Monday Morning: Grace

I'm a person who worries too much.  I worry about my weight, I worry about my finances, I worry about my wife and kids, I worry about the challenges of owning an older home, I worry about my ministry pursuits and school work;  all of which cause me to worry about my lack of faith!  I admire people who are able to roll with the punches and just accept life's challenges as blips on the radar screen; I'm just not wired that way; yet.

Yesterday in church, we showed a video called Pictures of Grace.  I found this video as a transition piece to lead into the song This is Amazing Grace by Bethel Live.  The video is sound bites of ordinary people who explain what grace means to them.  In my verbal transition after the video, I asked "what does grace mean to you?"  Christians are really good at throwing the word "grace" around but I would submit that this word in the context of Christianity is not self-explanatory.  A quick Google search brought this definition of grace in regard to Christianity: gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved".  That undeserved gift is the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

What is my picture of grace?  God granting me forgiveness of sins and eternal life, after living a life as far away from being a Christian as possible.  Grace is God granting me stability in my marriage and home life.  Grace is God allowing me, a goofed up guy (who struggles with trust - see above!) to be a worship pastor at an amazing church, where I can stand in front of God's people and define the word, Grace.  Worrying too much about the things on earth don't get us anywhere.  Grace does it all.

What is your picture of grace?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves,

 it is the gift of God, NOT by works, so that no one can boast."

 Ephesians 2:8-9      

Monday Morning Doughnut & Coffee

It's Monday again.  Mondays are not like Mondays for me like they are for most people because I work on Sunday.  It's not quite a full day on Sunday but it is usually a 6 hour day or so, so Monday for me is like Tuesday for you... kinda.

I've been thinking.  There are so many different facets to working in a ministry.  Yesterday was very stressful because we had a few challenges in the morning preparing for our services.  It was almost funny to see how God showed up, calmed everyone down, provided the necessary personnel and a great worship experience.  Yesterday evening, I was blessed to play a few worship songs for our middle and high school students; it was such a joy to hear them sing.  Today (my Tuesday, your Monday) we are preparing a funeral service for a dear Mainstreet member.  There seems to be a sense of reverence or quiet around here today as we get things ready for the people who will arrive to pay their respects.  I get to play the mandolin and sing in a gospel trio for the service - yet another facet of ministry.   

That's what I love about ministry - the different facets.  Weddings, funerals, celebrations, worship services, music, preaching, teaching... all in an effort to bring to life God's Kingdom on earth.  First and foremost though, to introduce people to Jesus Christ and secondly, to be His hands and feet on earth. What a blessing, honor and privilege.

What a day that will be

When my Jesus I shall see

When I look upon His face

The One who saved me by His grace

Monday Morning Doughnut & Coffee

My doughnut and coffee arrived as usual on time today.  Wow I really appreciate that from our amazing volunteers at Mainstreet Church.  Today though, is a different kind of Monday.  Today, March 3rd marks what would have been my dad's 84th birthday had he lived past 74.  I have many, many fond memories of my dad and it's hard to believe I haven't seen him in almost 10 years.  The last few years of his life were lived through a tough battle with cancer.  With all the fighting and struggling and chemo and radiation and everything else, it claimed his life anyway.  For me though, I rest on the truth that when it's your time to go it's your time to go.  King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for everything; our days on earth are numbered.

My dad (Jack) did his best to be the best dad he knew how to be.  His dad was an uninvolved alcoholic so he didn't have a very good role model.  He taught me how to throw and catch a baseball, how to throw and catch a football, he taught me how to cast a line and reel in anything that might be on the other end.  He also taught me how to be kind, honest, a hard worker, and how to love my wife and kids.  He taught me the importance of going to, and being involved in church- which was a priority for him.

My dad worked away much of his life to support his family - he worked two jobs as long as I can remember.  He still though, found time between sleep and work to coach my little league baseball team, eat dinner at the table every night, take us on vacations every year and church every Sunday.  He was a man of few words and no formal education but left a mark on all who were blessed to know him. Happy Birthday Dad!  I'll see you again someday!  

As John Mayer sings: 

Stop this train,wanna get off and go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can't, but honestly

Won't someone stop this train?

        

Monday Morning Doughnut & Coffee

On Friday or Saturday I'll review the upcoming Sunday morning service and jot down notes for verbal transitions in between songs or other elements for the church gathering.  It's a common practice among worship leaders (or should be) to think through what you're going to say before, after or in between songs so there is a logical flow or thread tying the songs and themes together.  This week we were coming out of the up beat song "All Because of Jesus" by Steve Fee going into an updated version of the hymn "It Is Well" as done by Todd Fields.  After a challenging week, it was pretty easy to compose the transition!

First, I haven't felt well and last week was a good example of that.  I even left work a little early on Thursday and took a sick/work from home day on Friday which is rare for me!  With that, we had the torrential downpour and melting snow which caused our basement floor to become soaked as water seeped in.  Man what a drag!  We'll probably buy a canoe or kayak and keep it tied up at the bottom of our basement steps so we can paddle over to the washer when this happens again.  The carpet in my music/workout room will probably have to come up and tile put down - right now the room is unusable and I've been wet-vacing several times a day and a fan is running 24/7. 

Which brings me back to the transition into "It is Well."  Now your thinking, "I see where this is going," and you'd be correct.  As I thought through what to say between songs I was reminded of how I haven't felt well and the disaster in the basement (among many other challenges) and immediately Jesus' words from Matthew 6 came to mind;  

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  

Secondly, I was reminded of the story of Job - everything in his life a total loss but he refused to "curse God and die," he worshiped in spite of the hardships.   There was my logical transition into "It is Well."

When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billow roll

Whatever my lot, you have taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul   

Given my personality, it's a challenge sometimes for me to take these words to heart (just ask Donna), but with God, all things are possible. 

Monday Morning Doughnut & Coffee

It's been on my heart for quite some time that I should take a few minutes at least once a week and jot down my thoughts in what used to be my active blog.  Well, it's been inactive for quite a while. It's not like people are flocking by the thousands to read my posts and I haven't made "The Huffington Post" yet or even some worship leader's forum (nor do I strive to), but I enjoy writing so what the heck; I can do it for my own enjoyment right?  On with the post...

Every Monday morning at Mainstreet, a lovely retired lady named Carol brings me my particular favorite doughnut and a McDonald's coffee with cream - just the way I like it.  She doesn't just do this for me... we have a volunteer cleaning team that brings doughnuts and coffee for the staff and their own team each week.  Carol just happens to know what I like and brings it to my office each Monday; I know, I'm spoiled.  I like to enjoy my doughnut and coffee as I'm doing my morning prayer and devotions in my office. 


Today I was reading from the book of Mark in the New Testament.  In chapter 4, Jesus shares the parable of the sower.  Briefly, Jesus says that some "seed" is thrown on the path where birds eat it, some falls in the rocks with little soil so it doesn't grow, some falls in the thorns and gets choked and some falls on good soil and brings a good crop of grain.  His buddies weren't sure what he was talking about so he explained to them that the seed he was referring to is the Word of God, the Bible.  

Jesus says that the truths that he shares;
- are heard but immediately after, Satan takes them away (you forget)
- are heard and received with joy but the minute something goes wrong they're forgotten
- are heard but the cares of the world and the desire to live the way you want chokes it
- are heard and are accepted; life is lived by them AND they bear fruit.  

I think most of us waver back and forth between some of these if you want to really be honest.  The last one says it - the mark of someone really living by the Word of God is bringing others to a relationship with Christ.  Although getting there is a process, it should be what all Christians are striving for.     

What do you think?  Where do you stand on the "seed-sowing" path? 

BTW- my posts won't always be of a spiritual nature and I have no intention of trying to bring "deep spiritual truths" to my posts... I write what happens to be on my heart and for fun! 




  

I really wish I could keep up with this blogging thing.  I just noticed it's been a few years since I've written anything... really?  A few years?  I guess the things we deem important are what we make a priority; I really wish I would make this a priority. 

There has certainly been a lot of changes in my life over the last few years... lots of ups and downs that's for sure.  But in the end, God is still in control and it all comes out in the wash as they say (do they still say that?)

I read a great Scripture passage this morning which prompted my desire to write again - especially in light of the things that have been going on in our world and in my life the last few years. 

Nahum 1:7-8a says this...

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of trouble; he protects those who take refuge in him, even in a rushing flood."

I don't know about you but I need to hear these words and be reminded of God's faithfulness every now and then - especially when I see so much heartache and sorrow in our world and even in my own life.  Take those comforting words to heart as you go about your day today. 

Past and Present: Snow Daze

Man, we've been blasted around here with snow lately. That's one of the perks of living in this part of the US; snow. Not to mention the lack of sunshine, temperatures barely going above 30, slush, shoveling, freezing, scraping, school closings, accidents, power outages... need I go on? But before I talk about snow, I have a question that no one seems to be able to answer. This area was very rich in American Indians. Chippewa, Shawnee, Delaware, Ottawa and others called Ohio home. Since we know that winter was a difficult time for Indians, do you think they ever knew that they could walk about a month south and never brave another Ohio winter? Hmmmm...

OK, now to Thoreau Ave. in Akron, circa 1968 or so. All of us kids on the street LIVED for the snow. Our street was somewhat of a hill so if it got real slippery, you could ride your sled down the middle. Granted, it wasn't much of a hill so you really didn't go very fast but you did move some. The best thing though, was the woods that surrounded our neighborhood.

Thoreau Ave. dead-ended right into the woods. You could walk into the woods on level ground for several hundred yards, but then the woods dropped steeply into a valley type of thing with a creek at the bottom. This made for some killer sled riding hills - right in our own backyard.

Back in those days, there were no plastic sleds and everyone had the wooden-slatted sleds with metal runners on them. You could either lay flat or sit upright with your feet on the steering handles. We would go blasting down the hill in the woods and have to be careful we didn't fly into the creek at the end. Now this happened to me once. I couldn't stop and my sled and I went out onto the creek and my foot promptly broke through the ice and my boot filled up with freezing creek water. Well, that was the end of my day of sledding, and I cried all the way home with a frozen foot while the neighborhood kids laughed and laughed.

Another time, my good friend Lori Vannatter and I had an accident on one of the hills in the woods. If I'm not mistaken, she ran over my ankle and somehow my sled cut her ear open - hahaha! I can't even imagine how that happened! I think we both stomped out of the woods mad at each other.

Ahh, those were the days. We would literally stay outside from morning till dark and play in the snow; sledding, shoveling driveways for cash, building snow forts and snowmen and on and on.

For some reason, the snow isn't that fun anymore. How about you? I'd love to hear your comments and snow stories!