Saturday, August 20, 2011
On The Jordon Road-Haiti Sending Service, Lunch and Baptism
This is an open letter to explain what will be taking place next Sunday the 21, as well as invite you to be a part of it.
As you may or may not have heard next Sunday August 21st starting at 11 am Lost and Found Church will be gathering at the Jordon Bridge Park on Jordon road in Arlington going through Granite Falls for a Community Sunday. Three things will be taking place, a time of Worship including a sending service for our Haiti mission team that will be leaving next week. A cold cut potluck. Then we will conclude our time together with the first Baptisms in the history of Lost and Found Church. Yesterday I had a chance to go and visit the area and this is what I found. We will need to brings chairs or blankets to sit on. The area where we will be will be a sandy area. To get to that area involves some walking. First over a suspension bridge, then down some very large steps with a hand rail. The area itself has no hook ups what so ever, so worship will be an ole fashion camp meeting which begins at 11 am. Included in the worship will be a sending service for our Haiti mission team. After service we will play and eat or eat and play. So if you have games or cards feel free to bring them. Speaking to the meal itself, we will have to bring everything in, I am thinking chicken, salads, sandwiches and fruit. LAF will supply the drinks and eating utensils. After eating we will be having a Baptism. Our first as a Church. Baptism will conclude the formal stuff, but you are welcome to stay as long as you would like. I realize that some of you have places of worship and you are just planning on coming to the meal and Baptism. We will not start eating until 12:30, I promise.
Directions to Jordan Bridge Park 14300 Jordan Rd Arlington, WA Turn off Highway 9 right on to Highway 92 Granite Falls and follow it until you reach the first light after the roundabout. Take a left at that light on to Jordan road. Follow that road for about 6 miles. One thing to watch out for is the roundabout that you will come to, it is the second right to continue on Jordan.
One other thing, please be in prayer for the 21st.
Monday, August 15, 2011
God Is Pro Choice
Yesterday during the sermon, I mentioned Hell. (yes, there are still some Christian Churches that still mention Hell during a service) But I digress, at the end of Church one of our newer teens was hanging around while I was talking to some other people. I finally got to her and she asked me a question that has plagued many a believer. "Why does a loving God condemn people to Hell?" A loving God does not send people to Hell I reassured her. We (meaning people) send ourselves to Hell. If God had His way no one would ever go to Hell, but He loves us so much, that He lets us make our own decisions. Then He allows us to suffer the consequences of those choices. You see God gives us free will. That is what makes Christianity unique among all the world’s religions. God says I gave you a brain now use it! It is known as free will. I went on to explain that a lot of other religions want you to check your brain at the door. Turn your mind off as you head to nirvana. If I were God: I told her; the first thing I would do is take away free will. She looked at me with a shocked face that only teenagers can create and said, “That would be terrible, then all we would be are puppets!” “Exactly! God does not want puppets, He wants living thinking followers. Who came to Him and stay with Him because they want to.” One of the hardest things I have to do as a Pastor, I explained to her is work with parents who raised their children in a Godly manor, giving them free will. Then those kids take that free will and make horrible choices, becoming jerks! I have to reassure those parents that they did their best. God is the same way, He gave us the gift of free will and every day we have to decide how we are going to use it. When we make poor decisions it hurts God, the same way those parents are hurt watching their kids make wrong, hurtful decisions. No parent wants to see their children suffer. Our God does not want to see His creation suffer. Yet there comes a point where both parents and God stand out of the way and allow that which they created make choices that could lead to their destruction. For the earthly parent, it may be death. For the spiritual parent it may be Hell. But those are the consequences of the gift of free will.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
July 31sr The Unoffical Last Day of Summer
As I write this, it is the evening of July 31st, the year does not matter for come this date every year there is sadness. The sadness is caused by the day slipping into night. It is as if a curtain is coming down on the play that we call summer. For you see today is the unofficial end to the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Days that are filled with nothingness, nothingness that crates a joy that comes from just enjoying the season. This joy comes from getting up and deciding just what you want to for this day and this day only. There is no future, there is no past, there is just this day that stretches out before you. If you are a kid, you think of kid stuff, playing, swimming, shooting hoops. If you are a stay at home parent, your only concern is getting through the day without going crazy. You are not worried about tomorrow; all you want is just to get through this day. If you are a working parent, all you desire is getting your kid through the day. So you fill it up with day care, or camp or Vacation Bible School. Remember the old adage that there are no atheists in fox holes. Well during the summer there are not atheists in neighborhoods. Keeping your child busy is all that matters, he or she may be a Baptist this week and a Methodist next week.
But alas, all that ends when daylight returns to the earth on the first of August. For it is on this day when you awake, no matter what your age and realize that you have survived another summer for school will be starting soon. Now more than a time or two in your day, you will think of school. For the child, his or her mind begins to wonder who they will have in class. Will they like their teacher? If they are older, in the next couple of days they will receive a letter telling them how best they can prepare for whatever fall sport they are in. So a part of their day will be filled with getting in shape for the August practices. Parents start looking at back to school ads in newspapers. They wonder about what they should budget for clothes. They begin to inquire of their children if they remember what they did with the class supplies list for the coming year. For the rest of August all that will be done or thought of. will point in some way to the start of school. For the Church what that means all those kids who came to Vacation Bible School are nothing more than a memory. "You say you want me to have my child there at what time?" That same Church that helped that parent get through the long summer day is now regulated to a memory, kind of like the hot weather we never had, or the Mariners being only a game and a half out of first place in early July. After all, my child has soccer on Sunday morning, or that is our family time when we all sit down to a big breakfast and watch Football.
Yes the lazy, hazy, crazy, nothing days of summer are gone for another year. May they rest in peace.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Charlie, Two And A Half Men and Moral Turpitude
For the last week, I have been caught up in watching and listening to CSI, including its various spin offs. You know CSI-Charlie Sheen Insanity! I have read, listened and learned all about Goddesses and Tiger Blood. But yesterday was the breaking point for me in all this mess. What is amazing is that it did not come from Mr. Sheen, but from the studio that produces his show Two And A Half Men, Warner Brothers. The studio fired him from the show in part for violating the “moral turpitude” clause in his contract. Moral Turpitude, are you kidding me. This Warner’s produced show has been nothing but moral turpitude since it premiered back in 2003. But I guess if you are the one doing the moral turpitude it’s okay, especially when your company can make millions of dollars doing so. I remember when CBS was trying to get this show off the ground; they showed clips of William Demarest’s “Uncle Charley” from My Three Sons interspersed with clips of Sheen’s “Uncle Charlie” as the announcer encouraged us to watch “an Uncle Charlie for the 21st century.” I admit I watched a few episodes and the plots boiled down to wanting to have sex, having sex or having had sex. What is amazing to me is not one of the characters have had to go to the doctor to be checked out for an STD or AIDS, nor have they ever had to take penicillin for their sexapades. I remember a few years ago, I was on a plane sitting next to a missionary who was retiring back to the US and an episode of Two And A Half Men was playing in the cabin. The missionary looked at me and asked, “Is this a popular program here in the states?” I replied in the affirmative, pointing out that it was one of the most popular and watched shows in the country and it had been renewed for another two years. He looked at me saying “Oh dear, the country is in trouble.” Warner Brothers is making so much money on the moral turpitude of Two And A Half Men, that they were paying Mr. Sheen two million dollars and episode. So as the studio rushes to try to save their cash cow, they no doubt will try to sex up the yucks even more with Mr. Sheen’s replacement. And don’t get me started on the amount of profanity included in the lines. I have never seen such laughs gotten as one character refers to someone as a s—of a b-----. What is even more disconcerting is that with “men” now syndicated, it literally plays from morning until night. Teaching a whole new group of viewers, how you can have sex with out consequences, while swearing all the while. That my friend’s is true “moral turpitude”.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Waiting For Manna
In reding this, you no doubt have figured out that I did not get work today. So why do I do this little ritchual day after day. Becuse I know that eventully i will get a job. If I quit looking, I will end up with nothing. Faith is alot like that. Sometimes we have to wait upon the Lord for His answer to our need. So I keep praying and believing, for I know when He does it will be what is best for me. If I get frustrated and quit, then I know i will end up with nothing but my continued frustration. So I continue on.
If you are in the midst of frustration, I would invite you to go to the Lord and share with Him your needs. Believe that He will answer you and look forward to it. Give it a try, to do nothing, leaves you with nothing.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The "Power of One"
For the past month we have been talking about selecting and then praying for five people that you would like to invite to Church. Are you one of those people? I hope so because if you have been hurt by the Church or just looking for a new Church. I would love to have you come and check out what we call the Lost and Found difference. What is that? It is a place to laugh, discuss, pray and most importantly heal. Not mention eat and drink coffee. We start every Sunday with the entire family worshiping our Lord Jesus that inculdes a children's moment before they go off to have their own lesson time.
The power of one means many things. Jesus has the power of one. You as His witness have the power of one. The world has been changed starting with one person having a dream, vision or goal. We as a body of believers have already changed the culture of Cedar Springs Camp where we worship by our bringing in golf clubs, one club at a time until they had enough putters to run a successful program. The Lord upon His return to the Father left us the greatest power of one, The Holy Spirit!
So we will see you this Sunday morning at 9:30 at Cedar Springs Camp 4820 Highway 92 in Lake Stevens as we together begin our fall journey. As we explore God's word learning about the power of one.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Kinda Makes Ya Wonder
As the issue was being debated on the inside of the auditorium a tornado warning was in effect for the area. For many of us when we think of a tornado, we think of the Wizard of Oz and the one that picked up Dorothy causing her life to go from black and white to Technicolor. But things like that only happen in the movies, don't they? As the afternoon of the 20th wore on and the debate raged inside of the auditorium the tornado touched down. According to Christianity Today, the tornado touched down on the convention center at the exact time the ELCA were in debate the Gay clergy issue. The only damage occurred according to the Catholic Digest wire service about a block away from the convention center. Where the hosting ELCA church had their cross topple to the ground. Other than that, no other tornado damage was reported.
As Ripley would say, "Believe it, or not."
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Some Days I Just Want To Go Back To Egypt
Yet in the last couple of weeks as the pressure has mounted. Continued therapy from my car accident: not being able to work because of the pain and therapy; bills needing to be paid; sniping with my wife has led me to longingly think back to my teaching days. Saying, “Oh Lord, why did all that have to happen to me”? Then I try to force myself to remember how hard was to get days off because the school had no money for substitutes, that was especially troublesome when my father was dying of cancer. Or dealing with the parents who believed they paid your salary and treated me like a hired hand and not an educated person.
A few nights ago in my devotional I was reading about as the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness they became frustrated with God. They were tired, hungry and angry with God, to the point where they were saying that “He just led us out here to die”. “We were better off being slaves in Egypt. At least there, we had our bellies full”. You read that and you wonder how God’s people could just give up on Him. Where was their faith”? Then you turn off your lights, lay in the darkness and begin to pray. As you whine about this and that, thinking about your past life. That life may not have been the best, but at least you had a twice monthly pay check. You could always depend on the money. But now God, I have to make choices about money and how to spend it. Sometimes just spending time in prayer hoping that a trip to the mail box will contain a check. Knowing that little old ladies feel sorry for me and buy me a ticket to Mariner game and blah, blah.
Then it hits you, YOU ARE AN ISRAELITE!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Roll Tide - Roll Jesus Right Out
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wagon Train and God
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The President, Race Relations and Beer
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sometimes What You Do Not Know Is A Blessing
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Summer Cleaning
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Lent Not Just A Catholic Thing
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
If You Can't Trust Your Teacher, Who Can You Trust
Where all this is leading is that thanks to a three judge Washington State appeals court ruling alot of todays kids may never get to have those memories. This afternoon the court ruled that it is not againist the law for a teacher to have sex with an 18 year old student. I will leave it to you to google the facts of the case, but the point is how many parents are going to become suspicious if their kids want to spend any quality alone time with any teacher with out red flags being raised in the back of their minds. What teacher is going to risk his or her career by offering to help a student with some quality one on one time after school. Or take them off school grounds to experience something unique like an opera or musical. How many kids will never get a chance to share, grow or learn something totally unique that only that teacher could have taught them.
Once again Christ called it, the foolish will be called wise in the eyes of humanity.
Friday, January 9, 2009
From Snow to Floods - Maintaining Order for the Rest of Us
In my last post I spoke of how the media would or would not cover the return of Christ. I want to take that same idea and go in a different direction.
Yesterday my wife and I had to travel detours becase one of the two main roads into our town was under water. It took us almost three hours to travel about 20 miles. So as I sat in traffic (the key word here is sat), I begain to look around and see how my fellow cars were dealing with the situation. Some were on cell phones, others by the movement of there heads were listening to music and one person took the law into his own hands, driving on the sholder of the road to not let cars pass and crowd in latter on down the road. Normally that kind of action is against the law and caries with it a fine of serveal hundred dollars. But last night, no one cared, because that man was our hero. Keeping order on a night when all anyone of us wanted to do was get home and out of this mess. He could have gone on ahead and crowded in, but instead he did the thing that was needed the most, keeping order for the rest of us.
Sometimes Christ calls us to ignore man's laws and strike out on our own for the betterment of society. I wonder when the time comes will we have the courage to do just that?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Snomageddon
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The First Service
As they used to say in the ole time serials, stay tuned.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Vision
God Bless Your Day.
Monday, September 8, 2008
In The Beginning
God Bless Your Day!