I admit it, I enjoy Christmas movies. We have a bunch of them at home that we recorded on the VCR over the years. Last year and this I have copied a dozen of them onto DVD. There is just something about them that I enjoy. The hope, the promise, the disappointments sometimes, and the possibility of love turning out OK. I am so glad that God sent us Jesus and that there are so many ways to express what that means.
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Just found this bit of news today and thought it was interesting. Men Happier Last year, a team of researchers added a novel twist to something known as a time-use survey. Instead of simply asking people what they had done over the course of their day, as pollsters have been doing since the 1960s, the researchers also asked how people felt during each activity. Were they happy? Interested? Tired? Stressed? Men enjoy being with their parents, while women find time with their mom and dad to be slightly less pleasant than doing laundry. In the early ’70s, women reported being slightly happier than men. Today, the two have switched places. Since the ’60s, men have gradually cut back on activities they find unpleasant. They now work less and relax more. Over the same span, women have replaced housework with paid work and are spending more time doing things they don’t enjoy. Women now have a much longer to-do list than they once did. NY Times 9/26/07 I know, I know, nothing good can come of ...
Christmas at our house is definitely getting underway. My two teenage daughters have decorated the tree and I enjoy turning on the lights and enjoying the mood. It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. So here's the tree, two special ornaments with my girls' pictures as babies, and a dancing Santa nearby. Celebrate Christmas.
Evel Knievel became a Christian not long before his death. As interesting as this video is to watch of his jumps and then of his testimony, it is also interesting to read the comments that people posted on the GodTube.com web site. Some said he couldn't be a Christian. But I am so glad to know that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Paul Baloche
This is a great song to listen to and now you can hear it while you watch this video. Enjoy
Today I decided to experiment with doing a video to post online. So I set up my camcorder, ran it directly onto the computer, and then edited it some. After that it was an easy matter to post it to YouTube and then link that to the Friendship Community Church web site and then to here. I can see why people enjoy video blogs. I'll probably do some more of this and hopefully improve along the way. In any case, Christmas is coming and I hope you will feel welcome to attend at Friendship or find a church where you are to celebrate this season of Jesus' birth. Merry Christmas!
You never know what you will find when you look in the newspaper . Today I grabbed a paper to read as I sat down for lunch at McDonald's. I read through the front section and as I moved on in the paper I saw a picture of a friend who is starting a new church in York, PA. His name is Don Record and he is beginning actionchurch . Well, truthfully he is not beginning it, it has already begun. For the last year Don has been meeting people and reaching out to help people in various ways. This is the heart of actionchurch, to be a group of Christ followers who aren't content to sit around and talk religion. Actionchurch is named as it is to remind all of us that to follow Christ is a call to action. We all need to reach out and help someone. In the background of the picture is Dennis Hall, Pastor at Friendship Community Church where I work as Worship Pastor. Dennis and I met Don in Washington D.C. a few months back at a seminar. Now we are encouraged by Don and his desire to plant ...
This weekend I had the opportunity to preach at church. We took time to look at life as "The Amazing Race." Along the way, we spent time resting, praying, listening to God. This morning I came upon this video that reminded me that "The Amazing Race" is all around us and the question is, "What would you do?"
For the last few months I have been watching a new TV show called "Journeyman." In fact I have recorded all seven episodes to DVD. I had a feeling from the initial promos for it that I would like it so I started recording it from the beginning. I am glad I did. So why would I think I would like this show? Well, to begin with I have a confession to make to you. I have liked time travel stories since childhood. I don't know why, but the idea of traveling back through time has intrigued me for years. And yes, I did like "Quantum Leap" and catch it in reruns when I can. "Journeyman" is good not only because of the time travel but because of the relationships in the show. There is Dan the Journeyman's relationship with his brother. Some usual strains between brothers but also strained by something else...Dan married his brother's girlfriend. Yeah his brother, a police officer by the way, and the brother's girlfriend where already broken up but ...
In my job as worship pastor I get to look at a lot of video clips from a lot of sources. One of my favorite resources for videos (and I'm not just saying this because they are going to give me a free video...really I'm not) is sermonspice.com. I check them regularly because they have some really good videos...and once a month at least they put up one that is a free download...(hey, you can get it free too). This year we bought one to use at Easter called "Easter Then What." It is a takeoff on a YouTube type of video where someone sits in a room, turns on the camera and talks. It was really meaningful to hear him talk about how good it is to hear about the resurrection of Christ...but then what happens in our daily lives? What difference does it all make? A very valid and important question. Check out the video here and see what you think. http://www.sermonspice.com/search?fpage=1&q=easter%20then%20what
A few weeks back a group from church spent a weekend at Doubling Gap Center, our church camp in the mountains. On Saturday morning we awakened to fog in the trees and I snapped this picture. Like life, beauty arises after the storm and as the sun rises again. If only I could remember this in the middle of the storm. And you know what, there is beauty even in the middle of the storm as well.
It was only a few months ago that my two daughters, Rosie and Emily, returned from their summer mission trip to Mexico. While there they fell in love with the children in the migrant camp and town they went to while serving Jesus and making Him known in practical ways. Makes me wonder how I can do the same right where I live.
I recently viewed a new video series called "Crave" with Erwin McManus. Wow, what a video project. The question is asked, "What does your soul crave?" The three videos suggest that at least some of what we crave is intimacy, destiny, and meaning. I agree. Each video comes with a brief introduction to the theme, then the video drama, and it concludes with Erwin McManus wrapping it up. Then what could follow would be discussion. Or if you see them yourself, as I did, you have lots to think about. The videos are very interesting and well done. They have great surprise endings. If you want to see more, check out the ad for the series at: http://www.soulcravings.com/ I plan to get hold of the book Soul Cravings and read it. But meanwhile check out these movies. They are stand alone short films that are very thought-provoking.
I discovered (thanks to http://www.churchmedia.net ) a great video about how we can always turn back to Jesus. http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5 It's five and a half minutes long and well worth the time. It reminds me of how we can start out so close to Jesus and then get distracted...but He is always there to intervene when we call out to Him.
It's the beginning of a new school year. My wife, Diane, who is the head cook at a middle school, and our youngest daughter, Emily, who is a high school sophomore this year, headed off to school this morning...bright and early. Ah, new beginnings...a fresh start...a brand new day! Who knows what will lie ahead for them this year...or for me for that matter. But summer is coming to an end and it is time for a new season of life. This weekend our oldest daughter, Rosie, will head for college for her second year. Meanwhile it is time for studies, work, dramas, and more. For getting up early again, which allows for the possibility for an occasional nap. So venture on all of you students, parents, and school staffers out there...it's time for a new year of friendship, study, and school lunches. (And did I mention the chance for a nap after getting everyone off to school?)
Yesterday my backup computer broke...went down...bit the bullet...bought the farm...anyway, it froze up and stopped working. My backup computer mind you, the one I use when the other one isn't working. Yep it is sure good to have backup..."send in backup"...but even backup can disappoint. The good news? Gary fixed my main computer this week so late afternoon he hooked up my main computer and took home the backup computer to fix. The moral of this story? Computers aren't our real backup, people are our backup. Computers are nice to have. But a good friend, a co-worker in serving others, gives true meaning to the phrase, "I need backup." I sure do.
I'm back to work after visiting with family over the weekend. We drove to where my Dad and step-mother live and my brother and his family drove there also. I also saw a nephew, his wife, and another nephew's wife, and a lot of my three nephew's children. It takes a lot of energy to get together with family these days. But it's worth it. The connections last a lifetime...and beyond. Getting together with family reminds me how fortunate I am to have people who want to get together. I am a lucky man. I am not alone.
It's easy to forget, or at least not pay attention to, how much God has given us. Check out this video called "God Pie." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upmyrinWq64 We try our best to pay our bills so we can have "things" and a place to live and a car to drive...even some extras that we just "have to" have. But where does it all come from?
Not long ago I got to sit down with different people and just video them sharing miracles that had happened in their lives or the life of someone close to them. It is amazing to hear about God touching someone's life. One of the stories was by a Mom who had a child who died. It's worth watching. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq3ZMN1sRSg In some very special ways, God lets us know that we are loved and that everything is going to be OK. That doesn't mean that life isn't hard, just that we will get through as we keep trusting God. And if you like to see and hear stories, search for "richnjesus" at www.YouTube.com
Today I tried to hook up the backup computer at Friendship Community Church to use in worship this weekend. I thought I could do it, but I couldn't. Oh I switched around some connections but that didn't get the job done. Finally, I just admitted to myself that if it was up to me and my computer skills, there wouldn't be a computer in use for worship this weekend. Admitting it led me to calling the person I knew who could fix things. I did. He did. And now the tech guy will have a computer to use this weekend to put up lyrics, sermon notes, announcements, and videos. I was reminded once again how much we all need others, I know I sure do.
Back to work today after a week off. It was nice to be on vacation with my family but I also enjoyed going back to work today. I like my job and the people I work with. However...today I wasn't loving my computer. It went out again (I had trouble just a month ago) and I spent too much time trying to get it to work, unsuccessfully. I am glad for a backup computer. Never had to use it yet to run lyrics and sermons for weekend worship but this may be the time it gets used. And I had actually backed up what I needed (after last month's problems) from the "broken" computer to the backup one. Good timing. When our days don't go as planned and things fall apart, it's good to have a backup.
Just got back Saturday morning, about 2 a.m., from our family vacation in New York City. It was great to spend time with my wife and our two daughters in the big city. We saw Times Square, took in a musical--"Grease"--, rode the subway, looked around some stores including Tiffany's, FAO Schwartz (toys), Toys-'R-Us, Macy's, and more...saw the sites from the observation deck on the Empire State building, rode the Staten Island Ferry and saw the Statue of Liberty...and then saw Ground Zero, the World Trade Center site. All in all we laughed, were amazed, moved, and really enjoyed seeing New York City. No great insights here...just was incredible how good it was to spend time with family in a place that we all enjoyed together. But then, that's always worthwhile to remember.
For nine days my two daughters were off to Mexico on a mission trip. They flew to San Diego, California, and then drove 200 miles into Mexico with a group of other students and adults. Each day they met together for worship, spent time sharing hugs and musical dramas, and experienced life in a small town in Mexico and in a migrant camp. Quite an experience for them. My wife and I were really looking forward to their return...and they returned. It was so nice to see them again and have all of us in our family together. It made me think about how God must feel when his family comes home, must be quite a great experience in heaven. God knows what is going to happen and still enjoys the moment when people come home to Him.
I started my book...again. Page one is done. Ever notice how things that you think you really want to do are sometimes the hardest to find time to do? Meanwhile I have developed my web page with a song that I wrote this year, a video I did awhile back, and some pictures. http://www.easysite.com/FriendshipCommunity Check it out. God has each of us doing all kinds of things. The most important is to see the people right around us and love them and serve them.
Tonight I have been up late reading in the Bible in the New Testament book of Romans. In Chapter One "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle" writes in verse 16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." ((NRSV) I am not ashamed of the gospel...the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith... So if we are not to be ashamed of the gospel then we will want to share it. But first I found myself on my knees praying to God, asking for forgiveness, praying that He would be first in my life...not what I think would make me happy but simply wanting God to be first in my life. What does that mean? I don't know exactly ... but I do know that if God is first in my life that I will ask Him to guard my heart. I will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness...and let the rest fall into place in His timing. Also in this first chapter of Roman...