Balancing Christmas

Balancing Christmas
An early morning quiet covers the house as I sit alone on the couch with my Bible and coffee. A steady rain falls outside. The house is dark except for my reading light.

I place my Bible on the table by the lamp & look up to see the darkened Christmas tree. My heart is thankful to God for the blessings represented by each ornament on the tree. Images in plastic, glass, paper, & ribbon colorfully adorn the evergreen in the corner of the den. Each three-dimensional picture recalls the fond memories of friends, family members, students, & others dear to us from years gone by.

I notice that the ornaments are clustered together toward the bottom of the tree again. When we hang them, Beth tries hard to help the children spread them all over the tree. She reminds Joshua & Meg to balance the decorations evenly all over the tree. It is difficult because they get excited about putting up the ornaments. Their hands work quickly when it is time to decorate—moving faster than her admonishments. When the decorating is finished, the ornaments are bunched together on the lower third of the tree. The bottom branches bend under the weight of several decorations on each branch. The tight cluster of adornments seems to stop about eye-level for the children. I smile inside. I realize that the cluster of ornaments will move up over the years. It will steadily grow a little higher each Advent. As the children grow in age & stature, so too will the
“waterline” of our ornaments rise.

The tree is crowded with ornaments. I saw a tidbit that purported the average tree to have 75 ornaments. I think we’re overachievers. But there will be a day when the children will have their own homes with their own trees. They will take many of these ornaments with them to get their own Christmas decorations started. Like taking the cuttings off of a tree to allow a new tree to take root, we will encourage Joshua & Meg to set their own roots of Christmas traditions.

Our tree may look a little bare that year. Alone, Beth & I will space out the ornaments evenly all over the tree. She’ll remind me to make sure we have a balance of sizes & colors & shapes all around the tree. We’ll even make sure to cover the back—so you can see them out the window too. And as we pick up each ornament we’ll tell a little story about them: where we got it, when we got it, & fondly recall the giver. Maybe when Beth isn’t looking I’ll cluster up a bunch of ornaments toward the bottom of the tree. I’ll remember a morning in a dark, quiet house when everyone else was asleep & our Christmas tree was beautifully and wonderfully out of balance.

Images of the Savior--Part 4

What do you give the one who has everything? Have you ever walked the aisles of stores, staring blankly at the shelves trying to find “just the right gift?” Maybe you’ve stood at the counter of the department store while the sales person showed you item after item. After what seems like hours, you still can’t decide. Your winter coat feels heavy on your shoulders and you grow warmer and warmer with the anxiety of the deadline of Christmas coming and you still don’t have a gift.
I don’t think the Magi had the same anxiety. They brought the infant Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. They seem like odd gifts to us. But they brought just the perfect gifts. So what about us today? What gift would we bring Jesus?
In The Gathering this week, we finish our “Images of the Savior” series as we examine the Christmas Story from the view of the Magi. Bring yourself—and your friends and family—as we examine the gift of Christmas.

Week 2 Picture

Some of you missed the week 2 painting. I've put it up on this post for you.
Remember that all of the paintings will come together at the Christmas Eve service for yet another, large picture.

Images of the Savior--Week 3, December 13

What if God had an important message for you? What if it came in a way that you weren’t quite expecting? What if the message was completely improbable? What would you do?
In the Christmas story, the unlikely shepherds received a message in a divine way. It was a message that just didn’t seem possible. They responded with joy and set out to tell all what they had seen.
This week, in our “Images of the Savior” series, we look at the shepherds and what they saw that Christmas night. We look at their reaction and what we can learn from it. Felicia will paint this week and next week as well. May we all be open to what God has to show us.

Snowflake (Circular?) Logic

The local weather people are talking about snow tonight. In my part of the country, snow is a very emotionally charged word. People get gleefully excited about the possibility of snow or the idea of vacationing in snowy places. Such a simple thing—frozen precipitation—that my own feelings toward it give me pause.
Growing up, I moved around a great deal. I spent most of my early years in Kentucky where winters could be mild enough to go without jackets much of the time. Other years, our winters would bring ice storms that seemed to cripple us. Snow, however, was a rarity. Just rare enough to not really be a part of childhood memory.
A few of those early years, I lived in northeast Ohio. This is where my feelings about snow were solidified. Snow was an annual part of life. You planned on it and adjusted your routine according to how much of the white stuff stood between you and the end of the sidewalk, how much stood between your car and the end of the driveway, how much of the stuff stood between you and the canceling of school or the big plans you had for Saturday.
Granted, I took advantage of the situation as best as a young boy could. I would trudge over to Barber’s Hill for sledding or snowball fights or whatever else we could invent on a crisp winter day. But even in the midst of the fun, there seemed to be a nagging feeling of hypocrisy down inside of me. You see, I don’t like snow. I don’t like spending more time bundling up than “enjoying” the time outside. I don’t like it when icy slush gets between you and your clothes. I don’t like the cold air. I don’t like trudging through snow-covered sidewalks and parking lots. I don’t like pulling my car out of snow banks. I just generally don’t like all the stuff that comes along with snow. The feelings of discomfort with winter’s white blanket begin to make their way to the front of my consciousness as a kid. Until they all came to a head one winter morning.
I was standing outside my house waiting for the bus one cold, snowy Ohio morning. A blizzard was blowing outside, as I remember it. Together the kids from the neighborhood and I waited as the cold and snow permeated deep into my bones. The cold chilled my skin and the snow seemed to taunt my feelings of disdain toward it. There was nothing I could do about either. Everyone was gone to work and I couldn’t get back in the house. I grumbled against the wind and snow and cold.
After what seemed like another ice age, another bus driver saw us still standing on the street. It turned out that our bus had succumbed to the snow and cold and was stranded. I was astonished. Our bus froze in the cold and I was still going to school. I waited outside in weather unfit for humans or machines and nobody seemed to be fazed.
It was right then and there that I decided that I was done with snow. To the fullest extent possible, I was going to separate myself from the white stuff. It didn’t really care too much about me and I was not going to hide my disdain for it any longer.
Circumstances took me back to Kentucky that following winter. I was glad to be back in the land where snow is a rarity. However, there was the nagging sense that it was lurking around the corner all the while. Like a bully waiting to strike again, snow seemed to be waiting to get the upper hand again.
One day I heard a friend discussing a business trip he’d taken to the Gulf Coast one winter. He recounted the “snow event” during his trip. It seems that the sky spit snow one day and the whole coast seemed to stop to watch the sky. It was not enough to stick, yet the people seemed to be overjoyed. He too had grown up in a snow-plagued area and laughed the people’s awestruck expressions at the novelty falling from the sky.
I grew excited about this new and wonderful land. I wanted to live in a place where snow was such a novelty. If it was that big of a deal there, then it was the place for me. It seemed only logical that I would live in such paradise. When the opportunity came for my move to the Gulf Coast, I was thrilled to be moving to a land free from frozen precipitation.
That was nearly 20 years ago. I have, for the most part, successfully avoided the snow bully since then. Our encounters have been few and far between and short-lived at that.
Our six-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son often remind me that they haven’t seen (or don’t remember seeing) snow. They do so in the spirit of a plea to present them to snow. I’m hesitant to introduce my children to one of my childhood bullies.
This morning, the local weather people are calling for a chance of snow accumulation about an hour north of here overnight. We might see some frozen stuff even falling from the sky here. My wife and children are excited about the idea. The local Christmas parade is tonight and the church Christmas Carnival is tomorrow. To them, a seemingly perfect arrangement is in the mix. All over the community, I catch snippets of conversations about how excited everyone is about the chance for snow. People like to talk about the rare and novel. Something deep inside of me cringes. Snow. Here. That’s not supposed to happen. Then I remember: people get excited about the rare chance of snow. That’s one of the logical things about living here. So maybe watching them get so excited over so little is a good thing. Perhaps I can endure this punch of snow, to see the delight of my wife and children.
One day I’ll take my wife and kids to see “real” snow. The look on their faces will be wonderful as they romp and laugh in frozen fun. I’ll wave to them through the window —from inside the lodge, next to the fire, with a cup of hot coffee in my hand. . I’ll be the one inside in a t-shirt and shorts and dreaming of someplace tropical.
As I catch the rest of this week’s forecast I get that same warm feeling. A warm front is on the way and I’ll being wearing shorts and a t-shirt next weekend. This is Dixie's Sunny Shore after all. Seems only logical to embrace it—the common and the quirky.

Images of the Savior--Part 2

We had a great experience participating in worship last week alongside artist Felicia Olds. I appreciate Felicia sharing her God-given talents in worship during the Christmas season. I’ve included some pictures of the service.

This Sunday, our Senior Pastor, Rev. Mike McKnight, will bring the message during in The Gathering service. Felicia will again paint during the worship service. Mike will look at the Christmas Story from the viewpoint of the humble man Joseph. We encourage you to look at the story from this perspective. When we look at the story from all four different points of view, we hope that all of us can see the Christmas Story as a much larger picture.

In the Sanctuary Services this week, we’ll celebrate the Christmas Season with a special music service. I am excited about participating in this special service of Lessons and Carols. I look forward to seeing you in worship this week.

Images of the Savior--Week 1, November 29

In The Gathering we launch a new series this week. “Images of the Savior” seeks to look at a familiar message through some unique lenses. First of all, we’re trying something new in worship that we’ve never done before. Alongside those of us who lead worship in word and song, we have a servant who has agreed to lead worship alongside us in a different way. You’ll like it—trust me. Come see what I mean.
This is a series that will be particularly meaningful if you’ll come each week during this advent season. Each week will be a part of the bigger picture. I encourage you to come see what I mean.
In this introductory we look at what it means to make ourselves available to God to do His work in us. Sometimes that may even appear as though it will cost us dearly. Would we/will we readily agree to God’s plan that looks like it may cost dearly? Are we ready to say to God, I trust You to work out your plan in my life? Are we ready to say to God that we’ll go where He leads, knowing that He’ll take care of us? Let’s look together at this first image of the Savior.

Home Builders—Week 5--What's My Home Worth?

What do you have that is of great value to you? Maybe a car that you love? Many people say their home is the largest investment they’ll ever make. Would you say your family? Would you pick something tangible or intangible?

Jesus taught about things of great value. He challenges the hearers of His message to consider the things of their lives that are valuable. Then He challenges them to consider their cost. That cost is something that can weigh us down or lift us up. This week’s message focuses on the worth. What is my home worth to me? What is my home worth to God? Would you join me in an honest exploration of God’s answer?

Home Builders—Week 4--The Big Reveal

Forgive me for failing to post a week 3 blog. We were away with family and did not have internet access out there in the country that week. To be honest, it was a little refreshing. :) You can listen to the message on our website's Media Pulpit www.fairhopeumc.org or you can download our podcasts on iTunes. Look for Fairhope United Methodist Church.

Week 4--The Big Reveal
What is in your heart? What is important to you? What do you value? Are you willing to build others up or try to bring them down to look better in your own eyes?
We all reveal these things everyday. We reveal them to ourselves and to others. We do so in what we say. Jesus' teaching is clear that the overflow of our hearts comes out through our mouths. It is not only what we say, but how we say it that is important. Would you examine the overflow of the heart with me this week? This Sunday's message takes a look at our mouths what powerful tools they are--for good or for evil.

Home Builders—Week 2—Trading Spaces

Last week we laid the foundation of building our homes. We said that our homes are the places where we can be ourselves. Spiritually, the home is the very core of who we are and where we have our deepest thoughts and feelings. In order to build that home, we must build it on the Wisdom of God. In week 2, we investigate “Trading Spaces.”
The news is full of stories about children and teens who are out of control. We see TV shows in which children are causing so much misery for parents that “experts” must come in to solve the problems. While most of us will never find ourselves on these kinds of shows, it does give us pause to look at a few points.
The Parent/Child relationship is the most basic of all relationships. We are all in that relationship in one form or another. Sometimes we find ourselves in some “non-traditional” places in Parent/Child relationships. In this week’s message we’ll examine how we start “Trading Spaces” to make these relationships what God has called them to be.

Home Builders Week 1--Divine Design

If you were to start to build a home, where would you begin? What kind of things would you put in it? What would be the most important things to you?
This week, we begin a five-week series called “Home Builders.” We’re going to examine what God’s Word says about our homes and His desire for them. Our homes are important to us. No matter our station in life: single, married, young or old, home is HOME. It is our place, the place where we belong, the place where we can be ourselves, the place where we’re comfortable. That’s exactly the place where God wants to talk to us. This week I want to challenge you to ask, “What would be God’s Divine Design in building my home?”

Taking Flight--The Flight of Obedience

How would our life be changed if we accepted God's promises for our lives and lived the transformed life? That is a life of Obedience.

Taking Flight Week 2--The Flight of Transformation

Jacob's story in the book of Genesis shows us what happens to a life transformed. Let's explore what it means to live a life transformed.

Taking Flight-The Flight of Faith

We launch a new three-week series in The Gathering this week. Would you go with me on a "Flight of Faith"?

To Whom Shall We Go?

To whom shall we go?
This week’s I’ve spent time examining Peter’s question to Jesus. Here’s the setup. Jesus is in Capernaum—the base of much of his ministry and certainly his ministry in the Sea of Galilee area. He’s teaching in the synagogue one day and many of those who were following at Jesus really got turned off by some of the things he was asking them to do. So they abandoned Jesus for their own ideas.
Jesus then turned to the twelve. He said, “What about you? Are you going to leave me too?” Peter says, “To whom shall we go?” I love his answer. You see, they are Peter’s home turf. All Peter had to do was to stay there with his family, wave goodbye and go back to the life he knew before. But there is something that wouldn’t let him. It was the fact that Peter had come to know that Jesus possesses the Words of eternal life. Peter had experienced the miracles and teachings of Jesus first hand. Having seen that, he knew he was following God’s Holy One. At that point, how could he do anything but follow Jesus?
The same applies to us. We may not think we’ve seen the miracles of God or that we haven’t seen his teachings. If we try to say such a thing then we’re not paying attention. Jesus offers all of us the opportunity to follow him. Some do. Some turn away. But Peter’s question remains: “To whom shall we go?” To have life, there is no other but Jesus! This week we examine what it means to be that kind of follower of Christ.

After Sunday’s service (August 23), you can find the message online www.fairhopeumc.org and on iTunes.

May We Continue

Coming off of last week’s discussion on how to remain in Christ, I’m excited about where we’re headed this week. (By the way, if you missed the “Remain” message, you can find it here: http://www.fairhopeumc.org/304124.ihtml)
This is a great week for me as the 3rd graders will get a Bible from the church. I remember as a child sitting in Dyer Hill Baptist Church in Burna, Kentucky with my grandmother. I remember the old men cleaning the dirt of the field off and putting on their good shirt to come to church. The church was small, but the message of the Bible was huge. Through a simple act of obedience to share God’s Word, a work of God’s Grace began in me when I was a small child.
The Bible says that God’s message, when it is shared among children, is not lost on them when they are old. What a powerful thing. It is sobering to know that what our kids hear remains with them.
The apostle Paul relays this when he writes to Timothy. Paul mentored the young Timothy early in his ministry. He said, “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” It is a reminder that there is something God has begun in us. It reminds us that there are others watching us. Are we diligent in that work—for the sake of the Kingdom of God and His children?

Please Excuse the Interruption

Interruptions. How do we handle those inconvenient distractions to our routines? Those unexpected phone calls, people who must speak to us NOW, and the demanding children around us can really pull us away from where we are headed at the moment.
But what about the bigger interruptions in life? What about the loss of job? What about a change in health or the loss of a loved one? What about when we were headed in a direction that we thought God was calling us and it turned out to be an absolute disaster? How do we handle those? We can throw up our hands and cry FOUL. Or we can crawl into a howl and wish it would go away. But it doesn’t always just go away.
This week’s message focuses on the time of the interruption. We talk about those who saw the interruptions and that weren’t mere opportunities. They were a trying time. But they were a time when God said simply, “Be still, and Go On.”

Where is Freedom?

Where do we find our Freedom? An interesting thing about freedom: we are free only as long as we have limitations. I speak of freedom in an earthly sense. I have Freedom because I live in the United States. However, my freedom is limited. I don’t have freedom to break into another family’s home and take their things. That would violate their freedom to live peaceably in their home. I don’t have freedom to physically harm other people simple because they disagree with me. That would violate their freedom to live peaceably without fear of harm.

What about the Christian life? Do we live a free people in a Spiritual sense? Not always as we should. Some people believe that if only they will “Live Right” then God will be happy enough with them to allow them into heaven. Maybe if they score enough good points and not enough bad points, then it will all be okay. But that is not what Jesus teaches at all. He says the only way to truly be free is to be bound. We must be bound to Jesus. Not to complex ideologies. Not to causes or ideas. But we must be bound to Jesus and Jesus alone. All else is secondary. This Sunday, as we honor those who so selflessly fought for the freedom of a nation, let’s examine what makes us free as individuals.

Thank you and Welcome

I’ve often used this forum to discuss topics of the upcoming Sunday’s message. I’m taking a couple of weeks off from sermons. My silence will be filled with messages from some important people. Fairhope United Methodist Church is changing. The Rev. Joe Bullington will retire on June 21. He’s served Fairhope faithfully for 15 years. We honor Joe and his wife Marilyn for being faithful to God’s call.
On June 28 we welcome the Rev. Mike McKnight to Fairhope. He and his wife Rene’ bring a wonderful set of gifts to this church and this community. Mike assumes the role of Senior Pastor at a very exciting time. As one person put it recently, Fairhope UMC is no long a Sunday/Wednesday church. We’re an everyday church. When we open our doors, and step out of them into the community, we bring God’s Love to a people in need. People at Fairhope are doing just that.
So my posts may be hit or miss for the summer. Nonetheless, I hope we can continue to partner in saying “thank you”, saying “welcome” and being faithful to God’s call to Reach, Equip, and Serve.

Back to the Beginning

Isn’t it interesting how precious we treat things when they are new to us? Think of the last time you bought something new. I mean a big purchase. Do you remember how you treated it delicately? How you protected it? How you spent extra time making sure it stayed “new”? Then things unplanned things happen. It gets a little nick, a ding, a scratch. Time goes by and your attention is turned elsewhere. That new thing becomes not-so-new. One day you look at it and realize that you don’t hold it in such high esteem as you once did.
This Sunday I want to invite you to go with me “Back the Beginning.” We’ll examine the excitement that the first followers of Jesus had. The church was new. The idea of living together in Christian community was new. Individual devotion to Jesus on a large scale was new. Let’s examine what it would take to recapture that “New-ness.” Let’s go Back to the Beginning.

Taking a deep breath

I want to thank all of you who have engaged in our discussion about Relationships. I know I have been blessed by the journey. I hope you have as well.

This week we take a deep breath. I won't be preaching this week. I know you will be blessed by the message that God will bring through Joe and Musial this week.

But I will be back the following week. And we're going to go Back to the Beginning. Do you remember what it was like when your most prized things in life were shiny and new? Oh how we treasured them and kept them from harm. Then life comes along and the shine wears off. Soon the objects of desire when they were new become objects of scorn when they appear old to us.

What if we went back to the beginning in many areas of our lives? What would happen if we recaptured our first love? How would we view the gifts God has given us?

So take a deep breath this week and try to go back to the beginning. I know I will.

Relationships|Healthy Conflict

What if we were to examine the conflict in our relationships in the way God intended? What if we stopped to ask God how to deal with difficult situations in our lives? In week four of our Relationship Series we talk about How to Fight Right: How to have Healthy Conflict.

Relationships|Mother and Child

This Sunday we take a look at the relationship between mother and child. Sometimes, those look like a greeting card commercial. Many times those relationships are less than perfect. What would God have us do with those relationships? What does the Bible say about how to honor those who have done so much for us?




You can hear the messages online at www.fairhopeumc.org

Relationships|Dealing with Hurts and Anger

Relationships

Who are you looking for?

Who are you looking for?

A common scene in our house is me going through drawers, looking under stacks of paper and riffling through things my children have left lying around. I’m looking for something. It might be my cell phone, a book I’ve been reading, or a scrap of paper where I wrote down a reminder. It is something of uttermost importance at that moment. And I can’t find it. I get antsy. I go crazy with the thought of losing something.
Then my wife will ask me, “What are you looking for?”
When I tell her, she usually can tell me with a high degree of accuracy. I grab the object of my search, thanking God for giving me a wife that can keep me so balanced.
On the morning that Jesus rose from the dead, a lady named Mary (who lived near Magdela) went out to the Jesus’ tomb. She probably went out there to mourn. She probably felt like she was all out of tears. Someone she loved deeply was gone. She had seen him die a horrible death on Friday. She probably spent all night Friday, all day Saturday, and all night Saturday numb from the shock. On Sunday morning she went to go see how she might cope with this pain at the tomb. When she got there, the tomb is empty. Jesus speaks to her, though at first she doesn’t recognize him. Her tears and grief are consuming her. And then Jesus asks the important question: “Who were you looking for?”
Jesus is probably the most discussed figure in history. Many times he is the most misunderstood. This Easter, who are you looking for? Are you looking for a good teacher, a moral giant, a good example of how to live? Are you looking for a scapegoat, someone to blame, or an object of someone’s wrath? Or are you looking for what Mary found: A God who loves us with such a great love that He would give his only Son to overcome that which we cannot overcome ourselves. Would you go with me to the Empty Tomb this week to look for this Jesus?

Silent Stones

The other morning my five-year-old daughter asked me if we could listen to the sunrise. She wanted to look for the sun to rise—specifically to see if it had spikes on it like in the cartoons. We watched while the sky turned from black to grey to light blue. Then she told me to listen to the sunrise. She wasn’t listening to the celestial object move across the sky. We listened to birds begin their songs. We listened to the nearby dogs and cats begin to explore in the early daylight. We listened to the wind rustle through the trees. We listened to the events of the sunrise.
I am amazed by the small things that we seem to miss when the big things go on around us. Now that it is spring time there is much to consider in this realm. Spring thunderstorms roll through our area and we all talk about the rain. But we don’t often notice the new life on the trees or the flowers of the fields that follow such rains. We may notice the days getting longer, but we don’t look for the new life that the extra hours of sun bring. When I do take time to notice such things I often wonder how I missed them before.
The Bible tells an interesting story about Jesus on the Sunday before the crucifixion. One week before Jesus rose from the dead, He rode into town on a humble donkey colt. His followers shouted his praises as He rode down into the Kidron Valley and up the opposite hill into Jerusalem. Some real self-righteous thinking religious leaders told Jesus to silence His followers. He told them He couldn’t. If they stopped praising what God was doing, then the very rocks would cry out. What if we stopped thanking God for what He has done in our midst? The stories of the Bible and history tell us that God always has a witness to speak on His behalf. As I “hear” the things of creation lift up praise to God, I wonder how loudly they would cry out if we stopped? Will we let the rocks take our rightful place?

This Sunday let's engage in a conversation about those silent stones.

We want to see Jesus

If someone asked you to show them Jesus, what would you say? What would the picture look like? How would you do it? Maybe a picture from a children’s Bible—you know the smiling Jesus who pats little kids on the head. Maybe the morose Jesus in the coffee table Bible who looks all somber and serious.

The book of John tells us about some people who were not yet followers of Jesus who came to Philip—one of Jesus closest followers. They told Philip that they wanted to see Jesus. So Philip goes to the master and tells him that he has some people who want to see him. John doesn’t tell us if Jesus invites them in or if he goes out to see them. But what he does tell us is important. Jesus responses with some vivid language on what he would do to show himself to the world. He talks about how a seed is planted. In order for it bring life, it must die. This, he says is why he came—to die to bring life.

Do you want to see Jesus? What are the things we must die to in order follow him? What is the life Jesus is trying to bring to us? We’ll talk about these things and more this Sunday. Would you join me as we go to see Jesus?

Retracing the Story--An Unequal Exchange

When I was around 10 years old or so we lived in a great neighborhood with many kids. We always had plenty of kids for a football game, complex bicycle stunt shows, or the latest club we had schemed up that week. Our street sloped up a hill and at the top of the hill was Mr. Barber’s yard. He had about 5 acres of neatly mown lawn. All the neighborhood kids were welcome to play in his yard. It was the center of all our childhood devices. Next to the open land was a small stand of woods. There we made forts and defended our neighborhood from imaginary raiders—as soon as school was out, of course.
My friend Pete’s parents were remodeling parts of their house and his dad gave us the old medicine cabinet, sink base cabinet and other cool things for a new fort in the woods. We took great pride in hauling all that stuff down the hill. We had a great fort. It was the envy of any group of kids in the whole town. After just a few short weeks, our fort was destroyed and defaced. Someone had broken all of our things and written horrible things on them. We were crushed.
In my anger I rallied the “gang” against John. John didn’t live on our street. He lived a few houses down on a connecting street. He was something of an outsider in the tight-knit group of our street. Obviously, in my warped logic, John was to blame because he wasn’t in our group right now. He must have been mad about it and destroyed our beloved fort.
John’s dad confronted me on his behalf about my accusations. I was stunned. My bluff had been called and my baseless claims were exposed. I apologized to John, but I had done damage that I don’t think I was ever undone.
Looking back, blaming John really didn’t make any sense, it was just convenient. Our little woods backed up to the fence of the Middle School. It is quite possible that someone from the school saw our hideaway and did the damage. But I wanted someone to blame—and John was nearby. The other neighborhood kids jumped on the bandwagon of blame. John was an unequal exchange—the scapegoat for crimes he didn’t commit.
This week I begin a series of sermons on “Retracing the Story” of Jesus. We begin with “An Unequal Exchange.” In my story, John didn’t bear the punishment of the crime, but we sure tried. Jesus did bear the punishment—for crimes he didn’t commit. Would you retrace the story with me? You see I want to tell John I’m sorry—and I don’t want to make such an exchange again. But I hear the crowds in Jerusalem shouting, “Punish Him! Punish Him!” And the answer is, “But he didn’t do anything.” The crowd shouts only louder, “Punish Him!” And the innocent is exchanged…and equality is mocked.

We're going to make it

I am working on a message this week about operating in God’s economy. God’s economy doesn’t work like our economy. In our economy, we can only operate on the things we see. We try to make forecasts and predictions. Everything has to make sense even before we can begin.

Not so with God’s economy. In God’s economy, we act in faith. We act with the long term in mind. We act with the interest of others in mind first. When we operate in that economy those around us are enriched. We are too are enriched—far beyond what we could ever hope or imagine.

So in the week that I’m preparing this, the stock market tanks 300+ points twice, GM says it probably won’t make it, and AIG is still looking for billions of dollars. It looks like the economy around us is falling apart before our very eyes. I have to admit that sometimes those little nagging doubts creep in my head too. “You’re preparing this message, and the visible evidence seems otherwise. Do you really believe what you’re trying to say?” That’s how it went in my head—over and over again.

The other day, a couple of friends and I were relating stories of our grandparents’ generation. We told stories of the Great Depression. How our grandparents did the best they could with what they had. They learned to use the blessings they had been given—from the simple to the profound. They knew how to rely on their sense of how to grow a garden, to rely on each other as a family, to be frugal, to remember our ultimate source of our blessings in God. And this light bulb went off in my head. It sent those shadows of doubt away. It was, quite simply, “We’re going to make it.” I’ve heard that before and I’ve said it before. But it was a truth that drove down even deeper. We’re going to make it. We aren’t the first to face tough times. We aren’t the first ones to feel uncertainty. And more importantly, we aren’t alone. God is with us.

So I pray this week that I’ll remember how to operate in God’s economy. May I act in faith, to act with the long term in mind, to act with the interest of others first. May I not get caught up in what the numbers on a TV screen say as they float around screaming “experts.” May I look to the One who is far more than I can ever hope or imagine. May I always answer those creeping doubts with this simple truth: “We’re going to make it.”

The Trap

I was talking to a dear friend tonight about the trap. You've seen the trap a hundred times. Your at a wedding reception or some party like that. As you meet new people, you want to find out more about them. Often times, one of the first questions asked is, "What do you do?" And the trap has been sprung.

Our society seems to hone in on the notion that our identity is tied up in our jobs, our careers. We are the job that we do and the money that we earn. I throw people off when I meet them. Often times I ask people how they spend their time, what things are important to them, or what they enjoy doing. It alarms them. I don't think they are often asked that question.

If I meet you in that setting, I want you to know that I am not interested in your job or your career first. I want to know WHO you are. What do you value? How do you spend your time? Who are the people you love? Why do you love them? (your children or your spouse or your parents, for example) And then I want you know that I truly do enjoy hearing your story. Would you tell it to me, please? Don't hold back sharing what's important to you. When people are passionate about something, then sharing that passion with others--now that's exciting stuff. I may not agree with you, but at least I know who you are, not whose time clock you punch.

Watching for the Rain

This morning finds us looking at a wet and storm ridden land. Though the storm was minor, they warned us of worse. We watched last night waiting to see when it would come. We watched for the rain and wanted to know where it was and where it was going. And then it wasn't so bad after all and it moved on.

The storms of our lives can be like that. We look for something to come and it isn't as bad as we thought it would be. We want to track the things that might cause us discomfort and know when they are coming, where they are going and when they will pass. And sometimes they pass and it wasn't so bad after all. And we can look around and maybe even see how we were nourished through the experience--the way the rain waters the earth. And then, rarely, the hurricanes come. Sometimes we're prepared. Sometimes we're not. And in the recovery of the hurricanes, we rely on our friends and our family to see us through.

I pray that I may never have to be the one in the storm. And that I may the one who is prepared if the storm comes. And that I may be the one who is quick to help others in the storm recover. Remembering always that it is God who gives the strength to endure all of these.

I am going to see an infant in the hospital today. What a storm. People all around have financial woes. The storm rages. Families are hurting everywhere. The storm howls. May we be the ones to help see them through and guide them to God's protection in the storm.

Going for a Drive

With family in town (again), it is time to take them for a drive. We're headed to see all the things to be seen in Fairhope, then over to Foley and then down to the beach. Should be some interesting times. I've got the mighty mini-van all spiffed up and I think we're ready to go. We've talked about what we wanted to see and why and now it's about time to go.

I thought about that in a spiritual realm as well. If I had the opportunity, where I would I take God in the parts of my life? What would I show Him that I am so proud of? What would I scrub clean before I allowed Him to ride with me? I know He's already there. But the point is this: I get so ready to do that with my family, what would I do with me Lord? What do I need to get rid of? What do I need to be proud of? When do I just need to be quiet and listen to what He's going to tell me? When do I just need to drive on? May God grant me the wisdom to figure out how to do just these.

Where does it begin

I've been thinking about what people have been searching for all these generations. The Greek philosophers were obsessed with the absolute Truth. I am working on a message for Sunday morning where we'll look into John 1--The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. The Word is Logos--absolute Truth. In a world of shifting values and ideas, how great is us to remember that there is a bottom line. There are lines on the court, there are lines marked on the field that mean something. And God put those lines there for us to use and to protect us, from ourselves. And when we couldn't do that, He sent His Son to show us how to live and how to operate in such a world.

That's the Light that has come into the world. The darkness couldn't see it, but the Light is here. May we look to that light for our answers and our guidance.