Wayfarer

Instead of participating in Treat-in-a-Trunk in the church parking lot tonight, I transported Virginia to the airport for her flight to Burbank. She will be quite a wayfarer over the next few days.

I liked the sound of that word, so I looked it up. If you're interested (if you're not just ejnoy the Chaucer print), here's what I found. It's from the Middle English weyfarere, from wey, way + -farere traveler, from faren to go; a traveler especially on foot. Now, she flew but I think the word could still fit, don't you? And when I tracked down fare, I found that it derives from Middle English faren, from Old English faran; akin to Old High German faran to go, Latin portare to carry, Greek peran to pass through, poros passage, journey.

Anyway, she made her flight and arrived in Burbank safe and sound. Jeremy has shoulder surgery tomorrow to repair an unknown injury from his youth. None of us knows how he hurt the shoulder, but beginning in high school it began to pop out whenever it got torqued the wrong way... a somewhat painful experience. We toyed with having it repaired then, but he never had 6 weeks in a row when he was willing to miss something (band, theatre, mission trips, camps, etc.); he just put up with it. Well, it has gotten to a point where it pops out more easily, so he decided to get it repaired. One nice perk from waiting is that they will now do it orthoscopically, so he'll have only 3 weeks in a sling instead of 6. Then there will be therapy to follow up, and he should be as good as new. Virginia went so she can help Amber take care of the patient... moms like to do that sort of thing.

Saturday VJ will fare on the way some more, only this time in a car. Mel's (of Diane and Mel) dad died this past week and the memorial service is in San Diego. VJ will drive down for it to spend a little time with D&M and then come back to J&A's Saturday night. By doing that she'll be able to go to church with them Sunday at Conejo... first time for either of us since they started going there a couple of years ago. She's looking forward to that. Sunday afternoon she'll fly back to Oakland, and I'll fare the way down to pick her up. I already miss her and am looking forward to having her back home. :-)

I hope Treat-in-a-Trunk went well tonight. I guess I'll find out in the morning.

Weekend

Well, a busy weekend went well... a real pot-pourri of blessings. We cleaned up a bit, put out clean towels, gathered lots of snacks and drinds, and waited for people to arrive. Neisha and Ezekiel came first, and we had time to get them settled in to their room and play with Zeke before Won By One got here.

About the time the Cardinals were wrapping up the World Series there was a knock on the door and Won By One rolled in. It was really good to see Lindsey, John and Darnell again, and it was a pleasure to meet Stacey, Matt and Natalie (all freshmen in WBO) for the first time. After making new acauaintances and catching up, we sang through the songs for Sunday. The girls got beds; the boys got the floor in the TV room; VJ and I hit the sack.

Saturday everyone but us headed off to the youth rally in Martinez where they had a great day. I ran with Randy early. Virginia and I walked. I did some yard work. That evening we went to the rally as well to catch the WBO concert. They did really well, singing a mixture of last year's songs, some new ones and even 2 or three refurbished songs from previous years. Good sound for having 3 new voices and this early in the year.

Sunday we focused our worship around the things that frighten us and the One who is bigger than our fears. Here's the order:

Anywhere with Jesus – 414
Greet One Another
Thy Word – 449

Welcome and Prayer
We Have Come to Worship Him
Show Your Power

Responsive Reading: Ephesians 6:12-13
The Battle Belongs to the Lord – 749

God Moves in a Mysterious Way – 26
Prince of Peace! Control My Will – 761

David’s Perspective

I Am a Sheep – 533

Deep Calls to Deep

Faithful Love (v 1)

Remembering Our Hero
Bread: Faithful Love
Cup: Be Still My Soul
Offering: Surround Us, O Lord

Invitation to Children’s Church
Unto Thee, O Lord – 794

Fear and Faith
You, O Lord, Are My Refuge

Family Matters & Shepherd’s Prayer

You Were There (video)

Won By One headed back to L.A. after a yummy lunch at Panera Bread. It was indeed a weekend full of blessings.

Dad

Today, October 27, is my dad's birthday. If he were still living, I think he'd be 94 years old today. It's really hard to think of him being 94 because, come this spring, he will have been gone for 20 years. I was almost 37 when he died, so he seemed fairly "old" to me then, but now, almost 20 years later, not so much. Also, my image of him is who he was then... not who he would be or might look like now.

Dad was what used to be called a "regular guy." That usually meant at least two things: 1) he wasn't famous or "high falutin'" and 2) he was down to earth... the kind of man you could trust to do the right thing, keep his word, and be... well... a regular guy. And he was certainly both of those things. He came from humble rural roots in the Depression, and he always seemed to be content to let someone else worry about "keeping up with the Jones." Oh, he bought a new car every few years, but that grew from his desire to be practical and safe rather than a need for flashy wheels. However, I do remember the time he bought a nearly new and rather psychedelic orange 75 Super Beetle and drove it home. I'm pretty sure Mom was glad when that one finally went away.

As a kid what I remember most about Dad was his quiet demeanor, his strong work ethic, and his desire to do things that made my mom happy. He used to say, sometimes to Mom's frustration when she wanted to know what he wanted for a change, that he was happy when she was happy, and I believe he truly meant it. He was never the guy who would stand out in a crowd, but I never met anyone who knew him who didn't like him. One of his joys in the 70s was sitting by a Joy Bus kid or two during church.

Apparently he had been quite an athlete when he was younger. He played basketball; I remember finding some little track medals from high school in an old case one day when I was in high school. I remember often visiting the old home town in Roosevelt when we were on vacation and hearing stories about the catch. "So, you're Dewey's boy, eh? Well, let me tell you about the catch." Apparently Dad played some semi-pro baseball and once made a Willie Mays style over-the-shoulder catch while running full out with his back to the plate to seal the win in a game. He was a Roosevelt legend after that.

By the time I came along he seldom played any sports himself, but he would often come straight from work to see me run an afternoon track or cross country meet. I do remember one time, though, when he drove by the school where a bunch of teens and adults from church were playing softball to see if I needed a ride home. He stayed around to watch, and we coaxed him to bat. Dad was not a big guy... about 5'8" and maybe 145... but he took one swing, crushing the ball and sending it deep over the heads of the left and center fielders. With no fence, that ball rolled far enough that the bases cleared as Dad jogged slowly around the base path in his work clothes and steel toed shoes, with keys and change jingling in his pocket. He never did become a regular with us at Monday night softball. I think everyone learned something about him that day... yeah, he could hit the ball, but it wasn't all that important to him to do it.

In the mid 70s Dad was struck with PLS (primary lateral sclerosis - first cousin to ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease). Slowly over several years it robbed him of his mobility, eventually leaving him wheelchair bound and needing help with most of his personal needs. Mom was his primary care giver during that time, and I doubt anyone was ever cared for as well as he. She was sitting with him that night in 1987 as they watched a Perry Mason re-run and a stroke took his life.

Here's to a regular guy... Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is Thursday!?!

Well, I haven't posted since Saturday, and I'm not sure where the time has gone. I mean, I remember all the days in between... the things I did, the people I talked with, all the emails I sent and received... it just doesn't seem like that many days should have gone by. Oh well, I seem to have more weeks like that as I get older.

This evening Virginia and I met Jeff Boyer at the church building to take care of a few of those necessary technical things. We repositioned the stage lights to more evenly light the front and get a little more light on the face of anyone standing at the pulpit. It took a little while and a little ladder work, but the end result is an improvement. There's virtually no natural lighting in our building and the house lights are indirect cove lighting on the side, so stage lighting is critical for people to see faces well. It can be tricky to get enough lighting on stage without washing out the screen, but I think we did pretty well. We'll see (no pun intended).

We're really looking forward to the weekend. The Martinez church is hosting the 11th (I think) edition of the annual Scary Monsters Youth Rally. The name plays off Halloween... the idea that the real scary monsters out there are not ghosts and goblins, but things like Spiritual warfare, not living holy lives, and so forth. It's about the only big youth rally still going in NoCal, and they do a good job with it. A really good drama group from Cascade College in Portland comes each year. And Won By One from Pepperdine comes as well. Because of our history with them, they stay with us, so that's the main thing we're looking forward to... and hearing the new group sing as well. It'll be good to see Lindsey, John and Darnell again and to meet the new members, Natalie, Matt and Stacy. They'll also worship with us Sunday morning and serve as 6 of our 8 praise team members. More about our worship focus tomorrow.

Where's Virginia?

Those of you who've known us for a long time understand that both Virginia and I are what you might call "shopping challenged." If either of us were to list our top 10 favorite things to do, shopping wouldn't be on either list. That makes what I say now truly amazing.

I've posted about some of our recent home improvement projects... mostly painting and a few related things like new towel bars, etc. Well, sometime during one of those visits OSH or Home Depot or Lowes I apparently came home with a different wife. She looks like Virginia... she talks like Virginia... she has the same sense of humor and likes to do videos. But this new person seems to like to shop. She's been on the internet ordering new stuff for the guest bedroom, and today she dragged me from Home Depot to Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Target, where we found everything she was looking for. While taking a break at the Starbucks at Barnes and Noble I started to ask her, "Who are you and what did you do with Virginia," but thought better of it. Now, to be honest and fair, we did make a couple of stops that were my idea... Staples to get her a new floor mat for the home office and an auto parts store for some tire chains in case we need them in the mountains in November... but that's not really shopping, right?!?! Just picking up a few necessities.

Now here's the thing... that guest bedroom... it's looking really good. She had a vision, pursued fulfilling it, and achieved success. Maybe this new shopping trait is a good thing... so long as it doesn't get out of hand.

"What's that, honey? You want me to go with you to which mall?"

Find X

One of the neat things about this digital age is that we often have the opportunity to keep up with or catch up with or at least occasionally touch base with people we otherwise might never be able to contact. For example, my mom (who is 88 years old) regularly exchanges email with some of her former students... going all the way back to the class of 1945.

One of the people I occasionally exchange emails with is my former high school chemistry teacher. Now, I remember that back in 1967 he had a pretty good sense of humor. He had sayings like "hot glass looks just like cold glass" to remind us not to grab the pipette we had just made by heating the end in a Bunsen burner with bare fingers. I also remember the twinkle in his eye when one experiment each year was to make some substance that smelled like vomit. Of course, we did it with all the windows and doors in the chem lab wide open so the rest of the school could also enjoy the smell. Anyway, you get the idea. Well, after we reconnected via email in recent years, we've enjoyed sharing funnies. The one below is a classic.

Attached is problem 3 on a geometry examination given at the University of South Carolina. The solution was submitted by a blonde student and it is our understanding that after careful scrutiny, the student was given credit by the professor for her answer.
When hearing of this situation, the Dean of the Math Department warned other professors to be more explicit in the wording of examination problems, but was hesitant to suggest how.

The answer in question is below.

Well, after a good laugh, I couldn't resist sending it on the the math people in my life (daughter, Jennifer, and brother-in-law, Mark, both college math profs, and nephew, Russell, an actuary). Mark liked it so much he printed it off and stuck it on his office door. He and I have a rather "punny" relationship that goes back over 25 years. His reply was something about "mean" behavior by some of his students.

Well, hope it gave you as much of a laugh as it did me... whether you're blonde or not. God bless!

Biking and More

On some days, especially when my Achilles tendon is sore, I'll hop on my old bike, strap on my bright yellow helmet, and head off on a ride. Today was one of those days. My tendon isn't really that bad, but the weather was simply beautiful, so I decided on pedaling instead of pounding. Not sure how far I rode, but I pedaled pretty hard for about 80 minutes... up hills and down, bike trails and neighborhood streets, lots of winding fairly flat stretches, all part of a big counter clockwise "loop" that eventually brought me back home. My legs were pretty drained by the time I arrived back at the house, especially my quads. There was hardly any wind blowing today, so no matter what direction I was going, I was creating a nice cooling breeze. Good way to spend 80 minutes enjoying God's creation.

Got an email from Jeremy today. True Lift is running a special on the Wave of Grace Collection, the 3-CD set of 50 much-loved hymns. The set usually sells for $40 bucks, but they're running a pre-holiday sale of $29+S&H. Check out the link. You can listen to samples and read a little about the recording project itself.

Virginia's class this weekend was cancelled (actually postponed to be re-scheduled), so we're here instead of Sacramento the next couple of days. I had planned to go with her this time. The cancellation was because her instructor had a death in the family. It's convicting that my first reaction was to feel sorry for myself because our plans were dashed. How selfish is that?!? As I repent of that attitude, please join me in a prayer for the instructor and her family. And, we have some things to catch up on around here anyway. Give your loved ones an extra hug and take some time to notice the varied and surprising ways God is blessing you.

Back Home

My trip home from Arkansas was a bit different than expected. Mom got me to the airport plenty early for my 7:25 flight to Oakland. Good thing I was early because the security line was long. But, it did move pretty quickly, and I was through security and the Starbucks line in plenty of time to get a good spot in the 'A' line at gate 11. This is where things began to change. It seems this flight was oversold (how does that happen???), so they announced that they were offering the face value of the ticket + $200 in a travel voucher good for a year to take another flight. After a quick call to Virginia, I decided to take them up on the offer and settled in with my book to wait for the 10:00 flight... to Chicago.

Well, the flight to Chicago Midway was only about 90 minutes. The 63 other passengers and I enjoyed the snack, and I especially relished having a whole row of seats to myself... although I sat in only one.

Chicago Midway is a neat airport... not too big, but with a great foodcourt. I strolled around, got something to eat, finished my book, and started a 2nd. The 3 hour layover was more than ample to get a good start.

Chicago to Oakland (even non-stop) is a pretty long flight. I was more than ready to get my feet on the ground and my legs moving by the time we landed. However, the 5 or so hours in a totally full plane weren't without pleasant distractions. Let's see, there was that book to finish, my row mates sleep-jerking to observe, the gourmet snack pack to get the gastric juices flowing, that line at the aft restroom to meet people, the more humorously clever than usual flight attendant to keep the mood light, and, of course, that slightly harder than expected landing to make sure everyone was awake to de-plane.

One real plus was that because my bag was on the original flight, it was waiting on me when we landed. Virginia picked it up and met me as I entered baggage claim. We were out of the parking lot before the other bags hit the carousel. Of course, I did get in a bit later... 5:15 instead of 11:00. All in all it was a good choice, but I was plenty tired when I got home.

Sunday was a blessing. Worship was rich; one of our teens was baptized by her grandpa; some of the young professionals hung out at our place for lunch. Good stuff.

Today was Monday... all day long. What more can I say?!? Oh, I did squeeze in time for a much needed haircut, losing the beginning of a 70s look I was in danger of cultivating. Tomorrow is Tuesday. Hope yours in blessed!!

Friday in Cabot

Today was another good day here in Cabot. We had a chilly night, so we awoke to frost on the grass, and it wasn't even that early. Mom's house is nice and tight, so it didn't get cold inside over night... stayed in the 60s.

After another good muffin breakfast, I did a little work outside. First I washed the siding on the house using some of that house wash stuff. It does OK, but a good scrubbing probably would have looked better. The stuff ran out, so I finished the job using LOC, and it seemed to work about as well. I trimmed a few branches off the neighbor's tree that were rubbing the roof or close to it. Finally, Mom helped me scrape and paint a couple of corner pieces of her siding that were flaking off.

Another good run rounded out the afternoon, and supper filled us both up. Will need to get up early to get to the airport in time for my 7:25 flight home. It's been a good stay.

Arkansas Drizzle

This morning broke grey and drizzly (Is that a word??) here in Cabot. It has stayed that way all day, drizzling off and on and not getting out of the 50s. I guess it's a little dreary, but it sure made for a brisk run early this afternoon... nice!

I got some work done today... caught up on some emails, prepared Sunday's powerpoint, including new backgrounds for a couple of songs, worked on class some.

In the afternoon Mom and I went out to visit Jim Green and his family. Jim has been taking care of Mom's yard and other things around the house for several years, and his family treats her like she's part of their family. Well, Jim had a heart attach and bypass surgery last week. He came home yesterday, so we went to see him. He's doing much better.

Being at their house is sort of what you might imagine visiting the Waltons might have been like. First, the house is really big, 2-story and complete with finished attic and basement. And, there are 4 generations living there. Jim and his wife, Patsy; Patsy's mother; their daughter, Tammy, and husband, along with their 3 kids. They all pitch in and do their parts, and it all seems to go smoothly. Sounds sorta like the Welch family, eh!?! Not every family could do that. :-)

After leaving the Green house, we went for some Mexican food at a local place. The service was hampered a bit by the language barrier... yes, here in Cabot, AR... but the food was good. After that we went by Walmart so I could pick up some paint and siding wash. Need to do some washing and touch up on Mom's siding tomorrow. It's supposed to be up in the mid-60s and clear.

Well, it's early, but I think I can feel another bowl of ice cream coming... that is if those green chilly enchiladas settle down a bit.

Mom's Place

Well, the flight to Little Rock was late, but both I and my baggage made it just fine. Rick and Brenda Fielder, dear friends for years, came with Mom to pick me up. We had a good visit on the way home.

Today was a good first day here. Mom fixed the traditional late big breakfast of scrambled eggs and cheese, bacon, and those wonderful whole wheat muffins, the recipe for which is now in it's 4th generation. Of course we had an assortment of side stuff like OJ, jelly, honey, coffee, etc. Great way to start the day... even though I did sleep in, and no need to eat again until supper.

I cleaned out her gutters and downspouts, although they weren't very clogged. They'll probably need cleaning again after the leaves fall from the trees, but maybe Kent can do that on his next trip over.

I ran one of my old courses in the afternoon and admired the brand new high school building along the way. It felt good to jog along those streets again.

The church in Cabot does a Wednesday night fellowship meal at 5:45, with one of their small groups hosting it a month at a time. We decided that would be a good way to see people, so off we went for supper. And we did see several folks from our days here in Cabot... great fun. The one question asked by almost everyone was, "Where's Virginia?" Oh well... next time. :-)

We talked to more people before and after class... such a blessing to be able to re-connect, if even for a little while, with people who have helped shape who I am.

Well, that's enough tonight. Think I'll go continue another family tradition... indulging in a big bowl of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream!

Trip East

Well, I'm off to visit Mom today in Cabot, AR. Looking forward to the trip. Wish Virginia could come as well, but her time away in her new job is limited at this point. Oh well, Mom and I will have a good time, and hopefully I can get a few jobs done for her around the house... at least what there is to do. I checked the weather on-line, and it actually will be pretty similar to the weather we've been having, except one night it's supposed to be near freezing. Hasn't been nearly that cold here yet.

Flying back Saturday, so I'll see you Eastside folks Sunday, Lord willing.

Weekend

Whew! Where did the weekend go? Wasn't it just a little bit ago that I was dragging myself out of bed to meet Randy for our Saturday morning run in the hills? And now it's bedtime Sunday night. Lots of good things the last two days, and it sure went by fast.

After the run in the hills we participated in the annual Hunger Walk with a bunch of other church members to raise $$ for our food pantry.

I spent much of the rest of the day prepping and putting a first coat of pint on the big bathroom upstairs. It was easy to see that a 2nd coat would be needed.

At 6:00 we had a dinner at church for all the elder and deacon couples and staff. It was fun. For each course we had to change tables so we got to spend time chatting with more people. Great folks!!

This morning Virginia and I both taught our usual classes. The one I teach is about parenting adolescents, and we are using a Kevin Leman series. Good attendance and participation.

During worship we installed our new elders and deacons, seeking their commitments as servant leaders and pledging as a congregation to support and follow. It was a meaningful time of worship.

The new young adult group came to our house for lunch. Virginia had made taco soup, and both the food and the conversation were good. We're really prayerful about and enjoying helping these young adults grow as a group.

The rest of the afternoon (after a little chair time :-) I 2nd coated the bathroom, cleaned up and hung a shelf in the little bathroom downstairs. Virginia worked on her school work and got started on a video she's doing for the 29th.

Whew! Where did the weekend go?!?

Microclimates

Well, from before sunrise today we had clear skies. The high today was 65, with a crystal blue sky, bright sun and light breeze. However, the gray clouds were doing their best to peak over the hills a few miles to our west. If I had gotten in the car and headed west on Hwy 4, within 10 miles I would have been looking at gray skies and temps struggling to climb out of the 50s.

The meteorologists talk about the bay area microclimates. A combination of the chilly Pacific on the west, the San Joaquin Valley on the east and lots of hills and coastal mountains woven throughout the entire bay area, the temps can vary greatly in just the space of a few miles.

One day this summer it was over 100 in Antioch, but only in the 50s at Point Reyes. We needed jackets as we hiked around in the chilly ocean breeze. When we got home after dark, it was still in the 80s in Antioch.

Today there wasn't much temperature variation... 65 here and upper 50s in SF. And SF doesn't vary too much year round, with a few days of exceptions. In the summer SF will be one of the coolest parts of the Bay Area, usually in the 50s or 60s. In the winter SF will be one of the warmer parts of the Bay area, usually in the 50s or 60s. This winter when we get down in the 40s or 30s, we can go to the coast to warm up instead of to cool off.

Well, more than enough of that. It's supposed to be beautiful and in the 70s this weekend. And a north then northeast wind will wash pretty much all those clouds away from all the hills, valleys and beaches. Enjoy your very own climate, "micro" or not!

Rainy Season 06

Well, we've had our first rain of the season here in the Bay Area. The high today here in Antioch was 66, and we had a whopping .o3" of precip. I think a couple of places in the north bay they had almost .6", but we usually are among the lower amounts.

It's actually a bit early in the fall for the rainy season, so this may be merely a preview of things to come a little later on. But, for now, it's supposed to be 72 and sunny to partly cloudy tomorrow and beautiful this weekend. I know we need the rain, and I actually enjoy the cool gray skies from time to time, but I've really gotten used to the blue skies and dry air that we have much of the year.

Oh well, here's to the gorgeous weekend!! Enjoy!

Thoughts to Ponder

There are many things in The Missional Leader (the book I'm reading) that are challenging. Some of the challenging ideas have been expected, but others are requiring me to re-think ideas and approaches I've believed in for several years. But, I guess that's the point, isn't it?!?

One thing I get is the shift from being a church that operates through attraction... attracting people to the facility by offering Christian goods and services like children's ministry, dynamic preacher, youth program, better small groups, couples classes, sports teams, maybe a Starbucks... you get the picture, right? The church with the best programs wins. Now I realize that's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but, honestly, that's how it's been all of my life. True that the "goods and services" have changed over the years, but we've always "done church" by attracting people to the building. It's a different focus to see the church as people who are going out to bring Jesus to the world... not by knocking doors or setting up Bible studies (although that might be part of it), but by doing the day-to-day things that need to be done to care for people... sorta like Jesus did.

One implication is that because the church is ekklesia (called out), God calls us to be a community of people that is different than the world... different values, different priorities, a community that is Christ-centered rather than Caesar-centered. The thing is that the modern American church isn't very good at that. Our rates of divorce, abuse, etc. are roughly the same as the cultural at large. We are just as consumed with commercialism and me-ism and other isms as those around us. And many of our churches preach Americanism right along side of or instead of the gospel. I've gradually become aware of these realities over the last few years, but what had not totally clicked for me is how difficult it is for a church to make a missional shift when we are so like the culture around us. The problem is that if we aren't truly ekklesia, growing Christ-like qualities as a community, looking different than the culture, etc, then we aren't different from it. If we aren't different, then we have a hard time being missional.

One current example is the Pennsylvania Amish families whose girls were murdered this week. The Amish live as a community that is ekklesia (on steroids)... truly called out of the culture. Now, you don't really think about the Amish wanting to influence culture... being missional. Yet, their difference from culture - specifically their Christ-like ability and desire to forgive the murderer and pray for his family - has had an impact... a missional impact on the cultural at large... even if that was not their intention. God knows what he's doing... if we will allow the Spirit to grow his fruit in us and shape us into Christlikeness as those called out of the culture around us, he will use us to draw others to him... in everyday ways in our day to day lives.

That's enough. More challenges later...

Missing the Point

Virginia and I have been reading a book written by Brian McClaren and Tony Campolo called Adventures in Missing the Point. The point of the book is to explore ideas about the variety of ways the church (and/or Christians in general) have missed the point... or sometimes majored in minors. Each chapter is penned by one of them, ending with a response to the chapter by the other guy. While their points of view are sometimes different, they usually find a good patch of common ground.

We've been doing this reading in the mornings before we go to work, so it usually takes us at least a couple of days to get through a chapter. The one we just finished, written by McClaren, is titled Missing the Point: Doubt. I really like how it ends:

But here's where faith comes in - a faith that leans on God, not our own theology. We have the challenge of believing that good answers are out there, if we only have the courage to press through the intellectual pain of questioning, seeking, learning and stretching. I believe Jesus when he said he'll never leave us or forsake us - and that includes even when we question. Or as St Paul said, even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. It's ironic: the more free I am to doubt a specific belief, the more free I am to hold on to that person-to-person faith in God. At the point where the tide of faith seems the lowest, if we hang on and don't give up, we'll see the tide rise again.
After all, to trust our beliefs about God more than we trust God - wouldn't that be missing the point?

New Leader Week

This coming Sunday we will "install" (I really don't like that word - inaugurate, instate, induct... swear in???... is there a good word??) our new elders and deacons. We have a couple of pretty cool ideas that I think will help make it a meaningful morning in the life of our church, but I can't give them away here, can I? I'm looking forward to Sunday morning... hope you can be there.

I just read this article by Joe Beam in Grace Centered Magazine. Based on his observations from his considerable travels, he constructs a model of how he sees Churches of Christ today and where he sees us most likely going in the future. Check it out and see what you think.

Have a blessed week!