Here and Now

Again, the unaltered manuscript: May 20, 2007 Acts 16:16-35 “The Perils of Paul” In 1914, the Pathe film company hit on a formula for success. They created a series of short films based on a Charles Goddard novel called “The Perils of Pauline” that ran in 20 episodes. At the end of every episode, Pauline, the heroine, would be left in some sort of extreme danger – the most famous examples being tied to railroad tracks with a train approaching and tied to a log heading into a sawmill. The producers of the Perils of Pauline created a term for the endings of these serials – the CLIFFHANGER – in part because Pauline would be occasionally hanging from a cliff near Palisades NJ at the end of several episodes. There was a remake in 1934 (with sound!), a film in 1947 and another film in 1967 – as well as the cartoons Dudley Do-Right and the Perils of Penelope Pitstop. Whew – Pauline has had a lot of peril… The backstory is pretty simple: Pauline’s guardian dies, l...

May 13, 2007 Acts 16:6-15 “(No So) Great Expectations” ...you might be a mom (in the style of "If...you might be a redneck") If you count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal. If you hide in the bathroom to be alone. If you hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats. If you hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!" If you stop criticizing the way your mother raised you. If you hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids. If popsicles become a food group. If spit is your number one cleaning agent. We expect a lot of mothers – in whatever form they come to us – all those women we mentioned a moment ago who have nurtured and raised us and made us who we are. We expect moms to be superheroes – and many are. Today, as we look at another scene of the early church in the book of Ac...

This is the original manuscript without changes: May 6, 2007 Acts 11:1-18 “We Are What We Don’t Do” In his book What's So Amazing about Grace? (chapter called “No Oddballs Allowed”) author Philip Yancey tells of the time he was asked to present the sermon in his church. He started out with a children's sermon and invited all the children in the church to join him on the platform. He had a bag with him and, after they had all sat down, the first item he pulled out was a package of barbecued pork rinds for them to munch on. Next he proceeded to pull out a fake snake and a large rubber fly, which provoked squeals from his young audience. Yancey and a few of the children then sampled scallops. "Finally, to the children's great delight," he writes, "I reached cautiously into the bag and extracted a live lobster. Larry the Lobster we called him, and Larry responded by waving his claws in a most menacing fashion." As the children marched downstairs, Yancey, i...

We just celebrated a funeral service. I love having funerals at the church - it's so fitting. Surrounded by reminders of the presence of God - in our sanctuary you can almost be overwhelmed by the setting - huge vaulted cathedral ceiling, stone, stained glass, huge organ. God is here. Yes, I know that God is at the funeral home and the cemetery, but the very architecture and structure of the sanctuary says This is a place where God is worshipped. God is here. So, Nick, rest in God's peace. It was such a pleasure to know you in life - and to know that God's presence overshadowed - and sometimes overwhelmed - you. I hope that the setting of my funeral will be as representative of my life in faith (can you have a funeral in a circus tent? Just kidding...) - or, more appropriately, I hope that my life in faith is open and revealed... Living in God's grace... because God is here.

Well, it turns out that I am not, in fact, dead. Just overwhelmed. Not sure why. Nothing new has been going on to make me feel overworked or whatever. I think I might have a touch of, what is it called, "Seasonal Affective Disorder"? The weather here has FINALLY broken - and, as much as I'd rather be cold than hot - I love the sunshine... So, this isn't so much a resurrection as a reunion, I guess. I'm finally back to being ME... Lots of stuff has been going on with Lori and the girls - things I should be blogging about... I just joined up with two other guys for an intense "accountability group." We ask some really hard questions... well, heck, here they are: Have you been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and your actions? Have you been exposed to sexually alluring material or allowed your mind to entertain inappropriate sexual thoughts about another this week? Have you lacked integrity in your financial...