Yesterday, one of the Elders was making some calls and said to me, “I can’t connect with Mrs. H. Her line is busy every time I call.”
Since it was busy for an extended time, I called one of her friends and asked if she’d talked to Mrs. H. She hadn’t, but when she learned that her phone had been busy all day, she offered to go check on her.
Within a few minutes, we knew she was fine.
Looking after widows and orphans.
This is church.
How are you spending your time these days?
Read any good books lately?
Several years ago — maybe 2005 — I invited some men to join me in growing our faith. At first, we met very early in the morning. If memory serves, some men of strong commitment met at 5:30 a.m. in the nearby truck stop. We moved from there to a few more local places. Currently, we meet at The Dutch Pantry.
Each week, the guys read a chapter of a pre-chosen book in advance, highlighting things that stand out and jotting down any thoughts or questions they might have about the content.
The group has varied in size from as many as 18 to as few as 3. It probably averages 8-10.
The agenda of our gatherings is simple.
As we began, many guys were reluctant to join.
“Pastor Steve, I like breakfast,
but I’ve not read a book
since I finished high school.
And back then, I hated it.”
I encouraged them to give it a try, and to their credit they did.
So, here, well over a decade later, a list of books we’ve read include.
have read this one twice.)For a group of guys, many of whom said they don’t like reading, I think they are doing well.
What have you read lately?
You’re welcome to join us. Interest has grown so much that there are now two groups meeting. One Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. and one Tuesdays at 7 p.m. See me or Tim Smay for information.
-Pastor Steve
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Although FDR rightly described it as a day that would live in infamy, my mother, being 21 years of age, said to herself, “Ugh! War! Well, I will pay it no attention at all,” and set her mind to ignore it completely.
That worked for one day.
On December 8, 1941, my father and mother met.
They fell in love and Dad was drafted to serve in the European Theater.
On December 12, 1942, just over a year later, they married.
The war Mom had resolved to ignore turned out to be the focus of her attention.
On October 16, 1944, Dad was wounded on the battlefield and had to be evacuated to England, and then returned home to the farm near Brookville, where he and mom lived a good life until he died in 2001.
It’s strange to imagine that one day people will regard these events in much the same way as I regard World War I or The War of 1812 — mere historic events, void of personal connection. It’s strange. Kind of sad. And a bit sobering.
We like to think that the memories of our loved ones will live on in the course of human history, but, as someone has rightly observed, our great-grandchildren will probably know nothing about us much beyond our names. Any knowledge beyond that will be merely trivial and quite impersonal. And choosing to ignore this reality is no more realistic than a 21-year-old choosing to ignore World War II.
But there is an event in human history that never fades and always remains personal. It’s the Advent of the Christ Child. This event — this divine life — is as personal to you and me as we want it to be. It can be as personal to us as it was to those who witnessed it firsthand, because what Jesus offers is a relationship with himself — the Risen King, the Living God.
On the wall of their home, Dad and Mom had a plaque that contained these words: Only one life; ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.
It’s good to recall days that live in infamy. It’s important to study human history. But here’s something I constantly remember — what lasts throughout eternity has Christ at the center.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT).
If you know me at all, you know I am not an “alarmist”. And if you know me at all, you know I enjoy technology. So this may seem an odd post, because it seems to be alarmist concerning technology.
While I was hunting today, I was listening to a podcast from thevilliagechurch.net, and heard them interviewing Catherine Steiner-Adair regarding her research for her book, The Big Disconnect. Steiner-Adair has some important things to say about the effect our use of technology has on our children — and our relationship with them. She also addresses when and where to permit children to engage technology.
The second portion of the podcast is about Thanksgiving. You can skip that, if you like, but if you interact with children, the first 39 minutes of this podcast may be important for you to hear.
And, yeah, I did not miss the irony of me using technology to alert you to a potential problem in the use of technology. 😉