One Pastor's Perspective

I watched Dateline: NBC last night after hearing about it yesterday. I was talking to Kenney in the Y and someone mentioned it. I asked him about it, and he told me he was concerned how Dateline might portray the Florence County Sheriff’s Department. He also told me there is much more to the story than would be mentioned.

Watching the first hour, I thought Kenney’s concern was right: They were making the FCSO look like the bumbling Mayberry outfit, stereotypical of the south. But, I watched on. In the end, I thought Kenney looked like the ONLY SANE person in the story. And I appreciate that.

I am proud of our Sheriff, of his men, and of what they do for us EVERYDAY. As for an unsolved murder, there are several things about that:

1. No one will solve EVERY CRIME. It is a fact of law enforcement that detectives do not like, but it IS a fact.

2. The “film-makers” in the story (the victim’s brother AND the action hero / director / cop from Michigan) definitely know more than they are telling about this story. Both tried to discredit Kenney and our State Law Enforcement Division. BOTH FAILED.

3. God DOES KNOW who did this, and He will deal with it in His time. (And, I hope He lets Kenney bring it down on the guilty party . . .)

We really don’t know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. We are wise to prepare for the future, for what is to come . . . In fact, we have a responsibility to be wise in this area. But we can never, never forget that God is doing more, right now, to prepare us for what is to come than we could ever do. It can be tough . . . and there will be times that we do not understand . . . But this is a fact, and we should be thankful.

In our very nature is the “need” to control things, especially in our lives and in the lives of our children. One of the greatest wake-up calls we receive is the realization that we control very little, other than HOW we respond to life. Yes, we control OUR OWN actions and our self-discipline, but we really cannot control other people OR our own circumstances (even though we love to think we can). Okay, maybe we can control a little of our circumstances, but life comes at us fast and there is much we CANNOT control.

What can really do?? Live every moment in obedience to God, listening to Him for cues on how to move and where to go. Live with self-discipline: You cannot control others, but you CAN control your responses. Live honestly with God, with yourself, and with others. And put aside a little money . . . Don’t let it burn a hole in your pocket.

Do your best and listen to God . . . He knows the future for which He is preparing YOU.

In all seriousness, I agree with the comments on yesterday’s post . . . The real question here is “What is the solution??” It is apparent that we are WAY TOO DEPENDENT on gasoline. We empower the oil companies with our demand for their product and our willingness to pay the price, no matter how high it climbs. And, as Dean found, who among us can afford a battery-powered car???

Maybe we REALLY need to commit to not drive as much . . .To plan our trips with more efficiency . . . To drive smaller cars, and to slow down . . . And maybe, just maybe, we need to ALL contact our US Senators and ask for an inquiry into the frequent and sudden jumps in gas prices. Analysts say we need to build another gas refinery, but no one wants to build it in their neighborhood. Is that really the answer???

NO GAS…On May 15th 2007

Don’t pump gas on may 15th! …in April 1997, there was a “gas out” conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight. On May 15th 2007, all internet users are to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places. There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up. If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take $2,292,000,000.00 (that’s almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companys pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day.

Okay, this IS an e-mail I received yesterday, but what an interesting thought!!! What if we really did this??? Would it make a difference? Couldn’t make things any worse!

One of my missions today was to get the warranty work on the newest bus finished. Donnie Carter takes care of that stuff for us, but was unable to do it today. I volunteered, and have actually had a productive morning sitting here with my laptop somewhere in Marion County. (I will not name the place to give them a little protection)

Of course, the story has changed on this repair. The guy told Donnie it would take X amount of time, and we are already over that. I am sitting in a waiting area outside of the office. The folks in the office were having their usual Monday morning bull session and they realized a guy was sitting out here with an open Bible and a computer, typing away. They finally closed the door, a move I appreciated more than they could ever know. But I could still hear them.

This is a warranty repair, but my money says they will try to get me to pay for it. If so, I have Donnie’s cell. I will just dial it and hand the phone to them. Even here, though, I have an opportunity to be Christ. To be kind. To NOT BE JUDGMENTAL. To be open and available.

Have you ever thought that God might just use an inconvenience like this to do something??? He might. My job is to be available. Sure, I could be worried about the people I need to see in the hospital, the 100 phone calls I need to make today, or the 50 people I need to go visit. But I can’t do anything about that right now but be obedient concerning what God has placed before me.

Mother’s Day . . . PAINFUL?? You bet it can be. Some of you reading this could tell the story so much better than I can . . . We think of Mother’s Day as a time to celebrate our moms, and to celebrate the hardest working leaders in every church. As children maybe we made macaroni picture frames and molded ash trays (even though no one in our family smokes). Hopefully, as we have grown, we have continued to honor our moms.

However, we cannot forget those who experience pain on this day . . . There are some who long for nothing more than to BE a mom. There are some who no longer have a mom to celebrate. There are some moms who have buried children. There are some dealing with personal tragedy with their children that tax them to their limits. There are some who have lost other loved ones on Mother’s Days in years past. Not to turn Mother’s Day into a downer, but it can serve as a painful reminder of the past.

So, do we celebrate it?? ABSOLUTELY! But be aware, and pray for those who feel pain on this great day.

I purposefully have not blogged about the WF Lady Knights post season until now. Yes, they made the playoffs. Yes, they won their regional tournament. Yes, they were one game away from the lower state championship game when they were knocked out last night. They did a great job this year, shocked EVERYONE in the SC softball world. And another season is down . . .

I particularly appreciated the coaches this year. This was Krissy’s fourth year playing, and each year I have grown to know and appreciate our coaches even more. Denise Carter is the varsity coach and head of the entire thing. Amanda Raniszewski (I call her Coach R) is the JV coach. Both coaches set great examples this year and instilled character into their girls. And it is obvious to a dad.

And then, there is HERB. Herb Carter (Donnie’s brother and Denise’s husband) helped with both. Some of you who know Herb ask, “What in the world did he do??” He was the spirit of both teams when work did not prohibit him from being their. He kept them talking, kept them loose, and kept encouraging.

I write about these guys because I appreciate them. I know they made a great difference in one of those girls, and I am sure almost every parent feels the same. If anything, I just want to say THANKS to them for all they have done!!

And, GET ‘EM NEXT YEAR!!

Don’t bust me on the grammar . . . I have earned it this week. One of the roles of any pastor is to equip others to lead. They always told me in seminary the proof of me doing my job well would be if ministry continued on if I died tomorrow. Well, at Ebenezer, ministry would continue on and praise God for it. Maybe not because of my hand, but it would.

One of the true challenges of this is helping develop other leaders and teaching them to handle others well. I always tell others that one of the true keys to success in life, in this world today, is the ability to handle people well. The ability to talk to others, to understand, and to operate in this environment.

Whether you are dealing with volunteers or with paid employees, the principle is the same: Treat others the way you want to be treated (I wonder from where I borrowed THAT??) If you do that, others will like working with you, will follow you onto a difficult battlefield, and will give you their all.

Maybe this is not the Marine Corps way, or even the Air Force way, but it does work. And, leadership by intimidation seldom EVER works in a church environment.

No one ever said leadership would be easy . . . It takes work, work, and more work. But it can be one of the most rewarding roles you will ever play.