This song was one we sang in our contemporary service this morning. I always ball like a baby when we sing it…and it’s my prayer as we remember Martin Luther King. Jr. and his life.
O God our help in ages past,
Our help for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
You are the shelter from the storm
You are the mighty great I am,
And when these days of life have passed,
I will live again.
I missed this class in seminary on searching for the ideal church. I’m so glad I know the secrets now of searching for the right church. Hehe.
HT: Thy Grace
As a follower of Jesus, a Christian, someone who proclaims Christ as my
Savior, my Lord, my friend, I want so much to be someone who doesn’t remember
those things that people have done. I want to be a person that forgets and
moves forward, but what if forgetting is difficult to do? What if the bruises
you’ve picked up along the way still sting?
I remember one experience I had with a youth leader of mine, someone who was
a church leader. I remember this church leaders biggest gripe was why our youth
groups weren’t overflowing with students. Numbers. Lots of kids. I remember
being called to accountability by this individual why our youth group averaged
somewhere around 20-30 kids in a large church that had close to 2500 members.
We often struggled with this issue, this church leader and myself. This
relationship I had with this church leader was going south. Intervention was
required. Now I must confess. I’m not the greatest at what I’m about to ponder
with you.
I remember years ago, one of my pastors who supervised us young youth pastor
types called this church leader and myself together for a visit. A time of
reconciliation. You see this pastor and friend of mine had a unique message,
something we all know and have been told about several times in working and
being in relationship with our friends, family members, and the body of Christ.
"Keep short accounts." He told me that my job as a pastor was
to model what it means as a follower of Jesus to keep short accounts, even if
it meant saying I was wrong, being the first to sorry, being the first to
forgive, and to even say I blew it in some area. He felt that if I learned the
art of keeping short accounts that I’d become someone of grace and who was able
to show grace even with those who disagreed with me like this church leader. It
might even help others become people who keep short accounts and become people
of grace.
My question for those pastor types out in the blogging world is what if
those around you have been so bruised, just can’t receive your attempts at
keeping short accounts? How do you move forward in ministry knowing that there
those who still want to remember? How do you trust that the Holy Spirit, our
Advocate, who acts and moves on our behalf, will work and will walk with us,
knowing that there are those who still need time? Time to listen. Time for the
Spirit of God to intervene, time to heal, time for them to recognize their
junk? You see my problem is that I want it now and the reality is that it might
not happen now; it might happen later, it may never happen. Somewhere in my
life I need to let go and trust that God will move when he wants to move. This
church leader I talked about is someone I consider today almost a father figure
and mentor and was even at my installation service back in 2004. I love Stan to
death and I’m ever so grateful for my friend and pastor who encouraged me to
work hard at keeping short accounts. I challenge you in 2006 to be people who
learn and who practice the art of keeping short accounts!
One of our cool friends and someone from one of the churches I served at on staff a few years ago is an awesome artist. A couple of folks have picked up a picture Jenny painted and was used in a magazine. AWESOME JENNY!!!!!!!!!! We both have served together in youth ministry. She also has always had a wonderful heart for loving kids and doing ministry, and loves the Lord. Now she’s at a very cool seminary on the east coast, preparing for ordination as a Presbyterian pastor. You can check Jenny’s blog here and the actual painting here on her web page. You’re going to make an awesome pastor JENNY!
Got word that Caedmon’s Call is coming to town. Feb 4 at UC Davis. Saw CC in New Jersey a few years ago. I’ve been a fan for years. Can’t wait!
Our pastor this morning gave a wonderful message for Epiphany this morning. Here’s another new favorite hymn to add to my list of favorites:
As with Gladness Men of Old
As with gladness, men of old
Did the guiding star behold
As with joy they hailed its light
Leading onward, beaming bright
So, most glorious Lord, may we
Evermore be led to Thee.
As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly manger bed
There to bend the knee before
Him Whom Heaven and earth adore;
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek Thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare
At that manger rude and bare;
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.
Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.
In the heavenly country bright,
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down;
There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King!
Amen and Amen.
In the midst of kid stuff tonight I forgot that the premiere of the Book of Daniel was on tonight. I’ve watched the last half hour. I know there is and has been some heated debate about the sitcom. It was long enough for me though to catch up with the hour and a half I missed, but short enough to catch all of the themes. The gay son. The gay sister in law. The adopted Asian American son who’s being rejected by his girl friends family because of his ethnicity and the question of ethics that the priest has to make about having the mafia fund a church school (and what i just heard on the news, the pill popping priest who talks to the jesus dude). I’m still processing all of the themes just in the half hour I watched. True confessions. Am I uncomfortable? Yes. Am I surprised. No. I’m now trying to figure out how to listen and process the conversations I will hear and partake of these next few at church. What do you say to all of the themes to those who will be frustrated? Angry? Sad? If anything the show is another "discussion" starter of sorts. It’s just sad that again this will divide and that both liberal and conservative sides will duke it out over the themes in the show. If anything it makes me ask how far is to far when it comes to poking fun at heated theological issues and ethical issues on television when it comes to faith, church, and religion? Just from my half hour of watching, did they get all of the themes right that the church has struggled with over the years? Yup. More thoughts to come when I can actually watch a whole episode.
Listening to the news this morning. Heard this. This should be good.
Just got home from a neighborhood park where San Juan Unified Schools hosts "open enrollment period," for all of its neighborhood schools. Our oldest begins that lovely phase we call Jr. high this fall. Seventh Grade. Our youngest begins Kinder. The start time for open enrollment was 2pm. We arrived at 1:45pm. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. Almost 200 persons in line. We left. I had flashbacks of community college in the mid 80’s when I was enrolling in the fourteen year plan of college at the University of Glendale College. hehe.
My real purpose for this post is to recognize the reality that our kids grow up way to fast. This train called family is passing by to fast. Slow down. The challenge in this part of life is to stop, to enjoy, and to breathe in the goodness of God when it comes to celebrating our kids. I hope and pray that these years will slow down just long enough for us to watch and to listen to what the Lord has planned for them. What I get a kick out of about this train moving way to fast, is when I recently stared at my oldest and noticed that he’s sporting a stache like his father sported when he was entering Jr. high. Uggh.
