Saturday, March 19, 2016
Friday, May 10, 2013
"... and stop calling me Shirley!"
Many of you have clicked "like" or commented on my Facebook posts recently which have been puns. Puns - as defined by Wikipedia - are also called paronomasia, and are a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. Puns are used to create humor and sometimes require a large vocabulary to understand. Puns have long been used by comedy writers, such as William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and George Carlin.
So, some of you have asked where I've gotten the puns I've used, or you've "groaned", or put "smh" (shaking my head). And now, the reasoning behind my posts... honestly, I did not set out with a specific agenda. I started posting them because I had received an email with a lot of puns within. And the postings continued because I realized that amidst all of the other posts on Facebook, and everything else going on, they provided a release. They provided a release from the daily stress and strain, from the horrible things going on that we see on the news every night, and from the things at work which caused stress. Some people put friendly comments, some bantered back with more puns, some asked about the source of the puns, but my hope was that everyone left with a little less worry in their life. I'm a pretty realistic person - I know we all have struggles that we deal with on a daily basis, and some of those struggles can be pretty intense. Humor can help lighten those loads, and my hope is that some of your burdens were lightened, even if just momentarily while you grimaced at a bad play on words. I could've said "God bless you", or "peace of Christ", but I know that many of you tire of the "preachiness" that we see on Facebook regularly; so my attempt at wishing you peace and trying to ease some of your burden was to share a pun, and make you forget about things for a bit.
So for now, I'm going to put down the puns for a bit - I think I've acccomplished what I set out to do. But I'm sure, like throwing a boomerang, they'll eventually come back to me... <insert rim shot here>
Grace & Peace,
- Martin
So, some of you have asked where I've gotten the puns I've used, or you've "groaned", or put "smh" (shaking my head). And now, the reasoning behind my posts... honestly, I did not set out with a specific agenda. I started posting them because I had received an email with a lot of puns within. And the postings continued because I realized that amidst all of the other posts on Facebook, and everything else going on, they provided a release. They provided a release from the daily stress and strain, from the horrible things going on that we see on the news every night, and from the things at work which caused stress. Some people put friendly comments, some bantered back with more puns, some asked about the source of the puns, but my hope was that everyone left with a little less worry in their life. I'm a pretty realistic person - I know we all have struggles that we deal with on a daily basis, and some of those struggles can be pretty intense. Humor can help lighten those loads, and my hope is that some of your burdens were lightened, even if just momentarily while you grimaced at a bad play on words. I could've said "God bless you", or "peace of Christ", but I know that many of you tire of the "preachiness" that we see on Facebook regularly; so my attempt at wishing you peace and trying to ease some of your burden was to share a pun, and make you forget about things for a bit.
So for now, I'm going to put down the puns for a bit - I think I've acccomplished what I set out to do. But I'm sure, like throwing a boomerang, they'll eventually come back to me... <insert rim shot here>
Grace & Peace,
- Martin
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Remind me...
Wow.. it's been a while since I've updated. I was going to try to be better, but, well, life happens.
My wife and I have been attending the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (Downtown). While she pastors at Grandview United Methodist Church, we both enjoy worshipping at COR downtown. I suppose it's akin to a barber getting their haircut. They don't cut their own hair - they go to another barber.
Recently, the sermon series at COR has been "The line between good and evil". As you might imagine, there's been a LOT of content in those sermons. The men's group I attend on Monday mornings has provided two weeks of interesting discussion - not all of it uplifting. As I was sitting in this past Monday's group, I was reminded of a song by Jason Gray called "Remind me who I am". Once of the lines which speaks deepest to me is "In the loneliest places, when I can't remember what grace is, tell me once again who I am to you." Also, "When I lose my way and I forget my name, REMIND ME WHO I AM." I think that line speaks to me the most - remind me who I am. In thinking about the line between good and evil - and that we all walk that line - I am reminded of the less-than-good things I have done, and I continually need to remind myself of who I am, and, as the rest of the common phrase goes - remind me WHOSE I am. I know that it's GRACE that has saved me, that it's not about deeds, but sometimes it's pretty tough to get that from head, to heart.
When I lose my way,
And I forget my name
Remind me who I am
In the mirror all I see
Is who I don't wanna be
Remind me who I am
In the loneliest places
When I can't remember what grace is
(Chorus)
Tell me, once again who I am to You, who I am to You
Tell me, lest I forget Who I am to You, that I belong to You, to You
When my heart is like a stone,
And I'm running far from home
Remind me who I am
When I can't receive Your love
Afraid I'll never be enough
Remind me who I am
If I'm Your beloved
Can You help me believe it
Chorus
I'm the one You love
I'm the one You love
That will be enough
I'm the one You love
Hopefully I'll do better with the updates. Oh, by the way - the YouTube video of Jason's song is AMAZING. I highly recommend you watch - I've attached it here.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Camp Thoughts - Day Two
Today I'm thinking about all of the different "roles" I've played while I was at camps.
One year at Galilee, I can remember playing the role of "Peter", who denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2026:69-75&version=NIV). I stood on the Trail of Crosses, near the end of the trail by the island, and addressed the groups of kids as they came down the trail to wind up on the island. It was quite a powerful time for me, as well as the kids.
I don't think it was during that same year, but another one of my "roles" was the role of spotlight holder during one of Sara's camps. (Warning: Spoiler alert ahead). Sara had asked her son Brett (sp) to build a milk-carton pyramid, so that the base of it would rest of the bottom of the lake, and the top of the pyramid would be slightly below the surface, so that someone could stand on the pyramid and give the illusion that they were standing on water. As night fell, the campers gathered on the island, facing away from the boat dock. It was now pitch dark, and Sara stood so the kids were facing her, and delivered the scripture where Jesus said "Feed my sheep" (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21:16-18&version=NIV). The kids responded, "Feed my Sheep!" and at that queue, I flipped the spotlight on Jesus, standing on the water. Except it wasn't Jesus - it was Brett, standing on the milk cartons, with a sheet draped over him, much like the robe that envision Jesus wearing. The scene was amazing - the kids were so taken aback that I remember hearing some audible gasps, and I thought I heard someone say "Jesus!". Brett said something to them, and Sara replied back. They kids faced back to Sara, and I shut the light off. In the dark, Brett sat down on the small motor boat and silently rode back to shore. The next day, I overheard one of the kids say that he thought he'd seen just about everything at camp, but he didn't know that the camp had a hologram projector! I covered my mouth and chuckled.
I can then remember the first time that I was asked to share one of the messages (aka "sermons") at Galilee. It was during the week, and inside in the Cafe', since it was so hot outside. I remember Judy coming down to support me, which meant a lot to me. I delivered a good "sermon" to a bunch of kids - which was probably much more than they needed, so that was my first real "lesson" in knowing you audience. Honestly, I'd pretty much forgotten about that message. Another time during another week, the message I was able to deliver was themed around "GET FOUND, KID!!" In 2005, I was asked to give the greeting at Galilee - and man, was that fun!
I also remember having the role of comforter, one time specifically. One evening, after a particularly challenging message delivered (by a counselor) which dealt with sexual purity, you could almost see the kids getting upset about what they couldn't do - and what they'd done. After the service, we all headed to family group. The counselor who gave the message was a part of my family group, and our kids were especially vocal that night - except for one of them, who was not in group. I found him in his cabin, on his bunk, crying hard. He'd been thinking about pursing something in church work - perhaps a counselor - but now after hearing about the sins he had committed, he was feeling unworthy and unsure that God would forgive him. We spent a lot of time that night in reassuring him that God would forgive him.
One more quick story - I found one particular device worked well in getting the kids to open up and share -- a "faith walk timeline", which would allow the kids to describe their life's highs and lows. During one year, I found a girl in my family group who had been adopted -- and sitting in the same family group circle was ANOTHER girl who had been adopted! They bonded, and never left each other's side for the duration of the camp.
Those were some of the "roles" I played during camp.
One year at Galilee, I can remember playing the role of "Peter", who denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2026:69-75&version=NIV). I stood on the Trail of Crosses, near the end of the trail by the island, and addressed the groups of kids as they came down the trail to wind up on the island. It was quite a powerful time for me, as well as the kids.
I don't think it was during that same year, but another one of my "roles" was the role of spotlight holder during one of Sara's camps. (Warning: Spoiler alert ahead). Sara had asked her son Brett (sp) to build a milk-carton pyramid, so that the base of it would rest of the bottom of the lake, and the top of the pyramid would be slightly below the surface, so that someone could stand on the pyramid and give the illusion that they were standing on water. As night fell, the campers gathered on the island, facing away from the boat dock. It was now pitch dark, and Sara stood so the kids were facing her, and delivered the scripture where Jesus said "Feed my sheep" (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21:16-18&version=NIV). The kids responded, "Feed my Sheep!" and at that queue, I flipped the spotlight on Jesus, standing on the water. Except it wasn't Jesus - it was Brett, standing on the milk cartons, with a sheet draped over him, much like the robe that envision Jesus wearing. The scene was amazing - the kids were so taken aback that I remember hearing some audible gasps, and I thought I heard someone say "Jesus!". Brett said something to them, and Sara replied back. They kids faced back to Sara, and I shut the light off. In the dark, Brett sat down on the small motor boat and silently rode back to shore. The next day, I overheard one of the kids say that he thought he'd seen just about everything at camp, but he didn't know that the camp had a hologram projector! I covered my mouth and chuckled.
I can then remember the first time that I was asked to share one of the messages (aka "sermons") at Galilee. It was during the week, and inside in the Cafe', since it was so hot outside. I remember Judy coming down to support me, which meant a lot to me. I delivered a good "sermon" to a bunch of kids - which was probably much more than they needed, so that was my first real "lesson" in knowing you audience. Honestly, I'd pretty much forgotten about that message. Another time during another week, the message I was able to deliver was themed around "GET FOUND, KID!!" In 2005, I was asked to give the greeting at Galilee - and man, was that fun!
I also remember having the role of comforter, one time specifically. One evening, after a particularly challenging message delivered (by a counselor) which dealt with sexual purity, you could almost see the kids getting upset about what they couldn't do - and what they'd done. After the service, we all headed to family group. The counselor who gave the message was a part of my family group, and our kids were especially vocal that night - except for one of them, who was not in group. I found him in his cabin, on his bunk, crying hard. He'd been thinking about pursing something in church work - perhaps a counselor - but now after hearing about the sins he had committed, he was feeling unworthy and unsure that God would forgive him. We spent a lot of time that night in reassuring him that God would forgive him.
One more quick story - I found one particular device worked well in getting the kids to open up and share -- a "faith walk timeline", which would allow the kids to describe their life's highs and lows. During one year, I found a girl in my family group who had been adopted -- and sitting in the same family group circle was ANOTHER girl who had been adopted! They bonded, and never left each other's side for the duration of the camp.
Those were some of the "roles" I played during camp.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Camp Thoughts - Day One
My first week at church camp came just a few years after being married to my wife. She was a student at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, and was classmates with a woman named Sara Fagan. Sara was seeking "counselors" for a week at Camp Galilee in ElDorado Springs, MO. I had no idea what being a counselor entailed, but I figured it was a lot like being a Sunday School class teacher. Wow, was I in for a surprise.
I traveled down to ElDorado Springs, MO, where I met the site director, Mike Coffey. Mike was a good site director and "guarded" the camp closely -- he was most fond of saying, "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." And the facilities/maintenance director is now at Jo-Ota as the Site Director -- Mike "Sarge" Leonard. Sarge and Mike were always in the cafeteria in the morning - coffee, music, newspaper.
I can remember several events that happened on the grounds - one of the most interesting things was when an osterich showed up and was captured in a swingset area. I can still recall arriving many summers to "Shine" by the Newsboys, playing in my car. "Make 'em wonder what you've got, make 'em wish that they were not, on the outside lookin' bored." Colene Homa was one of the women who Sara recruited as well. Well, needless to say, Church Camp was nothing like what I anticipated - first off, because I had never because I had never been to camp - not even as a kid. Second, it was HOT. No air conditioning ANYWHERE, except for the Nurse's cabin and the Director's cabin. The kids cabins had multiple bunk beds, with a big attic fan in the back of the cabin, which we cranked on "high" at night.
During the day, we had a lot of time with the kids in "family groups", and then time as well with all of the kids together. Late in the evening on Monday night - the day the campers arrive - we finished up our session and I was headed back up the hill from the dam area to the "big slab" area. This was during my first week, and as I came closer, I could hear music thumping, and I could hear lots of noise coming from the slab area. As I got closer, I realized the kids were jumping around and singing/shouting to the music -- man, this was a LOONG WAAAYS from my anticipation of it being like the "church" I'd grown up in! And what in the world was this song?? Something about a guy with a big fat belly that wiggled around like marmalade jelly?
After having spent the entire day with the kids, trying to keep up with them and do everything they were doing, I was pretty tired. Sleep arrived as a welcome friend that night, as best I can remember. I wore myself out on Tuesday as well. When Wednesday rolled around, I was really starting to wonder what I was doing at this camp. Sara recognized that in the afternoon, and she told me to go take a nap. Nap? I chuckled. I headed to the basketball court and played around. Shot after shot seemed to miss. Backboard. Rim. Air. Backboard. I wasn't a superstar, but I didn't usually miss that many. I decided to head to the cabin for a nap, and I tossed up one last shot - that went in. And that evening when I was in worship, after the loud music had calmed down, and we'd heard a wonderful message, I realized that maybe I wasn't there for the kids.. maybe they were there for me. Maybe there was something in my faith life that could use a re-birth. Church camp was really something I needed, and it afforded me an opportunity to find out what I'd been missing.
When I drove home that next Saturday, I stopped at the Cokesbury story on 435 in Kansas City, and bought my first Contemporary Christian CD - I'm pretty sure if was one of the WOW CDs. And a new chapter in my life was starting.
I traveled down to ElDorado Springs, MO, where I met the site director, Mike Coffey. Mike was a good site director and "guarded" the camp closely -- he was most fond of saying, "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." And the facilities/maintenance director is now at Jo-Ota as the Site Director -- Mike "Sarge" Leonard. Sarge and Mike were always in the cafeteria in the morning - coffee, music, newspaper.
I can remember several events that happened on the grounds - one of the most interesting things was when an osterich showed up and was captured in a swingset area. I can still recall arriving many summers to "Shine" by the Newsboys, playing in my car. "Make 'em wonder what you've got, make 'em wish that they were not, on the outside lookin' bored." Colene Homa was one of the women who Sara recruited as well. Well, needless to say, Church Camp was nothing like what I anticipated - first off, because I had never because I had never been to camp - not even as a kid. Second, it was HOT. No air conditioning ANYWHERE, except for the Nurse's cabin and the Director's cabin. The kids cabins had multiple bunk beds, with a big attic fan in the back of the cabin, which we cranked on "high" at night.
During the day, we had a lot of time with the kids in "family groups", and then time as well with all of the kids together. Late in the evening on Monday night - the day the campers arrive - we finished up our session and I was headed back up the hill from the dam area to the "big slab" area. This was during my first week, and as I came closer, I could hear music thumping, and I could hear lots of noise coming from the slab area. As I got closer, I realized the kids were jumping around and singing/shouting to the music -- man, this was a LOONG WAAAYS from my anticipation of it being like the "church" I'd grown up in! And what in the world was this song?? Something about a guy with a big fat belly that wiggled around like marmalade jelly?
After having spent the entire day with the kids, trying to keep up with them and do everything they were doing, I was pretty tired. Sleep arrived as a welcome friend that night, as best I can remember. I wore myself out on Tuesday as well. When Wednesday rolled around, I was really starting to wonder what I was doing at this camp. Sara recognized that in the afternoon, and she told me to go take a nap. Nap? I chuckled. I headed to the basketball court and played around. Shot after shot seemed to miss. Backboard. Rim. Air. Backboard. I wasn't a superstar, but I didn't usually miss that many. I decided to head to the cabin for a nap, and I tossed up one last shot - that went in. And that evening when I was in worship, after the loud music had calmed down, and we'd heard a wonderful message, I realized that maybe I wasn't there for the kids.. maybe they were there for me. Maybe there was something in my faith life that could use a re-birth. Church camp was really something I needed, and it afforded me an opportunity to find out what I'd been missing.
When I drove home that next Saturday, I stopped at the Cokesbury story on 435 in Kansas City, and bought my first Contemporary Christian CD - I'm pretty sure if was one of the WOW CDs. And a new chapter in my life was starting.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Point of realization, your honor.
For the past couple of years, I think my "personal theology" has been taking a slow but steady shift.
So get a grip and hang on. I don't usually blog this deep; some of this is me talking it out, some of this has already been talked out and it's just me getting it out of my head.
For the past 14 years - this year would've been year 15, if my calculations are correct - I've taken a week of vacation each year to be a counselor at a church camp. For years, it was Camp Galilee in ElDorado Springs, MO, and for the past 4 years it's been Camp Jo-Ota near Clarence, MO. I have the late Rev. Sara Fagan to thank for getting me involved in United Methodist Camping. It's been a great ride, and I will continue to encourage others to participate, either as campers or counselors.
This year, however, after having a year of contemplation, I've decided to not go to camp. This has not been a decision I've made lightly, as camp has been one of the great opportunities during the year to share my faith with others. But over the past four or five years, I've made some realizations.
Mainly, I've realized that camp was becoming more about "me" and the "great things" I can share, rather than it being about the kids and how they might grow closer in their relationship with God. Part of that realization came from how the counselors interacted with the kids. At Galilee, the counselors had the opportunity to lead worship by sharing the message at one of two points during the day. Those were opportunities I enjoyed and appreciated, because it gave me a chance to tell my story. And at Jo-Ota, those opportunities were not present, due to the way the camp was organized. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying the way Jo-Ota did it was "wrong" - it was just "different". And I suppose that has helped me get to the point where I am now - that it's not about "me" delivering "my" message -- it's about God working through me to show God's unconditional love to others. And had I not experienced that unconditional love, I might not have had the log pulled from my eye.
This year, I've decided to take part in a work camp. I've never done a work camp before, so this will be a new experience for me, but one I'm looking foward to, despite only having computer skills. I was going to do one in 2008, but then it fell through and I've not taken an opportunity since then. But it's time. Time for me to get back to the spirit of giving that I first felt when I went to Galilee in 1997. When God first turned my world upside down, and I realized what it meant to experience unconditional love from God. I can still remember hearing some of the music that when I hear it now, still takes me back to "The Slab", and those powerful worship experiences that happened there. The past few years, the church where my membership is has struggled. They've struggled with membership, with leadership, with getting outside of themselves, and they struggled with being open and being invitational - all in my opinion. There are those that would probably disagree with me, and that's their perogative. I've spent a lot of time watching portions of General Conference - the blogs, the tweets, the video clips - and if anything, it was a bit on the depressing side. To see legistlation defeated that was proposed to say "we agree to disagree" on the subject of the wording of our feelings as a Church about homosexuality - seriously? We can't even agree to disagree? I'm sure there was a lot more behind the scenes, but for what it appeared on the surface, it was discouraging to not see us be able to agree to disagree. But I digress. Back to my decision. Camp is a wonderful event -- but the kids that are there WANT to be there. That's one of the things that I always found so discouraging about teaching mid-high/sr-high Sunday school class, was that not all of the kids wanted to be there - many are brought there by their parents, so they're not wanting to be there, and some have that "yeah, right" attitude. And what teacher really wants to try to teach people with that attitude? So my decision to do the work camp was reached because the people that benefit from the work camp didn't ask for their circumstances. And that's the way I think God's love is -- Scripture shows us time and again that the people that benefit the most from God's Grace are the people who are on the fringes. The least, the last, the lost. And while many feel the future of the United Methodist Church rests on "the young", God's Grace does not focus on an age range. So for me - while God continues to prepare me for something - right now, my time as a camp counselor has drawn to a close. It's time for me to go back to being a student, and trying to learn the lessons that God has laid out for me.
So get a grip and hang on. I don't usually blog this deep; some of this is me talking it out, some of this has already been talked out and it's just me getting it out of my head.
For the past 14 years - this year would've been year 15, if my calculations are correct - I've taken a week of vacation each year to be a counselor at a church camp. For years, it was Camp Galilee in ElDorado Springs, MO, and for the past 4 years it's been Camp Jo-Ota near Clarence, MO. I have the late Rev. Sara Fagan to thank for getting me involved in United Methodist Camping. It's been a great ride, and I will continue to encourage others to participate, either as campers or counselors.
This year, however, after having a year of contemplation, I've decided to not go to camp. This has not been a decision I've made lightly, as camp has been one of the great opportunities during the year to share my faith with others. But over the past four or five years, I've made some realizations.
Mainly, I've realized that camp was becoming more about "me" and the "great things" I can share, rather than it being about the kids and how they might grow closer in their relationship with God. Part of that realization came from how the counselors interacted with the kids. At Galilee, the counselors had the opportunity to lead worship by sharing the message at one of two points during the day. Those were opportunities I enjoyed and appreciated, because it gave me a chance to tell my story. And at Jo-Ota, those opportunities were not present, due to the way the camp was organized. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying the way Jo-Ota did it was "wrong" - it was just "different". And I suppose that has helped me get to the point where I am now - that it's not about "me" delivering "my" message -- it's about God working through me to show God's unconditional love to others. And had I not experienced that unconditional love, I might not have had the log pulled from my eye.
This year, I've decided to take part in a work camp. I've never done a work camp before, so this will be a new experience for me, but one I'm looking foward to, despite only having computer skills. I was going to do one in 2008, but then it fell through and I've not taken an opportunity since then. But it's time. Time for me to get back to the spirit of giving that I first felt when I went to Galilee in 1997. When God first turned my world upside down, and I realized what it meant to experience unconditional love from God. I can still remember hearing some of the music that when I hear it now, still takes me back to "The Slab", and those powerful worship experiences that happened there. The past few years, the church where my membership is has struggled. They've struggled with membership, with leadership, with getting outside of themselves, and they struggled with being open and being invitational - all in my opinion. There are those that would probably disagree with me, and that's their perogative. I've spent a lot of time watching portions of General Conference - the blogs, the tweets, the video clips - and if anything, it was a bit on the depressing side. To see legistlation defeated that was proposed to say "we agree to disagree" on the subject of the wording of our feelings as a Church about homosexuality - seriously? We can't even agree to disagree? I'm sure there was a lot more behind the scenes, but for what it appeared on the surface, it was discouraging to not see us be able to agree to disagree. But I digress. Back to my decision. Camp is a wonderful event -- but the kids that are there WANT to be there. That's one of the things that I always found so discouraging about teaching mid-high/sr-high Sunday school class, was that not all of the kids wanted to be there - many are brought there by their parents, so they're not wanting to be there, and some have that "yeah, right" attitude. And what teacher really wants to try to teach people with that attitude? So my decision to do the work camp was reached because the people that benefit from the work camp didn't ask for their circumstances. And that's the way I think God's love is -- Scripture shows us time and again that the people that benefit the most from God's Grace are the people who are on the fringes. The least, the last, the lost. And while many feel the future of the United Methodist Church rests on "the young", God's Grace does not focus on an age range. So for me - while God continues to prepare me for something - right now, my time as a camp counselor has drawn to a close. It's time for me to go back to being a student, and trying to learn the lessons that God has laid out for me.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Drinking from the firehose
Thinking back and reflecting over this week. After having heard a moving sermon on Sunday, I started Monday with a small group of men (15-20) down at the former Crosstown Station across from the Kansas City Star. Great bunch of guys, but I continue to be reminded that even in a group of "Christians", not everyone has Christian attitudes all the time, even towards people new to the group. Despite being human - and because we're human - we had another good, fruitful discussion, and I was again reminded of the numerous blessing in my life. We talked about ministering to those less fortunate than we are - or at least those who appear to be less fortunate compared to us. Was reminded that for those people we choose to help, we cannot dictate how they repond to our offering - we can merely offer and then leave their response in God's hands. The pastor shared about two homeless men who had recently joined the church, and they shared that when deciding to join, that that particular church was one that had not treated them as a "project", but instead had gotten to know them, to know their stories, and to just care for them.
Saturday, I worked with the Heartland Walk to Emmaus community, in preparation for the upcoming Walk. I heard some god-centered men sharing from their heart what God has prepared for them to share with others. Pastors and lay-people alike, trying to share from their hearts what God has done for them. I am humbled to know these men, and to call them friends. A few of these guys were with me during my moment "closest to Christ", and they know that I continue to struggle with God's calling upon my life.
Sunday morning during Sunday School we finished up "A Clearing Season", which is our Lenten Study. It's been a challenging study, and as one of the members said today, "We should be thinking about this more than just once a year", which I appreciated hearing. This group seems to have such an understated hunger to learn. Today, the part that struck me the most was the part that said: "The work of clearing space is therefore the work of letting go, of saying, 'Thy will be done.' When space is cleared, we lose a bit of our old control over things; we clear the space and allow God to fill it, agreeing to tend whatever growth God engenders." That last part really spoke to me - we clear the space and allow God to fill it. And I thought about some of the goals I had set for myself this year, and some of the things I had hoped to have accomplished I have not accomplished - some due to me, some due to other circumstances. I have more adjustments to make - more space to clear for God to fill.
I also learned today that "Hosanna" means "Save now", so when Jesus approached Jerusalem and the people were waving palm fronds, they were awaiting their Messiah, their Savior, and they were saying "Save us! Save us!" The people were dealing with Pontius coming in from the West, King Herold Antipus from the North, and Jesus entering from the East. I also learned that Jesus rode in on a donkey in fulfillment of the prophecy from Zechariah (http://bg4.me/Hdzjif).
Ok - that's all for now. I'm taking tomorrow off, but I'm still going to Men's group. Thanks for sticking around.
Saturday, I worked with the Heartland Walk to Emmaus community, in preparation for the upcoming Walk. I heard some god-centered men sharing from their heart what God has prepared for them to share with others. Pastors and lay-people alike, trying to share from their hearts what God has done for them. I am humbled to know these men, and to call them friends. A few of these guys were with me during my moment "closest to Christ", and they know that I continue to struggle with God's calling upon my life.
Sunday morning during Sunday School we finished up "A Clearing Season", which is our Lenten Study. It's been a challenging study, and as one of the members said today, "We should be thinking about this more than just once a year", which I appreciated hearing. This group seems to have such an understated hunger to learn. Today, the part that struck me the most was the part that said: "The work of clearing space is therefore the work of letting go, of saying, 'Thy will be done.' When space is cleared, we lose a bit of our old control over things; we clear the space and allow God to fill it, agreeing to tend whatever growth God engenders." That last part really spoke to me - we clear the space and allow God to fill it. And I thought about some of the goals I had set for myself this year, and some of the things I had hoped to have accomplished I have not accomplished - some due to me, some due to other circumstances. I have more adjustments to make - more space to clear for God to fill.
I also learned today that "Hosanna" means "Save now", so when Jesus approached Jerusalem and the people were waving palm fronds, they were awaiting their Messiah, their Savior, and they were saying "Save us! Save us!" The people were dealing with Pontius coming in from the West, King Herold Antipus from the North, and Jesus entering from the East. I also learned that Jesus rode in on a donkey in fulfillment of the prophecy from Zechariah (http://bg4.me/Hdzjif).
Ok - that's all for now. I'm taking tomorrow off, but I'm still going to Men's group. Thanks for sticking around.
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