We're Moving...

I've taken a leap and moved my blog to... http://jamescblack.wordpress.com/

I found that I can make more materials available at wordpress and so I hope you will make the leap with me and continue reading my somewhat eradic posts at my new address. Hopefully in the near future you'll also find notes for Bible classes and other materials. My students at RCA will be able to download our handouts from the site as well. Unfortunately, if you are a current e-mail subscriber to this blog, you'll have to sign up again with wordpress. Just click on the Subscribe section and its very easy! Fortunately, that involves very few... and I mean very few people.

My goal is to make the site more usable and more handy... not just a location for my random thoughts... though it'll serve that function as well. For the time being, I'm leaving this blog online, but won't be updating it. Who knows... I may miss 'blogger's unique features and want to return sometime??

Thanks! Let's go to... http://jamescblack.wordpress.com/

Sermon Player -

Little Big Man

The following is an article that came across my desk last week and I thought it should be shared with everyone. Last month I preached a lesson where I challenged us to consider what we could all do for the kingdom with “what we’ve got.” Too often we view challenges such as world hunger as “just too big” to do anything about… but oh, if we could just have the attitude of a child…

Little Big Man

Catch this idea. Little five year old Jackson Watson sees a TV program that is trying to raise awareness and money to feed starving West Africans. There are flies on these young children, they don’t have enough food to eat, the food they have is not that good for them. Jackson hits the sheets for sleep but when he awakes the next morning he decides he is going to do something about what he saw. He grabs an empty peanut butter jar, puts big stickers on the jar and writes a note so the children will know he wants them to eat good food like broccoli and carrots. (The stickers and jar are to put the flies in so they won’t be buzzing around the kids’ eyes.) He doesn’t want them to be hungry anymore. He takes the jar to Darryl who is the minister at his congregation so Darryl can get the jar to Africa to help these children.

Darryl sits and looks at the jar, decides to preach a lesson about it, puts the jar down on the Lord’s table, notices after services that there is $100 bucks in the jar, decides to bring little Jackson to the podium that evening, puts him on a chair and “little big man” explains to the congregation what he saw on TV. Enter another $509 bucks to the “bug jar.” The next Sunday another plea is made. The total is now $1000. Darryl tells the congregation about a worthy work in West Africa that is digging wells, and the farmers are raising crops. So the money is sent to help the children and this worthy work.

Now I don’t know what you think about Jackson. I don’t even know what you think about helping people that don’t have enough food to eat or have flies on their faces, but I do know this: If a five year old boy can spark an idea from “just doing the next right thing,” then people like you and me that have resources, have abilities and capabilities far greater than a five year old can do anything they set their minds to. We ought to have our minds set on preaching the gospel to the world.

What a lesson in just lifting where you stand with what you have in your hand. I hope Jackson never ever stops believing that he CAN do something about and for others.

-Lesley Brumfield—Safari for Souls 2008 Campaigner

I “amen” what Mr. Brumfield suggests. By the way… little Jackson is the grandson of our own Charles and Suzanne Higgins. What if we ALL had his same optimistic and determined spirit as Jaskson? What could we accomplish for the kingdom of God?

A Crazy Summer

It’s not that it isn’t true… I’m sure it is.  For years now people have been telling us that “these are the best years” referring to these years with our small children, Andy -8, David- 6, and Michael- 4.  I have not doubt that this sage wisdom from those parents who are just trying to encourage us is absolutely true… its just that sometimes it doesn’t FEEL like it.  I do have the sense, however, that these years are slipping away very quickly.  It seems to me that Andy should be, oh… about three… maybe four, but not eight!  Where has the time gone? 

So, I have really tried this summer to kick back, relax and spend more time at home or doing things with them.  Last Spring was so busy with baseball and school activities that I hardly felt like I had time to sit down.  So, I decided that my more flexible schedule this summer should allow me more time with them.  We’ve been to Chattanooga twice (quick trips really just to see the grandparents and spend time with them.)  That’s four hours in the car… per trip… by far the most difficult part of our journey!  (Actually one of those trips involved about seven hours in the car… as we spent 2 ½ on the side of the Interstate waiting on a tractor trailer accident to get cleaned out of the way.)  Their cousins have all come out to visit for a few days at a time.  One week John Paul, Amy, Karen, Charity and Sarah were with us… they’re great fun as they entertain our boys and help out around the house!  But, yes, that’s eight children at the house for those of you counting.  Our boys spent a week at their house a few weeks later (turnabout is fair play!)  Another week their cousins, Noah and Micah, were with us.  We all went out to a Huntsville Stars game… that never ended!  (We couldn’t stay up late enough to catch the fireworks after the game so we were a bit disappointed.  The Stars lost, too, by the way.)  This past week my sister’s girls, Reagan and Riley were with us.  We went down to Huntsville and spent a day at the Early Works Museum.  Great fun, but the talking tree sort of freaked little Reagan out.  Come to think of it… talking trees sort of freak me out, too.  Who thought that was a good idea for a children’s museum?  Haven’t they seen the Wizard of Oz?  This week we’re planning another quick trip to Nashville and the Grassmere Zoo with the girls.  I’m not sure why we’re going to the zoo… other than the fact its David’s birthday and that’s what he wanted to do???  I live in a zoo!

With all of this kicking back and relaxing with the children… I’m exhausted!  Anybody ready for school to start?

A Time of Refreshing

After preaching the good news to a group of folks who had gathered around Solomon’s Colonnade in Acts 3, the apostle Peter saw that they were convicted by the message. Seeing their desire to make things right, he told them, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” He then goes on to tell them about the Lord’s return, but pause there for a moment. What better way to describe the Christian life than as a “time of refreshing”? Let’s be honest. Our situation before Christ was dire. There was no hope. We had sinned and fallen short. But the hope of the gospel is that in Christ, we are forgiven, redeemed, restored… refreshed! Everybody could use this kind of refreshment, couldn’t they?

One of the problems of the Christian life, however, is that we can easily forget just how refreshing it is supposed to be. We can still allow the pressures and burdens of this life to get us down. We can even allow the activity of the church and the various works with which we are involved to take up so much of our energy that we get down… or sometimes even burned out. How tragic this is! Of course this ‘burn out’ as the world calls it is caused because we have failed to stay plugged in to the ultimate power source… Jesus Christ. We have failed to connect with him in a way that continually sustains and continually refreshes.

I always try to make Summer time a time of refreshing for me. It is a time when I try to sit back after a busy Spring and reflect, dream and think about my own faith and the faith of those with whom I minister. Last week the family and I went up to Nashville for a conference at Lipscomb University and for a time of refreshing. What a blessing it was to hear great messages from some terrific preachers who challenged me and spurred me to greater spiritual growth. Next week, we are going to try to get away for a few days just for some fun and relaxation. We all need these periods of “down time.” If you haven’t sought any spiritual refreshing this Summer, let me challenge you to do so. With school starting so early these days, most of us only have a few weeks left! Here’s a few ideas…

• Read a book that will challenge you spiritually.
• Go to a conference or lecture series.
• Read through a Biblical book that you haven’t read in a while.
• Listen to a sermon from someone other than me on the internet (check below for some suggestions...)
• Get away for a few days of retreat and reflect on what God is doing in your life.
• Do something different to challenge yourself spiritually.

Summer will grind to a halt soon enough and we will all be back in the groove of work, school, and activity… take advantage of every opportunity to be refreshed by God’s Word!

Listen online to great messages from preachers I have listened to...

Russ Adcox
Maury Hills Church of Christ, Columbia, TN
http://www.mauryhills.com/podcasts.htm

Shon Smith
University Church of Christ, Tuscaloosa
http://www.universitycofc.org/podcasts.html

Jeff Walling
Providence Road Church of Christ, Charlotte, N.C.
http://www.prcoc.org/Default.asp?page=239

Mike Cope
Highland Church of Christ, Abilene, TX
http://www.highlandchurch.org/resource/podcasts

Rick Atchley
Richland Hills Church of Christ, Dallas, TX
http://www.rhchurch.org/index.cfm?pg=doc&id=99

Patrick Mead
Rochester Church of Christ, Rochester, MI
http://www.rochestercoc.org/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FaithHighway/10000/4000/974RO/sermons

David Salisbury
Lomax Church of Christ, Hohenwald, TN
http://www.lomaxchurch.com/

The Center

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (cf. Heb. 12:1) which, when you think about it, is a remarkable statement. It is well known that Paul suffered from some sort of “thorn in the flesh” which impaired him in his ministry somewhat. Many scholars agree that it probably had something to do with his eyesight, which would make sense since he was literally blinded on his way to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him and convinced him to change course. Even though he was healed from the blindness, perhaps he suffered some sort of residual effects from it the rest of his life… perhaps as a reminder of his spiritual blindness prior to conversion? That’s why it is interesting that Paul would say, “Let us fix our EYES on Jesus.” Did Paul have a problem keeping his eyes focused? Did he have a problem seeing clearly? Do we?

As I said on Sunday, there are all sorts of things that distract us in our world and cause us to take our focus off of Jesus. There are all sorts of things which cause spiritual blindness. If you are like me, then you are easily distracted. I’m distracted by a beautiful sunset when I’m driving down the road or by my children when I’m trying to write a bulletin article or any number of things! It’s a natural reflex even… my eyes automatically go to what is new, colorful or interesting… regardless of what I am trying to focus on. Is that how it is with our spiritual lives? Did the Apostle Paul lock onto something here? Staying focused requires… well… focus! It requires effort. It requires a deliberate, willful and intentional effort to stay focused.

As we began our study of Mark’s gospel this past Sunday morning, I reminded us of Paul’s words in Hebrews 12:1. Our goal as we read through Mark together is to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” He is the center of our faith… he is the author and perfecter of our faith… and he ought to be at the center of EVERYTHING we do! Is he? Join in on the discussion of the gospel, the man Jesus Christ risen from the dead and how we can help each other stay focused and centered on Him!

Sharing the simple gospel...

Over the last few weeks I’ve been trying to explore some different thoughts along the theme of the “gospel.”  I’ve heard the term gospel all of my life as have most of us and I’m afraid that we just kind of take it for granted what we mean by it.  The word itself just means “good news” but what is this “good news”?  Some have tended to see it primarily as a list of principles to believe… tenets of faith, if you will.  Thus when Paul talks about the gospel in 1 Cor. 15 and says that “it is by this gospel you are saved” he would be meaning that by believing these certain articles of faith you are saved.  Others have viewed the gospel more in terms of obedience and see it as a list of commands or instructions that must be obeyed.  I certainly respect their emphasis on the fact that just believing isn’t enough, we must also act on those beliefs… I’m just now sure that gets at it either.  By that Paul would be saying that by obeying a certain list of commands we are saved… but wouldn’t that be salvation by works?

To me, the answer is so simple.  Paul is pretty clear in that 1 Cor. 15 passage and even clearer in 2 Tim. 2:8 when he says, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.  This is my gospel.”  Paul didn’t understand “the gospel” to be a list of principles or commands!  He understood the “good news” to be Jesus Christ risen from the dead!  So the “gospel” is a man!  Jesus Christ!

What implications does this view have towards evangelism, then?  As we are commanded by Jesus himself to go out and preach this “gospel” (cf. Mark 16:15-ff) how does this change our attitudes, our mind-set and even our methodologies?  Any thoughts?  This is what I want to explore next Sunday.

Our First Woman President!

Yes folks, that's right... I've joined the bandwagon. I've changed my mind after all these many months and now I have brought myself to the position where I would be willing to vote for America's first woman president! Now, I'm not necessarily going to go out there and start trying to persuade all of my friends and family to vote along with me... but I think (for me at least) that I'm going to do it! I'm going to pull that lever and cast that vote for...

Simple Christianity 2.0

This Sunday we are returning to a sermon series that I began last November… “Simple Christianity.”  This time, however, we are stepping it up a notch.  This is what I wrote in the bulletin back then…

Preachers and theologians like to throw out big, twenty dollar religious words like “propitiation,” “soteriology,” and (my favorite) “dispensational eschatology.”  I suppose we like for folks to think that we are smarter than we really are or that our education was just as hard as theirs, I don’t know?  For whatever reason, I believe that many of us have created a religion that is much more complicated than God ever intended “the faith” to be!  As you look at the Bible, as we have over the last few weeks, I think you’ll find that it is not nearly as complicated or complex as some of us have made it.  God’s Word, even given all of the factors that make it difficult to understand, is remarkably simple.  God’s intention for man is remarkably simple.  God’s plan of salvation is remarkably simple.  We do not need to muddy the waters by complicating God’s simple gospel with our “learned” opinions or religious systems. 

This Sunday I want to continue our thinking along this very premise… the simplicity of the gospel.  While we acknowledge its simplicity, I also want to challenge us to delve deeper into our theology and understanding of the gospel.  What is it and how does it really change and shape our lives?  Let me encourage you to use this opportunity, not only to reexamine your faith and practice, but also to invite your friends and family to be a part of our worship services. 

Dakota's story...

Here’s a bit more of the story that I shared with our church on Sunday.  April is my amazing cousin and Gene is her wonderful husband.  The story of their experience is heart-wrenching, but uplifting.

 

Gene's Story: I want to thank the MOD for everything that they are doing! I have a story that I feel compelled to share although it is not a happy one. You never know how perspective can change and how much the MOD means! After a couple of years of trying to conceive on our own, my wife and I went to a fertility specialist and went through in-vitro fertilization. My wife carried the first 2 embryos for about 8 weeks, at which time she miscarried. We waited a few months and tried again. My wife was implanted with 2 more embryos, and our son was conceived in December of 2006. All of the ultrasounds were amazing. Since he was an in-vitro baby, we got to see him every week via ultrasound, watching him grow every step of the way. Everything was running smoothly until April, 2007, when her OB/GYN noticed a little funneling in her cervix. She was referred to a high risk OB to check her out. Once the OB saw her, he immediately admitted her to the high risk pregnancy unit in the hospital. She was at 22 weeks. Her cervix was totally effaced and they tried an emergency circlage, which failed. She was put on strict bed rest while in the hospital. The doctors were not hopeful that her cervix would hold our little boy in until it was a viable pregnancy. We were devastated, but as each day passed, we gained hope little by little. We knew that 24 weeks was the first benchmark, viability. We knew that the chances were slim, but we still had hope. As 24 weeks passed, we counted each and every day to 25 weeks. At 26 weeks, they injected surfactin, a steroid, to help his little lungs develop. We were amazed that he had held on inside for as long as he had. We knew that he was now viable, and with each passing day it increased his chance at survival. We had become accustomed to the routine at the hospital, and were treated amazingly by every staff member there! Then, on the day he turned 27 weeks, my wife’s water broke. He was breach and she was on blood thinners. She would have to have our child naturally. She was rushed to the delivery room, and at 4:50 AM on May 18, 2007, our son, Dakota Shea Taylor, was born. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He weighed 1 lb. and 15 oz. We knew that he had an uphill struggle since he was born so early, but we held out hope that everything would be ok. The initial reports were that they had injected some additional surfactin to help his lungs develop, and he was responding nicely. I visited Dakota about 10 times that day. Both of our families came to see our new bundle of joy. My wife, still reeling from the pregnancy, and all of the complications that occurred, was unable to really see him. Each time I went to see him though, things were not improving. His lungs were not responding. They constantly had to increase his oxygen level, which is not good in the early stages of a young child’s life. At 6PM, the neonatologist came into my wife’s room and informed us that there wasn’t anything else that they could do and wanted to know if we would agree to a do not resuscitate order. We didn’t want our son to suffer, so we reluctantly agreed. At 6:30 PM, they told us they were taking him off life support and wanted to know if we wanted to hold him. We wanted to, but we couldn’t!! We couldn’t watch our son die in our arms, so we declined. At 7:10 PM on May 18, 2007, our son, Dakota Shea Taylor, went to his Father! After he passed, I did get to finally hold him in my arms. I told him how proud I was of him, and how proud I was that he fought for every minute of his life. His poor little lungs just weren’t developed enough to handle it, but I know that he fought with every ounce of energy he had! It was the happiest and saddest day of my life. At the funeral, we asked that everyone either donate to the March of Dimes, or the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital where Dakota spent his life. Never being a parent before, I didn’t understand how much you could love someone as much as you love your kids until now! I will always cherish the short time I had with my son! On his birthday this year, and every year after, we will send out invitations inviting everyone to send a donation to the March of Dimes. We want to win this fight with prematurity! All battles won’t be won, but if the war can be won, it makes Dakota’s story an exception, rather than the rule. I want to personally thank the MOD for everything that they do with premature babies and birth defects.---Gene Taylor April's Story: Well, I don't know how to describe 2007, but it was the worst year of our life. We owe so much thanks to EVERYONE including Erlanger NICU and high risk nurses, fertility center of chattanooga, family, friends, and even strangers from churches and other organizations. As my husband described, our first attempt at IVF was unsuccessful. But the 2nd attempt was a great success. We were so excited after my husband who is scared of needles injected me daily with multiple shots and stood by me through mood swings due to all the hormones injected into my body. Anyways, the 2nd attempt was 2 embryos and we were disappointed that we lost 1; however, the 2nd stayed. We went multiple times per week for ultrasounds and checkups. It was amazing to watch a heartbeat turn into fingers, toes, arms, legs, face, etc. Since I was a little girl I had always said I was going to name my baby Cody. Since we didn't know the sex yet, we both agreed easily on Dakota for either sex. So, Dakota was named at the embryo stage. We were so excited! Started buying maternity clothes, baby clothes, etc. My mom was so excited that she volunteered to babysit throughout the week despite the fact that she lived 1 hour away. She had already planned on staying at my house throughout the week or taking Dakota to her house for a few nights so we didn't have to pay for childcare. Then it all hit! I received a call from my mom who was so strong that she called me from the hospital to tell me she was in liver failure. We had seen different signs, but she would say that it was upset belly and she was coughing off and on but she would say it was allergies. Turns out her lungs and body were filled with blood clots due to hereditary blood disorder. I called my aunt Jackie immediately who lives in Michigan (she is more like my sister) and she packed her bags and drove all night to be with us. I remember telling her "I am pregnant and can't handle this". When she arrived we spent every waking moment at the hospital with my mom. Jackie brought along my 2 cousins also and they were such great support. We have always been very close despite the seperation in distance. Of course they were all excited to see my pooching belly and such! While my mom was in the hospital, I had an appointment for an ultrasound. My husband and cousin went with me and at that time we discovered that Dakota was a "boy". I will never forget the look on their faces. I thought my husband was going to jump with excitement out of the room. You could tell that he had deeply always wanted a boy. We all rushed to the hospital to tell my mom the great news. She would lay in the hospital bed and rub my belly and talk to Dakota. Then things got even worse. My mom who was perfectly healthy to in hospital was diagnosed w/cancer and told that chemo/radiation wouldn't cure. She was told she had only a few weeks to live. That's when my entire life crumbled literally beneath my feet. I got so weak I didn't know what to do. I sat on my mom's bedside and she said "I am going to get them to keep me alive until August so I can see Dakota" (that was his estimated due date). I told her that I didn't want her to suffer and that I wanted her to be healthy in order for Dakota to see her. We just cried and cried. Then she looked at me and said "I don't want to live without you" and I told her "you will always live inside of my heart". Which to this day is true. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her. That afternoon, my mom passed away. My grandmother who is healthy and in her 80's offered to stay and help me with the baby and we graciously took her into our home. She would go to appointments with me, but one appointment turned into another beginning of a nightmare. I was seen by high risk doctor and they immediately admitted me to the hospital. They wouldn't even let me go to the car to get my belongings because they said I had to get straight to bed. They could already see the top of Dakota's head. My husband and dad came immediately to the hospital (and my husband never left me for more than a few minutes the entire time from admission to discharge). Anyways, they attempted several things to try and help with preventing Dakota from coming early. We prayed each day that he would grow in my belly more and more. It was an amazing experience to feel him moving and kicking around. They drained amniotic fluid out through my belly to relieve some pressure which helped prolong him somewhat. Unfortunately, I developed a blood clot myself and discovered I had inherited the same blood disorder that my mother had and they placed me on blood thinners. Then it happened. I went into labor. They took me to delivery and my sister in law, grandmother, dad, and husband were present. They had all rushed to be there! The doctor felt that since Dakota was early that he would easily be delivered despite the fact that be was breeched. I was so much more relaxed when I saw that my nurse was a girl that I had gone to nursing school (ande). She made me feel more confident despite my hesitations about delivering naturally and breeched. They couldn't give me any epidurals due to being on blood thinners. The delivery turned into a huge complication. Dakota got stuck and they had to work hard on getting him out because my hips and pelvis hadn't expanded for him. Since I was on blood thinners both me and Dakota were bruised quite badly. I will never forget them holding him up for me to see and all I thought was "look at that head full of black hair!". My husband is red headed and I am blonde. Everybody was so positive and saying he was doing well. As the story continues to get worse, I began to hemorrage and had to have blood transfusions due to being on the blood thinners. I practically went into shock and was heavily medicated so I really didn't know all that was going on throughout the day. I knew it wasn't good due to he fact I would see my entire family in the room crying off and on. My husband would come and tell me that Dakota wasn't doing well, but I encouraged him to care for Dakota and not me. I won't ever forget looking to my bedside and my dad sitting there and me asking what was going on and his response was "I just want my baby girl to live right now". That's definitely what a daddy would say to his girl!! That evening, the doctor came to talk to us and Gene and I decided that we didn't want Dakota to suffer through anymore medical trauma. It was all in God's hands. So, we took him off his ventilators which was pretty much recommended by the physician. Dakota continued to fight off the equipment, but finally passed away. I was so shocked and stunned that I couldn't even cry. I was offered to hold him, but so weak and stunned that I was unable. I am glad that Dakota got to be in his daddy's arms though. I wish I could have held him, but just couldn't. I let everyone in my family hold him that wanted to. His Aunt Angela would go and talk to him and touch him which was such a relief for me that she stepped in and did the "motherly" thing for me. I like to tell everyone that my mom wanted to have her grandson so badly that she had him brought to Heaven to be with her and that she is rocking him each day in Heaven for me. There is not a day that goes by or that will ever go by in my life that I don't think about my baby Dakota. He will always be my son and my 1st born. I just want to express Thanks and Love to everyone that visited, called, helped, etc. Don't know what we would have done without you all! It proved to us who our "true friends" are. This story is not intended to make you sad, but to share our story and let you know that other people suffer and go through experiences like this daily. We ask that you make a donation to the March of Dimes, Erlanger NICU, or Hospice of Chattanooga in memory of Dakota. His birthday is May 18th! Love to all!!

 

God isn’t finished with this story yet, by the way…

If you've been looking for me... I've been at the ballpark!

Yep, that's right. Just about every night for the last month we've been at the ol' ballpark. This year Andy and David are both playing so between practices, games and shuttling back and forth... we're spending quite a lot of time these days in the bleachers. I thought I would share some shots of the boys at their first games of the season. They've each played about 3 games so far. David had his first win today! He played incredible... three hits and even scored the winning run. We're still waiting on a win for Andy's team... but he played great today, too! He even got some time in the infield at second base even though he's the youngest on his team (and he did great!) They also look pretty sharp in their uniforms... all of this, of course, they get from their mother!

Standing thru... death

   With all of the uncertainties of life, there is one thing that is certain… death.  The Bible says, “It is appointed unto man once to die and then to face the judgment!”  It is an appointment we will all keep, even though few of us know when it will come.  This Sunday we will be concluding our series “Stand in the Rain” by discussing the “rain” that will fall upon us all… death.  Death is certainly a tough one!  The death of a loved one, especially a life-long spouse can be devastating.  The prospect of one’s own death can also loom over us like a specter and rob us from living to the full the moments we DO have.  What is God’s answer to death?  How can we “stand” when death looms over us?  How can we continue on when we have lost someone so dear to us?  These are the questions I hope to explore together Sunday morning.  If you’ve ever wondered about any of those questions, I hope you’ll be encouraged by God’s Word.

   Through this series I have hoped to offer words of encouragement and hope for folks who have been through some pretty tough stuff.  Let me know what you have thought and how you have been touched by God’s promises through it all.

 

Stand in the Rain... of Disease

     Like so many things in life it hits us when we least expect it.  Things seem to be going along just fine.  The sun has been shining.  The flowers are blooming.  No problems… life is good!  Then the doctor comes in and shuts the door behind him… and it starts to rain. The words you never expected to hear, but have always feared come out.  It is cancer.  It is heart disease.  There’s a blockage.  Or it is some medical term you’ve never heard, but it strikes fear just the same.  You rush home and to the internet to find out all you can about it.  Instead of calming your fears, you’re just more worried.  What do you do?

     This scenario is played out thousands of times a day all over the world.  The Bible says that it rains on the just as well as the unjust.  Disease is no respecter of persons.  It happens everywhere and can happen to anybody.  Some diseases are relatively mild while others can be life altering… even life-threatening.  What do you do when the diagnosis of serious disease hits?  I have had the privilege of watching so many do just what the psalmist suggests… “seek shelter in the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”  (Psalm 91:1)  When the storm of life which is disease hits… the best thing we can do is to seek shelter in God!  As we continue our lesson series this Sunday, “Stand in the Rain” I want to explore the storm of disease and look for God’s answer to our suffering.  God DOES have an answer to pain and suffering… but it may not be what you would expect. 

     I want to invite you to explore together with me just a few of the many stories in Scripture of folks not unlike many of us who sought after Jesus for healing.  There was the woman with the constant problem of bleeding in Luke 8:42-ff.  There was the blind fellow who Jesus told to go and wash in the pool in John 9.  There were the demon-possessed and those struck with leprosy.  During Jesus’ time of ministry, he was constantly inundated by sick folks calling out to him for help.  What was his response?  What is his response to you?  Come and let’s seek shelter in the Most High together this Sunday.  

 

Standing in the Rain... of divorce

We’ve all probably seen the pictures on the news following devastating storms… pictures of houses blown apart, sometimes up to their roofs in floodwaters and in some cases even sliding downhill into the sea. It i amazing that something as commonplace and normal as rain can at times be so devastating to homes. This Sunday we’re continuing our series “Stand in the Rain” by looking at the “rain” of divorce. Nothing can tear a home apart quicker than divorce. It is something that has probably affected most of our families in one way or another. Whether it was your parents, maybe your children, friends or perhaps even your own marriage… divorce has touched all of us in some way. Sadly, the statistics of divorce among Christian families isn’t all that different from the rest of society. Why is that?

As I approach this topic for the lesson on Sunday I am painfully of aware that church has not always done a good job handling this subject. It seems churches have taken one extreme or another when it comes to divorce. Either we want to preach so dogmatically the error of divorce that we leave the impression God hates the divorcee (a gross misinterpretation of Malachi 2:16)… OR in an effort not to offend anyone we lesson the force of Malachi 2:16 and leave an equally false impression. The reality of it is… God DOES hate divorce and I imagine anyone who has been through one personally understands exactly why. It isn’t God’s intention for us. It disrupts the family, God’s first and primary institution! And it is never fair to the children.

So, for Sunday I want to do several things. One, I want to pray for God’s protection for our families. Divorce doesn’t just happen… it is the culmination of events over time that lead a couple to make this decision… or that lead a spouse to leave. But God can strengthen good families and protect them from harm and from the chaos of divorce if we will “dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (our theme verse for this series—Psalm 91:1). Two, I want to offer hope and healing to those who have experienced or are experiencing a painful divorce. God can heal the brokenhearted. He can heal hurting marriages and he can heal those dealing with the scars of long ago. Third, I want to rejoice in the grace that is available to all of us. Divorced or not… the truth is that we have ALL sinned and fallen short of God’s ideal… yet we are extended grace by a loving and forgiving God who understands us better than we understand ourselves.

Stand in the Rain

Occasionally, I am overwhelmed from the pulpit as I am preaching… looking out at the myriad of faces that are (mostly) paying attention and listening to what I have to say each Sunday. The responsibility to say the right thing… not just the right thing doctrinally… but the thing that people need to hear. That’s a daunting thing. The longer I have stood before them the more I have come to know these people and the more I have come to be a part of their lives. Sometimes it is just overwhelming to think about what some of these dear folks are going through. I have been there with them beside the graves of their mates. I have watched them hurt when a husband has left and I have seen what that has done to their families. I have sat with them in hospital waiting rooms awaiting news from the doctors. I’ve watched many of them deal with serious and life-threatening illnesses… cancer, heart disease, strokes. I have been there with them at graduations, weddings, bar-mitzvahs… okay, I don’t actually remember any bar-mitzvahs, but you get my point. I have come to deeply love my congregation and the more I love them the more it hurts to see them hurt. During this time, I’ve had my own share of ups and downs. I’ve had close family receive the dreaded diagnosis of cancer. I’ve grieved with a dear cousin over the loss of an infant! I’ve lost a father-in-law and buried an aunt. As I have experienced loss… and sought comfort from my church family, I have become increasingly aware of just how fragile life really is. Sometimes rain falls. How are we to stand? Will we allow the rains to just wash us away?

This Sunday I am going to start a sermon series that I’ve been wanting to do for some time. I will be exploring some of these different hurts… from doubt and disease to divorce and death. I want to ask the question… “How are we to stand through these storms of life?” I’m not sure how some folks do it. I DO know that seeking shelter in God is the answer… I’m just not sure what that looks like in real life. I want us to explore it together. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

I’m going to begin THIS Sunday with “doubt”… a common thread that runs throughout Scripture. What do we do when we doubt God’s presence or purpose in our lives? What do YOU do?

The Table

What kind of picture or symbol comes to mind when you think of “Christianity” or “church”? Do you think of a building with a steeple? Do you think of the cross? Do you think of that funny little fish symbol stuck to the bumper of the car in front of you? Really, what comes to mind? I think perhaps the most often neglected visual image within all of Christianity may be… a Table. Have you ever thought about that? Most church buildings have them, often right up front in very prominent positions. Often it is engraved with the words of Jesus, “Do this in remembrance of me”, reminding us of the last supper that he shared around a table with his disciples. Yet, how often do we really think about the Table as a visual representation of God’s intent for his people? I know what happens around my table at home. It’s the place where the family sits down for meals… where we talk over our day… where we connect with each other. We’ve played games around our table. We’ve hosted friends and family over and shared coffee at the table. We’ve laughed and cried at the table. Table evokes feelings of warmth, fellowship and intimacy. What, then, does this tell us about the heart of God?

God invites us to His Table! As we have been celebrating all month long… and actually as we celebrate it every Sunday… God invites us to His Table in our weekly practice of Communion. It is a reminder that God wants more than anything to know us, to have a relationship with us and to fellowship with us on a very personal level. Jesus instituted the Supper during the Passover feast in the hours before his arrest and crucifixion. This last purposeful act of Jesus has forever been memorialized in our assembling around the Table to “remember” what his sacrifice has done for us. Not only that, we also look forward to his coming again when we will enjoy a fellowship around the Table with Him that we can only imagine today! The Apostle Paul said that, “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” The Lord’s Supper is a testimony to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and it is enjoyed each week by Christians in hopeful expectation of his coming again. We rejoice in the death, burial and resurrection, proclaiming that gospel to the world. And we look forward to eating it one day with Jesus in the fullness of the Kingdom of God!

"Doing Church" in the 21st century... the fifth act

I was struck today from something I am reading on the thinking of David Lipscomb and James A. Harding.  It comes from Kingdom Come published by Leafwood publishers and is written by a professor friend of mine, John Mark Hicks and a co-author, Bobby Valentine.  On their chapter concerning Lipscomb and Harding’s emphasis on the importance of Bible study, the authors elaborate on an increasingly popular analogy that I found pretty insightful.

 

Living the story of God is like performing a drama.  Our life in Christ is analogous to a group of Shakespearean disciples who want to perform a newly discovered six-act play by Shakespeare.  But the fifth act is missing.  We only have the first four acts and the last one.  Suppose, however, these disciples wanted to perform the play.  How can they perform it without the fifth act?  They will have to improvise.  In order to do so, they would have to “live and breathe” the [other] works of Shakespeare.  By knowing the mind of Shakespeare and thoroughly understanding the extant acts, they are able to improvise the fifth act in a way that is faithful to the other acts.

 

Christian discipleship is like performing the fifth act.  Scripture bears witness to the mind of God in Christ.  We have the first act—Creation—and thus know God’s intent for his world.  We have the second act—Israel—and thus know how God intended his people to be a light for the Gentiles.  We have the 3^rd act—Christ—and thus we see how the Son exegetes the Father (cf. Jn 1:18).  We have the 4^th act—the early Church—and thus know how the church in the New Testament lived and communally practiced the values of God in their time.  And we know the 6^th act—the new heaven and new earth—and thus know God’s goal for his people.  We are the fifth act [the modern church] and we currently perform that act best as we imaginatively enter into the mind of God in Christ.  We seek to perform the fifth act in a way that is faithful to Scripture and faithful to how God has progressively worked in history to establish his kingdom.

 

Their conclusion was that our ability to faithfully improvise and perform this “fifth act” depends directly upon our “living and breathing” the works that we do know… the writings of Scripture.  We come to know the mind of God through our knowledge of Scripture… and without that knowledge we are left wandering aimlessly in this life.  Pretty insightful, I thought…

Another "Political Question" of the day...

Is it a good idea for the current #2 to offer the #2 position to the current #1… especially given the fact that the current #1 knows he is in the #1 position and not in the #2 position?  What does this say about the #2?  Just asking…

Whew!

I have to say that I was a little relieved this week with the way the vote turned out on "Super Tuesday 2." I had been afraid that it would be over and the daily news cycles would return to reporting important things like golfers hitting hawks in the sky (see FoxNews coverage of Tripp Isenhour). But NO... thank goodness!! The voters came out of their holes on Tuesday... voted... and it looks like we're going to have at least seven more weeks of Winter... and campaigning! Hillary made an outstanding showing (at least that's what the media outlets are reporting). She didn't actually make any headway either in the delegate count nor in popular vote, but she did do well enough to stay in the race. WHEW! That was close. It was almost over. Now we can sit back and enjoy seven more weeks of in-fighting, mudslinging and name-calling. It has already begun. Hillary's camp blasted Obama this week, likening him to "Ken Starr" (is that such a bad thing?) and one of Obama's staffers responded by calling Hillary a "Monster". Oh, doesn't it take you back to jr. high school?
Well, I'm looking forward to a lot more excitement keeping up with all of the fun. You know what they say, "It's not over till.... its over." I for one, don't wish for it to be over any time soon. Its too much fun.

The Cup & the Bread

Since the ancient days of the early church, Christians have regularly gathered around the Lord’s table to remember the incredible sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross through our partaking of the cup and the bread.  These emblems serve as an awesome reminder of his body and blood which was broken and shed for us.  Where would we be without the forgiveness of sin?  At Washington Street we are reminded of that each Sunday as continue to gather around that table.  Beginning this Sunday and going through Easter we are going to be examining anew this ancient tradition and this wonderful feast… let me encourage you to use it as an opportunity to invite friends and family to be with us.  They will hear the good news and we will all be challenged anew by this incredible sacrifice!