Welcome to the "SOTHBLOG." Really, this page is nothing more than a good ol' weekly "pastor's column" -- the kind that's been done in church newsletters for years. But, by virtue of its presence on the internet, this becomes a "blog," which sounds so much cooler, so much more 21st century, and does allow for a little more interaction. From here, you should be able to e-mail me comments and questions, and I'm glad to be in touch with all of you. In fact, that's really the reason for my writing. Our newsletter only comes out once a month, so this blog gives us a chance to check in mid-week, and gives me another opportunity to take steps toward becoming your pastor. In my mind, pastors are those people whose job it is to help folks make the realities of their life experience come into conversation with the Christian story. That's what I want to try to do here.
Yes, I am unabashedly a "Jesus person." But, I seek to be the kind of Jesus-follower who asks tough questions and struggles along with those who are trying to work out their faith. I want to learn something new about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, life, people and this whole world every day. I believe with all my heart that the lessons are always there. Whether I learn them has to do with how well I keep my eyes and ears open, how well I can listen instead of speak, and how well I can let God go to work on my heart.
Now, all that said, a blog is sort of an exercise in irony. Even while I say that I want to learn to listen, writing a blog is really a way to speak. At their cores, blogs are pretty narcissistic. People write them because they believe that somebody wants to read what they've got to say. A lot of bloggers seem fascinated with the inane details of their own lives, and they're convinced that you will be, too. Hopefully, I'll be fascinated in this weekly column with God, the world, and a Christian's attempt to bring the two together. I do know my own experiences better than anyone else's, so trust me, they're sure to come up. But, I promise not to make this a page all about sharing pictures of my kids, dog, and my latest slow-pitch softball stats. I just hope that something you see here will deepen your faith, build our relationship, and give you a little more strength and grace for your journey.
OUT THERE IN THE WORLD: This morning before sunrise I did a little channel surfing and found out that my cable system has a "NASA" channel. With what's going on right now with the shuttle "Discovery," what I saw there was really amazing. There on the tv in my living room was live video of two astronauts tethered to the shuttle, working on attaching a new addition to the space station. In about an hour, they'll be attempting to remove the two pieces of "gap filler" that are protruding from the shuttle's belly, threatening to cause another disaster on re-entry. By the time you read this, we'll know how they did.
I guess I always thought that things like the shuttle were so technically complex that non-astronaut folks like us couldn't possibly understand the procedures or the lingo. That's really not the case. Yesterday, when a reporter asked Steve Robinson, the astronaut who will do the "gap filler" removal how he planned to do it, he said, (this is my paraphrase, but it's close), "I'm going to grab it, and very gently pull it out. If that doesn't work, I've got some forceps, and I'll give it a pull with those, and then if that doesn't work, I'm going to take a hacksaw and cut them off." Wow. That sounds exactly like my approach to more repairs: pull on it firmly a couple times, then just say the heck with it and cut it off.
Now believe me, I trust that NASA has worked through this in a much more complex way than my description sounds, but as I listened to the astronauts' communication this morning while they tried to secure a "latch arm" on a certain piece of the space station, they sounded for all the world like two guys hitching their boat up to their truck. "Hold on, wait, come on back, almost ---- ok, got it." When everything's over today, they'll go back inside the shuttle and then pretty soon, ride it back into the earth's atmosphere. What other choice do they really have but to do their best, carry out the plan, and then -- trust?
Life and faith are more like this for all of us than we might like to admit. The trick of our culture, education and society is that we're made to believe that for the most part, we really are in control. We're really not. What I know as my wife, kids and I leave our home and go our various ways today is that we'll do our best, we'll follow the "plan" as well as we can, and ultimately we, too, have to trust. We may find ourselves in tough situations, feeling inadequate to fix the problems we face. There are moments when we feel for all the world that we've been sent out to work on a billion dollar machine with a homemade hacksaw. In those moments, I encourage you not to give up.
I have met people who've been scarred by such moments, and become convinced that such realities prove that there is no God. For me, nothing could be further from the truth. It's only in times of uncertainty that the best lessons of faith lie just around the corner. As individuals, as a congregation, as mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, employers and employees, students and teachers, let's learn to trust. That's ultimately what faith is all about. At the bottom of it all, trusting God really is the right choice. I don't know what the future holds, except that it holds God's love and presence, no matter what.
Please say many prayers in the next few days for the Discovery astronauts, for their family, friends and loved ones, and for their safe return.
LIFE AT SOTH: This evening we'll have our mid-week work session, cutting grass and taking care of all our landscaping, as well as working more on the re-model happening up at "the ranch." It may seem crazy to think that coming out and volunteering to work in the heat and humidity could be a good time, but we always have a good turnout, and I swear we have a blast.
"The ranch" is the brick ranch house adjacent to the church that houses our offices and some future educational space. We're doing work throughout the building to get the most out of every square foot and to make it a welcoming and inviting place for ministry. Come by and see the re-finished hardwood in what will soon be Sandi's office and reception area, and we'll show you the plans for what's coming in the next few weeks. Lots of painting and scrubbing to be done today if you want to work inside in the a/c.
Sunday will begin an August sermon series called, "Picture of Jesus," and we'll take a look at four scenes from the gospels that get to the heart of who Jesus is. If you've got questions about who Jesus is, why he matters, and how his life might change yours, come join us at 8:30, 10:00 or 11:30 this month and see what we find out.
August 17th will begin new Wednesday night programming, and each week we'll be offering a community meal followed by Bible study for all ages. More details coming very soon.
Thanks for hanging in there with this incredibly long post. They'll be much shorter in future weeks. See you this Sunday, if not before.
Grace and Peace,
Adam
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