This Weekend

1973's biggest selling single was Tony Orlando and Dawn's Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ol' Oak Tree. Reportedly based on a true story, it chronicled a husband's release from prison. He wrote to his wife telling her of his return, and ackowledging that he had no reason to expect her to wait on him. He simply asked that, if she wanted him to come home, she tie a yellow ribbon around the oak tree in the city square. When the bus drove into town, sure enough, there was that ribbon right where he hoped.

On Father's day we talked about how the lost son believed he would never again be a son; he saw himself as beyond redemption--disposable. The Father saw him differently. By calling for the family ring, the robe, the sandals and the celebration, the father illustrated the same truth about his son that God the Father had spoken about his Son at Christ's baptism: This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.

This Sunday we take up the other half of the story--the older brother. We'll talk about having a heart for the lost. Anyone can say they have a heart for the lost, but what does that really mean? We'll also talk about our church's vision for the future, and about regrouping--about how messy and inconvenient evangelism can be--and about how lost we would be if someone else hadn't been willing to take that risk on our behalf.

When prodigals show up at our churches, will they find yellow ribbons or Keep Out signs?

NAC - Wednesday (Part 2)

This fountain and sculpture celebrate God's creative power. The glass allows sunlight to pass through (reminiscent of Let there be light), and is arranged in the double helix pattern of DNA. The fountain is made in a traditional pattern denoting the Trinity. What's especially poignant about this piece of art is that it is placed right at the main entrance of Hartung Hall, AU's science building.

We had our traditional thunderstorm about 5:00 p.m., but it ended in time for us to get to church... almost dry.

Next is the closing service of this year's convention. Traditionally Wednesday night is when we commission missionaries. Worship started with a parade of nations--89 flags representing the 89 nations of the world where the Church of God ministers.

I don't know what country this father and son are from (below), but no one could have missed their excitement and pride when they eyed their flag making its way to the front of the building.

For as long as I can remember, the Wednesday night commissioning service ended with candlelight. I couldn't help but notice this year there were no candles waiting for us on each seat; instead when the time came they passed out glow sticks. I wasn't sure how that would go over, but they were really beautiful and, more than 90 minutes later, my glow stick is still shining.

After the service ended, Ben headed off to youth worship, and it started to rain. We were waiting at a vendor's for some fried cheesecake--my new favorite indulgence--when the heavens opened up with showers of blessings (I guess that depends on how you look at it). It just poured!

It stormed hard enough I had to pull up the area weather radar on my computer the minute we got home. The red dot right in the middle of this picture is Anderson, about 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

Somehow we have to do most of our packing tonight, because there is another group coming in tomorrow, and we have to be out of our room by 8:00 a.m. It's been nice staying on campus. Fair Commons Dorm (below) was built just a couple years ago. It's on the edge of the campus, so it was a long walk to almost anywhere, but it was a great place to stay... much better than a hotel. Hotels in Anderson jack up their rates during North American Convention, so for the last few years we've stayed in Muncie or Noblesville, each about a 25-minute drive from campus. Being in a dorm right on campus was great!

NAC - Wednesday (Part 1)

Janelle says my daily titles are somewhat confusing, because not everything included under Wednesday actually happened on Wednesday. That's right; the beginning of Wednesday's post talks about things from Tuesday that occured after I posted that day. The only problem with that is if I post this evening's events tomorrow morning, I can hardly call that NAC - Thursday, because the convention ends tonight (Wednesday), hence the Part 1 in today's title.

We had a thunderstorm come through yesterday afternoon in time to lower the temps for the evening. The rain had stopped by time for the evening service, and the weather afterward was actually quite pleasant.

Jeff Perkins was our speaker. Jeff planted a church in Orlando and now pastors in Kentucky. He had strong and direct words for the church. In our country more churches are closing than being planted; whereas in the 60s there was 1 church for every 80,000 Americans, now there is only 1 church for every 136,000 Americans (sounds like we have plenty of prospective new members to me). He asserted that the goal of the church is not supposed to be survival, but assaulting the gates of hell and growing the Kingdom. His words were challenging, to say the least.

After church, Janelle and I went to the Warner Southern College reception, where we sat with Gene and Amy Worline, pastors from Grove City. It was great getting better acquainted with them. I also had the opportunity to speak with some professors I hadn't seen in quite some time. Pictured below is President Greg Hall of Warner.

Today, Janelle went to a conference about training small group leaders, and I went to one that explained a new Church of God discipling resource aimed at young adults. It looks very promising, and I plan to pursue putting it into use at C'ville COG. Another conference I tried to attend was standing room only. I wasn't late, but wasn't early either. My good friend Jerry Hickson, a teacher at Warner Pacific University (Portland, Oregon) was leading that one.

My next post, NAC - Wednesday (Part 2) will probably be up late tonight, or maybe tomorrow... maybe not even until after we get home.

NAC - Tuesday

Every year, the organizers of our North American Convention invite a guest speaker to address (preach to) our people. Last night our guest speaker was Jim Wallis, a self-proclaimed evangelical activist for social justice and peace. His latest book was a New York Times best seller, titled: God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. I'm sure some things he said would raise the antennae of any good Republican, but he took some swings at Democrats, too. Here's a Jim Wallis interview on the Daily Show with John Stewart. (To watch, follow the link and choose WindowsMedia or RealPlayer.) It might surprise you that someone as outspoken as Jim Wallis might be invited to speak at our camp meeting, but that's the kind of thing that makes this week so great.

Before the evening service, Janelle and I attended the Alumni Banquet for the School of Theology. While none of my classmates were able to attend, I was able to see some professors who have become my good friends. I am especially happy for one adjunct (part time) professor, who was brought on full time at the beginning of June. Lew Worthington is a wonderful man and a great teacher with a Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Nashville's Vanderbilt University. (Besides, he gave me an "A.") Way to go, Lew!

This morning our General Assembly opened at 8:15. A new mission statement for the Church of God was unveiled: Transforming Culture by Being the Body of Christ.

I don't know why my camera phone can't handle a little light, but that angelic looking creature at the podium is our General Director Ronald V. Duncan giving his annual report to the Assembly. I'm really more interested in showing you the interior of Warner Auditorium than a good shot of our General Director.

After the initial vote and break, I relocated to the balcony (votes can only be cast from the main floor). These shots are looking back toward the rest of the balcony and then forward toward the stage. Reardon Auditorium is really a beautiful structure. These pictures were taken (unobtrusively) during the Memorial Service for deceased pastors. We remembered 72 persons today. Some were in their 40s and some in their 90s. Some had been pastoring for as little as 5 years, and some for more than 70 years. Several were pastors I am personally familiar with.

By the time GA was finished for the day the temperature had clmbed into the low 90s with bright sunshine. Within a few minutes the skies darkened and we had some significant thunderstorms move through. I think they cooled things off a little (Thank you, God.), but I'm hoping we can stay dry through our events tonight.

We'll be leaving for the evening service in just a few minutes. After that, Ben and Will are going to be with the youth for Comedy Night, where a Christian comedian will entertain the kids. While our kids are at their event, Janelle and I will be attending the Warner Southern College reception from 9:15-11:00. It will be another late night, but we get used to that during NAC.

NAC - Monday

I've been getting to bed so late, I decided today I better blog during the daylight hours. I started the day by singing with the worship team for the morning service. I was singing along with some old college friends, so it really brought back some memories. Somehow we didn't think to snap a picture of that, but you can also go to http://www.chog.org/ and click on the "Watch It Live" link. At least I think that previous services are available there, as well as current ones.

Rev. Herbert Banks was our speaker. He pastors a church in Michigan where an all white congregation merged with an all African-American congregation. His assignment today was to speak about Christian unity. He certainly was the appropriate person to handle that topic.

After lunch Janelle and I both attended conferences. Janelle's conference was about small groups, and mine was about being more effective through the use of narrative preaching (picture top right).

Since today was the first sunny day we've had here (did I mention the heat?), I snapped a few pix around campus. This is the Nicholson Library (below). When I was in school here, the main thing we used the library for was a place to ride sleds (okay, they were trays from the cafeteria).

This is the valley. AU has one of the most beautiful campuses of any college I've ever seen.

This is a shot of Reardon Auditorium. This is a beautiful concert hall, where our General Assembly will be meeting Tuesday and Wednesday.

Right across the street from Reardon Auitorium is Decker Hall, the University's main administration building, complete with welcome center for prospective students, class rooms, and astronomical observatory.

The Church of God (that's you) is certainly privileged to have such a high quality university. The beautiful campus is a bonus.

NAC - Sunday

North American Convention has wall-to-wall activities for the entire week. Tomorrow I have to be at sound check (I'm on the worship team for the morning service) at 8:45 a.m. and Ben and Will's youth activities won't be over until around midnight. That makes for a long day. We make up for the glut of activity by taking part of a day every year to go to one of our favorite places on the planet: Turkey Run State Park. Turkey Run is near the Illinois border about two hours from Anderson. Janelle and I were introduced to the park in our college days, and have enjoyed it ever since. Now it's a family tradition to hike it during NAC. We always take the same loop trail (#3), and in the same direction (clockwise).

I took my camera phone with us today so we could share Turkey Run with you. It all starts by crossing Sugar Creek on a suspension foot bridge that leads to the trail head. Some of the trails are boardwalk type affairs to protect the park. It's about an hour and a half of ups and downs on stairs or even ladders (over the roughest terrain), or wading through the creek (we learned a long time ago to wear shorts and pool shoes). The creek cuts right into the bedrock forming the most beautiful narrow canyons you'd ever want to see. Enough talking.



These ladders are much easier to climb up than to climb down. At least that's the way it seems to me.


This is the Ice Box. It's 10-15 degrees cooler in the ice box than on the rest of the trail.



This narrow foot path is worn right into the sandstone. Once we cross the trail, we come down the carved steps in the next picture.




We've never seen anything but birds back on the trails, but the fox was working the parking lot crowd when we came out of the forest. Definitely the closest I've ever been to a wild fox. Unfortunately it's probably not as wild as it should be.

We got back to campus in time for the evening service. Ken Love, a church planter from Orlando, spoke about the stories that define our lives. Our story may say that life is hard, or unfair, or that we are unloved. If that's our story, we see everything around us through that lens. He taught us that we should find a new script for our life story... specifically Scripture. The stories that most of us listen to are lies; Scripture is the true story of our lives.

As an illustration, Ken read through parts of Psalm 136. Psalm 136 was written to be read responsively. The leader would read a declaration about God's faithfulness, and the congregation would follow with, "His love endures forever!" Ken made an adjustment. He would read the declaration, and asked the audience to respond, "That's MY story, and I'm stickin' to it!" Since Psalm 136 obviously stops before the ministry of Jesus, Ken continued with some declarations from Ephesians, like, "He chose us in him before the creation of the world," to which we responded, "That's MY story, and I'm stickin' to it!"

After the service closed it was time for Ben and Will to head to their youth activity, where they got reacquainted with some friends they met last year. They played some games, including one called Shuffle Your Buns, which Will renamed The Butt Shuffle. Then they enjoyed ice cream.

NAC - Saturday

After the Robert Reardon Memorial Tribute hosted by Anderson University Friday night, the North American Convention of the Church of God was officially kicked off Saturday night with the first worship service. (I took a picture with my camera phone--for those of you over 40, doesn't that sound like something out of Get Smart? Oh; that was a shoe phone!--but you can just look at the picture from Friday night's service, because all my auditorium pictures look alike.) A friend of mine, Kendyl Terry, led worship and our speaker was Dr. Cliff Sanders, Chair of the School of Pastoral Ministries at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City (another of our Church of God schools).

Dr. Sanders preached a simple yet profound message on holiness. He reminded us that real holiness does not consist of following a list of rules, but in loving God. And we cannot love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, until we really know that God loves us first. Read this.

Sounds like what I taught about the Prodigal Son on Father's Day. Hey; I've got to get one right every once in awhile! Have a great day!

NAC 2007

After our obligatory initial fill-up at Sheetz, we headed for Anderson. That trip would sure be lot shorter if it weren't for Ohio, but what are you gonna do?


We arrived in Anderson at about 6:20 Friday evening, just in time for the opening service. The Friday night service is sponsored by Anderson University as a welcome and opening to the Convention.

This year's university offering was a tribute to Robert H. Reardon, president of Anderson College from the 60s into the 80s. He was president when Janelle and I were in school there, and he touched our lives deeply. He passed away last February at the age of 87 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

When Janelle was a teenager, she had surgery on her feet. During that time, the church where her dad was pastor completed their new sanctuary and they invited President Reardon to speak at its dedication. Janelle was sitting in a rocking chair when someone (she thought it was her brother) started kicking the runner in an annoying fashion. She wheeled around to slug him, and found to her surprise President Reardon standing there with a twinkle in his eye.

When the family took him to the airport for his return flight, he disappeared only to show up a few minutes later with a wheel chair for Janelle, and graciously served as her chauffeur, wheeling her all over Kansas City International Airport.

When Janelle and I were on the road sharing concerts across the country, Dr. Reardon happened to be at one. We don't remember where it was, but he lingered as the sanctuary was emptying after the service, and beckoned us over. He took my hand, shook it warmly, and skillfully pressed a $50 bill into my palm. He just wanted to be an encouragement to us. A year or two later when we were considering going on staff at a church in Nashville, Dr. Reardon made a phone call on our behalf and recommended us for the position.

I guarantee thousands of men and women could tell similar stories about this gracious man. He was a story-teller, a humorist, one of the Church of God's first Ph.D.'s, a friend of Anderson University, an encourager to young pastors, and a servant of the church. He will be missed.

This is the crowd gathered in the Kardatzke Wellness Center for President Reardon's tribute.


And this is "Main Street" outside the Wellness Center, where convention attenders mingle and find something to satisfy their sweet tooth following the evening services.

I sure wish you could be here with us.

Leavin' On a Jet Plane (Actually a PT Cruiser)

This morning we will be pulling out of Connellsville and heading for the North American Convention of the Church of God. I'll be keeping you updated about convention through the week, and as I've shared before, you can listen in live to (and see) the services and GA meetings at www.chog.org/. Just click the "Watch it live" link and you'll be up and running.

But before we go, "Now for something completely different..." While we were in Kansas City at Christmas time, there was a fire in the trailer that borders our church property. No one has lived there since... well, that's not really true. A beautiful tabby cat with a fluffy tail makes her home under the trailer, and visits church more regularly than some of our "members."

Our church has a beautiful courtyard, thanks to the vision and hard work of Jane and Larry Ottenberg, Ron and Lu Porter, and some skillful rototilling by Don Hileman. These pictures give an example of how beautiful and peaceful it is there.

Guess who else thought it was a peaceful place!

We now have a church cat family growing up in our courtyard. The five kittens are less than a week old, but a very nice addition to our church family.

This Sunday

We're leaving in the morning for Camp Meeting. It will be a spiritually refreshing time for me and my family, and I've done my best to provide for your Sunday experience.

Rev. Bob Strader from World Christian Outreach will be our guest speaker. I know you'll give Bob a warm welcome. Other than that, Robin and her team will take care of everything else. I'm confident you'll enjoy a wonderful sense of God's presence.

We'll miss you and look forward to our return the end of next week. In the mean time, I am reachable by cell phone in case of emergency.

North American Convention

In about thirty-six hours we leave for the North American Convention of the Church of God in Anderson, Indiana at Anderson University. The convention (to me it still feels like Camp Meeting) is six days of great worship services (in the Kardatzke Wellness Center as shown here), informative and inspiring conferences, mingling with friends, youth activities for our kids, and the General Assembly (in the GA meeting we honor pastors who have died in the last year, receive information on the state of the church from our national leaders, elect new leaders as needed, and take care of other church business), which meets in Reardon Auditorium (center).

I've been going to Anderson since I was a kid. Even though my parents were not in ministry, they occasionally took their vacation time to attend Camp Meeting. When I was about eight years old my brother Dave started attending college at AC (Anderson College--now Anderson University--is our church's primary center of higher education), and my family would go out for homecoming weekend. When I was 17 I also headed for AC, which is where I met Janelle (Labor Day 1978). Now as a pastor, it is my responsibility to represent my congregation each year in the General Assembly. Years later I returned to Anderson University School of Theology (pictured below) to pursue my Masters Degree.

I'll be blogging from the convention to keep you informed of what's going on. Don't forget you can watch the worship services live at www.chog.org by clicking the "Watch It Live" link. Services are 7 p.m. Friday through Wednesday, and 10:30 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday. Until you can actually attend North American Convention, the live feeds and my blog will do a pretty good job of keeping you up to date.

Why Do I Blog?

Blogs started in the 90s as an online place for computer geeks to talk programming code with other computer geeks. The word comes from the phrase web log, or blog for short. As time went by others discovered blogging and started talking about other things--things normal people actually care about. On 9/11 much information was disseminated by bloggers via their own personal blogs. In 2002 the mainstream media only gave cursory attention to Trent Lott's questionable comment at Strom Thurmand's 100th birthday party. It was bloggers that spread the word, and fifteen days after his initial comment, Lott resigned his role as Republican Leader. In the 2004 presidential election, CBS News Anchor Dan Rather ran a story about President Bush not fulfilling his National Guard duty. In the ensuing days, bloggers questioned the authenticity of the evidentiary documents--questions CBS couldn't answer. Twelve days after the report aired, CBS retracted it, saying the network shouldn't have used those documents as they could not coroborate their authenticity. Shortly after George W. Bush won reelection, Dan Rather announced his retirement. [1]

Whereas only techies and other geeks had even heard of blogging, even into the new century, in 2004 the editors of Merriam-Webster announced blog was their "top word of 2004."

Blogs are an incredible communication tool for churches and pastors. Whereas most of the time someone has to actually attend a church service to get a copy of the bulletin, anyone with Internet access (before long this will mean just plain anyone) can log on and instantly know what's happening. Bulletins come out only once a week, but blogs can be updated several times a day if needed. What's more, blog technology is absolutely free. Sure, you can pay for blog services and software, but you don't have to. Blogger (www.blogspot.com) is the service I use, and it allows me to do everything I want to do with my blog.

Blogs are great for families separated by time and distance. Imagine being able to upload pictures of your baby's first visit to the zoo, and that evening Grandma and Grandpa seeing their precious grandbaby laughing at the elephant. And then the baby's grandparents can give immediate feedback via the comments tool at the bottom of the post. Or, if it's a true family blog they could make their own post and upload their own pictures.

Blogs are great for businesses, teachers, political campaigns (Howard Dean's blog fueled his 2004 bid for the Democrat presidential nomination, and whether or not Fred Thompson gets in the race this year as expected, he has already launched his blog: I'm With Fred.), or anyone else needing a platform from which to communicate ideas and convictions.

But the question was, "Why do I blog?" The answer comes in a couple parts. 1) I blog to better the preaching experience. A classic explanation of preaching is: First, tell them what you're going to tell them; second, tell them; and third, tell them what you told them. My blog sometimes allows me to share a preview of what's coming Sunday. Other times I might have a you should have said moment. In the past there wasn't really anything I could do about those you should have said moments. Now I can blog about it. And what's great is that those who don't really want to go any deeper don't have to, but those who do can.

2) I blog to better church communication. This is a great forum where I can talk about what's happening in the church, what's already happened, or what needs to happen. Sometimes people ask me questions, and I wonder, "If one person is asking, could other people be wondering the same thing?" I can address the issue in my blog, and even those who didn't voice the question can read the discussion.

3) I blog to be more transparent. Many people only know what they see on Sunday morning, nothing more. Hopefully I'm the same person through the week as I am on stage, but come on; I only have 30+ minutes on Sunday. I don't have time to come clean about every struggle I'm facing (pastors sometimes have doubts and frustrations, too), about my thought processes that led me to preach what I did (no, God does not write my sermons), or about whatever else happened in the 166 hours since we were together last. My blog helps you know me better, with anything from a theological discussion, to pictures from a family vacation, to rants and raves about my favorite TV show.

4) Finally, I blog as a spiritual discipline. I believe in journaling, which I've been doing off and on for the last few years. This year, I've transitioned some of my journaling to blogging. In effect, I'm taking my journal (at least part of it) public. Some of what I write is only for me, but if I'm wrestling with it, I share it with you.

[1] Brian Bailey, The Blogging Church (San Francisco: Wiley and Sons, 2007), 3ff.

Father's Day and the Lost Son

Sunday was a good day. Our Vacation Bible School kids sang a couple songs from Take the Plunge, this year's VBS theme. I sang one of my favorite songs, Cat's In the Cradle--the old Harry Chapin hit from the 70s. He wasn't a Christian, but certainly wrote a compelling sermon with that song.

I taught from Luke 15:11-24, which is the Parable of the Lost Son. I want to share a brief observation, which actually came to me as I was on stage teaching. Matthew 3:13-17 is the narrative of Jesus' baptism. As our Savior came up out of the water and the Spirit rested upon him, God spoke: This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.

One of my core values is that God is on our side. The story of the lost son illustrates this in a way I had not really expected. The son came to the conclusion that he would never be a son again, but he thought maybe there was a chance his father would hire him as a day laborer. In Parables as Subversive Speech, William Herzog writes that day laborers lasted an average of about five years. They ate when they could find work. Growing weaker from hard work and lack of nourishment, they were prone to injury and illness. Before long their inevitable end was death from starvation, or hunger related disease. There were plenty where they came from. As far as landowners were concerned, day laborers were disposable. In hoping for a day laborer position with his father's estate, the son was acknowledging his belief that he was disposable.

His father saw things differently. When the son came into view, the father was waiting. He ran to his son, and called for a robe, a ring, and sandals. These were the signs of sonship. He ordered his servants to bring the fattened calf and prepare a celebration feast. The father was illustrating the same love for his lost son that God the Father communicated for his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. His gifts of the garment, the ring, the sandals and the celebration said, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)."

What kind of love is this?

The Day I Don't Golf

As I've mentioned before I play in a golf league on Monday evenings. At least I think I do. The last time I was able to golf was two weeks ago, when a brief, but powerful rainstorm interrupted our round. We were leaving the first green when the rain started and by the time we teed off on #2 it was really coming down. We left our drives where they were and headed for the clubhouse. About 20 minutes later our foursome (minus one) returned and completed our round. I shot the best round I'd shot in league play and racked up some pretty good points. Later I found out so many people left when it started raining, they weren't counting the few rounds that did get finished. My good score was for nothing!

Last week was when I got stuck driving to our church's state office for a meeting that had been cancelled. By the time Janelle and I got back to town, our schedules were conflicting and I was unable to golf.

My meeting was re-scheduled to this Monday. I made sure I got out of there in time to get back for golf, but as I approached the course I was being chased by a thunder-storm. They had called all golfers into the clubhouse, and said it would probably take 30 minutes for the storm to pass.

I was doubtful, plus that would have gotten me started kind of late. I decided I'd pass. Playing in the rain is one thing; lightning is some-thing else altogether.

So, from now on Monday is officially the day I don't golf (unless, of course, I get a chance).

Because of Winn-Dixie

Last night was the final night of Vacation Bible School. This was the first year we offered an adult class, and Janelle and I served as its facilitators. Each night we watched a movie and then spent about 30 minutes discussing it together.

From Sunday evening through Wednesday evening, we watched The End of the Spear, Signs, Radio, and Facing the Giants. While the first and last films were overtly Christian in nature, the films for Monday and Tuesday were not. All four films have a very positive, uplifting message. I wanted to be a little more daring and previewed a couple other films, but I just couldn't bring myself to show them. They were Bruce Almighty and Million Dollar Baby. I've heard both given rave reviews by other pastors for their overall message. While I agree the films had positive things to say, I felt the language and sexual humor disqualified them for us in our setting. And while I'm aware other churches use such films as regular fare (and I think that's great), those are not the kinds of illustrations I'm comfortable using.

We worshiped at NewSong Community Church in Nashville for a few months while we were between ministry assignments. Pastor Dale Evrist called the room where they gathered for worship their Family Room. They would not only worship there, but enjoy church family dinners and various forms of entertainment all in the same room. He taught that whatever one did at home in one's family room should be okay in the church Family Room, but also that the things one would not do in the church Family Room should not be done in one's family room at home.

I'm sure some of the same people who wouldn't think twice about watching Bruce Almighty at home would be the first to scream, "Blasphemy!" if it were screened at church. But that's not really my point.

Last night our concluding film was Because of Winn-Dixie. It is a delightful family film, with nothing to be embarrassed over, and certainly nothing that pushes the church envelope. It's about a little girl, a pastor's daughter, who is relieved from her burning loneliness through the intervention of a scruffy dog she names Winn-Dixie. There was plenty to talk about following the film including the sources of and remedies for loneliness, the labels we give people and the effect that has on how we treat one another, the life-changing power of a listening ear, and whether or not the sad things of life disqualify its sweetness.

At one point in the film Winn-Dixie runs off, and the little girl decides to print up posters including ten things about her dog, which will help people to recognize him. I asked our group to imagine they were lost, and that "Lost Person" posters were going to be distributed around town to aid in their recovery. I asked them to imagine ten good things that could be written about them, and requested they share just one of those things with the group.

I was surprised that the first response was a question: "Isn't that bragging?" I replied that it most assuredly was not. I reminded each one there that God is on our side. If it were not so, there would have been no incarnation, no cross, no substitutionary atonement. God would have just wiped the universe clean of humanity and started over. I believe with all my heart that if God were introducing us, God would begin, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased," or, "This is my beloved, precious daughter, in whom I am well pleased." This in no way means we don't have room for improvement; just that God accepts us as we are. Luke 15:10 says it all.

Our problem is that we don't understand love like that.

God, on this Father's Day weekend please give us a glimpse of your love for your children. Let us bask in your love for us, and share that love with others. When those around us don't recognize your love for them, allow us to share your grace, so that they will. Amen.

Will (Part Two)

Will had his abdominal surgery Tuesday, and we came home Wednesday afternoon, arriving home in Connellsville a little before 5:30.

While the doctor didn't find anything definitive in the surgery, he did say Will's appendix was a little unusual. Most appendices hang down in front of the large intestine, but Will's hung down behind his intestine. Doctor Cain said they see that in about 20% of their patients, so it's not extremely rare, but might account for the pain Will's been suffering. We have to wait for a couple weeks and the surgery to heal before we can know if Will's still having the original pain.

The trip home, coupled with going too long between pain pills, was really hard on Will. After we got him medicated, he felt a little better. Then it was right with the clock, a pill at midnght, 4:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m. and noon. We'll see how he's doing tonight to decide whether to wake him for his 4:00 a.m. dose, or let him sleep.

Keep him in your prayers. Janelle also had it rough spending the night in the hospital. Those recliner-beds aren't that comfortable... just barely a step above sleeping in a chair. She's a good mom.

We absolutely love Children's Hospital. From the doctors to the nurses to the cafeteria employees, virtually everyone was a delight. Only the traffic and parking challenges caused us concern, and those things were manageable. All in all, Children's made a difficult time a great experience.

Will (Part One)

Ben and Will are my beloved sons in whom I am well pleased.

Will (11) is having surgery today at Chidren's Hospital in Pittsburgh. He's been having abdominal pain for about two months and the tests so far haven't shown it's cause.

Please pray for Will and for the rest of us that we will experience God's peace and presence as we wait.

Crazy Monday

Okay, let's review Monday.

We had a big day. This was the plan.

Cash paycheck.
Drop my truck at the New Stanton Cracker Barrel.
Drive to Whitehall (our church's state offices).
Drop off Janelle for her 10:30 meeting.
Drive Ben to Cooperstown (40 minutes) to spend a couple hours with his girlfriend.
Get back to Whitehall for my 12:30 meeting.
Janelle would pick up Ben at 1:20.
Janelle would then pick me up at 2:00 (whether my meeting was done or not).
Pick up my truck at Cracker Barrel.
Janelle drives Ben home.
I go to my golf league.
Janelle meets up with her car pool for Sweet Adelines.
Jim Jacquillard starts the movie for my VBS class.
I sneak in after golfing one of the best rounds of my life! and guide the after-movie discussion.

Sounds simple enough, right?

I was at the bank window at 8:00 a.m.. Unfortunately the bank doesn't open (I found out) until 8:30. Waiting would put us at Janelle's meeting late, so, we decided on plan B and I headed back home to load my golf clubs in Janelle's PT Cruiser. Janelle has her bike rack on her hatchback, and the extra weight was just enough to bring the hatch crashing down on my skull. It rattled my teeth and left me with a lump.

We dropped my truck at Cracker Barrel and headed for Whitehall. We dropped Janelle off a couple minutes early and headed for Cooperstown. Janelle told me she'd seen a PNC Bank in Franklin (right on our way to Cooperstown), so we planned to cash my check there. What do we find? Three (count'em three!) National City Banks and not a single PNC Bank. A teller in one of the three National City branches told me the nearest PNC Bank was in Titusville.

I dropped Ben at his girlfriend's, and headed for Titusville (18 miles beyond Cooperstown by a most circuitous route). Got to the bank, made my deposit and got a little cash for the day and headed back to Cooperstown to slip Ben some lunch money. Left Cooperstown at 12:35 to make the 40-minute drive to my 12:30 meeting (can you do the math?). About 12:40 my phone rings and it's Janelle telling me my meeting has been postponed for a week. Everyone claims they'd sent me an email, but I never got it.

We decided the best thing then would be for me to hang out and pick Ben up at the appointed time. I slipped into Franklin and got some lunch, and then went back to get Ben. Goodbyes meant we couldn't leave until 1:30, after which we rushed to Whitehall and got Janelle and headed for home.

By this time, it was apparent Janelle wouldn't have time to take Ben home before she met her carpool. It was also looking like I was going to be later than I planned to my golf league, which would also make me even later to VBS. We decided Janelle could just drop me and Ben at my truck; she could go on to Sweet Adelines, and I would forego golfing (a painful sacrifice).

That's what we did. Janelle got where she needed to go, and I took care of my VBS responsibilities. I just didn't get to golf. I figured it up, and I spent approximately 8 hours in the car just driving. What do I have to show for it? My meeting was cancelled and I missed my golf league. I could have stayed home. By the time VBS was over with, I was so tired I just fell into bed.

Oh, well; that's life.

Today is Tuesday, and it's going to be pretty much the same.

This Weekend

Sunday's going to be a great day! We'll be honoring our High School graduates and previewing our teaching series for the summer: Core Values.

This Sunday will just be an introduction. Next Sunday will be Fathers' Day, and the week after that I'll be gone for the Church of God North American Convention in Anderson, Indiana. So we really won't start any serious unpacking of the summer topic until July 1.

Our church's mission statement (which predates my tenure here) is as follows: Connellsville Church of God exists to connect people with God in a loving Spirit-filled environment of family worship; teaching, discipling and equipping each member to advance God's Kingdom, resulting in changed lives.

That's great, but WHY are those things important to us? Because of our core values. Core values come first. Mission statements are constructed on the foundation of core values. If part of our mission statement is the desire to connect people with God, that has to come from somewhere. We must believe that people need to be connected with God. Connect people with God is the mission; People need God is the core value.

Got the idea? Then join us as we explore these ideas further this summer. You'll even have the opportunity to explore your own core values.

Family Vacation Thumbnail (Part Four)

This is the final installment of our vacation odyssey.

This is just one example of the haute cuisine we enjoyed while living the high life in Dreary Erie, the Mistake on the Lake. Hey, I grew up there; I can say that... but don't you dare disrespect my home town!

The reason I included this picture is this little vignette. We had ordered our Taco Bell dinner and were waiting for it to be served up, when a guy asked if I'd been waited on, because he didn't want to cut in front of me in line. I assured him I was taken care of, and noticed his McDonald's cap. He was on break and enjoying dinner at Taco Bell, wearing his McDonald's uniform from the restaurant down the street. Okay; maybe I live a sheltered life, but I thought that was mildly amusing.

Then, I hear a shout, "Pizza's here." The restaurant doors open up and a Pizza Hut delivery guy brings in a stack of three pizzas for the counter and kitchen crew's dinner!

At first I worried for my health that even the Taco Bell employees wouldn't eat there, but then I realized it was something much more sinister even than that. The McDonald's kid and the Taco Bell crew are just like us. How often do we want something other than what we have? We want a new car even though the one in our driveway runs great; we want a new house even though the one we live in has plenty of room; we want a new husband or wife even though, when you get right down to it, there's nothing really that wrong with the one we've got (in fact, we're probably blessed beyond our imagination, and won't realize what we've got until we've lost it)!

The Taco Bell Chronicles illustrate a microcosm of the human condition. Once upon a time in a Garden called Eden, two blessed people failed to appreciate all that they had been given, and coveted the one thing they were forbidden. And that, my friend, is why Pizza Hut delivers to Taco Bell.

Family Vacation Thumbnail (Part Three)

Here's a little more about our vacation in Erie, PA. We wish you could have all been there with us, except that our tent would have gotten a little crowded.

Our first day or so on the beach was pretty solitary. There were a few other tents around, but for the most part it was quiet. Then came Friday. The place filled up with partiers. I was driving 8 mph through the camp ground and got hollered at by a Barney Fife security guard for driving too fast. I wanted to say, "And where were you at 3 a.m. when the college kids started screaming because they were out of beer!?"

The beaches were just about empty because the water was so cold. With the air at 90 degrees and the water at 56 degrees, no one was doing much swimming. By late August the water will be up to about 80 degrees, and it will stay that way all the way through September (even though there's no more swimming after Labor Day).

Our kids are growing up so fast; it was really fun to see them acting like kids. Sand and a couple of styrofoam swords will do that to you.

Lake Erie is fairly shallow (as far as Great Lakes go), which means a storm can kick up the surf faster than one can imagine. But except for one gusty night, there was almost no wind and the water was as smooth as I've ever seen it. It was really great watching the sun set each evening. How great is our God!

Family Vacation Thumbnail (Part Two)

The following pictures are associated with Splash Lagoon, an indoor water park in Erie. Three different hotels have enclosed walkways leading to the park, and they offer special admittance prices for their guests.


This is Ben crossing the lily pads.

These are two scenes just to give you an idea of what this park is like.

This is when I came back from our campsite to pick up Janelle, Ben (14) and Will (11). I know I look like I'm sunburned, but really I was just overheated from setting up our tent in the unseasonable heat and humidity, and then the few minutes I spent at Splash Lagoon just exacerbated my condition because it was SO HOT in there! I'm not sure why I look so much taller than my sons; Ben is just about as tall as I am, with Will coming up quick.

This is a really cool stained glass window in the pool area of Residence Inn (not the hotel in which we stayed, but we entered Splash Lagoon through their lobby). The window shows Admiral Perry's flagship Niagara, Perry Monument, the Presque Isle light house, a rendering of Presque Isle peninsula itself (middle), and some of the beautiful lily pads for which the lagoons are known.