The church shares stories about people who are not on the front of people's minds. In the clutter of the 24 hour news cycle, people like William Burnie are easily missed. Don't forget his story.
Nashville Flood Relief: William Burnie from First Baptist Church, Knoxville on Vimeo.
NASHVILLE (WATE) - A group from First Baptist Church Knoxville left Monday morning to help with the flooding cleanup effort in Nashville.
The group of nine volunteers was assigned to help an East Nashville homeowner.
"As a Christian, Christ compels us to serve people in need, but I think also in this instance, we immediately thought to call First Baptist Nashville because they are brothers and sister right down the road," says First Baptist Community Pastor Carol McEntyre.
The home the church members helped gut belonged to Kay Hardison, a single mother with five kids.
"I didn't know I had gotten flooded actually," says Hardison, "There was water up here and in the back."
This is the first time Hardison has received help. She lost everything in the flood.
More here
Ashley Riemer began her senior year of high school at a medical center, not in the classroom. While her friends were experiencing the joys of the last year in high school, Ashley was starting chemo for leukemia. But the staff at Walter Reid Medical Center decided to try something creative. And it became a bit of normal in the midst of a storm. Hear more of Ashley's story Sunday at First Baptist Church Knoxville.
By her own admission, Jennifer Mabe says that her Christian life was pretty easy. But when a surgery challenged her faith and obedience, her church family in Winchester, Kentucky, surrounded her family with love. She uses life lessons to explain her perspective on generosity and love for the Church.
Generosity Testimony by Jennifer Mabe from First Baptist Church, Knoxville on Vimeo.
Meet Rolando Rosales, Father and New Homeowner. Rolando and his family are the faces of Strategic Missions. Two years ago, the Missions Council recommended that we give directly to projects that transform the lives of people-- both the recipient's and the donors' lives. We would contribute to mission projects that we could be a part of and could see lives changed.
Rolando fit the criteria. When his wife was dying of cancer, she had 1 last wish for her family, that they would have a home. But Rolando was also not a believer. What better way to share the gospel than to serve beside someone who needed Jesus?
This was a project that we could be a part of. We supplied the labor, resources, and willingness to go. We could see the face of some of the deepest poverty in our country as well as participate in the greatest opportunity for sharing the gospel. Our lives could be enriched with hands-on education about border issues, immigration, service, and love in one place. Our lives could be formed by the work of sacrifice. We could bring that information and transformation back home to shape our priorities here.
And that's exactly what happened on the Rio Grande border. Thanks to a partnership with Buckner International, we met the Rosales family. We worked with another congregation, Calvary Baptist in McAllen; and God brought all of this together dramatically for one week in April.
Group from FBC Knoxville Helps Answer a Mom's Dying Wish for Her Family from First Baptist Church, Knoxville on Vimeo.
Watch two videos
Join us tomorrow night to hear about God's work in the Rio Grande Valley. At 6 pm in the Chapel, we'll hear from our mission team as they share how the Penitas family now has a home thanks to a mother's prayers. We are grateful for Buckner's partnership and the work of this good team.
John Hill Interview from First Baptist Church, Knoxville on Vimeo.
"Cancer killed Martha Rosales two years ago, but on Tuesday her final plea was answered when her husband unlocked the side door and the children ran inside to the three-bedroom abode for which their mother had prayed.
"Buckner International, a global Christian ministry, with the help of volunteers from First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., built the $15,000 home for the widowed father, who has struggled since his wife's death to raise the children and do odd jobs to put food on the table.
Read the full story...
http://bit.ly/ddNv94
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
We have been contacted by First Baptist Nashville to come and help with flood relief. They are in need of:
1. Teams to remove the interior of damaged homes
2. A team to prepare box lunches for people in the field.
First Nashville has housing available for volunteers at the church. If you are interested in going anytime between May 6-21, we could use you.
To sign up contact: Wanda and Andy Edmonson at aje@utk.edu <mailto:aje@utk.edu> or 865-567-6694 or Marion and Dianna Graybeal at magraybeal@comcast.net <mailto:magraybeal@comcast.net> or 865-579-4221. (In your response, let us know what dates you are available.)Thank you for your willingness to serve,
Carol McEntyre
Buckner Community Minister
First Baptist Knoxville, TN
865-246-4661
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
When a single mom with two kids needed help with her home, Appalachian Outreach arrived just in time. They used the resources of First Baptist Church and Operation Inasmuch to bind her children's faith for life.
FBC Stories Operation InAsMuch 2010 from First Baptist Church, Knoxville on Vimeo.
What is Stephen Ministry? Watch this video from PBS. First Baptist Knoxville is a Stephen Ministry congregation. If you are interested in receiving care from a trained Stephen Minister, click here.
How do you celebrate generosity? With greater generosity. On Sunday, the First Baptist family committed to giving; and we shared what had been given.
Yesterday, we combined worship with our 3 services in one unified service. We committed to tithing and generosity financially. In preparation for this day, we also baked goods and delivered them to the church. Over 160 households brought breads, cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, pies and other sweet treats to the church Sunday morning. We brought them not for ourselves, but to share. Like the widow in Zarephath (1 Kings 17), we baked a "cake of faith" to deliver to our neighbors
Following another great Herman Weaver meal, dozens fanned out all over Knox County delivering baked goods to the homebound, the women's jail, South Knoxville elementary, Next Door Ministry, and our neighbors. Some even made it to the bus stop this morning. As one child who helped bake the bread said, "I thought my bus driver needed it the most."
The stories of these deliveries are being shared via phone, email, and face-to-face. Recipients of the treats have called the church office to offer a thank-you for this simple act of sharing.
We give thanks for the many, many people that made April 25 a day to remember. Because you have been given much, you have given!
What happens when you realize your Starbucks receipts total more than your offerings? Enjoy this great personal story about the Generosity Effect from Daniel Headrick.
Generosity Testimony by Daniel Headrick from First Baptist Church, Knoxville on Vimeo.
Some call it the Ripple Effect, others the Butterfly Effect. We know
it as the Generosity Effect. It's the sense that the smallest of
actions affect others. One small act of kindness leads to another.
Sometimes we have the privilege and reward of seeing how our actions
touch others. In most ways, however, we use the eyes of faith to
recognize that "we'll never know" how one gift can make a difference.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well. Small acts of hoarding,
greed, and fear lead to even greater challenges. Selfishness is just
as contagious as love, and we only need to read the newspaper or watch
the news to see its tangled web of suffering across the globe.
The early Christians and the 21st century church have known this to be
true. Whether a little boy with 5 loaves and two fish, or 1 child
sharing $1 from a $10 allowance, little things mean a great deal to a
very generous God. Church has always been the place where we
counteract greed, corruption, and financial hardship with generosity.
We share with the world demonstrate to one another what this obedience
to Christ looks like. In the month of April, we as a First Baptist
family chart a new course through the Generosity Effect. We will not
arrive there overnight, but it will take all of us doing our parts to
effect others.
Here is how our plan works. Over the next 10 years, we are seeking to
become a more generous congregation. By 2020, we want to be 10% more
generous than we are today by living obediently to the command of
Christ that "whomever much is given, much is required." I don't know
what your plan for generosity is for 2020, but I am asking you to
commit to taking one step this year of giving 1% more than you did
last year; in 2011, another 1%, until by 2020 all of us can claim
lifestyles of generous living.
To do this requires leaving behind a couple of other things. As a
church, we leave behind special capital campaigns for now. For the
last 10 years, we have asked you to dig deeper "over and above the
budget," to help us pay off debt, repair organs, renovate buildings,
and do ministry. These campaigns have been a financial lifeline, but a
new commitment requires new discipline. Because of your commitments
over the years, we want to honor your past gifts by not asking for
another special fund drive this year. We want to unite together around
our unified giving to the budgeted resources of the church. By doing
so, we can accomplish together what we've been doing separately for 10
years. We can complete our indebtedness, extend the ministry of the
church, maintain our staff, continue television uninterrupted, and
reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ. We can do as our
strategic plan calls us to do: to improve our church, increase our
ministries, and invite others into Christ's life.
To accomplish the generosity effect requires heart work on your part
as well. Just as the church leaves behind old practices, so each one
of us must reexamine what holds us back from generosity. Each one of
us takes inventory so we can give back to God what is already His.
Join me as we take step one. On April 25, we will have a public
display of our commitment through our combined service and our mission
trip to the border. While we worship gathered and scattered, together
we will show each other that we're in this together, no matter how
large or small our wallets and investments, For 2,000 years, Christ
has been taking our offerings and multiplying. I trust that once
again, he will be faithful to do the same for First Baptist.
--
William D. Shiell, Ph.D.
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church of Knoxville
510 West Main Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
shiell@fbcknox.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.shiell
Blog: www.firsthoughts.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Williamshiell
Church: www.fbcknox.org
The Bridge returns tomorrow, and I'll be referring to a number of resources. I hope you will check out some of these ways to integrate your faith into your work.
Be sure to pick a copy of the Salt and Light Guidebook from Compassion Coalition. Copies are available at First Baptist Knoxville. I will be using this book as our primary resource in the study, and the guide is full of ideas for businesses, churches, and neighborhoods to love Knoxville.
Check out these websites and other resources.
Mastering Monday by John Beckett.
Doing God's Business by Paul Stevens
The High Calling Blog from Howard E. Butt and Laity Lodge
Duke University's Faith and Leadership website on Vocation
Christianity Today's Faith in the Workplace Website.
Christian Reflection's series on Vocation and faith @ work.
Sabbaticals are designed for empty nesters who can travel the world,
study in an exotic place, or relocate their families for months on
end. I am obviously not one. One institution reminded me of that when
I applied for a grant to offset some of the expenses. After they
received my application, they asked me to re-apply because I was
spending "too much time in Knoxville." I asked them why I would
relocate for 4 weeks to another city, and they said, 'So you can
rest.' I told them that sleeping in a hotel room for 4 weeks away from
family was not my idea of rest.
Sabbaticals for dads with families are written differently. I still
wanted to attend as many of Parker's basketball game as possible and
to feel Drake climb into the bed in the middle of the night as often s
possible. You gave me the opportunity to tailor something to fit my
family's needs, my interests and curiosities. Even more importantly,
you surrounded me with great staff and laypeople who have done more
than simply carry on. They have been very busy about the important
work of ministry, covering bases for me as well as keeping up an
incredible pace over 8 weeks. I hope to be able to return the favor to
each one of our ministers.
All of this help means that the phone hardly ever rang; I
disconnected; and the emails have been relatively easy to respond to.
(Email does take awhile, however; I'm still working through them).
Even when you ran into me at the gym or the mall or the grocery store,
you were kind enough not to respond to my question, "So how are things
going at the church?" You nodded and said, "Enjoy your time away."
Thanks for the freedom. Throughout these last weeks, I have enjoyed
time on the UT and Carson-Newman campuses. The Carson-Newman library
staff have assisted me with any needed resources and have functioned
as an "office away from the office" while studying and writing. I have
learned that if you need anything, ask Betty Kelley or Bruce Kocour.
As great as my time was apart from you, it's even better to be home
and to be with you. I missed you, and I really missed worshiping with
my family. Thank you so much for the rest.
--
William D. Shiell, Ph.D.
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church of Knoxville
510 West Main Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
O: 865-546-9661 x 114
C: 865-363-7087
shiell@fbcknox.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.shiell
Blog: www.firsthoughts.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Williamshiell
Church: www.fbcknox.org
The miraculous story of my brother, University Baptist in Coral Gables, and a family in Haiti.
Slide show of pictures here
Images below: The Bethlehem Wall (Bethlehem side)
Rabbi talking on a cell phone at the Western (wailing) Wall
Overlooking Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives
Kelly and I were in Jerusalem and Bethlehem Saturday-Tuesday March 13-16 during the most recent tensions between the Israeli government and Palestinian leadership. We arrived as part of a travel group with a tourist's-eye view of incidents. Keep in mind that tour groups are intentionally sheltered from problems. We would have only known what was going on from reading the hotel newspapers or seeing a sound byte on CNN's international station. I did not see a report on the Fox news hotel channel. We knew that we were following in Joe Biden's footsteps. We were in the same gift shop on Saturday, March 13 in Bethlehem that he visited the day before. We did hear two different perspectives from our Jewish tour guide in Jerusalem and the Orthodox Christian tour guide in Bethlehem.
The contrasts were striking. On Saturday afternoon we were in Bethlehem seeing the Church of the Nativity in Christian Bethlehem the traditional site of the place where Jesus was born. On Sunday morning, we were in the Muslim area of Jerusalem to see the Church of the Holy Sepulchure, the traditional sites of Golgotha and the Joseph of Arimathea's family tomb. We saw two different worship services in action as well. We had plenty of incense to go around by the end of the day.
The most recent tensions were caused by the announcement of continued Jewish rebuilding efforts in East Jerusalem, and the dedication of the Hurva synagogue in East Jerusalem. We walked right past the synagogue. From the larger perspective, the issues revolve around the Israeli government's and Palestinian authority's continual struggle to deal with its political, spiritual, and religious disagreements. Not all Israelis are Jews; not all Jews want to throw out the Palestinians. 35% of Bethlehem is Christian (mainly Baptists and Orthodox Christian); many Palestinians are not Muslims; most Muslims are not pro-suicide bombers. If you can figure all this out on a grid, let me know.
From a tourist's viewpoint, all I see are shades of Berlin circa 1989. The Israeli government has erected a wall using Palestinian labor between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. If Mary and Joseph wanted to have a baby there today they would need, "special permission," and clearance through checkpoints. My South African friends would probably say this reminds them of apartheid. Palestinians cannot leave Bethlehem without clearance from Israeli officials.
From the average secular Israeli perspective, the standard argument is, "We've been planning to do this for a long time." And "This" is fill in the blank. Rebuild the synagogue (destroyed in the 1967 6-day war), put more housing in east Jerusalem, you name it.
From the Palestinian Christian perspective, the only thing they asks is, "Pray for us," "Pray for peace," or "Pray for jobs."
Behind the scenes, we know there are ongoing meetings. I talked to one pastor in the airport whose church sponsors a meeting in Bethlehem between Muslims, Jews, and Christians secretly. If South Africa and Germany (throw in Ireland too) are any examples, we need several things like that. We need lots of secret meetings between people who seem to be spiritually the opposite. We need teenagers eating pizza together who do not share the same neighborhoods. And we need churches to become educated about all the dynamics of the problem, not just the ones they can see from the safety of a tour bus. Sounds like a good theme to conclude Passover and Holy Week. We're right on time.
"Bread and circuses," distracted the Romans and their leaders in the 1st century. In Tennessee over the past couple of weeks, the athletic arena has been a circus of distraction. Fans (short for "fanatics") confuse the historical with the hysterical and prefer to spend the public's money firing coaches rather than recruiting them. It's no wonder that when Lane Kiffin takes his dream job, and someone ponies up the $800,000 to make that happen, that this event overshadows the real issue in the world that day. Thousands die in Haiti. An earthquake destroys lives. Pain and suffering are all around. This is not the first time for suffering to collide with sports. But when they occur on the same day, we have a chance to think about priorities, distractions, and the real cost of human life. The gift of sports to our community is a means to an end. It's the great ends of beauty, love, friendship, and sacrifice that call to all of us. It's not the best or the only way to follow those pursuits. Sports just happen to be a popular one that I and so many others enjoy with my family. As people in Knoxville, we view sports as the end rather than the means to that. This is our god, and we love, pay, sacrifice, and give to it so. In this most recent iteration, the means became the NFL, winning at all insults, and competition over a brand or a rival at the expense of decency. If this is how we live our lives, then we need to get a new life. The reason bread and circuses work so easily is because they are not nearly as challenging and complex as what calls out to us from our souls: the deepest longings for relationship and life after death. The immediate gratification of a scoreboard, a contract, a salary, and a career inoculate us to a deeper pain. The Haitian experience, however, invites us into the real world. This is not a place of where lives are so easily replaced with someone else to entertain us. We cannot point fingers at one another in the rubble. This is the place of suffering and anger, hurt and despair, worry and grief, questions and loss. This is a world that is classified as "natural" disaster, but requires supernatural answers. This kind of thing happens around the world all the time. We rarely get to see something like this so close to home. It's also the place where the kingdom of God breaks in with thousands of relief workers, volunteers, missionaries, and people rushing into demonstrate what people do best. In moments of crisis, people at their core naturally help, serve, and love each other. The real story of disaster from the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 to Hurricane Katrina of 2005 to the Haitian experience to start this decade, is that we solve the greatest sufferings of the world with the greatest service. People go and live like Jesus right there; and if they can't go, they give. They give with public, private, charitable, and religious dollars. And we all work together for the common cause of taking what life has left behind and helping people put the pieces back together. We help people make sense of it all not by answering questions but by living out the questions beside one another, by crying and weeping, and praying when the only words we have are groans. We will welcome a new coach into our arena. And more importantly, we will weep with those who weep and rebuild lives on the journey toward the greatest of these, which is love.
My top books for the year. Shaye D. Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah, Second edition. 2006 Eddie Hammett, Making Shifts without Making Waves. Columbia Partnership, 2009. David Bentley Hart, Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies. New Haven: Yale University Press Michael Horton, Christless Christianity: the Alternative Gospel of the American Church. Baker Books, 2008. Leander E. Keck, A Future for the Historical Jesus: the place of Jesus in Preaching and Theology. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980. -Keck's critique of the 2nd quest for the historical Jesus is still applicable to today's quests. Salt and Light: a Guide to Loving Knoxville. Edited by Andy Rittenhouse and Heidi Unruh. 2009. -This is a new improved version of the Salt and Light Guidebook for ministries. Anyone doing ministry in Knox County needs to see the big picture. This book captures it. Robert Lithicum, Building a People of Power: Equipping Churches to Transform their Community Robert D. Lupton, Renewing the City: Reflections on Community Development and Urban Renewal. Intervarsity Press, 2005. -Lupton operates a faith based community development corporation in Atlanta. This book is a Bible study of Nehemiah with modern application to churches trying to be on mission in the city. William Gilmore Simms, Sabbath Lyrics: A Christmas Gift of Love. Charleston: Walker and James, 1849. -Simms and his wife had 14 children. Five of them survived him. This book is a collection of his poetic paraphrases of the prophecy of Christ's birth in Isaiah intermingled with his reflections on the death of children. Complete version available at Google books. Rebecca Solnit, Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster. Viking Press, 2009. Janet Soskice, The Sisters of Sinai: How to Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels. Knopf Publishers, 2009. Albert L. Winesman, et al. Living Your Strengths: Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your Community. -This book is the Christian edition of Gallup's "Strengths Finder" approach. Winesman uses spiritual gifts language to discuss strengths. Great for team building and individual reflection.
This is Lithicum's manual on the church as the Christian community organizers. Helpful reflections on Nehemiah as well as first-hand suggestions on the real gritty work of taking care of a neighborhood.
Join us in the Fred Brown Chapel for Bible Study at 6:00 p.m. each Wednesday
Led by Dr. Shiell
January 6
Jesus the Whippersnapper?
John 2:15
A discussion of John's unique account of Jesus' cleansing of the temple
January 13
Knowing the Times: Trends Affecting First Baptist in 2010
1 Chronicles 12:32
How do our lives in Knoxville impact church life today at First Baptist? We will think strategically about 2010 by paying attention to the times in which we live.
The mid-19th century Southern writer William Gilmore Simms offered
personal reflections on the wonder of Christmas in the midst of the
loss of his children. He and his wife Chevillette had 14 children.
Only 5 outlived him. Read his reflections on the birth of the Good
Shepherd.
Where among the pasturing rocks
The glad shepherds kept their flocks
Came an angel to the fold
And with voice of rapture told
That the Saviour Christ was born
Born in Bethlehem sacred place
Of a virgin full of grace
In a manger lowly spot
Symbol of his mortal lot
Lo the Saviour Christ is born
Dread and glorious was the bright
Of that sudden shining light
Which around the angel then
Token'd to the simple men
That the Saviour Christ was born
But the voice that filled the blaze
Cheer'd them in their deep amaze
Tidings of great joy I bring
In the coming of your King
The true Shepherd Christ is born
<iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:0px"
src="http://books.google.com/books?id=ajUDAAAAYAAJ&ots=wULsoDw2SI&dq=william%20gilmore%20simms%20sabbath%20lyrics&pg=PA72&output=embed"
width=500 height=500></iframe>
Ann Henderson is a faithful member; we just don't see her at church.
She watches us by television and lives at Shannondale retirement off
Middlebrook Pike. A couple of weeks ago, I dropped by to say hello to
Ann. She get a lot of frequent contact from Matthew and Amy Evans as
part of our Deacon homebound team, but I also enjoy catching up with
folks I don't always see in the pew. Like so many at Christmas time,
Ann had a surprise for me.
During our visit we chatted a bit. I shared a few nuggets of church
life; she asked about my family. Then she reached down and said,
"Pastor, my sister wanted to know if there were some people that I
wanted to remember this Christmas season; and you're one of them. Here
are some homemade peach preserves." I went by to give Ann the gift of
presence, and she surprised me with an unexpected gift.
This season is the time for the unplanned gifts. We plan, we shop, we
wrap, and the calendar turns to a new year and a new decade. We look
forward to what we're going to accomplish, look back at last year's
memories, and worry about the unknowns that lie ahead. Along the way
in January though, after the presents are unwrapped, the real gifts
arrive. These are the venues for the bright ideas and epiphanies that
give you a spiritual "a-ha" moment. They happen when strangers wander
into life, your body gives you an extra hour of sleep, the dreaded
activity becomes a memory, or a moment of service becomes a time of
celebration.
I am not sure what will spark, but I do know that they come when we
are around the kind of people we find in the epiphany season:
foreigners, shepherds, mothers, fathers, babies, and worshipers. Wise
men and television viewers seem to know that best. So, Ann, here is a
very large scale thank you note for the peach preserves. And to all
who stand at the corridor of a new decade, I hope you've left some
time for an unplanned gift.
Unlike the modern conventions of baby showers, nursery renovation, and birthing classes, the conceptions in Luke were greeted with isolation and withdrawal. When Elizabeth learned she was expecting a baby, she left town for 5 months. Mary withdrew to Elizabeth's home for a retreat.
This pattern hardly fits the carols of the season. We urge people to "come" as the faithful, and we sing of halls that are decked with holly. If the women of Luke's Gospel could rewrite the titles, the carols of Christmas might be:
"O Run Away all Ye Faithful"
"Silent Night, Lonely Place, Zechariah sure has a Funny Look on his Face"
"Go, Flee to the Mountains, Over the Hills and Everywhere."
Their withdrawal had a purpose. Out of isolation and silence, Elizabeth emerged to greet a teenager standing on her doorstep.
Before we run to the manger with the joy of the shepherds, we need to withdraw. Who knows which relative might greet us when we emerge with the surprising news of Advent?
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
Shiell discusses Shell
Brown Bag, Green Book
Wednesday December 2
12:00 noon
East Tennessee History Center
I'll be leading a discussion of the book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell. It's a great discussion-starter right around the mad rush of the shopping season.
“Honey, call the neighbors. I think there is someone outside.” The best kinds of neighbors are those who make it their business to help protect your business. If you’ve ever witnessed suspicious activity next door, you appreciate the heads up, the warning, the watchful eye, the safety and comfort of friends. But what if your life is the disturbance? What if something happens to you that so changes and alters your world that everyone takes notice?
According to the Gospel of Luke, that’s exactly what happens to a group of neighbors some 2,000 years ago. Jesus enters the world at a time of relative calm. People were filled with the optimism of the Caesar, the celebratory satisfaction of Roman dominance, and the virtuous spirit of Greek philosophy. With little fanfare, a small family in Galilee experiences an upheaval to their world. Highly unusual things begin. A senior adult discovers she is expecting a baby; a virgin betrothed to a faithful man is pregnant; a prominent priest in the community goes mute. Taken separately, these signs might have been dismissed in the neighborhood as strange. As Luke describes the events, however, they are part of a divine domino effect. This heavenly sequence of events occurs over the period of nine months and turns the world upside down.
Before the “all is calm, all is bright” of a “Silent Night,” there is Advent. When society seems to be in the midst of darkness, Advent announces a new beginning. Advent says that life is seasonal. Just as fig trees sprout leaves twice each year, so believers have the chance to sprout with new life in winter. Consider the examples of Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Mary, and Joseph. Each one has a story to tell. Each one heard the news differently. Each one saw God’s work begin in their lives and in their neighborhoods.
In the process, things changed. They worshiped differently. They remained calm and served the needs of others under intense oppression. When necessary, they went into seclusion to collect their thoughts and renew their spirits. They unloaded things when others said to “acquire more.” They lived life from the bottom-up rather than the top-down. The world has never been the same.
We have the chance to experience their lives and decisions for 27 days during the Advent season. We have the opportunity to ask each other, “In our world today, what would it mean to make the same decisions in our neighborhood? How would our neighbors be affected? Do we see signs of life sprouting already that give us an indication that God’s work that has already begun?”
Wake up the neighbors. They won’t want to miss this. Advent is here.
Before you make your shopping list, compose a serving list. Need ideas? Here are six of my favorites.
1.) Drop a coin in the kettle. Salavation Army's goal is $400,000. That just about $1 from every person in East Tennessee. We can do this.
2.) Serve at the Christmas Brunch. First Baptist sponsors an annual Christmas brunch for the working poor, homeless, Latinos, South Knox families, and many more on Dec. 12 from 9-12 noon. Each person gets a free family portrait from Lisle Newlon studios, blanket, sweatshirt, a hot meal, and lots of love. Sign up here.
3.) Adopt a family at South Knoxville elementary. We work directly with the social worker at South knox to identify needy families at Christmas time. What better way to help than with gifts of clothes, love, and food. Contact our community ministry office today.
4.) Shop Candy Cane Cottage. The PTO at Rocky Hill elementary sponsors this week of shopping for kids to be a "secret santa" to their parents. But this year, there is a twist. Monday night, 5-8 p.m. is the Holiday Market. Ellenburg's, Kohl's, Lisle Newlon studio, and many more will be there for people to shop. Proceeds from all these vendors go directly to needy families in Rocky Hill. For more information go to the Candy Cane Cottage Site.
5.) Visit a home bound person or resident in a nursing home. Drop by, say hello, take a church bulletin or devotional guide. A simple touch of presence goes a long way.
6.) Attend the Knoxville Nativity Pageant. Now in its 41st season, the Nativity Pageant presents the simply message of Christmas with no hype, no gore, but the greatest story ever told with live animals, a great choir, and beautiful scenery. It will take 1 hour of your time, but will be a meaningful part of your season. You can pick from three performances December 13-15. For more info:
Those are my 6-- How will you serve this season?
This article will appear in the Knoxville News-Sentinel's Community Columnist section Sunday, November 22.
My dad left one treasure for me to find after he died. Without a map for guidance, I needed providence and social media on my journey to discovery.
My father’s life was not scripted for a bookstore’s family section. After attending the University of Florida, his world, including his relationships, turned upside down. In the late 1950's, he and his wife Hilda had a son, David. After a few years, they divorced. My dad lost contact with David. Hilda remarried. The rest became a well-kept family secret.
Working in his brother's accounting practice, my dad met my mother. They married in 1970; I was born in 1972. While innocently flipping through a photo album as a child, I discovered a picture of a boy who looked like Dad and me. The long-buried secret was open, but the mystery endured. My father died in 1983; my mother did not remarry; and my half brother became the subject of much discussion and speculation. Dad's brothers began searching for David, but every road turned down a blind alley.
Upon moving to Knoxville five years ago, I resumed the search. Closer to my family of origin, I felt I had a chance of locating my half brother. In December 2007, I shared with my church a bit of Dad's past and my family’s odyssey to explain how God's providence works with divorce, redemption, and healing.
A strange series of coincidences followed. Two weeks later, I received a call from North Carolina. A critically ill great uncle, who had not heard the sermon, wanted to meet his “preacher great nephew” and give me pictures of my half brother, Dad, and Hilda. Before I had time for a visit, my great uncle and his wife died; I never received the pictures. Yet I chose to view this experience as a sign I was getting closer, a reminder to be faithful in my search. Turning to the social-media network Facebook, I posted family-tree information and waited. Occasionally, I googled my last name, checked ancestor.com, and hoped.
On October 2, 2009, I received an email message from David Andrews, a pathologist in Miami, which read: "I am most certainly your half brother David, son of Hilda, our father's first wife." On a whim the night before, he googled the name David Shiell, landed on my Facebook family tree, and discovered a half brother that he never knew existed. Our stories are remarkably similar, only 15 years apart. He’s 52; I’m 37. We were only children; we completed doctoral degrees; we have two sons.
When his mother remarried, his step-father adopted him when he was 12 and sealed the adoption, locking away his “Shiell” heritage. His mother and step-father never had children, and David has one memory of our father when he was four.
Most stories like ours do not have fairy-tale endings. Just because people are related does not necessarily mean they want to be family. Our case is different. Two weeks later, I flew to Miami and had my first sleepover at my big brother’s house. This week for the Thanksgiving holiday, David, his wife, and sons will travel to stay with us. We’ll join our uncles, their families, and my mother on Thanksgiving Day in Crossville for a reunion 48 years in the making.
If David had not reached out to me, he would have never been found. And somehow I think if my uncles and I had not looked faithfully, he would not have found me. To me, that’s providence: our faithfulness, God’s timing, and the surprises of social media and grace. This treasure named David courageously unlocked the mystery and found relationship. I am truly thankful.
Starting December 2009, First Baptist welcomes The Next Door to begin using office space in our building. The Next Door is a ministry with women coming out of prison that was was started by First Baptist Nashville in 2004.
In Nashville, the program is a six month residential transitional living program for women coming out of prison. The program offers case management, job placement, and recovery support services to help these women get on their feet. Since 2004, over 450 women have had the opportunity to go through the six-month curriculum designed to prepare them for living independently and establishing stable families.
The program has been so successful that it has gained national attention. President George W. Bush highlighted The Next Door as a top national model of a faith-based nonprofit providing recovery support services in his remarks during the national "Innovations in Effective Compassion Conference" hosted in June 2008 by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
Statewide, it is estimated that at least 65% of women return to incarceration. The recidivism rate for women completing The Next Door’s six month program is 10%; for women staying at least 90 days in the program, the rate is 21%. Because of their success, The Next Door is expanding to Knoxville and to Chattanooga.
First Baptist Church of Knoxville is going to help launch this ministry in Knoxville by providing office space. Until a more permanent location in our building can be found, the Next Door offices will be housed in one of the small classrooms off of the pastoral class on the 3rd floor of the education building. In addition, since the jail is in our back yard, it makes sense for us to help reach out to this population. This is a wonderful opportunity for First Baptist to help a new ministry get started in our city.
Read more:
The Great Pumpkin visited our house Friday to steal our pumpkins. I am not sure when the visitor came, but we awoke Saturday to realize we had no pumpkins for trick-or-treaters. We could not carve a pumpkin, and of course, no Jack or Jill o'Lanterns.
The theft greatly disturbed Kelly, slightly relieved me, and inspired Parker. Kelly did not like that someone stole her pumpkins. She is the responsible member of the house. I was glad that I did not have to dispose of an old rotten vegetable. Parker called in the troops. This was going to be the "Case of the Pumpkins stolen on Halloween Eve."
He and the neighborhood investigators converged on the staircase for an impromptu meeting of the Dunbarton Detective agency. They listed the likely suspects on the back of an envelope. Sherlock Holmes would be proud. Of course, the most recent neighbor to move into the 'hood was at the top of the list. We tend to suspect the people we know the least about. Others were listed-- including the middle school kid next door. He has a long record of mischief- 1. He "accidentally" slid into the other neighbor's mailbox during last year's winter storm. A few others were on the list.
I told one of the detectives, "You guys sound like the Hardy Boys." "Who's that?!" they asked. "Probably the people who stole the pumpkins," I said. With wide eyes, he said, "Let's get 'em!"
Power imprisons like a person being taken hostage and held for ransom by a supposed friend. At least that's the imagery in Mark 10:35-45. James and John want to be on the inside track to the banquet feast of heaven. But Jesus warns them that before they seek the power of "the inner ring" (to use C.S. Lewis's image), there must be a hostage exchange. His life for theirs. They get released from the prison cell of power. He offers his life and conquers the prison in the process.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
Pictures from My Trip
Three weeks ago, I received an email that opened a new chapter in my life. It's a journey of discovery that has been 37 years in the making for me. For my family, this has completed a puzzle that is part odyssey, part reunion, and part mystery solved.
My father lived a rather interesting and varied life. His was no scripted novel for the family bookstore section. After some time at the University of Florida, his world changed and turned upside down. His relationships were no different. In the late 1950's, he and his wife Hilda had a son named David. My dad's siblings knew him. Dad, Hilda, and David stayed with one of Dad's brothers for awhile. But Dad and Hilda divorced after a few brief years, and my dad had little contact with his son. Hilda remarried. And the rest became a well-kept family secret.
My Dad was working in his brother's accounting practice when he met my mother. They married in 1970, and I was born in 1972. I knew very little about my half brother. I found his picture in a photo album after my dad passed away in 1983. The buried secret became an open secret. By the time I was in college, this boy named David became the subject of much discussion and speculation. Dad's brothers and their wives began looking for him, but every road turned into somewhat of a blind alley. All of them were into genealogy, but none of them could find David.
When I moved to Knoxville, I decided to take up the search myself as best as I could. Living closer to family of origin, I assumed that this might be a chance to locate the long lost half brother. In a strange series of coincidences, I told the story to my church one Sunday morning during the Advent season. I shared a bit of Dad's past and my own family odyssey as a way to explain how God's providence works with divorce, redemption, and healing. I shared that many of us have family members we had never met but hoped to meet one day.
Many people responded to this sermon. I discovered others on a quest to find lost siblings and relatives. Some shared the painful and promising discoveries from their past. One of my church members, Dr. George Schweizer, offered his genealogical skills to help me find David.
Two weeks later, I received a phone call from North Carolina. Some relatives from my paternal grandmother's family heard that I was in ministry. One of my Dad's great uncles was almost blind and was facing death. He had become a Christian and wanted to locate someone in his family who was a minister. I spoke with his wife. They shared that they had pictures of my half brother, Dad, and Hilda. They promised to send the pictures.
Since this was the Christmas season, I thought the call was some sort of gift from beyond. But I was extremely busy and could not go to North Carolina to visit. Two weeks later, he passed a way. A few weeks afterward, his wife passed away. The pictures never arrived.
But I took this incident as some sort of strange signal that I was getting close. Even though it was a literal dead end, the experience reminded me that I needed to be faithful.
The next step was Facebook. I found a group on the social networking site called The Shiell Clan. There are relatively few of us in the world. Even though none of the folks matched the description of my brother, I posted some basic family tree info and waited. Occasionally, I googled my last name, checked ancestor.com. My genealogical friends occasionally reported their lack of findings; but generally I just wondered, hoped, and kept his myth alive.
On the week of my birthday, I received an email early Friday morning, October 2, which read, "I am most certainly your half brother David, son of Hilda, our father's first wife." After years of searching, he found me.
We talked that day for about an hour, shared stories that neither of us knew. David's mother Hilda is still alive and well. He grew up in Miami and returned there to become a Pathologist. He is 51 and married to Isabelle de Gaulejac Andrews. He has two sons, Thomas and Vincent Andrews. Thomas is on the development staff at McGill University in Montreal. Vincent is a student and sailor at Cornell.
David has been an only child his entire life and has quite a story to tell. But it's his to share in his own way.
Today I am boarding a flight to Miami to meet David and Isabelle. Thanks to a gift from Matthew Evans for my birthday, I am going to be able to meet my brother today. He, Isabelle, and Thomas plan to visit us for Thanksgiving. The Shiell clan-- at least the ones closest to me-- are planning to welcome these new members of our family at a big Turkey dinner at my cousin's house in Crossville.
Over the last few weeks, I have been overwhelmed with reflections on family, God's providence, blind alley's, and mystery. If David had not reached out to me, he would have never been found. And somehow I think if we had not looked faithfully, he would not have found us. Or at least, right now that's all I can put together.
But I do know this, some things come out of the blue and touch life in ways we never imagined. And when we they happen, they are even better than we ever hoped. This is one of them. Because I just became a new uncle, for the first time last night, I addressed birthday cards to my nephews that have been waiting 20 years to be sent. It's a new chapter for all of us.
The metaphor of salt, used only 6 times in the New Testament, is usually associated with the work the church does outside the walls. We are the "salt of the earth" as Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew. Before we shake outside the dispenser, Jesus said we had to salt each other.
Salt was not only a preservative for things outside the shaker. Our word came from the Roman practice of the "salarium." Officers paid soldiers a salarium as their wages so they could purchase salt. "Salary" and "salt" share a common latin origin. In fact, our expression, "Are you worth your salt?" echoes the tradition of earning your wages.
Christians are given the salt of trust to share peacefully with each other. We are paid in trust and we give others our trust. In Mark 9:45-52, Jesus uses salt in the context of the work the community of disciples performs inside the shaker. We "have salt among ourselves" by exhibiting trust in each other.
Is it possible for a group of people to move in 65 directions at once? First Baptist does it every day, and we're quite good at it. We're organized about it, but we have no plan for it. We know it happens, and this scattering actually makes us who we are.
Before I explain how and why, you might recall that Jesus assumed that the church would act like salt and light. We would go everywhere spilling and sparking ourselves into the dull and dark places of the world. The church, just by virtue of its service in the world, and its need to move out from closeted spaces, simply adds zest and color to God's space.
The First Baptist version of salt and light cranks up the engines, waits at the bus stop, and opens car doors every day to do precisely that. Our church moves simultaneously in over 65 directions each morning just to go to school. Michael McEntyre and Susan Tatum have recently updated their information about the students who attend church here on Sunday morning. What we do on Monday, however, is quite fascinating. With no plan from headquarters, we move out in an organized orderly fashion to over 65 campuses as students and educators. We attend 20 high schools, 20 middle schools, and 25 preschool and elementary schools throughout East Tennessee. We are Smoky Bears and Bulldogs, Rebels (both kinds) and Spartans, Private-, Home-, Public-, and Pre-Schoolers of all stripes.
Educators and students scatter across this corner of the world, and we do one thing. We live the church. And that's exactly how Jesus planned it.
Competition drives so much of our society, but it's not the m.o. of the kingdom of God. Jesus actually talked about finishing first. But first place for him was a "First" at the bottom of a very long list of servants. It meant setting aside the impulse to win and to look for ways to carry others.
A life centered around competition creates envy and jealousy. But a goal of finishing first in service leaves room for a rivalry of love. See this article about women from Western Oregon who illustrated how we might begin the journey to a new kind of first place.
I love perseverance. I grew up on it. You buckle down, you work hard, you keep going. You overcome the enemies. You do as Hebrews suggests, "throw off what hinders you" and run the race. Perseverance works when you are in control of your problems and when you have the power to get rid of what oppresses you.
But what if you don't? What if the weight on your back is placed there by an oppressive boss, neighbor, family member or disease? What if you can't control what's hurting you. That's where resilience comes in. Little discussed in scripture, but often used, resilience is the quality of "bending but not breaking," of bouncing back. Resilience feels like those spongy balls that you squeeze to exercise hand muscles. They take their original shape after you squeeze tightly.
The Psalms sing of resilience as much as perseverance. In Psalm 129, for instance, the Psalmist speaks of a time when the oppressors were on the backs of the people with little hope of release. But somehow, some way, the Lord cut the cords. The people bounced back with new hope and trust in this saving God. Resilience is the quality we need when we're not sure they're going to get off our backs. Or when the work breaks our backs so much that only God can stop it and no amount of perseverance can change it.
Jesus taught his disciples how to finish first without competing against each other or other faith traditions. In Mark 9:33-41, he shows disciples how to "be first" in service.
We compete is against the very principalities and forces of darkness that use human rivalries to breed envy, jealousy, and scapegoats. By faithfully working downward to first place in service, we defeat the Enemy and trust Jesus to operate the scoreboard of faith.
See one example of this competition for service in an NCAA softball game that cost a team a victory but gave one woman a chance to complete her only home run.
The most important questions in marriage are the ones asked before a
man and woman are engaged. Romantics speculate about a variety of
topics: “Is she/he the one?”; “Can I imagine myself with this person
the rest of my life?”; or “What will my parents or my preacher think?”
A person can be theoretically compatible with any number of
individuals in the world. The mythical “one person for you” is just
that. No amount of imagination or parental influence can prepare a
person for the daily commitments of a marriage. Abstinence, fidelity,
and a shared faith commitment prior to marriage do not guarantee
life-long commitment either. They are important in relationships but
do not function as a life time warranty of trust.
Three years ago, I picked up a suggested list of questions that
counselors should ask engaged couples. I have modified them to be
questions we should ask before engagement. With the help of trusted
clergy or a trained counselor, men and women can ask questions that
lead to deeper discernment.
1.) Would you change anything about the other person and why?
2.) What annoys you about each other’s parents or siblings?
3.) Have we been completely honest with the other person about our
previous relationships?
4.) What debts are you carrying into the relationship? Who will pay
for this debt and how?
5.) How will finances be handled? 1 Bank account or 2? Do we share
the same views about debt, retirement, and insurance?
6.) Do you have a will? Have you discussed with each other how you
want to be treated should you become incapacitated? Have you signed a
medical power of attorney?
7.) When will you take out a life insurance policy, and who will be
the beneficiary?
8.) Where will you spend Thanksgiving and Christmas?
9.) Will there be a television in the bedroom?
10.) Will you work outside the home? If one or the other is offered a
better position in another state, will you be willing to leave your
position?
11.) If you have children, will one of you quit your paying job? If
so, which one?
12.) Is there anything you are not willing to sacrifice for the other person?
13.) How do you plan to communicate your schedule with the other
person? How often do you need a night with “just the guys” or “just
the girls”?
14.) Will you have alcohol or tobacco products in your home?
15.) Have you argued and been able to resolve the conflict peacefully?
16.) What, if any, forms of birth control will you use?
17.) Will you receive money from the other person’s parents for help
with a car or down payment on a home?
18.) Have you made a list of household duties (cooking, cleaning,
yard)? Who will carry these out, and how do you expect them to be
done?
19.) Do you have student loans? Who will pay for these or future
tuition payments?
20.) Do you want to have children; and if so, how many?
21.) Will you raise your children in a religious environment? If so,
which faith tradition and why?
22.) Have you deleted all internet dating profiles?
23.) Have you fully disclosed each other’s physical and mental health histories?
24.) Do you get along with the other person’s friends? Are you willing
to make friends with other couples together?
25.) How far are you willing to live from your family of origin, and
how often do you need to see them?
People change in marriage, just not in the ways either person expects.
Commitments are fulfilled with the many decisions made to keep
promises. We prepare with better questions.
The ecumenical impulse has never been stronger. The mechanisms, however, have never been more frail. The moment a person joins a church, particularity breeds togetherness. We want to say, "We are not alone," and yet we have programs and benchmarks for our fellowship. With multiple churches, ministries, associations, networks, fellowships, and conclaves competing for theological airspace, how do churches work together to demonstrate how Psalm 133 works: for people to dwell together in unity.
Three sprouts of partnership have blossomed over the last few months here at First Baptist. Most of you saw the first. We loved reuniting in September with our daughter church Mt. Zion Baptist. After the concert was finished, some people had enough freedom and humility to admit, "I didn't know they were once part of us." Togetherness does more than make you feel good; it offers an education in heritage.
Michael McEntyre has forged a partnership called Merge. Here 20 churches (Baptists and otherwise) work together to offer a youth retreat called DiscipleNow in the Spring. It seems that 1,500 or youth worshiping together work better than 50. But they also brought us Parent Merge, where newbies like me could prepare for the adolescent years ahead. At my table were experts like Ron Holcomb and Jim Decker to assure me that they were still learning as well. Parents across churches share the same concerns.
Throughout the summer, the Methodists invaded our building. While our Church Street neighbors renovated their kitchen, their homeless ministry worked with Herman Weaver and his staff to offer a lunch here. They did not want to let improvements shut down ministry during the hot summer. Church Street's minister Andy Ferguson gave us high praise for our hospitality on their television broadcast. We were happy to work with them and pleased to share the space and grace.
Last, six new churches have begun KidsHope programs at area elementary schools. With the work of Carol McEntyre and our Buckner partnership, more students will have mentors through Christ's love.
We might not see this kind of togetherness around a hymnal, baptismal, or communion table. But we surely sense this growth in the places that matter most: united around human needs.
I'll be speaking next week for the college community in Knoxville. You're invited.
Wednesday night, September 16, 9:00 p.m.
Panhellenic building at UT
"The Cross" Worship Service
Thursday Morning, September 17, 11:00 a.m.
Pellissippi State Community College
Constitution Day
Topic: "Between the Walls of Church and State: Slicing the Cheese of Religious Freedom"
Stephen Ministers train 50 hours to do one thing: to be there for the long haul when someone needs them. You would think this kind of thing comes naturally to people. As Christians, we're taught to love our neighbors as ourselves. We're also taught in the South to run by, say hi, and leave quickly. We're taught to fill in the silence with glib words pulled from the cliches of life. So Stephen Ministers spend as much time untraining themselves from bad habits to get to the root of what a believer does. Be there. And Listen. And ask great questions.
Margaret Woodhead was one of the first. She was part of that group of guinea pigs who take things when few know what they're getting into. After our first team of leaders came back armed and loaded for training, Margaret signed up. She took to Stephen Ministry like it was her very own. And it was. She lived such a varied life that her experiences probably prepared her for care giving as much as all those Sunday School lessons she attended. From parent, to hotel management, to telephone engineer, Margaret did a little bit of everything. She saved the retired years for a significant gift to the kingdom of God. She was commissioned as a Stephen Minister and became a caregiver to others. She was assigned confidentially to women who needed her, and she walked with them through their hurts.
But as the seasons of senior adult life shifted from independence to dependence, Margaret willingly laid down the mantel of caregiving to become a care receiver. She received help from two different care receivers as she took the long slow journey from health to Hospice to her eternal home.
When we gathered at the Veteran's Cemetery this morning to say a final comforting word to one another, Margaret's legacy was already speaking in and through this ministry. She left big shoes to fill as a giver and receiver. But that's what grace does to a person. You can't give grace unless you've learned to accept it. Thanks for showing us how, Margaret.
And if by chance, you would like to be a part of our next class of Stephen Ministers, applications are due by September 10. Please fill this out, and consider how you can be a part of this vital ministry at First Baptist.
Church can be described as lots of big events. We run from retreats, to Advent, to Easter, from Sunday to Sunday. You can plot the movement of God on a calendar if you want.
Church, however, is really plenty of litle moments. Small, behind the scenes gestures of intetionality that make the big events possible, feasible, and do-able. Because church is about people caring for others in relationships as a community of love, the buildings and events are just signposts pointing to people working or collection points where people work.
For example, look at the process of getting two people to church. These two have driven themselves for years. They love the church; they would do anything for the church. Because of physical and mental limitations they can't make it as frequently as they want. Neither asked for help; both gladly received the help when offered.
A team of intentional church people with eyes to see the need took care of the problem. Behind the scenes, Bob and Lorain Child, Bill and Betty Coley, Jo Cochran, Ed and Christine Dexter, Andy and Wanda Edmondson, Bill and Susan Higdon, Gerry Jack, Ray and Arleen Malcolm, and Jeff Sharp, work to get these two church members to church. They noticed that they were struggling. They made space in their schedules. They rearranged family lunches and post-church plans. They coordinated with family members, and they did the legwork of making sure bases were covered so that just two people could share fellowship with the gathered church. My guess is that there are many others doing this for other people each Sunday.
Little things do mean a lot; and lots of little things require intentionality and follow through in ways that a church rarely sees on the platform.
Today marks the end of what I refer to as the "Silly Season." The two weeks when school begins are filled with more churchwide events than Advent. Excitement abounds, and the "Fall" begins with a flurry. From the big picture perspective, we've caught a glimpse of First Baptist life, what church people are doing to transform and engage the city, and marked celebration points along the journey here.
Here are some of the groups FBC people connected with over the last two weeks.
College students
August 18- Progressive dinner with college students
August 27- Maplehurst Park Block party
August 29- Dedication of Baptist Collegiate Ministry
Downtown Business Community
August 19, 26- Bridge Luncheon @ noon
African-American Community
August 22- History Walk
August 23- Joint Concert with Mt. Zion Baptist
Each Other in the 1B Family
August 20- Deacon and Spouse Picnic
August 27- Golden Notes Picnic and Dave Ward's 80th Birthday Party
August 30- Church Picnic
Parents of Teenagers from Area Churches
August 22- Merge Parent Conference
Families
August 26- Fall Kickoff for Music and Missions
August 28- Movie Night
What does this mean? We've had a busy couple of weeks. We also have a great group of staff and volunteers. Behind the scenes on all these projects are two guys that seem to show up at more events than the staff: Herman Weaver and Jim Snell. They cook, set up, tear down, rearrange, and coordinate schedules for kitchen and building staff. They keep the 3-ring circus of events flowing smoothly. We have not had the kind of compatiblity between kitchen and building crews in a long time. One of the other is usually great. But rarely doe we have two who complement one another so well.
In the ancient world, people used stories about miracle workers to show people how great they were, how they attracted more followers, what cool tricks they could pull off in a pinch.
Today if someone has a miracle, they put it on Youtube; if the Virgin Mary shows up, the place becomes a tourist trap; if a flame never dies, we make it a monument. Jesus miracles in Mark, however, are not this way. They’re not a sideshow for the carnival of faith; they’re not prayer requests on your list for Wednesday night; they are invitations to enlarge our picture of God. The disciples didn't experience them to answer the question, "What would Jesus do?" The more Jesus did, the less they understood.
We're not being asked to perform an exorcism, or calm stormy seas. We're invited to see this picture of God that Jesus is revealing and to enlarge our own.
In Mark 4:35-51, the disciples go out into a boat. Jesus, however, is accompanied by other boats. They are part of that nebulous group of folks showing up throughout Mark who are following Jesus outside the band of disciples. In this case, they know something the disciples are about to learn. They know that Jesus is going to show us a larger picture of God.
In this case, the God-man, Jesus, rests. Like God in creation on the 7th day (Genesis 1), he takes a nap. This isn't Jesus the "human," this is Jesus' full humanity and divinity paradoxically demonstrating his cosmic power over a storm by sleeping it off. Sovereignty is revealed in his restraint.
It's no wonder the disciples were more terrified after the wind and waves ceased. This man was simultaneously from this world and not of this world. And he was in the boat with them.
This means that some of the normal squalls of life are just that: normal. An emergency on my part does not constitute a crisis on God's part. Instead it calls for us to pay attention to what some of the other boats know around us. It calls us to recognize the presence of the God-man in our midst. In this case, if he's resting, you can rest. If he's sleeping, you can sleep. Like a parent who crawls into bed during a storm with you, sometimes Jesus rests beside us demonstrating the best response to some of the "storms" is a nice nap.
Emagene Reagan is going back to school...after retirement. This is where vocation intersects with calling, fulfillment, and an encore opportunity. Great story in the Mountain Press about one of our own.
Posts
All Comments
