Pains

"When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains ... those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope." Henri Nouwen

Long Story, Short - May 29, 2009

Firefly Faith

 

There’s hardly anything in nature more magical than a firefly.  “Lightnin’ bugs” are a spectacular finishing feature to sweet summer days.  Maybe you haven’t noticed, but fireflies are less common than they used to be.

 

Museum of Science, Boston is teaming up with researchers from Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to figure out why.  One of the theories is that ambient light from suburban sprawl is bedeviling these bright bugs by inhibiting their mating patterns.  Those flashes of light you see are actually mating dances the males do in the dark. 

 

So you do the logic:  No dark, no dance, no baby fireflies.

 

Maybe there’s something the church can learn here.  Is the “light” of our lives being overcome by the ambient light from the glare of culture?  Or is the “light” of our lives dimmed by weariness?  Complacency?  Because of distance from God?

 

On Pentecost the followers of Jesus got a supercharged dose of light.  Those flaming tongues moved them to excitement about Jesus, enabling them to become fireflies of faith.  I wonder if celebrating Pentecost would do the same for you?  You’ll only know if you show up for worship this week!

 

Come on Spirit light my fire,

Pastor Gary

 

 

Long Story, Short is a column I write on Friday to get you thinking about church on Sunday.  You can read more of my writing at my blog Life to the Lees.

 

Here are two ideas you can use to talk to your kids about your faith and help them to see God at work all around them: 

1.        Teach your kids how to catch fireflies in a Mason Jar and light their bedroom as they get active over the coming summer months.  Be sure to tell your kids you’re going to release them as soon as they go to sleep.

2.       You can volunteer to help with firefly research by going to www.mos.org/fireflywatch. 

 

Acts 2:1-21

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ ¹³But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

 

God Issues: Baseball and the Supreme Court

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By Dr. James C. Denison President, The Center for Informed Faith, Dallas, Texas May 27, 2009 Topic: our awesome Creator   Baseball and the Supreme Court   As you know, President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor yesterday for the Supreme Court.  Critics are beginning to attack her record; supporters are preparing their defense.  Whatever we think of her qualifications, today's Los Angeles Times reminds us that she issued the injunction in 1995 which saved the baseball season.  The bad news is that she grew up cheering for the Yankees.  I was present for their slaughter of our beloved Texas Rangers two days ago, and am trying to forgive the judge her baseball bias.  Yankees fans illustrate the fact that God made us with the freedom to misuse our freedom.   Yesterday we took a moment to contemplate the uniqueness of our God-given design.  Now consider the matter and energy out of which God made our universe.  Imagine a wall with hundreds of dials.  Each must be at exactly the right setting for carbon-based life to emerge in a suburb of the Milky Way.  If the cosmic expansion of the universe had been a fraction less, it would have imploded billions of years ago; a fraction more intense and galaxies could not have formed.  The odds of our universe's existence and design occurring by random chance would not be accepted by any gambler, anywhere on earth.   Picture a comet.  Its vapor trail can be more than 10,000 miles long. But capture and bottle that "tail," and you discover that the amount of vapor actually present in your bottle is less than one cubic inch of space.  Imagine traveling across the sky at the speed of light.  You would fly for 4.5 billion years to reach the edges of the universe we can see through telescopes today.  Yet the Bible says that God measures all of that with the palm of his hand (Isaiah 40:12).  The creation reveals a remarkable Creator.   President Theodore Roosevelt and his good friend, the naturalist William Beebe, would sometimes stay at Roosevelt's family home.  They would go out on its lawn at night.  They would search the skies until they found the faint spot of light behind the lower left-hand corner of the Great Square of Pegasus.  Then they would remember together:               That is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda.             It is as large as our Milky Way.             It is one of a hundred million galaxies.             It consists of one hundred billion suns,             Each larger than our sun.   Then President Roosevelt would grin at Mr. Beebe and say, "Now I think we are small enough.  Let's go to bed."  Are you small enough to go to God this morning?

Copyright © 2009. GodIssues.org. All rights reserved. Read previous God Issues.

Law of the Garbage Truck

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Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a car pulled out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

 

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.  And I mean, he was really ok with what had happened. So I asked him, 'Why did you do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

 

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call the ‘Law of the Garbage Truck.'

 

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to get rid of it and sometimes they will dump it on you. You, on the other hand, should never take it personally! Instead ... just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. This is your way of dusting it off and not spreading it to people you come in contact with at work, at home, or wherever.

 

The bottom line is that joy-filled people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right. Forgive and also love the ones who don't.

 

Life is both what you make it and how you take it!

 

Have a garbage-free day!

Kate Baby Pictures

Here's the official site for Kate Elaine Fobart pictures.

http://www.fobart.net/fobartfam/

Words from God

This is an excerpt from "The Beloved" by Henri Nouwen.

"I have called you by name from the very beginning. You are mine and I am yours. You are my beloved, on you my favor rests. I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother's womb. I have carved you in the palm of my hand and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace. I look at you with infinite tenderness and care for you with a care more intimate than that of a mother for her child. I have counted every hair on your head and guided you at every step. Wherever you go, I go with you, and wherever you rest, I keep watch. I will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench all your thirst. I will not hide my face from you. You are my beloved in whom I am well pleased.

Calvin & Hobbes - Week of May 25th

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2009/05/25/

To view strips after Monday, use 'Next day.'

Daily Devotional by Max Lucado, May 25th

Daily Devotional by Max Lucado “the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”   May 25 Boldness Before the Throne   Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. Hebrews 4:16 (NCV)   Jesus tells us...,"When you pray, pray like this. 'Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.'" When you say, "Thy kingdom come," you are inviting the Messiah himself to walk into your world. "Come, my King! Take your throne in our land. Be present in my heart. Be present in my office. Come into my marriage. Be Lord of my family, my fears, and my doubts." This is no feeble request; it's a bold appeal for God to occupy every corner of your life. [And] who are you to ask such a thing? Who are you to ask God to take control of your world? You are his child, for heavens sake! And so you ask boldly.           From: The Great House of God Copyright (Word Publishing, 1997) Max Lucado

Respect the Seniors

Thanks, Roy.

No Earthly Good

I’ve heard this phrase used about church people – “They’re so heavenly bound that they’re no earthly good.” The sentiment, of course, is that Christians get so focused on their eternal reward that the here and now doesn’t matter. The trouble is that bills still have to be paid, children have to be fed, the boss’s email has to be answered, and the customer has to be served. In this world, heaven will just have to wait.

Some followers of Jesus were present with him after his resurrection. He was asked, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

His answer was, “That’s on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know.” At least that’s the Gary paraphrased version. Then he ascended to heaven, and we can infer that the disciples were standing there gawking and looking toward heaven. Two angels appeared and said, “Why do you stand looking toward heaven?”

It was just like when your mother said, “Why are you just standing there looking at that mess?” What she really means is, “Get to work!” What the angels essentially said was, “Get to business doing what Jesus told you.”

Or, don’t be so heavenly focused that you’re no earthly good.

Jesus left the church to do the work of God, and if we waste our time watching the horizon for his return, we’re going to miss the bigger picture. We – the church – are truly the body of Christ and are to be busy being Jesus to others. Let’s consider how we Christians can shirk our reputation of being “no earthly good.”

Eyes to earth, and heart to heaven,

Pastor Gary Long, Gaithersburg, MD



Long Story, Short is a column I write on Friday to get you thinking about church on Sunday. You can read more of my writing at my blog Life to the Lees.

Acts 1:1-11

1:1 In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning

1:2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

1:3 After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

1:4 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me;

1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"

1:7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

1:9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

1:10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.

1:11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Father's Love Letter

From YouTube poster UncleDadEddie:

"Warning! Watching this video may change your life. When I first heard Father's Love Letter I was inspired to put video to the song. I received the song from a friend who did not know the author. After research I found that it was narrated by Roy Lamont and written by Barry Adams.+

Visit author's site fathersloveletter.com and God Bless!

The Prairie Home Companion Homepage

http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/

The audiocast is on NPR stations; Sundays 10 am -12 pm CST, 90.1 FM in the Dallas market.

Marine Tribute - Return to Makin Island

Emotional Good-bye for Afghan-bound Marines

Below is the first in a series that NPR is doing on this Marine unit who deployed to Afghanistan last week. You can follow on the web or listen on NPR (90.1 FM in Dallas-Fort Worth).

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104267469

Pilot Point Revisited

Current pictures of places in my home town, Pilot Point, Texas.

http://picasaweb.google.com/paulw.gray/PilotPointRevisited#

Calvin & Hobbes - Week of May 18th

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2009/05/18/

To view strips after Monday, use 'Next day.'

Calvin & Hobbes - Weeks of May 04th & 11th

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2009/05/04/

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2009/05/11/

To view strips after Monday, use 'Next day.'

Daily Devotional by Max Lucado, May 8th

Daily Devotional by Max Lucado “the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”   May 8 God Knows What He’s Doing   Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know. Job 42:3 (NCV)   It's easy to thank God when he does what we want. But God doesn't always do what we want. Ask Job. His empire collapsed, his children were killed, and what was a healthy body became a rage of boils. From whence came this torrent? From whence will come any help? Job goes straight to God and pleads his case. His head hurts. His body hurts. His heart hurts.  And God answers. Not with answers but with questions. An ocean of questions. . . . After several dozen questions ... Job has gotten the point. What is it? The point is this: God owes no one anything. No reasons. No explanations. Nothing. If he gave them, we couldn't understand them. God is God. He knows what he is doing. When you can't trace his hand, trust his heart.     From: The Inspirational Study Bible Copyright (W Publishing Group, 1995) Max Lucado

Faith

Outstanding and inspiring read. Thanks, Mike and Ron.

http://www.gainesvilleregister.com/local/local_story_019144933.html