“There were so many fewer questions when stars were still just the holes to heaven.” Jack Johnson
“I do not believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” Galileo Galilei
“…This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind…” The Apostle Paul, from Philippians 3:13-15
It’s hard, this work of not looking back.
There’s a reason we call them the “good old days,” after all.
Selective memory is an amazing thing. We forget that there weren’t dishwashers, microwaves and air conditioners…back in the good old days. There weren’t 1000 other conveniences that we take for granted today.
Undoubtedly, a lot of bad things do exist now that didn’t exist “back then.” But still, it’s amazing to witness our human propensity for looking back through time with a misty, rose-colored lens.
I’m always fascinated to hear my grandparents fondly reminisce about the days they spent picking cotton in the 100+ degree heat and humidity of West Tennessee. They would eat cold biscuits and beans for lunch, and at the end of the day, get paid a few cents for every pound of cotton they had picked. A mighty and gifted cotton-picker might pick 200 pounds on a great day. Translation: hardest work you could ever do from sun up to sundown = $5.00. Maybe.
Good times, good times.
Educational opportunities were largely non-existent. Social problems like poverty and alcoholism were rampant. Illiteracy was common. Racism was an assumption and segregation was the law.
Remind me again…which was the “good” part of the good old days?
I think I know. When I listen closely to the stories, and pay real attention in those treasured moments when the verbal goldmine of my family history comes down the generations to my ears, some common themes emerge.
Family. Relationships. Simplicity.
There is truth in that remembrance. I do believe that hard work is good for a person (and that preachers don’t do enough of it). I believe that families were closer because they lived together, worked together, and saw each other every day. I’ve also got to believe that meant they fought like cats and dogs.
True, folks spent time on their front porches at the end of long summer days. And they still hated to see certain neighbors heading over to those porches, just like they do today. It just wasn’t all fresh-squeezed-lemonade-Waltons-Americana.
Please understand, there’s not a thing in the world wrong with honoring what was good in the past.
We just can’t live in it. And sometimes, that’s hard for all of us.
It’s especially hard when we face a big future, wide-open and full of possibility. Even the biggest dreamers and visionaries can’t guarantee what comes next, but all of us can look back and remember their own, best version of the past with certainty.
Believing in God, and following Jesus, means moving forward.
From the very beginning, God just hasn’t wanted his people spending much of their time with necks craned backward. Just ask Lot’s wife.
There was a time when life was simpler. The stars were just holes to heaven, and nobody asked too many questions.
We don’t live there anymore, and even with all its problems, when we’re honest, I think we know that life is better today than it was yesterday. Christian faith says that life tomorrow will be better still.
We can’t prove it, but we believe it, and we’re called to live it.
The same God that created all that exists, creates our tomorrow. He was and is at the outer reaches of our expanding (or contracting) universe, and his eye “is on the sparrow,” tiny and insignificant though it is.
Whatever you’re waiting on…stop waiting.
Move. Step. Strain. Press.
“Let us be of the same mind.”
Grace & Peace,
Adam
LIFE AT SOTH:
It’s almost time for Vacation Bible School at SOTH! Bunches and bunches of kids from our community will take part, and we always need more volunteer help. VBS will be held July 10th through 14th, 9 a.m. till noon, for kids 2 years-old through fifth grade. Call the SOTH office at 770-920-1551 or e-mail Children’s Director Kathryn Beasley at Kathryn@sothumc.net
SOTH member and world-renowned magician and entertainer Bill Clary will be performing two fundraiser shows at SOTH on the evening of July 22. There will be a ticket rally at the church on July 8th with volunteers available from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. to sell tickets and talk to the community about the show. All proceeds will support our “Communications Team” in their efforts and work with Details Communications.
Details is an outstanding church outreach and marketing company that SOTH will be partnered with over the next several months. Look for a complete re-design of our logo, website, newsletter, bulletin, and maybe even the “soth blog!” Details will do a wonderful job helping SOTH articulate our identity and mission to the community.
Also on July 22, Lifeover Ministries, a mission and outreach team from SOTH will host a classic and custom car show in the Douglasville First UMC parking lot. All funds raised will support Lifeover’s work with our rapidly growing “kids’ closet,” where kids and families in need can come and find free, quality clothing for their youngsters. Thanks to DFUMC for their partnership with us in this great ministry!
SOTH LAND UPDATE: D.S. Jacqui Rose-Tucker conducted our church conference this Sunday, and SOTH members voted to sell the entirety of our current property at the corner of Chapel Hill and Dorsett Shoals Rds. This decision will enable us to acquire new property in the community, build larger buildings for ministry and relieve our current debt level. The future is wide open, and we ask for your prayers as SOTH steps forward in faith!
Jun 28, 2006
Jun 22, 2006
Root
I love grass.
I really do.
Just the names cause a ripple of gardening excitement for me.
Zoysia. Centipede. Bermuda. Fescue. Kentucky Bluegrass. Winter Rye. Buffalo.
There’s a lot we could learn from the humble green stuff we walk over every day.
We could learn a lot about irony. Most of the people in the world (Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe in particular) would watch in shocked astonishment as we Americans work so hard at watering, fertilizing and weeding the thick patches of “weeds” that surround our homes.
Ask them, and they’ll tell you, “grass just grows.” Now, where’s the fun in that? I mean, come on, the fun is in the tinkering.
But if you’ve got a Bermuda lawn, as the majority of us do in North Georgia, you know that there’s truth in the statement.
Bermuda grass can teach us lessons about tenacity. It has an amazing ability to “just grow.“ After all, there’s a reason people in other parts of the world call it, “devil’s grass."
In the right place, it forms a beautiful lawn where the kids can play and sunny, summer afternoons can be passed in comfort. It controls erosion, slows runoff, “breathes” oxygen back into our air, absorbs the heat of the sun and just generally has the capacity to make our little corner of the planet greener, and much more pleasant.
But have you ever tried to keep it out of your flower beds?
Good luck.
Bermuda is amazing, and a plant we should learn from, because it has a mighty arsenal of growth and propagation tools at its disposal. Its roots run deep, and in times of drought, they run even deeper. It can “hibernate,” surviving drought by slowing to a marginal creep, then kicking back to full gear when the rains come.
Bermuda sends its offspring into the world by seed (which germinates easily, even in bad soil), and by runners over the ground. No doubt, you’ve seen bermuda yards that need attention, and noticed how long fingers of grass can reach across sidewalks or other concrete expanses until they find fertile soil on the other side.
But that’s not all bermuda can do. Its most stunning, and successful attribute is its ability to generate new life directly from its roots. “Rhizomes” make bermuda grass stealthy, hiding out when you think you’ve contained it, only to pop up in the far corner of a formerly safe, pristine garden real estate.
That’s what makes it so frustrating, and so cool. You never know what it’s doing underground, but you can bet it’s probably doing something.
That’s a great picture of what a Christian church is supposed to be. Throughout history, and in parts of our world today, the church has been and continues to be most healthy where it grows underground. Somehow, roots grow deeper when they have to.
We need drought-worthy root systems of our own. Our lives will not be green and full of life every single day. Sometimes, when the heat scorches and growth slows, we can be tempted to believe that there’s a problem with our faith. We think that if we only believed hard enough, long enough, or loved God deeply enough, we’d never experience such moments of difficulty or doubt.
Please know, that’s just not what the Bible tells us. I don’t know of a single story in scripture, from start to finish, where the characters have just gone “walking on sunshine” each and every day.
Isn’t that great?
I think it is.
It’s great because it makes scripture real, and it reminds us that people of faith have a whole lot more in common with tough, tenacious bermuda than fancy, finicky greenhouse plants that can’t last two days in the real world of sun and heat.
Christians need roots. Here’s how John Wesley said you can find them: pray, read scripture, worship, take communion, fast, live in community, participate in ministries to the poor, the sick and the imprisoned, work for justice and peace in our world.
If God is hidden from you today, these “rhizomes” of faith have the power to cause his presence to “pop up” in some corner of your life where you least expected to find him.
Give it a shot. Your faith is tougher than you think. And God is closer.
Grace and Peace,
Adam
LIFE AT SOTH:
Don’t forget that our worship this Sunday will be very special and includes an important time of decision-making in the life of our church. Rome-Carrollton District Superintendent, Jacqui Rose-Tucker will be present to preach, and to lead us through the process of congregational vote on Church Council’s resolution to sell our current church property and re-location within the community. One worship service only, at 10:00 a.m. this Sunday.
Thanks to Baby Noor’s foster family, and to Childspring International for making her presence possible at SOTH last night! It was wonderful to have Noor at our Wednesday night meal, and for our congregation to meet her face-to-face. She is doing incredibly well, and we give thanks to God for all he has done in her life, and all the ways that she has impacted our congregation.
I really do.
Just the names cause a ripple of gardening excitement for me.
Zoysia. Centipede. Bermuda. Fescue. Kentucky Bluegrass. Winter Rye. Buffalo.
There’s a lot we could learn from the humble green stuff we walk over every day.
We could learn a lot about irony. Most of the people in the world (Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe in particular) would watch in shocked astonishment as we Americans work so hard at watering, fertilizing and weeding the thick patches of “weeds” that surround our homes.
Ask them, and they’ll tell you, “grass just grows.” Now, where’s the fun in that? I mean, come on, the fun is in the tinkering.
But if you’ve got a Bermuda lawn, as the majority of us do in North Georgia, you know that there’s truth in the statement.
Bermuda grass can teach us lessons about tenacity. It has an amazing ability to “just grow.“ After all, there’s a reason people in other parts of the world call it, “devil’s grass."
In the right place, it forms a beautiful lawn where the kids can play and sunny, summer afternoons can be passed in comfort. It controls erosion, slows runoff, “breathes” oxygen back into our air, absorbs the heat of the sun and just generally has the capacity to make our little corner of the planet greener, and much more pleasant.
But have you ever tried to keep it out of your flower beds?
Good luck.
Bermuda is amazing, and a plant we should learn from, because it has a mighty arsenal of growth and propagation tools at its disposal. Its roots run deep, and in times of drought, they run even deeper. It can “hibernate,” surviving drought by slowing to a marginal creep, then kicking back to full gear when the rains come.
Bermuda sends its offspring into the world by seed (which germinates easily, even in bad soil), and by runners over the ground. No doubt, you’ve seen bermuda yards that need attention, and noticed how long fingers of grass can reach across sidewalks or other concrete expanses until they find fertile soil on the other side.
But that’s not all bermuda can do. Its most stunning, and successful attribute is its ability to generate new life directly from its roots. “Rhizomes” make bermuda grass stealthy, hiding out when you think you’ve contained it, only to pop up in the far corner of a formerly safe, pristine garden real estate.
That’s what makes it so frustrating, and so cool. You never know what it’s doing underground, but you can bet it’s probably doing something.
That’s a great picture of what a Christian church is supposed to be. Throughout history, and in parts of our world today, the church has been and continues to be most healthy where it grows underground. Somehow, roots grow deeper when they have to.
We need drought-worthy root systems of our own. Our lives will not be green and full of life every single day. Sometimes, when the heat scorches and growth slows, we can be tempted to believe that there’s a problem with our faith. We think that if we only believed hard enough, long enough, or loved God deeply enough, we’d never experience such moments of difficulty or doubt.
Please know, that’s just not what the Bible tells us. I don’t know of a single story in scripture, from start to finish, where the characters have just gone “walking on sunshine” each and every day.
Isn’t that great?
I think it is.
It’s great because it makes scripture real, and it reminds us that people of faith have a whole lot more in common with tough, tenacious bermuda than fancy, finicky greenhouse plants that can’t last two days in the real world of sun and heat.
Christians need roots. Here’s how John Wesley said you can find them: pray, read scripture, worship, take communion, fast, live in community, participate in ministries to the poor, the sick and the imprisoned, work for justice and peace in our world.
If God is hidden from you today, these “rhizomes” of faith have the power to cause his presence to “pop up” in some corner of your life where you least expected to find him.
Give it a shot. Your faith is tougher than you think. And God is closer.
Grace and Peace,
Adam
LIFE AT SOTH:
Don’t forget that our worship this Sunday will be very special and includes an important time of decision-making in the life of our church. Rome-Carrollton District Superintendent, Jacqui Rose-Tucker will be present to preach, and to lead us through the process of congregational vote on Church Council’s resolution to sell our current church property and re-location within the community. One worship service only, at 10:00 a.m. this Sunday.
Thanks to Baby Noor’s foster family, and to Childspring International for making her presence possible at SOTH last night! It was wonderful to have Noor at our Wednesday night meal, and for our congregation to meet her face-to-face. She is doing incredibly well, and we give thanks to God for all he has done in her life, and all the ways that she has impacted our congregation.
Jun 21, 2006
Pressure (Written 6/7/2006)
OK, disclaimer on this blog. I’ll be going around the world on this one, and you may wonder where we’re coming out, but hang in there, I really do have a method to my madness.
Hopefully.
First, let me just say, because it was an incredibly cool thing, that my family and I (my dad included, coming down from
SOTH member Mara Cleveland used to own and operate a hair salon in Buckhead, and her clientele included Braves’ General Manager John Scheurholz.
Wow.
Bigger wow: After she wrote him a note, he was willing to invite us all to a game, to meet us at the dugout during batting practice, and to introduce us to future Hall of Fame manager, Bobby Cox.
We got to make that trip this past week, and I was more excited than a kid at Christmas, to say the least. Not only did we get to meet these two Braves’ icons, Will also got to meet centerfielder Andruw Jones, and get his autograph. Everyone was incredibly gracious to us, and their hospitality was wonderful. The experience was incredible, and needless to say, a great time was had by all.
It’s always an amazing, and somehow disconcerting experience to meet famous people, especially those you’ve so often seen doing their thing on the tv set in your living room.
In those moments, the “pressure” is on. You don’t want to say or do the wrong thing, you don’t know when or if this opportunity might ever come your way again, and you want to make every second count.
For instance, just think how excited you would be to meet Tim Howard.
You’re excited, right?
Tim Howard….anybody….anybody?
Tim Howard. He’s a goalkeeper for Mancheseter United. Does that help? Probably not. Think
Tim doesn’t just play for
We’re in
But that’s not the case in pretty much the rest of the world. I really enjoyed a segment on
National Public Radio this morning by Frank DeFord, the famous sportswriter. He pointed out that the U.S. World Cup team is ranked 5th this year.
That means the unthinkable could possibly become reality. The
That, says DeFord, gives us a pretty big competitive edge. “A player from any other country,” he says, “making a mistake in the World Cup, may be ruined for the rest of his career.”
Our players can play with no pressure, free and easy, because nobody back home is paying attention. (You can imagine how this endears us to the rest of the soccer-loving world).
See, if I met Tim Howard at the local coffee shop, I don’t think I’d worry that each second of the conversation really needed to count, always and forever more. It’s that very fact that could lead to a good conversation. Good things in life happen when everybody takes a breath, calms down, and turns loose of some of the pressure.
Now, time for some confession. Turning loose of pressure is not my spiritual gift. I tend to wrap pressure around myself like a nice, cozy blanket. Where pressure does not exist, I tend to find ways to create it. I like to think of it as “intensity,” and “purpose,” and “drive,” but let’s get real. High Pressure, whether it’s in life, or the circulatory system, just isn’t what Jesus is looking for in his disciples.
I had a great conversation with a friend this week, and we found ourselves anxious, thinking through all the possibilities and unknowns of life and ministry.
Then, we remembered something Jesus once said:
“Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
What would happen if those who believe in Jesus decided to believe that statement? What if we played “free and easy,” because our Father who loves us has promised to pop the pressure bubble forever?
I think we could be a pretty tough team to beat. That’s the church. The coalition of the unworried.
That’s just cool. Almost as cool as meeting Bobby Cox.
OK, it’s even better. Walk in faith. Believe, and be confident. I can promise --- whatever it is, it’s going to be alright.
Grace & Peace,
Adam
LIFE AT SOTH:
Please continue to remember SOTH in prayer as we make decisions regarding the future use of our property and our potential re-location in the community. Remember that there will be an informational session for the congregation this Sunday, June 11th, following our 10:00 a.m. worship service.
Church Conference is set for June 25th, with one worship service only -- 10:00 a.m. that Sunday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)