Musical Musings

How do you feel about Christmas music? Are you tired of it yet or does it still help to set a mood for what you are doing at this time of year? We have a wonderful variety of songs to enjoy in virtually any style. Silly songs, kid's music, hymns and carols, and it seems that every musical group wants to do some kind of holiday recording. Do you ever think about what you are hearing?

The thought struck me as I was sitting in the Little Theater on the Square in Sullivan enjoying the production of "The Magic of Christmas" with one of the church's adult Sunday school classes. How is it that people can go around singing hymns (carols) and not pick up on the meaning? Somehow with all of the richness of God's love and the story of His coming to live among us that is expressed in those songs, we manage to gloss right over it and live as if materialism and cuteness are the true meaning of Christmas.

I managed to do it for many years. Some of them even being after I had decided to follow Christ. I guess we're just too familiar with them. We've lost the wonder and awe that is wrapped up in having "He who always is" demonstrate His love to us by living with us and dying for us. Paying a price that we could not. How can we overlook the lengths that God will go to love people as unlovely as we are (I may be speaking for myself, but I doubt it)?

It amazes me, but I shouldn't be surprised, that we can voice the words and not feel them in our hearts; articulate them and not consider them in our minds. Lord help us all!

If you think of it over the few upcoming days before Christmas, please pray that God would use the music of the season to make someone aware of what they are missing out on by not enjoying His love. Society provides us with many ways to talk about God with others. Give thanks.

Big or Small?

"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me." - Luke 9:23 NLT

How are you doing on fulfilling this? I find it to be tough stuff. I want to be a follower of Jesus. The best I can be with what God has given me and within what He is calling me to be, but I forget too easily. I readily fall back into myself and old habits. Hopefully you are faring better.

Sacrificial living is supposed to be an everyday thing. A sign that the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived and is present in our lives and the lives of people around us. It means giving up living simply for our own interests. Time to start putting others before us. Typically when I think of living sacrificially, I imagine doing big things all at once - large checks for the poor, cutting out superflous spending, giving up television to read more, giving up recreational reading for spiritual pursuits, and focusing more time on God. Then I find that reality and life intrude upon my "idyllic" picture of the "sacrificial" kind of life.

Steve Sjogren of the Vineyard Church in Cincinnati, OH has a saying, "small things done with great love will change the world." I hope I got that right, if not, it's close enough. When I keep looking at doing big things, I lose track of all the small things I could be doing. Holding doors, greeting people with a smile, doing things around the house when they need to be done (not just when I want to do them), honoring my wife and children, taking a relatively short time each day to connect with God, and simply being present in the current moment instead of always looking toward something in the future. There are many more small things that could be added to the list, but you get the idea. In baseball, frequently it's the team that does the "little things" that wins. Maybe a life full of little kindnesses adds up to more than a life with just one or two great sacrifices.

Jesus says to take up our cross daily and follow Him. So often we think that if we do it once, that's enough. It's an everyday, part of your regular life sort of thing. So is doing the small stuff. Maybe there's still hope for improving my Jesus-kind of habits and letting go of the old me-kind of ones.

Just thinking...

What's on Your Spool?

I just headed down to the church bathroom and guess what I found... A roll of the thin papery toilet tissue on the roller. Not my beloved gentle, squeezebly soft type of toilet paper. Who switched the roll? Now I know that I have a lot of better things I could be doing other than ranting about how somebody bought "unfriendly" toilet paper, but I think that the toilet paper has something to say about us and how we view our world.

The paper I found today could be a stop gap measure. Filling in for our regular brand until a run can be made to the nearest superstore for a restocking. Maybe we're sacrificing our own comfort so that we have more to give someone else. Or, it could be more expensive, rather than my assumption (or fear) that it is cheap stuff purchased purely because something needs to be provided and we might as well save some dough. I am concerned about what it might say about our church, God's house, and the way people who place themselves under our care (by worshipping at this church) get treated.

What's on the roll in your house? The thin papery stuff that could hardly clean your glasses or something soft that will treat the most used part of your body with pampering goodness? Would you keep the "goodstuff" to yourself in the master bath and place a lesser type in the guest bathroom? I hope not. Even simple things, like our choice of toilet paper, are opportunities to show people that the Kingdom of God is already present and active among us. If we can't care enough to spend an extra dollar or two on quality paper goods, why should we contribute thousands to overseas missions? We have to practice being kind to others and practice humble hospitality with the people who are closest to us - our families, friends, and church bodies. If it can't be done for the ones who matter most in our everyday lives, what will happen on an extraordinary day of opportunity? We'll fail and we'll have to wait for God to grace us with another chance recognizing that the one just past will never come again.

Be mindful of the little things and what they say about your walk with Christ. Actions speak way louder than words. Our behavior drowns out many things we'd like to say. Just thinking...

Costa Rica - Day 3 June 22, 2005

Wednesday morning - probably the toughest day of the trip. We worked hard again. It's becoming the job that never ends. I'm amazed at how much the people around me can do - surrounded by "energizer bunnies" - they keep going and going and going! My body is becoming too sore for words - aches and pains from all of the activity and to top it all off, I haven't been drinking enough water. So I'm starting to feel sick too.

The day becomes a real opportunity to remind yourself why you're here. Not for a vacation. Not to do what you want to do. Just to offer your two hands to whatever work needs to be done. Not for personal gain or glory, but merely for Jesus and the Alejuelita church. At least there are friends here to share it with. By myself, I'd have probably quit long ago. I know that I've had jobs that weren't as tough, but that I'd quit long before I had this much time in them - working at the sawmill in Kentucky, getting a job at the Irish Lion in Indiana, and probably a couple of others.

After a lunch of chicken and rice with a potato and beet salad, while pouring all the liquids in me that I can handle, I'm still feeling more tired than I ever thought possible. We are making progress. At this point, the church yard is leveled out. The ladies had gotten all of the structural steel painted and had started picking up all of the rocks on the surface of the church yard - so that it would be just dirt. The men are starting to dig back toward the educational wing and around toward the kitchen to get that ground level with the church yard. Back near the building, the ground once dug, will be at least 18 inches below it's present level and stairs will be added for people to access the educational building easily.

The rainy season kicked in that afternoon. While providing a much needed break, we also found out that they would like us to provide some music for Sunday morning. Into the church we went to work out what songs we could sing and if we had anyone who could play some accompaniment. One guitarist and a pianist in the group helped immensely and we even talked Pastor Mario into playing the guitar for us as we sang "The Old Rugged Cross" in spanish. Now that took some practice! Steph Johanpeter was asked to speak on Sunday - don't have to be concerned about it anymore for myself - and she'll in all likelyhood be the first woman to speak in that role at the church. We're not just building a building, but we're also seeing walls get relaxed if not completely broken down.

A special excursion was planned for me by my hosts for the evening. We walked about a mile and a half to meet Mirania's parents and see their house. Her parents had hosted missionary workers from past trips and were excited to see me. The questions kept coming. Fortunately Mirania's brother and sister knew a little english, so that helped to keep us connected. It was a pleasant visit at a beautiful home.

A quick prayer to keep everyone safe and to restore our worn bodies and off to sleep. Ready for another day tomorrow.

Certain People...

Why is it that... when you screw up, it seems that you have a tendency to screw up for some people more than others? Has this happened to you? Life seems to be moving along and then you make a mistake. Something that hurts someone else in some way. It doesn't have to be big. It could be, but hopefully not. More often than not, I seem to keep disappointing the same people again and again.

Usually the person is someone I know. Not good enough to be friends, but more than just an acquaintance. They typically are not family - although sometimes family members on the "fringe" fall in this category. They are people who you have more contact with for whatever reason - member of a group you belong to, somebody from church, or a co-worker who you probably don't have daily contact with. Why are these people the ones?

Is it that we don't care? I hope not. Generally, I try to avoid repeating mistakes especially with the same person as the "victim". Obviously that doesn't always work out or I wouldn't be moved to write this right now. Do some people, who don't know us as well as some others, have higher expectations? Maybe. Are we just forgetful? Probably.

I didn't expect to arrive at an answer during this highlight. I just wanted to make a statement so that everyone who experiences this phenomena realizes that they're not alone. I too have a knack for messing up when certain people are available for me to mess up for.

Be encouraged. Stand strong. Keep trying even when you fall short!

To those people who I always seem to come up short for... I'm sorry. I'm still working on my follow through and interpersonal skills. I'll do better next time. I promise.

Costa Rica - Day 2 June 21, 2005

Didn't sleep well last night. Strange bed in a strange place and the unmentioned apprehension of disturbing the people I'm staying with. Must have woken up a hundred times. Finally fell into a deep sleep and the call, "Taxi!" startles me awake. It was only six am.

Frantically, I pull on work attire - t-shirt, jeans, and workboots. Grab my floppy hat, a bandanna, and backpack, then head out to hop in the Hyundai for the trip back to the church. Breakfast is continental - bread, butter, jam (pineapple and guava - two different choices), coffee, orange-carrot juice, warm milk, and hot water.

Pastor Mario and the skilled workers are running strings across the grounds, getting ready for our work - whatever it's going to be. We're speculating as to what the task can be. Something that will utilize of all of our "gringo" skills and will give us a chance to flex our North American muscle!

A couple of words to describe the church building as it is and the grounds. The lot is on a busy corner - many cars, trucks, buses, and people on foot passing by. A tall (6 feet on top of two feet of block wall) iron bar fence topped with razor wire surrounds the property. There are three gates to get in. One on the north for foot traffic to get into the existing church building and two on the east for vehicles. The earth is rocky dirt covered with crabgrass and slopes gently to the north. An older frame constructed building is in the northwest corner (this is where church is held) and a new concrete "educational wing" is in the southeast corner. The educational wing will have four class rooms (all one large open room where we store our stuff while working and where we eat at one long table right now), a storage room, the garage for the pastor's residence, and on the second floor (presently under construction) will be the parsonage (two bedrooms, kitchen, bath, and living area). The educational wing and present church building form an L covering the west and south sides of the property.


Breakfast is consumed, reflections shared and it's time to get to work. Structural steel needs to be cleaned and painted for work to continue on the pastor's residence. Tables are moved for the beams to rest on and the ladies (Veness Walters, Margie Gibbens, Emily Gradle, Stephanie Johanpeter, and Shirley Rodgers) get busy on that. The men (David Carpenter, Bud Gibbens, David Johanpeter, and myself) are taken into the open area and given shovels, pickaxes, and wheelbarrows. Pastor Mario explains that the land needs to be leveled out for the next stage of the project. The ropes are set to be a level guide and we have a board that will show us how deep we have to go to get the ground leveled out. Thankfully the north end of the lot is too low, so our dirt can go down there to fill and bring that area up. This task looks like it could take all week, especially with the area of concrete in the middle - 8-10 inches thick from mixing it for the educational wing. Within the day we have the concrete broken up, the dirt moved, and the lot (in that area) leveled. Never have I worked as hard (physically) as I did that day and on the whole trip. I would not have thought it possible to do all that we did. God certainly multiplies what you put toward His kingdom!

One of the things realized was that here we would have hired a back hoe, front end loader, or a bulldozer to do the work and get it done with a minimum of effort. In the US, the equipment is the least expensive cost and the labor - the most expensive. In Costa Rica, the opposite is true - labor cheapest, equipment most expensive. So while we could have pooled our money to get the equipment for a couple of days, it would have taken away from the other work that continued on the parsonage. Besides, what else were we going to do for a week? None of us were skilled laborers. We all are involved in "technical" work or mental labors - a former high school principal, an emergency room physician, a mechanical engineer, and a pastor. Maybe God wanted us to know that our hands could still get something done - inspite of ourselves.

The day went by slowly, but there were breaks scheduled for food and we took brief rest times whenever they were necessary. In the afternoon, it rained a bit and that was another welcome respite.

That evening I borrowed a Spanish-English dictionary from someone who had an extra one in our group and started trying to wear it out when I got back home with my hosts. A lukewarm shower did wonders for my disposition and my odor. Following that, I walked with Marco to a little convenience store in the neighborhood where he picked up a few things and I was quite an attraction for the locals - not to many gringos around that area!

I was in bed and asleep before nine that night to be ready for another day tomorrow starting at six am.

Costa Rica - June 20, 2005

As you read through these notes of my trip to Costa Rica, don't be afraid to ask questions. I'll answer any at the start of the next post.

Spent the previous night at the Days Inn - Airport in St. Louis, MO. Hard bed, loud air-conditioner, and almost no sleep. Had to get up at 4:30am to be at the airport early enough for a 7:25 flight to Charlotte, NC with a connection to San Jose, Costa Rica. The flight down was turbulent, but uneventful. The nine of us traveling occupying three rows of seats on the plane.

We arrived at Costa Rica around 2:00 in the afternoon. The Baptist Federation arranged for a small touring bus to pick us up and take us to the Federation offices. We used the trip to gawk at all of the new sights and sounds. Costa Rica is a very beautiful country. We were in the central valley which is the most densely populated part of Costa Rica and surrounded by mountains. The vegetation is lush and the temperatures are very moderate. It was cooler down there with less humidity than we were experiencing in Illinois. San Jose is about a mile high in altitude - like Denver, CO - which helps the heat tremendously. That day it did not rain - the first day in two weeks that they had not had some rain, but it was overcast.

After a couple of hours spent meeting the people at the office and learning about the situation in Alejuelita, we got back on the bus and traveled 45 minutes to the church grounds - to have dinner and meet our hosts. When we got there, we received a taste of what a welcome in Heaven is going to be like - we were hugged, squeezed, kissed, and embraced like long lost family members. By the time we left, I think we had become family members. Dinner was a great spaghetti meal with garlic bread and everything cooked and served up by the ladies called the "Five Stars" because the food they serve could be right from a five-star restaurant. After dinner, the "rooming" assignments were made. Six people stayed with Mario, the interim pastor at the church, and his family; two stayed with Pedro, another church leader, and his family; and I stayed by myself with Marco and Mirania, a couple my age without any children.

That first night was easily the toughest of the whole trip - I knew very little Spanish and they knew very little English. All that was left was to be patient and trust God that we would be able to communicate somehow. I also got my first taste of Costa Rican plumbing systems, but I'll save that explanation for the next time. In bed by eight after such a short night and long trip to be ready for breakfast at the church by 6:30am and work at 7:00am. A bit of reading, prayers, and lights out.

More tomorrow!

Back Again

Sorry. I know it's been a while since much has been put up on the blog, but I'm back and ready to be a bit more dedicated than I have been in recent months (promises, promises) - so we'll see what works out.

Some people have been requesting some notes and memories from my Costa Rican trip. I'll try to get that going and have some regular, semi-daily thoughts to share as well. Let's get re-started, okay?

Have you ever felt secure enough in a relationship to reveal things that you've been wrestling with? Maybe they are issues that God is dealing with in your life or other challenges you're facing. Within the church, there is a term that describes such a relationship - discipleship or discipling. Both require a large step of faith, a willingness to be transparent or open about your life, and a friend you can trust. None of this happens easily, but the rewards can be great - having someone who is willing to listen without having the need to "solve your problem", building a real live deep relationship with another person (we are sorely lacking in this area), and gaining the opportunity to grow personally and spiritually through the process.

Through much of our lives, we live in relational isolation from each other. Your problems and concerns are yours and mine are mine. We're tough and are completely indoctrinated in the American idea of individuality - so give me some space and time - I'll work things out on my own or die trying. We miss out on one of the great cravings of our souls. Close connection (I can't use "intimate" relationship anymore thanks to Victoria's Secret) with another being. This one person being a flesh and blood manifestation of the living God. I don't mean Jesus, although He would fit the bill, but a person who acts like Jesus, treating us as He would if He were here right now - with love, respect, and not judgment because of what we say or what we have done.

The close connection allows us to unload some of the weighty things we carry around - things we've done that we're not proud of, struggles we have with other people (sometimes who are very close to us), diffculties we're experiencing in our relationship with God, and just the daily grind of life - and letting the other person do the same. Not that it has to be deep and heavy all the time, but someone who we can share our joys and victories with as well. Someone who will walk with you through life for a time - taking part in whatever the journey brings your way.

I know that I could use some unconditional understanding, patience, and love. Particularly from someone who I can trust to not use it for their own gain or my humiliation.

Thanks God, for bringing a few people across my path whom I can trust in just such a manner. I wouldn't be the person I am without their influence and understanding. Thank you.

If you haven't connected with someone else on this level and if you think it would be a benefit to your life, ask God to provide a friend who is willing to share on that level. Then be watchful for who God brings and be open to taking a risk of being transparent in that relationship. It doesn't come easily, but it sure is worth it!

back burner

Doesn't seem like I get much put up here. At least not like I had imagined it a couple of months ago. Maybe my life doesn't fuel as much thinking as I thought. Well, anyway....

I'm working on Sunday's message and thinking about what it is that could be shared of benefit to both those who are about to graduate and those who may have done so many years ago. What are some of the things that I know now that I wished I knew then? Does it really matter? Everyone has to experience their own life. I guess it comes down to listening. If I share what I think God wants me to share, is anyone paying attention? Particularly those who are intended to receive the message. Wish I had the answer to that one. I know that I don't listen well enough when people who are closest to me offer well intentioned words of wisdom - just ask my wife. I don't even listen to myself part of the time.

This begs another question... If I don't listen to myself or the people I trust the most, how likely am I to listen to God? I can think of specific times that He told me particular things to do and I blew them off as being too weird, too crazy, or just beyond my comfort zone. Good thing God is patient and that He is willing to repeat Himself. But how much good could I have done for Him and subsequently the people around me if I had listened and followed through? I'll never know.

I'll just have to listen more. Follow through more. Do the things that should be done when they need doing more. Thanks for being patient, Lord.

Been a While

I know that it's been a while since I last posted. You know how it goes. You hope to get something done at a certain time and life intrudes and pushes it back a while. Easter events and last week conspired against me. Please accept my apology.

Wow, what a couple of weeks! God continues to surprise me, delight me, and work on me - all at the once. He provided a free meal at Outback Steakhouse for myself, my mom, and my stepdad while giving me the opportunity to speak to them about His unmerited favor and love - God is good. All the time! He has somehow allowed me to keep my head above water despite a schedule of hospital visits, bus runs, regular activity, and family time. He challenges me over my attitudes toward Him and others. Always trying to knock off a few of my sharp edges! Let's hope it works.

God has been really chewing on me to walk my talk. I have the awesome privilege to share His word every Sunday in a fantastic community of recovering sinners and broken people. Now you might think that a pastor just gets to say whatever he thinks God is telling him to share from the scripture for a given week and that it would have little impact on the pastor's actions because, theoretically at least, the pastor has mastered the art of Godliness or being like Jesus. Hah! I wish!

The truth is I'm not any closer to that than anyone else. Just one quick look at my life would tell you that. Now, don't worry. I'm not going to dump out all of my life's baggage in this post for all of us to sort through, but I do want you to know that I struggle with the same issues that everyone else does. If you don't struggle with this anymore, would you please lead a class or small group for those of us who do?

If only I could love my kid's friends as much as I do my kids, instead of snarling at the boy from across town who comes over to play with our oldest son while I'm in the process of building a trampoline. Everyone knows that not all help is welcome at all times, but I could have surely done a better job of expressing it rather than just chasing them away.

If only my check book more adequately expressed my devotion to the things of God rather than the things of John. Is it all really necessary? Apparently I think so.

If only I could devote myself more consistently to prayer. All those other things - cleaning off my desk, searching the internet for Karmann Ghia parts, checking to see what's happening with the Cubs, sleeping in, and working on whatever else seems important at the moment - surely can wait until I've placed myself before my God. Instead God is entirely too patient waiting for me.

Finally, if only a multitude of other things. Maybe it's like home projects. Finish working on the first one before you tackle the next.

Lord, be patient with me, but keep working on me. I want to be all that you have designed me to be.

All His blessings and love for today. Tomorrow will worry about itself!

Big Ten Tournament Lessons

Nothing like getting away for a few days packed with basketball and time with my dad. Congatulations to Illinois for having their off days be better than most others good days. Our teams didn't do very well (Hoosiers out after playing poorly against Minnesota and Northwestern winning against Michigan earning the right to play Illinois), but that allowed God to show me a thing or two about myself and how poorly I match up to Jesus' standard.

Now, I realize that all are crooked when compared to the straight rule (as in measuring stick) of Christ and that I am a work in progress - haven't arrived yet - which is just as well because if I had I'd be dead, but that didn't stop God from shining some light into the darkness that still resides within me.

First revelation - having an attitude about people purely based upon the color of their clothes and the team they support. I am not an Illinois, nor and Iowa fan. Never was, never will be. But that does not permit me to gripe inwardly when one sits next to me. I'm sure the same thing happens to you if you follow sports with much passion for any particular team. You've got your seats and if someone comes along supporting your team, you think super! someone I can chat with and we can have a good time because they have the same leanings that I do. How much does the situation change when a person sits down next to you wearing the colors of the team you're rooting against? Do you try to move over in your seat and think, "Oh great! I bet this guy (or gal) is going to be offensive, rude, and just going to put a damper on my day all together"? Especially if your teams chances are less than possible for victory?

How much does that spill over into our daily lives when we see people different than us and have to work with them or share close quarters with them? We just shut down toward that person. Even if God wanted to use us in their lives through a conversation or just treating them like we would want to be treated - welcomed with consideration and respect - no matter what their background or interests might be. I shudder to think of how many people I've done that to and how many wind up on the short end of the stick. I'd hate to think that anyone holds my differences against me, but I'm sure that some do - simply because I do. Lord, help me to change!

Revelation number two - being salt (adding flavor) to the world can be fun. Saturday night, I wanted to get an I-Pass (our evil state empire doubled the toll rates for everyone who doesn't have this latest bit of electronic wizardry) and a bit of Chinese food to eat. My brother and sister in law directed me to the local Jewel-Osco for the I-Pass. They thought that I would have to go to a different strip mall for the food. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that there was a Chinese carryout just down the row so at least I wouldn't have to drive all over to find one. I figured I would go in after taking care of my other business, so I moved the truck down the lot to be closer and noticed that the place was packed! When I went in, people were standing around the walls. I thought that it must be either really, really good or just the closest carryout to everybody's home.

As I waited I had the chance to talk with a few people. To a person, everyone said that they enjoyed the food, but for some reason they had been waiting an inordinately long time for their orders. Some people were getting close to an hour since they called in. Whoa! I started to think that maybe I had chosen the wrong place, but I had already paid - too late to change now.

Have you ever noticed that if someone is willing to let down their wall and enter into a conversation with someone else (especially if you're all strangers) that others will realize that "it's safe" and let down their walls a bit too? While we waited, we started having fun! It became the first ever meeting for the delayed diner support group. Normally grim, unhappy people started enjoying each others company! We laughed. We said silly things as if it were an actual meeting. We started scoping out the food that was getting placed into the bags, asking who ordered the large container of egg drop soup and two egg rolls or the fried rice that had just been cooked. One lady said, "That sounds like mine" and the excitement built. Sure enough she left with her order and a smile on her face even though she had been waiting more than an hour. I (I can't speak for the others) ended up having a great time just waiting for food. Enjoying the company of a group of people I don't know and probably will never see again. I even met a man who had gone to the U of I and knew exactly where Arthur was. Needless to say, he was quite excited about the prospects for the Illini in the NCAA's.

We never know when God wants to use us or for what purposes. It doesn't have to be something big. It might just be brightening someone's day for a few moments. But if we close ourselves off to others, we'll never have the opportunity. God's love is for everyone. Jesus didn't die just for me. Be His representative to the people around you and see how things change!

Jesus Among Other Gods - Ravi Zacharias

Just finished reading the book this past week. An excellent explanation of what makes Christianity unique when compared to other world views and major religions - Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Didn't explain as much about the other religions as I thought it would (it did explain some of the basics and included quite a bit about secularism and humanism), but definately helped me to understand more about Christianity from some different viewpoints. Ravi's writing can be a little deep at times. A friend who is an engineer (not the railroad kind), and has as good a vocabulary as anyone else I know, commented that he kept a pad of paper while he read to write down all of the words he needed to look up at the end of the chapter. Don't let that put you off, just think of it as an opportunity to expand your use of the language. There is a youth edition available also - it may be easier to read. If you want to understand more about the unique claims of Christ and improve upon your knowledge of what makes Christianity special (not all religions lead to God) this book is well worth your while.

Photo Feedback

Apparently my picture is doing it's job quite nicely. It's gotten a few people talking with comments ranging from - "it made me laugh" to "where did you find that? the nuthouse?" Well, before everyone starts to tell me that my current portrait is inappropriate for a pastor or that surely I could find something more respectable, ask yourself - why am I (are you) responding in that way?

The picture was intended to be fun and to signify that I don't take my self too seriously. Hopefully you were able to have a smile and chuckle to yourself. Don't worry if it offends you. It will change soon enough.

You see, all too often I do take myself and my position - as one responsible for facillitating people's connection with God - entirely too seriously. I want to think that everything depends on me and that if I don't do it - no one else will. Nothing could be further from the ultimate truth. Because this life, the church, and pastoring is not about me. It's about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and other people.

God is the one who is in control, not me. That should take some pressure off and allow for us to experience a little fun. Take our hands off the wheel and not be so serious all the time. Afterall, God does have a sense of humor. He created us didn't he? He was the one that came up with the avacado, the platypus, and the wonderful noise that those springy door stops make when you flick them with your foot (my oldest son who is 8 just discovered this and couldn't stop himself while on a recent tour of our new firehouse in Arthur). I think God looks at us scurrying around, being self important and has a laugh - just like we do with our own kids. How could He not?

Life is about Jesus because that's the way we should be living. God came and walked among us in the person of Jesus Christ demonstrating the best possible way to live. Now it's up to us to figure out how to imitate that the best we can in our own lives, while remembering the point above - God is the one who is responsible and in control.

Finally, life is about other people and what we can contribute to their lives. First off, we should be about giving others every opportunity to experience a loving God through us as His representatives here on earth. Demonstrating what a relationship with our Creator through Jesus can be like. The second thing is that we should love others as we love ourselves. I am working on understanding what that fully means and am realizing that I'm not even scratching the surface of it. Definately something to work on.

Sorry if my picture offended anyone. It was just an attempt at a little self humor. Be patient it will change.

Finally up and running

Well, the church website is finally up and running. Hopefully, you linked to this through it. If you found yourself here by another means, you can check it out at www.firstbaptistarthur.com.
I plan on getting a few more things figured out to add to this blog and the website this week, so keep an eye out for changes! The blog will eventually start taking shape as well with things I've been musing about, challenges God's been giving me, and just a deeper look at one person's walk with Christ (mine). Any input or responses you have, please share them with me. Two opinions can simulataneously exist and neither one of them has to be right.

- john

first post

Just trying to work through the headaches of figuring out how to work this into a webpage that is also in development. Keep checking back for more. I'm workin' on it!