking pathetic.
She gets up and goes to the bedroom her son is in. “Son, come on out let’s talk about things.” More cursing greets her pleads for him to talk. She tries to open the door but he has locked it.
She goes into the garage and finds a hammer. Going back into the house she approaches the locked door. With hammer in hand she lifts her arm back and throws the hammer down upon the doorknob. It comes off with pieces of the door and she pushes it open.
There her son sits looking stunned. He is about to open his mouth again when she goes up to him and grabs his face and says, “Enough of this! I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I’m not giving up on you damn it! We’re going to talk whether you want to or not.”
In the parable the younger son’s return is being celebrated, and the older one decides he is done with it all. Notice the father. He goes outside to plead with his older son. The father never gives up on either of his children. Like that mother who would break down a door to talk to her hate-filled son, God follows us and pleads with us. The parable ends with the father and the older son outside. I wish I knew what happened next. Perhaps it doesn’t end because what happens next is up to us. Will we talk to the God who follows us? Will we go into parties that others don’t deserve? Will we? What I do know however is that God won’t stop reaching out.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What is the father doing now in this parable? Is it strange that Jesus ends the story without resolution? What does it mean that it is not finished? What does it mean for the older brother?
I was reading “Who Can Be Saved?” by Will Willimon, and he shared a story that went something like this:
They hadn’t seen their son in four months. They hadn’t even heard from him. Not a call, not a letter, not an email, nothing.
Then one night as they are eating dinner, he busts right through the front door of the house and comes right up to them. Cursing at them, demanding money, refusing to sit down and eat dinner with them, cursing at them some more, and finally going down the hall and slamming the door shut to his room.
Her husband gets up from the table and pours himself a drink and sits down on the couch looking pathetic.
She gets up and goes to the bedroom her son is in. “Son, come on out let’s talk about things.” More cursing greets her pleads for him to talk. She tries to open the door but he has locked it.
She goes into the garage and finds a hammer. Going back into the house she approaches the locked door. With hammer in hand she lifts her arm back and throws the hammer down upon the doorknob. It comes off with pieces of the door and she pushes it open.
There her son sits looking stunned. He is about to open his mouth again when she goes up to him and grabs his face and says, “Enough of this! I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I’m not giving up on you damn it! We’re going to talk whether you want to or not.”
In the parable the younger son’s return is being celebrated, and the older one decides he is done with it all. Notice the father. He goes outside to plead with his older son. The father never gives up on either of his children. Like that mother who would break down a door to talk to her hate-filled son, God follows us and pleads with us. The parable ends with the father and the older son outside. I wish I knew what happened next. Perhaps it doesn’t end because what happens next is up to us. Will we talk to the God who follows us? Will we go into parties that others don’t deserve? Will we? What I do know however is that God won’t stop reaching out.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, May 6, 2011
A Big Celebration
"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God." – Luke 15:8-10 (The Message)
Do you think God looks for you this way? Has God thrown a party for you yet? How hard is God looking for that person you think is no good? What does that mean about how you should treat that person?
A couple of days ago I was vacationing. It is always nice to vacation, but the last morning we were there suddenly I couldn’t find the key to the place we were staying, so I started looking.
Now perhaps you have also lost a key. You know that when it is found in the first five minutes you don’t think much about it. If you look for ten minutes before you find it, then you start to get a little excited about it. If you spend twenty minutes looking, by the time you find it perhaps you even shout out and have to tell someone.
I looked everywhere for this key. I went through every drawer, every piece of luggage, under beds, between cushions, under rugs, I moved the fridge, looked through bushes of every place I had walked the night before. It was nowhere! After two hours I was about to give up, but I couldn’t, I had to find it, so I pressed on. Finally I found it! And you what? I called people to tell them, I shouted out, I was ridiculously full of joy. I had no idea finding a key could give me so much joy.
How much more joy is in heaven when finally someone turns to God, when God finally finds someone who was lost? I can’t imagine. I was ready to have a party for a key. That person that bothers me, that rubs me the wrong way, that I can’t stand being around, that person is someone God would throw one epic party for, so maybe we should join God in the search. Or at the very least, enjoy the party.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Do you think God looks for you this way? Has God thrown a party for you yet? How hard is God looking for that person you think is no good? What does that mean about how you should treat that person?
A couple of days ago I was vacationing. It is always nice to vacation, but the last morning we were there suddenly I couldn’t find the key to the place we were staying, so I started looking.
Now perhaps you have also lost a key. You know that when it is found in the first five minutes you don’t think much about it. If you look for ten minutes before you find it, then you start to get a little excited about it. If you spend twenty minutes looking, by the time you find it perhaps you even shout out and have to tell someone.
I looked everywhere for this key. I went through every drawer, every piece of luggage, under beds, between cushions, under rugs, I moved the fridge, looked through bushes of every place I had walked the night before. It was nowhere! After two hours I was about to give up, but I couldn’t, I had to find it, so I pressed on. Finally I found it! And you what? I called people to tell them, I shouted out, I was ridiculously full of joy. I had no idea finding a key could give me so much joy.
How much more joy is in heaven when finally someone turns to God, when God finally finds someone who was lost? I can’t imagine. I was ready to have a party for a key. That person that bothers me, that rubs me the wrong way, that I can’t stand being around, that person is someone God would throw one epic party for, so maybe we should join God in the search. Or at the very least, enjoy the party.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sharing Burdens
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. – Galatians 6:1-3 (The Message)
What does it mean to you to “live creatively”? How much work do you need on forgiving others? What does it mean to share another’s burden? Why does sharing burdens complete Christ’s law?
This is an old fable:
A man set fort on a journey, driving before him an ass and a mule, both well laden. The ass, as long as he traveled along the plain carried his load with ease, but when he began to ascend the steep path of the mountain, felt his load to be more than he could bear. He entreated his companion to relieve him of a small portion, that he might carry home the rest; but the mule paid no attention to the request.
The ass shortly afterwards fell down dead under his burden. Not knowing what else to do in so wild a region, the man placed upon the mule the load carried by the ass in addition to his own, and at the top of all placed the hide of the ass, after he had skinned him. The mule, groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself, “I am treated according to my deserts. If I had only been willing to assist the ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing together with his burden, himself as well.”
Like any old fables there is a moral to the story, but perhaps Paul said it best. “Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.” Sometimes we think we have so much to do ourselves, we fail to recognize that there are others who are in much more need. Somehow we are all in this together so we need to help each other. Maybe that is why Jesus ended up on the cross, to show us that God is in this together, with us no matter what. Pray that we complete Christ’s law.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does it mean to you to “live creatively”? How much work do you need on forgiving others? What does it mean to share another’s burden? Why does sharing burdens complete Christ’s law?
This is an old fable:
A man set fort on a journey, driving before him an ass and a mule, both well laden. The ass, as long as he traveled along the plain carried his load with ease, but when he began to ascend the steep path of the mountain, felt his load to be more than he could bear. He entreated his companion to relieve him of a small portion, that he might carry home the rest; but the mule paid no attention to the request.
The ass shortly afterwards fell down dead under his burden. Not knowing what else to do in so wild a region, the man placed upon the mule the load carried by the ass in addition to his own, and at the top of all placed the hide of the ass, after he had skinned him. The mule, groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself, “I am treated according to my deserts. If I had only been willing to assist the ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing together with his burden, himself as well.”
Like any old fables there is a moral to the story, but perhaps Paul said it best. “Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.” Sometimes we think we have so much to do ourselves, we fail to recognize that there are others who are in much more need. Somehow we are all in this together so we need to help each other. Maybe that is why Jesus ended up on the cross, to show us that God is in this together, with us no matter what. Pray that we complete Christ’s law.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Laws of Life
The following was written by a teenager from First Pres Bainbridge and needs to be shared.
Laws of Life
by Holly Barber, 12th grade BHS winner
Character Trait: Thankfulness
“Have a Blessed Day!”
The words “thank you” are words we hear and say every day. We say them when a gentleman holds the door open, or when we receive presents on our birthday. These acts are often unappreciated; saying thank you is just one of the routine mannerisms that parents teach their children. Last February, I had the pleasure of meeting several children and adults who truly knew the meaning of the words “thank you.”
One cold Saturday last February, my church’s youth group crawled out of our warm beds early in the morning, piled in the church van, and drove to a Presbyterian church in Albany, Georgia where we were able to experience volunteering in a soup kitchen. Members of the community gathered and showed us the basics for preparing the meals. After hours of hard work over stoves and ovens, we finally put together over one hundred Styrofoam boxes filled with barbeque sandwiches, spoonsful of baked beans, cups of coleslaw, and peanut butter cookies. Our youth group carried the boxes to a table set up outside the church. There were already dozens of people: men, women, and children, waiting in line for a hot meal. For some, this would be their only true meal for the day. After serving person after person, we started complaining. “I’m cold,” “my feet are tired,” and “I burnt my hand,” were phrases that were often heard. But toward the end of the line, there was one man who changed our outlook on the situation.
Most of the people receiving the plates looked the same. They looked dirty. The women were wearing grungy, ripped clothing. The children all had the look of hunger on their faces. The men had long, matted beards. But while they all looked basically the same, this man had a feature that the others did not. He had a huge smile on his face. Not only did he smile, but when he was given his plate of food, I could tell that he wasn’t just going through the motions of saying thank you; he truly meant what he said. When I handed him his plate he set it down and grabbed my hand for a moment. He smiled and said, “Thank you so much. Have a blessed day!” I could see that this man was genuinely grateful for his meal and the hands that prepared it.
Seeing how little this man had made me wonder why he was so thankful. He had no home and no job. Why was he telling ME to have a blessed day? But when I continued thinking about what he said, I knew the answer. He was alive and well, and that alone is enough to be grateful for. This man helped me to realize the important things in life, such as family and friends, caring for others, and appreciating what you’ve been given. I am grateful that this man came through the food line that day and shook my hand. He not only changed my attitude for feeding the homeless, but he also changed my outlook on life.
Laws of Life
by Holly Barber, 12th grade BHS winner
Character Trait: Thankfulness
“Have a Blessed Day!”
The words “thank you” are words we hear and say every day. We say them when a gentleman holds the door open, or when we receive presents on our birthday. These acts are often unappreciated; saying thank you is just one of the routine mannerisms that parents teach their children. Last February, I had the pleasure of meeting several children and adults who truly knew the meaning of the words “thank you.”
One cold Saturday last February, my church’s youth group crawled out of our warm beds early in the morning, piled in the church van, and drove to a Presbyterian church in Albany, Georgia where we were able to experience volunteering in a soup kitchen. Members of the community gathered and showed us the basics for preparing the meals. After hours of hard work over stoves and ovens, we finally put together over one hundred Styrofoam boxes filled with barbeque sandwiches, spoonsful of baked beans, cups of coleslaw, and peanut butter cookies. Our youth group carried the boxes to a table set up outside the church. There were already dozens of people: men, women, and children, waiting in line for a hot meal. For some, this would be their only true meal for the day. After serving person after person, we started complaining. “I’m cold,” “my feet are tired,” and “I burnt my hand,” were phrases that were often heard. But toward the end of the line, there was one man who changed our outlook on the situation.
Most of the people receiving the plates looked the same. They looked dirty. The women were wearing grungy, ripped clothing. The children all had the look of hunger on their faces. The men had long, matted beards. But while they all looked basically the same, this man had a feature that the others did not. He had a huge smile on his face. Not only did he smile, but when he was given his plate of food, I could tell that he wasn’t just going through the motions of saying thank you; he truly meant what he said. When I handed him his plate he set it down and grabbed my hand for a moment. He smiled and said, “Thank you so much. Have a blessed day!” I could see that this man was genuinely grateful for his meal and the hands that prepared it.
Seeing how little this man had made me wonder why he was so thankful. He had no home and no job. Why was he telling ME to have a blessed day? But when I continued thinking about what he said, I knew the answer. He was alive and well, and that alone is enough to be grateful for. This man helped me to realize the important things in life, such as family and friends, caring for others, and appreciating what you’ve been given. I am grateful that this man came through the food line that day and shook my hand. He not only changed my attitude for feeding the homeless, but he also changed my outlook on life.
Laws of Life
The following was written by a teenager from First Pres Bainbridge and needs to be shared.
Laws of Life
by Holly Barber, 12th grade BHS winner
Character Trait: Thankfulness
“Have a Blessed Day!”
The words “thank you” are words we hear and say every day. We say them when a gentleman holds the door open, or when we receive presents on our birthday. These acts are often unappreciated; saying thank you is just one of the routine mannerisms that parents teach their children. Last February, I had the pleasure of meeting several children and adults who truly knew the meaning of the words “thank you.”
One cold Saturday last February, my church’s youth group crawled out of our warm beds early in the morning, piled in the church van, and drove to a Presbyterian church in Albany, Georgia where we were able to experience volunteering in a soup kitchen. Members of the community gathered and showed us the basics for preparing the meals. After hours of hard work over stoves and ovens, we finally put together over one hundred Styrofoam boxes filled with barbeque sandwiches, spoonsful of baked beans, cups of coleslaw, and peanut butter cookies. Our youth group carried the boxes to a table set up outside the church. There were already dozens of people: men, women, and children, waiting in line for a hot meal. For some, this would be their only true meal for the day. After serving person after person, we started complaining. “I’m cold,” “my feet are tired,” and “I burnt my hand,” were phrases that were often heard. But toward the end of the line, there was one man who changed our outlook on the situation.
Most of the people receiving the plates looked the same. They looked dirty. The women were wearing grungy, ripped clothing. The children all had the look of hunger on their faces. The men had long, matted beards. But while they all looked basically the same, this man had a feature that the others did not. He had a huge smile on his face. Not only did he smile, but when he was given his plate of food, I could tell that he wasn’t just going through the motions of saying thank you; he truly meant what he said. When I handed him his plate he set it down and grabbed my hand for a moment. He smiled and said, “Thank you so much. Have a blessed day!” I could see that this man was genuinely grateful for his meal and the hands that prepared it.
Seeing how little this man had made me wonder why he was so thankful. He had no home and no job. Why was he telling ME to have a blessed day? But when I continued thinking about what he said, I knew the answer. He was alive and well, and that alone is enough to be grateful for. This man helped me to realize the important things in life, such as family and friends, caring for others, and appreciating what you’ve been given. I am grateful that this man came through the food line that day and shook my hand. He not only changed my attitude for feeding the homeless, but he also changed my outlook on life.
Laws of Life
by Holly Barber, 12th grade BHS winner
Character Trait: Thankfulness
“Have a Blessed Day!”
The words “thank you” are words we hear and say every day. We say them when a gentleman holds the door open, or when we receive presents on our birthday. These acts are often unappreciated; saying thank you is just one of the routine mannerisms that parents teach their children. Last February, I had the pleasure of meeting several children and adults who truly knew the meaning of the words “thank you.”
One cold Saturday last February, my church’s youth group crawled out of our warm beds early in the morning, piled in the church van, and drove to a Presbyterian church in Albany, Georgia where we were able to experience volunteering in a soup kitchen. Members of the community gathered and showed us the basics for preparing the meals. After hours of hard work over stoves and ovens, we finally put together over one hundred Styrofoam boxes filled with barbeque sandwiches, spoonsful of baked beans, cups of coleslaw, and peanut butter cookies. Our youth group carried the boxes to a table set up outside the church. There were already dozens of people: men, women, and children, waiting in line for a hot meal. For some, this would be their only true meal for the day. After serving person after person, we started complaining. “I’m cold,” “my feet are tired,” and “I burnt my hand,” were phrases that were often heard. But toward the end of the line, there was one man who changed our outlook on the situation.
Most of the people receiving the plates looked the same. They looked dirty. The women were wearing grungy, ripped clothing. The children all had the look of hunger on their faces. The men had long, matted beards. But while they all looked basically the same, this man had a feature that the others did not. He had a huge smile on his face. Not only did he smile, but when he was given his plate of food, I could tell that he wasn’t just going through the motions of saying thank you; he truly meant what he said. When I handed him his plate he set it down and grabbed my hand for a moment. He smiled and said, “Thank you so much. Have a blessed day!” I could see that this man was genuinely grateful for his meal and the hands that prepared it.
Seeing how little this man had made me wonder why he was so thankful. He had no home and no job. Why was he telling ME to have a blessed day? But when I continued thinking about what he said, I knew the answer. He was alive and well, and that alone is enough to be grateful for. This man helped me to realize the important things in life, such as family and friends, caring for others, and appreciating what you’ve been given. I am grateful that this man came through the food line that day and shook my hand. He not only changed my attitude for feeding the homeless, but he also changed my outlook on life.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Because He Lives
“Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” – John 14:19 (NIV)
What does it mean to you that because Jesus lives you also will live? What kind of freedom does that offer you? How do you live in that freedom?
I’ve heard the following story about Frank Luke Jr. and it is often called, “The Day the Lilies Bloomed”
Frank Luke Jr. was an American fighter pilot in World War I and is considered one of the heroes of the Great War. He was twenty when he joined the army air corps and was accepted into flight training. After his training he was commissioned and given a brief leave before going off to war.
While at home he was going to leave with some friends one afternoon when his mother, Tillie, stopped him and asked, “Frank, I was hoping you would plant some lily bulbs for me. Would you mind doing that before you left?”
Frank did as his mother asked, and then went off with his friends. A couple of days later he went to join the war in France.
Quickly Frank became one of the stars of American fighter pilots. Between September 12 and September 29 Frank was credited with shooting down 18 German balloons and planes.
Back home in Phoenix, on September 29, Tillie stepped outside to discover that the lilies Frank planted were in full bloom. Lilies typically bloom much earlier in the year so this was strange. They had been planted in the shape of a cross, like one of the side of a fighter plane. Frank loved airplanes and was a devout Catholic. When his mother saw this she was nervous that something was wrong.
Two months later word reached America that Frank had been shot down and killed. He died on September 29, 1918, at the age of twenty-one, the day the lilies bloomed.
It makes sense that Frank’s mother was nervous. The bonds of love often will let us know that something is wrong with our beloved, even if oceans and continents separate us. However, the symbolism cannot be ignored. The Easter lilies stood bloomed in the shape of a cross. Paul remembering the prophet Hosea once wrote, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” And we recall that Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.” This Easter will be a day the lilies bloom. Go somewhere, anywhere and celebrate the victory of our Christ!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does it mean to you that because Jesus lives you also will live? What kind of freedom does that offer you? How do you live in that freedom?
I’ve heard the following story about Frank Luke Jr. and it is often called, “The Day the Lilies Bloomed”
Frank Luke Jr. was an American fighter pilot in World War I and is considered one of the heroes of the Great War. He was twenty when he joined the army air corps and was accepted into flight training. After his training he was commissioned and given a brief leave before going off to war.
While at home he was going to leave with some friends one afternoon when his mother, Tillie, stopped him and asked, “Frank, I was hoping you would plant some lily bulbs for me. Would you mind doing that before you left?”
Frank did as his mother asked, and then went off with his friends. A couple of days later he went to join the war in France.
Quickly Frank became one of the stars of American fighter pilots. Between September 12 and September 29 Frank was credited with shooting down 18 German balloons and planes.
Back home in Phoenix, on September 29, Tillie stepped outside to discover that the lilies Frank planted were in full bloom. Lilies typically bloom much earlier in the year so this was strange. They had been planted in the shape of a cross, like one of the side of a fighter plane. Frank loved airplanes and was a devout Catholic. When his mother saw this she was nervous that something was wrong.
Two months later word reached America that Frank had been shot down and killed. He died on September 29, 1918, at the age of twenty-one, the day the lilies bloomed.
It makes sense that Frank’s mother was nervous. The bonds of love often will let us know that something is wrong with our beloved, even if oceans and continents separate us. However, the symbolism cannot be ignored. The Easter lilies stood bloomed in the shape of a cross. Paul remembering the prophet Hosea once wrote, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” And we recall that Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.” This Easter will be a day the lilies bloom. Go somewhere, anywhere and celebrate the victory of our Christ!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Minister's Minute from the April's Journal of Hope and Joy
There is little doubt, that in the history of our grand religion, no holy day is as important as Easter. The day of resurrection that occurred on the first day of the week nearly 2000 years ago. So important was this event to our understanding that we refer to Sunday as, “The Lord’s Day.” Every Sunday contains some element of joy and beauty that sits apart in our conscious because of what happened one morning long ago.
The very notion that God defeated death still boggles the mind. Those who consider themselves to have evolved beyond such childish beliefs suggest that we hold onto superstitions and magic if we continue to believe such things. Yet I would let them know that our beliefs begin at a more ridiculous place. While Easter may be the most important of our holy days, Easter can only be because of Good Friday. The two belong together and cannot be separated. One does not exist without the other. Therefore at this time of year, we remember that we hold onto the notion of which Paul made clear so long ago, “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:22-23).
The basis and foundation of our faith is utterly ridiculous, it is still a stumbling block and it is still foolish! We preach that a man with a small following was crucified by the Roman Empire, abandoned by his own followers, and mocked by his religious leaders. We preach that in that act of dying he somehow saved us from that which separated us from God. Then when Sunday rolled around, a stone had rolled away from a tomb, and that man, who died utterly alone, was vindicated by the One he called “Father.” “He became obedient unto death… Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him” (Phil 2:8,9).
O yes, it is still foolishness to say aloud. I invite all those who wish to mock me to do so. Call me a fool if you will, but know that it is a title I relish! For I am a fool for Christ who is a fool for me! There is nothing I’d rather be called than a fool by one who thinks I’m foolish, for my faith does not stand on what I see, or what I know. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). And this is the gospel of which I am not ashamed to be a fool.
It was with this faith that I ventured into the foreign lands of the Deep South believing that I would encounter other such fools, and that together we would be foolish enough to believe that a God who raises the dead could raise our little church from the dead! On my fourth celebration of our greatest holiday in this place we still rise up. Death is far behind us, but God is not done giving us life! In the first three months of this year twenty people have joined our church. Twenty others have declared themselves fools for the Christ who is a fool for them.
Together now we declare to a city and a place that wonders what hope there is, that the God who raises the dead is working in Albany. I was told that our church had no chance. I was told that if we wanted any chance at all we’d have to leave the downtown. I was told that the only way to grow a church was to abandon our liturgy and music. I was told that I was a fool for leaving California to come to a place so saturated in death. And I stood firm in my Easter foolishness, because it is:
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
The very notion that God defeated death still boggles the mind. Those who consider themselves to have evolved beyond such childish beliefs suggest that we hold onto superstitions and magic if we continue to believe such things. Yet I would let them know that our beliefs begin at a more ridiculous place. While Easter may be the most important of our holy days, Easter can only be because of Good Friday. The two belong together and cannot be separated. One does not exist without the other. Therefore at this time of year, we remember that we hold onto the notion of which Paul made clear so long ago, “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:22-23).
The basis and foundation of our faith is utterly ridiculous, it is still a stumbling block and it is still foolish! We preach that a man with a small following was crucified by the Roman Empire, abandoned by his own followers, and mocked by his religious leaders. We preach that in that act of dying he somehow saved us from that which separated us from God. Then when Sunday rolled around, a stone had rolled away from a tomb, and that man, who died utterly alone, was vindicated by the One he called “Father.” “He became obedient unto death… Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him” (Phil 2:8,9).
O yes, it is still foolishness to say aloud. I invite all those who wish to mock me to do so. Call me a fool if you will, but know that it is a title I relish! For I am a fool for Christ who is a fool for me! There is nothing I’d rather be called than a fool by one who thinks I’m foolish, for my faith does not stand on what I see, or what I know. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). And this is the gospel of which I am not ashamed to be a fool.
It was with this faith that I ventured into the foreign lands of the Deep South believing that I would encounter other such fools, and that together we would be foolish enough to believe that a God who raises the dead could raise our little church from the dead! On my fourth celebration of our greatest holiday in this place we still rise up. Death is far behind us, but God is not done giving us life! In the first three months of this year twenty people have joined our church. Twenty others have declared themselves fools for the Christ who is a fool for them.
Together now we declare to a city and a place that wonders what hope there is, that the God who raises the dead is working in Albany. I was told that our church had no chance. I was told that if we wanted any chance at all we’d have to leave the downtown. I was told that the only way to grow a church was to abandon our liturgy and music. I was told that I was a fool for leaving California to come to a place so saturated in death. And I stood firm in my Easter foolishness, because it is:
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Friday, March 25, 2011
Jesus Saves
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. – John 3:17 (KJV)
What does this verse say about God? What does this verse say about us? What does this free you to do? So what will you do?
The following was written by Kallistos Ware, a Greek Orthodox bishop:
God does not condemn us to Hell; God wishes all humans to be saved. He will love us to all eternity, but there will exist the possibility that we do not accept the love and do not respond to it. And the refusal to accept love, the refusal to respond to it, that precisely is the meaning of Hell. Hell is not a place where God puts us; it’s a place where we put ourselves. The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
There is nothing that can keep God from trying to us, because that is the very nature of God. After all God is love! There is one thing that can keep us from being saved, ourselves. It is possible to turn God down even when confronted with the depths of that grace and love face to face. When Warren Sallman painted Christ Knocking On Heart’s Door, someone informed him he made a mistake upon its completion. “What is that?” the artist asked. “There is no door handle on it.” “Oh that is no mistake, that door can only be opened from the inside.” And so God knocks on, and will never stop. Love doesn’t stop; love tries to save even as we lock ourselves up tight in hell. O, let us rejoice in the goodness of God’s steadfast love, and fling open those doors.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this verse say about God? What does this verse say about us? What does this free you to do? So what will you do?
The following was written by Kallistos Ware, a Greek Orthodox bishop:
God does not condemn us to Hell; God wishes all humans to be saved. He will love us to all eternity, but there will exist the possibility that we do not accept the love and do not respond to it. And the refusal to accept love, the refusal to respond to it, that precisely is the meaning of Hell. Hell is not a place where God puts us; it’s a place where we put ourselves. The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
There is nothing that can keep God from trying to us, because that is the very nature of God. After all God is love! There is one thing that can keep us from being saved, ourselves. It is possible to turn God down even when confronted with the depths of that grace and love face to face. When Warren Sallman painted Christ Knocking On Heart’s Door, someone informed him he made a mistake upon its completion. “What is that?” the artist asked. “There is no door handle on it.” “Oh that is no mistake, that door can only be opened from the inside.” And so God knocks on, and will never stop. Love doesn’t stop; love tries to save even as we lock ourselves up tight in hell. O, let us rejoice in the goodness of God’s steadfast love, and fling open those doors.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Need of Unity
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! – Psalm 133:1 (NKJV)
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Interests of Others
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:4 (NRSV)
What are your interests? What are the interests of others? How do you look to the interests of others? What does that encompass?
Let me brag on my church for a moment, because in doing so I brag on God. First Presbyterian Church of Albany, Georgia has a Community Resource Ministry that meets with homeless and needy people in order to help them reach a place of self-sufficiency, providing them proper resources for things such as education, job opportunities, housing, and more. This amazing ministry began because some people saw that others needed help.
We started off two days a month meeting with people for two hours a day. Now through the grace of God (and to God be the glory) it is going on two times a week, soon to be three times a week! Because of those dedicated folk who look to the interests of others, lives are changing through the power of gospel of Jesus the Christ.
A couple of months ago I sat down at a restaurant bar. As often happens I struck up a conversation with people next to me. Inevitably I was asked what I do. I told them. One of them said, “Oh I don’t go to church.”
“Why not,” I asked.
“Because, you guys don’t care about what I care about.” He then told me how he is into the arts. He likes painting and music and pottery, and the church, as far as he can tell, has no place for his interests. The sad part was, he isn’t wrong. “If there was a church that had people painting and sharing their joys and talents, and praising that way, I’d go. But you all aren’t like that.”
What are the interests of others? Have we been looking too much toward our own interests at the expense of those who need a church to call home? In the heart of God there is a place for everyone. “Interest” is a broad term. While no one church can meet the interests of all, God knows there are so many churches because Jesus interacts with everyone differently. Yet inevitably Jesus interacts with us in order that we interact with others as disciples. How will we do that?
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What are your interests? What are the interests of others? How do you look to the interests of others? What does that encompass?
Let me brag on my church for a moment, because in doing so I brag on God. First Presbyterian Church of Albany, Georgia has a Community Resource Ministry that meets with homeless and needy people in order to help them reach a place of self-sufficiency, providing them proper resources for things such as education, job opportunities, housing, and more. This amazing ministry began because some people saw that others needed help.
We started off two days a month meeting with people for two hours a day. Now through the grace of God (and to God be the glory) it is going on two times a week, soon to be three times a week! Because of those dedicated folk who look to the interests of others, lives are changing through the power of gospel of Jesus the Christ.
A couple of months ago I sat down at a restaurant bar. As often happens I struck up a conversation with people next to me. Inevitably I was asked what I do. I told them. One of them said, “Oh I don’t go to church.”
“Why not,” I asked.
“Because, you guys don’t care about what I care about.” He then told me how he is into the arts. He likes painting and music and pottery, and the church, as far as he can tell, has no place for his interests. The sad part was, he isn’t wrong. “If there was a church that had people painting and sharing their joys and talents, and praising that way, I’d go. But you all aren’t like that.”
What are the interests of others? Have we been looking too much toward our own interests at the expense of those who need a church to call home? In the heart of God there is a place for everyone. “Interest” is a broad term. While no one church can meet the interests of all, God knows there are so many churches because Jesus interacts with everyone differently. Yet inevitably Jesus interacts with us in order that we interact with others as disciples. How will we do that?
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Minister's Minute from March Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
Someone asked me what I thought about miracles a couple of months back. “What
do you mean?” I asked to try to figure out what the person was actually asking.
“Well did any of those things actually happen, and if so what do you think people
were like when they did?”
We have a tendency these days of writing off miracles. “Oh that just couldn’t
happen.” Sometimes when reading the Bible and the miracle seems particularly
outlandish we get embarrassed. There are some things I like to pass right over, I
don’t even want to try to explain it. Maybe we are that way because we are trying
to figure out why miracles do not occur any more. In a world as filled with pain and
suffering as ours it is not hard to assume the miraculous is nonexistent and never
was.
Or maybe we think ourselves too modern for miracles. Those were things for our
crazy ancestors and we are not so crazy anymore.
I saw the most amazing picture recently. It was a photo in some book of photos Life
Magazine put out for its 60th Anniversary. Many of the photos were stunning, but
this one was the best, at least to me.
A boy, anywhere from 6 to 9, I can’t ever tell, has a hand to his right ear and what
appears to be an earphone in the left ear. He is the object of the photo even if he
is not in the center. His face is contorted into an image that seems to be equally
shock and splendor, if such a look exists. He sits at a little table in what appears to
be some type of laboratory. There are some colored buttons within his reach on the
table.
On the other side of the table is a woman in a white blouse. The photo cuts her off a
bit, but what I could see of her she seemed to embody pure joy. Her hands are lifted
high like she is in some charismatic church where they do such things. Her head is
thrown back and she seems to be laughing, and I mean hysterically laughing. The
laugh is a hearty one. It looks like the type of laugh that if I heard as I walked by
would cause me to stop so I could see what could be so good.
Then I read the caption.
“Deaf Boy Hears for the First Time”
Glorious indeed. It seems that miracles still happen, or if I am inclined to think that
miracles never happened I guess they do now. Apparently they are cause for great
joy and celebration. And even if we could explain them and take all mystery out of
what happened, I don’t think that keeps such things from being miraculous for a boy
who hears for the first time and a woman who watches it happen.
I wish I had that picture when asked about miracles by a genuinely interested
person. That person wanted to know about miracles because to some degree we
all want to know about them. We all want to know if they happened or better yet if
they happen still. I could have taken it and showed it off.
I hope that those miracles in the Bible actually happened. Maybe that is why they
were written down in the first place. Someone thought they were too good to keep
to themselves.
As for what people are like when a miracle happens around them I think that boy’s
face and woman’s reaction says it best, some grand combination of shock and
splendor that is a cause for great joy and celebration. I hope we each recognize a
miracle for what it is and celebrate because of it.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
do you mean?” I asked to try to figure out what the person was actually asking.
“Well did any of those things actually happen, and if so what do you think people
were like when they did?”
We have a tendency these days of writing off miracles. “Oh that just couldn’t
happen.” Sometimes when reading the Bible and the miracle seems particularly
outlandish we get embarrassed. There are some things I like to pass right over, I
don’t even want to try to explain it. Maybe we are that way because we are trying
to figure out why miracles do not occur any more. In a world as filled with pain and
suffering as ours it is not hard to assume the miraculous is nonexistent and never
was.
Or maybe we think ourselves too modern for miracles. Those were things for our
crazy ancestors and we are not so crazy anymore.
I saw the most amazing picture recently. It was a photo in some book of photos Life
Magazine put out for its 60th Anniversary. Many of the photos were stunning, but
this one was the best, at least to me.
A boy, anywhere from 6 to 9, I can’t ever tell, has a hand to his right ear and what
appears to be an earphone in the left ear. He is the object of the photo even if he
is not in the center. His face is contorted into an image that seems to be equally
shock and splendor, if such a look exists. He sits at a little table in what appears to
be some type of laboratory. There are some colored buttons within his reach on the
table.
On the other side of the table is a woman in a white blouse. The photo cuts her off a
bit, but what I could see of her she seemed to embody pure joy. Her hands are lifted
high like she is in some charismatic church where they do such things. Her head is
thrown back and she seems to be laughing, and I mean hysterically laughing. The
laugh is a hearty one. It looks like the type of laugh that if I heard as I walked by
would cause me to stop so I could see what could be so good.
Then I read the caption.
“Deaf Boy Hears for the First Time”
Glorious indeed. It seems that miracles still happen, or if I am inclined to think that
miracles never happened I guess they do now. Apparently they are cause for great
joy and celebration. And even if we could explain them and take all mystery out of
what happened, I don’t think that keeps such things from being miraculous for a boy
who hears for the first time and a woman who watches it happen.
I wish I had that picture when asked about miracles by a genuinely interested
person. That person wanted to know about miracles because to some degree we
all want to know about them. We all want to know if they happened or better yet if
they happen still. I could have taken it and showed it off.
I hope that those miracles in the Bible actually happened. Maybe that is why they
were written down in the first place. Someone thought they were too good to keep
to themselves.
As for what people are like when a miracle happens around them I think that boy’s
face and woman’s reaction says it best, some grand combination of shock and
splendor that is a cause for great joy and celebration. I hope we each recognize a
miracle for what it is and celebrate because of it.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Friday, March 4, 2011
Strong and Courageous
“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NRSV)
These words are God’s to Joshua. Do you think that commandment was only for Joshua, or could it be for you? Are you strong and courageous? Is the Lord your God with you wherever you go? Can such faith keep you from being dismayed or discouraged?
The following story is called “Satan’s Garage Sale” and was sent to me:
Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping-stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.
The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well-worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."
Maybe God was telling Joshua not to be dismayed, frightened, or discouraged because those are the things that will most quickly bring anyone down. Joshua had a lot on his shoulders, leading the people after Moses, and God knows we have a lot to deal with too. Doubt and discouragement always creep in when things get hard. “Can I do this?” “How much more can I take?” Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I think sometimes we all feel that way. Still God says, “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.” Sometimes we need to hear it again.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
These words are God’s to Joshua. Do you think that commandment was only for Joshua, or could it be for you? Are you strong and courageous? Is the Lord your God with you wherever you go? Can such faith keep you from being dismayed or discouraged?
The following story is called “Satan’s Garage Sale” and was sent to me:
Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping-stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.
The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well-worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."
Maybe God was telling Joshua not to be dismayed, frightened, or discouraged because those are the things that will most quickly bring anyone down. Joshua had a lot on his shoulders, leading the people after Moses, and God knows we have a lot to deal with too. Doubt and discouragement always creep in when things get hard. “Can I do this?” “How much more can I take?” Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I think sometimes we all feel that way. Still God says, “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.” Sometimes we need to hear it again.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)