School's Out For The Summer

I am reminded of that old song today, "School's out for the summer!!" Today was the last day of school for my three boys. They are excited that school is out, and so am I. It just seems that we have more time to spend with each other in the summer. We don't have to worry so much about being in bed at a set time and we have a little more freedom to do things during the day. My greatest concern is to not let this time get past me. You know what I mean, we think we have so much time so we put off doing things and spending time with our children, and then before you know it, your busy shopping for school supplies. I don't want that to happen this year. I want to spend time with them, I want to be a great Dad. My Dad is in heaven now, he was not a Christian for most of his life, but near the end of his life he accepted Christ. He was not a bad Father, he provided for his family and he taught us right from wrong. But, he was not a very hands on kind of guy. He did not spend time with us and he did not show affection. I regret that aspect of our relationship. I wish that we would have had a better relationship as we grew up, but we did have a good relationship when he passed away. All that said, I don't want to be like my father though. I want to spend time with my boys, I want them to know that I am there for them, I want to show them that I love them. I want to help them develop into godly men who follow the Lord with a passion, who want to see people come to know Christ. That is the kind of legacy that I hope to leave when I leave this world.

Palm Sunday

This past weekend we held our Easter Egg Hunt at the church. It was a lot of fun. We had approx. 80 people here. A lot of parents with their kids and most of them were new people that the church had not had contact with before. Everyone had a great time, and Donna and I were exhausted after it was all over.

This past Sunday was of course Palm Sunday. The kids did a march around the sanctuary waving palm branches, while the congregation sang "Hosanna." It was a very good service and everyone really enjoyed seeing the kids be a part of the service. It was also a very exciting day because we had 7 visitors. We have been praying for several of them for a while and it was thrilling to see them in the service.

We have been really pushing Easter Sunday and asking everyone to invite their FRAN's -Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors. I think that everyone is excited about it, and I have had many reports of people inviting others to attend. We are expecting a great day, and we are praying for the Holy Spirit to do a great work among us this coming week. I am excited by the excitement of the people in the church. They are getting excited to see people coming to our church and hopefully that excitement will just build and not diminish. God has great things in store for us, all we have to do is trust Him, pray and follow His direction.

Time

Where does the time go? How many times a day do I ask myself this question? It seems like just yesterday when I last posted, but really it has been over a month ago! Where does the time go. Just last night I was talking with my wife about this subject and I just started singing that song - "Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking into the future
Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking into the future."
I told her that I remember as a small child how slowly, so very slowly time seemed to move. I remember my grandmother and my parents telling me how quickly time seemed to fly as they had gotten older. As a small child, I could not even begin to conceive of time moving quickly. Twenty minutes seemed like an eternity to me. Now twenty minutes is just a flash of light that zooms quickly past my eyes. Where does the time go? I continue to ask myself that question. As I have gotten older though, I have added another question to that one. What I have done with my time. It seems that time is moving ever faster into the future for me, and I don't see any signs of it slowing its pace to the ultimate end, death. So my question is this - "What have I done with my time?" Have I used it to be a good father, husband, pastor, servant, man? Or have I wasted it with fun and games and idle thoughts and chat. Not that fun and games are all bad, but the point is, have I done enough for the Kingdom of God, or have I been wasteful with the time he has given me. No answers, just some thoughts to ponder.

Great Insights

I borrowed the following from a good friend who has great insight. She has given me permission to use it here. I hope it helps you.

Investments that Last
by: Robbie Bender

Perusing through articles in the news today I was shocked and dismayed to read an editorial about how a fairly popular alcho-pop was being discontinued. The shock and dismay didn't come from the discontinuation of the product itself, I am in support of things which encourage teenage drinking from being discontinued, but rather my disgust came from the attitude of the editorialist himself.The entire article was devoted to his deep love of a product. The discontent over losing this product could be felt throughout his words, as he began to speak of hording it as though it was a precious jewel. He would do everything within his power to enjoy the last few weeks that this product would be available on the shelves. A comparison of this article to others in the media made my frustrations rise even higher. For, throughout the media we read articles about who is sleeping with whom, and the continual onset of discarded relationships. We devour them, not with distaste or sadness, but with a lusty joy over lost relationships, yet we cannot bear to lose a beloved product. Our consumerism has seemingly driven us to caring more for something we can purchase off a shelf, than the flesh and blood relationships that go on around us every day. In fact, the very language used to describe this fizzy alcoholic beverage could be seen in a poem written out of love for someone one truly cares for.There are people all around us who are hurting. Who need love and devotion, not to mention many, especially this year, who are just struggling to keep their electricity on, and yet for many Americans, there seems to be more sadness over not getting what they want, rather than focusing on the people that surround them. Though this editorialist may have deep care and concern for those around him, I honestly can't say, as I do not know this individual, I fear that his article showed something that I have seen in my generally interactions with people. People love stuff. Today, for example, I made the mistake of pulling into Target's parking lot. I thought that maybe I would grab a last minute Christmas gift, however, it was a disaster. After discovering my mistake I quickly tried to make a retreat, only to find myself trapped in a conglomeration of cars. Is this what we have become? Sinking slowly in a quick sand that makes us believe that in order to be satisfied on Christmas morning, in order for us to believe that those around us feel loved and appreciated, we must buy them a bunch of stuff, that will ultimately end up in the garbage or given to Goodwill anyway. What has happened to us? The myth is deep and bombards us wherever we go. Jesus even talks about it in scripture, that we truly cannot serve both God and mammon. The love of stuff and having more than our neighbor has, is a disease as old as Adam and Eve longing to have the one thing they were told not to. A disease which we choose to live in. Instead of destroying we choose to let it destroy us. That's exactly what diseases do if you choose to let them live within you. Conquering this attitude can only happen if we choose to resist it. To resist the system that is so available to us. People will think we are crazy for doing so, for seeing more value in spending time with loved ones than spending money on them, but relationships are the only thing that lasts. As the stock market plummets and the economy is in ruin the solution isn't to buy more, it should be to love more. To realize this Christmas, of all Christmases that the Christ was born in the most lowly of states, in the most poor of places, to an oppressed people, that we might realize that there is more to life than popularity, status, and money. It won't be the brand new gadget or widget or outfit that gets us through life, it will be those around us cheering us on, loving us through everything that will make even the hardest times seem a bit easier. For relationships are truly, the only thing that lasts, and that's an investment that won't crash.

Always on time!

I have heard it said that God is never late, and never early but that he is always on time. Just when you think that things are going down in flames, he seems to send the answer to your prayer. Over the past several months we have learned to depend more and more on God and his goodness, and his timing. He has proved himself faithful over and over again over the last six months or so. He has come through so many times, and I am learning to trust his timing. I hope that I can help others learn to trust him and his timing.