Christmas 2011

Lazy Days of Christmas Vacation....

I am thoroughly enjoying this week of vacation after the busyness of the Christmas Season.  I have not slept in yet past 6 but that is okay.  I have kept my walking schedule in tact and that is a good thing.  But other than that, I have enjoyed not having a schedule to keep, or a list of things to do! 

I have been cleaning up some things around the house, shooting my bow, doing some workshops online to better learn photoshop lightroom, enjoying time with my family.  Tomorrow, I plan to use a gift certificate Sharon got me for a massage the see if my facial muscles will free up any more.  Still don't have full control of my mouth or eye on the right side.   It has been fun to have Caroline home and to do some special things with she and Emma.    Love it!

Pondering....

In the end of Luke's version of Jesus' birth, he says that Mary "treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart."   I have been pondering something in my heart this Christmas too!

Throughout the Advent season leading up to Christmas, I have explored some postures that we take in relating to God concluding on Christmas Sunday with an exploration of the posture that God takes toward us... WITH.!  And challenging us to live fully into God WITH us!  To wrap our minds, hearts, and lives around the reality that no matter what God is WITH us!

On Christmas day, I had a thought that I have been pondering since....

In Luke 1, we read that the angel Gabriel told Mary that she had found favor in God's eyes and because of that she would give birth to a child - God WITH us - Emmanuel.   And then later the Angels proclaim to the shepherds after they told them about the child being born...  “Glory to God in the highest heaven,  and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”   

And the thought that I have been pondering is this...

That when we truly realize that God is WITH us, we recognize that we are favored by him and when we figure that out, peace comes as we live our lives WITH God... when we KNOW that no matter what we face (and we WILL face dark and difficult experiences) God is WITH us... it is then that we find PEACE.   Peace because no matter what we face, God is WITH us.  Peace because no matter where we find ourselves, God is WITH us.  Peace because NOTHING is bigger that God who is WITH us!

Ponder that and find real and lasting peace!

An enjoyable day

Totally enjoyed a day off today! Baked two tea rings and some brownies and made lime jello salad. Th En spent some time doing some home repair projectsmand cleaning up the garage. No hustle and bustle for me....bought and wrapped all my presents in an hour and forty minutes on Monday.

A Sadness Lives In Me...

I find these days that I have within me a sadness.  Not because of something that is going on in my life but because of things that are going on in the lives of people I know and love... people I shepherd.

You see, I believe at the very core of my being that the church is to be a place where you can lean in and find support and encouragement, help for the journey, strength when the struggle is too much.  And the sadness comes not in that the church is not that... but in that some people choose to lean out instead of leaning in when they are struggling with things.  That some people choose to walk away from the very people who love them and are there to support and encourage them, to walk the mile and bear the load with them. 

When we fail to share the struggle and just walk away, we will never realize the full potential of the blessing of being part of the body of Christ known as the church.  When we keep our struggles to ourselves, we miss out on what could be.  And when we walk away, we will never know the power of support that could be ours.

So, when this happens (and I see it happen alot), I find myself filled with a sadness for my brothers and sisters who have chosen to walk away and lean out rather than leaning in!  And I find that my prayers are filled with a plea for God to help them realize the power of being part of the church that they are missing by walking away or leaning out!

Honored!

Today I was honored to be an observer in someone's blessing others with Christ's love.   I got the text yesterday asking if I would want to go along and I sure did!  Thanks Ms. Tami for asking!  And thanks too for taking the initiative to respond to God's prompting in your life!

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Ms. Tami Brown asking if there were a family at Pinehurst Elementary School that she could be part of blessing this Christmas.  She had been unable to participate in the Community of Joy initiative but wanted to do something. So, I gave her the contact I use most at the school and got out of the way!   They agreed that she would help a large family.  Ms. Tami sent out a wonderfully touching email to her circle of friends explaining how God had used a tv show to pull at her heart string and inviting her friends to be part of the blessing.  No sruprise but they responded in a very generous way.

Yesterday, she sent me this picture of some of the stuff that she had gathered...

Today, we met outside the school and went in to the office to meet the guidance counselor.  Then out to the parking lot to load the guidance counselor's car with the goodies as she was taking them straight to the family.   What a touching moment!  This effort and ones like it will go a long way in attracting people to Christ - as his followers share his love generously!!!!  (Contrast it to the one I blogged about yesterday! Below)

 

While there, the guidance counselor had no idea who I was and she proceeded to tell me about the church that was their faith based partner and the generous gifts that this church had shared with each class and how she involved students yesterday to help distribute the gifts to each class and how touched the teachers were.  I then told her that I was the pastor of that church - Community of Joy and she couldn't say enough positive things about how touching these gifts were to the teachers and classes.

What a great way to start the day!  Thanks Ms. Tami for allowing me to join in!

Help or Harm?

Saw something on Saturday that I haven't seen in a long time!

Not sure if it is helpful or harmful?  Actually I think it does more harm than help.

I know Sharon and I picked up our pace and walked pretty wide when we realized what was going on.

We were on the streets of Annapolis, enjoying a stroll in the historic/ waterfront area near the statehouse when we encounter a guy dressed in a suit, shouting at the top of his lungs on the street corner.   His message wasn't bad, but his method of delivery was not effective at all!  Infact the only thing it did was repel people.  You could see people crossing the street early and steering clear of the guy. 

So SAD!  The greatest message in the world tainted by a poor delivery method. 

The challenge for all of us in the current environment we live in is to figure out how to share the message of God's love in a way that attracts people not repels them.  Personally, I think sharing love in tangible ways not shouting about it works best!

Update on Shopping...

Loved doing my shopping this way this year!  With a list in hand and the girls great help, I started and finished in 1 hour 40 minutes!  And boy did I get some deals!  Now all I have to do is wrap them.

Thanks girls!

Waiting on the Girls to Help Me....

Haven't bought the first Christmas gift for Sharon yet!  This is the first year in our 23 years of marriage that I haven't really had a clue what I was going to get her.  So, as soon as Caroline comes home, we will do what I hate to do... brave the crowds in search of that perfect Christmas gift for the love of my life!

Grateful for the help that Emma and Caroline will be giving me this year!  Not sure what I would do without them.

Amazed....

Last night I had an interesting experience.   In the midst of a gathering that I was part of, something happened that brought some emotions to the surface that I thought I had LONG ago laid to rest and moved beyond.  After nearly 13 years, it surprised and amazed me that these emotions were even still present in me and it amazed me how fast they took control of my actions and thoughts.

For the first couple of years after I moved past these horrible experiences, I would find myself "ducking" which was a response that triggered when I found myself in situations that we similar to the horrible experiences of years past... but I hadn't experienced that for years and then last night... out of the blue... something triggered these emotions and before I knew it I found myself transported in time and space and was ducking again. 

This expereince has been valuable to me and I have reflected on it all day.  It has taught me that I must be careful not to allow past situations and emotions to come in and cloud my present relationships and life experiences. And when I start to feel those emotions welling up, it is good to pause, pray, and remember where I am at the time and that there is no need to duck automatically.    It is also helpful for me to realize that something quite emotional that was expereinced long ago can still have an impact on your present.

Thankful that in the end there was no need to duck and that these emotions can be buried once again!   And hope it is another 13 years or never again that they raise up!  But know this, if they ever raise up again, I will be better prepared for it and not as surprised by them.

Saw an old friend today...

As I was coming out the the hospital, I ran into one of our guest from the last two years Cold Weather Emergency Shelter that we operate for homeless men in Salisbury.  It was GREAT to see him.  And even greater to hear his story.  He looked really good and his story is even better.   You see, he told me he has been sober for 9 months and is off the street, living in a transitional apartment and doing really well!

I called him by name as he walked across the parking lot and he came over and we chatted for a while.  He remembered how wonderful Community of Joy's hospitality was and was most appreciative!

So cool!

It was a bluebird kind of day...

Haven't seen many deer in daylight hours this year!  Lots of people are saying that.  They are still around just not coming out during the day much.  Did see four or five yesterday in the moonlight as I walked across the field.  What a beautiful moon it was too!

And then it really was a bluebird (and other birds day)... had lots of different kinds of birds all around me feeding on holly berries and tulip poplar seeds.

Thought PROVOKING...

A friend of mine posted a link to a blog the other day that still has me thinking...

So, I want to share some of what the writer wrote and for those who want to read the whole blog I will share that link too!

Here are a few quotes...

"The turnaround of the mainline churches will happen when we in those churches care as much about those outside the church, as we do those inside. To embrace relevance, we will have to let go of survival."

This is nothing new but it is the heart of the challenge before us right now!   Too many of us are concerned about survival of our church.   And that fact forces us to emphasize he wants of those who are on the inside and in so doing we miss the needs of those who are not part of us.

"The world is hell-bent on destruction in countless ways. It is desperately in need of a church that offers a Way of peace, truth, compassion and hope, as opposed to the world’s way of power, materialism, exploitation and violence. It needs leaders willing to risk comfort, status and economic security for the life of the world and the outreach potential of the church. It needs a church that looks less like the Pharisees’ religion and more like Jesus’ ministry. It needs a church that is willing to sacrifice everything for those outside: buildings, budgets, sacred cows, traditions, structures. It needs a church that so loves the world, that she’d be willing to die for it."

This is the kind of ministry Jesus modeled and calls us to and if we adopted it, we would be making an impact in our world in huge ways.

And here is the writer's radical approach to making this change...

"So here’s the plan. New policy. Every decision, every single decision made by staff, council and every committee is made on behalf of those not yet here. Every sermon choice, every hymn, song and musical choice, every building and grounds choice, every spending choice is made with outsiders in mind."

The heart of the matter here is that it is so easy for the church to institutionalize and thus become irrelevant to the needs of the people outside it's walls and relevant to the needs of the people who are part of it's life.   And no amount of course adjustment will cure this reality once for all... it calls for constant course adjustment in order to connect with people outside our walls.

Maybe Just Maybe by Christmas!

I've been at this since March 12 and I am NOT complaining... but I am ready to see it change if it is going to!  And I have hope that it will.

On March 12 I began a long journey with Ramsey Hunt Syndrome, which is a combination of Shingles and Bells Palsy.   Thankfully the excruciating pain of the shingles only lasted a couple of weeks.  It's the paralysis from the Bells Palsy that is still troubling me.  I still can't whistle a tune.  And I can't fully pucker my lips.  Still have difficulty closing my right eye and now when I move my jaw (even chewing) my eye goes shut. 

For the past two weeks, my face has been really twitching and fluttering.  All of that feels funny but I am confident that it means that nerves are regenerating and muscles are coming alive once again.

This journey has taught me so much and has given me a greater appreciation for what stroke victims go through.  I also have a greater appreciation for the little things that we take for granted.  Like whistling, drinking from a cup, blowing out a candle, chewing your food on both sides of your mouth, blinking and winking your eyes, and the list goes on...

I am hopeful that by Christmas, this will all be behind me and it will be a distant memory.

A Fine Line of Leadership...

I am a hands-on kind of leader!  And that has a good side and a bad side. 

It has been my biggest struggle for most of my life!  And even though I know it has a downside, I can't seem to navigate away from it.  I am aware that the greatest thing I can do as a leader is to empower and mentor others... calling out their gifts and helping them develop.  But there is this struggle I have, it plays out like this... "but what if they don't do it the way I would?"   Another side to the struggle is, "why should I ask someone else to do what I can do?"

Both sides of this struggle are growing edges for me that I need to do better at working on!

Yesterday, I spent the day (10 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.) working at the Ministry Center doing something that was a BIG task!  It was far bigger than I had anticipated!  And I knew I should have called in some help when it became obvious that it was bigger than I thought it would be. 

You see, this year the leaves fell late and we didn't schedule a Fall Cleanup day, so now that all the leaves are finally down, they needed to be cleaned up.  Since it is hunting season and I didn't want to spare my day off (Friday) or a Saturday for this venture, I missed out on some help on Friday or Saturday of last week (though the offerer did blow off the parking lot!)... besides I looked at it and thought it was not a big job this year... boy was I wrong!  I didn't call anyone to help me, when I found it to be a bigger task than I thought because I didn't want to interrupt their day and I had already decided that yesterday was the day - I didn't want to give another day this week to the task.   My issue wasn't that someone else couldn't do as good a job, it was why should I bother someone else to do what I can do!  And besides, I don't ever want to be known as one who is afraid to roll up my sleeves and get dirty!

The problem is not really that it took me all day nor is it that I am very sore today.  The problem is that in doing it all myself, I don't create a climate for seeing taking care of the Minstry Center as a responsibility of all of us!  Rather I create a climate where others think "someone else will do it - so I don't have to worry about it."  Not the kind of climate I want to create!  It takes all of us!

So, I must do better at letting go and letting others!   All day as I was working, I was thinking of Jethro's words to Moses in Exodus 18: 17-18, "What you are doing is not good.  You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you.  For the task is too heavey for you; you cannot do it alone."

Lord help me become an empowering leader who calls out the gifts of others!

A Great Hunt with Ben!

It was not hard to get Ben out of bed this morning nor to get him to go to bed last night!  He and I both turned in last night around 7:30 and when I woke him this morning at 5, he was up immediately!

We had a great morning in the deer woods.  COLD, crisp, the perfect kind of weather... wind blowing in the right direction.  We didn't hear a shot until about 8 a.m. and friends I was texting who were hunting elsewhere said the same thing!  We both thought we were going to get to the time he had to leave for a commitment and not see a deer.  His hands were cold, so I was holding his gun, when all of a sudden I caught movement on a road in the woods.  It was a buck.  I passed the gun from my stand to Ben and told him to get ready for when the buck gave us a shot.  The buck missed the movement of passing the gun over to Ben, but didn't miss the movement of Ben taking the mitten part of his gloves off.  He looked at us and then decided to go out to the field.  Which is just what we needed him to do, turn sideways.  As he did, I grunted at him with my mouth and he stopped and I told Ben to shoot when he was ready.  Ben shot and the deer dropped.  Great shot on a great deer.

He is a pic of him that I took a few weeks ago when I was bow hunting that stand and he walked under me.

And here is the buck and Ben and all their glory!  I am so proud of my nephew!  This is his second buck ever!

Looking forward...

After a full week of work, and not being in the woods since last Saturday, I am looking forward to a day off tomorrow and getting back into the whitetail woods!  It won't be as pretty as it was these past few weeks since most of the leaves are down, but still will be enjoyable.

I am most excited about Saturday.  It will be my first opportunity to take my nephew, Ben out to hunt deer.  I have devised a way that he can use a hang on tree stand without a rail and still shoot his gun.  We will go to the stand where I took both my bucks and I have seen a lot of deer every time I have been in that stand.  The other great thing about that stand is that most of the deer we see will be within Ben's effective range.

I am hopeful that we can get him his second whitetail buck ever!  But more than that, I hope we have a great time!

Insights from Readings...

I've not felt the greatest today, so, I decided to spend the bulk of the day reading through the many pages of material that we are supposed to have read before our January gathering of our Advanced Foundations of Church Leadership Cohort group in California.  The first thing I finished was a book called "Leadership for a Changing Church: Charting the Shape of the River" by Robert Dale.

Near the end of the book, Dale says something that caught my attention..."When any church feels it has arrived, it takes on an establishment mind-set.  The "establishment church" is convinced that it has a heritage worth protecting and invests more emotionally in the past than in the future.  Since the church is, by definition a conserving institution, it's too easy and too natural for congregations to adopt a backward direction.  But preserving and conserving aren't the same as serving.  "Establishment churches" subtly shift our energy from leading the movement to tending the monument - a risky, if not deadly stewardship of energy.  The tragic risk in protecting our past is that we may, in the process forfeit our future."

I realize that as we move farther and farther away from the initial purchase of our building, we are slipping more and more into this reality.  Fighting the established church mentality is hard.  Not quite sure how to break out of it either.   I don't think it must be a given either.

EXCITED!

I am looking forward to being back together with the great folks at Community of Joy today after 2 weeks of vacation!  Also am looking forward to preaching again today. 

The break was wonderful! 

Today we start a new series... Getting to With.

Excited about it!

A New Day....

Today started with an AWESOME sunrise...

And then saw a heard of does (not able to shoot them on neighbors property)...  then two small bucks and then this guy followed a doe to his end.  He is OLD... weighed 198 pounds field dressed and teeth are pretty worn.  The pictures don't do his massive horns justice!

Love...

Everytime I am in Harrisonburg VA visitng our family there, I see some advertising for a church.  Actually I see lots of advertising for many churches, but this one in particular always catches my attention!  Don't know a thing about the church, except it is a United Methodist Church that is fairly new.

The thing I really, really like about it though is it's mission statement!   In fact, if I were starting a church or at that stage again with Community of Joy, I think I would strongly consider it as ours too!  It is one that is Biblical, easy to remember, and T-shirt worthy!   Here it is...

Receive Love.  Give Love.  Repeat.

Absolutely LOVE it!  And wow... what a mission.   If we could but get that much right.... our churches would bust at the seams and the world would be a different place!

Thankful for MUCH!

I am thankful for much! 

Thankful that my friend Steve is recovering well and is out of ICU.

Thankful that my brother in law Henry is through his second heart surgery and will come home tomorrow.

Thankful to be spending time with my girls... all three of them.

Thankful to get to see etexnded family in two states over this holiday.

Thankful for the blessings of life and the call of God to lead a great church - Community of Joy!

Thankful for the upcoming deer season and another opportunity to spend time out in the woods.

Thankful for growing relationships with new people in my life - had a nice visit with a new friend of mine _ Marty and his family last night.

Thankful for improved health for several people on my prayer list and for assurance of God's presence in their life regardless of improvement or not!

Thankful for so much more....   I could go on and on and on... for all of it is a gift from God and for that I am truly thankful!

One Never Knows...

Good thing we don't know what the next day or hour for that matter will bring!  If so, we might miss out on somethings in life.

Got the news last night that a good friend of mine, who will turn 50 on Sunday, had a heart attack while at the YMCA.  They had to use the defibulator on him and he is in ICU.  This is his second in 5 weeks.  The news really shook me!

I was happy that we were still in town so that I could spend some time at his bedside supporting his family and praying with and for him!  I pray that each day he will strengthen and recovery will be quick! 

Memories...

One day last week, I went to Camp Mardela in Denton, MD to scout out some good settings for a photo shoot that I had for that area on Sunday.  As I walked around, I came across a tree that I had carved my initials in when I was there some 30 years ago.  Oh, the memories of good times spent at Camp Mardela.  Check it out!

Reflections on Visiting a Church...

Visiting a church is always a strange and interesting experience!

While on vacation, Sharon and I had the experience of visiting two local churches.  My relfections are not so much a criticism  of these churches as much as a hope that we at Community of Joy will learn from the experience and do better!

If you have never visited a strange (new) church and are actively involved in a church, you ought to avail yourself of that opportunity to feel what our guests feel when they visit.   It is not an easy thing to go into a place where you have never been and don't know people.

In both instances, Sharon and I knew a few people at each church.

Our experience at both churches were pretty much the same.  We got there 15 minutes before the start of worship and hung around in the back a bit and then took our seats.  We found both churches to be pretty cold in terms of welcoming us.  In fact, with two exceptions, the only people who greeted us were people we already knew before we entered.   In each situation, we did have one person that we didn't know prior to going - the first was an elder in the church and he came over and introduced himself to us and told us he was an elder and that the pastor had suggested he come introduce himself to us.  As far as I am concerned, he would have been better off not coming over at all!  No one likes to be greeted by someone because it is what they were told to do!

The second was a lady who was curious to know who we were and when she found out we were not prospects... she didn't carry on too much longer!

I write all this because welcoming guests is so CRITICAL we must do it well!   We never get a second chance to make a first impression!  So, I hope that at Community of Joy we go out of our way to make guests feel welcomed and valued!  It is really not that hard to do!  It just takes intentional effort - making sure we greet each other AFTER we greet our guests.  Introducing our friends to the guest!  Taking an interest in them!

Refreshed!

After 14 days of vacation, I am refreshed and ready to get back in the saddle!  Actually woke up at 3:30 this morning with ideas and lists swimming in my head.  Tried to stay in bed till 5:15 but at 4:30, I gave in and got up!

My two weeks back to back vacation was the best thing I have done in 21 years of ministry!  And I am confident that I will do it again!  A week away doesn't really allow you to unhitch and let go... usually the way it works is by the time in the week you are unhitched, it is time to think about hitching back up and go back to work.  With two weeks away, the unhitching lasts longer and refreshment comes.

Grateful to have had the opportunity to get away and spend some time pursuing deer in the beauty of God's natural world! 

Later today, and this week, I will be posting some reflections from our two church visits on the two Sundays.

Day 14 - the final day of vacation...

Enjoyed haveing a lazy morning prior to heading to worship at The River in Berlin.  Good to be with this new church plant!  Pastor Mark preached a challenging message!

Then got to see the Ravens score two touch downs before I had to leave to go to Denton MD.  I had donated an hour photo shoot to the youth chinese auction and the winner lives in Denton.  She and her hubby wanted to have their dog in the photo...so we met at Camp Mardela.  The good color of folliage was mostly gone.  I knew that, because I had scouted it out on Friday. 

When we got there the dog was very excited... so I suggested we walk to the river first and shoot our way back.  That way she would settle down a bit and we could get some good shots.  I dindn't even thing about a lab and water... but that was a huge temptation for her!  At the second location - the finshing pond, it proved to be too much... she jumped in for a swim!

All in all, I am please with the shots and hope the couple is too!

Had an AWESOME 14 day vacation!  And ready to get back in the saddle tomorrow!

Day 13 - One Last Day in the woods...

Day 13 of my 14 day vacation was again a day for the woods... at least the first part of the day.  Saw three small bucks on stand and one on the way out of the woods... can't seem to find a doe anywhere!  Enjoyed hearing a LARGE flock of turkeys in the trees, yelping and gobbling at dawn.  Was hoping they would come my way, but they didn't.  Also saw a red-tail hawk come by me in search of a squirrel, two bald eagles, a fox and countless squirrels.

Decided since I have not seen a doe since Tuesday, I would sit this afternoon out so, I came home to get laundry done, and finish grinding the meat from earlier in the week.

Looking forward to taking Sharon out to dinner later and then enjoying a night with her!

Day 12 - Back at it...

Friday (yesterday - I am writing two posts today because my parent's internet was down) I went back out to the deer woods.  It was perfect.  COLD, clear, slight wind in a good direction and it was a wonderful time.  In the morning I saw 3 different bucks - the odd thing was that two of them were very similar in antler configuration to the one I shot, each had two points on one side and four on the other.  These were both much wider than the one I shot and one had the odd side on the left and the other on the right.  Makes me wonder about a genetic issue in the herd on that farm.  Got a picture of one of them.

ALos was able to capture some photos of a group of 4 bald eagles - 3 adults and 1 immature eagle.  And I shot some photos of buzzards on a fence and a pileated woodpecker, as well as a fox in the field. 

The highlight of the day was intentionally staying out of the woods a few moments to capture an even better picture of the lone tree at sunrise.  Hoping to enter one of these in the Ward Contest next year!

Thoroughly enjoyed being out in the woods again!