Monday Morning Pulpit - If You Haven't Noticed..

Hello Emmanuel,

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, I am moved to remind all of us of the many acts of grace that go on behind the scenes that help the church be the church.  Some people like to be behind the scenes; don’t necessarily look for attention; believe anonymity is always a good thing; and some can even get a bit perturbed when a simple thank-you comes their way.  To them I say:  ‘Stop reading now.  It might perturb you’.

I am thankful for the Trustees of Emmanuel.  There is an interesting history amidst the Trustees of Emmanuel, dating back to the large building project a decade ago.  However, I believe there is a saying in regards to the Trustees of any church that is not unlike being an umpire or referee of a baseball game.  They only get noticed when things are not going well.

The Trustees have the 2^nd largest budget of any of the 12 ministry teams.  There is a reason for this (and a valid argument that their budget should be larger).  They have to make sure that the things you don’t notice when you walk into the building stay un-noticed.  For example, no one notices the carpet until the carpet is dirty.  No one notices the parking lot unless it gets potholes.  No one notices the tree until it falls on a car.  No one notices the roof until it leaks.  No one notices the bathrooms until you are told you can’t use it.  No one notices the parsonage (and some don’t even know where it is…. See?  The pastor likes anonymity too.) until the 82 gallon hot water heater stops working.

Not that we should look for attention.  That isn’t my point.  We should do what God Calls us to do because God is good to us.  Period.  However, sometimes God also wants us to find that person who likes anonymity and say ‘thank you’.

Now no ministry team is perfect (and, no, I’m not going to list all of our flaws) and the Trustees are no exception.  There are projects that get stuck in adverse limbo.  However, I think there is a unique challenge for a team that does behind-the-scenes work.  When the Worship Team does well, you can see it in front of you… experience it.  When the Missions Team does well, it gets celebrated and we feel glad for helping those in need.  But when the Trustees do well, it can be missed because it’s their job to help you NOT notice the assumptions you make (a smooth parking lot, an unleaky roof, a working bathroom, a clean carpet).

So I want to say ‘thank you’ to the Trustees.  Some of them may not like the attention, but too bad (I already told you to stop reading after the first paragraph).  The building is getting used 6 or 7 days a week by 300+ people every week.  There are unique challenges that come with such a schedule.  It isn’t easy.  The Trustees have worked all year to step up their game.  While they are not where they want to be, positive steps forward have been taken….. even if you haven’t noticed.  Momentum is being gained.

Elevator inspections; fire alarm management; hiring cleaners; fixing leaky pipes; replacing dishwashers; fixing furnaces; changing light bulbs; fixing toilets; tweaking sump pumps; painting; replacing broken windows; getting keys made; shampooing carpets; ….  Why am I trying to list everything????

Thank you.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

When And How To Whine

Hello Emmanuel,

It’s Monday.  Not only is it Monday, but it is a Monday when I get to sit at an insurance meeting for clergy.  Yea!  Rah!  I’m so thrilled at such an event that I chose to not even dress up like a professional.  I’m wearing my Reds hoodie and warm-up pants.  It’s my version of protest.  (yes, I realize that no one cares).

If you want my blood pressure to go up, bring up issues of the insurance/medical world to me.  Then when my blood pressure goes up, send me to a doctor.  Then wait until I get a bill.  Then watch my blood pressure go up.  It’s a vicious cycle.  It’s actually a genius move for the insurance/medical world… if I actually believed in conspiracies.

So I’m not exactly thrilled right now.  I could go into details and talk about things like $10,000 deductibles and what all isn’t covered and how over-charged I am for things I can buy at Walmart… but I don’t want to sound like I’m whining…  then again, it’s probably too late for that.

But here is the irony of it all and the one reason I shouldn’t be whining:  my wife is an occupational therapist.  As an occupational therapist, she is given the privilege of reaping the benefits of being in the insurance/medical world.  It is the one reason I can’t cry too loud.  This mixed blessing/curse leads me to this week’s topic.

I’m very careful when and how I complain.  I’m also very careful in when and how I celebrate.  (I know this might be hard for some of you to believe).  What is a curse for one can be a blessing for another.  So as I pastor a church, I try to be careful.  It’s one of the reasons you don’t hear me talk Republican/Democrat stuff or conservative/liberal stuff.  There’s too much blessing and curse(ing) on both sides of the fence.  (However, I reserve the right to complain about the Steelers and Yankees.  This isn’t hypocrisy if God is a Cincinnati fan…. I mean, God IS a Cincinnati fan.. right?)

This isn’t to say I never complain or celebrate when it comes to certain topics.  However, I am encouraged to stay focused on God.  God gives me plenty to fill my day.  God keeps my mind and heart and spirit very busy.  Granted, my job gives me an advantage in that I’m reminded every day what and who I should be focused on.  However, even I can become distracted and sucked into issues and arguments that may not matter so much in the realm of God’s concerns and joys.

So I encourage you to stay focused.  Don’t hesitate to ask the question: ‘does this matter to God?’  Even if you don’t know the answer, just asking the question will remind you that not everything is worth complaining or celebrating about.  It may save you some precious time and decrease your blood pressure... much to the demise of the insurance/medical world.

The insurance representative is still talking.  She probably thinks I’m typing all the ‘important’ information that she is sharing.  Most of it is greek to me.  I think I’ll let me wife handle it.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

My Cat Doesn't Care

Hello Emmanuel,

First, thanks to everyone who showed appreciation to me during Pastor’s Appreciation Month.  In a Call that can be very challenging, it’s encouraging to be reminded how loved I am. 

But my cat doesn’t care……

Dora has a good life and a very strong personality.  We call her Catdog (based off an old cartoon) because she has dog-like characteristics.  She knows that when Kim gets up in the morning that it is time to eat, but she won’t eat until Kim is in the same room.  She will go to bed with us when it is time and sleep at the foot of the bed until we disturb her enough… then she sleeps beside us on the floor.  She waits at the picture window while we are gone and runs to the door when we get home.  She doesn’t bark, but it is probably because she thinks she is too cool to do so.  She knows when she is doing something wrong (like trying to sneak outside or into the garage) and expects to be chastised when she gets caught.  She snores quite loudly at times and likes to play around 8:00 at night.  You can see how she may think the world revolves around her.

So while I may feel very appreciated….. my cat doesn’t care.

There is a lot of debate about the state of an animal’s soul (or even if there is one).  I won’t go into that debate here, though biblically one could go either way.  What I want to focus on is the uniqueness of us humans and what we DO know about us.

We care that we love each other.  This really comes through in a healthy church.  Over the past month I experienced more than appreciation.  I’ve been experiencing more than a few moments when people chose to love each other.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I got warm, fuzzy feelings.

And the love is being developed into ministry programs as well.  We started a new Small Group yesterday.  It was a great start and if you are not a part of a Small Group, you are invited to try this one out through mid December (Sundays at 7:00 PM). 

Tiffany McGuire has scheduled a meeting for volunteers for the new Elder and Family Care Ministry.  It will be November 14^th at 6:30.

Youth continues to schedule events and Saturday worship for adults AND Children is off to a good start (we had 7 kids last Saturday).

God loves us.  And though my cat may not care, I still like it when a plan comes together.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe