Resurrection Sunday

Easter sunday is such a time of hope and life!  We have the celebration of the Resurrection, the fellowship of the church, and the prospect of “new life” in those who have not yet heard the incredible news of Christ’s sacrifice for us.  This morning our Worship Pastor, Dale Jones, really knocked it out of the ball park.  From the moment the service began until the moment he passed the baton to me for the message, he had us totally focused on Christ.  (of course, he’s not responsible for my many mistakes after he passed me the baton…lol)  It’s such a joy and honor to serve alongside a brother in Christ who truly desires to lead us in Worship.  

SIU WINS!!!

Hey a big shout out to all my friends in southern Illinois!  I was watching the opening round of the NIT last night and saw several people that I knew in the crowd.  The SIU arena was Rockin’!  It’s always great to be connected to a group of people through a shared love of a sports team.  I know others out there that feel the same way, (I’m talking about you Leland), it’s just a great feeling to root for the old home team.

Is Easter too scary for kids?

I took part in a very interesting discussion yesterday that I would love to get everyone’s opinion on.  Our church is going to see a dramatic presentation of “The Promise” this evening.  It is a portrayal of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Some wondered if we should not take children to see it because of the graphic nature of Christ’s death on the cross.  What do you think?  Is it ever too young for a child to understand the sacrifice that Christ made?  Is there a difference between seeing pictures in a children’s bible and seeing it portrayed by people?  I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Not Goodbye

This past weekend I lost a friend and co-laborer.  John Raffety was an encouragement to me in many ways.  He always had a smile and a good word.  He loved to go on mission trips and share his talents with others.  He loved to sing the praises of the One who gave His life for him.  Thursday morning we will lay his body to rest, but it will not be goodbye, for he has gone to the place that has been prepared for him.  And I will see him again, some day.

Sickness Round Two

Man, this bug that’s going around is a nasty one!  I got sick again this past wednesday and Rachel picked it up yesterday afternoon.  Thankfully the kids have yet to succumb to it’s attack.  I have learned a few things while laying around trying to keep my insides on the inside, here are my observations:

1.  TV really does stink these days.  Not only is the content less than desirable, but they just repeat everything over, and over, and over, and over, and over…get the idea? 

 

2.  Never accidentally mix Gatorade and Diet Coke.

 

3.  Having your son run across the room and jump up on you for a hug is really great when you feel well, and really scary when you’re trying to keep your lunch down.

 

4.  It’s easy to lose weight when nothing stays in your system for more than 15 minutes.  I’m thinking of coughing on a bunch of sugar pills and then reselling them as “the new diet miracle drug”.

 

5.  It’s amazing how fast you can run up a flight of stairs when the only open bathroom is located on the second floor.

 

6.  Laundry doesn’t go on vacation just because you’re sick. 

 

7.  Friends DO go on vacation just because you’re sick.  (Or they at least wear gas masks within 50 feet of you).

 

8.  The lack of anything good on TV does make it easier to get sermons written.

 

9.  Hugs from your kids DO make you feel better.

 

10.  Are you still reading this?  I figured you’d be bored with it by now.  What do you know…now if I could only get my kids to pay this much attention. 

Monday Miracle

This happened to one of my church members yesterday and I just had to share it with everyone. A woman from our church really felt led by God to participate in our mission trip this summer.  The problem was that she did not have vacation available until August and our trip is in July.  She went in to her boss and explained the situation, hoping that she could simply have the week off unpaid.  (quite a sacrifice in itself for a mother of four)  But instead her boss replied that she was simply too valuable to the office for them to get by without her that week…so HE CLOSED THE OFFICE THAT WEEK!  He decided that he would just go ahead and take his vacation that week so that the office would not have to be open.  God is SO good!   I love how He works things out so much better than we could have ever hoped for.

My Children’s Cooking Experiment

Last night we had a couple over for dinner.  It was a great time, I got to fire up the grill, (always fun), and we all ate more than we should have.  After dinner we were sitting in the living room laughing and sharing stories when all of a sudden I smelled something burning.  I first thought that we had neglected to turn the oven off and that was where the smell was coming from.  Then my daughter yelled up the stairs “there’s a fire”!  I have never moved so quickly in my life.  My kids had put a bath towel in the downstairs microwave and it had caught on fire.  Everyone was safe and nothing was damaged, but I was reminded of the preciousness of life in that moment.  I will always be thankful for the protection of our Heavenly Father.  I know I can’t protect my children from every danger in their life even though I want to.  We had a great talk with our kids about safety and how good they were for letting us know what had happened.  ( I can’t imagine what would have happened if they had tried to hide what they were doing ).  It reminded me of a time when I was a child and put a rolled up piece of paper into a space heater.  It caught on fire, singed my eyebrows and eyelashes and smoked to high heaven.  Obviously my kids get their destructive side from me, I can’t get that upset with them.  Besides, on the bright side, my kids obviously like “hot” food!

Friends, Fellowship, and Food

Yesterday after our morning services we had the pleasure of entertaining the Adult 3 sunday school department for lunch.  We provided burgers, brats, dogs, and drinks.  Everyone else brought side dishes and desserts.  We had over 40 people in our home and we had a blast!  It’s amazing what can happen when you sit down to a meal with someone else.  It seems like barriers break down and people feel free to be themselves.  That department is made up mainly of empty nesters, so it was great to experience some of the stories and life experiences that they shared.  Everything from comedy to tragedy, they were able to point to Christ as the constant in their life.  I thank God that we have the opportunity to truly be the “body” of Christ.  Not just going through life alone, but loving, learning from, and living out our lives with those that He has brought us into contact with.

Bruised Egos & Broken Bones

Our church softball team began league play this past friday night with a respectable 1-1 record.  We lost the first game of our double-header but rallied to win the second.  While I still enjoyed playing the field, (I didn’t make any errors, with a few quick stops at third base), but batting was a different story alltogether.  I just don’t have the “pop” I used to have.  I know it’s the combination of age and extra weight that are slowing me down…but I still don’t like it!  Grounding out to short is not nearly as ego inflating as putting one over the center fielders head, oh well.  To make matters worse, I broke my big toe running to first, (ok, maybe it was more like jogging), so that’s been a royal pain.  But you know what?  I’ll still be out there this weekend.  Not because I’m a good ballplayer or even because I’m needed.  I just have this child like fascination with playing ball with a bunch of other guys who never got the competition bug out of their system.  We may never make an ESPN highlight reel, but man will we have fun.

Congratulations Pastor Tony!

This morning a little after 6am, my pastor, Tony Foeller, got his first turkey!  No word on the size, but I saw a pic of it on his son’s cell phone.  Way to go Tony!