Filling In The Blanks

The administrative tasks of pastoral ministry are seemingly endless. When serving a large congregation there are always secretaries to take care of filling in the blanks so that all we need do is add the "official" signature and everyone is happy. This isn't true in the smaller congregations. There has always been a lot of satisfaction to be found in sifting the records of a church under my guidance. Some denominations require a certificate like this for their transfer of membership records. How many years pass before we no longer hold on to these records and guard them faithfully for those who will continue in our absence? I know, these days everything is done with the aid of a 'puter. That's a good thing in a way, and a bad one in another. Have we lost touch with the roots of our "Body of Christ" the same way we have lost "touch" with the old ways of doing things? I suppose we have, but I would like it to not be thus. What may be occurring across the board in our churches is a depersonalization of the connections which give us our rich history in so many valuable ways. After all, that is a large part of what the church is about, remembering, and making those remembrances pertinent to the lives we live in the 21st century. Even in our worship much of what we are about is the practice of remembering what we have been taught, and attempting to hold it so sacred that we allow no depersonalization of the message and the gift it holds for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Much emphasis has always been placed on the "how" of worship, and it is a subject that there are more opinions on than we have denominations in our world. It has been that way from the very beginning of the 1st century. I really enjoy a heated debate with my brothers over the nuts and bolts of worship. And here comes the clinker, inside every denomination there are subcategories that make distinguishing one church from another very easy for the visitor. They may have the same name on the outside of the building, but inside it is nothing like the church of that same name fifty miles down the road. It doesn't even have to be that far, but out here on the Great American Desert things are spread out a bit more than some parts of the world. The important thing for the individual to find is a place, a worshiping Body of Christ, that they feel meets their needs where they are in their faith journey! Not all of us enjoy the same foods, and this is true of our spiritual natures, as well. Recently I spoke with one of my old colleagues who is now serving a "high" church environment. All I can say is that if God is using someone, truly using them, they will be filling out those records of Baptism somewhere along the line, and actively involved in the lives of the people. Personally, I'm sort of like a team player. I think we're all on the same team serving God no matter what the position we play, even if we're only there to "fill in the blanks" for someone else. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Letters From The Past

Amongst the many pieces of family memorabilia that I've been going through the past few years this leather postcard appeared. Mailed a little over one hundred years ago! I found it so fascinating that for the past year or so it has been sitting on the end of the grand piano awaiting an inspiration for it's use. This is it! The time has arrived! My wife seems to think the card may bring a good piece of change on Ebay, but I think it holds much more than that for all of us. It teaches me many things. 1st, it puts me in mind of all the E-mail funnies we send to folks all over the world. Times haven't changed so much that people's sense of humor isn't evidenced by the ways they communicate thoughts and feelings. 2nd, it was one of my ancestors who wrote it to another of that literate crowd. Interestingly enough my great grandmother's Bible that accompanies me would have been in daily use back when this card was mailed. Those New Testament letters are just as relevant today as they were then! 3rd, people cared enough to truly stay in touch even when they knew that the recipient was a long ways away(maybe a little less than a thousand miles, but 100 years ago that was a "fer piece"). There are many ways I could run with these thoughts right now, but the one that I really want to share is about staying in touch. You see, our faith keeps us in "touch" with our Savior everyday. We don't need a piece of mail to remind us how much He cares, after all, He gave His life for mine and provided me with His Word. That little "Holy Bible" is the one that packs the best on my Harley, so it now travels thousands of miles every season bringing God's Word to the lives of others. It's an 1895 King James Version printed in Philadelphia by the A. J. Holman Co. Here's the connection: God's Word such as I carry it is doing many of the same tasks that the postcard accomplished 100 years ago. 1st, it tells me many stories about life that I would never have known if it were not for God's provision. 2nd, as one of God's children it is a constant reminder that He cared so much for me that He made certain that His "love," His "humor," and His truths would reach me wherever I was at in this world. 3rd, He cared so much that no matter how far I have ever traveled, His Word for life is never far from my reach. That includes hundreds of motel rooms, thousands of miles, and even out here on the net He is with me. Each of us is a product our ancestors that stretch all the way back to the very beginnings of God's influence in creation. Isn't it wonderful that we can stay in touch with one another and know for certain that we can share all of our thoughts and feelings with our loving, caring Creator and all of those who have believed and gone before us. Incidentally, I've got some questions about some of the jokes in the Bible that I haven't caught on to, yet! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

A Recipe From The Pastor's Pantry

I love to cook! I like eating, also, but that's not where the real action happens in a kitchen. Beginning with the very first time I burned my nose on a cake pan I had been warned to stay away from, I had the desire to create wonderful foods for folks to enjoy. My grand daughter and I made some wonderful discoveries in the freezer after school today! Did you know that most glasses of milk won't accomodate proper dipping of cookies? We decided a cereal bowl with about 3\4 of an inch of milk in it was the perfect way to dip a cookie. More than the creating of epicurean delights I enjoy watching people enjoy what I have created. As they put that first bite in their mouth I can't wait to hear what they think. Puts me in mind of how God must feel in each of our lives as we grow and begin to experience the creation that He has blessed us to enjoy. I can see Him watching us as we invariably burn our noses, scrape our knees and try new things for the first time. Man does not live by bread alone, though, and I imagine that God truly relishes the time we spend feasting on His Word and seeking the answers for questions that only He can provide the proper illumination. The most important part of any excursion into creating food for others, though, has got to be the love that goes into it. Even a simple circle sandwich can be a work of art prepared with huge amounts of love. That's the same love that has gone into the preparation for the manna we have been provided for our minds. Whenever there are tastes we hunger for that the pallette cannot satisfactorily provide, perhaps there is a spiritual food that is needed. One thing you can rest assured of is that the love that comes from God's written Word will provide a meal that your spirit can rejoice in. God bless(oh yeah, green pepper and a little pimento would be a welcome addition to the hotdish)Preacher.

Beating The Drums

 
I have a couple of these little wind up toys, this one and another that crashes cymbals together. They still work just fine and they're nearly as old as me! Amazing when I think about them that what comes to mind is the self that continues to beat the drums and crash the cymbals announcing the acceptable time of the Lord. There are times when what I really need is a monkey that, once wound up tight, beats his head against an imaginary wall. That's how I feel some days as I consider new ways to tell the same story that the faithful have been sharing for a few thousand years. Writer's block comes to mind as a possible descriptive phrase, but it runs deeper than that. It is almost as though the unheard notes of a familiar song are playing over and over inside my head without ever completing the passage that I really want to hear. I know, in a few hours, or another day, or a week from now the answer will be entirely clear and I'll be sitting down looking at another poem\lyric sheet\song, or idea for promoting faith in folks. The truth is, I may as well relax and not worry so much about it, because that is how it works with me. I've known myself for a long time, but more importantly, God has known me even longer, and knows exactly what it is He will have me doing tomorrow. As long as I keep trusting, and talking with Him, everything will work out according to His will. Is that a strange way to see one's faith worked out in terms of direction in life? I don't think so! It is the same truth that jumps off the pages of the Bible when we are taught to "not worry" about what we shall wear or eat. We have to show a mature concern for our responsibilities, of course, but even they must take a backseat to being "right" with our Creator. My wife said the same thing on the phone this morning and we both agreed that it is most important to "seek first the kingdom of God" in our daily walk. After that everything will come according to His will. Far too often I want to hurry the process up by fretting over the nuances of how something is going to happen. Herein is found a secret. I can't make anything "happen" without God's direct input, and when I worry it only slows the process of getting things done. How about in your life? Have you ever wanted to "not worry" so much? It's much easier to get the drums and cymbals working together when we let God do the winding. In Christ's Love, Preacher. 

Who Knows The Answer?

Last night I posted an E-mail that was about a young lady that was missing. It was entirely false. One of the folks from my Harely Owners Group(to whom I sent the same thing I blogged)wrote to inform me that I had been "taken in" by an E-mail designed to corrupt my computer and relay all of my pertinent information to someone somwewhere. They could have Eed me and I would have given them everything I've got in this 'puter. The point is, tonight, that this is really at the bottom of the "sick" list. In the penitentiary where I worked for 8 years the bottom of the barrel were the inmates who had perpetrated crimes on children. Thinking about it I now believe that this is the same personality type that sends out a false E alert like this one for the purpose of obtaining information. Even when you are in the midst of the worst of the worst that society sees fit to incarcerate when caught and convicted this is the bottom of the sleeze pit. That said, and we do forgive as God forgives us, the question remains, as to why this is done. The frightening part is that there are people out there seated at keyboards right now that are doing even worse things to their fellow human beings. If you are among these persons, I would encourage you to contact me. I'm not hard to find. There is a better way to live, and a better way to invest your time. Please get in touch. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

VERY IMPORTANT!!!

An E-pal in Canada just forwarded this to me:

"We have a store manager(Wal-Mart)from Longs, SC who has a 9 year old daughter who has been missing for 2 weeks. Keep the picture moving on. With luck on her side she will be found.
I am asking you all, begging you to please forward this email on to anyone and everyone you know, please. My 9 year old girl, Penny Brown, is missing. She has been missing for now two weeks. It is still not too late. Please help us. If anyone anywhere knows anything, please contact me at: zicozicozico@hotmail.com"

That is the message as I received it and I would add that I am in prayer even as I tap out this message for the little girl and her family. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Sharing Is Good!

This shot was taken prior to losing the winter coats and donning the swimsuits. My grand daughters(two of them, anyway)both about the same age, sharing one father and one grandfather. Ironic how life comes around to bite us sometimes. What a week it has been! Thank God tomorrow is Sunday and I can just relax and worship for awhile. The time of preparing is past and now I get to take everything I've learned about life this past week and pour it forth from the keyboard. Some of it will be really happy, and some of it will be truly sad, but it will all be part and parcel of the offering of gifts I bring to my Savior. I guess when I see my self tap it out like this there is an apparent truth. God accepts everything we bring Him because He wants our all. Not just the "good stuff" and the happy things we have to be thankful for, but the pains and sorrows as well. If we take anything less than all of ourselves to the altar we are not giving back what God has given us. He has given us life with all of its pitfalls and problems, and everything that comes with the simple joy of being alive. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will anyway. As I view the worship that we offer to our Creator I see us as being enabled by Him to feel confident in His desire for us to give all of ourselves. So much of what people assume they should give to God is absolutely meaningless. God has no need of our money, position, authority(we really don't have this one for sure), goods or anything else that is fully tangible. What God wants is you and me! Sort of like a spousal relationship thing where we do the "for better or worse" and mean it. To live a worshipful existence is not hard if you consider we have been given everything needed for our pursuit of happiness in America. The element that is lacking is our ability to return thanks for all and share the sum total of our experience in life. For sure God is there to share in our joys, but He also wants the parts of our lives that are not so joyful. Maybe it's in giving those not-so-great-things about us to Him that He helps us to change and become more what we might ought to be. Here I go thinking on screen, again. When you're 5 life is so sweet! When you're 55, life is so sweet! Maybe it all has to do with how we share it. In Christ's Love, Preacher.