Q: Cheerleading...sport or not a sport?

A: Depends on who you ask.

Q: Cheerleading...a necessity or a waste of time?

A: Depends on who you ask.

Q: Cheerleading...should you do it at church?

A: What do you mean?

This Sunday, January 23rd, we are having our annual congregational meeting.  Not only are we affirming new Leadership Team Members, but we are also hearing reports from Ministry Leaders, Staff and Leadership Team as they share not only what happened in 2010, but what we hope to accomplish for 2011.  My job, as the Sr. Pastor, is to coordinate the morning and to "cheerlead" the presentations.  The struggle is...I have never been a very good cheerleader (I just cannot get the tights to fit correctly - - HA!  I would much rather play than stand on the sideline.) 

But here is the truth - I am genuinely excited about what is going on at the church.  I am eagerly anticipating what God is going to do through the ministries at PCC in the coming days, weeks, months and years to come.  I truly believe that we have an opportunity to grow - not necessarily in numbers, but in our impact for the Kingdom.  I strongly desire for people to catch the vision for the role they play in "Helping People Discover and Experience the Life-Changing Love of Christ" as they GO - LOVE - TEACH.  Those words are not merely a Mission and Vision statement...they have become a part of me - what I desire to do...who I desire to be.  I want people (not only on this Sunday...but on every day of my life) to not see it as me simply "cheerleading" the ministry efforts of the church, but that I am all in!  That I want to be Salt...I want to be Light...I want to consider it all a loss as compared to knowing Christ.  And I believe that if everyone who worships at PCC would not just sit on the sideline but completely commit to Christ, the impact we can make would be amazing!  Amazing...not for our church or our own "self worth"...but for the Kingdom of God!  It is my prayer that I get out of the way and let God work in me and through me.

Q: So...what do you think?  Should we cheerlead at church?

A: ...................................

 

I went for a run yesterday morning.  It began in the "lightly" falling snow.  It ended with big flakes and my entire front-side covered in snow!  As I did my "cool down" I noticed my tracks in the snow and it made me think...it is so easy to know where you have been...but often so hard to know where you are going!  And then...as I stood there watching my tracks be filled by the snow...I had another thought - how quickly what we do vanishes and is no more!  No record...no result...no longstanding impact.  And yet...when we impact someone for Christ - it can last for all eternity.  In a very simple way God was reminding me why I do what I do.

To the two people who actually read this blog - Thank You for your service to the Kingdom.  Even though we may be miles apart...I consider it an honor to be serving with you!

It is shaping up to be a busy week...which makes sense because it is also a "short" week.  15 inches of snow on Sunday created a "state of emergency" which meant "day off". :-)  Today...time to make up for it.  Also trying to spend as much time as possible with Josh, Mikala and Cadenece...but mostly Cadence!  Extra things make it tough...funeral, guests from out of town, additional family later this week, new book I want to read, etc.  It made me think about how busy Jesus was...or wasn't.  He withdrew to pray, cared for people, spent time teaching, healing, loving.  I find it hard to spend time with Him when His whole life was about spending time with "me".  No clear answers...but sometimes I wonder...am I just busy?

I lost my voice. Sunday morning I had it. Sunday afternoon I lost it. I have yet to find it. My wife informs me that I either find it soon or it is off to the doctor - I hope to find it soon. My time of "loss" has caused me to do a lot more listening! People call...I listen. People come into the office...I listen. Attend a prayer meeting...I listen. Sit around the dinner table with the family...I listen. Have guys over to watch football...I listen. Some people were all to glad that I could not talk. Some were sympathetic and hoped I would get better soon. Others saw it as an opportunity to share. And you know what? That seems to be what people really need. They just need someone to listen. I may have lost my voice, but I found my "listen". Is there anyone in your life that needs you to lose your voice today?

In a section of the book titled “On the Anvil” by Max Lucado. It says this: “When a potter bakes a pot, he checks it solidity by pulling it out of the oven and thumping it. If it “sings” it’s ready. If it “thuds”, it’s placed back in the oven. The character of the person is also checked by thumping. Been Thumped lately? Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. Grumpy moms. Burnt meals. Flat tires. “You’ve got to be kidding” deadlines. Those are thumps. Thumps are those irritating inconveniences that trigger the worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat footed. They aren’t big enough to be a crises, but if you get enough of them, watch out. Traffic jams. Long lines. Empty mailboxes. Dirty clothes on the floor…thump. Thump. Thump. How do I respond? Do I sing? Or do I thud? Jesus said that out of the nature of the heart a man speaks (Luke 6:45). There is nothing like a good thump to reveal the nature of a heart. The true character of a person is seen not in momentary heroics, but in the thump-packed humdrum of day-to-day living.” I do not know about you but I really do not like being thumped...but it seems that I have been a lot lately. There have been times of song and times of hollow “thudding”. So how are you handling your thumps? Singing...or thudding? I pray that my life, and yours, will produce a “sweet sound” to our God.

We are currently in a series on the New Testament Book of James. One of the things James talks about is having JOY! That which can only be found by putting Jesus first, Others second and Yourself third. Hold that thought... In watching the Olympics I have been struck by the different emotions expressed by the various participants. The American men gymnastics team elated at Bronze. The American women gymnastic team settling for Silver. The ever smiling Michael Phelps (except when his goggles are full of water) and the sheer pain of finishing fourth...again (Katie Hoff - USA). Then there is the relief expressed by China's Du Li as she "redeemed" herself and won the gold. What the point? The point is that when Benoit Caranobe of France won the Bronze medal by .175 points - (in the men’s gymnastics all around competition) he could not contain his emotions. The commentator then said, "That is a picture of true joy!" And as I sat there nodding my head...it hit me. NO IT IS NOT! That is a picture of true happiness. Had he scored .2 points lower...no happiness...only disappointment. Happiness depends on our circumstances...JOY depends on Christ - and He never fails! I guess it was another reminder to me how alive the Word of God is and regardless of how things are going...I still can have JOY in Him. So I ask you, are you happy? Or do you have JOY?

Royals StatueMike SchmidtCal Ripkin JrHank AaronGeorge BrettCale & Craig - front row seats for All-Star ParadeCale and I decided that a day trip to NYC to watch the MLB All-Star parade would be fun...and it was. We saw the Hall of Fame cast as well as the 2008 All-Stars. We met a really nice Yankees fan (yes they do exist) by the name of Rich and had a front road seat to view the parade. We saw legends including Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Yogi Berra, Wade Boggs, Lou Brock, GEORGE BRETT, Rod Carew, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gosage, Harmon Killebrew, Tommy Lasorda, Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Phil Nekro, Cal Ripkin Jr, Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt - just to name a few. It was a fun day. Cale and I then saw some sights before heading home in time to watch the game. I made it through the end...Cale did not! Click on the links at the beginning of the post to view a picture or two. Enjoy!!!!!

Just wanted to write a quick note to state the obvious...I am not good at keeping up with my blog. No promises that I will do better, but I will try.

"I hate waiting" - Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) from "The Princess Bride" "The German said to wait here." - bartender (Fred Asparagas) from "The Three Amigo's" "I wait for the Lord, My soul waits, I wait for the Lord" - Jeremy Camp from "Carried Me - The Worship Project" "Now wait a minute" - The Ronelles "Shout" "I would have more patience if God would hurry up!" - "unknown" - adopted by Craig M. Casey Why is it that waiting is so hard? You try to be patient. You try to do what you know is right. You cry out to the Lord to reveal His plan to you - and still - you wait. Some things are so clear...others are not. And yet in the midst of frustration (and waiting) I know that God is bigger than any and all situations. He has a plan! I must Trust in Him and in His plan. David says in Psalm 38:15 "I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God." And so will I. I will pray...I will fast...I will seek His face...I will wait. Romans 8:18 - 27 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

The good news is the NE received some much needed rain. The bad news is that it was a Nor’easter. The good news is the storm is not really severe. The bad news is I really do not know what Nor’easter means. The good news is the ponds are full. The bad news is the roads are full. The good news is the plants have been watered. The bad news is the plants are gone. The good news is traffic on the roads is light. The bad news is traffic is no longer on the road (in the ditch or median seems to be the preferred place to “drive”.) The good news is that I am not in New Jersey – I finally made it back to my family in Oklahoma. That, for me, means there is no "bad news."