Kudos to Waving Walt and his team of wavers, Susie and Ronnie! You have been noticed by many. Got an email from someone telling me that St. Francis Catholic Church's Newsletter refered to a church where there is a man who stands out waving every Sunday.
The Priest then went on to highlight the benefits of being a freindly church. Walt, Susie, and Ronnie help us communicate a warm welcome to all who pass by!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Something to think about!
Heard this today.... Our greatest security in life is in our insecurity!
How true! When we find ourselves insecure... we tend to lean on God and there is no more secure place to lean than on God and not on our own achievements!
How true! When we find ourselves insecure... we tend to lean on God and there is no more secure place to lean than on God and not on our own achievements!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A Tribute to a Saint!
I have such a cloud over me ever since learning yesterday of my Aunt Elsie's tragic death. So, I thought if I jotted a few thoughts here about her as a tribute, that it might help lift the cloud.
Aunt Elsie was the baby sister of my Grandmother Caroline Hutchison and my aunt Amanda Fisher. The trio were servant leaders and pillars in the community. Elsie just turned 91 on May 27.
The tragedy is that she died in an auto accident nearly at the same spot that her father was killed in an auto accident nearly 55 years ago almost this same time of the year! It was three days after my father graduated from High School that Grandad Ebling was thrown from the vehicle and run over. Now a week after my daughter, Caroline graduated from High School, Aunt Elsie was killed in her car when it was hit by another car. Also in the car was my cousin Fran - Amanda's daughter who was in from the west coast for her 50th college reunion. Fran is in Shock Trauma in Baltimore in serious condition with multiple injuries.
Aunt Elsie never married, in large part because she was committed to taking care of her mom. And once her mom died, she felt she was too old to marry, though she had a boyfriend all those years! So, as a single lady, she devoted hours of each day to caring for family and friends who could not do for themselves. She was a constant visitor at Caroline Nursing home and was always on the go doing something to help someone else. Even though she was 91 this past May, she was still very active in helping others and loved to travel.
She was most supportive of all her grand neices and nephews. Just last October, she joined us at Community of Joy as we celebrated our 10 year anniversary as Pastors here. She often came to visit us and was always wanting to know how things were -- she took an interest in what we were doing. As she did with others too! She was one of the most self-less persons I know.
I have so many fond memories of A. Elsie... she would go crabbing with us grandkids and Pop Hutchison, she loved to ride horses -even did so in a skirt on my pony, was the matriarch of the Turner Family, which gathers every year at Camp Mardela in May, 6 months after Sharon and I were married, she and Sharon's sister traveled with us to Annual Conference in Orlando Fla, she loved to sell Christmas Trees at Dad's tree farm, she introduced me to summer pointsettias... so many memories that I will cherish forever!
Thanks Aunt Elsie for all the ways you showed Christ's love to me and our family and to the world! We love and miss you!
Aunt Elsie was the baby sister of my Grandmother Caroline Hutchison and my aunt Amanda Fisher. The trio were servant leaders and pillars in the community. Elsie just turned 91 on May 27.
The tragedy is that she died in an auto accident nearly at the same spot that her father was killed in an auto accident nearly 55 years ago almost this same time of the year! It was three days after my father graduated from High School that Grandad Ebling was thrown from the vehicle and run over. Now a week after my daughter, Caroline graduated from High School, Aunt Elsie was killed in her car when it was hit by another car. Also in the car was my cousin Fran - Amanda's daughter who was in from the west coast for her 50th college reunion. Fran is in Shock Trauma in Baltimore in serious condition with multiple injuries.
Aunt Elsie never married, in large part because she was committed to taking care of her mom. And once her mom died, she felt she was too old to marry, though she had a boyfriend all those years! So, as a single lady, she devoted hours of each day to caring for family and friends who could not do for themselves. She was a constant visitor at Caroline Nursing home and was always on the go doing something to help someone else. Even though she was 91 this past May, she was still very active in helping others and loved to travel.
She was most supportive of all her grand neices and nephews. Just last October, she joined us at Community of Joy as we celebrated our 10 year anniversary as Pastors here. She often came to visit us and was always wanting to know how things were -- she took an interest in what we were doing. As she did with others too! She was one of the most self-less persons I know.
I have so many fond memories of A. Elsie... she would go crabbing with us grandkids and Pop Hutchison, she loved to ride horses -even did so in a skirt on my pony, was the matriarch of the Turner Family, which gathers every year at Camp Mardela in May, 6 months after Sharon and I were married, she and Sharon's sister traveled with us to Annual Conference in Orlando Fla, she loved to sell Christmas Trees at Dad's tree farm, she introduced me to summer pointsettias... so many memories that I will cherish forever!
Thanks Aunt Elsie for all the ways you showed Christ's love to me and our family and to the world! We love and miss you!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
An illustration...
On Sunday I preached a sermon on When we believe in God, but trust in money more. And in it I explored the tension we face as we seek to trust God but inevitably trust in our money, resources, and possessions. We looked at two biblical stories.. Zacheaus (Luke 19:1-10) who knew something was missing in his life and went in search of it... met Jesus... had lunch with Jesus at Zach's house and then responded by giving half of his possessions away and paying back all those he cheated 4 times what he cheated them from and after that, Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house." And the nameless man in Matthew 19:16-26 who again knew something was missing... asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life and Jesus told him to keep the commands.... the man asked which ones, Jesus names 5 of the 6 TEN COMMANDMENTS that deal with horizontal relationships and the 1 of the GREATEST TWO that Jesus shares that deals with horizontal relationships and the nameless man says he has kept all those since childhood. Then he asks Jesus what he still lacks. Jesus tells him to GO, SELL all he has, GIVE the money to the poor, COME, FOLLOW him. But the young man couldn't do that... That is the tension we must live in...
On Monday (yesterday) I read this in David Platt's CHALLENGING but AWESOME book (Radical). David shares a response to a sermon he preached on Mark's version of the Matthew 19 story of the nameless man. David got an email from one of his parishoners who says, "My wife and I went home, emptied all our clothes onto the bed, got several bags of canned goods and all the baby clothes our son has grown out of in addition to the toys he doesn't play with anyomre. I took several hundred dollars cash that I was saving to upgrade the front lawn and drove over to the projects downtown and prayed. I prayed for the people I didn't know wh were about to receive what I had too much of.
In the first house was a man of thirty who had a baby and needed some work clothes. Perfect, I had my clothes to give him and the baby toys and clothes. He needed money for groceries, so I gave him $100.
The next house had three boys all under the age of twelve, so I gave them our TV, VCR, and two video game consoles. Their mother needed some groceries, so I gave her $100.
The next house had a couple who needed some clothing for the wife and money for a car payment so I gave her my wife's clothes and $100.
We prayed with each family and told them we cam with God. I got such a rush from this that we got home and got more things together to give away. My wife and I are now consitently serving at the homeless center downtonw and I am going to start teaching art and graphics at the homeless learning center."
This guy didn't sell all he had, but he put his trust in God and decreased the things he might put his trust in instead. And in the mean time, he blessed others! I thought it was an incredible story and response to what God does in our lives when we trust him!
On Monday (yesterday) I read this in David Platt's CHALLENGING but AWESOME book (Radical). David shares a response to a sermon he preached on Mark's version of the Matthew 19 story of the nameless man. David got an email from one of his parishoners who says, "My wife and I went home, emptied all our clothes onto the bed, got several bags of canned goods and all the baby clothes our son has grown out of in addition to the toys he doesn't play with anyomre. I took several hundred dollars cash that I was saving to upgrade the front lawn and drove over to the projects downtown and prayed. I prayed for the people I didn't know wh were about to receive what I had too much of.
In the first house was a man of thirty who had a baby and needed some work clothes. Perfect, I had my clothes to give him and the baby toys and clothes. He needed money for groceries, so I gave him $100.
The next house had three boys all under the age of twelve, so I gave them our TV, VCR, and two video game consoles. Their mother needed some groceries, so I gave her $100.
The next house had a couple who needed some clothing for the wife and money for a car payment so I gave her my wife's clothes and $100.
We prayed with each family and told them we cam with God. I got such a rush from this that we got home and got more things together to give away. My wife and I are now consitently serving at the homeless center downtonw and I am going to start teaching art and graphics at the homeless learning center."
This guy didn't sell all he had, but he put his trust in God and decreased the things he might put his trust in instead. And in the mean time, he blessed others! I thought it was an incredible story and response to what God does in our lives when we trust him!
Monday, June 7, 2010
What if...
Psalm 150 concludes by saying, "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord." What if... it said... let everything that praises the Lord have breath?
Would we be able to breathe? Would our lives end now?
Where does our breath come from? And how can we live our lives in such a way that they are a constant praise to the source of all that is... including the breath we breathe!
Would we be able to breathe? Would our lives end now?
Where does our breath come from? And how can we live our lives in such a way that they are a constant praise to the source of all that is... including the breath we breathe!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Object of Our Faith....
Former CoJ member, John Clauser recently posted a video link to something his pastor said and it interested me enough that I bought his pastor's new book. The book is called Radical: Taking back your faith from the American dream" by David Platt. It is an interesting book that is unsettling for me and is provoking many thoughts!
Here is one such quote that really struck a chord with me...
"If you were to ask the average Christian sitting in a worship service on Sunday morning to summarize the message of Christianity, you would most likely hear something along the lines of "the message of Christianity is that God loves me." Or someone might say, "the message of Christianity is that God loves me enough to send his Son, Jesus, to die for me."
As wonderful as this sentiment sounds, is it biblical? Isn't it incomplete, based on what we have seen in the Bible? "God loves me" is not the essence of biblical Christianity. Because if "God loves me" is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?
God loves ME.
ME.
Christianity's object is ME.
Therefore, when I look for a church, I look for music that best fits me and the programs that best cater to me and my family. When I make plans for my life and career, it is about what works best for me and my family. When I consider the house I will live in, the car I will drive, the clothes I will wear, the way I will live, I will choose according to what is best for me. This is the version of Christianity that largely prevails in our culture.
But it is not biblical Christianity.
The message of biblical Christianity is not "God loves me, period." as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is "God loves me so that I might make him - his ways, his salvation, his glory, his greatness - known among all nations." Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him. We are not the end of the gospel: God is!"
Consider this. Ponder it. Ponder it's implications on the way you live your life!
Here is one such quote that really struck a chord with me...
"If you were to ask the average Christian sitting in a worship service on Sunday morning to summarize the message of Christianity, you would most likely hear something along the lines of "the message of Christianity is that God loves me." Or someone might say, "the message of Christianity is that God loves me enough to send his Son, Jesus, to die for me."
As wonderful as this sentiment sounds, is it biblical? Isn't it incomplete, based on what we have seen in the Bible? "God loves me" is not the essence of biblical Christianity. Because if "God loves me" is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?
God loves ME.
ME.
Christianity's object is ME.
Therefore, when I look for a church, I look for music that best fits me and the programs that best cater to me and my family. When I make plans for my life and career, it is about what works best for me and my family. When I consider the house I will live in, the car I will drive, the clothes I will wear, the way I will live, I will choose according to what is best for me. This is the version of Christianity that largely prevails in our culture.
But it is not biblical Christianity.
The message of biblical Christianity is not "God loves me, period." as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is "God loves me so that I might make him - his ways, his salvation, his glory, his greatness - known among all nations." Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him. We are not the end of the gospel: God is!"
Consider this. Ponder it. Ponder it's implications on the way you live your life!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Priceless...
Wisdom is priceless! From today's readings from Proverbs 22-24...
"A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank."
"The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God is plenty and honore and a satisfying life."
"Point your kids in the right direction, when they're old they won't be lost."
"Generous hands are blessed hands, because they give bread to the poor."
"Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich; restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder."
"A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank."
"The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God is plenty and honore and a satisfying life."
"Point your kids in the right direction, when they're old they won't be lost."
"Generous hands are blessed hands, because they give bread to the poor."
"Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich; restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder."
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
One Proud Papa!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Out of the Mouths of Babes....
Children say the funniest things sometimes. My friend, Ryan Braught who is planting a Church of the Brethren in Lancaster, PA shared the wisdom of his son tonight... 6 year old Kaiden said, "I hate tomatoes as much as I hate the devil!"
I couldn't agree more!
I couldn't agree more!
CoJ's 2010 Graduates... College and High School
Katie Morgan Hayman graduated from Salisbury University. She is pictured with her mom, Mary Kay. Then with friend, Caroline Hutchison.
Carline Hutchison and Kevin Brown have been in youth group since the beginning.
Group Pic shows... Kevin Brown and Titus Zan graduated from Mardela High. Josh Layfield from Parkside High. Kaite Hayman from Salisbury University. Caroline Hutchison from Wicomico High. Mycal Gresh from North Caroline High. Congrats to all!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Graduation Thoughts...
I would share the the graduates a simple way to keep themselves out of trouble in all areas of life. Three little words can make a lasting difference in the choices they make and the roads they travel. Three little words have the power to change the course of their lives and help them develope the potential God has given them.
The three little words are a question that they can learn to ask of themselves. No one else needs to ask it. The answer will be immediately obvious and they won't have to think long to know what it is.
This question can enhance their lives in relationships, finances, job choices, time management, social activities. And because the question is only three words, they will never forget it.
Those three little words that make one powerful question are... "Is it Wise?" If they learn to ask that question of all situations they face, they will travel roads that take them far! If they need to justify or rationalize the answer, then they are not being honest in the answer. Usually within seconds of asking the question, "Is is wise?" they will know the answer to whatever decision they are trying to make.
Graduates, for years you have had the benefit of adults in your lives to give you guidance... now you are about to embark on a journey that might take you away from the direct influence of those adults... so, I encourage you to learn to ask the simple little question, "Is it Wise?" at every crossroad you reach in life! Best wishes for an Exciting next chapter in your lives!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Grace... Grace... And More Grace!
Grace is awesome! And it is many things...
It is the prayer you offer before a meal! It is a persons name. It is something that is experienced and it is something that is extended.
I've been thinking alot about Grace lately!
Perhaps because I had the experience of going into a place where someone had authority that I was challenging on behalf of another and pleading for the extension of Grace! That was not a comfortable experience for me, but one that because of the Grace I have experienced in my life, I was able to walk into with confidence that Grace was with me and in the end... Grace was extended!
The grace I am talking about is UNDESERVED FAVOR! Just like the Grace God offers to each of us, through his son, Jesus! It is an incredible gift!
What has your experience of Grace been? And out of that experience can you be willing to share Grace with others? Receiving and Extending Grace will make the world we live in a BETTER place!
It is the prayer you offer before a meal! It is a persons name. It is something that is experienced and it is something that is extended.
I've been thinking alot about Grace lately!
Perhaps because I had the experience of going into a place where someone had authority that I was challenging on behalf of another and pleading for the extension of Grace! That was not a comfortable experience for me, but one that because of the Grace I have experienced in my life, I was able to walk into with confidence that Grace was with me and in the end... Grace was extended!
The grace I am talking about is UNDESERVED FAVOR! Just like the Grace God offers to each of us, through his son, Jesus! It is an incredible gift!
What has your experience of Grace been? And out of that experience can you be willing to share Grace with others? Receiving and Extending Grace will make the world we live in a BETTER place!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Fear of the Lord
So many places in Scripture it says something about "Fear of the Lord". Today's reading in Proverbs says that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom."
Does that mean that I am wise when I am afraid of the Lord?
I am afraid (no pun intended) that too many people hear it that way. They think that they are to be afraid of the Lord. In fact, just last night I had someone ask me if it was okay to cut back on their giving because they are incurring lots of additional expenses now. The concern was that they were afraid of what God might do to them if they did.
I think it is better to understand the Fear of the Lord as encouraging us to know God's place in our lives and in our world. Elevate him above all else. Lift him up to the top. And when we live our lives with God at the top or as I like to say, "as the center" we are wise.
So, the fear of the Lord is not being afraid of God... but is keeping God at the center or the top of our lives. Living in AWE of him and who he is and knowing that he is the source of all that is. That is what it means to fear the Lord!
Does that mean that I am wise when I am afraid of the Lord?
I am afraid (no pun intended) that too many people hear it that way. They think that they are to be afraid of the Lord. In fact, just last night I had someone ask me if it was okay to cut back on their giving because they are incurring lots of additional expenses now. The concern was that they were afraid of what God might do to them if they did.
I think it is better to understand the Fear of the Lord as encouraging us to know God's place in our lives and in our world. Elevate him above all else. Lift him up to the top. And when we live our lives with God at the top or as I like to say, "as the center" we are wise.
So, the fear of the Lord is not being afraid of God... but is keeping God at the center or the top of our lives. Living in AWE of him and who he is and knowing that he is the source of all that is. That is what it means to fear the Lord!
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