Saturday, May 28, 2011
A trip to the Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center
On June 11 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. the Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center will host it's annual Get Outdoors Day. Free fun for the whole family.
Today I spent some time there helping Executive Director, Jim Rapp and friend Butch get the food plot mowing done. While they were mowing, I took a walk and shot some photos.
My Favorite Time of Year...
I love the summer growing season. I love gardening. And it is the summer months when the fruits of my labor become evident!
We have enjoyed asparagus and strawberries so far this year and soon blue berries are ready to enjoy too!
We have enjoyed asparagus and strawberries so far this year and soon blue berries are ready to enjoy too!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
In Love!
I have been a follower of Jesus since 1976 when I felt a deep urge to say yes to his leadership in my life. I have been a pastor since 1990. And I have read the Bible many times through in these years! But more and more each year I find that I am falling deeper and deeper in love with the Bible and the way it reveals God who is revealed to us in Jesus. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that everytime I read from the Bible, I learn something new and my relationship with Jesus goes to a deeper level.
For years, I tried to mine the bible for nuggets of truth or inspiration or guidance. But now I just sit and read and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak a new insight or an affirmation or a challenge that would allow me to be a better follower of Jesus. There is no way that if I had 100 years to read the Bible, I would know it all or fully arrive... each morning brings a fresh outpouring of the Spirit.
For years, I tried to mine the bible for nuggets of truth or inspiration or guidance. But now I just sit and read and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak a new insight or an affirmation or a challenge that would allow me to be a better follower of Jesus. There is no way that if I had 100 years to read the Bible, I would know it all or fully arrive... each morning brings a fresh outpouring of the Spirit.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Another Great Day in the Turkey Woods with Ben
Had another great day in the turkey woods with my nephew Ben. We heard minimal gobbling but were able to call in a giant of a bird for him... This was his second bird this year and ever! It had 4 beards was 19 pounds and had 1 1/4 inch spurs. What a fun morning!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Another Tick Mark for Camp Mardela
This weekend will mark another tick in the count of people who have met at Camp Mardela and then gotten married. This one might have most beat in terms of the number of signficant events that happened at Camp.
Tomorrow, Brent Johnson and Melissa Lyons will get married at Camp Mardela. They also had their wedding rehersal and rehersal dinner at Camp. They have counseled summer camps together, they gave birth to a regional youth ministry at Camp. They were engaged at Camp. They had engagment pictures taken at camp both formal and informal. They we baptized as followers of Jesus in the Camp Swimming Pond on the same night. And if it weren't for this fact, none of the rest would matter... they met at Camp too. In fact they attended Camp the same week each summer as campers for years!
Congratulations Brent and Melissa! And here's to another neat relationship that Camp Mardela played a significant part in helping to form!
Tomorrow, Brent Johnson and Melissa Lyons will get married at Camp Mardela. They also had their wedding rehersal and rehersal dinner at Camp. They have counseled summer camps together, they gave birth to a regional youth ministry at Camp. They were engaged at Camp. They had engagment pictures taken at camp both formal and informal. They we baptized as followers of Jesus in the Camp Swimming Pond on the same night. And if it weren't for this fact, none of the rest would matter... they met at Camp too. In fact they attended Camp the same week each summer as campers for years!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sharing My Favorite ...
Nothing I like more in May than eating strawberry pie from berries that I grew in my garden out back.
Here is the recipe...
3 T Corn Starch
1 t Vanilla
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (I use half cup sugar and half cup splenda)
Mix that till smooth and then bring to a boil till it thickens... stirring the whole time.
Then add 1 package of strawberry Jello to mixture ( I use sugar free) stir in well.
Let cool.
Bake Pillsberry pie crust and let cool.
Add to thickened liquid mixture one quart of capped and cut strawberries then mix up. And spoon in the pie shell and put in the refrigerator until cold and jelled. Top with whip cream and enjoy!
Monday, May 16, 2011
A thought....
Used today to catch up on some ministry magazines that I subscribe to. Had three editions laying on my desk. I am too much of a penny pincher to not read them. So, I sat on my porch and enjoyed the beauty of this day and speed read them.
In one, it quoted some bloggers. One of the bloggers quoted was Tony Morgan, who is pastor of ministries of West Ridge Church in Atlanta. Tony is quoted as saying, "When churches become married to their methods rather than their mission, the church plateaus and eventually declines."
And in another, a quote from Samuel R. Chand's book Cracking Your Church's Culture Code..."When leaders understand the importance of anticipating and implementing change at point A instead of waiting until decline happens at point B, they can infuse their culture with optimism and urgency."
Change is a NECESSARY part of growing as people and churches. Methods work for a season and then stop working and it is time for a new method. The message and mission always remain, but when the methods fail to communicate the message and mission, decline and even death can happen. I feel that anticipating the time for change is so vital. Once you pass a certain point decline happens and it is hard to reverse. And once decline begins, decay sets in too!
In our life as a congregation at Community of Joy, we reached that place years ago and I knew it and failed to act on it... We had reached a place where the old Library at Salisbury Christian School was no longer serving our needs and yet we continued to meet there....
Fortunately our God wrote the book on resurrections! And we are still around and have had some resurgence.
But now, I am starting to wonder if we are at a similar place... in spite of all that our first building offers us, there is LOTS that it inhibits and prevents. The question for me is when is the time to shed skin?
Yesterday, Sharon was talking with a participant at CoJ who has interest in organizing some drama elements in our worship. He also has several unchurched high school students who would be willing to help out. BUT, how do we do that in our limited space? It would be a neat ministry to embark on and a way to connect with more students and quite possibly their families. I mean, we already have the competition between the praise team, preacher, and decorations on the stage, how do we add another element in our small space?
Just some thoughts I am churning on a Monday reading day!
In one, it quoted some bloggers. One of the bloggers quoted was Tony Morgan, who is pastor of ministries of West Ridge Church in Atlanta. Tony is quoted as saying, "When churches become married to their methods rather than their mission, the church plateaus and eventually declines."
And in another, a quote from Samuel R. Chand's book Cracking Your Church's Culture Code..."When leaders understand the importance of anticipating and implementing change at point A instead of waiting until decline happens at point B, they can infuse their culture with optimism and urgency."
Change is a NECESSARY part of growing as people and churches. Methods work for a season and then stop working and it is time for a new method. The message and mission always remain, but when the methods fail to communicate the message and mission, decline and even death can happen. I feel that anticipating the time for change is so vital. Once you pass a certain point decline happens and it is hard to reverse. And once decline begins, decay sets in too!
In our life as a congregation at Community of Joy, we reached that place years ago and I knew it and failed to act on it... We had reached a place where the old Library at Salisbury Christian School was no longer serving our needs and yet we continued to meet there....
Fortunately our God wrote the book on resurrections! And we are still around and have had some resurgence.
But now, I am starting to wonder if we are at a similar place... in spite of all that our first building offers us, there is LOTS that it inhibits and prevents. The question for me is when is the time to shed skin?
Yesterday, Sharon was talking with a participant at CoJ who has interest in organizing some drama elements in our worship. He also has several unchurched high school students who would be willing to help out. BUT, how do we do that in our limited space? It would be a neat ministry to embark on and a way to connect with more students and quite possibly their families. I mean, we already have the competition between the praise team, preacher, and decorations on the stage, how do we add another element in our small space?
Just some thoughts I am churning on a Monday reading day!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A Recommendation...
Want to recommend to you a great book. You can read it in a one sitting. It is less than 100 pages and almost small enough to fit in your pocket. And even better than all that... it tackles one of the hardest questions that we ask and others ask.
I got it because a friend of mine has been struggling with this very same question and I have appreciated the author in the past. I knew he would deal in a helpful way with the subject.
It is called... WHY? with a subtitle of Making Sense of God's Will. By Adam Hamilton. It deals with the question of suffering, pain, prayer. Here are the 4 chapter titles... 1" Why do the innocent suffer?" 2. "Why do my prayers go unanswered?" 3. "Why can't I see God's will for my life?" 4. Why God's love prevails"
Highly recommend it to you and for you to share with friends who are struggling with these issues!
I got it because a friend of mine has been struggling with this very same question and I have appreciated the author in the past. I knew he would deal in a helpful way with the subject.
It is called... WHY? with a subtitle of Making Sense of God's Will. By Adam Hamilton. It deals with the question of suffering, pain, prayer. Here are the 4 chapter titles... 1" Why do the innocent suffer?" 2. "Why do my prayers go unanswered?" 3. "Why can't I see God's will for my life?" 4. Why God's love prevails"
Highly recommend it to you and for you to share with friends who are struggling with these issues!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Delicious....
Had several text messages from my nephew Ben yesterday asking when we would be arriving at his sister's birthday party. He didn't care about seeing us as much as he wanted to taste the rewards of our day afield on Saturday. You see, I promised to cook his very first turkey for him and he was excited!
So, we cooked it and he and everyone else loved it. DELICIOUS! In fact when everyone came to the party, Ben immediately told them about the turkey and invited them to taste some.
Here's how I do it. Fillet the breast meat and then cut it in 1 inch sized chunks. Soak in salt water in fridge over night. Rinse and drain. Then coat with a mixture of House of Autry Seafood Seasoning and Old Bay. Use Old Bay to taste. I usually put this mixture in a gallon ziplock bag to coat. Then when oil in deep fryer is heated to 400 degrees, put in and cook until light golden brown. Then take out, cool and enjoy! No better way to fix wild turkey!
So, we cooked it and he and everyone else loved it. DELICIOUS! In fact when everyone came to the party, Ben immediately told them about the turkey and invited them to taste some.
Here's how I do it. Fillet the breast meat and then cut it in 1 inch sized chunks. Soak in salt water in fridge over night. Rinse and drain. Then coat with a mixture of House of Autry Seafood Seasoning and Old Bay. Use Old Bay to taste. I usually put this mixture in a gallon ziplock bag to coat. Then when oil in deep fryer is heated to 400 degrees, put in and cook until light golden brown. Then take out, cool and enjoy! No better way to fix wild turkey!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
A Day I Will Never Forget!
Took my nephew Ben turkey hunting today. We have turkey hunted together the last 3 years but before today, we have been unable to get him a turkey, even though we have had them in front of us and in range.
Today, we got up at 4:30 and were in the field by 5:25. Birds started gobbling in 3 directions around us, so we went after the closest birds. We set up along a clover field and promptly had 3 hens come in and feed in the clover field - catching bugs- for nearly 2 hours. Had gobbling around us but nothing would come in. So about 9, we decided to go after the deepest gobbling turkey we heard. We went to three different calling locations and sat for a while and called but nothing. Looked in neigbhors fields and nothing there. So, about 10:15 on our way back across the farm to try the other side and some gobblers we heard on that side, I rounded the woods corner and looked through my binos at the clover field some 500 yards away... and there were three toms... eating. I quickly found Ben a tree to set up at the base. Then crawled out into the field to set out the decoys. (there was a slight knoll in the field that allowed me to do that unseen by the turkeys) Crawled back to Ben and stood next to the tree he was sitting near and called. My first call, on my SS CUSTOM box call and it got their attention. Their heads popped up and they were looking our way. A few more cackles and they were headed toward us. I sat down and kept calling. As I called, they gobbled... all the way across the field. When they topped the knoll Ben had a front row seat to a drama that was about to unfold unlike any he had ever seen before. I called and they gobbled. They half-strutted in wing to wing...3 wide... what a beautiful sight. They came the whole way to my decoys gobbling and strutting... When the moment was right, Ben took the shot and the bird he was aiming at hit the ground. He had his first turkey and what a memorable day for us.
I will never forget this day! Got my first turkey at a much older age, with my good buddy from PA... Mr. Bryan Bilger.
Today, we got up at 4:30 and were in the field by 5:25. Birds started gobbling in 3 directions around us, so we went after the closest birds. We set up along a clover field and promptly had 3 hens come in and feed in the clover field - catching bugs- for nearly 2 hours. Had gobbling around us but nothing would come in. So about 9, we decided to go after the deepest gobbling turkey we heard. We went to three different calling locations and sat for a while and called but nothing. Looked in neigbhors fields and nothing there. So, about 10:15 on our way back across the farm to try the other side and some gobblers we heard on that side, I rounded the woods corner and looked through my binos at the clover field some 500 yards away... and there were three toms... eating. I quickly found Ben a tree to set up at the base. Then crawled out into the field to set out the decoys. (there was a slight knoll in the field that allowed me to do that unseen by the turkeys) Crawled back to Ben and stood next to the tree he was sitting near and called. My first call, on my SS CUSTOM box call and it got their attention. Their heads popped up and they were looking our way. A few more cackles and they were headed toward us. I sat down and kept calling. As I called, they gobbled... all the way across the field. When they topped the knoll Ben had a front row seat to a drama that was about to unfold unlike any he had ever seen before. I called and they gobbled. They half-strutted in wing to wing...3 wide... what a beautiful sight. They came the whole way to my decoys gobbling and strutting... When the moment was right, Ben took the shot and the bird he was aiming at hit the ground. He had his first turkey and what a memorable day for us.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Either we are or we aren't...
Been having some conversations with Facebook Friends in light of the recent Killing of Osama.
If we are followers of Jesus, then we must take seriously all that he says... we can't just take one verse and cut it out of context and hang it out there. We must look at the verse in context of where it is shared and in light of the larger context of Jesus' life and ministry. It is clear to me that Jesus meets us where we are, but he doesn't want us to stay there. He is constantly prodding us toward that person God created us to be... toward the transformed follower that we can be.
And the reality is... Either we are a follower of Jesus or we aren't.
And further... we don't set the agenda and invite Jesus along. He sets the agenda and invites us along. It is his purposes that we are to live out not ours. We are to follow Jesus not try our best to get him to follow us. He asks us to deny ourselves... to pick up his cross... to love God and love our neighbors, including our enemies. It's not an easy journey to follow Jesus, but the cool thing is ... he provides us the Holy Spirit to guide us and to work in and through us and that makes following him easier if we will just get out of the way!
If we are followers of Jesus, then we must take seriously all that he says... we can't just take one verse and cut it out of context and hang it out there. We must look at the verse in context of where it is shared and in light of the larger context of Jesus' life and ministry. It is clear to me that Jesus meets us where we are, but he doesn't want us to stay there. He is constantly prodding us toward that person God created us to be... toward the transformed follower that we can be.
And the reality is... Either we are a follower of Jesus or we aren't.
And further... we don't set the agenda and invite Jesus along. He sets the agenda and invites us along. It is his purposes that we are to live out not ours. We are to follow Jesus not try our best to get him to follow us. He asks us to deny ourselves... to pick up his cross... to love God and love our neighbors, including our enemies. It's not an easy journey to follow Jesus, but the cool thing is ... he provides us the Holy Spirit to guide us and to work in and through us and that makes following him easier if we will just get out of the way!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
I Think We Are Suffering From....
Yesterday's internal wrestling on my part about how to respond to a request by a local TV news reporter for an interview related to my thoughts on the "glee" that filled the streets of our country on word of Osama's death and my posting of the Passage from Proverbs 24:17 on Facebook (which she said gave her the idea for the peice) has stirred some thoughts I want to share.
First, I saw some folks using texts from the bible to back perspectives and that is always a dangerous thing when we take a verse out of context and hang it out there by itself. Except, for the most part, if that verse comes from Proverbs. Most of Proverbs is one liners that are meant to be spoken and heard as such. They carry alot of weight by themselves and it is okay to hang them out there alone. Perhaps Solomon was the first one to make great use of sound bites.
Second, is the whole use of sound bites in our society. I fear that we have become so addicted to sound bites that we are suffering from thinking deeply!
That is the very reason that I was not willing to give an interview (even though in the end she decided to go with another interviewee and never came back to me for one, except to tell me what she had done. I didn't want to give an interview because in our sound bite world, this is a deeper subject that requires more than sound bites. (However, I must say that Solomon's sound bite packs a powerful punch!)
Third, I wasn't willing to allow someone else to choose the sound bites! Again it is too deep an issue to allow that!
For me at it's deepest is the question of what is the right response to all of this from one who desires to follow Jesus seriously not just as a label. After all, Jesus calls us to Love God and Love Others, including our enemies. He also calls us to be peacemakers. As a follower of Jesus how do I respond to much that goes on in our world? That is the deep question I constantly find myself asking. And it is the deep question I long for other followers of Jesus to ask as well! But not just ask, for that is not enough. We must act on what the Spirit of God tells us the answer is!
First, I saw some folks using texts from the bible to back perspectives and that is always a dangerous thing when we take a verse out of context and hang it out there by itself. Except, for the most part, if that verse comes from Proverbs. Most of Proverbs is one liners that are meant to be spoken and heard as such. They carry alot of weight by themselves and it is okay to hang them out there alone. Perhaps Solomon was the first one to make great use of sound bites.
Second, is the whole use of sound bites in our society. I fear that we have become so addicted to sound bites that we are suffering from thinking deeply!
That is the very reason that I was not willing to give an interview (even though in the end she decided to go with another interviewee and never came back to me for one, except to tell me what she had done. I didn't want to give an interview because in our sound bite world, this is a deeper subject that requires more than sound bites. (However, I must say that Solomon's sound bite packs a powerful punch!)
Third, I wasn't willing to allow someone else to choose the sound bites! Again it is too deep an issue to allow that!
For me at it's deepest is the question of what is the right response to all of this from one who desires to follow Jesus seriously not just as a label. After all, Jesus calls us to Love God and Love Others, including our enemies. He also calls us to be peacemakers. As a follower of Jesus how do I respond to much that goes on in our world? That is the deep question I constantly find myself asking. And it is the deep question I long for other followers of Jesus to ask as well! But not just ask, for that is not enough. We must act on what the Spirit of God tells us the answer is!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Steeples and Websites...
Today's paper had an interesting article in it about church steeples outliving their utility. One paragraph caught my attention.
"Steeples may have outlived their times as signposts. People hunting for a church don't scan the horizon, they search the internet. Google reports searches for "churches" soar before Easter each year."
One of the first things that I did when I came to Community of Joy as pastor nearly 12 years ago, was to help create a website for the church. I felt then and still feel that it is vitally important.
For a number of years Stacy Habig was our "webminister" and she did a FABULOUS job at it! I am so thankful for her willingness and creativity! Our first website ROCKED! But after many, many years the ways to develop websites outgrew Stacy's knowledge and with limited mobility she passed that on to someone else. Just last year we had a Professional Developer create a new website for us.
But as they often do, it is now "stale" as someone at our Leadership Team noted. And the only way to update it is to hire someone again... actually the first firm would love to do updates for us, but they will charge for each one. So, I found a place that will help us develope a new site and will provide us with a template so that we can update each page as often as we like. And all of this is for an initial fee of $1500 which is a bargain because our last website cost $800 and we had no ability to update it with out a fee. This new firm specializes only in church sites and offers add ons at whatever point we would want them. One that I am interested in from the begining is the ability to have the banner on the home page rotate as you are on it but that costs an additional $500. But for a total of $2,000 initial (one time) fee we can have a website that will never grow stale. And for a monthly fee of $50 they host it too. We currently pay $15 a month to host our podcasts and that would be included. Our hosting is currently free but who knows how long.
So, in a time when funds are tight but visibility and relevancy is important, I am praying for the provision of $2,000 to get us a new site!
If I could sell the steeple I would!
"Steeples may have outlived their times as signposts. People hunting for a church don't scan the horizon, they search the internet. Google reports searches for "churches" soar before Easter each year."
One of the first things that I did when I came to Community of Joy as pastor nearly 12 years ago, was to help create a website for the church. I felt then and still feel that it is vitally important.
For a number of years Stacy Habig was our "webminister" and she did a FABULOUS job at it! I am so thankful for her willingness and creativity! Our first website ROCKED! But after many, many years the ways to develop websites outgrew Stacy's knowledge and with limited mobility she passed that on to someone else. Just last year we had a Professional Developer create a new website for us.
But as they often do, it is now "stale" as someone at our Leadership Team noted. And the only way to update it is to hire someone again... actually the first firm would love to do updates for us, but they will charge for each one. So, I found a place that will help us develope a new site and will provide us with a template so that we can update each page as often as we like. And all of this is for an initial fee of $1500 which is a bargain because our last website cost $800 and we had no ability to update it with out a fee. This new firm specializes only in church sites and offers add ons at whatever point we would want them. One that I am interested in from the begining is the ability to have the banner on the home page rotate as you are on it but that costs an additional $500. But for a total of $2,000 initial (one time) fee we can have a website that will never grow stale. And for a monthly fee of $50 they host it too. We currently pay $15 a month to host our podcasts and that would be included. Our hosting is currently free but who knows how long.
So, in a time when funds are tight but visibility and relevancy is important, I am praying for the provision of $2,000 to get us a new site!
If I could sell the steeple I would!
Today....
Since hearing the news today, I find myself just wanting to be alone.
And when I watch the crowds celebrating and chanting, I am drawn to the wisdom of Solomon found in the Bible in Proverbs 24:17: "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice".
And I feel, the violent destruction of evil must be greeted with silence and solemnity not crude celebration.
So, I sit alone, reading and praying!
I was asked to do an interview with Lisa Bryant from WBOC after she saw my post on Facebook of the proverb. And for a while I considered it. I am still waiting to talk to her about her thoughts. But as I have prayed about it, I have felt that I will not do it.
On one hand it will be good to share my thoughts...it will be good exposure for our church... it will be a witness to the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ. But on the other hand... it will only be a sound bite for an issue that is bigger and deeper than only a sound bite. And furthermore, I won't get to choose the sound bite!
So, today, I sit alone, praying and reading in silence!
And when I watch the crowds celebrating and chanting, I am drawn to the wisdom of Solomon found in the Bible in Proverbs 24:17: "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice".
And I feel, the violent destruction of evil must be greeted with silence and solemnity not crude celebration.
So, I sit alone, reading and praying!
I was asked to do an interview with Lisa Bryant from WBOC after she saw my post on Facebook of the proverb. And for a while I considered it. I am still waiting to talk to her about her thoughts. But as I have prayed about it, I have felt that I will not do it.
On one hand it will be good to share my thoughts...it will be good exposure for our church... it will be a witness to the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ. But on the other hand... it will only be a sound bite for an issue that is bigger and deeper than only a sound bite. And furthermore, I won't get to choose the sound bite!
So, today, I sit alone, praying and reading in silence!
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