Tough Day Ahead?

16 Apr

Monday … the only good thing I can say today is “I have my health!!”  But, then again, that’s a lot for which to be thankful.  All around us there are signs that remind us to be thankful for life, even on a crummy Monday (and one that is extra crummy because of a tough weekend).

Maybe this is what Paul was talking about when he wrote of finding God’s strength in suffering in 2 Corinthians 11 & 12.  When he thought about it, nothing he had to endure even compared with the cross of Christ.  So, maybe a Monday when I simply feel like I didn’t get enough sleep is NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!!  So, maybe this day ahead won’t be so tough after all??

Today will be what we make of it … and our attitudes will play a large role in deciding if it is tough or not!  Hope you have a great day!!!

Survive or Thrive??

15 Apr

I could get used to this…

10 Apr

Yes, I could!! I’m sitting in a grassy area at the Perry’s Beach Resort in sunny Daytona watching my charges from beneath an umbrella. My first youth trip in at least four years.

So far, I’ve answered several emails, conducted some business, updated the church sign, and tried to get Krissy’s car back on the road (that one will be an ouch!). And it’s not even lunch time!!

Really thankful for technology, our EBC tech team, and my iPhone right …. about… NOW.

Today’s sermon

8 Apr

My pastor is moving

2 Apr

This week, a very special couple in my life is moving to Nashville, TN.  Two friends whom I will miss … It’s gonna change the face of things in my world.

I’m writing about Ted and Betty Mears.  Having them at EBC has meant the world to me.  Ted was the last long-tenured pastor to serve Ebenezer.  He served from the early 70’s until the mid 80’s.  Ted is a true gentleman and his love for God and God’s people is evident in everything he does.  Betty is fun … That’s the best word I can come up with for her.  When I talk to her, I ALWAYS enjoy it.  She has a sense of humor that is very compatible with mine and we seem to be on the same wavelength more often than not.

It might seem unusual that I consider them to be such good friends, but that is what they are.  Yes, they are my parents’ age, but Diana and I have a friendship with them that defies age and generational boundaries.  Unlike many of our other friends, they understand the intense pressure on us and our family.  Unless you’ve been there, you really could never understand the pressure and unreal expectations some place on pastors.  Ted and Betty get it.  And they’ve given both of us much help with that!!

It’s funny: They’ve always worried their presence would be intrusive on my pastorate, not realizing they’ve always been two of my biggest supporters and two people I’ve needed to have in my life.  And, while I certainly understand why they are moving (their ENTIRE family is now in Tennessee), I SOOO wish they could stay just a little while longer.  It’s ironic that they’ve worried about overstaying their welcome and I’m sitting here DREADING that moving truck that will be here this week.

People have always asked me “Who pastors the pastor??”  I DO have a handful of good friends at Ebenezer with whom I can share my issues and fears.  And two of them are moving to Tennessee this week.  And I will miss them terribly.

Today’s sermon

1 Apr

Long overdue

30 Mar

This is the first blog entry for the week. And it’s Friday. I haven’t really had writers block, so to speak, but this has been a week full of things about which I just can’t blog. Come with the territory as a pastor. Honestly, this week I strongly considered starting that anonymous blog I’ve always threatened to do. But that would never work: I blog from my heart and would be too easily figured out.

I can say this has been a week of pinnacles and valleys. There have been great victories and I passed through a few mine fields. And there has been heartache. But, again, it comes with the territory. But no complaints here!! Just happy to live to serve another day!

This week I visited a great influencer of me when I was young. He is much older now, in poor health, and struggling. But he will always be my pastor!!! And Eddie Greene will probably never know (on this side of eternity) what a tremendous influence he still has in my life. I’m thankful for pastors like him, like Lonnie Shull, like John Dill, who helped me when I was a young Christian. They taught me stuff you just can’t learn in seminary. Every time I walk into a hospital room or a situation in which I minister, they go with me… Whether they realize it or not.

And I know my responsibility is to pay that forward to the next generation.

Today’s sermon

25 Mar

What I REALLY would’ve said

23 Mar

Isn’t it kind of dangerous for a pastor to write and think something like this???  Unfortunately, I am not always in a place where I can really speak my mind.  Sometimes God says no … sometimes Diana does.  If I could REALLY say what I think, it might be dangerous.

After THAT dramaculous intro, here is what I REALLY would’ve said to my ACS peeps today if I’d had a little more time:

  • I remember the first time I ever saw ACS.  It was MS-DOS based and COMPLETELY customizable.  I was a young IT professional who happened to be on the newly-formed technology committee at the church where I grew up (Washington Avenue Baptist Church in Greenville, SC).  I LOVED the demo.  Everyone else on the committee (who were all over 50 while I was 23) hated it.  One of those took that opportunity to remind me that she was working with computers at the bank while I was in diapers.  I was outvoted.
  • I remember my stint at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, teaching the undergraduate computer course.  ACS was on my menu then.  Someone had given us demo disks.  In a very limited fashion, I instructed my pupils in the need for data organization.  They looked at me with eyes glazed.
  • Almost 17 years ago, when I came to Ebenezer, I discovered that ACS was based in Florence.  I had not known that.  We were on ACS for DOS, and we LOVED IT.  I remember the day we decided to transition to ACS for Windows and how Ed Self and I had to pull our ministry assistants into it kicking and screaming.
  • Over the years, I’ve had some really good friends at ACS.  Still do.  In fact, there are a few employees at ACS that are some of mine and Diana’s closest friends.  Helps me love my ACS peeps even more (because I KNOW some of the people with whom you have to work!!)
  • I love the fact that we are close enough and brave enough to let you guys run experiments and use our installation as a proving ground at times.  I remember as a software developer (before surrendering to ministry) how important beta testing is.  THAT is why I have such a heart for you guys!!
  • I would’ve wrapped up by telling you that there are TWO products that I use so much it would boggle your minds:  I LOVE ACS OnDemand and I LOVE Church Life.  Those two applications enable me to do my jobs (all of them at EBC … I have a few) on the go and on the run.  Church Life is the BOMB-DIGGITY.  Just sayin!!!

So, there is the reason behind my appreciation and love for my ACS peeps.  You really make more of a difference than you can even imagine, both for your neighbors at EBC AND for 50,000 churches across the nation.  YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

The fog is getting thicker … and Leon’s getting LARRRRGERRRR!!!

19 Mar

That title has nothing to do with this blog entry, except for the fact it is my FAVORITE line from the movie “Airplane!”  (Not that I’m recommending any of you go watch Airplane, because if you are not into absolutely stupid guy humor, it’ll be a waste of your time …)

Fog … Condensation forming that is light and airy, and hanging in the air just enough to prevent good visibility.  This morning I was driving up McCown towards the church and when I got to Mark Phillips’ house, I couldn’t even SEE Genevieve Pettigrew’s mailbox.  Thick fog requires a knowledge of the road to drive in, a little luck, and a lot of faith.

Fog presents a great analogy on faith.  In New Orleans, there is a double-bridge called the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway.

 

(Facts about that bridge copied from Wikipedia:

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, or the Causeway, consists of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana, United States. The longer of the two bridges is 23.83 miles (38.35 km) long. Since 1969 it was listed by Guinness World Records as the longest bridge over water in the world; in 2011 in response to the opening of the longer Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China, Guinness created two categories for bridges over water: continuous and aggregate lengths over water. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway then became the longest bridge over water (continuous) while Jiaozhou Bay Bridge the longest bridge over water (aggregate).

The bridges are supported by 9,500 concrete pilings. The two bridges feature bascule spans over the navigation channel 8 miles (13 km) south of the north shore. The southern terminus of the Causeway is in Metairie,Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The northern terminus is at Mandeville, Louisiana.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway

Thank you, Wikipedia, for making all of our lives greater.)

When fog sops these bridges in, the police force for these bridges (Yes, the Causeway has IT’S OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT) will stack cars two or three together and tell them to follow the police car in front.  The cars go across in a tight line, with speeds going as low as 20mph (depending on the thickness of the fog).  The key here is have faith in the person in front of you … DON’T LET THEIR LIGHTS GET OUT OF YOUR SIGHT.  The bridges are relatively straight, but you’d better follow carefully.  Great faith is required, because if the policeman doesn’t know where he is going and You are following his lights, if he goes over the side I guess you are next.  And then, the next guy.  And then, the next guy.  Not a fun thought.

Everyday presents opportunities to follow with faith.  Spiritually, Satan pumps the fog in all around us.  In front of us.  Behind us.  And the Holy Spirit is there.  He is always there.  Waiting to show us the way God wants us to navigate.  The only really “safe” way, even though it might lead through treacherous territory.  No matter how thick or dangerous it might seem, if we follow Him closely … if we TRUST HIM … we will make it safely to the other side.

So:  Which will you choose today, on this foggy day in Florence, SC???

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