It's not that far

OK, friends who live in Oklahoma City. Time for a geography lesson. I'm not pastoring in North Dakota. I'm pastoring in Guthrie. Guthrie is the next town north of Edmond. No one says that Edmond is "so far away", but I commonly hear that excuse when I ask when you are gonna come visit me some Sunday morning. Let me attempt to dispel some myths about visiting Guthrie:

It does not require an overnight stay to visit Guthrie. From north OKC it takes 35-40 minutes to reach Living Water Church.

We speak the same Oklahoma English that you do.

We have electricity and flush toilets.

There are good places to eat after church.

You can actually take your cup of coffee into the sanctuary during service.

Our morning worship experience begins at 10am and ends around 11:15.

The preaching is getting better.

It wouldn't hurt you to visit us some time. Seriously.

Bad Memories

Tonight I was visiting an art exhibit of paintings created by a friend. My son-in-law did an amazing job of converting an empty cafe into an elegant art gallery. While inside, however, I realized that I had been in this building before. Way back when I was in high school, this place had been a Pizza Planet where our youth group would occasionally go after Sunday night services.

Soon after getting my driver's license, I was allowed to take the car to Pizza Planet one Sunday night on the condition that I take my little brother with me. I was so flush with the excitement of driving myself, I didn't really mind. I entered Pizza Planet as a newly ordained young man. I had cash in one pocket and car keys in the other. I sat down with the confidence only a 16 year old male driver possesses, and ordered my drink and pizza.

The drinks arrived and the banter began. Within seconds, my little brother knocked over his completely full strawberry soda. Immediately it rushed the short distance to the edge of the table where it cascaded in a crimson waterfall directly in my lap, ruining my evening's coolness; not to mention my brand new white double-knit slacks.

Tonight I stood for a moment on the exact spot. Some day I'll have to forgive my brother.

Royal Ranger Adventure

Our Royal Rangers are going to have their first outing on October 15. Lonnie and the gang will be going to Red Rock Canyon to hike, explore and rappel. All boys are invited. Be a part of the excitement!

Poor Customer Service

This morning I went to a national chain office supply store to get some copier paper for the church. While I was checking out I saw a lady carrying her desktop computer in her arms. My first thought was, "Oh boy, I hate having to take my computer for repair." I have been her before; carrying my computer, knowing that I am at a severe knowledge disadvantage and wondering if this trip would be the one that would require me to go through the painful process of switching to a new computer.

The lady was directed by the person at my check-out station to take her burden to the customer service desk. There were two employees at the service desk and I was sure that she would come under their care very quickly. However, they seemed not to notice the lady and continued their light-hearted conversation while she stood close by, uncertain as to where to set her computer. Another employee, who appeared to be older and seemingly more responsible came walking quickly toward the two. I assumed that she would immediately connect with the poor lady and get on to the two younger ones for being un-noticing of the lady's dilemma. However, she gave an order to the boy about some messiness on one of the aisles and sent him away. She then gave some directions to the other girl and set her in another direction. All of this happened within 4 feet of the lady who was still holding her computer. No one had talked to her yet. Finally the lady was told someone would be with her shortly; the first acknowledgement of her existence in the store. As I was leaving, I saw her decide to set her computer down on a counter. No one had given her any instruction. She was the customer. She was the reason the store exists. Nothing else could have been more important than making her feel appreciated for picking their store over the many other options Oklahoma City offers.

Poor customer service always frustrates me. I worry that this story might be lived out at Living Water Church. Could someone come into our place, carrying a heavy burden and looking to repair her life and find people who are occupied in conversations with people they have known for years? Could the placement of chairs or the quantity of coffee stirrers take precedent over connecting with someone who is out her element by coming into a church?

Let's all keep an eye out for someone who we don't recognize. Let's be ready to meet them; to hear their story; to see how we can help lead them to what they need. After all, people with burdens are the reason for our existence. Nothing else we do comes close to them in importance.

God Moves In Mysterious Ways

God moves in mysterious ways,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter tase,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

William Cowper (1731-1800)

A Pentecostal Profession of Faith

WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT, God is far away,

Christ stays in the past,

the Gospel is a dead letter,

the Church is simply an organization,

authority a matter of domination,

mission a matter of propaganda,

the liturgical services no more than a reminder of the past,

Christian living a slave morality.

BUT WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, God is with us,

the universe is resurrected

and groans with the birth pangs of the kingdom,

the risen Christ is here,

The Gospel is the power of life,

the Church is the organism, the Body of the living Christ,

authority is service,

mission is Pentecost,

the liturgy is both memorial and anticipation,

human action is God at work in this world.

-Patriarch Ignatius IV

How well do you know the Bible?

A pulpit committee invited a young minister to come to their church for an interview. The committee chairman asked, "Son, do you know the Bible very well?"

The young minister replied, "Fairly well, sir."

The chairman then asked, "Which part do you know the best?"

He said, "I know the New Testament the best."

Continuing, the chairman asked, "Which part of the New Testament do you know best?"

The young minister replied, "Several different parts."

The chairman said, "Why don't you tell us the story of the prodigal son."

The young man said, "Sure...there was a man named Nicodemus, who went down to Jericho by night and he fell upon stony ground and the thorns choked him half to death. The next morning Solomon and his wife, Gomorrah, came by, and carried him down to the Ark for Moses to take care of. As he was going through the Eastern Gate into the Ark, he caught his hair in a limb and he hung there forty days and forty nights and he afterwards did hunger. Then the ravens came and fed him. The very next day, three wise men came down to the boat dock and he caught a ship to Nineveh. When he got there he found Delilah sitting on a wall. He said, 'Chunk her down boys, chunk her down.'
And they said, 'How many times shall we chunk her down?'
And he said, 'Seventy times seven.'
So they chunked her down four hundred and ninety times. Then she burst asunder in their midst. They picked up twelve baskets of the leftovers and asked, 'At the resurrection whose wife shall she be?'"

The committee chairman suddenly interrupted the young minister and said to the remainder of the committee, "Fellows, I think we ought to ask the church to call him as our minister. He is awfully young, but he sure does know his Bible."

Is this how well you know your Bible?

On Target, On Time

Last fall we made a tough decision to discontinue our Sunday School because the way we were doing it was very tiring on the few who were involved in the children's ministry. The stated goal in January was that we would finish completion of the EdZone classrooms and restart with a complete selection of classes for every age group in September. It was a statement of faith, because at the time the rooms were far from complete and financial resources were very scarce.

I have the advantage of being to see the fulfillment of this vision on a day to day basis. In those early weeks we would see what we were able to do with the available funds. Electrical work was installed and sheetrock was hung, taped and bedded. When we got to the place where the air conditioner had to be replaced before we could proceed further, the good people of Living Water responded and the money was raised. A miracle anonymous gift provided the remaining funds necessary to install the ceiling and floor tiles. Men of the church provided their labor, allowing us to extend the funds even further. Now these rooms are a testament to our faith that God supplies our needs. They are a major step toward the completion of the original vision of moving into the facility we call our church home.

Now this Sunday, right on the promised time, we resume Sunday School at Living Water Church. We have classes for Toddlers (1-3 in diapers) Preschool (3-5 potty trained) Primary (grades 1-3) Junior (grades 4-6) Youth (grades 6-12) and Adults (everyone else). It will begin at 9 and will end at 9:45.

I am grateful for the many who have made this possible; those who gave of their time or finances to get the rooms ready, and those who have given of their time to be teachers in these classes.

But most especially, I am grateful to God who makes all things possible. This is an exciting time to be a part of what God is doing at Living Water Church.

OK, maybe I AM all that

I am sitting in the All About Cha coffee shop in Edmond. I had about an hour before a lunch meeting across the street, and I have seen this place but have never had the opportunity to try it out. There is always some reading that I need to do, so I thought I would pull in and have a cup while reading. The atmosphere in the place is great. Airy and contemporary with an Asian feel, just being in here makes me feel cooler than I really am. (And after all, isn't that what we're all after?)

I am reading a commentary on Colossians written by N.T. Wright in preparation for a series I plan to share probably in January. N.T. Wright is one of the most readable theologians who is writing today. I came across a line I thought was very good.

When the lavish and generous beauty of the world makes you catch your breath, remember that it is like that because of Jesus.

Out of habit I reached for my phone to tweet that, but I feared that it might exceed the character limit. I could have done it on Facebook, but a thought struck me. I am in here with my new MacBook in my backpack case slung casually over one shoulder. I can be one of those people who sit in coffee shops and work for hours on their laptop doing all sorts of world changing things. Suddenly I was overcome with the overwhelming urge to get some leather flip flops and grow a soul patch.

Assisted Living Musings

When I visit my dad in his assisted living center I usually find him sitting in a common area in a chair where he can see down a long hallway. This allows him to watch most of the comings and goings of staff and residents. As I sit with him, he keeps a running commentary on the folks who appear in his field of view. As I have spent time there, I have come to an obivious conclusion: the end of life season is tough.

I see a couple. He is sprightly and clear-headed, but his wife's mind is gone. It is tender and heart-breaking to see him, who gives the impression that he could exist quite well in the outside world, staying faithful to his marriage vows and tending to his wife who knows when he is with her, but very little else.

I see younger people who, for whatever reason, have lost their ability to think things through, and I wonder how many years will their world will be limited to the cream colored walls of the facility.

The older ones, including my dad, fall into one of two categories: those whose minds have outlived their bodies and those whose bodies have outlived their minds. I haven't decided which is less desirable.

I look at Dad, and I know that he is spiritually ready to make the next journey. He hangs on tenaciously to this life because it is what he knows. He knows conceptually about his glorified body in Heaven, but for 94 years he has lived the reality of this life, so he stays with what he knows. But I know that when that day comes, and Jesus says "Well done", Dad will wonder why he hung on so long.

Don't fail to make your preparations for your Heavenly destination.

Memories

I talk to people from time to time who pine for things to be as they once were. They hold an idealized view of a place, a period of time, a group of friends, or an association with others, and it becomes a standard which cannot be attained in any other situation. This ideal changed, maybe slowly, maybe rapidly, but the change is not seen as ordinary transition, and it is for sure not seen as improvement. They find it difficult to enjoy today because they haven't forgiven today for not being yesterday.

The problem is that things always change. Summers end and as fall arrives, leaves die and fall off. Maybe a tornado strips the leaves off early in the Spring and cheats the tree of its Summer leaves. But the tree changes. There is no going back to what once was. If we attempt to recreate the past, we find very quickly that it is a fool's errand. You can reassemble a group of people, but the perspectives, attitudes and worldviews of the people have changed. The chemistry which once held the group together doesn't exist anymore. That's why high school reunions sound so good in theory but are usually awkward in reality.

The best thing we can do with the past is to preserve and honor the good parts, learn from and discard the bad parts, and realize that today we are a much different person than we were back then.

Back in my youth Barbra Striesand sang the song "The Way We Were" (although I liked the Gladys Knight version much better). It went something like:

Memories line the corners of my mind,
Misty water-colored memories, of the way we were.
Scattered pictures, of the smiles we left behind,
Smiles we gave to one another, of the way we were.
Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time re-written every line,
And if we had the chance to do it all again, tell me would we, could we?
Memories, can be beautiful and yet,
What's too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget.
But it's the laughter we will remember
Whenever we remember, the way we were.

We have the opportunity to enjoy today, today. Tomorrow we can't do anything about it.
And wishing that today was yesterday is wasted effort.

I Was Born To Reject Rejection

OK. This was a new one on me. Last night Carole and I were looking for a quick bite before we went to the evening service at General Council. We had been told that there was a small food court in a nearby hall in the convention center. Sure enough, it was right where we were told it would be. We saw a little Mexican grill and decided that that would be our place. It seemed to have the shortest line and besides that, it smelled good. We took our place at the end of the line and began to read the menu signboard.  Our stomachs began to growl in anticipation. A few seconds later, a young lady, an employee, came over to us and said, "Sorry, we're closing." Then she began to pull the web barrier across the line in front of us. No one was behind us in line. It was just me and Carole. I asked, "Are you serious?" Carole said, "Can't you close the line behind us?" She wouldn't look us in the eye. She just hooked the barrier in place in front of us and walked away. Wow. I've never had that happen before.

So we went to plan B. At the arena where the service was to be held, we found a concession stand that would consent to sell us something, so we got a hotdog, a popcorn and two cokes. And it only cost us $16.50.