God's Mercy is NEW Every Morning!

 

I have been neglectful lately in posting to my blog... mostly because I have been way busier than I like and feeling some stress due to that busyness! 

 

This morning as I was driving to the Mall(not to shop - that is long done) to walk for my morning exercize routine, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful sunrise.  I wish I had my real camer and not the iphone camera but I didn't so... I captured it with my iphone.   Isn't it beautful?!   It is a reminder to me that God's mercy is fresh and new every morning!

 

May you live into that freshness!

Hearing the Angels Sing....

Sitting here trying to come to grips with the news of this day... HORRIBLE news! 

Innocent lives taken!  The trajectory of people's lives changed in an instant.   A horrific school shooting...this news is becoming all too frequent in our world.

How desparately our world needs to hear the angels sing again!  Long ago, they proclaimed a message that we need to hear again... "peace on earth, goodwill to all"!

The only way that becomes a reality is when it begins in you and me... and overflows from our lives into the lives of others around us.

Praying for the victims families and the rest of us.... that our ears might be tuned in to hear the angels sing and our hearts might be forever changed by their song so that our lives would honor the life of others!

Walking a Mile in Someone's Shoes...

The old saying is... until you walk a mile in someone's shoes...

Well, today I had a similar experience but not in shoes... today, I got to ride in another person's wheel chair - not a manual one... but a motorized one... and what a scary experience!!!  Especially navigating it out of the tight corners from the bedroom, where it was located, to the van outside.  And the MOST SCARY part of all was riding it out of the van onto the lift and trusting that it would stop when it needed to.   I had it in the lowest gear and barely touched the joystick to inch it forward!

I gained a whole new appreciation for my friend.  She makes it look SO EASY navigating this chair around.   I can't tell you how many times I have seen her move around and thought how easy she does it.  However, when I got into the chair and began to navigate it, I soon realized tht 2 seconds was all I needed to know it is NOT EASY!

You can't really know a person and what their life is like until you ride in there wheel chair for more than 20 feet!

Praying my friend soon is able to use her chair... even better yet, that she will soon have her new chair.  First week behind us of the 4-6 they said until the ordered chair comes in.

Joy

I have been enjoying Adam Hamilton's devotional book "The Journey: A season of Reflections" this advent!   In it he writes the following about Joy and I say a hearty AMEN!

"Joy, unlike happiness, can come to us independant of our circumstances.  It comes not from changing our circumstances but from viewing them through the eyes of faith.... Joy is a choice we make when we look at our present circumstances through eyes of faith, trusting that God is at work and that he will never leave us nor abandon us.  And it is often found with the help of another who reassures us that God is with us."

Touched by Generosity!

It is the season of giving... and lately I have been touched by people's generosity.

I participate in a hunting forum online and one day this week a guy who recently lost his job was selling his hunting equipment so that he could raise $600 to get his children some things for Christmas.  A couple guys asked if he was getting out of hunting or if he was just doing this to provide for his children.  He said he was doing it to provide for his children.  One guy offered to buy his stuff and donate it back.  One guy stepped up to the plate and said that he would receive paypal donations from the members and would make up the difference himself to $500.  Well, that touched off a firestorm of donations.  It was almost no time till he had sent $2,000 and more are still coming.  It also touched off lots of offers for jobs.  And one guy offered to give him a new set of bow strings (this guy makes them) another guy paid his membership in the site.  Another guy offered his family to come to his Christmas Tree lot and get a tree.  My guess is that the donations now total over $2500.  Everytime I read the new posts, I get tears in my eyes seeing the generosity of people.  And all of this allowed the guy to keep his hunting stuff.

Tuesday, I stepped out in faith and made a financial commitment to help a friend.   I was sure that I could find the resources to meet the need between folks in our congregation and the men in my community Bible study group and if not I would kick in the difference.   Was not sweating it at all.  Wednesday, I got a phone call... totally unsolicited saying that someone wanted to step up and help out and it might cover the total amount!   Today, I received a call back saying that if it was needed the ENTIRE amount was covered!  WOW!

What a difference it makes in our lives and in the lives of others when we live generous lives!

Letting Go Is Part of Life...

Yesterday, I  had the Hutchison Fleet of vehicles minus one serviced with oil changes, tire rotations, and alignment checks... and worked at the Ministry Center between jockeying the cars to Expert Tire.   Emma's vehicle was first.

Shortly after dropping her vehicle off, my mom called and we chatted a bit and she asked what I was doing.  So, I told her and she made a comment that I thought about all day...  She told me that I needed to teach my girls how to take care of their own cars, getting them in for service and then let them do it for themselves.  I told her that they both know when it needs to be done and they let me know and I do the rest.  I know it is soon time for me to let them handle making the appointment and so forth.  They are doing that in other areas of their lives now - like dentist, doctors, and glasses.

Mom is right... a necessary part of growing up is teaching our children how to take care of themselves and letting go.

The same is true in our discipling relationships.  We need to teach the people we are discipling what they need to know and then we need to let them go on their own.

The same is true with the church, too!  We need to constantly be raising up new people to take responsibilities and then let go of those things.  

In all aspects of life... training others and letting go is a necessary part of life.  Otherwise we create a co-depenant culture and that is not healthy.   I want my girls to be able to live fully and not be dependant on me.  Not that I mind doing for them, but I want them to know how to do for themselves and to have the confidence to do so!

Evidence of God at Work...

Jesus calls us to love those who persecute us.  He also calls us to love our enemies.  He even calls us to love the unlovable.   That is very hard to do, especially when we get hurt in the mix.

As a Pastor, I love seeing when people in my congregation take this call of Jesus seriously!

In recent weeks, I have seen this evidenced in the lives of two people....

Here is the first account in that person's own words (used with their permission)...

"What a day. My rental house was broken into and so I had more repairs to do than expected. Strangely, I am not angry at the individual(s) that did this. I truly forgive the person(s) that caused the destruction to my house. Why?because no one hurts others unless they are hurting themselves. Hurt, anger, fear, resentment, substance abuse, violence, and apathy do not come from God. They come from be...ing lost in a life of desperation which is far from The Father. I pray for The Holy Spirit to move these unknown offenders to awaken to the love and joy of Jesus Christ. I also find it easy to extend grace, because God extends it to me every day. I will sleep peacefully tonight knowing that the kingdom of heaven is within me. Glory to The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit."

 

And the other one spent significant hours from their day helping someone who has been estranged from them for a while now.   This person went above and beyond to show the love of Christ.  And when I affirmed that, their response was, ... "What good am I to return good for good.  Even the heathen do that."

Responses like these from Christ Followers will change the world!

YAY GOD!

What a week it has been.   A friend of mine, who is handicapped fell out of her wheelchair this week and broke her femur and her tibia on opposite legs.   She was in the hospital for a couple days.  And then last night was transferred to Genesis Nursing Center ....for about 4.5 hours until they decided that they couldn't care for her because she was on a vent for breathing.   I had visited her at 7 and all was well, but at 9:45 she texted and said they were sending her back to the hospital.  So, Sharon and I jumped in the truck and went over to see what we could find out and try to intervene.

I met the Supervising Nurse and after a few tense dance steps, we had a great conversation with her explaining the situation to me and why my friend had to go back to the hospital.  Turns out the hospital did not indicate that she was on a vent and they are not licensed to care for vents.

My friend was distraught, so we prayed... and last night's answers were that the 3 ambulance crews from Hart to Heart Transport we several of the folks who had done such a fine job getting her to Genesis without hurting her legs.   And she was thrilled to see them again.  The next answer was when they got to the ER, she was able to get them to put her in a regular hospital bed and not the ER triage beds ... that meant that she wouldn't have to be moved for a 5th time in a couple of hours.

Last night my plan had been to spend my day off today in the woods, but before all of the excitement happened last night, I had a total lack of desire to hunt, so, I made the decision to not go until mid day when I could take my nephew.   That was a prayer answered and I didn't even pray it!

Since making that decision, I was able to be present first thing this morning to see what the patient care management supervisor had to say for the dropped ball.  I went to the hospital today to rattle some cages... but when I got the Supervisor on the phone and she was very nice and willing to meet me immediately so we could talk face to face, I decided on another approach.  In the end, we met for almost an hour and she admitted that they had made some very serious mistakes in handling this case.  She took full responsibility.  YAY God!   And she was willing to "peel back the layers of the onion" as she said to see what else they could learn to prevent this from happening again.  

While I was meeting with her, the new case manager was up visiting my friend and was eager to ship her out to the only home in the area that would take a vent dependant patient.   That really stirred my friend up... so, we prayed.

Then I put a call into the Marketing Director at Health South, a guy I have known since childhood.  He didn't have a bed today, but thought by Monday he would and was willing to call the supervisor at the hospital to see if they could keep my friend till next week.  He was also willing to call his respiratory folks to see if they could accommodate the vent.  If they were willing, so was he!   Another YAY God moment.

So, I called my friend and told her the news and encouraged her to keep praying.    Later, while in a tree with my nephew, I got a text from her saying that they didn't have a bed for her in the nursing home so she was stuck in the hospital until Monday... another YAY God moment!

I was so sure that with all this wonderful God stuff going on, my nephew would get a big buck tonight.... but that didn't happen... we didn't even see a deer.   No matter... it can't dampen the high of this day!   I am so thankful for the presence of God in my life and in this situation this week.

One other place we saw God work was on the night she was in the ER, they wanted to do xrays but she was unable to transfer to the xray table... and rather than be rough and hurt her more, the xray tech took her time and allowed me and my friends daughter to help and be there to comfort and support her... and it took almost 2 hours to get all the xrays!  WOW what an AWESOME God we have!

Necesary Endings....

For about as long as I can remember, my parents have been growing and selling Christmas Trees at Hutchison's Christmas Forrest.  I have done my share of working in them... from trimming to mowing, to selling them to cutting stumps, I have done it all.  My girls have been fortunate enough to live close enough in these past 13 years that they too could enjoy selling them on Saturdays in December.   They look forward to this annual event every year!

Saturday, we were at my parents and Emma was selling trees along with a cousin of mine, and the reality that this venture is in it's last years was hitting them both.  They were trying to pressure me to take it over, but I can't see anyway to make it happen living where I live.  And it is about 10 - 15 years too soon for me.    Sad to think that this incredible business that my parents have built over the years is coming to an end!

But then it is true in all aspects of life...every good thing must come to an end.  In fact, endings are necessary before a new begining can happen.    Endings are part of life!  No need to fear them or try to avoid them, just live into them and watch what rises up after the end comes.

We Appreciate You...

At Community of Joy, we believe that we are Blessed by God so that we can Bless others!  Today we were delighted to host a staff and teacher appreciation luncheon at Pinehurst Elementary School - our neighborhood school.  

Many thanks to all who provided food.  To Karen and Walt Townsend for leading our effort, to Lachelle Rappold, Judy Urrasio, and Sally Ruby for helping with set up and tear down.   We had 9 crockpots of 7 different kinds of soups available, rolls, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, lemon squares, and chocolate candy!   It was our way of saying thanks to the staff and teachers for the influence they have in the lives of children and their families in our community!

It was so wonderful to be able to be part of this effort today!  I love leading a church that enjoys regularly reaching out beyond our walls to share love and blessing!  When I first arrived at the school today, my intention was to carry in our soup and leave, letting the team care for things.  Normally we sign in at the office.  I told the staff that I was only staying a minute and they said I didn't need to get a visitor pass.  Later I changed my mind and decided to stay a while, so I went back to the office to get a pass... and the receptionist said... "you don't need one of those, we all recognize your face around here!"   That was great to hear!

Then on my way out - after some of the staff had already enjoyed some of the soup, I passed the Dean of Students and after she thanked me, and said how nice it was... she said, you guys are causing quite a stir... there is a buzz in the air!   Again this was cool to hear!

My hope is that the staff and teachers felt valued today!

Awesome things...

Right now there are some awesome things happening at Community of Joy!  In spite of losing some key families to moving out of state and one to moving on to another church, our attendance is growing and we are meeting new people each week.   People are finding their place in the mission and ministry of Jesus through Community of Joy!  It is exciting!

On Saturday, we prepared and served the meal at God's Kitchen... something we do at least twice a year and more often if they need us.  There was a time when I could tell you who would be there to help long before the day and it would always be the same people but not anymore.  Oh, if I look at the sign-up sheet I could tell you who we were expecting before the event, but new people are grabbing hold of that ministry and it is neat to see!  We had so much help on Saturday, that I felt I could leave and spend the afternoon working at the Ministry Center raking leaves.  I love working at God's Kitchen, but was THRILLED to see so many others grabbing hold of that value of serving others as an expression of our love for God!

While at God's Kitchen, I had a disturbing thing happen... The key lady from the church that hosts the event, came to me and was complaining because three homeless women were in the kitchen helping us.  I was delighted to be able to tell her that they were a part of our church!  I said, they are part of us!  She looked at me with w weird face and then asked, "What church is that?"  I happily said..."COMMUNITY OF JOY!"     How cool that we can sit in worship side by side and serve side by side with sisters and brothers who live in shelters or on the street!   That my friends is what I believe Jesus would say is "not far from the Kingdom of God!"

Endangered Species...

Several of the places I like to hunt in 3 counties have Endangered Species on the properties!

First are Eagles.... took these pictures yesterday... too bad I don't have a longer zoom lens.   When I tried to get closer... you can see what happened!

 

And then there are the Delmarva Fox Squirrels... they are much bigger than grays and more graceful.  I absolutely love watching them...  they are very shy and hard to photograph.

 

 





And then the final Endangered Species I am seeing TOO MUCH of these days is civilized people.  I am so sad by all the division that is present in our country.  My challenge to all of us is this... no matter what you think of the current political situations of our country... BEFORE YOU CRITICIZE, SPEND SOME TIME PRAYING FOR THE PERSON YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE CRITICAL ABOUT.   I firmly believe that if we prayed more for those we disagree with, the reality we experience would be transformed.

Ending Vacation Early...

Should have ended my vacation today after such a great experience yesterday.  It was windy and hot in the deer woods today and that brought me out of the stand at 12:30 after seeing only 8 deer.  All I could think about in the stand today was things that need to be done in the office this week and getting back in the saddle after two weeks away... so, instead of staying down at Mom and Dad's and hunting tomorrow, I decided to head back to the office tomorrow and take a day sometime in gun season.

What a strange bow season it has been for me... I have seen 84 deer in my times out but very few within range of a bow.  Only harvested one.

Did take the camera in the woods with me today and tried some new techniques...

Here are the first shots of the day... got there late due to heavy fog!

 

 

Here are some fun shots in the woods...

 

And here are the last shots of the day... same place as the fog shots at the top...

 

What an Experience!

Yesterday, I was treated to my first ever, live NFL game!  And what a treat it was!

One of the guys from the Community Men's Bible Study Group that I co-lead has season tickets to the Ravens and earlier in the fall, he asked several of us to go with him.  Since most of the home games were on Sundays, I knew I would need to take a vacation Sunday to go.  So, I decided that yesterday would be the perfect day while coming to the end of a two week vacation.

We left his house at 8:30 (he wanted to leave at 8 but one guy was late) because he is handicapped and needed to get a parking spot in the handicap lot which is very near the entrance to the stadium that we needed to take.  So, we were fortunate enough to get the next to the last spot in the lot (actually it was on the grass median between the lot and the street).   Arriving around 10:30 for a 1 p.m. game meant that we had lots of time to kill, so we sat at the back of his vehicle and chatted until the stadium openned and we could go in.

We got in the stadium in time to see the warmups and all of the pre-game.  I was amazed at the see of purple!  70,000 people filled the satdium and talk about loyal support!   (I only wish the church could figure out how to connect with so many people and how to engender that kind of commitment to the cause of Christ)

What a game it was... Ravens won 55 to 20!

We left at the begining of the 4th quarter because it was easier for my friend to navigate the crowd and we wanted to go across town to a bar to meet one of the players for dinner.   We found our way to the Power Plant and LUCKIES Bar and watched some other games while we waited.  Finally Jah Reid, # 76, a tackle out of Florida came to have dinner with us.  That was cool!  Especially for a friend's 8 year old son who got to sit next to Jah and who will be getting his Ravens jersey and hat signed by the team today!

What a neat experience!   Deifinitely blessed to have it!

The Beauty of the Fall...

I haven't been carrying my camera to the woods much while on vacation this time because since the hurricane, the leaves are not as pretty as past years.   But today's location proved to be so beautiful that I decided to go back and get my camera.  Actually when I drove my truck over to pick up the deer I got, I had the camera and snapped a few pics.  

What a lovely day to be in the woods this morning.   It was cool and no wind.  Turkeys gobbling and yelping and I saw a total of 12 deer... all small bucks but one.  The deer rut (breeding season) is definitely begining.  A little later this year than I anticipated but none the less it has begun... that's why I saw all the small bucks on the prowl looking for girlfriends!

A Break From Hunting but NOT Discipling...

The weather got the best of me yesterday... cold, windy and rainy.  Not good combinations for bow hunting.  I listened to the weather forcaster and decided today's weather was not going to be much better, so, I came home last night right after attending the viewing of a dear saint from my home church.

Spent the day working on things around the house.  Laundering my hunting clothes - not good to smell in the woods!  And now preparing to head to my mens bible study group.  I am not leading tonight but will enjoy seeing the guys.

One of the realities of discipling people in the ways of Jesus... you don't take a break from it.  For the past 8 or so years, I have been intentionally discipling a couple guys in our community.  Recently that group has grown.   A couple weeks ago, we went to Staten Island NY (the day before Sandy) to see one of our brothers inducted into the Wagner College Athletic Hall of Fame.   This same group of guys will be going to a Ravens game on Sunday.  When you are discipling people, you spend lots of time connecting!  

A Comical Thing...

I spent most of this day in the woods on a deer stand.  Early this morning, I had a red fox yelping its way through the woods and choosing a spot near the base of a tree not 40 yards from the tree I was in as a napping location.  It curled up in a ball, tucked it's head in and went to sleep.  I watched it periodically to see what it would do when a squirrel came closeby...and it did nothing... didn't even seem to notice.  But it was a totally different story when hundreds of migrating blackbirds were loudly and chaotically feeding on the forrest floor and in the trees overhead.  As the birds were surrounding the fox, it jerked it's head up and jumped up from its sleeping place and took off running... scared!   I didn't expect this reaction at all... I thought it would try to catch a bird.

Did see 3 deer today but couldn't make it happen on that front....

This coming storm will change things and make it more difficult to get a deer in the next two days... but we will give it a try!

A FULL Weekend...

One of the things that is a reality for Sharon and I as Pastors and for most pastors... is that we rarely get a weekend where we can go have fun some place.  Most folks in our congregations can just pick up and go travel whenever and wherever they want.  But we always have to plan to be home on Saturday night so that we can be present for Sunday morning.  With Sharon working full time during the week, it is hard to get away much.

Being on vacation for two weeks mostly to hunt has been fun.  It was interrupted by the death of a dear friend and our deep desire to go support the family and participate in his memorial service.  Since we were already off on Sunday we were able to turn it into a weekend away that was meaningful. 

We met Caroline in Carlisle, PA on Friday night as that was a suitable meeting spot for both of us coming from different directions.  Carlisle was still an hour and a half from our final destination but that was much easier to do on Saturday mornng than the 5 hours from home would have been.  It was a beautiful drive on Saturday morning and a meaningful time to see lots of former parihioners and celebrate our dear friend's life.   Caroline and I enjoyed being able to share some reflections together at the memorial service too.  Caroline traveled back there for a week each summer to stay with this couple for many years after we left the church. 

Then after visiting some other friends in the area, we traveled back to Carlisle and spent another night so that we could join our friends at the Presbyterian Church she now pastors.  Jeanette was our collegue when we were in McVeytown and her husband Kevin (they weren't married then) was a member of our congregation.   They have come to visit us several times but we have not been to their new place in the three years they have been there.  So, yesterday it was fun to worship with them and share the afternoon together!

Here is the church (a historic facility with several buildings)...

And here is the parsonage (though they call it a Manse)

What a blessing this weekend was for us!  And to think we have one more that we will enjoy coming...  For that one I will attend my first ever NFL Ravens game with some guys from my community Men's group!

Day Three....

Day three of my vacation found me waking up at my parents and needing only to allow 5 minutes from the house to the woods!  That is awesome!  I could so get spoiled!

Went to a spot, I love, but haven't hunted much because the wind hasn't been cooperating out of the right direction to make it work.  There is a BIG Buck in this woods and I would like to have an encounter with him.   Didn't happen this morning, but I did see 6 does (they didn't come close enough... just a few more yards and it would have been a different story) and on the way out, I was about 40 yards from my truck when I attempted to muzzle a sneeze but was not totally successful and wouldn't you know it... a buck jumped out in front of me.  He was only a West Virginia 11 point (spike) but was fun to watch.

Left the woods early today so that we could leave tonight for PA for a funeral there tomorrow.  Got a call from Mom when I got home that a dear saint in my home church died this morning... she and her husband were my bus drivers in middle and high school and delightful people.  By the way, the woods I was in this morning adjoins their farm.  Prayers for the Schwarten family!

Day Two... a different kind of day...

Well, today was day two of my vacation.  I slept in and went to the mall to walk, did two loads of laundry, picked up fallen limbs and sticks in my yard and neighbors yard, got new glasses ordered, and voted.  Then showered and headed to one of our farms in th Denton area.  Didn't see a deer while on stand tonight.  Did see lots of squirrels and two raccoons.  Actually saw one deer in the field at dark as I walked out.  And two deer tried to jump in my truck as I drove out the lane.

Oh well, that is hunting! 

Tomorrow is another day and I will enjoy yet another spot in the a.m.

Day One...

Well, my long anticipated vacation is finally here... so on day one, I sat in a tree stand from 6:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.   And boy did I see alot of animals!

In the morning from 7-8 I saw 3 bucks and 3 does... none close enough for a bow.  Then I didn't see another deer until 5 p.m.  So, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I saw no deer.  But boy all the other animals I saw kept it fun.

Before daybreak, I had a pair of eagles (that nest on the farm) land in the tree next to mine and carryon about 20 feet above my head.  Couldn't get a great picture of them but if you look in the v of the tree you wil see one.

I enjoyed watching the changing hues of autumn as the morning light gave way to day.  I also enjoyed watching the various other animals... squirrels, foxes, wood ducks, geese, and even an otter playfully feeding on the river below me.

Here are some of the sights I saw.  Not happy with the clarity of pictures... didn't have my glasses so, I couldn't see the settings, but now think I have the problem cared for!

 

 

At 5 p.m. I noticed a group of 5 does come out of the woods and begin feeding in the beans though way too far away.  Then a buck and doe came out and the buck was chasing the doe all around the field.   Next was a group of 8 does that came out about 150 yards away and feed straight across the field.  Next I saw a group of 7 does and maybe one of them was a small buck.  Still too far for a bow.  Finally in that field I saw 2 more lone deer come out... I think they were both bucks but it was getting too dark to see for sure with my binos.  The closest deer to me were through the woods in another field and they were chasing each other wildly.  There were probably more than 3 but 3 is what I saw for sure.  That made my total deer sightings for the night 26 and for the day 32.  Doesn't count the ones I saw walking in or out.

 

 

It was a long day but a good day in the woods.   Headed back out tonight and tomorrow and then we will take Sat. and Sunday to go to McVeytown, PA where we had our first pastorate to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Leon Rhodes - a grandfather figure to our girls.  Prayers for his family!