Drought

This morning, I met God in my backyard.

It’s possible that you didn’t know that’s where he spends his free time.

I know, it’s a little surprising to me, too.

There’s a lot going on in the world, after all, for “I AM” to be hanging around enjoying a dewy summer morning in the backyard of a Douglasville, Georgia, subdivision, right?

All I can say is that the whole experience just seemed a little “Genesis” if you ask me.

I mean, I am “Adam,” after all, so wouldn’t it make sense for me to walk with God in a garden?

But until the last couple of days, the garden has not looked too much like Eden.

What we’ve had is a bona fide drought. No rain. Not even any “fake” rain of late, from faithful garden hoses attached to outdoor nozzles. Illegal.

Genesis 2:4-5

“…When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth…”

Mercifully, God started sending that rain this weekend.

The rain came down, and came down some more, and kept coming yesterday. It’s supposed to come on down some more again today.

Where there’s rain, there’s life…

Genesis 2:6-7

“…and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

…and life…is good. God said so himself.

As my toes slipped their way through the morning-wet grass of my backyard, I was amazed to see example upon example of deep-green life re-emerging from the drought of summer.

There was a temptation…a temptation to say, “wow, look what we did!”

After all, my wife, my children and I have done all the hard work, right? Perhaps we have endured my namesake’s curse:

Genesis 3:17

"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

When we bought our house two years ago, it included a scenic expanse of rock-hard, grade-A, deep-red, Georgia clay. There’s not a single, living, photosynthesizing being in our whole backyard that we didn‘t plant with our own two hands.

Since our arrival, we have done one thing with true passion…we have played in the dirt, and we have planted. The sweat of our brows (and the brows of our wonderful friends who helped us lay every piece of sod, stand of irises, new crape myrtles…) has surely dripped into that old clay.

I think my neighbor once said it best: “We all bought 1/3 acre lots, but Adam thinks his is a 100 acre farm.”

Well…any hard-working-hundred-acre-farmer would be the first to tell you the real truth. Down deep in their bellies they know that they don’t have a whole lot to do with the crop.

The Creator does.

Genesis 2:15

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

“Caretaker of the Garden” is our first and oldest job description. There’s no way Adam ever stood in Eden and thought he built that garden himself.

Or did he?

Yeah, I guess he did.

The good news is that God redeems the “curse” into a wonderful dance of creation.

The seeds my sons planted with their beautiful little hands have now grown into sunflowers, taller than the very boys who planted them. As I peered into the forming seedheads this morning, I knew that God was there.

The tomatoes we hoped for in spring are now becoming a reality. Yellow blooms cover them up and down, and the first dozen red beauties of summer sit on our kitchen table. Every day, there are more to pick than we can eat.

The seeds of last year’s Halloween pumpkins found their way back into the ground this spring. Dark green vines are now spiked by huge orange-yellow blooms, and already the smallest and youngest of this year’s crop have appeared.

Even the baked-brown Bermuda grass is teasing us with signs of healthy, green life. For now, there is rain…and life…and growth.

I know…the drought will surely come again. But so will the rain. For this day, it’s enough to be thankful…I think we should even dare to be hopeful. We are wonderfully dependent on the one who has made us, who sustains us, who never changes and will never leave us.

Take a walk in the garden first chance you get…God is there.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

A new two-part worship series begins this week as we start rounding out summer (is that possible?). July 15 --- “Let Go,” the story of the Good Samaritan, and July 22 --- “Let God,” the story of Mary and Martha with Jesus. We’ll see you in worship at 9:00 or 11:00 each Sunday morning.

Don’t forget Sunday School. SOTH’s primary offering of children’s ministry happens at 10:15 each Sunday morning. Stay a few minutes after early worship or come out early for the late service and make sure that your kids are learning all that they need to know about the Bible, Jesus and God’s love. 2 Adult classes and a youth class meet at “The Ranch” at that time, and Adam teaches a “talkback” lesson, building on his sermon, in the sanctuary at the very same time.

Many thanks to Cindi Bartlett for her 6+ great years of service in leadership of SOTH’s youth program. We had a wonderful roast honoring Cindi after 11:00 worship this past week. A big thank you to Andrea Vantrees, Amber Bartlett, Troy and Trevor Edwards and to everybody who had a hand in making that event happen.

SOTH is now accepting resumes for your Youth Director position. We will begin interviews in a few weeks and hope to have a new youth director on board at SOTH by Labor Day.

Freedom

I love to travel. Up to this point in my life, the opportunities for travel to other countries has come only once in a great while, but I’m thankful for every opportunity that I’ve had.

I’m always surprised at one of my favorite moments. Maybe I shouldn’t be…

It’s coming home.

No matter how wonderful a time I’ve had, or how amazing the experiences have been, it’s really nice to set foot back in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Red, white and blue. Baseball. Cheeseburgers. Sweet Tea. Life is good.

But, really, the best part of coming home happens…of all places…during the immigration/re-entry phase of the trip back at the American airport.

I remember the first time that I came back to the U.S. A traveling companion said, “watch this, it’s really great.”

The customs official took my passport, scanned it, looked me in the eye and said, “Welcome home, Mr. Roberts.”

Good stuff.

There is a lot to love about America.

And, believe it or not, people around the world really do want to love Americans. I’ve often heard other Americans who have traveled to other countries make that statement, and I’ve experienced it myself.

Citizens of Atlanta, Georgia can walk the streets of London, England, and depend on the charity of strangers…just because of our accent.

I’ll never forget how Holly and I accidentally charmed two wonderful old ladies in a pottery shop in Worcester, England. I just walked in and said, in a good Southern drawl, “Good mornin’, ma’am, how’re y’all today?”

We were immediately their new best friends.

“Yes ma’am, we’re from At-lantuh. Yes ma’am, it gets reeeeel hot down there.”

Around the world, people of other countries carry some wonderful stereotypes of us Americans. I like to think the good things are grounded in some truth…that we’re adventurous, optimistic, tough, and entrepreneurial. …Think, “cowboy.”

We’re admired for having “can do” attitudes. We see what is possible, and we believe that anybody can be somebody.

I’ll never forget what an American WWII veteran once told me. He said, “In the War, if the Germans hit a problem, they’d just have to sit and wait until a commanding officer told them what should be done. They were trained not to act on their own. If Americans hit a snag, what do you think happened, son? We by-God started fixing it. That’s why we won the war.”

That story always makes my blood run red, white and blue.

There is so much to be thankful for as this Fourth of July approaches.

Plenty…resources…opportunity…education…freedom.

But please…don’t confuse my words with a Presidential-style “We’re Number 1” pep rally. Folks, we don’t need to let our politicians cause us to confuse love of country with love of God…and they all will try.

We can be proudly Americans…thankful for the blessings that we’ve received…but first we are citizens of another great Kingdom. We are, first and always, followers of Christ.

And how God could use the faithful of this nation in the world. More Americans, growing closer to Jesus and following in his steps, will make for a better America…and a better world.

We should never forget the way Jesus ended one of his great parables in Luke, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” Luke 12:48

That “demand,” and “requirement,” is the wonderful honor of blessing.

When we embrace that call, we do something wonderfully Christian…and maybe even American. We really live out the meaning of “freedom.”

^“13For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14

Baseball…Cheeseburgers…Sweet Tea…

Opportunity…Blessing…Expectation…Humility…Optimism…Life is Good

As churches around the country celebrate the Fourth with their congregations this Sunday, may we first and always celebrate Jesus…his disciples will be the Americans we all want to love.

See you this Sunday…

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

CAR SHOW SUCCESS: Many thanks to all the SOTH Friends and Family who volunteered to make this past Saturday’s car show such an incredible success. Over 40 vehicles were shown, and nearly $2000 profit was raised for Lifeover Ministries. All that money will assist local families and children in need with the many programs that lifeover is undertaking. Special thanks to John Garrett for his leadership, and to Publix for sharing their parking lot!

MUST MINISTRIES PARTNERSHIP, LUNCH PROGRAM SUCCESS: SOTH’s partnership with MUST ministries in delivering weekday lunches to the needy kids of our immediate community has taken off in a big way. We’ve just completed our first month, and already nearly 1,000 lunches have been prepared and delivered. You ready right, 1000! Huge thanks to all the volunteers who have given money, supplies, and their time and energy. We are learning all the names and stories of our neighbors that we’re serving, and some of them have started participating in the life of our church! This July 4, SOTH will host a cookout at the church for our new friends. Everyone is invited to come help cook, serve and eat together on Wednesday, July 4, from 10 AM until we’re done.

K-2 VBS THIS WEEK: Nearly 20 kids are involved in SOTH’s K-2 VBS this week! They’re learning Bible stories and having a great time. Special thanks to our Children’s Director, Kathryn Beasley, for putting together such a great event.

THANK YOU SOTH! Earlier this week we e-mailed a need to our SOTH family. A long-time family in our church had a specific financial need and we set a goal of raising $2000. So many of you responded that we have met and exceeded that goal, having received a special offering of over $2300. Many thanks from the family that has been helped, and to all of you for your trust and generosity in responding to this need.

STAFF POSITIONS OPEN: SOTH is now accepting resumes for its Preschool Director and Youth Director positions. Interviews will happen during July for each of these exciting opportunities.

SOTH Preschool Director Leslie Mousa has done an incredible job, bringing financial stability and expected full fall enrollment to the SOTH preschool. We celebrate the opportunity that she and her husband Jeff are taking for church-planting in the Pittsburgh, PA area.

Thanks to Cindi Bartlett for 6 ½ years of awesome, volunteer youth ministry coordination! Cindi is “retiring” from this place of service in her Life at SOTH, but we know that she’ll jump right in somewhere else. SOTH will be hiring a paid Youth Director this summer and we hope to have someone on board by back-to-school time. Thanks to Amber Bartlett, Ryan Rigby, Troy Edwards and Andrea Vantrees for the volunteer leadership that they are providing in the interim time.

Resumes can be mailed to the SOTH office at 4283 Chapel Hill Road, Douglasville, GA 30135, or delivered in person at the Ranch, Tuesday-Friday from 9AM to 3PM.

WELCOME JUNE NEW MEMBERS: Welcome to the Jacqueline Powell family, to Dina Harbour, to Lina Adams and to Tim and Karla Mantooth! We also celebrated the baptism of youth member Tyler Jefferson this month!

SUMMER IS JUMPING! Much, much, more is happening in the life of our church. Want the details? Visit www.sothumc.net where our newsletter will be posted by tomorrow.

NO BLOG NEXT WEEK: The bloggin’ pastor will be taking a week off from the blog to celebrate the 4^th next week. Thanks for your faithful reading!

Tradition

June is here, and over the years, it has come to mean two things for me: The Braves will swoon, and Annual Conference will meet.

Yes, we do win the “creative naming” award as United Methodists, don’t we?

We have this conference…and it meets annually…and we call it…

“Annual Conference.”

That’s what I love about United Methodism --- we don’t need no stinking fancy names.

Annual…Conference. That’ll do.

Last week, almost 3,000 of us gathered in Athens at the Classic Center. Every UM clergy person of North Georgia, and an equal number of representatives from the laity, met from Monday morning until Friday afternoon.

New clergy were approved and ordained, ministry reports were heard, worship was celebrated and delegates were elected to represent us on regional and national levels.

Other than my annual trip(s) to Weaver D’s, the best moment of the week comes on the very first day, when all those thousands of voices join together at the official opening of the Conference.

We always sing a particular song, written by Charles Wesley (brother of Methodism’s founder, John Wesley), back in ’49…1749. It’s a tradition.

The song, “And Are We Yet Alive?” was written, as Charles Wesley wrote himself, “For the Society, at meeting.” The song is still sung every year when Methodists throughout the world open their “Annual Conferences.”

And are we yet alive,

and see each other's face?

Glory and thanks to Jesus give

for his almighty grace!

For the traveling preachers of 18^th century Methodism, the meaning was not metaphorical. They were thankful to have survived another year of ministry, and to unite together in each other’s physical presence once again.

But what about us?

For the 3,000 Methodists staying in Athens’ lovely hotels and eating in its outstanding restaurants, the question of our physical well-being seems less in doubt than it did for the preachers of 250 years ago.

But the song’s real meaning should be every bit as powerful.

Another year has passed, and we are all still alive in our faith. Thankful to God, we should rejoice in seeing one another.

But I think the thing I love best about “And Are We Yet Alive?” is that it’s just supremely “real.”

What troubles have we seen,

what mighty conflicts past,

fightings without, and fears within,

since we assembled last!

Fighting and fearful sums up how we all act sometimes, and for all of us, the 12 months just passed have certainly had those exact kinds of moments.

But there is always hope…

Yet out of all the Lord

hath brought us by his love;

and still he doth his help afford,

and hides our life above.

Then let us make our boast

of his redeeming power,

which saves us to the uttermost,

till we can sin no more.

As the music swells and the lyrics move toward resolution, I am reminded of the true wonder of this thing called church.

In that moment, worship accomplishes what only worship can. It imparts a sense of perspective, and strengthens our hearts with the deeply felt assurance that we are not in this thing alone.

It could imagine the voices of 258 years’ worth of Methodist preachers, joining together with the faithful disciples of today…

Let us take up the cross

till we the crown obtain,

and gladly reckon all things loss

so we may Jesus gain.

The power of good tradition…relevant for today. We are not the first, and we are not alone.

Grace & Peace, and I’ll see you this Sunday,

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Lifeover Ministries Charity Car Show this weekend! Don’t miss the first ever car show to support the work of Lifeover Ministries, an independent ministry of outreach and mission, closely connected to Shepherd of the Hills. Lifeover first came to prominence through its ministry to “Baby Noor,” the Iraqi child brought to the U.S. for lifesaving spina bifida surgery. Lifeover continues to work on many local and international helping ministries in the name of Jesus Christ.

This Saturday, June 23, Lifeover and SOTH will host a classic car show in the Publix shopping center parking lot, just across the street from SOTH. Many thanks to Publix for their partnership, and to all the hardworking volunteers who have made this day possible.

Registration will begin at SOTH at 8 AM, with judging at Publix at 12:30 PM and awards presentation at 3:00. Contact John Garrett at jgarrett@rematiptop.com for more info, and we’ll see you this weekend!

Summer Children’s Ministries: This week, a second Drama Camp is being held at SOTH, and next week is our VBS for kids age K-2. E-mail SOTH Children’s director Kathryn Beasley at Kathryn@sothumc.net for more information, and sign up this Sunday at SOTH!

New Members and Baptisms: Welcome to the Powell family who joined SOTH on June 3^rd, and to Dina Harbour and Lina Adams, new members who joined SOTH on Sunday, June 10^th. Congratulations and special welcome also to Tyler Jefferson, baptized at SOTH this past Sunday, June 17^th!

Pray

Hard. Mysterious. Confusing. Inadequate.

Uplifting. Powerful. Connection. Assurance.

What do all those words have in common?

They all describe the ways that Christians experience prayer.

What is prayer?

Well…libraries full of books have been written in response to that little question.

Prayer is to speak.

Prayer is to listen.

….to God…the Creator of all that exists…I AM…the one before and beyond time…

No problem, right?

Christians feel inadequate when their secret prayer struggles are revealed. After all, somehow we’ve come to believe that it should be an easy process, and that all folks who follow Jesus have an easy time getting their prayers “beyond the ceiling.”

The simple part is true. The easy part is not.

Sometimes, in my frustration with prayer and as I talk to other Christians, I want to give the theological version of the “Bull Durham” speech.

You remember the Bull Durham speech, right? OK, probably not.

In that great baseball movie, the manager of the struggling, minor league Durham Bulls baseball team hurls a bag full of wooden bats up against the locker room wall to get his players’ attention.

“Baseball is a simple game…” he says. “You throw the ball…you catch the ball…you hit the ball.”

Simple, but not easy.

Jesus’ teaching on prayer was pretty straightforward:

7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:7-11

Though not easy, I really do think prayer is that simple.

Ask. Seek. Knock.

Then wait…and look…and listen.

In a wonderful new book on prayer, Christian author Phillip Yancey says that the very act of praying does wonderful things for our souls because it keeps us humble.

Prayer, Yancey says, reminds us that we need to ask. It shows us that we are not independent. We played no role in determining where we would be born, at what point in history, into what family and with what genetics. We have absolutely no power to stop the earth from spinning, to cause the sun to rise or impact its setting. We are marvelously, and completely dependent upon God.

Real prayer starts in humility…and then some marvelous things can unfold.

God goes to work within us.

“God helps those who help themselves,” says the Book of ME. That often quoted scripture exists only in our minds, not within the Bible.

Jesus says (my paraphrase), “God helps those who ask.”

This week saw SOTH pass a major milestone of prayer, faith and action. Tuesday morning I sent an e-mail asking for your prayer as the county heard our request for property re-zoning. Whether the results of that meeting had been “favorable” or not, prayer acknowledged our dependence on God and faith in his provision.

Tuesday night, the door was opened. Our application has been approved, and SOTH is now on a clear track toward completing the sale of its property, purchase of new land and the construction of a brand new and improved facility.

Humbly, we will continue to ask…and seek…and knock.

The path is unfolding before us, and the God of all things will never fail us.

I’ll see you this Sunday ---

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Land Update: Cornerstone Development Partners was successful in their application for the re-zoning of our property for commercial development. This is a major milestone as we move forward. Please continue to support SOTH with your prayers as we hope to close this sale and the purchase of our new property (24 acres located ½ mile west on Dorsett Shoals Road) by the end of this year.

More stuff on prayer: Many thanks to St. Theresa’s Catholic Church here in Douglasville! Did you know that St. Teresa’s is our “covenant partner” in ministry --- and they pray for us at each and every mass! To the people of St. Teresa’s, thank you so much and please keep praying for us as we pray for you.

Great prayer website ---- looking for a new way to pray? Check out www.pray-as-you-go.org . This site is run by the British Jesuits, and is one of the best uses of the internet for spiritual growth that we’ve ever seen. You can download a podcast of a week’s worth of devotional music, scripture and guided prayer. Great stuff!

3-5 Grade VBS starts Monday at SOTH! Have 3^rd through 5^th graders at home this summer? Bring them to SOTH for VBS, beginning Monday morning. More details on our website, and this Sunday in worship! K-2 VBS will be held the week of June 25-29.

Annual Conference 2007: The United Methodist North Georgia Annual Conference will meet, beginning this Monday in Athens, GA. Derrick Fountain and Adam Roberts will represent SOTH. You can follow everything online at www.ngumc.org with live video feeds of all sessions.

Summer Lunch Update: Our summer lunch ministry has taken flight! In its first week, over 120 lunches were delivered. This week, the number is climbing over 150 toward 200 lunches! Thanks to all of you who have supported this ministry financially, and for those of you who are working each day to make and deliver the lunches to community kids who are home alone this summer and in need. Your efforts make a difference in the life of a child! Want to help? Take a moment to sign up on the summer lunch bulletin board, located in our entry hallway at SOTH. Lots of slots are still available.

Trash

In my world, today is “trash day.”

Everybody has a “trash day,” right?

If you live way out in the country, “trash day” comes whenever you choose it. There’s no trash service...no one you can pay to do your dirty work.

Indeed, years ago, my dog’s favorite day of the week was that time when we’d jump in the pickup and head to the local dump with a bed full of trash bags flapping in the wind behind us.

But now that we’ve been officially citified (that’s pronounced city-fide if you’re struggling) trash day has changed significantly, though it is certainly of no less importance.

Early this morning, before the sun had risen, I heard the big engine chugging its way down our street. I was just getting out of bed, beginning to order my thoughts and make my way toward a life-giving cup of coffee.

The noises of gears and hydraulics floated into our home a second time.

TRASH!!!

That brutal moment of pre-coffee realization sends a shot of adrenaline jarring its way through the bloodstream.

You don’t want to miss trash day.

Especially not on the Wednesday after Memorial Day weekend. Gross.

You miss trash day, and things are going to get UGLY by the next Wednesday.

After my experience this morning, I really believe that the timed “trash can roll” could make its way into the next summer Olympics. The event involves strength, balance, clarity of thought and grace under pressure.

As I opened our backyard gate and wheeled the beast (three extra bags precariously balanced atop the can and barely held together by the jammed-down lid) toward the street, I saw that the truck had already passed us.

Strains of “Pass Me Not” from my childhood churches ran through my head.

“Pass me not, O gentle trash man...Hear my humble cry. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by.”

As the “trash guys” worked their way on down my street, one of them saw my pitiful figure wheeling a mountain of refuse to the curb.

We made eye contact.

He waved.

A greeting? Or an acknowledgment of, “way to go Chief. We’ll get you when we come back by.”

I hoped for the latter. And since this was the second time the scene had unfolded this way in two weeks, I felt sure that those good men would save me from my own mess.

And they did.

It’s a good feeling, wheeling an empty trash can back to its resting place for another week.

Life can go on.

But trash-making never stops. And to keep things civil on the inside, the bad stuff has got to go somewhere.

Life without the “trash guys” would be tough.

As you walk through your life today, think about all of the ways that we really are dependent on each other. How many people got out of bed, showed up and did their job so that we could all eat and work and play today? How many people fill our lives with little kindnesses, going the extra mile when they certainly don’t have to?

The belief that we do it all ourselves, and that it all depends on us is the very heart of stress and worry and frustration. We’ll do plenty ourselves, with God’s help, but we would still be lost and helpless without God and other people.

The great news is that God’s love doesn’t fail us. And he’s always willing to take away our trash. It’s never too late.

If I can clear out a little bit of pride and replace it with humility…a little bit of self-importance and replace it with dependence…a big bag full of greed and replace it with the love of Christ…what a great day this can be.

We’ll see you this Sunday ---

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH

We'll be back to our regular worship schedule this Sunday...9 and 11 AM with Sunday School for all ages at 10:15. Sunday night worship is taking a break for the summer, but look for its return around Labor Day.

SOTH Men played in a great Memorial Day softball tournament at New Mountain Top Baptist Church in Winston. SOTH advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated. Men’s and Co-Ed teams for summer are forming now, with play to begin June 18^th. Contact David Pearson at 678-982-7638 if you’d like to be part of this great recreation ministry.

Our youth group is undertaking two fundraisers to support their summer trips:

Parents’ Night Out: This Friday night, June 1^st beginning at 6:30 our youth will be babysitting at the church (with adult supervision) and parents are encouraged to come out and take advantage. If you haven't made a reservation, e-mail Andrea Vantrees andivan01@comcast.net or Cindi Bartlett cindi.bartlett@comcast.net to sign up.

Yard Sale this Saturday: This Saturday, June 2, 8 am to 4 pm. Items for donation can be brought to the church this week. Please place items along the wall near the church entrance. If anyone has stuff that needs to be picked up in a truck, contact Cindi by cell (404-375-2250) or e-mail and we will arrange to have it picked up before Saturday.

SOTH Church Council meets tonight, 7PM in the Sanctuary.

Recalibrate

Well, I finally got around to playing in my first SOTH softball game of the spring this week, even as the spring season comes to a close. Not to worry, there will be fall and summer seasons ahead.

I had a blast. What a great time with the guys. Even though we lost. Even though I swung like it was my first game of the season. I whiffed one my first at bat.

That means I missed the ball altogether. Mercifully, I got a walk that at bat, but whiffing a slow pitch softball is the ultimate humility induction tool.

The next time I did make contact, though just barely, squibbing the ball off the end of the bat. Finally, third time around, I hit it solid, though right to the second baseman.

Now, why would I possibly torture you good people who take a minute to cruise by this little site with inane details of your pastor’s recreation activities?

Because they illustrate “recalibration.”

What a great word.

Sometimes, we just need to “recalibrate.”

Ever hear a technical-type person use that word in reference to a specific tool or machine?

Recalibration is a re-setting of the measurements, baselines and processors necessary for accurate measurement. It’s a way to help a machine make a clean start so that it can do its job at maximum efficiency and with accuracy.

Let a machine, or a person, or a skill sit for too long out of the game and recalibration will be necessary before “mid-summer form” can return.

That’s how it works with our souls, too. Too much worry, work (or not enough work), disconnection from God, and stress from all kinds can just plain mess up our spiritual instrument panel.

Here’s how I recalibrated a few days ago. I turned the key in my car and the local country radio station came firing through the speakers (where I’d left it from the Braves’ game of the day before).

Here’s what I heard:

“Lucky Man”
Montgomery Gentry

I have days where I hate my job
This little town and the whole world too
Last Sunday when the Braves lost
Lord it put me in a bad mood

I have moments when I curse the rain
Then complain when the sun's too hot
I look around at what everyone has
And I forget about all I've got

But I know I'm a lucky man
God's given me a pretty fair hand
Got a house and a piece of land
A few dollars in a coffee can
My old trucks still running good
My ticker's ticking like they say it should
I got supper in the oven, a good woman's loving
And one more day to be my little kid's dad
Lord, knows I'm a lucky man

Got some friends who would be here fast
I could call em any time of day
Got a brother who's got my back
Got a mama who I swears a saint
Got a brand new rod and reel
Got a full week off this year
Dad had a close call last spring
It's a miracle he's still here

But I know I'm a lucky man
God's given me a pretty fair hand
Got a house and a piece of land
a few dollars in a coffee can
My old trucks still running good
My ticker's tickin' like they say it should
I got supper in the oven, good woman's loving
And one more day to be my little kid's dad
Lord, knows I'm a lucky man

-------

Nashville sometimes does good theology, you know.

Here’s another way to put it --- a few thousand years older:
Psalm 100 (The Message)

1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn't make him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty,all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

Nothing recalibrates all your sensors like a good dose of counting your blessings. Why do we think that can only happen with turkey and football in November?

I’ve got so much to be thankful for. No doubt, you do too.

So, I think it’s time to share the wealth of blessings again. Use the comments below and just drop a couple of lines of things you appreciate this morning. God is good, and so is saying that out loud.

Recalibrate --- and have a great day.

Grace and Peace,
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:
Don’t forget that tonight is Wednesday night dinner at SOTH. Friends, fellowship and home-cooking for just $3 per person. Now there’s something to be thankful for. Many thanks to all the good folks who have helped make tonight’s meal possible. We’ll begin in the sanctuary around 6:00 but we’ll still feed you when you can get there.

Summer lunch program: Don’t forget that we’re only a couple of weeks away from the beginning of our joint ministry effort with MUST Ministries. We’re attempting to pioneer a new program in Douglas County that MUST has operated with wonderful success in Cobb and Cherokee counties. We’ll be preparing and delivering bag lunches to kids who are normally on the school free or reduced lunch program. Many community partners are already coming forward to make this program possible. We don’t have a final total on funds raised by Bill Clary’s magic shows this weekend, but those dollars combined with offerings from SOTH members and other churches and community members will go a long way toward funding this great program. Volunteers are needed to help buy supplies, make lunches and deliver them each weekday this summer. Contact Kathryn Beasley, http://www.blogger.com/kathryn@sothumc.net for more information on how you can help!

FAITH IN ACTION: Do you get prayer concerns and announcement e-mails from SOTH? If not, please e-mail Sandi Hockensmith at http://www.blogger.com/sandi@sothumc.net to make sure your address is on our list. In addition to these e-mails, SOTH has now joined Douglas County’s newly forming “Faith in Action” network. This great ministry was formed by Beau McLain of Trinity Anglican Church. Douglas County Department of Family and Children’s Services contacts Beau with needs for children and families in their programs. Beau then puts these needs out via e-mail to each of the participating churches, and we share with our individual congregations. Last week, special infant formula was supplied, as was a dress for an 8th grade girl to attend her school dance. Each week, great things happen through “Faith in Action,” and it’s great that SOTH is now a part of the team!

SOTH Sermons Now Online! Want to share this past Sunday's sermon? Starting with this past Sunday, all SOTH Sermons will be archived and available for listening at www.sothumc.net under "What We Do: Worship."

We’ll see you this Sunday for worship at SOTH: 9 and 11 AM, 6 PM.

Prune

I love digging, planting, cutting and trimming. I love grass and trees and flowers and shrubs. Gardening is fun. There is something magical about the practice of this age-old discipline. It’s what we humans were made by God to be, you know…garden-tenders.

Not that I work in the great outdoors nearly enough. My little backyard farm is always in need of some TLC. But I do just really enjoy what I get to do.

A couple of years ago, very shortly after my arrival at SOTH, I was helping a team of volunteers cut, weed, trim and just generally show some horticultural love to the old home place on our church’s property that we call “The Ranch.”

El Rancho SOTH is home to our youth SS class, our offices, conference room, clothes closet for foster families and just about anything else that we can think about squeezing into it.

On that workday two years ago, I came across a ragged sweetgum tree that had pushed its way through the earth near an old power pole. Having worked its way up to about 8 feet in height, it jammed odd branches through an abandoned trellis, which had been fastened to the pole with now-rusty nails.

I began limbing off the lowest branches, creating more of a trunk while disengaging tree from trellis. Finally, I noticed a twisted, dying vine, which seemed to spring from the base of the pole itself.

“Gone,” I thought. What a shame. I wondered what the long-absent planter of the vine had intended to grow in that place. With a quick chop of my pruners, I cut the old vine to the ground.

Subsequent seasons have been witness to an amazing turn of events.

Last spring, the sweetgum leafed out like never before. It added several feet of height during the summer and now stands straight, true and strong. The cut places have healed, and the tree is better for the pruning.

The old dead vine sprouted vigorous, green growth last year. It shot out tendrils, and began climbing its way up the old pole. By summer’s end, I had trained it back up the trellis, green and healthy.

This spring, it’s putting on a show. The vine turned out to be a clematis, well-loved in the South for its showy purple flowers. At this moment, the old trellis is hidden by green, leafy vine and spiky, purple blooms cover it from top to bottom.

That’s some green thumb I’ve got, huh?

No way. I was just cutting down a dead and unsightly plant. Little did I know the energy and possibility my role of accidental gardener would infuse.

The Bible is full of these kinds of images. Once, the Corinthian Christians were fighting over “whose people” they were. Some loved the Apostle Paul and pledged allegiance to him. Some loved a man named Apollos, a great and charismatic speaker. These early Christians began to fight amongst themselves.

Paul said: (I Corinthians 3:5-9)

“Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God's field in which we are working.

Who made possible the beautiful cleamatis vine which flowers at The Ranch this morning? The gardener who planted it in the hope of flowers to come? The preacher who cut it down when all hope of flowers seemed lost?

Neither.

God made it grow.

If only we could learn the lesson of the sweetgum…the parable of the clematis vine.

God makes it grow.

That’s a hard lesson. Sometimes it seems like God couldn’t do it without us, doesn’t it? What if we didn’t work, and strive and struggle? What if we didn’t prune and plant and fertilize? What if we all took a permanent vacation?

God couldn’t do it without us? Don’t give in to that illusion. Don’t fool yourself.

What if God stopped sustaining? What if God stopped creating? Even our own effort is only made possible by God’s love and light.

Does God need us? No. Does he want us? Absolutely.

This day, no matter what comes, remember that we are privileged to serve as wanted co-laborers in the vineyard. “Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving.”

Today’s cuts yield tomorrow’s flowers. The God we serve is at work all around us.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Our new co-effort with MUST Ministries, a summer lunch program for kids in need in Douglas County, is about to get underway. Don’t forget to sign up for your volunteer opportunity in the entry hall at SOTH.

Bill Clary will perform two magic shows for kids of all ages at SOTH tomorrow, Saturday May 12! Shows at 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Tickets available at the door: $10 for adults and $5 for kids. All proceeds benefit the summer lunch program.

Harvest

Elevators are interesting places.

You push the button and start to wait. Somewhere, unseen, gears and wheels are turning and then magically the two strange, handle-less doors slide open.

No wonder kids love elevators so much.

For a few moments, you are suspended in an alternate universe with your brother and sister passengers. Most people try not to look at each other in elevators. Everybody stares at the numbered buttons, waiting for parole.

Occasionally, adventurous folks will greet each other with chipper calls of “hello,” or “hi, howya doin.”

In the few seconds it takes to climb a couple of floors, you can size up another person and speculate about the nature of his or her life experience.

This morning, at the local hospital, a 50’s-ish man in an incredibly well-pressed polo shirt, slacks and shiny shoes entered the elevator just ahead of me. “Must be a preacher,” I thought.

Another man of about my age (like yours truly, obviously in the prime of his youth) arrived at the elevator doors just after me. He was upbeat and seemed dressed for work in his hospital gear.

He smiled and said, “Good Morning fellas.” It was early, so we sort of grunted and mumbled our hellos in reply.

When the doors opened at the second floor, he caught a glimpse of the nurse, working at the main station. He called her name and waved before the doors closed. Seeing him, she looked surprised and excited. She shouted his name back in reply and began to wave. “Good to see you!” she called as we began to whisk up another floor.

He shot me a knowing look that said, “it’s good to be here.” I laughed, pleased for him, even though I didn’t have a clue what we really going on.

We exited together, on the third floor, and immediately a happy reunion scene began to break out around us.

The nurse behind the desk on this floor jumped up and gave my elevator-buddy a bear hug. “What are you doing here?” She said.

I didn’t get to overhear the reply, as I began walking out of earshot toward my destination. Another nurse caught a glimpse of his arrival and sped up her steps. I saw her grin widely and proclaim, “hey everybody, Johnny’s home!”

That’s all I saw. A little window into another person’s life, shared between the first and third floors. And it made me feel good to see these happy people.

Obviously, there was a prior relationship and I was joining the party mid-stream. I was left to imagine their shared past. Perhaps they’d all worked together for years. I imagined inside jokes that they’d shared, office Christmas parties they’d attended together and staff meetings they’d suffered through. I imagined the patients that they’d all worked together to treat. The people that they had lost, and the ones that they’d saved.

Who knows if any of that was even close to right, but it’s what their happy reunion made me imagine.

Something had happened in their past, and that relationship is still alive today.

Last spring, at our house, some pretty green vines began popping their way out of the ground. The pumpkins of fall had been composted with the other leftovers of summer gardening and used around the yard as springtime fertilizer. What was past was supposed to be past, dead and gone…and the resulting organic matter could be used to help the next year’s “crop” find life.

But somewhere along the way, the pumpkin seeds didn’t get the memo. By fall, our mantle was again covered with the beautiful, unexpected little pumpkins that had made themselves known all summer long.

Just this week I noticed some tiny little vines pushing their way through the earth once more.

Spring is always that way, and it’s a wonderful thing. This is the time when seeds need to go into the ground. It’s the time of year when we can really see how the energy of the past continues to propel the future.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24

This very day, we will all plant some seeds. This very day, we are all harvesting the collective crops of days gone by. I hope for all of you that your seeds will return with cheers of celebration, just like they did for my elevator-riding colleague.

Some of those crops are more fun to reap than others.

The most important thing of all is this: Faith in Jesus Christ can change what the future is to be for each of us.

To know forgiveness is to plant forgiveness in the world. To know reconciliation is to be an agent of that reconciliation wherever you are. To experience grace is to become a grace-planter.

What a wonderful harvest those kinds of seeds could one day bring. May it be exactly so.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

This Saturday, the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge of Villa Rica will sponsor a Health Fair for the community at SOTH. Everyone is welcome from 10a.m. until 3 p.m. Make sure to come out and take advantage of the free screenings and all the great information that will be available from the health care providers of our community. Special thanks to Derrick Fountain, SOTH lay leader and master of his Masonic lodge for making this happen.

Summer Lunch Program News: Don’t forget the great summer lunch program that’s about to get underway through a partnership between SOTH and MUST ministries. More info is available from the home page at www.sothumc.net

Our United Methodist Men will be sponsoring a charity Magic Show in support of the lunch program starring SOTH’s own Bill Clary. Bill will perform two shows on May 12^th, 4pm and 7pm.

Thanks to all of you who gave to our special offering in support of this lunch ministry two Sundays ago. SOTH gave over $700 to this special cause. As always, thanks for being a generous bunch of folks.

Building and Land Update: Look for this month’s issue of our newsletter, “The Staff,” which was e-mailed today and will be in the mail to those not on our e-mail list very soon. Also, a .pdf version will be available on the website.

Flashy

So, yesterday, in preparation and “research” for the ol’ weekly blog, I took a cruise through Publix (our friendly neighborhood across the street from my office supermarket – truly, it’s the place where “shopping is a pleasure”).

I strolled my way over to the magazine aisle and tried to look nonchalant as I produced a small notepad and ink pen from my pocket.

Yep, Methodist preacher from across the street with pen and paper in the magazine aisle trying to look like everything is just normal.

You see, I was there to steal their headlines. What better way could there be to find out what the magazine people think we’re interested in than to go straight to the source (I know, all these major magazines have websites and you can read their headlines there…but what fun is that?).

Surely, I thought, there would be plenty to write about. That much was true.

I started with the “guy” section. You know, motorcycles, hot rods, guns and ammo, fishing, computers, fitness, all that sort of stuff. Many of them (so I’ve heard) have covers that are not suitable for description on a Methodist preacher’s blog.

“Personal Quests…Exotic Adventures…Epic Escapes”

“25 Easy Ways to Earn More Than You Ever Expected”

“The Easy Way to Hard Abs”

“Very interesting,” I thought. I’d love to take an “exotic adventure,” I probably only need 5 or 6, at most, of those 25 ways to earn more than I’ve ever expected. As for “hard abs,” what I’ve been trying has been pretty easy, but my abs, should I have some, seem somewhat less than hard.

As I glanced up the aisle toward the checkout stands, I tried to see whether any of the cashiers (they were gathered, talking, because it was early and things were slow) were taking note of the weird guy stalking the magazines and making notes.

So far, I was ok.

I worked my way toward the magazines aimed at women. I was scared.

But first, I had to make my way through the celebrity gossip section.

“The Crash of Jim Carrey” (Did he crash? What does this mean? Was he ever stable? I’m so confused.)

“Hollywood’s Obama Drama” (Again, what does this mean? I got the sense they simply couldn’t resist the opportunity to build a nifty rhyme).

Then, there was cooking, gardening and many a magazine dedicated to creating wonderful aesthetic experiences in our homes and for our families ---- or something like that.

We were moving more and more treacherously toward women’s magazine territory. Did I mention I was scared? And that a very fine sweat came forth upon my neck?

“159 Paths to Glorious Gardens” (Again, 159? Why not 6? Or even 1 that would really work? 159 just makes me tired).

“Delicious and Easy Dinners”

Closely followed by…not kidding

“Fight Fat and Win”

Moving to my left (and deeper into a seemingly unrealized irony --- Irony is not really a sought after strength among magazine editors) I found myself now confronted face-to-face with the likes of Glamour, Cosmo and the other female-oriented magazines.

As I stood, pen in one hand and paper in the other, I realized that I had caught the eye of one of the cashiers. Was she pointing me out to her co-workers?

Quickly, I read and wrote…

“Flashy Lashes…Bat Your Eyes with Funky Extensions”

“Updos for Every Length”

Updos? What’s an Updo?

Clearly, I was out of my element.

Quickly and discreetly, I slipped my pen and paper back into my pocket, my little sociological experiment now behind me.

I headed for the cereal bars as though everything was perfectly normal.

Later, the cashier smiled at me as I bought my granola bars, and thankfully didn’t ask if I’d found anything interesting in Glamour.

So…is there a point to all of this? Other than giving you “too much information” about how your pastor spends his Wednesday morning?

I think so…at least I started out thinking so…and of course, I mostly knew in the first place what I’d find on the magazine covers….

The things we “long” for.

Or, at least the things magazine editors think we long for…

Hard Abs!
Big Money!
Flashy Lashes!
Glorious Gardens!
Epic Escapes!
Crashing Carrey!
Obama Drama!
Delicious Dinners!
Updos?!?!
Easy, Easy, Easy!!!

Well…if that’s really the list of stuff that people long for…this preacher’s heart is not encourage.

‘Cause that ain’t what The Gospel is selling.

But maybe there’s hope.

You see, I’ve got my own list that I think the magazine editors may have forgotten…

Love!
Joy!
Peace!
Patience!
Kindness!
Goodness!
Faithfulness!
Gentleness!
Self-Control!

Or, what about this stuff…

Redemption!
Forgiveness!
A Second Chance!
Your Family’s Love!
Real Friendships!
Good Perspective!
Healthy Priorities!

You can’t really put those things on a magazine cover…but they do fit nicely into a book…and even better into a life.

That’s the message of the Gospel…that the things that matter most can be made right. That there is great Good News. God loves us, completely. God forgives us and enables us to live in peace and right relationship with one another.

It’s a lot to believe…you’ve got to experience it to get it. And our prayer is always that SOTH and every other place where followers of Jesus gather together ---- will be those very kinds of places where such experiences abound.

Now, go read something good --- and I’ll see you this Sunday.

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Many thanks to Kathryn Beasley, Kay Gilstrap, Judy Anderson and the whole Community and Congregational Care Team (CCC) for their excellent presentation on SOTH’s new summer lunch program to the kids of our community. SOTH gave over $700 to this worthy cause. More news coming soon!

Sermon Series Continues: Don’t miss this second installment of Adam’s new sermon series this Sunday, “I Love Jesus, But I’m Not Too Sure About Those Christians.” We’re working our way through Matthew 23, this week looking at verses 5-12.

Sunday School continues to grow and thrive for adults and kids! Come join our Seekers Class, Sue Goldsmith’s “Prayer: Does It Make a Difference” class or Adam’s “Leading Your Child to Jesus,” and drop your kids of any age for our Sunday School program after early worship and before the second service @ 10:15 a.m.

Light

Have you ever met someone that you just didn’t like?

Of course you have.

It doesn’t mean you think that person is bad, evil, or otherwise. It just means you wouldn’t choose to go to a ballgame together.

What a crazy, odd quirk of humanity this is…the anatomy of “I don’t like you.”

Experts say that we humans size each other up and begin to draw conclusions from our first impressions in about 20 seconds.

Everything from hairstyle to clothing, to speech pattern, to gestures send us subtle yet overwhelming cues about what kind of person this other human being might be…and we begin to segregate them into “our kind of people,” or “not our kind of people.”

Should we make it through the phase of first impressions, there are whole layers of world-view, interests, politics and shared affinities and attitudes that determine how well we jive with another person.

The seeds of “like” and “dislike” implant in seconds but can take years to overcome.

It’s a miracle that any of us choose to like each other at all. Really, it is…it’s a God thing.

Believe it or not, there are people in the world who don’t like me. Amazingly, there are even folks out there who don’t like you, either.

I know this seems impossible, because we are each convinced that we are our mama’s darling babies, and that all the world must surely recognize the inherent goodness and purity of our souls and spirits, not to mention our dashing wit and charisma…right?

Don’t forget our “amazing senses of humor” and “devastating good looks.” We’ve got it going on, right? Surely goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our life, and so must a long line of admiring followers…

Well…not necessarily.

For whatever reason, the history of humanity seems to answer the question, “can’t we all just get along?” with a resounding “no.”

“Why Can’t We Be Friends?” Because I don’t like you.

In light of this reality, should we all just pack our collective marbles and head for the house?

I don’t think so.

There are still all those pesky things that Jesus tells us ---- about loving our neighbors as ourselves, about bearing each other’s burdens, about praying for our “enemies,” and he never once asks us whether we get the warm fuzzies about any of it. He doesn’t really seem to care about how much we like each other ---- but whether we will love each other.

After all, anyone can associate with and pray for their friends. It’s easy to like the people who like us. Even a “gentile” can do that.

But here’s the deal: brokenness is a real thing. You don’t have to look far to know that hatred, violence, war and murder happen every day in this world. Not only do we not like each other, we tend to do some bad, bad things.

In the last 72 hours, we’ve all been overwhelmed by the news of the mass shootings and murders that happened at Virginia Tech. Our hearts and prayers are completely joined to the families of those who have been so tragically killed.

For me, as a pastor many miles away from the scene, and with no one in my congregation directly impacted, watching our human reaction to this tragedy has been fascinating.

There are those who look at brokenness, from the silliest “they don’t like me,” or “I don’t like them,” to the realities of the most depraved acts of violence and say, “see, I told you God is not real.”

But others find a different path.

Wednesday morning, a friend pointed out something they’d seen on a post-Virginia Tech interview with a pastor on Good Morning America. When asked how a person of faith should react to such violence, he simply said, “God is even here.”

To me, the miracle is that as 8 billion people stroll around the planet every single day, acts of unspeakable evil happen so rarely.

So many people are so very good.

Folks, that’s God at work among us.

I know how little consolation that truth must be to those who mourn a bitter loss on this day. One person choosing the path of deepest evil can cause a seemingly infinite amount of pain.

And yet…where that one has chosen the darkness…hundreds and thousands at Virginia Tech, millions in our country, billions around the world…choose the light every single day.

God is even here.

God is good.

Don’t believe me? The next time that person you don’t like does something good for you (and they will), or cuts you some slack, or gives you a break…remember that God is here. God is good, and God is at work in this world. The proof is all around us.

And let’s all stop and say a prayer for the people of Virginia Tech.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Our new Sunday School classes are underway with great success. Sue Goldsmith's class had a great response to "Prayer: Does It Make a Difference" by Phillip Yancey, and several families took part in "Leading Your Child to Jesus," in the sanctuary between worship services. Don't forget that your primary opportunity for bringing your child to Christian Education happens at 10:15 every Sunday morning. There are now three adult classes, and opportunities for children and teens of all ages.

Exciting New Mission and Outreach Ministry for our Community: This Sunday Kathryn Beasley will detail a new effort of our Community and Congregational Care Team (CCC). SOTH will be teaming with MUST ministries to establish a "summer lunch" program in Douglas County. SOTH members will prepare, pack and deliver bag lunches each weekday this summer to the children of our community who are most in need. In Cobb County, MUST has grown this ministry to the point of feeding thousands of children each day. We will do what we can this year as we begin a long-term minstry with great potential to meet real needs and extend the love of Christ into the world. Come to worship this Sunday ready to listen, and to share your volunteer and financial support for this great new ministry initiative.

Water

The pastor reached deep into pool of water gathered for this purpose. With great pomp and circumstance, he placed his wet hand upon my head. "Adam Michael Roberts," he said, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Or at least that's what they tell me. I don't remember any of it.

I was just a baby.

This Sunday, we'll do something that will look quite odd to those who don't know much about Christianity.

We'll take a little baby, dress him all in white, surround him with family, hold him over a bowl of water and dribble some droplets upon his head.

All of this will be done with a certain flourish, and with particular words, and several grown folks will wipe tears from their eyes.

The baby in question will be our new son Jack. Those tears will be mine, his mama's, his grandparents and great-grandmother's and aunts and uncles and cousins...you get the idea.

What in the world is that all about?

Good question.

Baptism is not easily understood, is it?

"Sure it is," I can hear some of you say..."the Bible says that we should do it, so we do it and it really doesn't matter if we understand it or not."

Point taken.

And yet, while obedience for obedience's sake is not necessarily a bad thing...what if there was just a little more? What if there was a lot more.

It seems to me that if God asks us to do something, there most likely is a reason.

The reason lies somewhere in the mystery of that baptismal moment. It lies somewhere in the mystery of those tears.

But, not all Christian traditions baptize babies. Here in the Deep South of the U.S., the culturally dominant denominations practice "believer's baptism," baptizing only those old enough to profess faith in Jesus for themselves.

For that reason, lots of SOTH'ers will see what happens Sunday as a "dedication," rather than a baptism. It's hard sometimes to understand how an unaware and non-verbal infant can really be "baptized" without the ability to say for himself, "I believe in Jesus."

Now, trust me, there's nothing that turns off someone who is curious about Jesus faster than two Christians arguing about who's "right." That's the last thing I want this conversation to be. Thank God for all the churches out there who are changing lives and doing God's work. Whether dedicated, baptized or otherwise,

But for the many folks at SOTH who grew up in different traditions, and the many more for whom SOTH is their first church family, what's happening at the baptismal font this Sunday morning (and every other time that we baptize a child) might need a little fleshing out.

I'll be the first to admit --- baptism should happen as a response to God's love. Somebody does need to say something --- the occasion just calls for it.

At Jack's first visit to his pediatrician, she spent several moments baby-talking him, asking him questions in the cute little voice we all tend to use when we talk to the newly born.

His brother Sam, age three, observed this one-sided "conversation" between the doctor and his baby brother. With an informative tone, he told the doctor, "He doesn't speak."

Three months later, that will still be the case this Sunday.

His family will speak for him. We will state our belief in Jesus Christ, and in the love of God that is available to us all. We'll affirm that none of us earn God's love, that grace is a free gift, and that we're placing his feet on that grace-filled path.

And that is good enough.

A "believer's baptism" is a powerful and wonderful thing. Few moments in worship have stirred my heart so much as those spent with adults, both young and old, who profess their faith for the first time and receive this outward sign of God's inner work of love.

But a baby's baptism is beautiful too --- the same grace, but with a different emphasis. Jack's baptism this Sunday will be the same for him as for any other person, and it is the baptism that he will carry throughout his life. In a way that defies my ability to explain it, the goosebumps and teary eyes are a sign and token of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We celebrate the first half of the divine handshake...God's extension of his love and grace to us all. SOTH will accept its responsibility to lead and teach Jack and all of our children in such a way that they will one day grasp God's hand for themselves.

But that will be up to him, as surely as God leaves that decision up to each of us.

I'm thankful for those who have gone before me...who brought me to that moment of baptism. I may not remember it...but it has marked my life and given more strength than I can probably begin to know.

I'll see you this Sunday...
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Thanks to everyone who came out to take part in some wonderful Easter Sunday services. We had a packed house for worship two times and the positive spirit and connection in our church was very powerful. It was exciting to welcome many visitors and we hope to see them all again.
As mentioned above, we'll be baptizing Jack Spitzer Roberts this Sunday at our 11 a.m. worship. Adam's dad, Mike Roberts, a clergy member of the Memphis Annual Conference will be on hand to preach and lead the baptism. Don't miss this exciting time of worship!

New Sunday School Opportunities!

New Adult classes forming this Sunday!
All classes, children to youth to adult -- 10:15 AM

Pastor's class: "Leading Your Child to Jesus" by Adam Roberts, sanctuary
New Class: "Prayer: Does It Make a Difference?" by Sue Goldsmith, conference room, Ranch
Seekers: Favorite Bible Verses, adult classroom, Ranch

Fail

Thanks again to Robin and Shane who posted in the comments section last week and shared some personal stories of those who’ve gone before you and how those loved ones shaped their lives. Robin, SOTH continues to pray for you in the loss you’ve gone through in these last several months. Shane, congrats good buddy on the birth of baby Oliver! He’s a lucky little boy, born to a wonderful family.

Without much further ado…on to the Holy Week blog. And, glad to be back on a Wednesday morning by the way…

Well, it’s official…Spring is here.

OK, there have been moments when it’s felt as though summer is actually upon us.

It’s spring break week, and those of us who, by successful matriculation, have earned the privilege of easy weekday transit on our town’s highways and shopping aisles find them clogged with kids who ought to be somewhere learning something.

Everybody’s Bermuda is a deeper shade of green each day. I have discovered a 72nd type of Georgia pollen that will send my histamine production into overdrive. We have these things called leaves again…and man, did I miss them.

A distinct cracking sound can be heard all across the country. Nope, not the sound of baseball bats ripping line drives (though not much could sound better)…it’s the sound of millions of too-old elbows popping as amateur third basemen and left fielders try to throw softballs much further and harder than their anatomy now allows.

And so the seasons, and the cycle of life, move forward together.

Those softball fields (home to the above-referenced cracking sounds) can be a place of deep spiritual reflection, you know. There’s a reason churches tend to play the sport, after all.

Nothing builds character like failure. Occasional humiliation, even.

A ball the size of a really large grapefruit comes floating toward home plate at the speed of 12 mph. As a good friend of mine (and mighty talented ballplayer) once told me, “There’s no reason a grown man should hit less than .900 in slowpitch.”

For those of you unschooled in the ways of batting average, that’s a reference to getting a hit in at least 90% of your at bats.

I couldn’t agree more. But, for me at least, it’s still impossible.

That’s what makes softball such a fun, and deeply aggravating pastime. I don’t play golf, but I’ve heard plenty of guys tell me that they have similar feelings about the little white ball that sits on the ground, motionless, taunting them.

As Springteen's “Glory Days” plays loudly in our heads, we look back through the hazy crystal ball and somehow remember a time when we knew we really could hit a much, much smaller object, thrown by much, much more athletic young men at speeds of over 80 mph. Oh yeah, it could change direction at the last second, too.

Now, we pop this beachball up to the second baseman.

And, if we’re getting anywhere in our journeys at all…life is still good.

Those guys who play at “The Ted,” the ones making 29 bazillion dollars a season…they pop up, too. Hitting .300 (only getting a hit in 30% of your at bats) in the big leagues will make you very, very wealthy.

40% success is the stuff of legend.

Baseball…softball…life…it’s all about perseverance and the overcoming of much failure.

And Jesus, especially this week, has something important to tell us.

This morning on sacredspace, I was reminded that in a very real way, the cross can be a sign of failure. On Good Friday, it must have seemed to every single person who witnessed Jesus death that a wonderful dream had come to a bitter end.

Until Jesus, no one believed that God could “fail.” No one thought that the messiah might die. No one knew that God might love us so much that he would come among us…and allow us to mock him, beat him, reject and kill him.

Think you’re having a bad day? God incarnate…Emmanuel, God With Us…Jesus Christ…has walked that path before you.

The cross redeems our failures.

The cross redeems our shame.

Because the cross is not the end. The story of Jesus is unique and so important for the realities of life that we all face.

Real success, you see, lies at the bottom of the trough of failure. What great good news.

On Friday night, we will remember the crucifixion at SOTH. We will remember the failure, the rejection, the shame. We will begin in light and move toward darkness. We will leave our sanctuary with these words from John…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The darkness of failure will do it’s worst…but it can never win.

Easter Sunday morning, the son rises. “Failure,” is transformed into the very vehicle of eternal victory.

Think of that the next time things don’t roll your way. Real success lies just around the corner.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:
Well, not everybody’s in Florida this week (not that I’m bitter or anything…), and for those of you who are in town, we really hope that you’ll come out this Friday night to our “Service of Darkness,” commemorating the crucifixion of Christ. I can promise that the service will be deeply moving, and your experience on Good Friday will deepen the joy of Easter morning. Friday night, sanctuary, 7PM.

Easter Sunday schedule:

7 AM Sunrise Service @ The Pavilion (Dorsett Shoals Road) to be led by our Youth Group, “The Flock.” Everyone is invited to come out and take part in this very meaningful service of resurrection.

9 AM & 11 AM Morning Worship: Two great worship services and we’re expecting full houses for both. A great day of music, scripture, prayer and preaching, plus a special presentation for our youth. Childcare will be available at both services for children 1st grade and younger, with SS available for children through adults at 10:15. Don’t forget to bring fresh-cut flowers for the Easter cross which we’ll post out by Chapel Hill Road.

6 PM Evening worship in the sanctuary --- a wonderful way to end your Easter Sunday. No youth group Easter Sunday night.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Easter Egg Hunt this past Sunday after worship! Lunch was great, the turnout was huge and it was a blast for everybody. Great Job, Kathryn!!!!