It was such an amazing example of the body of Christ each doing its part to make the whole succeed.  When one part was down (me) the rest (you) stepped up and took on the slack that was created and we never missed a beat.  You are amazing!  You inspire me!  Thanks for being such a beautiful picture of Christ’s body in action to me and the communities that God has called us to serve.

Awed, Inspirited, and Thankfully,

Jerry

Let’s be aware this fall and not let us or our children’s lives become so busy that we forget about those important relationships that shape our lives.

First is our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Make sure you are taking time everyday to read and meditate on his word, talk to him threw pray, listen to what he want to say to you, tell him thanks for all the great things in your life and maybe just praise him for who he is.

Make sure your family times aren’t just spent on logistics: Don’t let all your conversations with your spouse be about rides, assignments and responsibilities.  Take time to ask, “how was your day, how am I doing at loving you, and how are we doing.”  Make sure you are building relationships with your kids and parents and asking them about their friends, their thoughts, their feeling and not just their schedules and grades.

Make sure to go out with a friend: buy them lunch or just a coffee and be determined to stay in touch weekly despite the extra effort it will require.  Develop those relationships that challenge and inspire you.

Make sure you aren’t so busy that you don’t have time to volunteer and help others.  Slow down at the grocery store, on your way to the office and look in the faces of all those people God has placed in and around your life.  And ask regularly, “Lord, what would you have me do?”

I know it feels like a starting pistol, just fired and we are off to the races now through Christmas, I feel it too, but don’t race past the really important stuff.

Lord,

Give us grace and wisdom to live our lives so that they reflect you to everyone around us.

Jerry

Special thanks have to go to Bob, Mel and Kelly for all there hard work to bring us together and pull the whole thing off, Niki Palas for the sour pickles, Everyone for showing up and for me personally Steve Stephens for being the best friend anyone could want, and Carrie for putting up with all of my nonsense.

Thanks Lord,

I guess you really did know what you were doing all those years ago when we were kids and everything seemed so hard.  Sorry I ever doubted you!

Jerry

As we have gone through our series Retro, we have looked back on a number of decades in american pop culture and celebrated the good, the bad and the 80′s (yeah, that fits).  But I think it is fitting for us to take a look back at the seasons of our lives and ask some good, honest questions: What lessons did I learn, What should I be thankful for, What do I need to make a right, or what was left undone.  Sometimes these questions can’t be totally answered, some things can’t be fixed or resolved, in those cases, let’s listen to Paul, Let it go!  Press forward!

Anyway, no great revolation, but just a thought for this week.

Jesus,

Give me the peace to accept the things I can’t change

the courage to change the things I can

and the wisdom to know the difference.

(Yes this is my version of the serenity prayer)

Your son,

Jerry

Maybe we do it because we don’t understand the nature of Grace.  Grace is the scandalous love of God that embraces us despite our sin, wounds and imperfections.  Grace is what allows a perfect God to love a perfect screw-up like me.  Augustine, one of the early church father’s was so taken by the Grace of God that he once said, sin and sin big so that you can encounter God’s grace, or something like that.  And while I don’t agree with his statement, I get it!  I have felt that warm embrace of the soul that says, I don’t care who you are or what you have done, I love you, and I am glad you are home.

But Grace is more than that.  Grace isn’t just the embrace of restoration after the mistake, it is the power to keep us together as well.  Sure, if I drink too much this weekend, God’s grace will welcome me back.  If I look, or act inappropriately with that beautiful woman, or man for some of you, God’s grace will heal my heart and restore me.  But how deep can a relationship really grow that is only marked by forgiveness.  Grace is not just the power to be forgiven, it is the power to walk rightly with God.  Something formerly I could not do, I was a slave to my passions.

So this weekend, I am going to lean on Grace, not to restore me on Sunday, but to keep me on Friday and Saturday.

Father,

Thanks for send Jesus.  I am sorry that I have made too little of what He has done, thinking only of the forgiveness that He offers and not learning to lean on Him to keep me.  Please hold me up this weekend.  Don’t let me do something I will regret, say something that I will have to apologize for, or become someone I feel the need to hide.  May your grace cause my life to be wide open, honest, transparent and full.

I really love you and look forward to the day when we will be together all the time,

Your Son and slow learner,

Jerry

Podcasts:

Greg Boyd (Woodland Hills Church)

Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast (Northpoint Church)

Francis Chan (Cornerstone Church)

Dave Gibbons (NewSpring)

Craig Croeschel (LifeChurch.tv)

Rob Bell (Mars Hill)

Matt Chandler (The Village Church)

There are more, but seriously, do you need to know everything I do?

Books:

The Monkey and the Fish, Dave Gibbons

Less Clutter, Less Noise, Don’t remember

The Millionaire Next Door, Stanley/Danko

Love and Respect, Emmerson Eggerichs

Son of Hummas, Long Arabic Name Here

So Beautiful, Leonard Sweet

The Art of War, Sung

The Muslim Prayer Book and Qur’an

Bible (I read it through once every year, the NT & Psalms twice and the Gospels at least three times)

Some of this stuff is great, some has been like weed-eating, good, but a lot of work, and some honestly was a complete waist of my time and has made me truly “stupider”!

Anyway, that’s what I am eating, or as some may say, becoming, what about you?

Jerry

Sarah Gilmore is a nurse from our congregation who is currently serving in Haiti with the relief effort.  When the time finally came to be able to go and serve the call was specific, “we need medical workers” and Sarah responded.  Johnny Johnson, is lying in a hospital today and will be all week, having chemo treatments.  Through it all, nearly a year now, he has maintained a Christ-like attitude and an absolute confidence in God’s love and faithfulness.

Heb. 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”  I wonder if anything is more appropriate for us today.  Here in our midst we find such outstanding examples of Heroic faith in the simplest and most unassuming places, so then, let us, get rid of what is holding us back and run this race and live our lives in such a way that honors God as much as these two.

Father,

Forgive me when my life, my thoughts, my hopes, my kids, consume me.  Help me Lord to live each day, selflessly for you, so that other may see my life and glorify you.

Jerry

It is those moments and places where the distance and obstacles the separates us from God seem smallest, when this world and that seem to mingle and you would swear if only for a moment you caught a glimpse of God himself.  Maybe a smell in the air, a song on the wind, the smile in the face of a stranger, but for a moment of for a time you are here but somewhere else, or maybe somewhere else is here.  It is hard to say, but you know it when you have been there, when you have experienced it.

I love finding that time and stealing away.  It is with an expectation and a hope that I go to find him again in that unique way.  Sure I pray as I trust you do, I sing, I meditate on His word I do all those things but this is different, unique.  And I think we all experience it in different ways.

Sometimes it just happens, God breaks through when we didn’t expect it in ways and times when we wouldn’t have thought.  But there are familiar places too.  Places where we have met him more than once.  Places where our souls seem more free, our eyes and ears more attuned and spirits soar.  Where is that place for you?  When was the last time you went, and what keeps you from going more often.

If you haven’t been in a while I want to encourage you to go and get a glimpse of God.

Jerry

Father,

I thank you that you have said, “when we seek you, we will find you.”

a seeker,

Jerry

We will be doing a retro series with some wild throw back outfits, Our social Justice month, another “Sexy” Summer Series (Yuck, teenagers beware!), we will ordain a minister, have some guest speakers, and have place to be in some local parks.

I hope you sense this summer is going to be ridiculous, so make plans to laugh, cry, invite friends, feel challenged and challenge others.  This is going to be the best summer even!

Father,

Thank you for the seasons.  Thanks for this beautiful river valley and opportunity to take advantage of it.  Help us never take for granted the great natural blessings that are everywhere and help us make the most of each season for what it is.

In awe,

Your son