BURIED!

Well, here we go again - a big snowstorm has us shut down for awhile. Church is cancelled for tomorrow ( I hate that but too many safety issues for people).

Our kids made it just in time as we are celebrating Christmas this weekend so we have been eating alot, playing a bunch of games, watching some football, and even a few movies. Thankfully we've kept our power so we are nice and warm inside.

It's going to take awhile to get this all cleared up but we're not griping about the moisture. Maybe the drought will be broken now.

Even in the midst of the storms we are reminded that God is good, all the time! P.R.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Well, it looks like we in western Kansas will be having a white Christmas. It's really pretty now that the sun has come out and the ice has begun to melt. We lost some trees and tree branches in the area because of the ice but kept our power - a good thing.
With the snow on the ground I am again reminded of the real meaning of Christmas - the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to restore our relationship with God and each other. He came as a gift from God to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness - or as the pictures remind us, to wash away our sins that we would be whiter than snow.
It is my prayer that you have a most blessed Christmas and that you will not only receive God's greatest gift for your life, but may pass it on to others. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

P.R.

Christmas is coming...................

Yes, I'm still alive. It's a little busy this time of year as you know. Just finished officiating a wedding at our church chapel, getting ready for a Christmas party this evening, preparing for church in the morning, and putting stuff on the computer for the program tomorrow night. Practice is tomorrow afternoon followed by the program and even a few goodies in the fellowship hall after the program.

Okay, deep breath. Ah yes, Christmas. I know it's busy but let's not get so busy we miss out on what we are celebrating. In light of that, I encourage those of you who read this from the church to invite people to our services next weekend - the regular morning worship at 11.00 a.m and then the special christmas eve candlelight service at 6:00 p.m. I've got a great video clip for the evening service that the visitors and you will love. I promise.

So here we go. A little more than a week from Christmas. Are you ready???????

NOT WITHOUT HOPE!

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and as I mentioned earlier this morning, Christ comes to us in a variety of ways. Obviously, this time of year we think of his coming to us as a baby as we celebrate his birth at Christmas. But I was reminded as I officiated a committal service at the cemetery this afternoon that Jesus truly comes to us at our time of greatest need. Not that he is not with us other times, but at those times when we grieve, mourn, or suffer, Jesus is right with us giving us strength and hope that only he can give.
One thing I really noticed today was the hope the family had in Christ and the comfort they took in knowing they will see their loved one again. For we know that this is just a temporary journey we are on and eternity awaits us once we leave this world. And it is so noticeable in people when their faith is in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In the midst of death, they can still proclaim victory. Victory over sin and death. I saw that today in many of the family members and was able to talk about that great hope we have in Christ with many of them.
What a contrast to those who do not claim faith in Christ. They are consumed by grief and sorrow and unfortunately find themselves powerless. The season of Advent reminds us that this does not have to be the way it is. Jesus has come to give us hope, a living hope that is built upon faith in him as Lord and Savior. He has come not only to remove our sin, but to give us a peace that passes all understanding. As we move closer to Christmas and continue our journey through this Advent season, I pray you know that Christ has come for each and everyone of you to give you hope beyond hope. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

STRANGE SIGHTINGS!!

What's with all the green people? Was it something they ate? It's not even Thanksgiving. Oh! Did someone say the wicked witch? If she is so wicked, why is she smiling? And what about the strangely dressed guy? A guard, you say? A guard of what? Hmmm. I feel safer now. Anyways, the Wizard of Oz was great (The Musical, that is). Congrats to all who participated. A really great show.

On another note, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much or you'll look like those strange creatures pictured on this here blog. Green, green, green. Later - P.R.

ONE HAPPY FAMILY!

Well, what can I say? What a crew, huh? We got Todd married off last weekend and we're all smiles. (Some smiles are stranger than others). But we are thrilled with our new addition - Melissa. We needed another rose amongst the thorns. As you can see in the upper left corner, we clean up pretty good. And of course, my three sons are acting like their mother in the above picture. I just couldn't control them. And my mother has a great supporting cast around her in the picture to the left. Ah yes, life is good, and I'm blessed with a great family.

Okay Kyle, you're next - but the pressure is on. I've got two great daughters-in-law. One more will make it all complete. (Don't get in a hurry).

JUST to let you know!

I've been trying for three days to put some pictures on this here blog thing regarding my time at Aulne but for some reason it doesn't want to load them. Had a great time. Saw family and friends and met some new folks as well. God worked in a variety of ways - the evening services, the men and women groups, and even with the kids, especially the stump the pastor time. Aulne's music, as always, was awesome. It was great to play guitar with my brother Rod, my buddy Kevin, and my son Todd. Could have done that for hours. Some of my classmates from MHS were there, even my 6th grade teacher from school was there every night. That was ironic - I used to set in her class and now she was sitting in mine. Monday night was especially awesome. Ask me about it.

Now we're gearing up for Todd's wedding on Friday night. God has sure worked in his situation and now we are extremely blessed to have Melissa joining the family. The wedding will be very intimate with just immediate family followed by a huge reception at Salina. Can't wait. Ooops - got to go. I'm supposed to officiate. Have to put a few words together for the kids.

Pray for a blessed wedding and more important, a blessed marriage.

Until next time........................................................

AULNE! WHERE'S THAT??

What do you mean - you don't know where Aulne, Kansas is? It's a suburb of Marion, Peabody, Florence, and dare I say Hillsboro? Most important it's my old stompin grounds where this coming week I will be leading some renewal services. Now, Iadmit I am returning with fear and trepidation - they all know me better than I would probably like them to. So there's no fooling anybody.

However, I am really looking forward to heading back to the big metropolis. I'll be playing guitar with my brother, my good buddies, my son, and who knows who else. I'll be leading some youth events, a men's breakfast, a women's luncheon, some kid stuff, and oh yes, the evening services. As much as I am looking forward to that, I am more looking forward to what God is going to do. It sounds as if they are well prepared for these few days together so I ask you all to keep the 22nd - 24th in your prayers - for me and for the people who attend. Also keep the folks in Leoti in your prayers as well. I'd sure appreciate it.

Well, got to go. Things still do do before heading east on Sunday. Stay tuned! P.R.

P.S. Tomorrow is son #2 birthday. Happy Birthday Eric!! Love you greatly!

BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP!

Just a few more pictures from our recent trip to the high country. As you can see, the scenery is awesome. No wonder we sing "when I in awesome wonder". We experienced the changing of the colors of the leaves on the trees, the beauty of overlooking a mountain ridge on a lake below, as well as the snow that fell on our last day. In the midst of all this, how can anyone say there is no Creator, that all this "just happened". No way!
Beginning this Sunday I am beginning a series on worship. God's creation cries out that we worship Him. What else can we do? "For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him" (psalm 95:3-4).

GO TEAM???

Hmmmmm. As you can see we have a sighting of a strangely dressed, somewhat noisy, alien form of cheerleader attempting to get those around him to respond with loud sounds unaccustomed to the likes of local Leotians. The verdict is still out as to who this strange person may have been and exactly what his motivation was for dancing wildly at the busiest intersection of our fair city. Yet........there seems to be a resemblence............. to a certain lay leader......................of a certain church............................here in the county seat. Nah................, it couldn't be.......................................or could it????????????

That's no bull..... or is it?

Ah yes, what an adventure in the high country. As you can see, someone shot the bull. That someone was Shep - 26 yards away with a 50 caliber muzzle loader. My brother witnessed it all. We all went up with the horses to retrieve the quarters and take them down to the base camp. Craig was grinning from ear to ear. He was one happy camper.

Actually, we all were happy campers. We had a blast (other than a mule chase a time or two). A little patience tester for us all but we survived and passed the test. Had beautiful weather, rainy weather, and even a bunch of snow on the last day. The true mountain man experience. Caught a few trout, walked a lot of miles, climbed a bunch of mountains and even washed our hands a time or two. The water was cold, I'll tell you that. Anyway, made it back home in one piece late Saturday night - a little grubby, a little smelly, but well worth the trip. I'll try and post some more pictures if I can get this blog thing to work. Later - P.R.

GO WEST YOUNG MAN!

Leaving tomorrrow for the high country for a week. Going with Shep and my 3 brothers. Should be a hoot! Carry on. I'll fill you in when I get back. P.R.

PASS THE PIGSKIN and various assundry things.

Ah yes, another football season has begun and what a great start for the high school - a 53- 6 trouncing of Satanta. Nothing like scoring on the opening kickoff return and never looking back. Life is good! I liked the play calling of the coach, the enthusiasm of the team, the quickness off the ball - so far so good. But alas, the season is young. Time will tell what kind of a team we have. JUST a sidenote - did you see Kyle get his bell rung near our sideline? Ironically it was a hit by our own guy as they all were making a tackle. He was slow in getting up and definitely was in la-la land. Good old football.
I got my voice good and warmed up. Only had to correct the refs a couple of times. They're coming around.
JUST spoke with the #2 son who is moving back to KS as I write. He was in Utah this morning and should be in Colorado by now. It will be good to have he and Andrea back in the same state. M.L. is with her sisters this weekend so Kyle and I are roughing it. You know- watching football, eating some chips and dip, going to Charlies, maybe shooting a few doves since the season is open. (I realize they are symbols of peace so I just shoot the rebellious ones.) Todd is in KC with a bunch of youth pulling what's left of his hair out and Melissa is - well, who knows what Melissa is up to? M.L. did get to see her in McPherson last night however.
My brother and I are gearing up for the mountain trip next week with Shep so we decided not to take a shower this week just to get in shape. Don't worry, I'll splash some toilet water on for church. You'll never even know. Oh yeah, speaking of church, I've got to go get ready. Have some things to do. And the kick is GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!

ALRIGHT, ALREADY.....

Okay, I'm being pressured to do that blog thing again. Where does the time go? I thought I just did it. Anyway, school is once again upon us although the junior high has yet to get started. Too bad they are losing their snow days already. See, they thought it was great to start late but the days still have to be be made up. Who's crying now? And school sports are prepping for the new season. Time will tell how we will do. No matter, get out and support the kids (Just don't yell at the refs). Oh and by the way, I am announcing the JV football games. Of course I won't be biased and I'll only say objective and supportive things for our team as well as our opponent. (Snicker, snicker). And yes, 8 from our church are going to Promise Keepers next Friday. Should be a blast. Don't worry wives. We won't come back with our heads shaved, wearing leather, beating our chest, and grunting. Wait! Maybe we will! (Doubt it). However, regarding he-man stuff, I'm heading to the mountains in a couple of weeks with Shep and my brother, packing horses, pitching a tent, hunting elk, fishing for trout, taking pictures, and experiencing God's splendor of His creation. Can't wait for that. I'll be back for the holidays - don't want to miss the good food. DID I MENTION CHERRY PIE? (Where did that come from?) Anyways, just a few random thoughts. Must keep you all happy. (There's so much pressure).

AND THE WINNER IS.....

After weeks an weeks of training, Rick's Wreck narrowly took first place in the world famous barnyard olympics at the Wichita county fair. The Wreck won by 1 second over the Ken Gerstberger crew and 9 other teams and will now proudly wear the gold medals until next August when they will defend their title. The team consisted of Kyle and Evan Just, P.R., and the beautiful and talented good luck charm, Karlee Seaton. She was the missing link that was needed to put us over the top. The Wreck would like to thank our familes and friends for allowing us to train these many weeks (hours, minutes?). Without your sacrifice, we would not have been able to take our place in Barnyard Olympic history. And that's no bull!

THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE!

This past week or so I've tried to be observant as to what we've been up to as a church here in Wichita county and there is much reason to praise God. For example:

• The youth took a day to make bierocks for the county fair. Had a good turnout and they worked hard. Some of the youth also went and cleaned the food booth. I checked it out. It looks great!
• Several members of the church have been making and taking meals to those in need. Thanks to all who are giving their time and serving the Lord in this capacity.
• Many have generously responded to Gina's need to raise money for her upcoming mission trip to India. I spoke with her and know she is truly appreciative.
• Thanks to Lee for taking Dale to Haviland for the Emmaus walk.
• Thanks to Mary Lou, Marqueta, and Randy for treating Marge like a queen while Dale was gone. Also thanks to Mike who drove a group to Haviland to bring Dale back to town.
• What about those who helped the Schumachers move on that hot Saturday afternoon? Definitely a labor of love. Helpers included young and old(er) and male and female.
• And what a great evening on Tuesday as the Emmaus group took supper to the Schumachers. More importantly, what a sacred time it was when they all gathered together in prayer in the middle of the living room praying that God would bless the family and the transition that lie ahead.
• And the outreach to the kids continues as 21 of the God Squad kids from outside the church showed up for the Splash Bash at the pool. Great stuff!

These are only a few things that have taken place in the last week, not to mention those things that have taken place behind the scenes. As you can see, the body of Christ is at work in Leoti. And that most assuredly is the way it ought to be!

THE WORLD'S GAME??

Okay, so I thought I would give the world cup a chance and watch the championship soccer game Sunday afternoon on tv. Besides, I needed a nap and knew soccer would put me to sleep. I was right. I tried. I attempted to give it a chance, but give me a break. The two teams played for 90 minutes with a whopping 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. Some kind of action, huh? Then they go into two 15 minute overtime periods. Guess what? No one scored. Surprise. Surprise. And they call this drama? Then the game is decided on five free kicks per team. Mano a mano. Italy wins because they made more free kicks than France and the champion is crowned. Oh, be still my heart! They could have skipped the whole game, gave the 2 teams the free kicks and it would have been over in 10 minutes. Oh well, to each his own. But give me American football anyday!

Slopping hogs!

Earlier this week I was helping my boy with his 4-H pigs - giving shots, building a new pen, moving the feeder, putting in a new waterer, etc. Remembering my childhood days of raising pigs I was reminded of one thing - a pig is still a pig. Pigs still stink, still love mud, still love to go the wrong way, still love to chew the water hose, still love to cause your blood pressure to rise. Why mess with them anyways? A good question, huh? Reminds me of Matthew 7:6 that says, .."do not throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces". In other words, why waste time giving the good stuff to the pigs when they could care a less about the good stuff?

It can feel that way in the church sometimes. We all need the good stuff - to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ in our lives. Yet, so many people could care a less. Many don't want to hear from God's Holy word, much less want to respond to it. Some refuse to listen to what God wants for their lives, in fact intentionally do those things that God deems as sinful. And then they wonder why their lives are a mess, why their marriage is in shambles, why their kids disobey, why shame and guilt consume them.

The reality is that a pig is always going to be a pig. That's just the way it is. The good news for us is that we don't have to remain unholy and unclean before God. We don't have to stomp the things of God under our feet. We have a choice - trample the pearls or accept the riches we can have by virtue of a right relationship with Jesus Christ. The end result will be telling. A pig just becomes bacon or a slice of ham. A cleaned up man or woman ends up living eternity with the risen Lord. ---------------- I never liked pigs that much anyway!

CONFESSION AND GRACE - ALL AT ONCE!

Okay, here's the deal. It's been kind of crazy lately - busy at the church, people having problems, hospitalizations, serious accidents, VBS, speaking here and there for a variety of things, etc. I was glad for a night at home on Monday until the phone rang with one of our church members heading to Garden for possible emergency surgery. So I jumped in the shower, got dressed and headed for the hospital at 9:45 p.m. Thankfully the surgery did not take place ( at least not as of today). Anyway, here's the confession. I was ready to get back home. I was leaving about 11:15 p.m. or so and was in a hurry to get back. Yep, I passed a guy going too fast. At least that's what the patrolman said. He was right. He clocked me at 78mph going around a guy. (Actually I was going 79). Nothing I could do but fess up. So I waited in the car while he checked out my license etc. trying to figure out in my mind how much this was going to cost me. After all, I did break the law and there are consequences. About 10 minutes later here came the officer with a yellow piece of paper in his hand. All I could think was - "My wife's gonna love me for this". He handed it to me and too my surprise it was just a warning. No ticket. No appearing in court. No fine. Wow! How often does that happen? What an example of grace and mercy! I deserved a ticket, I was guilty, yet I didn't get what I deserved. I like that and I told the officer so. Needless to say, I was very appreciative (as was my wife).
Ironically we just finished a study on grace in one of our classes. But far greater is God's grace that that of the patrolman's. Now if we'd just respond to it..........................................

On a lighter note..

Since I noticed that the more serious blogs have little or no response I thought I'd give you a break this week by sharing a little story told to me by a friend. It seems there was this couple who belonged to the local Catholic church yet did not attend too often. One day the priest ran into the couple who had now been married several years and he asked them how they were doing. They responded with the normal "fine". He then asked them about their family, how many kids they had, etc. They replied that they had not been able to have children but were still hoping to be parents in the near future. The priest said that he would pray for them and even light a candle for them the next time he was in Rome. Many years later the priest saw the wife and again he asked about children. This time the wife said she had given birth to three sets of twins and and had two others as well. "Great" said the priest, "But where's your husband?" to which she replied, "Oh, he's in Rome blowing out the candles".

"This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine" - P.R.

WHERE THERE IS NO VISION.........

I'm taking the next couple of days away from the office to pray, study, and vision for the upcoming conference year here at the church. I feel like I am running in circles and need to get focused. I'd invite you to join me in this endeavor (even if it's just an hour)to discern God's will for us as a church as well as individuals. If God impresses some thoughts, ideas, or specific direction, please contact me. I will be sharing what God lays upon my heart with you as time goes on.

Serving together,

P.R.

YEARLY GET-TOGETHER

Tuesday morning I leave for Salina for the rest of the week for Annual Conference - our yearly gathering of clergy and laity to cuss and discuss the ministry for the upcoming year. I always enjoy seeing some of my buddies I havn't seen for some time. I don't foresee any major issues to cause a disruption amongst us however that remains to be seen.
I am the president of the renewal group for Kansas and am in charge of our banquet on Thursday evening at Grand Avenue UMC. My good friend Steve Rankin will be speaking. Hope some of you out there can be there.
Barring anything crazy we will be appointed to our 6th year at Leoti. Looking forward to another year. It promises to be exciting, I'm sure.
On Friday at noon I have to book it for Denver for a wedding rehearsal of a college classmate of Todd's so I will meet M.L. at I-70 somewhere and head for denver. The wedding will be Saturday night after which we will head back for Leoti in the wee hours of the morning so i can preach. ( Craig, be on standby). (As if he'll read this).
Anyways, a busy week ahead. Never a dull moment. Later - P.R.

Graduation time!

I just went to my wife's nephew's graduation last Saturday and will attend our local high school graduation this Saturday followed by the 8th grader's graduation on Monday. Definitely a busy time of the year. Unfortunately for many, graduation becomes an end, instead a means to an end. It's as if "I've arrived". Well, maybe there is an arrival, but only for that particular moment. For 8th graders, it's on to high school. For high schoolers, it's on to college or the work place. The bottom line is that graduation is merely passing on from one stage of experience to another. Yes, it's good to celebrate the moment, but if you only stay there, you've not really learned a thing.
The same holds true in our Christian walk. Many think that accepting Christ as Savior is the end all, be all. In reality, it's only the beginning of a maturing process as it pertains to a relationship with God. Should you stop growing in the faith, you might want to ask whether it is really faith at all. It would be like asking a child to stay at the age of 1 year for the rest of his life. After all, he's been born, he's passed from the sitting and crawling stage to that of standing and walking. But he's still only 1 year old. He still has a long way to go.
We as Christians still have a long way to go. We're to continue to move forward in our faith, to move from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity. Let's not stop with accepting Jesus as our Savior. Let's graduate to making Him be our Lord as well.

duh vinchee coat

Have you noticed all the hub bub concerning the upcoming Da Vinci Code movie? Man, you'd think the world was going to end or something. Now I must confess, anytime you mess with Jesus in a book, be it fiction or non-fiction, you better not be the cause of someone to stumble. Jesus was clear about that in The Book. I'm always leery of the effects that a book like Ken Brown's (the author) can have on people, especially those who are ignorant regarding Christianity.

But that aside, what's with all the Christians who are scared to death of the book or books like it? I listened to Dobson a little last week and all he did was whine and complain and I ask myself, " Does he realize who the victor is in all of this?" Jesus has already won the victory and that is eternal truth. But listening to Dobson and other Christian leaders, you'd think we'd have the lost and must high tail it to the hills. Come on! Jesus does not have to be defended. The Bible does not have to be defended. Truth stands on its own and wins every time. That's not to say that we are not to be able to defend what we believe or be able to articulate it. But for crying out loud, The Da Vinci Code will be here today and gone tomorrow. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is eternal God and His Word stands forever. You can take that to the bank.

I've read Brown's book. It's view of Jesus is purely heresy but I'm not scared of the book. However, I do fear God and and know that one day we must all stand before Him and give an account, especially as it relates to how we responded to his son Jesus. Responding to Dan Brown is one thing. Responding to the God of the universe is quite another.

WHAT SMILE?

By the way, have you noticed the faces of the men who went on the Walk to Emmaus this past weekend? No, they're not up to something, but God sure is. How I wish you all could have been with me to watch what God did in these guys lives this past weekend. It was and is indescribable.
So if you get a chance, ask Mike, Shad, Randy, Todd, or Lee how their weekend went. Don't be in a hurry because they have a lot to say.
Look out ladies, you're next.

Stay tuned!

SO, WHAT'S YOUR PICK?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I was just wondering. It seemed to me that while I was in Hawaii these churches looked like they were needing a pastor for their flock. I realize it would be difficult to live in a 70 -80 degree climate on a daily basis but someone has to do it. And my wife seems to be open to the idea of sun and warmth, rain , green plants, tropical fruit, and the such. So, if you can just help me decide which place to check out, I'll take it from here.














ALOHA!!!

I'M STILL ALIVE!!

JUST to let you know that I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I've been busier than a one arm paper hanger and have not had time to get to this here blog thing. However, I do have plenty of material so stay tuned. Holy week is next week followed by the Walk to Emmaus for the men and then the women so updates might be rather sporadic for a moment or two.

Keep on keepin on in Jesus. - P.R.

What's going on?

(Hawaii continued) So, uh, M.L. is twirling her belt impatiently waiting for the hostess to say it's dinner time. Meanwhile Randy is day dreaming, thinking about that nice lobster that is boiling in the water. Kevin, Bev, and I are just laughing at the looks of the aforementioned. Maybe it was just the ship being tossed around on the waves. Who really knows?

WHALE OF A GOOD TIME!

Ah yes, a breached whale jumping out of the warm Pacific waters. Not to mention the baby at its momma's side. Pretty cool, huh? This was the second day of our trip to Hawaii and off the coast of Maui on a whale watching tour. And yes, the proof is in the picture. We saw whales. And lots of other cool stuff which I'll probably be showing you in the next few weeks. Actually, I just missed the third "daddy" whale jumping when I took this picture so needless to say, it was quite a show.
We had a blast while we were on the Islands, even when it rained. Who cares? We were in Hawaii!! And the best part - I didn't even get sea sick. That is great news - for me, for M.L., for everyone involved. In the two hours we were on the boat looking for whales we probably saw 10 -12 whales which is a good outing. From December to April they make their way to these waters from Alaska to mate and then return to Alaska. Lot of miles, huh? Anyway, it was a pretty amazing sight. Stay tuned for more pictures and comments. Aloha!!

BIG BAND AND THE BLUES

I hope some of you had a chance to got to the Count Basie Orchestra concert last Monday night. It was awesome. Those guys could play. And Melba could definitely sing. Everyone who was there thoroughly enjoyed it, even the kids who are not exposed to that kind of music very often. I think I enjoyed the drummer most of all, Mr. Butch Miles. Wow, was he good. And what about his facial expressions? You could tell he loved doing what he was doing.
As great as the concert was, I was disappointed in the crowd. I thought the auditorium would have been close to full but only about a third of the seats were filled. That's too bad. How often does a big time group like that come through western Kansas? And it's too bad for the high school band students who were hoping to make some money for their program. More than likely they lost money.
Many people said the ticket prices were too high ($20). But you can be sure if it would have been a sporting event, twenty bucks would have meant nothing. Others mentioned that "we're not that cultured". That may be true, but it never hurts to do something a little different, especially when it involves supporting the kids in band. I imagine that a few went with hesitation but I guarantee that they left not regretting a moment of the two hours of great entertainment. It really was that good.
I JUST want to encourage the community to do a little better job of supporting these type of events that come into town from time to time. If we choose not to do so, we really will be singing the blues.

IS IT "JUST" ME?

I was in Garden this morn with my family (or part of it) to do some hospital visitation and other things. Of course we had to do the Walmart thing and then decided to go and grab a bite to eat before heading home. So we went into an unnamed restauraunt (hint -across from Walmart) where we waited a few minutes before we were seated. So a girl who looked like she was having the worst day of her life seated us and told us our server would be with us shortly. Well here comes our server so I asked her how she was doing today. She said, "I'm sick, at at least I'm getting sick". Well, that really made me want to eat good in the neighborhood. I let it go and we ordered our food. Meanwhile I opened up the cloth napkin with the silverware enclosed only to be greeted with some kind of green stuff falling out of it. The knife had some sort of "residue" on it so I'm thinking "not cool". It happened that the manager was walking by so I mentioned to him that I thought I might need some new silverware as what I had seemed "rather dirty". Well at least he apologized. Okay, we wait a little while and our food comes. All except my son's french fries that were to go with his chicken fajita wrap. She said the fries were still being made so she'd bring them out to him shortly. (Don't you normally bring the whole meal at once?) Well, shortly came and went and with about 2 bites left of the fajita she came and asked if everything was alright. I said, "Everything except for the fact that the my boy was still waiting on his fries." She kind of responded in her valley girl voice and said she'd "like, go and see what was taking "Bobby" so long on the fries." Finally the fries arrived with the explanation that "it was just so hard to get the cook's attention". HELLO! Whose attention are we trying to get here? Is it just me or is good service slowly going the way of the dinasoar? And then we're expected to give 15% for a tip? Here's a tip. Work a little harder. See ya!

A REASON TO CELEBRATE!

I just returned from Nashville and am excited to be a part of a movement that is encouraging and equipping local churches to focus on ministry centered on the mighty act of God's intervention in human history - Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost. As a part of the World Methodist Council on Evangelism, it is awesome to introduce "Cornerstone Celebration" with the purpose of seeing the Church empowered by the Holy Spirit to grow in faith and discipleship and be equipped to share faith that others may know and experience Jesus as the cornerstone of their faith and life. It's primary aim (as mentioned in the brochure) is to enable persons to experience the living Christ and to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others by word, deed, and sign.

As many of you know, the church across the nation is in need of renewal and often we attempt to encourage that with special services. Last March was an example of that as Rob Schmutz came and shared with us. It was a great time, but in reality our preparation was not as it should have been and the follow up was lacking. The Cornerstone Celebration is birthed out of the the need to not only know and experience Christ for the first time or for a weekend, but for the whole of our lives.

I had the privilege of being trained to be a "herald" for these celebrations, wherever in the country they may be held. But why not have one here in Leoti? After all, we're the celebration station, right? Pray about it. Talk to me about it. And check out the website at www.WorldMethodist.org for more information. I'm ready to get after it. What do you think?

Pickin and grinnin

I'm headin to Nashville on Monday. yeap, just my guitar on my back and harmonica in my pocket - searchin for fame and fortune. All I need is 3 chords and a big ole smile.
WAIT! I MUST BE DREAMIN!
Actually, I am going to Nashville but for a different reason. I've been invited to a training by the World Methodist Council on Evangelism to be a "herald" for a new program based on "Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone". I'll spend three days there and am excited to see what is being offered. Should be a blast. And who knows, maybe my buddies the Oak Ridge Boys will need a rythym guitar man for a song or two. Elvira..............boom powpow boom powpow boom powpow mowmow............ (Somebody help me!)

The Omission Commission

So many people get worked up over the way other people act or what other people say. Did you hear what so and so did? Why are they doing that? Can you believe it? Yes, there are plenty of folks doing things they shouldn't do but what about those things WE should be doing but aren't?
It's what we might call the sin of omission - those things we should be doing but aren't.

We were talking Friday morning about people's response to "How are you"? Most people say "fine" when you can tell by looking at them that they're not fine. But how many of us actually pursue what is or isn't going on in that person's life? Why don't we? Surely we care - or do we? Maybe we'd rather not get involved. Or how about those we actually know are suffering, dealing with sorrow, having relationship problems, maybe financial problems. Are we not sinning by not responding to the needs of our brothers and sisters - especially if they are part of the body of Christ? And what about our own spiritual lives? People are sure to point out the sins of others but if Scripture commands us to meditate upon the word daily, (which includes reading it and studying it), to pray often, to worship together regularly, etc. and we choose not to because "I'm just not a reader" or "I just can't find the time" are we not sinning by disobeying God? Hmmmmmmmmmm.
Be careful of the sins of omission for they are are no different in God's eyes than those which are committed.

LOVING THY NEIGHBOR?

While in Vegas we came across this man holding this sign in front of the Bellagio hotel and casino. I overheard a woman speaking to a man walking beside her "He's really showing the love of God". Sadly, most people think this is what Christianity is all about. Unfortunately, this man chose a method of "evangelism" that would turn people away from Christ instead of drawing them to Him. The question that comes to mind - "Is this the best we can do when it comes to sharing the gospel?"

IN MEMORY

To a great nephew! You'll be greatly missed.

Life at it's best!

So, how has the year 2006 started out for you? Are you pumped up and ready to go or do you feel like covering your head and sleeping the next 365 days away? (Note above picture of one of my wife's boys.) I've mentioned it before but life is about choices. You can choose to enter the year with your glass half full or you can live as if it is half empty. It's up to you.

As for me, I choose to live it filled up and overflowing. Not that every day is going to be just great or that trouble won't enter the picture. But I choose to not let circumstances and situations dictate the way I approach life. I choose to follow the one who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I choose to set my feet on the solid rock that is Jesus Christ. As the song says, "all other ground is sinking sand."

So what do you choose? Do you choose joy? Do you choose living life to it's fullest? (which is what Jesus promises all who follow him). Do you choose to allow him to give you victory over the stuff that life throws at you? Or will you decide to cover your head, close your eyes, and sleep the new year away? I think you know what you really want to do. So as the Nike commercial advises - "Just Do It".

"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy.............................."