Two Building Projects of Note Started This Past Sunday

This past Sunday, people started an extreme project to build a house in a week. It is amazing what happens when people pull together for a great cause. But did you know this past Sunday was the start of another massive building project? Dare I say, one that will have as much or more of an impact than even the Extreme Home Makeover build?

Sunday, February 21 was the launch of a new United Methodist Church in Columbus, named The Ridge. Started by Jimmy and Shannon McIlrath, who were with us in the Fall to talk about the new church, they had over 300 people in worship on Sunday! But what they are building is part of an even larger story…

Over a decade ago, United Methodists in South Georgia committed to renewing something they believed could change people’s lives. They began to place people and resources into efforts to start new and jumpstart existing churches. It worked. Consider this; in 2009, almost 6000 new people were in worship because of the NRCD ministry that was dreamed up those ten years ago. Think with me how awesome this is! That is like a small town. Shane Green, our Columbus DS, wrote recently about the benefits.

"The money raised here really does make a difference. Through this effort we start new churches. Not only is it exciting and proactive, but we’re being obedient to the Gospel mandate to make disciples. This effort helps us to see beyond ourselves. One of the greatest temptations for a pastor and church is to be inward-focused. We want to grown our church; we want to take care of our members. Though this is a vital part of the ministries of the local church, without an outward-focus, we can become short-sighted, self-centered, and greedy. A healthy church is both inward and outward in her ministries."

Opportunities to give, especially financially, to worthy endeavors present themselves nearly everyday. I believe donations given to the Kingdom Builders Ministry of the South Georgia Conference go a long way in making disciples, and truly building the Kingdom. Grace and Peace to you, Scott

A Strong Foundation and a Great Story

Eugene Petersen's contemporary translation of the Bible shares this from Luke 6:

These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on. "If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss."

Words that ring true to every person, but take on added significance with the news this past Sunday that some of our neighbors are having their house razed in order for a new one to be built. The crew from Extreme Home Makeover is just a few miles up the road from us working round the clock this week as they build a new home for the Williams family.

Julie and I have tuned into this show on many a Sunday night. Our boys love staying up a little late to see 'the rooms' revealed, and we love to watch the stories of transformation. We both refer to this as the 'most redemptive show on television.' I believe their work gets at many of the essential ideas found in the Gospel message of the Christian church. They seek to provide sure foundations for families - all of who have known significant struggles but are sustaining in the midst of them - in order for them to continue on achieving their goals. Whether it be to raise their families well, to serve their communities, to educate, to inspire, etc they have thousands of volunteers who give tirelessly in order to achieve a goal. The reality of this reality-show is that great things are achieved because of the sacrifice and teamwork of shared efforts.

I'm proud of the dozens of folks from our congregations and community in the middle of the work this week to lay a sure foundation for this family. I believe we are all called to similar ministries of redeeming lives. Not all in construction, certainly few that makes prime-time television, but every person seeking to build up others in order that God's Kingdom be established, on earth as it is in heaven.

Soundtrack in Your Head

It happened near the beginning of NBC’s Olympics coverage of the snowboard half-pipe, where athletes fling themselves towards the stars while simultaneously spinning, turning, and flipping. The announcers were talking about the next American who would be competing. His name is Louie Vito, the charming 21-year-old from Columbus, Ohio. Some of you might remember him for his brief stint on that other sporting event, Dancing with the Stars!

Just as he was about to push off the from the starting gate, we watched as he pulled something out of his pocket and appeared to manipulate some device before putting it away and starting his run.

What was that, we both exclaimed? It was his iPod! Yes, this Olympic athlete prefers to compete with music playing in his ears. I cannot help but think we all do the same thing.

Not that I preach with earbuds in, or that you take calls, teach classes, or attend business meetings with downloaded songs playing in your ears. I mean to suggest that we all have some sort of soundtrack playing in our minds. We all have a tune that plays over and over. Whether it's literal music, or some audio track that plays as we go about our day, I believe we all have noise in our heads most of the time.

What does your soundtrack sound like? Is it upbeat? Does it inspire you to do better? Does it lift your spirits? Or is your mind cluttered with the tune that says you won’t succeed? Does it bring you down? Does it steer you wrong?

If you have the right soundtrack in your head – the tune that is leading you to a deeper relationship with Jesus – then are you following it? Paul, the church-planter, teacher and author of half of the New Testament, at one point admits that while his mind directs him rightly, his flesh still pushes him the wrong way. He knows better, but has a difficult time acting it out. Read it here in Romans 7.

Are you listening to the right stuff? If yes, then great. Now do it. If your soundtrack doesn’t sound right, why do you keep listening? Try reading and listening to something better to lead you through the paths and twists of life. Start in Proverbs, and listen to how simple wisdom can change your life.

Hunger In Our Valley

According to a study from the nation's largest food bank operator, Feeding America, 37 million people received food aid in 2009. That is roughly 1 out of every 7 Americans. Feeding America, formerly America’s Second Harvest, operates some 200 food banks across the country.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of the Chattahoochee Valley provides emergency food for an estimated 65,900 different people annually, with 45% of them children under 18 years old. The study found a growing number of people having to make difficult choices about what to spend their dwindling dollars on, with the rising cost of health care a major contributing factor to hunger. Some 43% of clients served in our area of the Chattahoochee Valley report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel, while 46% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care. You can see more details about the study specifically related to the Chattahoochee Valley.

We can thank God for people of faith being committed to living out the Great Commandment (see Matthew 22:33-40). Here in our area 89% of pantries, 100% of kitchens, and 60% of shelters are run by faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations. All of this is consistently relevant for our churches as we partner with FOCUS of Harris County to serve some of these very families in need. Each month a special offering is taken to support FOCUS, with other opportunities mentioned throughout the year.

It is also especially timely, coming off another successful Souper Bowl Sunday. Our church's contribution of $137, stretched through the ability of FOCUS to purchase directly from Feeding America for pennies on the dollar, will enable parents to provide for families in the midst of these hard times. You can read more about the great, grassroots campaign that is the Souper Bowl movement here.

We remember Jesus' call for us to serve the least of these, knowing that in so doing we are about the very work of God.

Sabbath Violations in...My Car?

Sabbath is the ancient practice of persons of faith of recognizing a day, or even longer, of rest for the purpose of celebrating God's provisions in our lives. It finds its origins in the very first words of the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis 1), and is then woven throughout the fabric of the story of God's people. Observing the Sabbath is given a place of prominence in the Decalogue, also simple the Ten Words and what we call the Ten Commandments.

Sabbath is one of the most underutilized gifts God has given. I will go further to say that it is being observed less and less to our great detriment. Modern women and men struggle more and more with embracing concepts of regular rest, as they submit to the increasing demands of work, the pursuit of success, and the difficult act of balancing these things with family and other demands.

But now I hear that it could be affecting my car? Stop the madness!

Toyota announced this past week that 2.3 millions cars were being recalled because the accelerator pedal was found to be potentially defective and in some cases would stick or be slow in returning. This has tragically resulted in more than 60 accidents and even four deaths on the day after Christmas. It seems that there is no easy answer to the solution, either. Some of you know I purchased a used Toyota in the Fall, and this news prompted me to investigate immediately. I was relieved to learn that while the recall involves a huge array of their models, it does not include mine. You can learn more from Toyota.

The lesson returns to our own need to know when to slow down and even stop. Things go very badly when we get stuck at one speed. We were not designed that way. We have been created to work, play and rest. All of these things bring Glory to the One who created us.

Sabbath Violations in the News

Early last year our congregation journeyed through the Ten Commandments, as we listened to the rich depth behind each of those rules for living. We heard how living faithfully in marriage reflects the nature of the unity of God, and how carrying the Holy Name of God well is about so much more than not swearing.

One of the most revolutionary teachings from that series was about taking Sabbath. It had a lot to do with the experiences of the Israelites under Egyptian oppression, who were seen as only cogs in a manufacturing system – they were valued only for their ability to work. This led them to grow accustomed to measuring themselves by production, which goes completely against the truths about our Creation from Genesis. We are not God. The world does not stop if we rest for a day. Sabbath is about the health of our souls.

All of this brings us to a story from this weekend’s news cycle. It comes out of Gainesville, Florida, where one of the great college football coaches of our time has been wrestling with some decisions about his health, his family, and his coaching career.

In December, Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators, revealed he had long battled heart trouble and made plans to retire for the sake of his family and his heath. He had been admitted to the hospital for a heart episode earlier that month and it was not his first. But, within a day of that first statement he had reduced it to taking maybe a year off after they finished playing in the bowl game that week.

Well over the weekend Urban Meyer made this statement,

“I keep hearing about this time off, and the people I'm closest to are going to demand I take some time off, but I tried that already,” Meyer said. “I tried a day and a half, and it didn't work.”

Were you able to read between the lines with me? His wife and kids are apparently grouped with players, assistant coaches, bosses, and maybe even prominent boosters, who all will demand for something but the best he can do is try it for 36 hours. Seriously? Meyer is smart, and a follower of Jesus, but does he think giving 36 hours to a lifestyle that is so totally foreign to our modern culture stands any chance? Has he lost touch so significantly with the few people in his life that knew him before he was a success on the sidelines to forget that their biggest concern has nothing to do with Wins and Losses?

My prayer is that he would revisit this decision. My prayer is that he would know again the truth that no amount of success, no internal drive, no deadlines, no media coverage is more important than living the life God designed for us. All of those things can come, but not at the expense of the health of your body and your soul.

30 Day Challenge Gets an Early Start!

I am genuinely excited about the reception our congregation has had to the start of our 30 Day Gospel Challenge. I am convinced that reading the Gospels is a critical start - or restart - for anyone in their growing relationship with Jesus.

We want to be the place where people are growing as followers of Jesus. Reading the stories told in the Gospels is a great place to start.

And what a start we've had already. The first day of the 30 days is still a few hours away, and already our two 'public leaders', Tammy and Chris, have posted about their experiences. Check them out using links here: www.waverlyhallumc.org/30day.

This is going to be good and is worth every minute of the time it calls for us to pursue it. May God's grace be with us all.

Earthquake in Haiti

On Tuesday night, the slightest movement of two plates about 6 miles beneath the earth's surface caused an earthquake that has devastated the island nation of Haiti. Massive loss of life, coupled with the destruction of buildings and infratructure that serve in delivering aid in an already poor country, will make this a disaster one that lingers for years.

Let us stop and pray for the people of Haiti and for the every person who has known loss or grieved in tragedy. May we also pray that we, the Church, would work to redeem this for God's desires. My friend, Teresa, offered the words of Psalm 46. Let's listen,

God is a safe place to hide,
ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God of angel armies protects us.
(The Message translation)

Questions abound in the wake of any loss or tragedy. In the midst of our questions, let us find comfort in knowing God is fighting for us. The world literally shakes us, and reality can come crashing down at any time. God's armies and God's strength is greater, though. God who made heaven and earth is larger than any earthquake.