The Unholy of Christmas

Hello Emmanuel,

Thus begins a holy week… in an unholy church?

In a world where there is so much wrong, how can there be so much right?  The 53rd Hallmark Christmas movie was shown the other day (or approximately that many).  I didn’t watch them all (only about 1/3 of 1), but I didn’t see too much about Christmas.  I did see a lot of conflict and googly eyes and misunderstandings and flirting and ‘I thought we had something!!!’ … to … ‘oh… we do have something’ (and then more kissing).

I pick on these movies because it is a microcosm of a bigger picture.  There is so much wrong and yet so much right.  It’s confusing, which is why I usually walk into another room to read a book (that has conflict and misunderstandings, but no googly eyes or kissing… bluk).

This brings me to why I love the Church during such a holy week.  For one hour there is a bubble created around the worshipping community.  In this bubble we are invited to stop everything we are doing and focus on one event that affected the world for all-time.  We get to forget our mistakes and personality flaws.  We can forget who we don’t like and who we do like.  We get to forget about presents and traffic and lights that don’t work and whether it is too cold or too warm for December and movies that are sort of about Christmas, but not really.  Life gets to pause for about an hour so that we can focus on the one event that affected the world for all-time without the drama or flair or need for entertainment.  For about an hour, everything is about Christmas in its purest sense.

We get to focus on the Holy even as we live among the unholy.

We don’t have to pretend that we are better than we are (though sometimes thinking we need to becomes a great distraction).  We don’t have to smile (especially when the lights are turned down low to sing Silent Night).  We don’t have to feel guilty because we haven’t been in church for 8 months.  We don’t have to look down our noses because we’ve been in church the last 51 Sundays.

Why?  Because no matter who we think we are, all of us are just as unholy compared to the one event that affected the world for all-time.  And THAT is why I love the Church.  God’s love for us permeates any miniscule differences between each of our rights and wrongs.  The holiness of Christmas makes us all look bad and then turns around and says it okay.  The holiness of Christmas comes quietly in the night in a barn so that the coziness we feel in the sanctuary isn’t just for show, but has a legitimate place in our relationship with God.

I look forward to worshipping with you this week.  Why?  Because experiencing the Holy with all of us unholy people helps me experience again the redemptive power of an ever-loving God.  And it brings me joy.

I hope it brings you joy too. 

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Dec. 22^nd, 7:00 – Blue Christmas (for those feeling sad this season)

Dec. 24^th, 7:00 – Kid-Friendly Christmas Eve with candlelight

Dec. 24^th, 10:00 – Traditional Candle-light

Dec. 27^th, 9:00 and 10:30 – The First Sunday of Christmas

Jan. 3^rd, 9:00 and 10:30 – The Second Sunday of Christmas

'Tis the Season

Hello Emmanuel,

Welcome to the first edition of Monday Afternoon Pulpit…..

I find myself in a semi-state of nostalgia.  Hope is now a cheerleader.  She cheered for the Jr. High football team and is now cheering for the basketball team.  So now I have the privilege of going to games again for the purpose of cheering on the cheerleaders.  O Joy…

Our eldest child was a cheerleader.  Leah spent 6 years cheering.  I haven’t calculated the time or money spent in such the endeavor, nor will I.  I am about to repeat such the 6-year endeavor.  Thus, the nostalgia.

As the years pass me by, it is interesting to me what triggers my most intense memories.  School sporting events often take me back to my glory days (you know… how I got those scars on my knees playing baseball… or remembering that one coach who taught me invaluable life lessons).

The moments that trigger our deepest memories differ for each person.  For some it is the Christmas season that brings back floods of thoughts and feelings that we may have thought were gone forever.  Some memories are warm and fuzzy.  Other memories are sad or funny or joyful or embarrassing.

In any case, there is one event that I hope also triggers nostalgia for you and I pray it is a positive one:  worshipping on Christmas Eve and celebrating as a community the arrival of baby Jesus.  Granted, maybe some of you do not have a rich tradition of church on Christmas Eve, but I know that, for some of you, it is a climactic moment in an evening that is wrought with tradition.

Either way, I invite you to worship with us at Emmanuel through the Christmas season and let Jesus be the trigger that brings you feelings of hope and peace.

Dec. 20^th, 9:00 – Worship

Dec. 20^th, 10:30 – Worship with Children’s Program

Dec. 22^nd, 7:00 – Blue Christmas (for those feeling sad this season)

Dec. 24^th, 7:00 – Kid-Friendly Christmas Eve with candlelight

Dec. 25^th, 10:00 – Traditional Candle-light

Dec. 27^th, 9:00 and 10:30 – The First Sunday of Christmas

Jan. 3^rd, 9:00 and 10:30 – The Second Sunday of Christmas

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Parable of the Unobservant Husband

Hello Emmanuel,

The nativity scene didn’t get put up on time this year.  Kim was distraught… ok.. not distraught… but unhappy enough to mention it.  In our house, the nativity scene gets put up on our sofa table on the 1^st Sunday of Advent.  Even if there are no other decorations out of their boxes yet, the nativity scene is to be in its place.  This year the 1^st Sunday of Advent came and went and there was no nativity scene.  I would shame Kim to no end.  Except….

Yesterday I noticed the nativity scene was up.  Normally, when I notice something, I don’t speak up for fear of being made fun of because I am so unobservant at times.  But this time I threw caution to the wind.  ‘Oh,’ I said as I sat in the family room, ‘the nativity is up’.  Kim looked at me, rolled her eyes, thought a brief moment, then said, ‘You gotta be kidding me’.

This is a classic illustration of what can happen when you don’t notice Jesus when He is sitting in your own family room.  He had been there for days (not hours) and I was led to believe that I was an unobservant idiot.  While this is not altogether untrue, my feelings were a bit hurt and I quickly looked around the room to see if anything else had changed.  Nothing had (I don’t think).  Then again, not noticing Jesus when He is sitting in your own family room is a rather big deal… evidently.

So this MMP is a no-brainer.  Invite Jesus into your room.  And when He shows up, take time to notice Him.  It will lead to much healthier relationships…. With your spouse and with other people too.

May the presence of Jesus fill your December.  More importantly, may you take the time to pay attention enough to see Him when he is right in front of you.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

I'm NOT Thankful And Here Is Why....

Hello Emmanuel,

I’m not thankful.  Why would I be?  It’s that time of year when my demise is around every corner.  Everyone is seeking me out for reasons for which I am totally opposed.  I want to be able to think about the future with joy, not with fear and trepidation.  I don’t want to be paranoid about every person who looks at me with anticipation.  This is simply a deplorable time of year and there is nothing much I can do about it.

You might think I am being irrational, but no one is chasing you around wanting to cut your head off.  No one is seeking to twist and pluck and stuff and bake you.  It isn’t pleasant, I tell you.  It’s easy for you to sit back and relax.

So I’m NOT thankful and don’t tell me differently.  You can talk all you want about God and blessings and grace and unconditional love.  It makes me little difference, as I’m sure you’d understand if you were in my shoes…. Or feathers.

So leave me along this Thanksgiving.  Let me enjoy my existence.

Sincerely,

Mr. Turkey

.

.

.

.

P.S.  Don’t be a turkey.  Be thankful.

Why? 

Because…..

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Cry Babies

Hello Emmanuel,

 My cat is a cry baby.  She didn’t always used to be that way.  When we first got her, she never meowed.  She sauntered around the house like she owned the place.  We gave her the driest, cheapest, cat food and water and she considered life as good and appropriate.  This went on for years…..

…. And then one day we ran out of cat food.  Instead of going to the store, we took the lazy way out and opened a can of tuna.  Our lives have forever been changed.

Now every time she hears us get the can opener out, she fully expects to get tuna (and since then, we have actually bought canned cat food.  Don’t ask.  I don’t know why.).  And she lets you know what she fully expects because she is the loudest meower I’ve ever met.  In addition, she winds herself around your feet as you try to fix your own breakfast.  I would get irritated with her, but it isn’t really her fault.  We have conditioned her to expect certain things.  Her standard of living has gone up.  And when it doesn’t stay up, we hear about it.

Sadly, humans are not much different.  We expect the world to meet our expectations based on what we have learned in the past.  What we forget is that circumstances are constantly changing.  We don’t live in a static world.  The uncertainty of every day can, in fact, slap us in the face.  Just ask the common ‘Joe’ (or Julien) in Paris, France.

I often think about how tough life was 20 years ago when Kim and I got together.  The thing is, I didn’t think it was all that tough pastoring 3 churches, managing 3 kids and making 1/3 of the income we do now.  But to think about going back to that circumstance now fills me with dread.  I have been conditioned.  I guess you could say I’m spoiled in a relative sense.

So now it is time to pause and give thanks.  It’s time to stop thinking about how bad you have it or had it and start thinking about how good you have it.  It’s time to thank God for having the opportunity to be conditioned to expect the daily blessings.  Consider that you, too, are spoiled.  Think about what your ‘can of tuna’ has been.  And if it isn’t the sound of a can opener, what is it that causes you to expect something good to happen every day. 

…. And if you don’t get the ‘tuna’, do you really want to be known as the cry baby?  Or do you want to saunter around your day, figuring out that life is still pretty good?

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Re-remembering

Hello Emmanuel,

My computer didn’t start up right today.  That is a great way to start a new day with high anxiety.  My laptop is several years old now and thus has all the work I’ve done since coming to Emmanuel.  That is a lot of sermons and meetings.  So any time my computer acts funny, I backup all my files onto my flash drive.  I learned that the hard way.  I once had a laptop suddenly die and lost 2 years’ worth of sermons. 

Do you backup your information?

I’m not talking about computers here.  I’m talking about re-enforcing what you know and what you believe.  There are those moments in life when humans act funny too—when there seems to be glitches—and we wonder what went wrong.  It is in those moments when we may need to take a breath and re-remember what we knew before.

I had the kind of October in which I had to do such.  I made myself re-remember the simple things about who I am and what I’ve learned:  I am not always in control of everything and to be okay with that; trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship; relationships are at the center of anything important in life; God knows all even when no one else does;  acting on what you think is true usually makes a bigger mess of what is actually true. 

Those are some of the basic matters of what I re-remembered.  What do you need to re-remember?  Maybe you need to write them down.  If you forget the basic lessons of life, you may end up going backwards.  God wants you to go forward.  Don’t lose your information.  God taught it to you for a reason.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

A New Month

Hello Emmanuel,

It’s a new month.

I normally like to say ‘it’s a new day’.  That is, what happened yesterday is over.  What will happen today has yet to be done.  Forget what happened the day before and look to what can be.  It’s a way to get past a bad day and hope for a good day.  However, what happens when you get a string of bad days?  What happens when taking it day by day doesn’t seem to be working?

It’s a new month.

I know that optimism doesn’t always come easy.  Negative experiences are imprinted on our brain.  When we have enough imprints, we start to expect more negative experiences.  Before you know it, you become that grumpy old person that you didn’t like when you were a kid (a kid, by the way, that thought the world was a fun, happy place).

Case in point, tomorrow we get to vote.  It is well documented that the common Joe is frustrated with our political system.  I won’t go into all the details here because… well…. I don’t want to remind us of our imprinted negative experiences.  But how do you approach the polls?  Are you the grumpy old person or the kid who is looking for the new day… or the new month?

Hanging onto hope, be it in the political world or otherwise, can be a daunting task.  So how do you become one of those odd people that stubbornly hold on to optimism even in the face of adversity?  Well, let me introduce you to Jesus.  He gives us every reason to be optimistic because, inevitably, in the end, life wins.  Death loses.

Over the next couple of Sundays I’m going to risk bring Jesus into the political realm.  No, I don’t have a death sentence.  I am going to be openly optimistic about the hope that Christ gives us when we find ourselves in a grumpy world.  And let me start my boldness by suggesting that the political part of our culture is a grumpy world.  Don’t believe me?  Watch any news network and observe money being made on grumpiness.  No one ever seems to look forward to having a guest looking for a new day (though that is often a phrase that is passed around), only one who is lamenting the current day or complaining about yesterday.  Money isn’t made on optimism.  Even the Christian-based news media struggles with this reality.

So come worship with us.  I won’t promise that I will be optimistic throughout Sunday morning, but I promise that Christ’s message will be.  It’s the real reason I keep showing up to work.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Undefeated

Hello Emmanuel,

I apologize if you get this late.  It is 11:59 A.M. as I type this, so technically it IS the Monday Morning Pulpit.  I have been reminded how busy things can get in the church.

The Bengals are 6-0 for the first time since I was a Junior in High School (1988).  I remember that my Junior year was my best year.  I got the best grades that year; scored a 26 on the ACT; batted .361 with 20 stolen bases in 21 games and wrote my first novel. 

 Do you remember your best year?  Have you had that time frame when everything seemed to be great?  Yes?  No? 

We have the habit of remembering the bad times.  I don’t know why.  Perhaps it is because feelings like sadness and fear are the two strongest emotions and they leave a deeper imprint.  But for this edition, I challenge you to think really hard on when the best time was for you.  I’ll give you a second……

Ok… second is over.  Got it?  Good.  Now I want you to consider the possibility, even if it the slightest possibility, that tomorrow or next week or next year is even better than the best you’ve ever had it.  Do you think that is possible?  Do you think God wants it to be possible? 

For it to be so, it starts with a mindset.  It starts with believing that God wants you to have a good, happy, fulfilling life.  It starts with the faith that says ‘With God, anything is possible’.  It then proceeds with you behaving like you expect things to go well.  Stop looking for monsters under every bed.  Walk like you know that God is on your side (or you are on God’s side).  Talk like the optimist God wants you to be.  You might have heard the phrase, ‘the power of positive thinking’.  I prefer to think of it as the power of faithful living.

Live like God has given you life.  Talk like Jesus has given you hope.  Love like you know what it means to be loved. 

The Bengals are on a bye next week.  You know what that means?  For the first time ever, they will be undefeated after the 7^th week of the season.  Who Dey!

Now I’m going to go tackle the rest of my Monday.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Do-Overs

Hello Emmanuel,

Ever want a do-over?

Vacations are counter-intuitive to the human condition.  In some ways, vacations are nothing more than an attempt to fool ourselves into thinking we don’t really want what we inherently want…… routine and predictability.

I’ve watched others become so controlling and intentional in planning and spending their vacation that they have just as much irritable stress as they have in their ‘regular’ life.  I shake my head (smh for those in the texting world) at how silly that looks on the surface.  It’s one of the reasons I like to cruise.  I don’t have to stress and plan.  I buy a plane ticket.  I buy a boat ticket.  Then wherever the boat takes me is where I go.  Kim is a little bit different.   I won’t go there.  It’s Monday and it will get me off to a rough start on the week.

But sometimes I want a do-over.

I didn’t go on a cruise last week.  I stayed around town.  In addition, I didn’t turn my phone off.  I didn’t turn my email off.  I didn’t turn my facebook off.  I didn’t turn my texting off.  In the kind of world that we live in now, I suppose I wasn’t really on vacation because I didn’t vacate much of anything that I would normally be connected with.  The only difference is that I didn’t respond to most of that which demanded my attention.  Instead I let it pile up until that day when I ‘got back to work’.  Guess what?  Today is that day.  Yea for me!

Sorry if I sound a bit grumpy.  It’s another silly reality of vacations.  Watching people get back to the grind is a whole lot more entertaining than being the person who is experiencing such.  So I’ll stop complaining now and perform an exercise that will help me get back into a healthy mind-set.  My iced tea is in front of me at Panera.  Ready?  Here we go:

The annual Craft Show is this Saturday.  We fill the church with crafters and make money to spend for missions.  There is also food!  It isn’t free, but it still tastes good.

We are collecting shoes for the local schools.  Bring them in.  It will fill a basic need for many kids which will make Jesus happy.

We are collecting candy for the Community Boo Bash on October 25^th.  It will fill a perceived need for kids which will at least make them happy.  I don’t know how Jesus feels about sugar rushes, but the community will once again feel welcomed at Emmanuel.

October 20^th starts the Grow Class intended to help people ‘grow’ in discipleship at Emmanuel.  It is a 6-week class from 7:00-8:00 (on Tuesdays).  The cost is $11.  Sign-up at church or call me (833-5219).

The next food pantry at Emmanuel is October 23^rd.  Help is needed from 9:00-1:00.

October 24^th is the bonfire at Ron Hill’s house (4039 Amelia-Olive Branch Road) at 6:00.  This is carry-in style.  Bring your food to roast and your chair to sit in and your heart with which to fellowship.

October 15^th (every Thursday at 7:00) starts a new Bible Study.  This one will be on 1^st and 2^nd Corinthians.

This Wednesday there will be a memorial service for David Bowman at the church building.  Russ’s brother passed away unexpectedly.  Visitation will be from 6:00-7:00 with the service starting at 7:00.  This is one of those opportunities to show love and life even in the midst of death. 

A meeting was held Sunday for those interested in helping in the Nursery ministry.  Contact Nicole Georg (Nicky.eby@gmail.com) if you are interested or call me (833-5219).

Charge Conference is this Sunday.  This means that Emmanuel leaders will be getting together to worship and prepare for the 2016 calendar year alongside other leaders of other UM churches.  This year the worship will take place at Amelia UMC at 3:00 with the conference following at 4:00.  Feel free to join us if you wish.

I know I didn’t get everything.  There are youth meetings and Finance meetings and Vision meetings and visits to make and prayers to pray and papers to fill out and small groups to group with and new ministry ideas to think up……

Busy enough?  Maybe.  But in the midst of it all, remember why we do it.

It’s because, when we really needed it, Christ gave us a do-over.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Holy Urinals, Batman!!

Hello Emmanuel,

So I went to my first comic convention this past weekend.  My 12 year-old has a fascination with super heroes and so I decided to take her to see what the hype was all about.  What I rediscovered was that I have the same fascination too.

I met Adam West at the urinal.  I know.  You didn’t expect to read that as part of the next paragraph.  For those of you too young to know who Adam West is, he was the ‘original’ batman in the 1960’s tv series.  I didn’t say anything to him (nor did I offer to shake his hand).  If I have to explain why, then you are too young to read this paragraph.

Through the next 3 hours or so, I saw and met a lot of people who were very comfortable looking out of place.  Indeed, because I was not in costume, I was the one who looked out of place.  Nevertheless, it was a fine time with Hope.  She got her picture with many characters and a few actors as well.  Adam West and Burt Ward?  Nope… wasn’t going to pay $100 for a picture.  I’ll settle for the awkward bathroom encounter.  It was free.

I saw a lot of people who didn’t care what I thought.  It was refreshing.  If they wanted to dress up like a hero even though they didn’t have the physique to do so, they did so anyway.  Good for them.  Tight clothing (or lack thereof) shouldn’t be worn by some people.  However, I wonder if many of us Christians could take a lesson from such attitudes.  Do you worry about what other people think of you?  Perhaps there are times when it is important (like job interviews), but are there times when you shouldn’t let it bother you?

God has made you unique.  You might not have super powers, but you do have gifts.  There are things that you have and things you can do that make you special.  You may or may not like those gifts, but trying to disguise yourself ends up hiding the person God made you to be.  There were no Clark Kents or Bruce Waynes at the convention… but a lot of supermans and batmans. 

If you are one that struggles with your uniqueness, I invite you to try going to a comic convention.  And if that doesn’t do anything for you, try going to a church.  Unique people are everywhere and often encourage the use of unique gifts.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Miss Me?

Hello Emmanuel,

Did you miss me?  I know 3 of you did.  For those of you who didn’t notice, I did not type an MMP last Monday.  It was Labor Day.  I was resting.

Aside from the fact that at least 3 people read this, I truly like typing the MMP.  I would probably do it even if no one read it.  It’s a form of journaling that I used to do way back in my college days… back when we used paper and pencils.

But I was resting.  It felt appropriate the day after I preached about Holy Rest.  It was a good day..

So perhaps you missed me and perhaps you didn’t.  I’m okay with it either way.  My ego isn’t so big that I would be appalled that you wouldn’t miss me (though my wife and my counselor is convinced I have narcissistic tendencies.  I’m not sure whose opinion bothers me more).  And my ego isn’t so small that I would be shocked if you missed me.  The fine line between humility and self-confidence is one I walk most days.  If clergy were honest, they would all say the same thing.  If they don’t, then I’d watch out for them.

So if you missed me, then I appreciate that.  Feeling missed is a good feeling.  It means I have a significant place somewhere in the expectations of your day.  Consider who else you might miss.  Certainly there are those we miss that have passed on from this life.  But are there others who you miss who have not?  Have you told them that you miss them?  Why not?

Letting know someone is missed is a form of love.  It lets them know that they are accepted and even expected to be a part of your life.  And since we are made to be in community and not isolated, feeling missed gives us a sense that we are doing what we are made to do. 

Sometimes church doesn’t do a good job of this.  It isn’t always someone’s fault, especially when church grows and multiplies.  There are various reasons why someone would not be missed on any given week.  However, I invite you to be observant of your surroundings, whether it be in worship, small groups, outreach events, etc.  Do you miss anyone?  Will you let them know?

Another aspect of missing people is knowing people.  While not every one of us seeks out numerous relationships to establish and nurture, the more people you know, the more likely it will be that you miss others…. And others will miss you.  While the church can do it’s best to connect with you, nothing can beat you making the effort to connect with others.

And when we love one another we will miss one another when there is an absence. 

Does God miss you?

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

What Are You Okay With?

Hello Emmanuel,

Will Hatfield shared an article with me that I wanted to use for this week’s MMP:  The 9 Sins The Church Is Okay With.

http://www.faithit.com/9-sins-the-church-is-okay-with/

I’m won’t review each one here, but I would like to comment on a few of them and invite you to consider your own perspective on these issues:

FEAR is a complicated issue in Scripture.  True, Jesus says ‘do not fear’ more than any other phrase.  Our current sermon series is on being brave.  However, I believe the author might over simplify it.  In the Hebrew language (as you Bible Study students might remember), ‘fear’ is the exact same word as ‘awe’.  And while this may not cause confusion in the texts that were originally written in greek, the Old Testament (which was originally in Hebrew) is known to carry the phrase ‘fear the Lord you God’ many more times than once.

So while fear can be a sin that we can gloss over way too much, it’s important to delineate between the kind of fear that keeps us from being the right kind of disciple versus the kind of fear (i.e. awe) that maintains our respect of the One who is really in charge.

I won’t speak much here on APATHY.  I’m on record many times moaning and groaning about the temptation to just not care enough.

I would very much like to substitute FLATTERY and COMFORT with ‘popularity’ and ‘contentment’.  I’m not sure these are fair substitutions, but his description of flattery seems to speak more about receiving approval from others instead of concerning yourself with pleasing God.  Also, I have no problem with being comfortable as long as I don’t allow it to flow to contentment.  When I become content, then I don’t want to leave my comfortable state to do what God wants me to do. 

The other sin I’ll comment on is CONSUMERISM.  We want, want, want and we’ll go to great lengths to buy it.  I just bought a 5^th television….. a 5^TH TELEVISION!!!  Ridiculous!!!  And I’m embarrassed to say that it embarrasses me.  Add to it the closet full of clothes (1/3 of which I almost never wear… and I got rid of 2 trash bags full this year alone); the garage full of toys that are never touched; the attic that has things that I may never look at again; .. on and on….  Consumerism can be… ummm… consuming….

I invite you to read the article and think on it.  You don’t need to agree with me, of course, but that isn’t the point.  That point is that we stay on our toes and don’t let those attitudes that can block us from God’s will to grow into uncontrollable monsters. 

This concludes my philosophical MMP for the month. 

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Your Spirit Yearns.....

Hello Emmanuel,

A new season is upon us.  Your spirit will have a yearning to do something.  What will it be?

Every time at this year I feel gears shift in my spirit.  My calendar tells me about the shifting schedules of what time is free and what isn’t, with kids starting school and vacations ending.  My mind starts thinking about shifting ministry programs.  New opportunities open up and, with it, new ideas.

What is your spirit yearning to do?

First, your spirit can be fed.  Here are a few of the many options:

*A new sermon series will start after Labor Day on the healthy habits of a healthy family.  I haven’t thought of a name yet.  Hopefully I can think of a cool one. 

*Bible Study starts Thursday, September 17^th at 7:00.  If you’ve never gave it a try, I promise it will be relevant to your walk with Christ.  It has also been known to be entertaining, though not always intentionally so (which makes it feel even more entertaining). 

*A new Jr. High Sunday School class will be getting under way.  We had a few step forward about teaching.  Way cool! 

*Choir will start again.  Glenda is always trying to find new voices.  Sometimes the spirit just wants to sing.

What is your spirit yearning to do?

Second, your spirit can feed others:

*We are collecting breakfast bars for Anna Vastine.  If you didn’t hear about it yesterday, some kids just fall through the cracks and don’t eat at home or at school in the morning.  Anna fills those cracks with the help of teachers… and now with the help of Emmanuel.  Bring them next Sunday (without peanut butter).

*IPM and the Traveling Food Pantry continues through September and October

*The Hospitality Team is in need of ushers and greeters for Sunday mornings.  Sometimes the spirit just wants to welcome others.

*A Cruise-In is scheduled for September 12^th.  Rumor has it that it is going to be bigger than last year.  It will be a great opportunity to invite others to church. 

What is your spirit yearning to do?  There are other opportunities than what I just listed, and not just at Emmanuel.  Wherever you are, your spirit will have a yearning to do something this coming season.  Listen closely.  God will speak.  And then go do it.  Blessings will abound.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Land Lines, Jelly and Herbert Hoover

Hello Emmanuel,

I googled ‘43’ this morning and found out more than I ever wanted to know.  I won’t bore you with the details, but there is a movie; a U.S. Code about Public Lands;  prime number information for all you math geeks; a Spanish liqueur made from secret recipe; a metro route to downtown Seattle; and some sort of Biblical number formula that leads to ‘exceeding great joy’. 

So I was going to write about how turning 43 years old is a boring day.  I was wrong.  I have so much in common with the world, clearly.  It started with inconveniencing my mother by deciding to enter the world 43 years ago.  I don’t remember the event, but I’m sure I inconvenienced her, which started a long journey of inconveniencing her.  Maybe that is why she called me on my land line this morning at 7:00 AM.  She didn’t even say a whole lot.  I think just making my phone ring was a ‘happy birthday’ enough.  It wasn’t enough.  The village decided to run the wood chipper across the street.  !@#$%^&

Once awake, I heard someone scrounging around in the kitchen.  No one is in the kitchen at 7:00 AM on a summer morning.  I went downstairs to find scrambled eggs, toast (with a thick layer of jelly) and a banana…. with 2 kids smiling weakly at me as if it say, ‘happybirthdayhurryupandeatsowecangobacktobed’.  They must love me.

I share a birthday with Herbert Hoover, my Son-In-Law and my wife’s cousin’s wife.  I’m not sure what that means, but I thought I’d throw it in here just because.

Truth is, it’s a reminder of another year of blessings; another year of some happy days; some grumpy days; and many days when I’m just content with a very unique life.  I’m going to spend the day doing what I like to do.  Among them is writing this MMP and helping the church go around in a circle (and maybe a Marion’s pizza).

Thanks for all the ‘Happy Birthdays’.  And when yours comes around, I hope you are just as content.  You certainly are just as unique.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Stabilize Your Universe

Hello Emmanuel,

Every calendar year has those transitional months that shifts our lives or redirect our paths.  It is August.  For our household, August is one of those months.  And it can be a stressful months as so much about our schedule changes.

Joey is in band camp and starts Cross Country practice.  Hope starts cheerleading (and cheerleading drama) this year (insert a ‘yea!’ here… sarcastically, of course).  School starts too, which means daily schedules all get busier.  Kids have to wake up earlier than 10:00 (tee hee) and lunches at home turn into packed lunches for school.  I will need to schedule meetings around athletic events and music concerts too.  Vacations end.  Homework begins.  And, for us, we will once again dive into the world of college visits.  This begins the lament of college bills.  They calendar cycle continues…

How do I cope, you ask? 

They key for the disciple is to keep an even keel with God through it all.  God is the most consistent part of our lives in every phase of our calendar year.  He was and is and will be.  Babies grow into teens which grow into adults.  Parents turn gray (or go bald).  We lose loved ones and gain new loved ones.  We make money.  We spend money.  We get things.  We get rid of things.  We have sad days.  We have happy days.  But as we experience the cycle of life, there is God…. The same God who was and is and will be.  He is a Blesser and a Comforter.  He is good.

 I encourage you to spend time with the one Consistent Being every day throughout your existence.  The foundation upon which you see life as mostly a gift and not mostly a stress is God who breathed life into you.  Even if it is a 2 minute time of prayer, create a daily reminder of whose you are.  Have a moment every day when you think about the One who doesn’t change, but stays consistent throughout all months, years and generations.  Lean on the One who brings stability to the Universe.

I find that when I do, transitional months like Augusts become a whole lot more fun.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

P.S.  Keep an eye out for another email, detailing the 2 events that are upon us (National Night Out and the Back-To-School Bash).  It will be sent via the Church Newsletter email list.  If you want to receive this, be sure that your profile on the website is selected to receive the newsletter.  If you don’t receive it today and need assistance, contact me or Shawn.

To Hell In A Handbasket?

Hello Emmanuel,

In a conversation with a church member yesterday, it was noted how heavy the world seems today--just a lot of stuff… serious stuff… ugly stuff…. the kind of stuff that affects the human spirit.

Combine the violence of shootings and beatings and floods with the cultural battles over same-sex marriage.  Then combine that with tensions around gender identity and flags with the international disgust over ISIS and jihadists.  The world just gets ‘ugly’.  I can’t think of any better word to use.  There are moments when I find myself thinking like my grandparent’s generation:  ‘The world is going to hell in a handbasket.’

And then there is the conversation I had with my brother yesterday.  It didn’t have to do with the ugliness of the world, but with the smallness of the world.  With communication opportunities at an all-time high (social media like facebook, twitter, instagram and endless numbers of blogs and on-line ‘newspapers’ and numerous tv stations), nothing can get past the media today.  And if the media misses it, someone with a camera on their phone will catch it.  Oh, who are we kidding?   Everyone with a smart phone IS the media.  Everything can and will be known.  And most of the time, everything that gets told about, gets told about with a bias… sometimes a heavy bias…. Sometimes an unfair bias?  Who knows?

So here is the question:  is the world an uglier place?  Or are our endless communication techniques just better at uncovering the ugliness that has always been there?  How would our spirits be affected differently if there had been such social media in the 1940’s?  Could you imagine a German officer’s video clip taken at a concentration camp going viral?  Or someone in the 1800’s taking a selfie with their chained-up slaves who had just been taken from their African village and boarded onto the ships to take to the colonies… and then posting the selfie on facebook?  How about the burning witch trials in Massachusetts going on Instagram?  Or CNN with a reporter in Kentucky when brother was shooting at brother during the Civil War?  Or the invasion of Native American tribes because the white man wanted more land?  I could go on and on…..

And what if there was Twitter or Instagram when Israel invaded or got invaded by a foreign country?  What about in the 1^st century when Jesus walked the walk to Calvary?  Could you imagine that on YouTube?  How would our spirits be affected?

My thoughts are this:  the sins of the world have always been present—even the really ugly, heavy sins that disgust us.  We are just better at seeing them and hearing them.  We have little choice but to take it all in and contemplate the results.  It is much more difficult to ignore them or hide from them or claim ignorance.

And with the increased knowledge of the sins of the world hopefully comes the increased knowledge of our need for God’s redeeming grace.  It is more difficult than ever to claim that the world is an okay place.  Maybe there was a simpler day when someone (perhaps on Walton’s mountain?) could possibly think the world was okay, if not perfect.

We have always needed God’s redemption.  We are just more aware of our need than ever. 

So if your heart is heavy with all of the world’s ugliness, consider this:  perhaps the world hasn’t changed nearly as much as your awareness of the world. 

And may your awareness for your need of God’s grace change just as much.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

A Different Approach

Hello Emmanuel,

July 18^th is Vacation Bible School.  July 17^th at 5:30 is the set-up for VBS.  We need help.

I’ve received a few questions regarding the move to have a 1-day VBS.  Many of us are used to the week-long VBS.  There are not really any strong reasons to go one direction or the other.  Beth and I felt it worth it to try the 1-day to see if there is any difference in response, both from the community as well as from the church.

July 18^th is going to be a family-oriented VBS.  Parents, grandparents, etc; are encouraged to participate with their child for the one day.  One-day VBS’s are becoming a small trend among churches as it also decreases the commitment and resources needed to pull it off while still creating an outreach ministry that invites community participation.

As some of you know, I’m not afraid to experiment.  Beth isn’t afraid either.  It’s what makes us a dangerous duo.  I feel it important to tweak things every now and then to see if we aren’t missing important opportunities.  Sometimes we find out that we are.  Sometimes not.  Either way we can evaluate and plan for next year accordingly.

Set-up for VBS is Friday at 5:30.  If you can’t help on Saturday, consider showing up on Friday to see how you might be able to lend a hand.  Or if you have more questions, you can call Beth Pollitt at 404-9360 or you can call me at 833-5219 (though Beth probably has more answers).

Help us continue to show the community that our doors are open and they are welcome to come in and be a part of what we do:  sharing Good News of God.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe