Forever in BlueJeans

Why are we afraid?

2010-12-27T18:17:00.005-05:00

So if I told you that a young child was born in a local emergency shelter during the last snowstorm, would you have any trouble calling the child homeless?

If I told you that same child ran away from home as a young boy and spent three days or so without his parents knowing where he was, you wouldn't have any problem calling the child at least temporarily homeless, would you?

If that same child grew up and as an adult told people that he didn't have a place to call his own...again we would have no trouble calling him homeless would we?

Yet for some the thought of calling Jesus homeless really is troubling. Why?

Maybe it is because if we acknowledge Jesus was at the VERY least temporarily homeless than we need to reevaluate how we look at the problem of homelessness.

See if Jesus was homeless then how could we then simply turn on backs on the homeless people we see? How could we only worry about the problem of homelessness during times such as thanksgiving and Christmas?

Maybe for some the idea of a homeless savior seems a little "icky". I would think that is the same feelings that the early Jewish people felt when their warrior king turned into the suffering servant.

I obviously have been thinking about homelessness a lot lately and the more I think about it the more I wonder how Jesus feels as he is watching how we treat the homeless....

I wonder..

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)

I wonder...

Open up!

2010-12-07T12:26:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine wrote this...

You need to read it

JESUS WAS HOMELESSby Matthew Works(c.)1999
Jesus was homeless,and so were Peter and Paul.
How can the churches, then, lock their doors on the least among us all ? What you do to the least of His brothers-and-sisters you do to the Son of God;
and, should one of these least ones freeze to death,it's because your heart has grown hard.

If Store 24 can be open for twenty-four hours a day,then how can the Body of Christ on Earth turn any body away ?

In truth, there are no excusesfor the poor to be treated this way.
If only the churches would open their doors homelessness could be ended today.

God wants us to respond with compassion to the plight of the homeless and poor.
So, come on, all you bishops, and all of you priests,first your hearts, and,

then, open those doors !

This is where it all comes together

2010-10-29T11:12:00.002-04:00

I am in Border's this morning. I came to pick up a couple books I need for a sermon series I am preaching next year. After I got the books, I sat down with a cup of coffee and opened up my laptop.

I got a little work done and now am getting ready to read a little bit.

This is such a great feeling. The peace that I feel in this building is amazing to me today. I find myself in a place where I can read and not be distracted by the office phone or by something else on a never ending to do list.

Here I can enjoy my coffee and read whatever it is I may have to read and simply enjoy the written word. In many ways borders is acting in the same way the beach often does...a place of connection with God. A connection I so desperately need today.

Today as I open my book and read about The Good News about the end of Christian America I am at peace and pray for the Spirit to fill me and I pray that you also can feel that peace in your life.

Walking a Tight Rope

2010-10-24T07:32:00.002-04:00

As a pastor begins to prepare a sermon he/she may spend lots of time not only looking at and studying the scripture but also the congregation in which the message will be delivered, or at least I do.

I also spend a bit of time TRYING to ensure I am not using the pulpit as my own personal bully pulpit. I try to make sure that I find that place where God, Scripture, the people, and myself all meet.

But sometimes it is hard....often times one piece of this formula may be out of whack or may be flaring up....It could be an issue in the congregation or perhaps in my own life. the scripture for the week may be telling me something different than it was when I laid out the idea of the sermon months prior.

So at times I feel as if I am walking a tightrope...but I guess the question I am wrestling with today is that always the best thing to do.. Is there times when I need to get off that tightrope and deal with the repercussions of that if and when they happen.

I think the one constant that I need to keep looking for is God....If I see God leading me in the situation I need to follow whether it is a change of focus in the scripture or something in the congregation or even in my own life.

But the tightrope keeps calling me back...

So when do we wake up?

2010-09-29T22:23:00.002-04:00

You know what word I am tired of....

sacred....

Now please don't get me wrong...I am not tired of the sacred...I am simply tired of the word...it has become one of those code words...

Sacred too the church has been another in a long line of labels that we use to separate good from evil...us from them...

The church uses it to tell us what is appropriate and what is not...The reality is for many the word sacred means...old, stuffy. & boring.

I guess I just don't get what this dualism is between secular and sacred. I read the bible and I am led to believe that it is all sacred...

Why does all the creativity have to live outside the realm of the church....

We can't continue to set up this barriers between God and the people..tell them what is the "right" way to express themselves or to experience the world around them...I suggest we simply find ways to bring people into relationship and experiences of God...and then get out of the way....

Let God take over...

I'm just saying

A Piece of the Puzzle

2010-09-27T22:32:00.004-04:00

Tonight the Phillies clinched the N.L East....again. Tonight Jayson Werth got a huge hit...again. I guess there are lots of names I could have used. Roy Halliday pitched a strong game...again. Carlo Ruiz played a good game...again.

The names go on and on and that to me is the point. It is why I love sports so much, especially baseball and football. It is not about one person it is about the team and each player and/or coach doing their part at the moment it is needed.

I didn't get to see the game tonight as I am at a training event. I am one of several pastors here, I am simply part of the team. We are sharing together and learning together and striving together. Tonight we are just a piece of the puzzle. I like that though. I am a piece of a puzzle that God is putting together. God is doing great things and all I want to do is be a part of it. A bit player in God' puzzle. I want to do what God has called me to do and be exactly who I need to be for the people God has called me to minister to. Just as Jayson Werth did exactly what the Phillies needed tonight. Exactly what he was called upon to do.

So I guess the question is where do I fit in?

I need to find the place God is leading me to. I need to find my spot in the lineup (sorry I can't drop the baseball thing just yet).

God is calling me of this there is no doubt. I need to listen again to that still small voice.

So maybe the question is not where do I fit in but instead where does God want me?

I am listening

A Time Away

2010-09-25T11:36:00.002-04:00

It has been a great few days away with Ginny. We got to just relax and enjoy each others company, along with the company of some good friends.

In addition it has given me time to take a step back from church and clear my head. So much has been happening week after week this summer it has seemed non-stop at times. It seems as if when I look at the calendar it won't be slowing up for awhile more. So this time away has been just what the doctor ordered.

Comedy clubs, restaurants, pools, hot tubs, playing cards these are the things that have helped clear my head. Perhaps the most important thing was just time with Ginny. It enabled me to refocus in on those things that are most important.

As we pack up and head to South Seaville for the night I am looking forward to the weeks to come. They will be busy but I know the Spirit is moving in the two churches and I think great things for our community are right on the Horizon. I can't wait!

It's Temporary

2010-09-19T07:37:00.002-04:00

Today at 1 pm I will be settled into my seat the beverage of my choice in my hand and I will be ready for football, Eagles football to be precise.

Another season is upon us and its time to get out the team colors and root for the home team. Yet as I start this season I know in many ways the team uniform is the only thing that may be the same (and even that has changed).

I won't be rooting for Donovan, BDawk or BWest. They are gone replace by others. The players are only temporary yet the team remains. I can choose to try and live in the past with the team or move on and root for who I have on the team this year.

Today as I step up to preach that will be my message as well. It's only temporary. The car I have been longing for, the bigger house, the pay raise, the new clothes, it all goes away. The only thing that will remain is us...we are the only thing eternal. This is what we as Christians believe. We may view the eternal differently but in the end we share the thought that it is people not things that go on.

So why do we try so hard to get more stuff. In the end it all goes back in the box. In the end it all turns to dust. How about today we make a pact, let's start treating each other like we are priceless. Let's start treating each other like we are golden...

Because we are.

And by the way.

Go Birds!

Checking our list and checking it twice

2010-09-17T21:08:00.002-04:00

Ginny is going down to South Jersey tomorrow morning for a couple of days. So we went out tonight and grabbed some dinner and then went to PetSmart to pick up a crate for Marlowe. Now we are sitting around setting our lineups for Fantasy Football. We are both in two leagues and just happen to be playing each other in both of them.

Sure dinner at Perkins, then shopping at PetSmart, and setting Fantasy Football lineups is not what some people would call

an exciting Friday night. But tonight, for us, it works!

I find myself in a relationship that seems to get better each day. We fill in the empty spots in each other and we are comfortable with each other doing the simplest of things. God did another great thing when we were brought together.

So the night is winding down and while I love Ginny very much...my fantasy football lineups are set and she us going down!

When I am King of The World

2010-09-16T11:19:00.004-04:00

Sometimes when you go through your day you notice certain things. You see some injustices ot some things that really upset you. Perhaps you wish there were some way to change those things or "make it right". It could be the biggest things or the littles things...well when that happens to me I often wonder what it would be like to be The King of the World.

Well If I was King of the World:

The media and the politicians would no longer be able to use labels to describe people.

We would no longer have to hear words like tea party or progressive or left wing or right wing. It would force people to discuss issues instead of labels

The church would be more known for our commitment to free the imprisoned, healing

the sick, helping the poor and proclaiming the Gospel than we would be known

for fighting and excluding and judging.

No explanation needed is there?

People would spend more time listening than they do talking

How can we learn if the only voice we ever hear is our own?

Parents would make decisions about life understanding the impact it has on their children

You are a parent now, grow up and realize what you are doing!

Andy Reid would use a little of that creativity he has and bring it to the 4th and 1 calls

Sorry still bitter about that game on Sunday

It's Time....

2010-09-12T07:41:00.002-04:00

I got up earlier than normal for a Sunday morning and headed off to church. I was working on some of the visuals for my sermon as we get set to start another sermon series this morning.

Now as I find myself pretty much prepared I popped over to Twitter and was given that final nudge by my good and very talented friend

that another football season was upon us.

I have been doing my best to keep my focus upon the important things in life....God, Family, Friends ....but those three have company.

It's time for Football! I love Baseball and I love the Phillies but there is something about opening Day(not counting the thursday night game) that really gets my heart racing. I am so excited about this sermon series I am getting ready to start and it ties in so nicely with this time of year.

Are you ready....ahhhh you know the rest. Go Eagles!

So when did this happen?

2010-08-13T10:31:00.002-04:00

About 9 years or so ago I broke down and let my family talk me into welcoming a dog into our family. I was against it but figured it was something that everyone else really wanted so we got a little Lab puppy.

Lucy was a great dog it turned out and helped me get over m fear of dogs and really get to understand them a bit. Even then I knew that as soon as Lucy either moved out with one of the boys or she happened to die that we would no longer be a dog family.

Well something happened, I am not certain what, but something definitely happened. Sadly we had to put Lucy to sleep a few weeks ago she was just in too much pain with no real options. I thought that would be it. Well as I am sitting her this morning typing this I am not alone in the house. Kyle is home with me but lying right down next to me on her dog bed is the newest addition to our family....a 18 month old or so terrier mix named Marlow.

Not sure how and not sure when but I/we have become pet people. She seems to be a great dog full of energy and a bit stubborn but all in all a good dog. But good or bad she is now part of our family....who would have thunk it?!?!?

Me....a dog guy....

Now what?

2010-07-06T07:27:00.002-04:00

So the first Sunday of being a two point charge pastor is over. We got through the two sermons and two communions, two greetings, etc.

Now it is time to.......

therein lies the problem. I know what I would like to do. I would like to transform the once location into a contemporary worship space and fill it up with young families and thriving Sunday schools and small groups...etc...

I guess one question would be which one? But I think the bigger question is now what?

What does God want me to do? Where am I supposed to lead the group of people that God has given me and how are we supposed to be a difference in our communities?

I am having a baby - well not really

2010-06-27T08:04:00.003-04:00

Today is a strange Sunday for me. I am ending my time as the pastor of the single charge of West Grove UMC - Neptune Twp. Thursday I begin as the Pastor of a two point charge West Grove and Memorial UMC - Neptune City.

As I sit in my office this morning preparing for worship I can't help but think of this transition as the birthing of a new child. I guess there are several ways that one can look at a two charge appointment, I choose the birth analogy.

On Thursday we will have two group of people (the parents) of two churches coming together to form something new (the baby). We don't know what this birth will look like or act like or grow into. All we can do is put all we have into it and pray that the Holy Spirit continues to lead us.

I view this as the chance to bring new ministry to a larger group of people in the surrounding areas...however just like with a baby potential is not everything.

Potential must be lived up to...and for this baby to live up to its potential it needs three things. It needs the people of West Grove to embrace the change that is coming and see the possibilities for exciting new ministry. We need the people of Neptune City to also embrace the change and see a chance for a reigniting. Finally we need to be led by and filled by the holy Spirit in all that we do.

An Experiment - fails or maybe not

2010-06-13T19:14:00.002-04:00

As is often my pattern, last Sunday during worship I came up with some inspiration. I was announcing that it would be children's Sunday. As I said that I decide that it would be a great idea to try something new.

I told the folks at church to bring their phones to church that we would be using Facebook and Twitter during Worship. It was simply an off handed comment to get the church thinking and to perhaps even make them a little uneasy.

My week went as the week typically does and before I knew it Saturday night was upon me. All the preparation for worship were long done and the sermon was ready to go. then I got a text message. The message was to let me know that someone in the church had signed up with Twitter and was "ready to go" for church.

So lots of last minute changes happened...messages...texts...emails....tweets...went out.....

I knew that I needed some help for this to work their needed to be some participation.

Well this morning we gave it a go...I had my cell phone in my hand as worship began and had someone manning my laptop to monitor facebook and twitter... I put a rough outline of the sermon up and away we went.....

75 minutes later worship was over....It all did not go anything like I had originally intended. I did not get as much participation as I wanted however what I got was great and helped tremendously.

I have lots of thinking and praying to do about what this will look like going forward. I know that this can't be a one off event. If I truly believe anything I talk about...the reaching the unchurched...the thinking outside the box...the necessity of making the church more open to youth and young adults them I know that I have to do something.

So perhaps this first attempt can be classified as a failure.....but it was a start....and I think the Spirit is leading me to explore it some more....so keep on following I can't wait to see where we end up

Worship Fever- Have you caught it?

2010-06-10T21:12:00.003-04:00

I am very excited that the World Cup is about to start. We just got back from my son's soccer game and I was very impressed with the spirit of the kids as they battled to a draw.

The World Cup brings that excitement and adds the extra dimension of the things like national pride and the best of the best talent.

As many of you know, I love sports and can get caught up in the excitement of a sporting event very easily especially a tournament with all the twists an turns that it holds.

Yet I often find myself comparing that excitement level to the level of excitement that you may find in the typical Sunday Worship. Why is it so different? Why can't we get ourselves just as excited and on edge as we worship God.

It would seem that if anything can get us fired up it would be the chance to experience the Living God.

So as I find myself getting fired up for some soccer I can't help but wonder what we need to do to bring that excitement into the sanctuary this Sunday.

Back to School?

2010-06-09T20:40:00.003-04:00

Well I just finished an online application for the Doctor of Ministry program at Drew. Am I going? Am I serious about this journey?

I am not exactly sure yet. It has been something I have been thinking about off and on for awhile. I guess it is like a test-cast if I was looking to buy a new reel.

How does the reel feel? Does it respond like I want in my hands?

So I sent out a test-cast tonight. I filled out the on line application and then I answered the questions for my personal statement and sent that off as well.

Now I guess I will look at what Wesley has to offer and perhaps throw out another test-cast later.

I guess it is time for a little prayer and we will see what happens.

Your are Welcome....but

2010-06-08T12:12:00.002-04:00

On July 1st, I start two new directions in my pastoral ministry. The first is that I will be adding a second church to my charge. However, it is the second on that I want to talk about.

I will be the co-chair for the Conference Youth and Young adult team with my focus on the young adult side of that occasion.

With that in mind I had the privilege of spending time with some of the young adult at Annual Conference. Spending time with them I was very impressed and very encouraged with the group of young adults that I got to spend time with. Rest assured my colleagues there is some great people that are being raised up to do the ministry of Jesus Christ.

However, I also think we have so much work to do. Time and time again I heard stories and opinions of young people feeling as if they were not being taken seriously or not being allowed to use their gifts and graces in the life of the church. They felt welcomed.....but.....

And the truth is it's a very big but(t)....they are being told sometimes that this is the way they must do things or this is the way they must worship or their opinion matters only in certain circumstances....

We need to change that....I am sitting in Borders this morning working on a sermon on fear based on 1 Kings 19...Elijah running away from Jezebel.

Are we afraid? Are we afraid of giving up control? Are we trying to force people to change to be like us to be accepted into "our church"

What do you think?

WWYD - What would you do

2010-05-02T22:15:00.005-04:00

If I could:

I would get every young boy in the world to read The Hardy Boys books.

I would have every young boy get a chance to play little league baseball.

I would let everyone spend an afternoon at the Jersey Shore on a day like today.

I would want everyone to be able to listen to the Ocean at nigh from right outside their bedroom window.

I would want every man to be able to wait at the end of the aisle as their soon to be wife walked up to meet them.

I would change the hearts and minds of church people who have lost their passion.

That is some of what I would do...so tell me....what would you do?

Changing the World

2010-04-24T17:29:00.003-04:00

It's funny how the Spirit works. We have been talking on and off about ReThinking Church for 6 months or so at West Grove. At times I feel as if I have been simply spinning my wheels at times, yet today something happened.

We activated something we are calling the Brown Bag Brigade at church. It is a group of volunteers who come in and make some brown bag lunches for us. Today we decided to make 50 bag lunches to coincide with the Change the World event that was being promoted throughout the United Methodist Church.

We themed our day's events around Feeding the World. We also had a group at church holding a bake sale to raise money for an organization that is focusing on solving the problem of childhood hunger.

So with the Brown Bag brigade activated it was my job to find a place to deliver the brown bag lunches. I figured that it would be easy to find a group in the area that was in need of some lunches. However, as the lunches were being made I found myself scrambling to find a place that could use the lunches. I told Ginny off handedly that I would simply let the "Spirit" lead me. I was trying to be funny, as often happens God had other ideas.

It was then I remembered several stories I had read in the newspaper recently about a place called Tent City in Lakewood. It was described as being off in the woods and a place where people who were homeless or transient would try and find some community and safety and help.

So with the lunches packed I headed off on my quest to find Tent city and it was not exactly easy. I traveled up and down the streets of Lakewood, I stopped in the local laundromat and stopped a few people on the road and still could not find anyone that could give me directions. I finally made a phone call to a colleague of mine from Lakewood and he was able to give me directions.

I found the entrance into the woods where I was told that I would find Tent City, as I went down the long dirt road I realized that my little car was probably not the best vehicle to be making this trip. I finally pulled up into an opening in the woods and I came upon what I can only describe as a little community.

All around me I found various homemade structures and a few vehicles as well as several chickens. As I got out of my car I soon found myself talking to two of the most engaging gentleman that I had ever met, Danny and Stormy.

Stormy was a former resident of Tent city who now had a place of his own. Danny was a resident of Tent City. They seemingly were great friends and shared with me a little of their stories. I found myself just standing there listening and sharing with them and became more and more encouraged. I was encouraged with the spirit of these men and of the sense of community that I felt as I stood there with them and a few other people.

I hope that today was the beginning of a relationship of sorts between myself, Stormy, Danny, West Grove and the people of Tent City. However that turns out I do know one thing, today was truly a Change the World event. My world did change just as it does every time that I trust God.

So I ask you, did you help Change the World today?

Eyes on the Prize

2010-03-21T08:54:00.002-04:00

That morning as we stood on the Mount of Olives and looked over to Jerusalem, we were reminded that this was pretty much the view that Jesus had that is captured in Luke 13: 31-35. The day he was told of Herod's desire to kill him.

On that day Jesus looked over at Jerusalem and his eyes were looking at his mission.....the people....

He would not be deterred. Threats of violence would not stop him.

He set his sights on God's call for him and then he went.

He had the right vision and the right action.

My prayer today is that I also have the right vision and follow it up with doing the right thing.

My prayer for you is the same.

Amen.

Life is good

2010-02-20T14:36:00.003-05:00

As a pastor, I spend a lot of time listening to and counseling people as they go through tough times in their life. I hear about various issues people have and how they struggle with questions like "where is God?". At every step along the way I try and tell people the same basic thing, wherever they find themselves, God is already there.

The last several months have not been the easiest for my family, yet through it all I realize that no matter how bad it may seem or how many questions that I may have it is okay. God is here and has been here. It may seem crazy but I think that all came together loud and clear the other night at the gym. I was there with Ginny, and we were trying to figure out the equipment at the gym. It was at this moment when I looked over at Gin and she had this great big smile on her face.

It seems like a silly thing but it wasn't for me. It was a great thing to see because every time that I see that smile and the sparkle in her eyes it helps me remember that no matter what I may be going through or whatever I may be struggling with that I am never going to be alone. God has blessed me with a partner, a "helpmate", as some translations of Genesis say.

my helpmate is a constant source of joy for me and also a continual reminder that God is with me and because of that I will never be alone...Life is good.

What do you see?

2010-02-09T19:18:00.004-05:00

During our visit to Bethlehem we visited a shop that had a ton of products made from olive wood. As we left, we looked in the alley by the shop and this is what we saw. This huge pile of olive wood was simply waiting.

It makes me wonder, is this what God sees when he looks at us in the church. Perhaps a pile of people just waiting, waiting for someone to do something? I know that is what I would see and often do, when I think of us "church folk". We are always sitting around and spinning our heels and waiting for someone to inspire us or someone else to do the work that needs to be done.

Yet I think when God looks at us, he sees so much more. God sees who we are inside, beneath the rough exterior, to the beauty inside us. He sees the people inside of us the ones that are concerned for things that God is concerned about; things like justice and mercy and righteousness.

I don't want to look like a piece of wood on the ground anymore, I want to live my life the way God sees it can be and should be lived.

The day we were in that shop, we got to see what one of those pieces of wood could look in the hands of a master. It gives me hope that perhaps my life in God's hands can look just as wonderful and can have just as much meaning.

So perhaps of asking ourselves and our churches what they see when they look at themselves and each other, we should ask them what they think God sees.

Nothing lives here?

2010-02-05T01:28:00.002-05:00

For the last several days we have been guided around Israel by a Palestinian Christian man. He has showed us the places where the Biblical story took place. He has spent many hours with us making the bible come to life for me in new and exciting ways.

In addition to that he has also told us the struggle of his people. He has told us his view of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He talk about the wars and occupation. He has pointed out to us the fence and the checkpoints that make life difficult at times for his people.

The picture above is me standing in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea for those who don't know is ten times saltier than an ocean and three times saltier than the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It is so salty that nothing lives in this sea.

Although as I look at the picture I just have to wonder....nothing lives? In a land where hope was truly born how can nothing really live? In a land where the savior came and showed us what real love truly is....how can nothing live?

Yes the struggle remains for us to tell the story and to live the story each day. However, I for one can't accept the fact that there is anywhere in the world, especially here, where things can't live. Because I believe in Jesus, I believe in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection. Because of that faith, I know that hope always lives.

So perhaps for me the Dead Sea will be just a reminder that there are many people in the world that feel as if there is no hope...no chance....they are blocked by checkpoints and walls real or imagined. So I will continue to do what I can to work for hope and life...andnot make things like peace and justice just words but they way I try and live my life.

Because He lives.......hope lives...

Israel - Day Three of the tour

2010-02-04T02:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we spent much of the day around or on the Sea of Galilee.
It was a fantastic time. As we got on the boat the rain started up. It was a bit windy. As we were on our away across the sea, we began to celebrate communion together. The wind made the water rough enough that it made it tough to conduct the communion for those that were consecrating the elements.

We took about an hour to get across the sea and during our trip the sun burst through the clouds for a little while before it became overcast again. We finally made our way across and then went to a restaurant for lunch that was righ on the water. As we ate the wind picked up and caused the water to be even more choppy then it had been before. Just as quickly that patch of weather passed over.

It brought the scripture story to life of the disciples on the boat and a storm rushing in as they became afraid. Each day as I "walk where Jesus walked", I get a better understanding of the scriptural accounts.

Yesterday Ginny and I got to renew our vows at a little chapel in Cana where tradition says Jesus performed his first miracle. It was a very nice moment and one I will never forget

This has been such a great trip. Not only have I been able to be here with Ginny and Kyle but I have also got to be in the Holy Land with a few of my colleagues who I have walked through the ordination process with.

We have been through a lot together both good and bad and now we all get to share in this experience together. In this land where Jesus brought a small group of people together to teach them and to show them the way, we also have been called together to once again be taught and to find our way to tell the story in our own context.

This has been a Holy time in a Holy Land.

In the Garden - Israel Day 2

2010-02-02T15:46:00.003-05:00

This morning we found ourselves in the Garden of Gethsemane. I had been looking forward to this visit since the moment I knew we would be going to Israel. Every time that I read the scripture account in Matthew and Luke, I just am mesmerized by it.

Jesus knew that all roads to Jerusalem had led to this moment in time. The action was coming and Jesus was overwhelmed with thoughts an fears and questions.

How many times do we find ourselves in those same positions, faced with overwhelming odds or faced with some grief in our lives? How do we respond? I know my normal reaction more often than not has been less than "Jesus like".

At times my reaction is self pity or anger or resentment. I may look at my troubles and wonder why God would do this to me, after all "I try to be the best person that I can be". As I sat in the garden today and reread those scriptures I was once again struck by Jesus' reaction.

He at first asks God if there is anyway that this trouble could pass him by, if there was anyway for the plan to come together without Jesus having to go through the pan and agony to come. Yet, almost in the next breath, Jesus simply turns it over to God and says, "It's not about me...it is about your will and your plan". In other words..."Father I trust you...with you by my side I can do this."

Oh how I pray for that faith, how I pray for that desire to see God's will done. I have good intentions and I have faith...but so many times I don't turn it over to God. I do not let God be God. I decide that what the situation needs is my worry or my concern or my anger. Or perhaps I allow the fear to stand between me and the will of God.

I sat in the Garden today, perhaps just feet from where Jesus was, and sensed a need for change.
I know my way is not the answer. I know that it truly isn't about me and it is not about my ego or my desires. It is about God. I need to learn to live in that place of faith.

Being in Israel has help[ed give me a better perspective on life....It helps point out the lack of real significance on some things that I spend so much time worrying about. Tonight I am going to start something new. Tonight as I lay in bed praying, I will include a list of those things that I spend so much time worrying about. I will name them and then give them to God and I will continue to do that each night until I have truly given them to God.

Here I am Lord....Here I am....

Israel...Our first day on the streets

2010-02-01T15:05:00.002-05:00

So many things I could write about today's trip. There were so many powerful events. I guess the event that would be the "default picture/sound" for the journey today, happened at the Church of the Nativity. It was there, while we were in the cave in which tradition says Jesus was born, that I got a glimpse of what this is truly all about. I was listening to people sing Silent Night in their native tongues. I heard my colleagues sing the song not only in English, but French Creole, Korean, Spanish, and the native tongue of my Bishop who is from India. It was a powerful moment. Not because of the song being sung but because of where we were, who I was with, and the simple beauty of the moment.

It was there in that cave in which the king was born, and not like any king had previously been born. The world still struggles with the same things it did then. We have wars and poverty and disease among many other ailments. Yet despite all that as we stood in the cave, I got a glimpse of what we need. I got a glimpse of the power of Love and compassion, grace, and mercy. In that cave today those things shone brighter than they ever had for me before.

I want to be a part of the good things. I want to live a life that shines a powerful light and glorifies the king...who was born here in this land we call Bethlehem.

This is only the first day of my trek here in Israel...but more importantly...this might be the beginning of an even greater trek. I am excited to see where God will take me tomorrow.

I really don't think it matters

2010-01-27T16:15:00.002-05:00

All the talking and all the pointing to something different perhaps doesn't really work. the smiles and the handshakes in the back after church with the "great sermon just what we needed", really in the end mean nothing.

Mike Slaughter said something this week as he talked to our group at Willow Valley about you can keep the thousands of soft-secular folks, just give me a dozen people ready to storm the gates of hell in a gasoline suit.

That resonated with me. In the end too many of our people are simply afraid of what is on the other side. They won't stick their heads out of the shell, we wait around and think about the glory days. Well guess what, they are over we are in a new time.

We live in a time where people want to not simply "be", instead they want to "do". they are not interested so much in where you live or what you drive or how you dress but instead are concerned about things like what's in your heart. they want to make a difference for the world.

I want to be one of those people in a gasoline suit....heck at least some people will be happy I am in a suit!

Peace

Is this what I look like

2009-07-26T18:38:00.002-04:00

You remember those places from when you were a kid. The fun house at the local carnival. you go through the halls and go into roomful of mirrors. In that room you see yourself in many different ways. You see a shorter, taller, thinner, fatter version of yourself.

Those mirrors distort your true image much like the world does. The world looks at you as if they are seeing you through only looking at one of those distorting mirrors. What the world sees is sometimes only superficial things and often what it does see is blown up and made caricature like.

Despite that, we still take our cues from what the world tells us is the truth about ourselves. We are too old/young/fat/skinny/dumb/pretty/ugly/smart/dumb/rich/poor. We spend so much time worries about what the world says about us that we forget what God says about us.

God tells us that we are made in the image of God. So when we look at ourselves we should see bits of God, but many times we don't. Today I talked about King David in church.

David was the youngest son of Jesse, he was a simple shepherd. His brothers seemingly saw no potential for greatness, nor did many of the people of Israel. Yet, God saw a King.

David could have listened to his neighbors or Goliath or his family but instead he listened to God.

Where the world saw an insignificant boy, God saw a great king.

So what does God see in you?

The perfect food

2009-07-23T00:02:00.003-04:00

Since I was a little boy, peanut butter and jelly sandwich was my favorite food. To this day nothing else makes my mouth water quite like a well made peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

For me the bread is important, I find regular Wonder white bread is perfect for the ultimate sandwich. This is the only type of sandwich that I will use Wonder white bread for. I usually use wheat or multi grain for other types of sandwiches.

The next step and the MOST IMPORTANT step for me is the peanut butter. There is really only one choice for me and that is JIF peanut butter. 99 percent of the time it is regular creamy, every once in awhile it will be crunchy. There is no debate on this issue, without JIF there will be no sandwich.

Finally it is time for the jelly. Traditionally it is Welch's grape jelly that I use. Sometimes I will use strawberry jelly or blueberry or something else that I may have around the house.

Those are the ingredients for my perfect food. Each one of these ingredients works together with the other ingredients to make the sandwich. Each ingredient can be eaten on its own but it is when they are used together that they go beyond the normal to the extraordinary.

Just like us. Each one of us is created by God and blessed with certain gifts. We are special on our own it is when we are together however that we go beyond the normal to the extraordinary. We become better together then we can ever be by ourselves.

Well, I gotta go. I am a bit hungry.

I love Kids

2009-07-21T21:57:00.002-04:00

For about two weeks, I listened to Kyle take every chance to tell us how much he did not want to go to South Seaville. He wanted no parts of Camp Meeting and did all he could to talk us into letting him stay home.

Well today as we were sitting down to eat dinner with about five or six other families tonight he said to us, "so camp is two weeks?". We told him that it was and we as asked if some of the kids that he was hanging out with came for all two weeks, he said "they ALL do". He then proceeded to tell us that we can drop him off next year for all two weeks.He wouldn't even look at us when he said it because he had the e may have the biggest smile on his face. He refused to admit that we were right and he would have a good time.

Well we drug him down here kicking and screaming and I assume that we will be bringing him home the same exact way.

The Water

2009-07-19T15:21:00.002-04:00

Today was a vacation day. Yet at about 10: 15,I found myself slipping on a robe and a stole and prepared to officiate at a Baptism.

It was a great day as I went up to the church of a friend and baptized young Olivia. Olivia is the child of former member of my previous church. is a sign

Every time I dip my hand into the font I get a chill. It is a simple act yet one that,among other things, makes a very powerful connection to the church throughout the centuries. Today as I baptized Olivia she became part of the universal church in a way that I did and Pope Benedict has and John Wesley did as well.

The water placed upon her head is no different in composition than the water used by John the Baptist.

Today my little friend Olivia was publicly welcomed into the family of God. What a great vacation day!

This is Who I am

2009-07-12T08:18:00.002-04:00

When David heard Goliath boasting and taunting the troops of Israel, he could not believe his ears. "How could this be", he probably thought, "how could this giant taunt the troops of the Living God?"

So David decided to do something about it, however he ran into opposition. Saul did not think he could handle the job, Goliath laughed t him. David directed powerful speeches to both men and basically told them, "THIS is who I am".

Who am I?

It is an age old question. David knew the answer for himself and was shocked and appalled that the Israelites did not. He could not understand how they could fear any man or beast, when God was on their side. Sound familiar? How many times do we allow our fears and our doubts to stand between us and where God wants us to be and away from what God wants us to be doing.

David's answer to these questions was" this is who I am, just a man but a man with God on my side...and that is more than enough!"

So today Lord, I say to you...this is who I am...take me and make me so much more.....

Power is in the details

2009-06-08T15:45:00.002-04:00

I was sitting on the beach this morning reading a book. As I took a look around I saw so much beauty. I began to think of the power of God and how all we have is a gift from him. As I looked to my left I saw a few people strolling on the beach and others playing in the surf. On my right there was a few people climbing on the rocks. Just beyond them for a few people fishing off the pier at the Ocean Grove Fishing Club.

Everywhere that I looked, I saw God's hand. We worship a God who exhibits power through creative wonder. The God I know is involved in every intimate detail of my life.

What a glorious day and what a powerful God.

Ocean Grove

2009-06-07T20:04:00.003-04:00

Ginny and I went to the beach in Ocean Grove just after
5 PM. We took our new beach chairs and headed down to the water.

We sat there enjoying the world around us as we each were reading the Bible. I was reading Genesis 1 and was just echoing God's words time and time again, "It is good".

We are so blessed to be here in this area. We started off the day worshiping and then went walked along the boardwalk and then ended then went back to sit on the beach.

God is so good!

What if

2009-05-31T08:42:00.001-04:00

Call to Worship for Pentecost/Confirmation Sunday...inspired by 10,000 doors.

Leader

God, with a Loud rush, you birthed your church

People: What if...it happened again

Leader....Your Spirit brought life to Jesus' friends

People: What if....we prayed for that same Spirit

Leader: We need that rush again

People: What if... we received it

Leader: Lead us into our community on fire for you

People: What if...we changed the world...Amen.

God spoke

2009-04-12T07:45:00.004-04:00

This morning as we gathered together on the beach at Asbury Park, I saw an image much like this. As Joel began his part of the Easter message he was talking about the First day of the week and then tying it back to the first day when God spoke, he asked us what God's words were on that day. As SOON as he said "Let there be light" the sun popped up over the horizon. It caught us all off guard. All we could do was watch for a few minutes.

Isn't that just like God though. Always there but catching us off guard. Showing up and changing the way we see things forever.

He is risen indeed!

So where do I go from here?

2009-03-26T10:22:00.002-04:00

I have now been back from my trip to Georgia for 7 days. Still filled with lots of excitement and energy from the trip. I have lots of ideas and directions that I would like to take this whole thing. I guess the question becomes, what do I do first.

Well for me at least, I started with myself. This first week was a back to the basics. I got more into the Word than I have been in a long while. I refocused my prayer life as well. So those steps have begun and now it is simply a matter of findin the vision that God has for the church.

I think this weekend, I will look at the binder we received at the Order of the Flame, and look through it. I purposely have not looked at it yet. I simply have relived the sessions in my mind and heart and now will see what looking through the binder will ignite.

The journey continues. Praise be to God.

Not the Final Piece

2009-03-20T07:56:00.002-04:00

Well I am sitting in the lobby of Epworth by the Sea and I am anxious to go home. However, I have hours before my plane so I have lots of time to think. This week has been incredible, I learned so much and I was reminded of so much more. I met people from all over the connection. Usually when I think about the connection I am thinking the UMC. This week my definition of the connection was extended to include the Free Methodists, AME, AME Zion, CME, Nazarenes, and more.

In my preaching, I use the term "telling the story" a lot....no, I mean A LOT! This week I was reminded with concrete examples and tools and training what that really means and how I can accomplish that. I now have a fuller toolbox to go into the world and equip people in my church and go into the community and tell the story of Jesus by sharing my faith story.

We all have a story, we all have a witness. Sometimes, I forget that. so the puzzle is getting more pieces added to it, it is not complete but I can see the picture clearer.

Amen!

Celebrating Failure

2009-03-18T14:27:00.002-04:00

So here we are, about 116 or so from all around North America. The Methodist Connection has gathered here, the interesting thing to me is the actual location.

Yes this is the place where Charles and John Wesley came to America. This is the location where Charles pastored Christ Church as John went to be the secretary for Oglethorpe. this is all true. However, the information that needs to be stated clearly is that John and Charles were not successful here, not at all. In fact, by our standards today, they were miserable failures. So much so that John Wesley, the Icon of Methodism, snuck out under cover of darkness and made it to the ship where he soon sailed back home to England.

Yet, here we are. Talking about the power of the Holy Spirit. We are talking about sharing our faith story. We are talking about taking our Methodist movement back to our roots. Despite the fact that this could be the location of the Wesley's greatest failure, it just feels so right.

See because how we judge failure and success is not the point. The point is this is God's mission and this is God's ministry. The Good News is God's news and it is God's story. We will take these "failures" and "successes" and pray about them and seek out where God will have us go next.
The world needs to hear the story and we are hear this week to see what we can do as our part.

So celebrate the failure and celebrate the success knowing that God is handling it all and in the end we have VICTORY because of Jesus and his atoning sacrifice. Now that is a great story indeed.

That the world would know Jesus

2009-03-17T19:10:00.002-04:00

I am in Epworth by the Sea this week at a Conference. The basic theme is simply "That the world would know Jesus".

Simple enough, I know. However, as we all know it is the simple things that often stick. I am feeling something happening down here. I am excited. I see so many possibilities. There are some great people from all over North America here that are part of the Methodist family. It has been a great chance to share and to fellowship. More than anything it has been a time to seek God's will for the ministry I find myself in. So much of what I have believed from my beginning of this journey has been both affirmed and challenged since I have been here.

How will it all play out? I don't know but I am excited to find out!

Free hugs

2009-02-06T09:20:00.002-05:00

I was reading about Shane Claiborne over at Gen-X Rising. Andrew talks about Claiborne's faith being almost Sunday School like in some ways. Yet Andrew points out that sometimes simple is so much better than what we try to make it about.

When I read that post this morning, I couldn't help but be reminded of a video that I saw awhile ago on You Tube. I have used this video during sermons a few times in a couple of different places. The video
to me emphasizes just what I read about faith today.

It is about feeding the poor and healing the sick. Our faith is about looking our for the least, last, and lost wherever that may take us this day. It is a constant decision each day to reach out into the world looking for ways to make a difference. A constant search for someone to hug.

Faith should not divide us.

2009-02-05T09:26:00.002-05:00

Today I read in the Washington Post, some of President Obama's thoughts during the National Prayer Breakfast. They were reassuring words and words that i believe we all need to hear. Part of what he said was religion has been used "as a tool to divide us from one another".

It is a shame isn't it? The thing that should bring people together, the one thing that we have that should transcend all else is so often simply used as another way to divide us. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, etc. seem to spend a lot of time talking about and fighting about those things that make us different from each other instead of the things that should be uniting us.

Faith is something that is supposed to help us rise above and be better than we can possibly be alone, yet it so often is something that drags us down and makes us less than we ever should be. Why is that? Is it because of faith or is it because of us?

I think the answer is obvious enough. We often get in the way of our own success and evolution as people. We sabotage our own lives in many ways. We try to mold and shape our faith and our beliefs and make the world conform to them and more importantly to us. Obama's words are a reminder to us all that this is not what faith is all about.

Our belief in something greater than ourselves and our belief that life is worth living and our faith in the worth of all people and creation itself should be the one thing that brings us together as we continue to strive to be who God has created us to be.

Freedom

2009-02-04T18:33:00.002-05:00

Lord, may I never take the gift
of freedom for granted. You gave
me the great blessing of freedom of
spirit. Fill my spirit with Your peace and
Your joy.

This is a prayer I read on Sacred Space today. It hit home today as I have been doing a lot of reading on the concept of Free Will and Grace this week. Freedom is such a funny thing. We, in this country at least, often go around trumpeting our freedoms and how this country is the home of freedom and founded on the principle of freedom.

Yet, do we really understand what real freedom is? More importantly, do we understand what God desires for us and our lives with this freedom he has given us?

The questions I begin to ponder this week are:
What is this freedom?
What does God want us to do with it?
How does this freedom help us as we go to make disciples for Jesus Christ?
What can we do to make sure we don't take this freedom for granted?

Let's Pray

2009-01-20T15:18:00.000-05:00

that all the people talking about hope and newness really want it and are willing to fight for it. Let's pray that all this talk about hope, is not just talk.

Today, I have hope. My hope is in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. I hope that this nation responds to this moment in time in a greatway and truly becomes the nation that we can be.

What were you doing in 2001?

2009-01-18T08:48:00.002-05:00

These two were playing in the NFC Championship game, just where they will be today.

Kurt Warner will be putting on the uniform of the Arizona Cardinals and Donovan McNabb will be putting on the Eagles uniform again.

The change of uni will not be the only difference for Kurt Warner, today he will also go home with a loss.

Go Eagles!

A Letter from the next President

2009-01-15T10:52:00.002-05:00

I saw this letter today and I must say I am very impressed. To all who didn't vote for Obama, I know it is just words. However, words and the ideas behind them are so very important. For all those who did vote for Obama, remember these are simply words. Words by themselves mean nothing, unless there is some action and direction behind them.

So are these words going to be important, I hope and pray so. We will all find out TOGETHER, in time. I simply continue to hope that perhaps this can mark the start of something new and exciting for our country. It is now time for us to see if the rhetoric over the last 8 years or so from both sides was just words, or was there something of substance behind them.

It can be frustrating

2009-01-11T18:59:00.003-05:00

being an Eagles fan at times and especially a Donovan McNabb fan. However, when it is game time you put all that aside and just watch the team go.

Sunday was just the type of game that I thought it would be, a mean nasty NFC East type of game. It was a game that included lots of hitting and lots of frustration and lots of excitement.

In the end it was a game that saw the Eagles defense rising to the occasion and putting a fright into Eli. He knew they were coming so never really allowed himself time to get set. It was a game that saw Donovan continue his remarkable play. He looks good in the pocket and has regained a little of that "escapability" that makes him so dangerous on third down.

So we are off to the fifth conference championship game in the last 10 years. How sweet is that!

It had to happen eventually

2009-01-10T19:02:00.002-05:00

I think in my 6 plus years of ministry, I have used a ladder 4 different times as a visual aid during a sermon or children's time. I am very afraid of heights and every time I have gone up the ladder I have been worried. I am happy to say there has never been any problems....until today.

I was in the sanctuary today and we were in the midst of "taking down the greens". I saw a ladder not being used, so I quickly jumped up on it and began to take some stuff down. As I was just thinking about coming down off the ladder with a banner, something happened and the ladder fell.

The ladder ended up on the pews and I ended up on the ground. I was "smart" enough to catch myself with my left hand before I fell. So now several hours later, my wrist,elbow, and shoulder are battling it out to see what hurts the most.

All those times up on the ladder for no reason other than a visual for a sermon and I don't get hurt and the one time I use a ladder for what a ladder is designed for, I get hurt.

Who'd a thunk it?

Trust is Built One Apple at a time

2009-01-07T13:50:00.004-05:00

Every fall it happened at least once and many falls it happened two or three times. I was sent out to battle with simply a brown bag and my speed as a weapon. To say that I was afraid would be quite the understatement. I entered the battle every time convinced that I would not make it out alive. So where was I and how did I get there? What crazy universe did I find myself in? Where was this mythical battlefield? Simple, I was in Granny’s backyard!
Out in Granny’s backyard stood this huge old apple tree. Growing up that tree was like a huge watchtower. It simply overwhelmed everything else in the backyard, at least in my mind. I am not sure how old the tree actually was, I simply remember it always being there and always seemingly taunting me. Even in the dead of winter when all else was covered by snow, it seemed to still call out to me and tell me that the fall was coming.
I knew that eventually that tree would be full of apples once again. I guess for some people the thought of an apple tree in the backyard would be a great one. It’s perhaps the idea that the apples would be yours for the picking. The apple pies that Granny was sure to make and boy can she make some apple pie! It might be the thought of as the apples come out on the tree it means summer is here and schools not in session.
But for me, it meant none of those things, for me it simply meant that I was about to hear from Granny that one phrase that even to this day sends shivers down my spine, “Take a bag and go fill it up with apples and I will give you a quarter.” Now I can hear you know saying how wonderful that sounds, Granny was going to give me a quarter for being out in the sun and picking a bag full of apples. Oh but see that’s just the thing, you couldn’t be more wrong.
It is often those things that we like the most that are our biggest downfalls. Yes, as a child thought of a nice shiny quarter was very appealing. I was not opposed to the money at all, I was simply afraid of what I had to go through to actually get it.
See I was not picking nice fresh apples of the tree. No, I had to go out into the yard and pick up the apples that had been lying on the ground. These apples were the ones that had begun to rot on the ground. Granny had seven kids, most of them were moved from the house by the time I had started my apple adventures. So if I did not pick them up or if my cousins Billy and Mark did not pick them up then they just laid there.
Now I don’t know how much you know about what happens to apples as they lie around in the sun but let me tell you it is not pretty. The apple begins to rot and over time gets very soft and mushy. Now before you try and judge me too quick, it was not the condition of the apples was the problem, although it was not fun picking up rotten apples.
No, it was not the rotten apples but it was what happened to the rotten apples. I am not sure of the science but I believe from experience that rotten apples must secrete some chemical that bees from miles around are attracted to. Yup, that’s right bees. I was in a war with bees and it was a war I was destined to lose time and time again.
I am not sure if you ever in the military as I was but at least in the military they gave you some protection. In Granny’s army, you were simply given a brown paper bag and told to go out and not come back without victory. So each time I trudged out unsure of how it was going to turn out. Yet because it was Granny I kept going out there.
I knew one thing with certainty and that was that I could always trust Granny. I might get hurt and I might fall down. I might run away screaming from some bee that flew within 500 feet of me and I might even get stung (only happened once) but I knew that Granny would always be there for me.
She gave me a sense of protection and love that I knew was going to always be there. Granny taught me at a young age that there are certain people in your life that you will always be able to trust. She showed me that trust and love are available to everyone and are things that everyone truly deserves and needs.
Trust built with paper bags, apples, bees, and a Granny’s love.

All the pieces fit

2008-12-30T10:04:00.003-05:00

2 Sundays ago, I turned off my television and wondered where it all went wrong. How did a team that had all things going in their favor had played so badly. A promising season was ended it appeared. Yes the Eagles still had a chance, only a few things had to break their way.

The Houston Texans had to beat the Bears or the Giants, who had nothing to play for , had to beat the Vikings. The Bears and the Vikings were both playing for their playoff lives. Then if that broke right then the Tampa Bay Bucs who were also playing for their playoff life had to lose to the Oakland Raiders in a game scheduled for Tampa.

All year we had heard how teams from the West Coast travelling East and playing at 1 PM simply stunk up the joint. In addition, this was no normal West Coast Team. This was the Oakland Raiders and it wasn't your daddy's Oakland Raiders. This was not Ken Stabler and Marv Hubbard, and Cliff Branch. This was JaMarcus Russell, Michael Bush, and Chaz Schilens.

So imagine my surprise when the Texans won and then in a stunner the Raiders overcame a 10 point deficit to somehow beat the Bucs. So now only piece of the puzzle was left. We needed the Eagles to beat the Cowboys.

I guess after the year in sports it has been for Philly teams, I should not have been surprised. But after almost screaming myself hoarse for 3 hours, I sat there Sunday night stunned at what had happened. They were in! Hope was alive still and again.

Tradition

2008-12-22T09:49:00.003-05:00

Those that know me well understand I often have problems with tradition. It is not because I am not sentimental it is simply because I believe we sometimes use tradition as an excuse not to try new things. This is especially true in the church.

So, I find it amazing how much I value the traditions of Christmas. I love the fact that my parents and my sister and her family come to our house and we eat a nice dinner and exchange presents then head off to Christmas Eve Worship.

I love the "tradition" that my wife and I have started of setting budgets for Christmas presents every year and then seemingly never following them. I love the tradition of my wife baking and now creating Christmas ornaments. I love the tradition of getting together with friends on the days following Christmas.

So, no all tradition is not bad.

What are some of your traditions?

It's a God thing

2008-12-19T21:16:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week, I was walking up my steps and looked over at the photo gallery that my wife has on the wall. I was looking at some really cool pictures of vacations that we had been on. However, I did not remember the exact details of some of the pictures.

I looked at my wife and said, "I just don't have a good memory" and she agreed.

Later in the week, I was working in the office and someone asked me how I "remember my sermons", the question was asked I believe because I rarely if ever use notes. I began to explain the procedure that I use to prepare for a sermon. However, halfway through the description I realized that it didn't really answer the question. So in the end I simply said, it was God.

It really is a God thing. I do the work and preparation that I was taught in seminary. I read and prepare and pray all during the process. I read and keep up with the news all week. I do all those things that I am supposed to. Yet, as I step from behind the pulpit on Sunday, it is not about me. It is about God.

I am in no way trying to imply that those who preach from a manuscript or from an outline or some combination of those things is not somehow in the midst of a God thing. Quite the opposite.
However, for me God has enabled me to deliver the Word in this way and I am thankful for it.

So as I stand up there every week, a little afraid and unsure of myself, I know that I can simply turn it over to God. Because it is a God thing I can be certain that I will not "Fail", instead I will be able to do what God intends for me. So my part is to simply remain faithful to the Gift God has given me and do then needed preparation and rely on God, through the Holy Spirit, to ensure that God's word is fruitful.

Thank God, for God.

Wiped Out

2008-12-16T09:31:00.002-05:00

I am a little tired today. Perhaps it is from the weekend at church and with family and friends or perhaps it is staying up to watch the Eagles game last night.

I am not sure. But when I saw this picture of my son from our last vacation I said that is exactly how I feel. So today I think I am going to try and boost myself spiritually. I think I will do a little preparation for Sunday and a little sermon prep and then work on me.

This is such a great time of year in the life of the church but we need to be careful that we don't expend all of our energy and wear ourselves out. I think this picture reminded me of that. I need to focus back upon the important things of Advent and Christmas. I need to focus in on God and Family.

All I know is that I needed a reminder and God, through this picture, provided one.

Father Brian Forgive me

2008-12-10T09:44:00.002-05:00

I have sinned, it has been several victories since my last confession. Just when you're out they pull you right back in. Right around that awful tie against the Bengals I assumed that the season was over. If I wasn't convinced then the debacle against the Ravens convinced me. Yet here we are a couple of big wins later and the Eagles are in a great position.

They are in a position to ALMOST control their own destiny. IF we get a little help from the Falcons, and I believe they will be so kind, then we just need to win out.

So with Westbrook and McNabb starting to play like I thought they would all year and the defense stepping up, we might just end up being one of those scary teams you simply don't want to meet in the playoffs.

So Father Brian, for these and all the other sins that I have forgotten, please forgive me.

My penance is to do an Eagles chant? No problem
E
A
G
L
E
S
Eagles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Advent - It's Time

2008-12-04T11:05:00.002-05:00

Advent is upon us already, and I am already being asked about Christmas songs for church. Why do we rush through Advent? Is it simply because we haven't taken the time to really learn what this season is all about?

For me Advent is a time to simply remember the story. Remember the story of a mighty king who humbled himself enough to be a helpless infant. It is the story of a love so powerful that time and space could not contain it.

It is also a story of that same love that continues to shine through in the world. It is that awesome wonder that we feel when we see our child being born or in the joy of friends and family. It is that moment of fellowship that is so powerful and touching that it brings tears to our eyes. It could be in a piece of art that catches your eye. It could be a beautiful song.

It is also a story of a love that will never die. It is a love of a God who has not left us and will come back again.

Advent is a wonderful time. Let's not rush through it.

I think I figured it out

2008-11-30T08:06:00.002-05:00

I have never been a big "conspiracy nut". However, I am starting to think I am in the midst of a conspiracy. I was at home with Ginny the other day and she asked me what I was doing. Apparently I was just staring off into space. At that point I was thinking of all the things that I wanted to see accomplished at the church. The number was overwhelming but I just saw so much potential and hope.

I thought about those ideas some more and I have done nothing but for the last several days. So where is the conspiracy? Easy.

The conspiracy exists in the paralysis by analysis that happens. I could spend the next 5 years thinking about all the things that I want to see happen and then ensure that none of it gets done. The conspiracy is built around big expectations and the feeling that success is measured in new members or more money into the church. The conspiracy is built around my own feelings of inadequacy.

I am conspiring against myself in other words. I am trying to trust in myself instead of God.
As I sit here on Sunday morning getting ready to worship, I think it is starting to make more sense. It is becoming clearer.

O God, draw me close to you. Amen.

I have been thinking

2008-11-26T09:34:00.002-05:00

As I have been preparing my Sermon series for Advent, one think keeps popping up....time.

The innkeeper surely didn't have enough of it. Joseph had a decision to make and was running out of it.
Mary was so young and didn't really understand why it was her time. The shepherds couldn't believe that this was the time.

We are about to enter into a holy time, not that all time shouldn't be holy, in the church calendar...Advent. Yet so many of us barely even take a moment to breathe in between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. We don't appreciate Advent for what it is and what is could be.

Among many other things, Advent can be a time for us to focus in upon the promise of Christ's coming again and also a time to look back at the baby that has already come. It is a time to think of the joy and hop and promise that Jesus brings. It is a time for us to remember those things as we go back to our roots. When we go back to prayer, scripture, fellowship, service, witness. Those things that make us distinctly Christian. This is what we need again.

Isn't it time?

So I am the Way...right?

2008-11-22T20:55:00.004-05:00

I guess I have never quite grasped the concept of possession as far as church goes. you know what I mean right? This is "my" pew and this is "my" project and this is "my" Bible Study. I don't know if it is because I do not have a long church history so to speak, so I never got caught up in all that. Maybe there is other reasons I am not sure.

I just know that nothing drives me as crazy as listening to people talk about things in the church as if they possess them. We don't own the church and it is not ours. We are part of the church. We are blessed to be part of it and can be involved as it goes out and transforms the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.

All that other stuff, is just stuff. The church can't get tied up in things like buildings and committees and nominations and appointments. We need to be out in the world telling the story of Jesus Christ, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned.

It is not my way or your way or Aunt Josephine's way it is Jesus' way.

Pride in America

2008-11-18T14:40:00.003-05:00

Sunday we had an awesome Worship experience. We paid honor to the Veterans. We paid tribute to those in the military still. We had a few men from the American Legion post bring in the colors. All in all I was very pleased and very touched by how worship went. there was a lot of emotion shared that day.

Of course, I did hear from two different people that we did not salute the flag, I assume by that we were talking about the Pledge of Allegiance.

I hesitate to write this for a few reasons but what the heck. I did not put in a moment for the Pledge on purpose. While I am as patriotic as the next person I believe, I just feel as if that sends the wrong message in a Worship environment. when I go to a counsel meeting in town, no problem at all. Kids saying it in school, no problem at all. I am still moved greatly at a sporting event by the Star spangled Banner (different story I know).

It just seems that in a worship service we need to be careful who we pledge our allegiance too. I think that we did a great job honoring the veterans and a great job remembering the active duty folks.

The whole thing was no where near over the top and at the same time I think that it was not too reserved either.

Believe me, I do not claim to be the only source of truth on this issue...this is simply where I stand. Since I was the pastor, I had to end up dong something that I felt faithful to God in doing.

So I did.

Balance starts with prayer

2008-11-16T18:19:00.003-05:00

I have been reading Richard Foster's book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. It is a great refresher book and also gives me new insights into prayer.

I ebb and flow with my prayer life. It is constant efforts at some points to remember to pray. Other days it is first and foremost in my mind. This book has helped me to remember the importance of prayer. It is such an important part of my day. When my prayer life is good, my life seems to have more balance to it.

So why do I ebb and flow? Why must I need to read books to remind me how important prayer is? Any ideas?

How does God help?

2008-11-14T15:52:00.002-05:00

Did God create us to be able to simply look in the Bible for all our answers? Are we supposed to just laze around until someone points out the appropriate scripture for us to reply on and to trust in? I guess I have a different view of how God operates than that.

God created all that I see and created the people that have built and produced all that I have in this world. It would seem to me that God would want us to utilize all the gifts that we have been given.

If I have a stomachache, I suppose I could simply drink more wine as Paul suggests to Timothy. I suppose if I am having trouble with my skin I could go bathe in the Jordan 7 times. I suppose I could do those things if I insisted that all the answers are in the Bible.

Or what I could do is go to a doctor if my stomach hurt or my skin was a mess. I could go talk to my pastor or a counselor if I needed some guidance. I think that is probably the more prudent answer.

So how does God help? He helps us by putting people in our lives who can help us. He helps us by putting us in the lives of others so that we can help. He shows us how to live and to treat others in his Word.

I guess the best way to sum it up for me is sometimes we are the answer to someones prayer.
So as for me, I guess I need to get my lazy butt up and start doing those things that God would have me do and reaching those people that God would have me reach.

Wouldn't it be nice?

2008-11-12T10:18:00.005-05:00

Wouldn't it be nice if the next time you were in a Church Council meeting or talking to a group of church people and the following happened:

As a new idea was brought up to the floor, Aunt Josephine and
the others looked at each other and smiled and said,
"Yes we can!"

It does not matter who the crowd is; a group of pastors, church members, lay leaders, lay speakers, it always seems to be the same thing. We allow ourselves to be tied up in the "how we gonnas" and the "we already tried its" and the "well some 'people' have told mes".

I hope one of the results of the election is that people will start to believe in the church that change can happen and people begin to accept that we have to be willing to try new things and even FAIL when we try them. Eventually the people of God need to accept the fact that for the most part the world is different than when they grew up in the church. The same old same old is not going to work. In fact the same old same old has got us right where we are today.

Yes.
We.
Can.

Amen.

Thank you

2008-11-11T10:56:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all serving now and to all who have served. I thank you and the world does as well.

Whew!

2008-11-09T21:06:00.002-05:00

Well Church Conference is over. As usual it was a long couple of weeks getting it all ready and making sure all the i's were dotted and the t's were crossed.

I enjoyed this Church Conference a little more than the conferences past. The District Superintendent kept things running smoothly and despite the "work" of the conference there was an atmosphere of worship in the air.

Some challenges were laid out for the congregation by the D.S., a lay member, and the pastor (that's me). We used some PowerPoint and a little technology for the first time since I have been at West Grove. We watched a fantastic video about a man on a mission to dole out Free Hugs.

As I sit here at the end of a long day, I am tired but happy and very relieved.

Saturday Musings

2008-11-08T10:07:00.002-05:00

When I am King of the World (all apologies to Bill Conlin)...

Church conferences will not be held during Worship time.
Church conference paperwork will be minimal and not increase 10 percent every year.
Churches will embrace technology and realize the importance to reaching the world.

Elections will be less divisive.
Voters will hold politicians accountable.

Pastors and congregations will learn to honor the sabbath.
Pastors will be in accountability groups.
Churches will encourage pastors to care for their family.

People will look towards the Bible more than the Dow Jones Average.
People will pray more and worry less.
People will spend family time that is not in front of the TV.

Finally, when I am the King of the World...The Phillies and Eagles will win every year!

Tomorrow Night

2008-11-03T22:10:00.002-05:00

When we all go to bed tomorrow night, half of the country will be sad, upset, and angry. They will go to bed knowing that their man is not the next president. So what do we do? What can we do to make these people feel better?

Well what we ought to do is no different than what we do every day. We should be helping people see that no matter who wins Tuesday, God will still be God.

As a Christian, the glass is really never half empty. It is always full, not even half full. It is full with the love of God and the power of the Holy spirit. It is full with compassion, justice, and mercy.
So tomorrow and Wednesday and the day after as the pundits continue to beat this election to death, let's find a way to focus people on something more important than this election, let us point them to something eternal.

I can barely remember

2008-10-31T09:33:00.002-04:00

the emotion and excitement of 1980. I just can't. I did remember the pain of 1983 and 1993. I did remember the lost Super bowl and the NFC Championship games. I did remember being manhandled by the Lakers with Shaq and Kobe. I did remember being humiliated in the Stanley Cup.

But as I sit in my office this morning, all I remember is Wednesday night. I remember a team that flew through the playoffs with just three losses. I remember Shane, Brad, Ryan, Chase, Carlos, Cole, Jimmy, and Pat (o glorious Pat).

I simply remember the joy of watching that 0-2 pitch that dropped off the table and Eric Hinske swinging over it. Oh my, what a moment.

What a moment.

We live in an impatient world

2008-10-28T08:31:00.002-04:00

We want things when we want them. Soon is simply not soon enough for us. I was reminded of this fact as I watched the Phillies game last night. MLB wanted the game now, the fans wanted the game now, Fox network wanted the game now. It was not to be. It was instead a night to learn about patience all over again.

Patience. According to something that I read today; For many of us, patience is a quality more admired than desired. And I say amen! I admire all those people who have the patience to wait and to seek out things in life. There are people that I know who continue to run up against it in life but have the patience to keep plugging along as they wait for God to direct them in a new way.

I admire them, but boy I don't want to be them. I want answers now. I want God's direction now. I want every program we start at church to succeed now. I want every meeting to be beneficial now. I want every Bible study to be fruitful now. I want all sermons to be rich and dynamic now.

When do I realize that God just doesn't work like that?

Where is Bottom?

2008-10-25T09:44:00.002-04:00

I have talked to a financial adviser recently that has told me that things will be looking up by the end of next year. I listened to another adviser on the radio this morning that said not so fast. Of course Glen Beck, who is quite the "optimist", said yesterday we are modeling the Great Depression.

So which way is up? How far is down? Does anyone really know?
According to Business Week it should be over in May. May?
Well in the meantime, let the financial experts figure this all out and let us think about people.

Not money but people, crazy huh? The reality is that in a climate like this people are going to be fearful, and when they are fearful they tighten up the purse strings. The people that are most effected by this are the people that can least afford it. So that is where we come in.

We need to get out there to our churches, employers, businesses, communities and let everyone know that there are people who need help. They are hungry, tired, sick and they need our help. If we think the economy is tough on us, how do you think they feel.

Don't forget the people. They need us.

So let's just say

2008-10-18T10:26:00.002-04:00

We elected all the correct people this year. We got it all correct, all the way from President down to dog catcher. Let's take it one step further and say that all those correct people implemented all the correct legislation and we all voted correctly for all the right referendums.

Will that usher in God's Kingdom? Will it make us better parents? Will it makes our hearts less hard towards God's will for us? Will it eliminate poverty and disease and natural disasters? This was the premise of an article I read this week from Leadership magazine. I was talking to a friend of mine and working on my sermon for this week. Which coincidentally(yea right) had to do with church and state issues.

So what do you think? Politics are so very important it seems in our lives these days. The economy is in trouble and our national confidence is shaken. The church that is called to be bold and courageous is eerily quiet.

So is there a "correct" candidate? Is there a "correct" set of legislation? For me personally I would think there are some candidates who are better than others and some policies that are better than others. In the end though you can't legislate someones heart. In the end we need to trust in Jesus and not politics to bring real hope and real change and the real light to the world.

World Series

2008-10-15T22:42:00.005-04:00

I guess if I was a "good citizen" I would have watched a little of the debate tonight. So maybe I am not a good citizen, but I am one happy Phillies fan.
It happened, it finally happened! We are on the way to the World Series.

It has been a long time coming and lots of pain and anger and disappointment. All that is behind me now and all I see is the World Series starting next week.

It started tonight with a blast off the bat of Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies never looked back. Sure Manny was Manny and drove one into the right field bleachers but it was not nearly enough. Cole Hamels looked fantastic and the rest of the team scratched and clawed and did enough to get ready for Tampa Bay (or Boston if a miracle happens).

Watch out for those Fighting Phils. So tonight maybe I am not a good American citizen for missing the debate, but I am a proud citizen of Phillies nation!

I love this game!

2008-10-10T22:08:00.003-04:00

So much emotion and so many breathtaking moments. 24 hours ago, I was winding down after the first Phillies win and now I have two wins to enjoy.

Brett Myers did not pitch his best game ever, but it could be that we just flat out exhausted after getting three RBI's and scoring two other runs. Unbelievable performance. It is looking more and more like this could be the year. The World Series is so close....so close.

What a game

2008-10-09T23:34:00.003-04:00

Cole Hamels was very good and Derek Lowe just as good. Pitch for pitch they went at it and it was Hamels and the Phillies who ended up on the winning side.

It was definitely not an easy win but it was a fun game to watch. Good defense, great pitching and just enough offense. It is hard to believe that it is starting to be a relief to see Ryan Madson come into a game. He has been fantastic.
Well, game one is over and the Phillies are off to a fast start. Buckle your seat belts it is going to be a fun ride.

Sometimes I feel like a rowboat

2008-10-07T22:17:00.004-04:00

When we went through the Panama Canal this summer, I saw several of these tiny rowboats. Inside each rowboat was one man who would row himself out right next to the big ships passing through the canal. The rowboats would take a cord from the ship and bring it back to the middle of the canal where it would be hooked up to powerful machines that would then lead the ships through the canal. The liner that we were on was hooked up to 4 of these machines, each machine cost about 1.5 million dollars.

As I was looking at this picture, I couldn't help but feel as if sometimes, I feel as isolated as this man did that day. I am forced to row my boat at big ships(economy, fear, tradition, anger, selfishness, poverty) and try to connect those feelings to something that is going to help guide us through(the Gospel).

Sometimes the trip is easy, but at other times it feels as if I am rowing against the currents of society. I am rowing against all those doubts that I have of whether I am the man for the job. I feel as if my vision might be a little suspect and I need some help.

Sometimes though the trip is so much easier. I feel as if the waves are carrying me in safely. It is like all opposition to the changes needed have been removed. I see clearly all the obstacles in my way and am able to steer around them.

Why the differences? I am not totally sure. I know sometimes those differences are due to my own foolishness and pride. I realize that I am the current I am rowing against. Other times it is not so easy to figure out what the problems are.

Have you ever felt like that?

What do you do?

One more Step

2008-10-05T17:13:00.003-04:00

One more step was taken today. Joe Blanton pitched a gem, and Pat Burrell continues to make his case for staying a Phillie. So it is time to face the Dodgers with home field belonging to the Phillies.

Manny Ramirez, Casey Blake, Matt Kemp and company are all that is standing between us and the World Series. The World Series, who would have thunk it! I am so excited.

The Dog days

2008-10-05T12:24:00.003-04:00

I want to introduce you to my "sister", Winnie. This is my parent's dog. She is visiting me this afternoon, well her and my parents are visiting.

It is a really nice thing to be able to relax with family on a Sunday afternoon and today we get to watch the Eagles and the Phillies.

Winnie doesn't know anything about the Phillies or the Eagles she just knows that every once in a while she is going to hear me yelling and carrying on. It won't effect her too much, she will continue on with her day oblivious to the world around her.

The Dog Days for her are just days filled with eating and walking and playing with other dogs, not letting things she doesn't control, get her upset. Not a bad way to live really. Just focus in on today and let the other stuff take care of itself.

So be like Winnie, enjoy your very own Dog Day today.

I am afraid

2008-10-03T21:09:00.002-04:00

Some days this really feels like a job. When the paperwork is due and there is meeting after meeting on the calendar it just seems like an occupation. So on those days I tend to get a little afraid, that this will simply become something I have to do each day.

The great news is that those feelings do not last long. Most days are like today when I got to get out and visit some people and just talk. Talk to them about their lives and their fears and their joys. On days like these, I can't imagine a better way to spend my day or my life.

When I started in ministry, I had two girls who came into church each Sunday and asked if they could wear pajamas to church, I of course said no. As time went on they began to ask why and I just told them we were not "allowed". They said why again, and I realized that there was no reason other then I was afraid of what people might think if I let people wear pjs to church.

I quickly made an "executive" decision and made one upcoming Sunday, PJ Sunday. So when the early Sunday Contemporary service was about to begin I was worried that no one would come in pjs. Finally as people began to walk in the door, one by one they all were wearing them!
So the picture you see is me standing up by the altar in my pjs. What a great Sunday that was, it taught me a lot and it is a feeling that I remind myself of time to time when things get serious and busy and I worry that this might just be a job.

I remind myself that I worship a God of creation. A God of love and excitement, newness, and FUN!!! The God I preach about on Sundays is not boring and does not want us to be either. So today I am reminded that this is not a job and this is not something that I am "stuck" doing, my calling is a blessing and a joy and I can't wait until my next PJ Sunday!

1993

2008-10-02T16:20:00.006-04:00

In 1993 the cost of a :
gallon of milk was $2.86
a stamp was $.29
gallon of gas was $1.11

Why do we care about that? Well it was in the year 1993 that the Philadelphia Phillies last one a playoff game. It was in the 5th game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Who would have thought it would be 15 years before it happened again?

Well Game one is over and they finally did it, Cole Hamels reminded us of the Last great left handed starter the Phillies had, Steve Carlton. Of course Brad Lidge brought back flashbacks to Mitch Williams, but that is a whine for another day. They won game one and the odds are now in our favor of moving on to Round Two. But before I get to far ahead of myself, let's just relax and enjoy this victory! .....edited due to brain lock!

Confidence and Power

2008-10-01T09:48:00.004-04:00

Listening to the news the past few weeks, you can't help but feel a little worried of what the future may hold. We have so many pulls on our economic situation.

People are talking about hundreds of Billions of dollars like it is nothing. People are starting to lose confidence that their money is safe. They feel that they have lost power over their future. I got tired of being worried about those things so I began to look at some pictures. I saw lots of great pictures that my wife has taken over the years and then I came upon this one.

Ginny and I went to the Niagara Falls a few years ago. What a magnificent experience. I think that this was one of the first places that I have been to where I really was struck by the sights. On vacation, I am more of just a relaxation kind of guy, however some of the last vacations I have been on have changed that. I have begun to really look at the world around me and marvel at it in a new way.

The trip to Niagara Falls was the tipping point for that change. To stand and look out at that vast amount of water and the power that it had was simply breathtaking. What this picture and others like it remind me of is that we don't really have that much power and it is okay. The God who created the Niagara Falls and all the other beauty in this world has all the power and we need to have confidence in him.

The future may not look like we envision it, however that does not mean we need to worry so much about it. So spend less time worrying and more time seeking God. Let's spend more time in prayer and fellowship and reading God's word.

In the end it comes down to who we have confidence in God or man. I choose God.

It's playoff time

2008-09-30T12:24:00.002-04:00

Finally we are just a day away from the Phillies and the Brewers. I have been waiting for this since last year when the Rockies swept the Phillies.

It is time for a few Phillies to step up and make some noise in the playoff. Starting with Cole Hamels and Chase Utley, the Phillies need both of these guys to have a good series.

With those two at the top of their game and Rollins and Howrd being Rollins and Howard, this should be simply step one to a very encouraging postseason.

Thanks

2008-09-26T21:25:00.002-04:00

Since the beginning of July, and really before, life has been very stressful for me. My family was being moved to a new place and we had to deal with packing moving, goodbyes, hellos, and all that goes with the move.

Our move got pushed back a few weeks so it meant many late nights for me as I had to commute back and forth and that mean time away from the family. Once the move got done we had to go through settling in as we were preparing to go on our vacation.

As we began to settle in I was very busy at the new church meeting people and going to meetings and just learning the community. Then the physical problems started. First ot was my back and then kidney stones(again). It has been a real tough couple of weeks and I have had to really rely on the people at the church to get me through at church and to my fellow neighborhood pastors to help me as well. I have learned that I am not indispensable to the church and the church has learned that as well and that is a good thing.

But the mot important thing I have been reminded of is that I just couldn't get though any of this if it wasn't for my wife. She has been a blessing and a rock for me. When I was done and out for almost two weeks she had to do it all herself, take care of the house and take care of me and still keep working.

I would be lost without her.

So I just want to say Thank You, to my love, my friend, my wife, my Ginny.

I love you.

Da Birds!

2008-09-21T21:47:00.003-04:00

This is how Big Ben spent most of Sunday afternoon. What a fun game to watch, the defense just kept pushing and pushing and the Steelers kept falling down.

It was a great afternoon of Football, hopefully Westbrook is not too banged up. In the last two weeks the Eagles have showed me that they have put together quite a team this year.

Add this to the fact that the Phillies lead in the NL east sits at a game and a half and all is well in Philly Sports land. Great, great day....if I could just get rid of this stupid kidney stone!

Such a small thing

2008-09-19T16:17:00.004-04:00

and yet so much pain. I am smack in the middle of my latest bout with kidney stones and let me just say I am tired. Tired of the pain and tired of having to take medicine just to survive and tired of feeling terrible after taking medicine.

It is such a frustrating place to be and I feel bad for my family because they are stuck taking care of me. In the meantime I have to hope and pray that I am well enough come Sunday to preach.

I am preaching on Justifying Grace on Sunday and so I am confident that if I am able to make it to the pulpit on Sunday that it will simply be another illustration of God's grace, not justifying grace but grace nonetheless.

So bring on Sunday.

The Cross in the World

2008-09-16T18:21:00.002-04:00

This is my view every Sunday as I stand and deliver the message to my church. This big beautiful cross looking out into the world. it is a simple reminder to me that this is what it is all about. I am delivering a message to the church about the impact that the cross has had, does have, and will have on that big world out there.

As I stood there on Sunday I was discussing the concept of Prevenient Grace. I spoke of God wooing us to him before we even knew there was a God. I said those words and I looked at that cross and it made the concept so crystal clear to me. God calls out out us through love and the sacrifice of Jesus and the work of the cross.

This calling/wooing allows us to know and understand that there is a God who cares and loves and we have sinned against this God. This is the beginning of our journey with God. So I encourage you this week to look out your window at the world and see where God is calling you and see where you can go tell the story of God.

Life can be Messy

2008-09-13T11:27:00.003-04:00

This is my nephew eating his very first Mickey ice cream bar on our vacation. As you can see he loved it! Looking at this picture was a reminder that sometimes life does get a little messier than we want. things happen and people disappoint us or our job becomes tough.

Yet when I look at this picture I think that perhaps it is okay. We can still find ways to enjoy life even when it does get messy. Things may not be going the way we envisioned or want but there is still a chance that we can find our way through it and enjoy where we find ourselves.

So when life gets you down, grab yourself a Mickey bar and make a mess!

Where does the time go?

2008-09-10T09:21:00.003-04:00

I am stunned as I look at the calendar and see that we are in September. I have been here over two months and it seems as if time has flown. There is still so much to do and so many people to meet. I have a To Do List that gets longer by the day and I just can't seem to find a way to make it any smaller at all.

However, this is exactly what I was looking for in a new appointment, if they decided to move me I wanted to be constantly on the go and so far I have been. So as time goes on and I get more and more settled, I will simply continue to look for where God is sending me and try and find God's will in all that I do.

Peace!

Hope Springs eternal?

2008-09-05T22:27:00.003-04:00

Well maybe not, but there is a glimpse. Bret Myers pitched a gem of a game tonight and the Phillies crawled back to within two games of the Mets. I think that if the Phillies can keep it close, the Mets will start remembering the end of last season. The pressure will start to build and hopefully they will play tight and the Phils will be able to play fast and loose.....

and then there is Da Birds
It is an interesting year. Receivers dropping like flies and yet there is an air of expectation when you look at Donovan. I am telling you, he knows something the rest of us don't. Maybe it is the fact that Desean Jackson is better than advertised, maybe it is the defense is back to form , I don't know. I just think Donovan is excited about this year.

So yea, maybe hope is springing eternal after all.

Duck!

2008-09-03T18:20:00.002-04:00

On our vacation, my 18 month old nephew was more impressed by Donald Duck than Mickey Mouse. Every time he saw a bird, he always said, "duck, duck, duck".

So on the morning that we went through the Panama Canal, Ginny and I saw Donald walking around and we wanted to take a picture for our nephew. The one way to do it was for one of us to pose with Donald. My wife was saving herself for Mickey, she has an obsession, so the posing was left for me.

So Ian Thomas, here he is.....Donald Duck!

I have to share an experience

2008-09-01T09:55:00.002-04:00

When I was in seminary in one of my preaching classes we had to watch some videos from a series called Great Preachers. I saw some amazing preaching in those tapes. Well last night I was asked to say the evening prayer at Ocean Grove in the Great Auditorium and got a chance to listen to one of those great preachers from the videos.

I went into the study before the service started to let them know that I was there and then I had the honor of meeting Rev. James Forbes. He turned and introduced himself to me, Hi, I am Jim Forbes" and I just chuckled. I then had the chance to listen to him speak for a few minutes on a variety of topics.

None of that could hold a candle though to the powerful message he would deliver. I have never heard a message delivered in such a way, the man is a gift from God is all I can say. He has a presence that is simply unbelievable.

I am still feeling that message now. All I can say is wow, what a blessing.

Well I am Home

2008-09-01T09:39:00.002-04:00

It was quite a trip. The Canal was all that I had hoped for and more. As soon as my wife gets home from the trip I hope to have some pictures to show of the experience. I am sure we can find one or two since she took about 500 during the passage through the canal!

Vacation time

2008-08-15T14:33:00.002-04:00

Well in a few days, my family and I will be having a view much like this. Our annual family vacation is taking a cruise through the Panama Canal.

As usual, I have not allowed myself to get too excited leading up to the vacation because there is always so much to do, but even more so this year as I adjust to a new appointment.

Yet as I type this, I have so many emotions running though me. The excitement is building to an enormous level. I just can't wait.

Well everyone enjoy themselves and take care.

Peace!

Olympic Spirit

2008-08-12T18:10:00.004-04:00

Been catching the Olympics each night for a little while. I am just so amazed at the performances of people like Micheal Phelps and Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Piersol among others. The dedication and drive that they display is awe inspiring.

For a couple of weeks these people who we do not hear about for the most part of 4 years suddenly dominate our viewing pleasure. It is great theater and NBC is doing a pretty decent job.

As I was thinking about the Olympics, I wondered about the pain and work and sacrifice that these people go through waiting for their chance at history. So it made me wonder.

How about Jean Basson, Ashley Delaney, and Gemma Spofforth. Do any of you know who these people are? Well I can say that I didn't but what I know about them is this. For at least the last 4 years they have trained just as hard and just as long as anyone else that swam yesterday and they also had a dream. They wanted to win a medal. Well those three were the 3 4th place finishers in the three big races that we saw last night. Fourth place! Wow, that is tough. One of them lost out on a medal by 4 100ths of a second.

Today we celebrate the medal winners but perhaps we should remember those others who worked and dreamed of their Olympic Moments. The invisible competitors, the least and the last and the lost.

Hey! Doesn't that remind you of something? The least the last and the lost are the people we are called to reach. It is not always the popular people or the rich people or the elite people that we are to go tell the story to but instead it is also to people like Jean Basson, Ashley Delaney, and Gemma Spofforth. People who have dreams but perhaps life is beating them down.

Go tell them the story.

So they ship me up to

2008-08-07T09:03:00.003-04:00

Giants and Jets country and now the area is buzzing becasue Brett Favre is now a Jet.

Oh, how I miss Eagle Talk!

I prayed a lot last night

2008-08-06T09:04:00.003-04:00

before I went to that meeting. I decided to make a change in how things would be presented. I decided to start small and go from there. I walked through the sanctuary and I just felt God telling me to go slow.

I often talk about Majoring in the "majors" and minoring in the "minors", well I felt as if god was telling me to do just that.

Vision is tricky business.

So we took a step last night and we begin the journey. So where do we go from here, only the Spirit can tell us that.

You know that initial period of time

2008-08-05T09:17:00.003-04:00

in a new pastorate called the honeymoon? Well I remember at my first church that period lasted quite a while. Tonight I think I could be looking at hastening the end of my honeymoon at the new appointment.

Oh well, it has been fun!

There are just somethings that I really see that need to be addressed, some things that are not exactly kingdom building. So we need to make some changes and to cast a different vision. I know that is part of my job, I just wish that the things that need addressed weren't on the "sacred cow" list.

Oh well, that is why they pay me the "big buck" I suppose!

I will let you all know how it went! I will be busy praying most of the day, so if you could say a little prayer with me.

It really doesn't matter

2008-08-03T21:37:00.002-04:00

who you are. You could be Christina Applegate, a famous actress (Kelly Bundy anyone?) or young Grace Bergen, you still need people praying for you and you still need God. These two ladies couldn't be more different. One is a well known actress, been in the spotlight for years and has probably been the envy of many, yet finds herself battling breast cancer. Grace Bergen is a 12 year old girl who plays the drum many of you have never heard of her, but she made the national news this week for a 150 foot fall.

So what is the moral of the story? We all need God and we could all use some people praying for us each day. I will tell you that I could really use some prayer, but really who couldn't. Take some time tomorrow and say a quick little prayer for EVERYONE that you come in contact with. They all are going to need it.

Prayer until something happens then pray a little longer.

One Trick Pony?

2008-07-31T20:42:00.003-04:00

I would like to think not, but maybe I am becoming one.
Joel asked me to teach a day of VBS at his church and I gladly said yes. He told me the story would be of Zaccheus.

I was told that I was free to do whatever I wanted so I decided to teach in character. I knew with my fear of heights there was no way that I was climbing a real tree, so I relied on the old stand by...a ladder.

Yea yea I know a ladder...again. But it was one way that I knew I could grab the children's attention and if I did it right it would be a real fun day.

I ended up teaching the class to five different groups of children, maybe about 120 or so total. Some groups were tougher than others but all in all it was a very rewarding experience.
In the end since I have never taught these kids, they have never seen me with a ladder, so I guess it wasn't too bad. Hopefully in the end they all will take something from that story about the need to serve their community (the theme for the day) and that is what counts.

Ten things I think

2008-07-28T22:35:00.003-04:00

I know..about being a pastor

1) People want to know that you care.

2) Sunday is just the start of the job, the real work happens the rest of the week.

3) Everybody wants change...until you change "that".

4) Without being surrounded by a strong support system you will will fail

5) There is nothing better than seeing the look on someones face when they "get" it.

6) There is really nothing better when the person who "gets" it is a child.

7) The Bible is not just a book for sermon prep.

8) Prayer is not an option

9) This job rocks!

10) Without Jesus, it means nothing...with Jesus it means everything

* idea for 10 things in think comes from Peter King

Trying to find our way

2008-07-26T22:32:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow morning as I stand before the church, I will once again be talking about Jacob. This time I will be preaching about his arrangement with Laban in regards to a spouse.

The long and the short if it is that Laban gave Jacob a taste of what he had been dishing out to others. In other words, Laban tricked Jacob.

However, the interesting thing to me is that we see that Jacob really has no one to blame but himself. He is fooled because of his own greed and own desire.

He is blinded by desire and more than likely a little wedding wine.
But the thing is, we all fall victim to being blinded by the world around us. It could be desire, jealousy, anger, lust, alcohol, drugs, or even fear. There are many things that could blind us from what God desires us to see and experience.

I just pray this evening that our eyes are open and we see clearly just what God would want us to see.