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It was really nice being back "at church" today! I didn’t realize how much I missed it, missed you, until I was sitting there this morning.
A little later in the week I will share some texts that I plan to use on Sunday. Of course this coming Sunday is Easter. It is very early this year! It also falls on Spring Break; this will probably reduce attendance somewhat. We’ll go for quality instead of quantity this year.
My message on Easter is going to be deeply affected by some things that happened, and thoughts that I had, while in Turkey. Specifically, the things and thoughts are related to Islam.
Well, that’s enough for now.
Don’t be shy - jump in with your comments!
About Me
- Allen
- Mitchell, Indiana, United States
- I love my family, and I enjoy what I do. I am in my 18th year with the Mitchell Church of Christ. I am an endurance athlete. The parallels between endurance athletics and ministry are remarkable. They are mutually beneficial.
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13 comments:
Starting the week after Easter we are going to begin an exciting study of the Gospel of John. The Sunday morning sermons will be from the Gospel, and then the LIFE group discussions will follow in the evenings.
The series title is:
believe.
I am very excited about it and am doing a lot of reading/studying in preparation.
Allen, I am glad to have you back. You were missed!! As usual Bob,me and the girls will be visiting Okolona Church of Christ next week for Easter with my Mom so we will miss Easter service here at home. I hope your first week back with us is a great one!!
Diane Slone
Welcome back Allen, you've been missed.
Welcome back to everyone else, I've missed you too.
Annette
OK.
How do you say rain in "Turkish"?
Yagmur
yagmur yagmak means “to rain.”
SO our little lesson is almost complete. The only thing left is to use these words in a sentence. Here we go. Remember, you have to speak really really loud and exaggerate your hand movements and facial expressions.
I THINK IT IS GOING TO yagmur yagmak.
Now let’s use a song:
“Yagmur drops keep falling on my head...”
Thanks, ladies, for the welcome back! I can honestly say that it is very good to be back. I am ready to go.
Yesterday was good. I did some study at home and then made my way to my church office around mid to late morning. It was so nice to see all the people working at the food pantry: Mike, Pauline, Rose, Matina, Shawna, and Dennis. I hope I didn’t leave anyone out. I really enjoy talking to them in between serving the folks who came to get food.
Seems like I spent a fair amount of time on the phone and visiting with people who dropped by the office. It was a nice way to begin reentering my ministry.
Last night I went to my first Oakland City University advisory board meeting. We had a nice meal together and then talked about how we can make improvements. It was pretty exciting really. I had some good conversations with some interesting people, including Dennis Parsley and Eric Koch. Dennis had a huge influence in my life when I was a teenager. He led a youth group that was based out of the Central Church of Christ. We would gather weekly in homes. Dennis, some other guys, and I use to ride motorcycles together. Dennis and I both had Kawaski 400's. [Yes, I was cool.] I had never met Eric K. before. He is sharp!
I am very excited about Easter Sunday. I am going to use some video that I shot in Turkey. That’s all I’ll say for now!
So what’s up?
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back Allen. Beautiful rain will make the flowers grow. Spring is coming and time of renewal and lots of digging and planting. Snowdrops are blooming at our house. Sherron
Welcome Back Allen it will be good to see you soon, Pat Arthur
allen
man, i am glad you have this back. always a good start to my day.
rain? it is raining? ha, the rain is making my life very interesting here. being i am responsible for the lake level, flood control, the water plant and sewage plant was enough but i recently had facilities added so that means i also get the calls for leaky roofs!
dennis is a great guy. being friends with curt all my life, i have spent a lot of time with him and admire him. eric is a swell guy too. i predict he could be governor one day for indiana. a very humble man with a servant's attitude. one time at the soccer field a storm blew in rather quick. all the kids and parents left quickly but all of the equipment was left on the field. i was out there in a heavy down pour trying to grab what i could and turned around to find eric out there picking up balls and cones. looked up and everyone else had left but the two of us. how many people of his stature and vocation would have been out there doing that? he could have left like all the other parents.
hope you all have a great day.
rr
Hey rr, thanks for those good, encouraging words!
I have been doing a lot of reading in preparation for our a new study of John’s Gospel which begins on March 30th. Of course I’ve been reading through the gospel itself, along with other books about John’s theology etc.
As I was reading this morning I was struck by an expression that showed up twice (in the NRSV). In John 15 Jesus tells us that he is the “true vine” and that we are the “branches.” Most of you are probably familiar with the metaphor. Jesus speaks of the importance of connection and becoming like him. Toward the close of that teaching Jesus says this:
I have said these things so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
As Jesus continues what is called the “farewell discourse” he talks of problems that can be overcome by the Spirit’s presence and through the power of prayer. In 16:24 he says:
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
I am simply struck by the idea of “complete joy.” This expression is used by others in the New Testament. Do you know who and where?
Complete joy. Do you have it? I don’t always, and this is one thing my sabbatical really helped to clarify. I mentioned this in our Sunday morning class. It’s when I fail to follow the Spirit’s lead, “keeping in step” with him, that my joy diminishes. I know this is not a profound insight, but it is a new consciousness for me; pretty simple really. Read Galatians 5, especially vs. 16 and following.
What do you think?
You would be blessed if you took the time to read Bearing the Silence of God, written by a Turkish theologian.
Here are a couple of excerpts:
The greatest glory Jesus brought to God was not when he walked on the water or prayed for long hours, but when he cried in agony in the garden of Gethsemane and still continued to follow God's will, even though it meant isolation, darkness, and the silence of God. Thus, we know that when everything around us fails, when we are destroyed and abandoned, our tears, blood, and dead corpses are the greatest worship songs we have ever sung.
The dead body is not the end of the story. The one who sacrificed his life is also the one who has been glorified: "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence" (2 Cor. 4:14). When we identify ourselves with the humiliation, suffering, and death of Jesus, we are also granted the privilege of being identified with the resurrection, glory, and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore we do not lose heart," even though we are weakened by suffering (2 Cor. 4:1).
allen
you and i read such different books! the two i am reading right now are "plastic jesus" and "the gospel according to starbucks". i was going to respond that your earlier post reminded me a lot about what the book "plastic jesus" talks about. "pure joy" is real and is possible but in suburbia we struggle to find what is real and there are so many presentations that are not what they seem.
rr
It is often quite amazing to me that while this is the time of year dedicated to remembering the suffering of Christ we walk blithely along choosing our new clothes, stocking up on candy and happily following pagan rituals. I know, I know, I'm being a kill joy, but it really does strike me. I was in a restaurant this Friday when the waitress ask me if I colored eggs. Without waiting for me to answer she laughed and said she did. She continued to laugh and tell me that Christians think it is their holiday when in fact at no time was it celebrated by the early church. She said she colored eggs because it was the pagan thing to do to celebrate fertility and she was a practicing pagan. Well, that was quite an interesting thing to hear. I often think about the rituals that are in our culture and how they are such a part of "the church." What does the Lord think about these things? How do we "come out from among them and be separate?" How do we remain unstained from the world. Who even asks the questions?
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