Help

“Remember, you don’t have to do all this yourself.”

The words of my very wise, deeply experienced, and now retired pastor friend met me in my e-mail box this week.

We hadn’t spoken with each other in a few months, and it was good to see his name pop up on my computer screen. His first message was one of celebration and congratulations for the many wonderful (and recently well-publicized) things that have been happening in the life of our church.

I replied and listed the many, many other things that we are trying to undertake. But somewhere along the way I failed to talk about how those good things are coming through the work of congregation members who see God active and at work in their lives. Somehow I started talking about all the things that I had to do this week and all the work that I had to get done.

His reply was so simple (as real wisdom almost always is) and so powerful. “Remember, you don’t have to do all this yourself.”

True, but I don’t like to admit it. Nobody has to know that, right?

How about you?

How good are you at asking for help? Better asked, how much pain do you have to be in before you will finally admit it?

I often have to let things get way worse than they have to be. For instance, this week we launched with great zeal into what would become a nasty quagmire of my own creation.

To save us a little money, and because it would be so obviously “easy,” I ordered our “Turn It Over” direct mail postcards unprinted. The marketing company supplied an “easy” template for the back that we could print in-house. Last week I casually mentioned to Sandi, our wonderful office manager, that we would be printing a few cards very soon. Like, 2500 --- card stock --- that would need to be cut – 2500 times -- because they weren’t perforated, like I thought. Oh yeah, and the cut would have to be pretty much perfect, because the two cards, printed top and bottom of an 8.5” x 11” sheet met together at a “full bleed,” meaning that there really wasn’t any margin for error where the images touched.

But hey, we’ve got a great copier in the office. Really, we do. It’s outstanding. It’s a Canon Image Runner 3500, baby. Now that’s some horsepower.

Do you have any idea how many options there are in the properties of a really outstanding copier like a Canon Image Runner 3500, baby?

A lot.

Too many, one might say, for someone without an advanced degree in printerology. I got at least an associate’s degree this week, as did poor Sandi (“poor Sandi” should be her official name henceforth after the week I’ve put her through).

So, this morning I got to have a wonderful “give up” conversation with our local neighborhood professional printer (who just happens to be about the most dedicated SOTHer out there). I know, why didn’t I just do that in the first place? Great question.

All that I can tell you is that I hope the wasted time and heightened stress levels of this project won’t be lost on me altogether. I hope that I’ve learned a thing or two about help.

I can tell you that this morning when I walked through the doors of his shop carrying the weight of the world and the weight of 2500 beautiful, full-color, card stock, glossy postcards, the old strains of “I Surrender All” were playing in my head.

I can still hear the very old women in the little country churches I grew up in when they would sing that hymn. They would strain and stretch on the chorus, “I surrender all. I surrender all. All to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”

I guess I never really understood what all of that was about when I was a kid. Even as a child, my thoughts have always run more naturally toward achievement than “surrender.” John Wesley had the same struggle, and I am thankful that I’ve been able to study his life and learn some lessons.

Achievement for achievement’s sake is nothing but vain pride. Pride causes us to say, “no really, I’ve got it,” even when it’s obvious to everybody that whatever else is happening, we ain’t “got it.” It was when Wesley realized that Jesus had died for him, personally, and that he needed and could receive the help of a Savior that his heart became, in is words, “strangely warm,” and he was forever changed.

There was a little spiritual lesson for me this morning in acknowledging that I could not achieve our printing task on my own. But it sure felt good to know that there was someone out there with the necessary resources to get the job done. All I had to do was ask.

In a conversation about our faith this week, a good Christian friend told me, “you know, it’s all about letting go.” Truer words were never spoken.

See, here’s the thing. I’m never going to stop loving excellence. I’m just not, especially when it comes to church. I feel sure that God is a pretty excellent God.

But here’s the other thing – the more important thing. If that need for excellence is more about me than Him, we’ve got a problem. If that excellence has to look like I think it should instead of the way that God declares that it should, then I’ve somehow missed the mark. If I’m striving for some abstract goal because I’m trying to fill a personal empty place, or because I feel that it’s my “duty” or because it’s the “right” thing to do, then it will soon be obvious to all that something just isn’t right.

We should act, and strive, to be all that God calls us to be --- as a way of response. Only a realization of the wonderful help God gives us can really change our lives. His help is the best help. His help is love, redemption, grace and goodness. So remember, you don’t have to do it all yourself.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Last second reminder that we’ll have a children’s ministry vision session tonight at 7 pm at the church. We hope that everybody can come out and be a part.

Our SPR Committee is delighted to announce that Kathryn Beasley will be serving as our interim Children’s Director and will begin that ministry immediately. Kathryn’s duties in the next few weeks will encompass Children’s Church, volunteer Sunday School coordination and coordination of childcare at special events. Thank you Kathryn, and know that your service to SOTH is deeply appreciated.

Job descriptions for both the Preschool Director position and the Children’s Director position will be released tomorrow and applications will be open immediately. These will be two separate positions to be filled by different people. Please submit all resumes to the SOTH office.

Greedy

“The time in life when your children trust you without hesitation, when they are willing to ask you anything, share with you anything, is the time of life most laden with the good stuff. It's the time you have to make the most of, to be most greedy for.”

As I read these words, written by author and magazine editor Stephen Perrine, I was struck by his language and the overwhelming truth of his words.

Be “greedy for” the “good stuff,” he said. Greedy, in this case, for that time in our children’s lives when they are still young and innocent – when they lean fully into the parental relationship, trusting and dependent upon our care.

Can a Christian be greedy….for anything?

His words struck home with me because they speak so directly to the moment of parenting space my life occupies right now. Those inevitable days have not yet come when my children will look at me with expressions that fail to hide their true feelings about my hopeless lack of cool.

Right now -- today – they still greet me at the door with excitement and shouts of “Daddy’s Home!” and I have to admit, those moments are part of what “the good stuff” is made of.

Can a Christian be greedy…absolutely.

I am greedy for all of the ways that I can lay a deep foundation of relationship with my boys while the concrete is still wet. I am greedy for the trust that can be banked with high interest in these tender years because one day the “market” might surely crash.

I’m pretty sure that they’re not going to skip from age 12 to 25 -- the age when most of us regain some sense of sanity – and ironically, when our parents’ IQ’s go back up dramatically in our own estimations.

But I’m not willing to give up hope on that time of life, either. In all honesty, I’m greedy for what is to come, and greedy for all the blessings of this life that God has given me already.

Faith compels me to believe that no matter what changes I may face in my life, there is one eternal truth that will not change: God is greedy for us.

Even though our faith does not stay new and supple forever, God is greedy for every second of relationship that we will give him. Even though we will become cynical, spiritual adolescents at times in our lives, rolling our collective eyes at God, he still longs for all of his children.

No matter how much “cool” I think God lacks, God still waits for me. When I think I have all the answers myself, God still works to help me find the answers I really need.

And so, I think that I’m unabashedly greedy. I’m greedy for my kids, my wife, my friends, my church, and sometimes, hopefully more and more, I remember to be greedy for God.

Greedy means priority. If greedy means ordering our lives in such a way that those things that we say matter most actually receive the lion’s share of our energy and attention, then greedy is a good thing.

So many things in this world want our attention. The truth is that there’s only so much attention to go around.

What are you greedy for?

Psalm 103 tells us:

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;
¹²as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
¹³As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
¹⁴For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.

God’s goodness knows no ends. Neither does his greed for us, his children. May we be greedy for the good stuff. The trust we bank today – with our children…and Our Father, might just last a lifetime.

Stephen Perrine’s article concludes, “I hope that she [his daughter, now 14] takes the gambles that she needs to, in the smartest, safest ways. And I hope that she, along with her boisterous little sister, will remember that, no matter what choices she makes, there's at least one man she can always count on.”

May we have the right priorities, the right sense of God’s direction and presence in our lives, and may we always count on the Father whose love never fails. Be greedy…in a good way.

Grace and Peace,
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

New Members! Welcome to two new families that joined our church this past Sunday: Tony, Monica, Cameron and Devon Ellis-Witt and David and Diane Vaughn. We are so blessed to count these and all the families who have joined so far this month among our number.

Ready? Turn it Over. The “Turn it Over” campaign will soon hit our community as we direct mail 5,000 of our closest friends and neighbors, inviting them to “Turn Over a New Leaf” at Shepherd of the Hills in 2006. Look for the mail piece coming soon, as well as new roadside banners about our worship services. Now is a great time to invite your friends to come out and experience this new worship series at SOTH, beginning this Sunday. We’ll look at all the ways that God invites us to start fresh in Christ over each of the next 7 Sundays. Our series will culminate with a special celebration on March 5.

Thursday Night Book Study: In conjunction with our new start theme, we’ll study the book Seismic Shifts for 6 Thursday nights, beginning February 2^nd. 7:00 pm each Thursday night, in the worship space. Books are available through the church office (order forms will be on your table this Sunday) for $10 each.

Tonight --- Don’t forget that our fellowship meal happens tonight, 6:30 with a short presentation to follow about Holly and Adam’s “Wesley History” trip to England. We’ll see you there!

Fuzzy

It’s fascinating to watch all the ways that different family traditions can meld together in a marriage.

Are you a Christmas morning or a Christmas Eve kind of family when it comes to opening the presents? Is it positively fundamental to your functioning that everybody sits down at one time for the family meal every night, or did you grow up in a house where things were a little more casual? We call these OYO meals at our house (On Your Own). What sports teams will you root for? There are the religious questions, like, “could a Braves fan possibly marry a Mets fan?”

Then, there are things like fuzzy dice.

Fuzzy dice made their first known appearance in my in-laws’ family when my then 16-year-old future wife got her first car. They awaited her patiently, gently swaying in the breeze, their happy fuzziness bringing life to her very first rear-view mirror. Seeing the comedy, but also mortified at the prospect of social ostracism that the teen world might offer to any fuzzy dice-bearer, she took them down -- but they wouldn’t go away that easily.

They’ve since made the rounds. When least expected, the fuzzy dice have surprised the driving experiences of her brother, father, mother, and now -- your truly.

Understand, there are rules on the fuzzy dice. First, the dice must always simply appear in the family member‘s vehicle, as if delivered by magical fuzzy-dice elves. No one should ever be caught red and fuzzy dice-handed, for such would show a true lack of dice-delivery skill.

Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, there must be ever-increasing levels of fuzzy dice “tacky quotient.” The first dice were plain white, standard issue. Since then, there have been many variations on the concept, including a set of light-up dice that plug into the cigarette lighter (our contribution, and we’re very proud) and the latest tiger-striped, color-coordinated dice that appeared in both our vehicles this past Thanksgiving.

Holly’s dad is the current vehicle dice champ, having infiltrated our garage while the whole family visited over Turkey Day. Whilst we all slumbered in a turkey, dressing and football stupor, he was hard at work. Our gold sedan received a lovely set of dice --- black, with white dots, and gold tiger stripes. They were at once dashing and gallant, adding a sporty flair and jungle edge to our otherwise average family car.

Meanwhile, our good ol’ red Cherokee received an upgrade as well --- dice that matched its mate‘s, only the stripes on these were red instead of gold. Rule 3: never, ever let the colors on your fuzzy dice clash with your ride’s paint job. That’s just wrong.

But this year I have added a fourth rule that may change the face of fuzzy dicing in our family forever. Nobody’s ever taken this step. I’ve kept them up.

That’s right, every day your preacher drives a jeep with red, tiger-striped fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view. I know you must be proud.

I had actually taken them down for a while (I mean, that’s just what you’re supposed to do), but then when giving the jeep a post-Christmas clean up, I found them in the backseat floorboard and just found myself compelled to restore their dignity.

Here’s why: they make me happy. I read an article about happiness this week that said “research tells us” that a person’s happiness is directly related to the number and depth of significant relationships that they have in their lives.

Those dice remind me of the importance of family, the incredible importance of silliness, and that there are people out there who’ve known me for a long time, who love me, and who understand me as the guy whose name didn’t always start with “Rev.”
They remind me not to take myself too seriously, which is something that happens all too easily. In some odd, quirky, yes -- tacky way, they give me just a little bit of perspective. Perspective is priceless.

It might make more sense for a Christian to have a cross hanging from the rear-view, or maybe to build one of those flower, rosary and Mary statue mini-shrines that you sometimes see on the dashboards of cars. I’m always envious of the artistic talent of the driver, though I must admit that it seems the way something that big obscures your line of sight might actually offer more danger than protection.

I like the dice. They sort of remind me of all I don’t know -- when the dice are rolled, nobody knows how they’ll land. They remind me to take chances, follow God’s lead and know that he runs the show. They’re a little reminder of the things that don’t change no matter how random life might sometimes seem. Relationships -- family -- God -- all the good stuff.

And they’re fabulously, beautifully, ridiculous. Now that’s what I call a family tradition.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Welcome to new members Kevin, Denise, Madeline and Sam Wall! They moved to Douglasville in the last several months and have decided to make SOTH their new church home. We are honored to count them among our number. Sunday was truly another great day in worship!

Worship this Week: Our worship this Sunday, at both 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. will honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His ministry is a testimony to the work that God can do when Christians feel a real depth of calling and are willing to act, no matter what the cost.

Worship Next Week: Next week, January 22, will begin our discipleship series for the new year, “Turn It Over.” We will play on the visual theme of a green leaf, vibrant and growing --- as we’re all encouraged to turn over a new leaf of faith in 2006. Look for a direct mailer to the community and for new roadside banners announcing the good news of a fresh start to all who pass by.

Wednesday Nights: Next Wednesday night, January 18th, we’ll have our community meal together, beginning at 6:30, followed by a presentation of the John Wesley sites that Adam and Holly traveled to on their trip to England with the North Georgia Conference. Yep, it’s a good ol’ fashioned travel slideshow, so everybody come on out and be a part.

Beginning on Wednesday night, February 1, we’ll begin a new book study that follows our “turn it over” theme for the new year. The book, Seismic Shifts, will be available for order beginning this Sunday. It’s all about the seemingly little, but very significant changes that we can make in our lives that draw us much deeper into our walk with God.

New Ministry Forming: SOTH is exploring how we might begin an after-school childcare program for families with middle-school children in our community. We’ll have an informational session for those who might want to get involved --- next Tuesday night, January 17th -- 7:00 PM at “The Ranch” conference room.

Our Prayers for Baby Noor: Thanks be to God for the first hurdle of surgery that Baby Noor has cleared. All reports are that the surgery was very successful and that she faired well. May our thoughts and prayers continue to support this wonderful little girl and her family. For more information on all the ways that we will continue to be in mission and outreach, go to www.lifeover.org

Doves

As he was preparing the disciples for their first short-term “ministry immersion experience,” Jesus gave them this piece of advice: "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation--just because you believe in me.” (Matthew 10:16-17 from The Message)

Truly, the work he was assigning them was dangerous, in a real and physical sense. The message of God’s kingdom that he called these twelve to carry was new and different. Quite honestly, to a world that had never heard anything exactly like it before, it seemed positively subversive and dangerous. “The kingdom has come. The sick will be healed, the poor will have worth, no one should be considered untouchable.”

Folks who are crazy enough to believe that kind of message --- and then inspired to see it become a reality in the world just might have the potential to bring about some powerful change.

There is one undeniable truth about change that human beings have been able to count on throughout the millennia: somebody won’t like it. Somebody won’t like it one bit.

And so, Jesus told his disciples (in my paraphrase), “think about what you’re doing and why you do it. Sneak up on somebody and do good for them, snake-like in your movement. Maybe they won’t even know you’ve come and gone, but they will know God’s love and see the message lived. Be innocent of motive, and just live out the kingdom.”

Christ’s message was solid advice to his disciples back then, and it’s solid for us today. Jesus seems fully aware that such radical faith in action will be difficult or impossible for some in the world to understand. In some of the deepest and perhaps ugliest parts of our souls, we human beings really doubt the idea that someone might do something of value and worth for their neighbor with no motive or agenda other than love --- and that neighbor’s own personal good.

For those disciples engaged in ministry today (at least in our part of the world), that “misunderstanding” doesn’t often carry the risk of physical violence or death that it did for the earliest Christians. But risk will always be an inseparable part of what it means to follow in the footsteps of Christ. There is risk when “the kingdom” runs up against the cynicism, hurt and impulse for self-protection that we all carry.

We should expect to meet such resistance, and even see it as a pretty good sign that we’re involved in some of God’s extraordinary work when we meet it in the world. I tried to remember that when I found myself crowded into the throng waiting to see Baby Noor upon her arrival at Hartsfield-Jackson airport this past Saturday. “Wow,” a stranger said, striking up conversation, “you look at all this hype and attention and you just can’t help wondering about it.” “How do you mean?” I asked. “Well, you know, this is just exactly the type of story that’s needed right now to rally support for the war and it’s really beneficial for some people. I just don’t know how we can even know for sure that there really is a sick baby, at all. Maybe this is just a hoax to manipulate the media.”

I was, as our English cousins like to say, “gobsmacked.” I was so astounded at the implication of this person’s words, that I really just didn’t know what to say. And so, I just really didn‘t say much of anything. But now, with a few days’ time for reflection, I have found that an interesting shift in my thinking has taken place.

I am no longer astounded at this person’s audacity, deep cynicism and obvious inability to believe in the simple reality of something very good. I am instead much more convicted by how much that person and I (by all reports a religious leader who claims to give others advice and direction on their faith and relationship to God) have in common.

You see, if I wasn’t on the “inside” of this ministry experience, I might have my doubts, too. If I didn’t know that Lt. Morgan is a real person with a real heart for Christ and that Debbie Stone and so many others in our church are dedicated Christian servants, I might wonder about the reality of Baby Nora, too.

It’s possible that if this miracle had happened in another church, in another place, with other people, I might believe that it was on TV only because the “powers that be” decided that it was good for their own personal gain. I might be tempted to doubt that real good can really happen and that it can connect, through media, with so many other people in the world whose own hearts are turned toward good, and toward God, as well.

I might even justify my thinking as Christian by quoting from Matthew 10. “Be as wise as serpents,” Jesus told us, after all. I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck, you know. I weep to think that I might have wrapped my cynicism up around me like a blanket and felt that I was being faithful to the call of Christ.

Being in ministry isn’t easy, and sometimes it might even be painful. We can be cynical with a sense of false safety, or wide-open and vulnerable.

Many people have asked many of us what we’ve learned from the miracle of Baby Nora’s arrival and treatment in the U.S. I can only tell you what I’ve learned: God really does drive this ship, and our job is simply to climb on board and ride it for all it’s worth. We’ll be wise, and we won’t go hanging overboard just to see what might happen. But we’ll also be innocent --- pure of motive, seeking only the message, the call and the kingdom. May God give us the strength to celebrate the wonders that we’ve seen (even when they don‘t get coverage on major media outlets), and to follow wherever we may be led.

Grace and Peace,
Adam

P.S. A special thanks to all those in the media who have covered this story with fairness and openness. Your thorough approach and dedication to the goodness at work in this story has been wonderful to see.

Special thanks to Mark Bixler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for his great writing and careful listening to the story of those who have experienced God at work at Shepherd of the Hills. He conveyed our deep sense of how God’s work will continue into the future and how we’ve all been transformed by this experience.

LIFE AT SOTH:
Thanks to everybody for a great day of worship this past Sunday ---- there could not have been a more powerful way to start the New Year, and we think we’ve decided to hire somebody to walk around with a fake camera every Sunday.

Our United Methodist Women will meet in our worship space this Monday, January 9th at 7pm. All women of the church are invited to come out and be a part.

United Methodist Men will meet next Tuesday for dinner, January 10 at Alpine Steakhouse , 7:30 pm for a “dutch treat” meal and fellowship. We’ll be having conversation around our vision for the group and ministry goals for the year ahead. All men in our church and community are invited to be a part of this great time together.

Our next Wednesday night community meal will be on January 18th, and you’ll be able to make your reservations at worship this Sunday. We’ll resume our regular Bible/book study and fellowship on Wednesday nights beginning February 1st.

Upcoming Worship Notes: This Sunday we’ll unveil the new logo for our church, and talk about its meaning as a symbol of Christ in our community. You’ll also have an opportunity to order the newest SOTH T-shirts. Our worship on 1/15 will honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and focus on God’s commitment to equality and justice for all people. Beginning Sunday, January 22nd we’ll begin a multi-week worship focus called “Turn It Over,” all about turning over a new leaf of faith in 2006.

“Life Over Ministries” Update: Baby Nora has suddenly raised the profile of a new ministry that was forming when Jeff Morgan asked SOTH to help. “Lifeover Ministries” is the vision of several SOTH members who have felt to establish a broad-based, non-profit community outreach agency affiliated with SOTH. Lifeover is a place where Christians who feel called to service can find ways to channel that calling and serve those in need. Hurricane Relief efforts, foster family support, ministry to families with special needs children and ongoing efforts to relieve suffering for children in Iraq are all currently underway. We are actively seeking partners in this work and much is needed. If you’d like more information, or have specific gifts or resources that you can offer, please go to www.lifeover.org or e-mail info@lifeover.org

At this time, Lifeover seeks the following supplies for shipment to Iraq:
Pre-natal vitamins, Multi-Vitamins for Children, Baby Formula, Pens, Pencils
Sunglasses, Watches, Soccer balls

If you have connections to acquiring any of these items at low-cost and in mass quantity, please let us know. Also, you’ll find a donation receptacle at SOTH and we will get receptacles and posters to anyone who’d like to set them up at their churches, etc. A U.S. soldier in Iraq told us that when soldiers are able to deliver these kinds of items to Iraqis in need that, “we make a human connection, and maybe my children won’t be here in 10 years fighting the same war.” Amen. Please help however you can.

Also, although we have raised approximately $20,000 for Baby Noor, we have not really raised any startup money for Lifeover’s efforts, and this ministry is new and unfounded in our 2006 budget. Any donations will do a lot of good and are greatly appreciated. Send checks to SOTH office, or donate via the lifeover website.