On the Path of Life... Together

Engage Your Spirit...In the Pursuit of Truth

2011-05-12T08:37:00.000-04:00

John 4:21-27 The Message

^21-23"Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem.

You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews.

But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

^23-24"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.

God is sheer being itself—Spirit.

Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

²⁵The woman said, "I don't know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we'll get the whole story."

²⁶"I am he," said Jesus. "You don't have to wait any longer or look any further."

²⁷Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn't believe he was talking with that kind of a woman.

No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.

I love the end of this passage: "no one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it."

Classic!

My face tends to always betray what's spinning in my mind. No matter how much I like to believe I have a poker face, plenty of folks over the years have told me otherwise.

What does our face say about our encounter with Jesus?

Peace? Laughter? Shock? Gratitude?

The disciples were shocked. Jesus was smashing boundaries.

He was talking...with a WOMAN. He was talking with a SAMARITAN woman!

If they had heard they content of the conversation, their shock would have been so much greater. He actually tells her that the time has come when where a person worships doesn't matter.

In that time, it mattered, greatly. Jerusalem was, and still is, the epicenter of the Jewish faith.

Jesus says what matters in our worship, is our heart.

Does our worship show that we love God? Do our faces show it too?

Worship that engages Spirit...in the pursuit of Truth.

One of the best ways, perhaps, to embrace God in Love.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Nail it to the Doorpost

2011-05-11T08:24:00.000-04:00

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 The Message

^1-2 This is the commandment, the rules and regulations, that God, your God, commanded me to teach you to live out in the land you're about to cross into to possess. This is so that you'll live in deep reverence before God lifelong, observing all his rules and regulations that I'm commanding you, you and your children and your grandchildren, living good long lives.

³ Listen obediently, Israel. Do what you're told so that you'll have a good life, a life of abundance and bounty, just as God promised, in a land abounding in milk and honey.

⁴ Attention, Israel!

God, our God! God the one and only!

⁵ Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!

^6-9 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts.

Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children.

Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.

Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

Tefillin. Mezuzah.

These are not words that we American protestant folks are too familiar with.

Both come directly from this passage of Deuteronomy 6. I got to see both in action during my trip to Israel, a few years back.

"Tying tefillin" is a practice of devout, Orthodox Jews the world over, and I witnessed Jews with scripture tied to their wrists and heads as they prayed at the Wailing Wall.

Every hotel room I stayed in had a mezuzah on the doorpost. I even brought a Christian hybrid mezuzah home. It has the icthus symbol for Jesus, and it's on the doorpost of my office at SOTH.

By Jesus time, some had begun this practice, primarily as a display of outward holiness. They took pride in who could outwardly observe the law with the most piety. This is always a human temptation for the religious.

Jesus did not remove the intent of Deuteronomy 6. Instead, he reminded us that letting the word of God live in our hearts is always of critical importance.

Yesterday, on facebook, our discussion led to a question: How do you hug God?

Maybe scripture is a primary way. Maybe it's the main way that we can hear and communicate with the Almighty.

Maybe...certainly...let's try it, together.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Like a Tree Planted by the Water

2011-05-10T08:47:00.000-04:00

^{Psalm 1}

¹ Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

^{⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,}

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Water is pretty vital. It can give life, or it can destroy. Just ask my friends in Memphis about that right now.

Yesterday morning, I started the day by watering the plants that are newly in the ground at our house. I knew that one day of 90+ degree heat had the potential to damage their baby roots.

Psalm 1 gives us a wonderful image. We can be "a person who is like a tree planted by streams of water...yielding fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither..."

What is that life-giving water?

"The Message" version says that it's "chewing on God's word day and night." The NIV quoted above says that it's a matter of continually "meditating" on the word.

Try it out. Go to http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/ and spend the next 15 minutes chewing on the word.

It's one of the best ways to "Love God," the first part of the Royal Commandment.

It's refreshing, just like a cool drink of water on a hot summer day. It keeps us from drying up and blowing away like chaff.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Let Your Love Flow

2011-05-09T09:20:00.000-04:00

^{Matthew 22:34-40}

^34-36When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault.

One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?"

^37-40Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list.

But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.'

These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

They were going to get him. That was their goal.

Isn't that the goal we all have sometimes, if we're brutally honest?

Let's trap Jesus. Let's put him in the corner, in a box, in a jar up on the shelf, and just take out the parts and pieces we want.

Surely it's not hard to ask him questions that he can't answer, right? So the Pharisees thought. But his answer was devastatingly simple, and beautiful, and hard.

What's most important?

Love God, love everyone else. That's how it all hangs together.

Simple. Yes.

Easy? No.

How can love flow that completely when I am such a sinner...and so are the people I'm called to love?

It takes a miracle...to let the love flow. But with God, nothing is impossible.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

The Kingdom: What do you make of this?

2011-05-05T14:59:00.000-04:00

From Matthew 13 The Message

He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.

²⁷"The farmhands came to the farmer and said, 'Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'

²⁸"He answered, 'Some enemy did this.'

"The farmhands asked, 'Should we weed out the thistles?'

^29-30"He said, 'No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'"

^31-32Another story. "God's kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it."

³³Another story. "God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises."

His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field."

^37-39So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels.

^40-43"The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father.

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?

⁴⁴"God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

^45-46"Or, God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

^47-50"Or, God's kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good."

⁵¹Jesus asked, "Are you starting to get a handle on all this?"

They answered, "Yes."

⁵²He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it."

The kingdom is like...

thistles in a field, sewn by an enemy, growing right beside the good wheat
a tiny seed that grows into a loblolly pine
invisible yeast cells that cause many loaves of bread to rise
like a treasure accidentally found buried in a field, and secretly bought
a faultless pearl, for which the jeweler sells it all
a net crammed full of prize fish and trash fish, fit only for the garbage

"Are you starting to get a handle on all this?" Jesus asked.

"Yes," they said.

I think they might have been lying.

The kingdom is a mystery. It is a gift. It is the goodness, and reign and presence of God himself. It is high stakes. When glimpsed, it should be pursued. It is not worth ever losing. Garbage of any kind can't live within it. If we don't look closely, we won't miss it. It's tiny, and it's huge.

What do you make of this?

Grace & Peace

Adam

What do you make of this?

2011-05-02T09:25:00.001-04:00

Matthew 13:3-9

"What do you make of this?

A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it.

Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly.

Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds.

Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

It's seed planting season.

Confession: I wish I was more optimistic when I put seeds in the ground. The truth is, I'm never really convinced that I'll see a harvest.

I've got good reason. Lots can happen along the way to maturity. The seed has to germinate. The plant has to grow. It has to fend off diseases and predators. It could be killed by too much rain, or heat and drought.

Planting a seed is really an absolute act of faith.

What if no one had faith enough to plant?

We would starve. God has so ordered this world, that seed-planting is essential to the human condition, and to our continued survival.

Faith. Seeds. Kingdom.

What do you make of this?

Grace and Peace,

Adam

Palm Sunday: The Setup

2011-04-11T07:07:00.000-04:00

Matthew 21:1-11 The Message

^1-3When they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: "Go over to the village across from you.

You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, say, 'The Master needs them!' He will send them with you."

^4-5This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet:

   Tell Zion's daughter,
   "Look, your king's on his way,
      poised and ready, mounted
   On a donkey, on a colt,
      foal of a pack animal."

^6-9The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted.

Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, "Hosanna to David's son!" "Blessed is he who comes in God's name!" "Hosanna in highest heaven!"

¹⁰As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, "What's going on here? Who is this?"

¹¹The parade crowd answered, "This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee."

This coming Sunday, we will let the children of our church wave palm fronds, and drop them around the sanctuary.

It's a moment full of symbolism, of the bittersweet variety.

This isn't like placing the sweet baby doll in the Christmas manger, or lighting the candles on Christmas Eve.

That moment is a celebration, perfect in its innocence and beauty. God's sweet love on display.

Palm Sunday celebrates that same love, but this time our ugliness lies beneath it.

Those of us who welcome him on Palm Sunday will reject him by Good Friday. Such is the way of us human beings.

The irony? That rejection and humiliation is the vehicle by which God can heal those very same painful places within us.

Easter is coming, but first, we prepare for the road of false welcome and celebration, so that the plot can twist, and true celebration can come our way.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

If You Would Only Get to Know and Trust Me...Signed, God

2011-03-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

From Psalm 91 The Message

"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,

"I'll get you out of any trouble.

I'll give you the best of care

if you'll only get to know and trust me.

Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;

I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.

I'll give you a long life,

give you a long drink of salvation!"

If you'll only get to know and trust me...

That sounds like me, and every other parent I've ever known. We really want to know our kids...to have them know us...and to have them trust us.

That trust gets in short supply, of course, as they go through the trials of their adolescent years.

How long will we be spiritual adolescents? Sometimes, for all of us, it seems like the answer is, "forever."

But the consistent witness of scriptures gives us hope that it doesn't have to be that way.

There is real, spiritual food, there is a long drink of salvation, offered by the God who loves us.

If you'll only get to know and love me.

God is here. Scripture, Worship, Relationships, Prayer, Giving and Serving. These are the ways to know Him.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

God is Good, Humans are Greedy, and God is Still Good

2011-03-22T15:56:00.004-04:00

From Exodus 16 The Message

Check out another great story of God, Moses and the Complainers:

The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, "Why didn't God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You've brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!"

God said to Moses, "I'm going to rain bread down from the skies for you.

Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, "This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he's listened to your complaints against him. You haven't been complaining against us, you know, but against God."

Moses said, "Since it will be God who gives you meat for your meal in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, it's God who will have listened to your complaints against him. Who are we in all this? You haven't been complaining to us—you've been complaining to God!"

That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground.

The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?).

They had no idea what it was.

^15-16 So Moses told them, "It's the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God's instructions: 'Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.'"

The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren't short—each person had gathered as much as was needed.

Moses said to them, "Don't leave any of it until morning."

But they didn't listen to Moses.

A few of the men kept back some of it until morning. It got wormy and smelled bad.

And Moses lost his temper with them.

Where are you in this story?

Are you Moses? Responsible, leader, long-suffering, eventually angry?

Are you the unappreicated provider, like God? Do you hear the grumbling, but continue to give?

Or are you the Israelites? Most of us are just like them. We complain. We receive anyway. We hoard. God still loves us.

But he does try to teach us. Let's let Exodus work on us to teach one of the lessons...sooner than later. God provides food for soul and body. And we don't have to snatch His gifts from His hands.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

It Takes More Than Bread to Stay Alive

2011-03-21T09:10:00.001-04:00

Matthew 4:1-11 The Message

^1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights.

That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."

⁴Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."

^5-6For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."

⁷Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."

^8-9For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."

¹⁰Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."

¹¹The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.

This week, we'll be thinking about Jesus as "Food for the Soul."

And we already find him tempted to make food for the body.

"If you really are who you say you are...you don't need to be hungry...turn these stones to delicious loaves of home made bread."

The devil always knows just how to tempt. He doesn't just work on our physical needs, but much more often on our spiritual weaknesses.

He tries this mind game with Jesus: "who are you, really?" Jesus knows that his identity is not to be displayed through acts of miraculous power (though those will also come along, in their time).

His real power is spiritual. The lesson he teaches us is the opposite of the Garden fall of Genesis.

Rely on God for the real bread, the bread that lasts. It sticks to the spiritual ribs.

What are the spirit-weakness temptations we face this day?

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Simple, Childlike Believers (or, "Stop It, You Arrogant...)

2011-03-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

Matthew 18:10-14 The Message

"Watch that you don't treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly.

You realize, don't you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?

"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one?

And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way.

He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.

"Arrogance: an attitude of superiority, manifested in an overbearing manner, or in presumptuous claims or assumptions."

Jesus warns us against treating others, especially new believers, with arrogance.

I'd love to say that Christians are never guilty of "an attitude of superiority," but of course I'd be lying.

It's hard when you believe so strongly that you know the truth. It's hard when you're convinced of what Jesus Christ has meant in your own life, and what his life can mean for others.

But I never fail to be amazed at how people (including me sometimes) can have an attitude of "I got mine, good luck getting yours."

That is arrogant. There is no humility in that. That is not Jesus.

He says that we care about everybody. We do it because we have a shared identity as children of God.

Don't gloss over that.

The person, or the group of people, or (you fill in the blank of your personal prejudice, whatever it may be), are as equally loved by God as you are.

Let that settle.

God loves everybody. That's a period. Period.

We're all lucky to be found. Lucky to receive his great love. Lucky to love one another.

All really is gift.

That's the nature of our shepherd, and he promises that with practice it can be our nature too.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Hurry up and relax!

2011-03-17T10:19:00.000-04:00

Luke 12:22-32 The Message

"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving.

People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.

Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

What does the fear of "missing out" do to us spiritually?

It does great violence, I'm afraid.

We're not just talking about worries over money or possessions here.

I think Jesus is trying to help us see when we worry about missing out in all kinds of ways.

What if I don't marry the right person? What if I don't take the right job opportunity? What if I do something that somehow lets God down? What if I miss out on the right moment, or don't go to the right place, or (insert your personal paranoia here).

What if, what if, what if????

Oh my. We are a mess, people.

Jesus says calm down.

He says more than that. He says, "relax." He says, if you really trust me, there is NO WAY you can miss out.

Think about that. No way we can miss out.

What would our lives be like if we believed that?

What if we didn't have to wrangle with and try to manipulate each other to get what we want?

What if we just lived...relaxed...and made the main focus of our lives absolute and complete connection to the heart and soul of Jesus Christ?

Grace & Peace,

Adam

The Lord, Our Shepherd

2011-03-14T06:09:00.000-04:00

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (Psalm 23, King James Version)

Psalm 23 must be considered one of the great, iconic passages in all of scripture.

It endures.

It has been recited on battlefields and at funerals. It comforts in homes and hospitals, seats of power and homeless shelters.

We are drawn to the comfort it offers, like moth to flame.

And why not? We humans need a shepherd. We need the Lord. We are not ourselves the creators of green pasture. We are its recipients.

That's the formula of Eden, and Douglasville, and all points in between.

The Lord is our Shepherd, and the Lord is good. Live in that peace today.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

40 Days

2011-03-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

^{Deuteronomy 9}

¹³ And the LORD said to me, “I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! ¹⁴ Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”

¹⁵ So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire.

And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. ¹⁶ When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you.

¹⁷ So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.

¹⁸ Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD’s sight and so arousing his anger.

I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me.

²⁰ And the LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too.

²¹ Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.

Truly sit with the images in this scripture, and let them sink in for a bit.

Moses is saving his people from the wrath of a just God.

For 40 days he fasts, face down before God.

Moses, crushing the people's idol. Grinding it to powder, throwing it in the river.

This is an important piece of our relationship with the Father, and one that we could strenghten during our own 40 days of focus.

During this Lenten season, we can choose to stop being so stiff-necked, and we can earnestly turn toward a new direction and path.

Grace & Peace, and see you Sunday!

Adam

The Father's Heart

2011-03-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

Luke 15, The Story of the Compassionate Father (or, the Prodigal Son)

When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.

The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'

"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him.

Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time!

My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!'

What's the worst trouble you've ever been in?

That ranges a lot from person to person. Maybe you've seen the wrong side of a jail cell, had a scary visit from the IRS, or found your name at the top of some threatening legal documents.

Or, maybe you've led a gentler life, and things have never quite been that bad.

Still, I bet we can all think of some moments when we had that deep-in-the-gut feeling of sickness and heartache. We all know what it means to know that we have messed up, big time.

What happened next?

Have you ever had the slate wiped clean? Have you ever known the feeling of being truly forgiven?

Or, have you ever loved someone so much, that no matter what they've done or where they've been, you would simply hug and cry and love them if they returned?

Jesus gives us a window to the heart of the Father that helps us remember those feelings.

This is life with God. We can return. We can be loved.

All is gift.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Do You Want to Stand Out? Step Down

2011-03-09T06:40:00.000-05:00

Matthew 23:1-12 - Passage Lookup - The Message - BibleGateway.com:

"Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do.

No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven.

And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

'Do you want to stand out? Then step down.

Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you.

But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty."

We human beings have a way of always looking for someone else to blame. We love "a leader" that we can depend upon, and we want to let them worry about the details.

But Jesus says that won't work when it comes to the living of our lives. There are pastors and coaches and teachers. There are presidents and governors and kings and queens. There are parents and spouses. All of these can play a role in our lives and in our world, but none of them can be responsible for our own actions and our relationship with God.

We only have one leader. And his example is the way that we should go in our own lives.

We should serve. Jesus took a towel and basin and washed the feet of his disciples. This is our leader. The presence of the one God, our true Father.

What would it mean to strip away all of our idols and only follow Jesus today? What would it mean to truly become a servant?

Grace & Peace,
Adam

I Will Give You Rest

2011-03-08T12:31:00.000-05:00

Matthew 11:25-28 NIV

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷ “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

What's the most "weary" you've ever been?

I don't think weary is a word we say too often. Somehow it connotes more than just being "tired."

"Weary" is something deep down. It's almost more a condition of the soul than the body.

Jesus tells us in this passage, in no uncertain or unclear way, that he and the Father are one. He is the ultimate revelation of the very nature and heart of God among us.

And that nature?

Rest for the weary.

We don't have to go through the beauty of this life angry, frustrated or road-worn. There is rest. He is our God. And all will be well.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

On Your Toes

2011-03-07T08:16:00.000-05:00

Psalm 99 The Message

God rules. On your toes, everybody! He rules from his angel throne—take notice!

God looms majestic in Zion,

He towers in splendor over all the big names.

Great and terrible your beauty: let everyone praise you!

Holy. Yes, holy.

^4-5 Strong King, lover of justice,

You laid things out fair and square;

You set down the foundations in Jacob,

Foundation stones of just and right ways.

Honor God, our God; worship his rule!

Holy. Yes, holy.

^6-9 Moses and Aaron were his priests,

Samuel among those who prayed to him.

They prayed to God and he answered them;

He spoke from the pillar of cloud.

And they did what he said; they kept the law he gave them.

And then God, our God, answered them

(But you were never soft on their sins).

Lift high God, our God; worship at his holy mountain.

Holy. Yes, holy is God our God.

This is the image of God that Jesus will give us in our readings this week.

It seemed important to make a first stop at this powerful Psalm.

God is enthroned. Ruler. "On your toes everybody!" That makes me smile.

We can smile with assurance, in the midst of an unsure world.

As the cable news blares out anxiety and worry, we can trust. As the world whips around us, we can be an island of security...not in ourselves, but in the God of Moses, Aaron and Samuel.

"Lift high our God" this week by paying attention to the work that he is doing.

He is everywhere to be seen.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

His Voice is Life

2011-03-04T13:25:00.000-05:00

Today's Reading, John 5 NIV

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. ³⁰ By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

His voice is life.

Consider. Those who hear his voice, and respond with what is good...will rise from their graves.

This is radical stuff. It is radical hope. Jesus-followers, please don't ever sell this short.

His voice is life. It is victory over the grave. The Son has "life in himself," and he is our hope.

If this is our eternal hope, it's also our hope every day. There are countless opportunities for us to experience new life each moment.

John 5 calls these moments "the works of the Father" accomplished through Jesus. They are the proof of Jesus' identity.

Where have you seen these works in your own life this week?

See you Sunday at SOTH as this week's come together to give us the image of Jesus as the Living Word.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

2011-03-03T08:42:00.002-05:00

Today's Reading

Revelation 22:16-17 The Message

Jesus sent my angel to testify to these things for the churches. I'm the Root and Branch of David, the Bright and Morning Star.

"Come," say the Spirit and the Bride. Whoever hears, echo, "Come!". Is anyone thirsty? Come! All who will, come and drink, drink freely of the Water of Life!
------------------------------------------

So the theme of this week's readings just keeps going. God continually offers us abundance if we will choose to receive it!

I've heard that sort of thing said in church my whole life, but I'm so thankful that bit by bit, God is helping me understand and experience it more fully.

Are you thirsty in your soul?

I can promise you that there truly is living water all around.

But the old saying about thirsty horses is true. God leads us but doesn't make us drink.

He allows us to struggle as long as we need to. At some point it is left to us to kneel down, scoop hands, open mouths and receive.

For me, that means gratitude. God is so good. Living water...bread of life. This is God's good gift.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Get Up

2011-03-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

^1-6Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem.

Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, "Do you want to get well?"

⁷The sick man said, "Sir, when the water is stirred, I don't have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in."

^8-9Jesus said, "Get up, take your bedroll, start walking." The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.

^9-10That day happened to be the Sabbath. The Jews stopped the healed man and said, "It's the Sabbath. You can't carry your bedroll around. It's against the rules."

¹¹But he told them, "The man who made me well told me to. He said, 'Take your bedroll and start walking.'"

^12-13They asked, "Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?" But the healed man didn't know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.

¹⁴A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, "You look wonderful! You're well! Don't return to a sinning life or something worse might happen." (John 5:1-14, The Message)

What do we do when Jesus says, "Get Up."

Or, maybe, he says it more like...GET UP.

It's a command, not a suggestion.

Most of the time, we like to feign ignorance. We pretend not to know what Jesus is commanding us. That's one reason we don't read more scripture. His words pierce our lives. He tells us what we need to do. He doesn't suggest, sometimes he commands.

Of course, that sick man could still have chosen to lay there. At least, that's what I think. He didn't. He obeyed, and obedience was the key that unlocked a miracle.

What commands could Jesus be giving you as his disciple? How might being obedient lead to greater healing in your own life?

Grace & Peace,
Adam

Smile

2011-03-01T08:09:00.000-05:00

Psalm 67 The Message

God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile!

The whole country will see how you work,

all the godless nations see how you save.

God! Let people thank and enjoy you.

Let all people thank and enjoy you.

Let all far-flung people become happy

and shout their happiness because

You judge them fair and square,

you tend the far-flung peoples.

God! Let people thank and enjoy you.

Let all people thank and enjoy you.

Earth, display your exuberance!

You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.

You mark us with blessing, O God.

Earth's four corners—honor him!

As we explore "The Words" of Jesus together, we find ourselves in the midst of step one. Who does Jesus say he is? This week, our theme is Jesus as the "living word." How can the word be alive in our lives?

We have to learn to hear it. To see it. To experience it, believe it, and then celebrate it. Shout it, Psalm 67 tells us.

If you've been at SOTH the last two Sundays, you know that Holly and I cannot say enough good things about One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. We'll be reading this book together as a congregation during Lent, which begins next Wednesday.

I hope you can take about 5 more minutes to read here what she says about "hard eucharisteo." It matters, and can make so much difference as the living word lives among us.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

Start Here

2011-02-28T07:06:00.002-05:00

Today's Complete Reading

John 14:6-10 The Message

Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him!"

Philip said, "Master, show us the Father; then we'll be content."

"You've been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don't understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, 'Where is the Father?' Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren't mere words. I don't just make them up on my own.

The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act."

As we begin the work of studying the words of Jesus together, this short passage from John 14 seems the right place to start.

Jesus reminds those who question his identity that the words prove the truth. In fact, he says that they are crafted as "divine acts."

Listen to Jesus, hear the heart of God.

It means that this open browser window of scripture is a divine act of the Almighty. It means that the Bible lying on my desk is an act of divine creation. It means that the words I hear read to the people on Sunday morning are somehow completely, yet much more than, merely human.

Do we believe it? Perhaps.

We want to. But we're sometimes so mired in the human frailties of this life that we can't crack that cover and enter into conversation with the divine. He knows. And he doesn't give up.

Let's start the journey.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Today's question: What does it mean to say, "Jesus Christ is Lord?"

What I Remembered: Abundance

2011-02-15T12:56:00.001-05:00

Today's my first official day "back" as an active part of "Life at SOTH" since my renewal leave began on January 9th. I had the time of my life. I have been so blessed to connect deeply with God and my family in ways that I haven't in a while.

Here's some of the stuff I learned:

1. Hate to say it, but other pastors don't get it.

Of all the folks I've talked to, other pastors have the hardest time understanding and supporting renewal leave. I consistently encountered shock, surprise or maybe even a little bit of contempt from most of my brother and sister pastors. That's a shame, because we're the ones who preach about the importance of Sabbath, but generally struggle to practice it.

I'm also convinced that it's because of fear. A multi-week renewal leave feel lazy and privileged, and we pastors are terrified that's how our congregations will view the time away. Most clergy just don't trust their congregations enough to take the time that's mandated in our Book of Discipline. And, a lot of congregations probably need to be educated on what renewal leave is all about, and why it's there.

Additionally, there's definitely a right way to do it. It takes planning, lots of conversation, lots of prayer, and finally a willingness to let go and trust. Which is really what Sabbath is all about. Renewal leave isn't theory about Sabbath, it's enforced Sabbath practice...and for me at least, that's what it takes, and it was so good.

2. Life goes on without me, and that is so good to know.

It's possible that we pastors have a little bit of a self-important kind of complex going on. We tend to simultaneously moan about being in the center of the storm, and everything seeming to depend upon us. Then, we go about the work of making sure that there is a storm, that is centers on us, and that we take on all the responsibility (and the attention, and the credit...you get the idea).

My wonderful congregation and its leadership stepped to the plate and did "the work of the people." They are church, together. What a wonderful time of growth this has been for SOTH.

3. Absence really does make the heart much fonder.

I found myself today not able to wait to get into the office. I am overflowing with ideas. I have deeply missed my church family. They miss me, or are working to make sure I have that impression (pastor ego is fragile, of course). I love my church and am so excited to see what unfolds for us next.

4. If you want to speak, you really need to be quiet first.

The greatest part of this practice has been 5 Sundays of silence for yours truly. The act of emptying oneself into a sermon every week has to stop from time to time. Worst of all, preachers can even become enamored with the sounds of their own voices, not realizing that what's coming out is the sound of a clanging gong with no real meaning of depth.

I've been (or tried to be) quiet for 5 Sundays in a row. I've let others speak to me. I've tried to let the Bible speak. I've tried to listen, so that I might somehow have something to say when the time comes.

5. Gratitude changes everything.

The most significant book I read during my break, and the most significant book on spiritual practice that I've read in years, is One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I plan to build our Lenten worship services around some of the material presented in this book.

It's all about the practice of deep gratitude. Joy, and peace, and faith are all grounded in being truly thankful for the simple experiences of life.

Anger, frustration and some pieces of depression are often rooted in a failure to really see and experience the many good gifts that God has given. Ingratitude is a denial of the life and grace that God gives us every day.

Breaking the bread and taking the cup together...the practice of "eucharist" is itself a practice of gratitude, and it's the only way that we really can experience grace.

This time apart has helped me refocus on what I'm truly grateful for, and there is just so much abundance.

6. All this stuff can travel with us every day. Jesus himself can travel with us every day.

I love this passage from Matthew 16:

⁵ When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.

⁶ “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷ They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?

⁹ Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

¹¹How is it you don’t understand...

Maybe there's a way to lay God's pattern on our lives. Work, play, family, more work, meaningful service, love, gifts, sabbath...all of these can fit together. Maybe there's a way to remember all he has done for us...and understand that there is always abundance.

Prayer, scripture, people. Love, grace, service, worship. Gratitude. This is the stuff of life with Jesus.

May it be so for us all, and our life together.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

Making Room for the Unexpected

2010-12-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

Making Room for the Unexpected

Embrace God's Grace: Kids

2010-10-15T08:34:00.000-04:00

Proverbs 22:6 (The Message)

Point your kids in the right direction—
when they're old they won't be lost.

Yesterday I had to drive back to Douglasville from a meeting in Norcross. One of my favorite things about driving any distance is that I get a good stretch of music time, just me and my ipod.

Not everybody likes everything on my ipod. Just ask the youth who had to endure it, at times, on a road trip to Florida this summer.

We all have our tastes.

As I was coming back into Douglas County, I left I-20 and took the more scenic route home (as I am always, and everywhere, prone to do).

Alan Jackson popped up on my ipod. Yes, Alan Jackson.

Here's the deal. I love his songs. They are absolutely cheesy. They are unabashedly straightforward and simple. And, they're deep and full of good old country wisdom.

He's from Newnan. That is awesome. A lot of his childhood reminds me of the best parts of my own. I connect with his stories about his family, especially his grandparents.

I can never pull off a mustache and cowboy hat the way he does. But I can sing his songs when I'm driving.

I listened to him sing about his first childhood experiences driving a boat, and a truck, and how he grew up to become a dad and teach his daughters those same things.

Of course, this makes me now think about my own experiences as a dad.

Last Sunday, SOTH worked together to unload almost a couple thousand pumpkins for our annual Youth Pumpkin Patch.

For me, the best part came at the very end. The men of the church had gotten up in the trailer and formed a chain to hand all the big, heavy pumpkins out and down to the ground level. All along, the little boys and girls had wanted to be with us. The truth was, it was just too dangerous and too difficult to have them up there handling pumpkins that weigh more than they do.

But then, we had a huge box of tiny pumpkins left to go. Weight wasn't a problem anymore, just sheer numbers. Somebody had a great idea: "Let the kids make the chain." And they did, and they were delighted.

This time of year, we're all thinking about how to best use our energy and time, and money as we consider our pledge for ministry next year.

We think about ministries and priorities and celebrations...visions for the future and how God might be calling us to help. Many in our SOTH family will make courageous decisions to give generously because they so deeply believe in what we're doing and the work that we believe God is calling us to, together.

But maybe there's another reason still. Maybe a seed gets planted deep within the heart of our little ones who see us give, as a way of life.

Maybe there's a chance to have conversations about what it means to volunteer, to respond to God's goodness, to dare to give away part of our hard-earned income. Maybe there's even a chance to let them "drive."

I know there's that chance. If we show them the way, God will be faithful, and take care of them always.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

Embrace God's Grace

2010-09-23T15:37:00.000-04:00

Somebody said it to me just the other day: "It's about time to re-up, isn't it?"

He was referring to this time of year...fall...stewardship...our financial pledges to ministry.

Yep, it's about time to "re-up." This year, we're asking everybody to consider what it would mean to "Embrace God's Grace" and take more steps down the path of radical discipleship.

But, believe me, I'm the first to say that churches should be very careful, and very biblical, when it comes to asking people for their financial gifts.

How do you ask for money without being greedy for money?

It's an important question. The answer has to be all about people, all about change, about sharing that changes both the world and the giver of the gift.

This Sunday we'll begin celebrating the ministries that emerged from our springtime listening groups as those that are truly changing lives. Be there this week to hear the stories of our prayer ministry, and to consider the ways that God has embraced you with his grace. What is he calling us to next?

I Timothy 6:6-19 (The Message)

A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough.

But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time.

Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.

But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this.

Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

I'm charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn't give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don't slack off.

Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He'll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He's the only one death can't touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He's never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can't take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes.

Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow.

Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

Why

2010-08-18T12:39:00.002-04:00

Two weeks ago, SOTH member Barbara Hannah received a call that her husband, Darrell, had been in an accident on I-285. He had witnessed a wreck, pulled his truck over, and got out to help. In the midst of his attempt to be a good Samaritan, Darrell's own truck was hit by another vehicle which pinned him against the divider wall, crushing his legs and pelvis and breaking other bones.

Darrell is still hospitalized, has gone through multiple surgeries. He is still receiving assistance with his breathing, and remains in ICU. Our urgent prayers continue to be with Barbara, and we pray that God will help our church be the real presence of Christ to this family in their time of greatest need.

Jamie Blankenship is Barbara's good friend, and write about how faith still makes sense and is our strength, even when things go so horribly wrong.

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When something terrible happens, we often wonder why. And something terrible has happened and we are wondering…

I see drivers tempt death and survive everyday. I know most of you have never met Darrell Hannah, but he is quiet, laid back and so unassuming. He works hard, long days with a long commute. I have never heard him complain. He is loyal, and he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

Case in point, he stopped to help strangers along the road…Why this accident, why this day, why these people….yes, a lot of circumstances had to be aligned for this to happen…

How?

I know God can move mountains. He is almighty. I know all things happen to God’s good purpose.

All things. I can still hear Pastor Guito Pierre from the First Haitian Baptist Church say this repeatedly during the prayer vigil at Shepherd of the Hills UMC. He told of the loss and devastation to his country, to his people, to his family – from the earthquake in January. Through his pain, in his pain, He still claimed, ALL THINGS work according to God’s purpose.

That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:28 The Message

What does this mean? What does the future hold? How will the story end?

I don’t know.

Darrell is blessed with a good long term prognosis, but it is hard to imagine that any pain and suffering will turn out good…

I see my friend Tammy and her beautiful family bravely facing the pain of cancer. They know what is coming, they have seen it before. And the long term prognosis is good. But it is still so hard to believe that that any pain or suffering could turn out good…

I know that anytime our hearts are broken, it is an opportunity for God to shape them. I know without some of my own pain and suffering, I wouldn’t be who I am today. And I am a better person than I used to be. I know that many teachers that only invest their time in correcting students that they know they haven’t reached their full potential. Is this extra attention from our teacher a blessing? Is there some potential in us to be discovered through these circumstances?

Is it possible for tragedy to be an opportunity?

I don’t know, but I pray so.

I would like to ask for prayers regarding this. Please pray that God will reveal Himself in the midst of pain in an undeniable way. Ask that He use His Healing touch to mend our broken places and shape us into His ideal of beautiful. Ask that He reassures each of us with the knowledge that He has a plan for us, that it is perfect, and beyond what we can imagine. Ask Him to turn our suffering into miracles.

Yes, pray big with great expectations.

Our God is an awesome God. He can move mountains, parts seas and even change hearts and minds.

For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 New Living Translation

Jamie Blankenship

Eight

2010-08-13T14:12:00.004-04:00

Today's blog post is from SOTH'er Joy Shaver.

Joy serves Christ as the leader of SOTH's Prayer ministry team, and as a sponsor for women who are overcoming addition through Alcoholics Anonymous.

She shares with us her celebration of 8 years of freedom from alcohol and drugs. We love you Joy! Thanks be to God!

I’m eight today.

Yes, eight.

I wanted to write something brilliant and witty and clever enough to tie into this week's lectionary scriptures somehow, but couldn’t seem to find quite the right reading.

My next thought was to find something inspiring from one of my go-to daily spiritual mediation readings but I got nothing specific there either. Gosh, now what? Be still, that’s what. Simply be still.

I can’t hear Him when I am chattering in my head. After about 30 minutes (which is about my type-A limit for quiet mediation) I glanced at the books I had opened earlier this morning and noticed the titles for each of the readings.

From Daily Reflections “A Look Backward;” from The Upper Room “A Thankful Heart" and from The Message Remix “You’re Blessed.”

Now, this is something I can work with…

Look backward to eight years ago yesterday? Only long enough to remember the hopelessness of addiction so that I can share my experiences with someone who still feels that despair.

Thankful heart? You’d better believe it! Through God's Grace, I got to start over. I might never have found Him, developed a spiritual life; served others, made friends, found home, church, family. I might never have lived past 41 to become eight.

You’re Blessed. Here’s the reading from Luke 6:

You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all. God’s Kingdom is there for the finding. You’re blessed when you are ravenously hungry. Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal. You’re blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes in the morning.

What I really want to say is not brilliant, or witty, or clever – it’s simple and honest instead:

Thank God that we all get to start over with each morning. Thank you, each and every one of you, for being part of my journey to eight.

In Christ,

Joy Shaver

Returning Thanks: Thoughts on "Church Vision"

2010-07-29T12:13:00.005-04:00

If I’ve heard this prayer once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. As a child, I used to roll my eyes when I’d hear some old man recite the words by rote. He usually mumbled quickly along, aware that his audience was focused on the fried chicken, cornbread and sliced tomatoes.

It’s called, “asking the blessing,” or “saying grace,” or best of all, “returning thanks.” Sometimes, in pockets of the deep southern vernacular, the name of this act is shortened even further, as in “Herschel, would you ‘turn thanks, and then we’ll eat.”

Whatever you call it, it goes like this:

“Father, we ask for your blessings on the food set before us, and on the hands that have prepared it. May you bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and our bodies to your service.”

That prayer is considered the right and proper way to begin a barbecue, fish fry, homecoming dinner, and any of a number of other church-eating related events throughout the south. Maybe folks pray this prayer in other locales as well, I don’t know.

I just know that the local Patriarch with the deep Georgia drawl has the right voice to make this prayer truly resonate.

As a kid, I knew that when my time came to be one of the praying grown folks, I would say something new, and creative, and from the heart.

Well…a little older and a little wiser now…I think that new and creative definitely has its place, but it’s sure not the only game in town. What a beautiful prayer this truly is, handed down from generation to generation. We don’t have to be the center of attention when we can be part of something larger than ourselves.

This beautiful old prayer reminds us that the summer bounty spread before us on the church buffet is absolutely a free gift from God, and a sign of his love. In fact, everything is a gift. If God chooses to “nourish” our bodies, then we will have the privilege of committing them to his service.

“Vision” should work exactly the same way in a church. At SOTH, our worship, prayer, study of scripture, building of relationships, giving and serving in the community are all gifts from God.

When we respond to God by getting involved we are “returning thanks” to the God who loves us.

On August 15th, we’ll have an important conversation as a church family. The conversation began in May with our listening groups. We’ll share feedback, we’ll pray, we’ll dream about what God might be calling us to next, but most of all we will continue the process of letting God lead us and give us a vision for this community and our world.

Plan to stay for lunch after 11:00 worship that Sunday, and take part in the good things that are happening.

Now, let’s “turn thanks” and eat --- that’s always a great idea.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

VBS 2010: What We Learned

2010-07-23T10:09:00.000-04:00

This morning I got to see a pretty spectacular thing.

Sometimes that happens for all of us...we witness the miraculous.

In 1992, Sid Bream slid across home plate and the Braves beat the Pirates in the NLCS. That was a good night.

Sometimes a sunrise or sunset stops us in our tracks. At least a few times each summer, I will pick and eat the perfectly ripe, just picked, homegrown tomato. That always gets my attention.

The truth is, there are thousands of things that we encounter each day which, if we actually thought about them and paid attention, would simply blow us away.

Almost always, those things are simple and spontaneous.

Jesus needed to remind his disciples of this truth:

¹³Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

¹⁴Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ¹⁵When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. -- Matthew 19

Jesus' disciples often needed to recalibrate. In this case, Jesus did that by teaching them about children.

"This is what the kingdom looks like."

I saw the kingdom today when a line of about 20 little children formed at our opening VBS worship rally.

They'd been invited to share what they've learned this week.

"I learned to forgive my friends when they hurt me."

"I learned that I should love people."

"I learned that God will never leave me."

"I learned to pray for people."

That's what the kingdom looks like.

It's Friday, and tons of SOTH volunteers have dirty houses...piles of laundry...kitchens that need cleaning...and lots of other delayed tasks that have gone undone while they've given their time and energy this week.

Great planning has taken place. Lots of work has been done...so that this spontaneous showing of the kingdom could unfold.

Thank you God --- and all of our volunteers --- and our children, for allowing me to see it.

VBS Celebration this Sunday at SOTH: 11 AM!

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Dear God, surround me as I speak,
the bridges that I walk across are weak
Frustrations fill the void that I can't solely bear
Dear God, don't let me fall apart,
you've held me close to you
I have turned away and searched for answers I can't understand

They say that I can move the mountains
And send them crashing into the sea
They say that I can walk on water
If I would follow and believe
with faith like a child

Sometimes, when I feel miles away
and my eyes can't see your face
I wonder if I've grown to lose the recklessness
I walked in light of you

[Little girl:]
"I've got joy like a fountain!"
"Be kind one to others"
"In Jesus Christ Your son"

They say that love can heal the broken
They say that hope can make you see
They say that faith can find a Savior
If you would follow and believe
with faith like a child

Politics and Religion at the Supper Table

2010-07-01T10:57:00.003-04:00

Rev. Tony Crosby is a good friend of mine, and Pastor at Alma, United Methodist Church in Alma, Georgia. He's written a great piece that reminds us how patriotism and Christianity can fit together for American Christians. I really enjoyed it and wanted to share as we approach both the 4th of July and Holy Communion in our worship at SOTH this Sunday. Thanks Tony!
Politics and Religion at the Supper Table

One of the rules that many of us were taught growing up is that you aren’t supposed to talk about politics or religion at the supper table. Most people hold very strong opinions about both of these subjects and the food just doesn’t go down very easily when the tempers are flaring and there is heated discussion.

So guess what I thought we might do? Of course! We are going to talk about politics and religion at the supper table. We will try to keep the discourse positive as the calendar and our traditions converge today with celebrating the sacrament of communion on our most celebrated national political holiday.

Mixing politics and religion is dangerous mostly because people have difficulty resolving matters where it seems that the two have competing objectives. For example, nations make war upon other nations from time to time and many Christians find this to be at odds with the “gospel of peace” that is taught in the scriptures. A controversial piece of legislation will find both support and also opposition from Christians throughout the country because of differing ideas about how Biblical principles should be lived out in the public square. It always makes me nervous when people begin to equate the work of any government with the work of God. The Christian church has historically had some of its worst and darkest times when it has aligned itself too closely with political entities.

As Christians, we serve God first as citizens of the kingdom of God; but, we are also citizens of a geopolitical nation as well. I am very thankful for the heritage of our country and for its unique expression of representative democracy in the world, however, I am cautious in my political allegiances in the context of worship. God has made forgiveness and grace available to all who will call upon the name of Jesus Christ—from Iraq to Italy, from Afghanistan to Africa, from the Czech Republic to Chile, from Bolivia to Brazil, and, yes, from sea to shining sea right here in the United States of America. As Christians who live in one of the most affluent nations in the world, let us never forget how much we need God’s grace in our lives. As we come to the supper table today on this Independence Day, let us remember that God so loved the whole world that he gave his only son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

Written by Rev. Tony Crosby, Alma UMC

The Same Old Barn

2010-06-11T12:32:00.004-04:00

Galatians 2:15-21 (The Message)

We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over "non-Jewish sinners."

We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?)

And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren't perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous.

If I was "trying to be good," I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.

My ego is no longer central.

It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

How many times do we need God to tell us...stop building the "same old barn."

Paul really wanted to do things right. He really wanted to please God...maybe.

Or, maybe, in his first life as "Saul," he really wanted to use God to his advantage. He liked the idea of pleasing God, but what he really, really liked was everybody knowing that he was the best God-pleaser of them all.

God made him famous. He really knew how to do the God thing better than anybody else. And that life left his lost and empty.

Really consider these words...they're the ones we'll be considering together on Sunday at SOTH:

My ego is no longer central.

I don't need your good opinion of me.

I don't have to impress God.

It's no longer my life you see me living.

What could those statements mean for each of us?

Grace & Peace -- Adam

Don't wanna be a martyr in this war
Don't wanna hear the same excuses anymore
That everything's a threat
And it's only gonna get worse if we let it

Don't wanna blame the rich for what they got
Don't point a finger at the poor for what they have not
Though the politician and the priest
Live in the belly of the beast because we fed it

Freedom is seldom found
By beating someone to the ground
Telling them how everything is gonna be now, yeah

Now if the tables were turned tell me how you would feel
Somebody busted up into your house telling you to stay still
While the leaders will deny defeat
Innocents they testify by dying in the street

Freedom is seldom found
By beating someone to the ground
Telling them how everything is gonna be now

Freedom is seldom found
By beating someone to the ground
Telling them how everything is gonna be now

Regret

2010-06-10T12:04:00.005-04:00

Galatians 1:13-24

I'm sure that you've heard the story of my earlier life when I lived in the Jewish way.

In those days I went all out in persecuting God's church.

I was systematically destroying it. I was so enthusiastic about the traditions of my ancestors that I advanced head and shoulders above my peers in my career.

Even then God had designs on me. Why, when I was still in my mother's womb he chose and called me out of sheer generosity! Now he has intervened and revealed his Son to me so that I might joyfully tell non-Jews about him.

Immediately after my calling—without consulting anyone around me and without going up to Jerusalem to confer with those who were apostles long before I was—I got away to Arabia.

Later I returned to Damascus, but it was three years before I went up to Jerusalem to compare stories with Peter. I was there only fifteen days—but what days they were! Except for our Master's brother James, I saw no other apostles. (I'm telling you the absolute truth in this.)

Then I began my ministry in the regions of Syria and Cilicia. After all that time and activity I was still unknown by face among the Christian churches in Judea.

There was only this report: "That man who once persecuted us is now preaching the very message he used to try to destroy."

Their response was to recognize and worship God because of me!

Everybody has a past. Everybody has something they regret.

Paul has more than most folks. He "systematically" persecuted the church. He was responsible for death and mahem among the early followers of Jesus.

He killed in the name of God.

How could he ever overcome that kind of past?

Honestly, I'm not convinced that he ever overcame the guilt. He certainly always had regrets.

But he also witnessed God putting his past actions and reputation to use in the Kingdom.

Because of the incredible story of his own transformation, the followers of Jesus could believe more than ever in the power of God. If Saul could become Paul, then anything really was possible in Jesus Christ.

What do you regret?

Is it possible that God could actually turn those regrets into the biggest places of transformation in your life and the lives of others?

Of course it is.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Summer Camp 2010

2010-06-08T11:07:00.002-04:00

The youth and I have returned from Summer Camp on Friday...though I have not completely recovered! What an amazing weekend from the beach to the worship - across the board - it was an unforgettable experience for those who attended.

The theme of the week was "Next" and it was a focus on the things Jesus said that we might pass on; and I dont mean that we share it, either. I mean He said "Go do ________________" and we respond with "I'd rather not."

The four talks centered on Jesus saying:

1) Follow me.

2) Take up your cross.

3) Do not be afraid.

4) Go make disciples.

Some of our groups' highlights from the weekend:

1) Adam and Amber Rigby coming along! Both were amazing assets and presences on the retreat both for the kids and for me. I actually caught a little bit of flack from the other youth directors when they first discovered that Adam was my senior pastor - In case you didnt know: Its not cool to have your pastor along on a retreat. But as the week rolled on and the others got to see Adam at work with the kids, they grew to the point of being envious of my ability to include a senior pastor on a youth trip that didnt suck the cool-factor right out of the room. Amber was a great addition, too, who not only had a great time herself but also enhanced the experience for the youth as she played all of their games on the bus and took them where ever they wanted to go without complaint while we were at the beach. So grateful for both of their presences at Summer Camp!

2) Six hours on a bus makes for some interesting time killers...They ranged from the game Catchphrase to Adam annoying the youth with songs from his mp3 player about harvesting corn to Brian Riehl free-style rapping. Yeah. That happened.

3) On our last night at the camp, two amazing things happened. The first happened right after the talk that evening. The worship space was made quiet as an invitation for youth and adults alike to sit in prayerful communion with and reflection on their God. Watching as the SOTH youth sat, heads bowed and arms around one another, was awesome. I sat in the back literally in awe of their faiths and love for God and one another, blessed at the fact that I have been called to SOTH in such a capacity as to nurture and witness to their spiritual lives, and humbled at the fact that my effects on their lives are nothing compared to what was going on in those moments. Later that night the kids wanted to walk on the beach to the pier and back - not a short jaunt, mind you. En route, a bunch of them struck up singing worship songs...and didnt stop. Not for fear of shame in front of the other random folks on the beach as we walked. Not for shame in their singing abilities. Not for anything. They lifted their voices and sang to the One they love.

4) Adam and I had two awesome opportunities on the retreat to prove that he was not the lame senior pastor that some feared he might be. The first came when Adam was called upon to participate in a game during which he had a large jar-like container of ping-pong balls taped to his stomach and was instructed that he had to get all of the balls out of the container without using his hands or turning upside down before his challenger did the same. Adam and I, using our tried and true telepathy, knew exactly what to do, and when the guy running the games said "Go" I tore through the crowd of youth towards the front and used MY hands to clear his container before his opponent of the game dude knew what was going on. Victory was ours. So was the respect and wonder of the youth directors in the room who realized that Adam and I share an amazing mind-meldish bond. The second cool-point winning moment for Adam was his inclusion in the prankster team of youth directors. He even scored some major laughs from the kids with his shenanigans. I think Adam will be a welcomed part of Summer Camp next year should he choose to attend...

Summer Camp 2010 was a huge success both relationally and spiritually. Many thanks from the youth ministry to those who prayed during our stay for safety, fun, and for God's movement. Summer Camp wouldnt have been the same without you!

Direct

2010-06-08T07:52:00.004-04:00

A Month with Galatians...

That's what we're doing at Shepherd of the Hills on Sunday mornings, and I thought it would be good for me to work through this powerful little letter day by day on the SOTHblog. Thanks for indulging.

So, here we go:

Galatians 1:1-5, The Message (read the whole chapter here)

^1-5 I, Paul, and my companions in faith here, send greetings to the Galatian churches.

My authority for writing to you does not come from any popular vote of the people, nor does it come through the appointment of some human higher-up.

It comes directly from Jesus the Messiah and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.

I'm God-commissioned.

So I greet you with the great words, grace and peace! We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we're in by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

God's plan is that we all experience that rescue.
Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!

As we jump in to what Paul had to say to this church, first things have to come first.

He needs to remind everyone of his authority. Really, the authority isn't his, it's been given to him directly.

The message he carries isn't his own invention. He didn't write this sermon. It's straight from God.

Paul is "God-commissioned."

Acts 9 tells the story, and it's really the place where this letter begins.

Saul was heading to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus. Until he met Jesus himself. He experienced the resurrected Christ first-hand. He sat blinded for three days. His life changed forever.

As these next chapters unfold, we'll hear Paul say some hard things to these people he loves. He says it because he has to. The truth burns inside of him and he has to speak. They've been led astray, and that's not something Paul is able to tolerate.

He's God commissioned.

Curious about what a person who saw the risen Jesus face-to-face might have to say about what it means to be a follower of "The Way?"

Then let's keep reading.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

Wisdom

2010-05-25T07:01:00.004-04:00

Readings for this week, from the Revised Common Lectionary:

Proverbs 8:1-4; 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15

Proverbs 8 (The Message)

Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?

She's taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection.

Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts: "You—I'm talking to all of you, everyone out here on the streets!

Listen, you idiots—learn good sense! You blockheads—shape up!

Don't miss a word of this—I'm telling you how to live well, I'm telling you how to live at your best.

"God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—before he did anything else.

I was brought into being a long time ago, well before Earth got its start.

I arrived on the scene before Ocean, yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes. Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape, I was already there, newborn;

Long before God stretched out Earth's Horizons, and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather, And set Sky firmly in place, I was there. When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean, built the vast vault of Heaven, and installed the fountains that fed Ocean, When he drew a boundary for Sea, posted a sign that said no trespassing, And then staked out Earth's Foundations, I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.

Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause, always enjoying his company,

Delighted with the world of things and creatures, happily celebrating the human family, before he did anything else.

Proverbs 8 shows us wisdom...personified.

"Lady Wisdom" stands crying out in the streets, but few seem to hear her voice.

It's too busy and noisy out there on Main Street. Besides, her advice might run counter to the things that we want to do, or the things that the world sometimes tells us we should do.

The wisdom of God runs deep. It is ancient, present at and in the creation.

Our task? Listen. Find some space before the noise begins and listen. When we get really accomplished, maybe it's even possible for us to find some spiritual space in the middle of the noise, as it's happening around us.

Not easy. The best things take time and practice. But here's the deal. God has already attended to the details. The soil, the water, the air, the trees, the delicate balance of life...it's all in place.

God made us for the purpose of being here, and being in relationship with Him.

Lady Wisdom cries out at First and Main, "delicately" calling us back home:

"Listen you idiots! Learn good sense! You blockheads, shape up!"

Grace & Peace,
Adam

See

2010-05-21T08:25:00.002-04:00

John 14:8-17 (The Message)

⁸Philip said, "Master, show us the Father; then we'll be content."

^9-10"You've been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don't understand?

To see me is to see the Father.

So how can you ask, 'Where is the Father?' Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words that I speak to you aren't mere words. I don't just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.

^11-14"Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me.

If you can't believe that, believe what you see—these works.

The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing.

You can count on it.

From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son.

I mean it.

Whatever you request in this way, I'll do.

^15-17"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you.

I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth.

The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for.

But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

I love passages like these from the Gospels so much.

Jesus just makes it simple:

1. See me...you see the Father

2. Believe in me

3. Ask me for what you need

4. Obey me

Simple, right?

So simple...but such a challenge for us because following this teaching will force us to get ourselves out of our own way.

See

Believe

Ask

Obey

Let's give it a shot today. Stop yourself from time to time throughout this day and check in with these four steps.

It's a lesson from the Master worth learning.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Worship this Sunday, 9:30 and 11 AM. We'll be honoring 7 graduates, and concluding our "To Save a Family" series with, "Strong Families Leave a Legacy."

Pentecost

2010-05-20T07:54:00.003-04:00

Acts 2:1-13 (The Message)

^1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building.

Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

^5-11There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world.

When they heard the sound, they came on the run.

Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn't for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, "Aren't these all Galileans? How come we're hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

"They're speaking our languages, describing God's mighty works!"

¹²Their heads were spinning; they couldn't make head or tail of any of it.

They talked back and forth, confused: "What's going on here?"

¹³Others joked, "They're drunk on cheap wine."

Jerusalem has always been a city of many languages.

When Holly and I visited there 2 years ago, we were struck by the incredible diversity of people we met.

I suppose I always thought that Jerusalem was overwhelmingly Jewish. It's the site of the Temple Mount, it's the capitol of Israel.

In reality, I found it to be dominated by Muslim people and culture. The governmental authority and much of the wealth is Jewish. There is a Christian presence, though much smaller and more insignificant than I'd imagined.

The Christians are fragmented among Catholics, Orthodox, Ethiopian, and the infinite stripes of Protestants.

Everybody has their own parts and pieces of the city. Every group has its own sacred sites and shrines.

What could ever bring unity?

Fire from heaven, that's about all I can think of. The spectacle of these many groups and peoples speaking one another's languages, as a gift from God.

It is the Tower of Babel in reverse. It is a vision of what is possible with the immediate, powerful presence of God at work in our lives.

What could the Holy Spirit do to unify our families, our churches, our towns?

Human beings, in our brokenness and sin, will always find ways to be divided. God is unified, and that's God's vision for his people. May it truly come to pass.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Burial and Resurrection

2010-05-19T10:59:00.003-04:00

Romans 8:12-17 (Message)

So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent.

There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all.

The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.

It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"

God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.

And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance!

We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!

A couple of weeks ago, I went for a long hike around the town of Waynesville, North Carolina.

I was attending an annual clergy retreat at nearby Lake Junaluska. We had the afternoon off, and I found a do-it-yourself walking tour around the beautiful old town.

Toward the end of the 6 mile journey, I read the instructions, "turn left at ____ street, and enter through the main gates of Green Hill Cemetery."

Seriously? I wasn't expecting that.

What I found was pretty amazing. The historic Green Hill cemetery is filled to capacity and has been for some time. It rests on one of the highest points around the mountainous area of Waynesville. From the crest of the tallest hill, you could see the old town spread out below.

In the distance, in all directions, beautiful trees, sky and mountains filled the view. I was surrounded by a huge crowd of silent witnesses to the beauty God has made.

I was struck to see family after family, memorialized in granite. I read the story of Waynesville's founders, and confederate battle flags decorated the graves of scores of southern soldiers who died in the civil war.

But even in that beautiful, quiet place, I could hear the sounds of cars and trucks. The hustle and bustle of the living was calling for me to join them.

And so is Romans 8. We are called to an experience of burial and resurrection, here and now.

"The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life."

I didn't stay in the cemetery. It was a nice place to visit...but there are things to do, places to go.

"What's next Papa?"

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Wonderful

2010-05-18T09:04:00.005-04:00

Lectionary Readings for this week (where we're heading together on the SOTHblog each morning)

Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b (UMH 826)
Romans 8:14-17
John 14:8-17 (25-27)

We'll start this morning with Psalm 104 (The Message)

What a wildly wonderful world, God!

You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.

Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.

Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.

All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it.

If you turned your back,
they'd die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.

The glory of God—let it last forever!
Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.

Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!

Oh, let my song please him;
I'm so pleased to be singing to God.

"He points a finger at the mountains and volcanoes erupt."

That's not really how it happens, is it?

We all learned in about 7th grade earth science (now I think they teach this in 3rd grade), that pressure builds up within a mountain because of geological forces and finally the lava explodes up into the air.

Don't get me wrong...I'm so thankful for science. It's saved my life many times. Virtually everything that I'll do today has been made easier, safer, and much more comfortable because of the scientific method and what human beings have been able to learn and achieve.

But there is a problem.

We may have lost our sense of wonder...and place.

Anybody out there have teenage kids?

I bet you know how smart they DON'T think you are.

They've managed to do a few things, to learn a few more new things...and then make the critical mistake of thinking they've got it all figured out. That, in fact, they know more than their parents.

I did it. You did it. We all did it. Of course, we were wrong.

I wonder if it's possible that humanity at this moment has a similar relationship to God?

Walk outside and take it all in. Find a tree, somewhere, and just really look at it. Study it closely. Understand all the processes that are at work in that tree, at that very moment.

We can describe the process of photosynthesis, but we can't really replicate it. We can manage the growth and hybridization of trees, but only God can make one.

We don't cause the sun to shine. Without rain, we know how difficult life can become.

Thousands of years after Psalm 104 was written...it's absolutely true: "if you turned your back, we'd die in a minute."

Folks, that means that today really is a gift.

"All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it."

Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

This vid is absolutely one of my favorites...what a great hymn of the church, and a brilliant example of how old and new can come together in a powerful way.

Unity

2010-05-14T08:20:00.004-04:00

John 17:20-26 (The Message)

This is Jesus' prayer for the unity of his believers in John 17. As we do the work of being a church together, what would happen if we stopped and recited this prayer together, whenever we encounter difficulty or conflict?

This might be the ultimate conflict buster. Let's don't leave it on the shelf to collect dust when it can live and breathe and give us life.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.

The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.

Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.

The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they'll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.

Then they'll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you've sent me and loved them
In the same way you've loved me.

Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,

Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.

Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.

I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—

And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them

Exactly as I am in them.

-- Jesus

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Where charity and love are, God is there.

The Case for Christ

2010-05-13T09:08:00.002-04:00

A very interesting film...Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ." Well worth the hour and eighteen minute time investment. Watch it when you have a chance to sit with it and think along with it...pretty good stuff, particularly the interviews with NT Wright.

Tomorrow -- we'll finish up the week with the passage from John 17 and I'll talk a bit about what's on tap for Sunday.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Soon

2010-05-12T08:30:00.004-04:00

From Revelation 22 (The Message)

"Yes, I'm on my way! I'll be there soon!

I'm bringing my payroll with me.

I'll pay all people in full for their life's work. I'm A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.

How blessed are those who wash their robes! The Tree of Life is theirs for good, and they'll walk through the gates to the City.

"I, Jesus, sent my Angel to testify to these things for the churches.

I'm the Root and Branch of David, the Bright Morning Star."

"Come!" say the Spirit and the Bride.
Whoever hears, echo, "Come!"
Is anyone thirsty? Come!
All who will, come and drink,
Drink freely of the Water of Life!

He who testifies to all these things says it again: "I'm on my way! I'll be there soon!"

Yes! Come, Master Jesus!

The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!

Can you remember a time when someone met a need for you? When have you been in need...a need that you could not meet for yourself?

How did it feel to experience that "grace?"

After all, when we receive a gift, and find that our needs are met when we didn't know how they would be, that's the very definition of grace.

And it's the nature of God towards his people.

This closing chapter of Revelation reminds us of the end of the story.

The apostle John was in his old age, exiled to the work colony of Patmos. He was powerless, and surrounded by powerless people who were being punished for their faith in Jesus.

John's revelation, in a nutshell?

It will all be worth it.

He hears the voice of Jesus: "I'm on my way, I'll be there soon. All who will, come and drink freely of the water of life!"

John actually knew that voice from his earlier life. He spent time with this man from Galilee who was the Messiah. He knew his voice, and heard it again in his heavenly vision.

How exciting would this have been for John? Can it be exciting for us to hear these words?

If you are tired...there is hope. There is one who is the beginning and the end, and he will take care of us all.

That's the good news that gives peace.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

For today, a glimpse into how pop rock envisions the end and what comes next:

Poking a little fun at ourselves...

2010-05-11T18:00:00.002-04:00

My good friend Rev. Scott Parrish gets credit for finding this one...we shall not take ourselves too seriously...

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

THEO-logy, May 11, 2010

2010-05-11T11:33:00.003-04:00

I dont think it is by accident that I read this particular sermon of my great-grandfather's today so close on the heels of the post on involved versus committed from earlier this week. He encapsulated this sermon in a single line near the end:

We cherish the last drops of these men's blood (here referring to the old saints, missionaries, martyrs, and reformers - including Jesus) but are careful not to shed a drop of our own.

We read of countless sacrifices made on behalf of or in the name of our God in the Bible:

Abraham was called not only to leave his home but also to sacrifice his only son (Genesis 12:1-5 and Genesis 22:1-19 respectively)
The disciples were told to leave everything they own...including their families (Luke 9:3, 59-62)
Jesus gave all that He was (Do I really need to cite Scripture here...?)

When we read or are reminded of these sacrifices we're are awed by the willingness of those who gave everything; we rejoice in their obedience. We idolize them. But sometimes that's as far as it goes.

We cherish the last drops of these men's blood, but are careful not to shed a drop of our own.

How crazy is it that we are sometimes more willing to hear and apply morals and teachings of stories like "The Ant and the Grasshopper" or even "The Tortoise and the Hare" before we apply the lessons held within the pages of the very book we base our beliefs on?

Im definitely not preaching at you from on high, either. I am very withholding when it comes to God; more often than I care to admit. But as a wise man once said: "Knowing is half the battle." The other half? Taking what we've learned from the realm of theory into the realm of practice and application.

What will that look like in your life?

Handcrafted gods

2010-05-11T08:29:00.003-04:00

Psalm 97 (The Message)

God rules: there's something to shout over! On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!

² Bright clouds and storm clouds circle 'round him;
Right and justice anchor his rule.

³ Fire blazes out before him,
Flaming high up the craggy mountains.

⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.

⁵ The mountains take one look at God
And melt, melt like wax before earth's Lord.

⁶ The heavens announce that he'll set everything right,
And everyone will see it happen—glorious!

^7-8 All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry—
And they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods!

On your knees, all you gods—worship him!
And Zion, you listen and take heart!

Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out:
God has done it all, has set everything right.

⁹ You, God, are High God of the cosmos,
Far, far higher than any of the gods.

¹⁰ God loves all who hate evil,
And those who love him he keeps safe,
Snatches them from the grip of the wicked.

¹¹ Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.

¹² So, God's people, shout praise to God,
Give thanks to our Holy God!

"All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry."

Good thing we don't build idols anymore...right?

Well, we do, of course.

And wow, they're pretty impressive these days. An ancient person couldn't have imagined computers, the power of the internet, HD television.

They would have bowed down and worshiped in the presence of a TV, I imagine.

Silly ancients. ...right?

What can I do and where can I go that can really help me experience the power of the one true God?

Wherever that place is for you --- it's probably not in front of the tv or computer (unless you're reading the sothblog, of course).

The problem of idolatry is that it's the easy way out. It exchanges the awesome God of Zion for something handcrafted that we can handle for ourselves.

But the easy way is definitely not the best way.

Today I'll think about the gods that I've created and see what I can do to lay them at the feet of the only God that matters.

Dangerous

2010-05-10T10:50:00.003-04:00

This week's daily lectionary blog posts are back!

Thanks for hanging in there with me, I've had a bit of a challenging travel schedule the last couple of weeks, but we should be getting back on track.

We'll look at one lectionary passage Monday through Thursday this week, and on Friday I'll write a few thoughts about this coming Sunday's sermon in the series, "To Save a Family."

Monday: Acts 16:16-34

Tuesday: Psalm 97

Wednesday: Rev 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21;

Thursday: John 17:20-26

Acts 16:16-34 (A long story, but one well worth investing a few minutes) from The Message:

^16-18One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us.

She was a psychic and, with her fortunetelling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her.

She started following Paul around, calling everyone's attention to us by yelling out, "These men are working for the Most High God. They're laying out the road of salvation for you!"

She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, "Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!"

And it was gone, just like that.

^19-22When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them and pulled them into a court with the accusation, "These men are disturbing the peace—dangerous Jewish agitators subverting our Roman law and order."

By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out for blood.

^22-24The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas's clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating.

After beating them black-and-blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape.

He did just that—threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them.

^25-26Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God.

The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose.

^27-28Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges.

Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: "Don't do that! We're all still here! Nobody's run away!"

^29-31The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, "Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?"

They said, "Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you'll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!"

^32-34They went on to spell out in detail the story of the Master—the entire family got in on this part.

They never did get to bed that night.

The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then—he couldn't wait till morning!—was baptized, he and everyone in his family.

There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal.

It was a night to remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the house was in on the celebration.

I find that these days, lots of traditional, "mainline" church folks spend their time bemoaning the coarsening of our culture and the decline of attendance at their worship services.

I can fall into that trap, too.

Then, I read a passage like this one in Acts 16.

We have nothing to moan about. Except, perhaps, the loss of power and strength that the early disciples experienced. Their witness was palpable and people were drawn to the unique message they lived out.

Paul and Silas suffer at the hands of "the world" in today's reading.

Why?

Because "these men are dangerous Jewish agitators, subverting our Roman law and order."

Could that possibly be said of any of us who are part of institutional, American Christianity today?

It was said of the civil rights leaders in the 1950's and 60's. It was said of the reformers of the 1500's.

Do we spend more time today trying to enforce "Roman" rule in our society today, or is some part of following Jesus supposed to be inherently subversive to the world's practices and values?

What part of our faith is risky enough to allow God to act in powerful, public ways? When are we ever in enough trouble for following Jesus that we might need him to come to our rescue?

Risk. Rejection. Power. Witness. What could these Acts 16 attributes have to do with our life as Jesus-followers today?

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Involved vs. Committed

2010-05-06T14:19:00.005-04:00

Recently I "won" a copy of Shannon O'Dell's new book entitled Transforming Church in Rural America from Tim Stevens of Granger Community Church. Tim worked a deal with the book's publisher, New Leaf Press, that allowed him to tweet a link that scored a free copy of the book to the first one hundred visitors. Score.

As I was reading my way through the first three chapters today, I came upon a phrase that hit me so hard I had to put the book down and reflect for a few minutes. O'Dell is outlining a candidate sermon he gave while interviewing at a church for the senior pastor position and he says:

"I shared why I thought the church is passionless today, because so many are involved with Christ but not committed to Him."

Man, that is a powerful statement! How often do we treat our relationship with God as a Wednesday and/or Sunday tryst? If that didn't sting, how about this one: How often do we give Him an hour of everyday...but that's it...JUST an hour? We set aside time for Him, sure, but we LIMIT our involvement with Him to that time.; Our relationship with Him is a lot less evident when it isn't our quiet time.

God doesn't ask us for involvement; He asks us for commitment. Jesus said: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). What is left of us when we give all He demands in this verse?

We, like Peter, are supposed to grab our coats when we jump out of the boat after Jesus! Fully prepared and fully committed to not turn back, we jump albeit awkwardly into the life He has called us to: A life of death to ourselves and rebirth in Him. A whole-self decision.

Let us commit to Christ as He has committed Himself to the church: As a groom commits to His bride - wholly and unconditionally. God doesn't want to be limited to "Lord of the Bible Studies" or "Lord of the Church." He wants to be Lord of our lives with dominion and influence over all that we are and all that we have and all that we do.

Quit being involved with Jesus. Commit your life to Him as He willingly committed His life to you. Don't make me quote Revelation 3:16 on you!

- Mike

Sheep

2010-04-22T14:42:00.003-04:00

John 10:22-27 NIV

²²Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem.

It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.

²⁴The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

²⁵Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe.

The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, ²⁶but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

The relationship between the shepherd and the sheep is something special.

Sheep really do come to learn their shepherd's voice, and they'll only follow him.

Jesus implies (or pretty plainly states) in this passage that those who questioned him for miracles and knowledge couldn't perceive what he'd already done because they weren't of his fold.

Their hearts weren't ready to receive what God was doing, right in their midst.

God's plan just outstripped their spiritual imaginations.

What about us?

What could we be missing right now because we believe we know what God will or won't do?

The plain truth is...we don't know. We need to be sheep and learn to listen if we'd like to know more.

At least that appears to be the implication.

Grace, Peace, and Baaaaah,

Adam

Lamb

2010-04-21T08:46:00.002-04:00

Revelation 7:13-17 (NIV)

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"

¹⁴I answered, "Sir, you know."

And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

¹⁶Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.

¹⁷For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

The Book of Revelation often seems to frighten or fascinate 21st century Americans.

Makes sense to me. It's both frightening and fascinating at times.

But on the whole, I think there's another attribute that's too often overlooked.

I think it's meant to be comforting.

In this vision from Revelation 7, John witnesses those who have suffered for their faith, in the "great tribulation."

When John received Revelation, he was himself suffering in exile on the island of Patmos.

There is good news.

Revelation is not to be feared, unless we've just got too much to lose in this life.

The wonderful news for those who suffer for their faith, or who experience pain and struggle (and that's all of us at one time or another, right?), is that God will ultimately, and always, care for them.

Revelation 7:17 is nothing short of a beautiful fulfillment of the 23rd Psalm we read yesterday:

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Grace and Peace,

Adam

Valley

2010-04-20T08:07:00.004-04:00

Psalm 23 (KJV)

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 23 is the Gettysburg Address of scripture.

Well, actually I guess we should say that the Gettysburg Address was the Psalm 23 of political speeches.

So short, and so sweet, and so to the point. And, what a point it makes.

God is always with us.

He is our shepherd, tending us, protecting us, providing pastures in which we can be sustained.

This psalm has comforted millions and millions of people for thousands of years.

This is true, even though it doesn't say, "yea, he taketh me around the valley of the shadow of death, so that I do not set foot within it."

It says we go through. Through. Not around.

The Bible is such a wonderful reminder that God goes with us through it all, not around it.

Holly and I got to see that valley in person a couple of years ago.

We stood at a high outcropping of limestone above the Negev desert, outside of Jericho. Looking toward Jerusalem, we saw the scene, and the tiny path through that wilderness below. Today's picture is one that we took in that place.

There's so much more to say, but the Psalm says it all. Whatever you face today, you do not face it alone.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Get Up

2010-04-19T08:01:00.003-04:00

Lectionary readings for this week:

Acts 9:36-43

Psalm 23

Revelation 7:9-17

John 10:22-30

Acts 9:36-43 (NIV)

³⁶In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.

³⁷About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.

³⁸Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!"

³⁹Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up."

She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.

⁴¹He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.

⁴²This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

⁴³Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

When I read this story, I'm immediately transported in my mind to a terrible, difficult, pastoral moment.

Years ago, I found myself at the side of a mother and father who had just learned that their son had been killed.

"Can't you bring him back?" she asked, in her grief-stricken delirium. "They did that in the Bible. You pray, and he comes back..."

My heart was broken.

I don't know why Peter could have that prayer answered, and I can't.

But I do know that I don't need to have the power of life and death in my own hands, either.

I don't know why Tabitha...why Joppa...why that place and time.

But I do know this from the story: the news of her restoration quickly spread throughout that city.

Can you imagine? I think news like that would really travel.

Tabitha was a good woman who loved the poor. The fledgling church was small and vulnerable. Her death hurt them deeply...perhaps without her leadership in that critical moment, they would have been pushed almost to extinction. God used her life to bring many, many others into the faith and to establish the church in that place.

News of resurrection still travels today.

I don't mean "just" physical resurrection...I mean the spiritual kind that we think is not nearly as exciting.

It is.

I have seen the power that happens when a believer stands in worship and shares their story of moving from spiritual death to life.

I have seen how God can build the body of believers through the undeniable proof of a changed life.

We definitely don't have all the answers.

But I can tell you that those grieving parents I stood with years ago went on to build their faith, to be loved by the church, and to become witnesses of God's powerful love that endures, even in the face of brokenness and death.

That's the power of resurrection.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

The Easter video we used in worship at SOTH, which does a great job of connecting Jesus' resurrection to the spiritual rebirth that God invites us to experience.

THEO-logy, April 13, 2010

2010-04-13T13:45:00.003-04:00

I sat down after my lunch to read one of my great-grandpa's sermons and blog about it. His sermons are usually type written on a single 8.5x11 sheet of paper that is folded in half so that he has four equal spaces to write. Today, I read exactly three-quarters of the front page of a sermon and had to put it down and jump online to share it. Im not going to add any of my own thoughts to this one. This message is so raw and thought provoking that I dont want to get in its way! Read it...more than once if you have or want to...and spend some time reflecting on the following words. Ask yourself how they apply to the church you attend today. Ask yourself how these words apply to you as an individual. Then ask yourself how you can be the catalyst for change in both.

(All emphasis is Theo's.)

E.M. Bounds said "Short, powerful, public prayers are the outcome of long secret intercession." Someone may ask "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" The answer: "Where He has always been - on the throne!" But where are the Elijah's of God?

Elijah was a man of prayer; a man of like passions as we are, but are we men of like prayer and passions as He?

Did you know that one praying person stands as a majority with God?

Today it seems God is bypassing men - Why? Not because they are too ignorant, but because they are too self-sufficient; our abilities are our handicaps, our talents are our stumbling blocks.

The church began with men in the upper room agonizing. Today it is meeting in the supper room organizing. It began in revival and today it carries on in ritual.

Good

2010-04-02T11:11:00.004-04:00

It's Good Friday. This day is all about remembering and experiencing the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. That's exactly what we'll do, in a very powerful way, tonight in our worship at SOTH: 7PM in the Sanctuary.

But, today's reading looks ahead to Sunday. Remember that the crucifixion and the resurrection absolutely hang together. The first has no significant without the second. The second is not possible without the first.

That's enough from me...today, the scripture just needs to speak. And, I'll add a little more this Sunday. Come make worship with your SOTH family the essential part of Easter morning this year, we'll see you there!

John 20:1-18 (NIV)

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

²So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

³So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

⁵He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.

⁸Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

⁹(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

¹⁰Then the disciples went back to their homes, ¹¹but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.

As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹²and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him."

¹⁴At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

First

2010-03-31T09:06:00.005-04:00

I Corinthians 15:19-26

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

²¹For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

²³But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

²⁴Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

²⁶The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

How exciting is the "first fruit?"

Well, that kind of depends whether you enjoy "growing your own."

For many of us today, "first fruit" means that something new showed up in the produce department at our grocery store. Everything is available year round, so we have lost track of the seasons, and we have no idea what kinds of fruits or vegetables are actually in season in our local community at any given time.

But...if you watch a seed unfurl into a tiny plant. If you see that plant turn sunshine, soil and rain into mature growth. If you look for the first yellow bloom on your tomatoes plants. If you see that tiny, green, embryonic eggplant or zucchini, or squash...and then watch it ripen on the vine into maturity...

Well, that's something to be celebrated.

The first homegrown tomato of summer. It deserves pause and celebration. It should be eaten with a degree of reverent appreciation.

The first fruit of all that is to come. It is a reminder of life, of God's goodness, and of a very important promise.

There is a plan for us. That plan is eternal life. It is resurrection.

Jesus is the first ripe fruit to be produced on that vine of God's goodness.

And Easter declares that much more is to come.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Another of our Easter worship songs coming up this Sunday at SOTH: this will be a new one for our congregation but our youth love this one and it's been a great song for them. Give it a listen and come ready to sing this Sunday! Plus, I love the kid drawings that were put together to animate this one.

Rescue

2010-03-30T08:19:00.003-04:00

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (The Message)

The hand of God has turned the tide!"

I didn't die. I lived!

And now I'm telling the world what God did.

God tested me, he pushed me hard,
but he didn't hand me over to Death.

Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates!
I'll walk right through and thank God!

Have you ever found yourself in a tight situation that you didn't think you could escape?

Many of us have never been in physical danger, at least not that we knew about.

But I can think of some pretty hair-raising experiences that I've had on the Atlanta freeway system. And I certainly can remember some really dumb things that I've done, miraculously escaping without getting what I probably deserved.

Maybe, if we try, we can remember what it feels like to really be "rescued." To be saved. To have a higher power come to our aid and make all the difference.

I know. We can seemingly point to situation after situation where nobody saved the day.

But the very fact that you're reading this, and that I'm writing it, speaks to a greater truth.

God has saved us. God is saving us. We are rescued, once and for all, and that is enough.

Faith in the resurrection story of Jesus means that we are miraculously and completely saved from the power of Death.

Yes, we will still experience an end of this physical life. But death will not hold us.

One day we will rise and walk through those gates to give thanks to God.

And we can choose to walk through the gate of this day, right now, and be thankful for whatever comes.

It's all a miracle.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

On the Path of Life... Together

Engage Your Spirit...In the Pursuit of Truth

Nail it to the Doorpost

Like a Tree Planted by the Water

Let Your Love Flow

The Kingdom: What do you make of this?

What do you make of this?

Palm Sunday: The Setup

If You Would Only Get to Know and Trust Me...Signed, God

God is Good, Humans are Greedy, and God is Still Good

It Takes More Than Bread to Stay Alive

Simple, Childlike Believers (or, "Stop It, You Arrogant...)

"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one?

And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way.

He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.

Hurry up and relax!

The Lord, Our Shepherd

40 Days

The Father's Heart

Do You Want to Stand Out? Step Down

I Will Give You Rest

On Your Toes

His Voice is Life

Get Up

Smile

Start Here

What I Remembered: Abundance

Making Room for the Unexpected

Embrace God's Grace: Kids

Embrace God's Grace

But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this.

Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

Why

Eight

Returning Thanks: Thoughts on "Church Vision"

VBS 2010: What We Learned

Politics and Religion at the Supper Table

The Same Old Barn

Regret

Summer Camp 2010

Direct

Wisdom

See

15-17"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you.

I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth.

The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for.

But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

Pentecost

Burial and Resurrection

Wonderful

Unity

The Case for Christ

Soon

Poking a little fun at ourselves...

THEO-logy, May 11, 2010

Handcrafted gods

Dangerous

Involved vs. Committed

Sheep

Lamb

Valley

Get Up

THEO-logy, April 13, 2010

Good

10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.

As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

First

Rescue

^15-17"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you.

¹⁰Then the disciples went back to their homes, ¹¹but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.

As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹²and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.