The Face Says it all...

Clemson 3

Ga. Tech 13

Sermon Recap: Back to the Primary(school)--Lunchtime

Picture in honor of Amy Jenkins Maxton-lover of all things smurfy.

This is the first week of a sermon series titled,"Back to the Primary-Things we knew already but have forgotten." Hope you all enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed the preparation time.

For our 3 year olds at the Primary school, one of the best parts of the day is lunchtime. At 10:20 we begin the process of degermification. We take our little ones to the bathroom in shifts and then sanitize them. We do not use a pressure washer or anything like that, the item used is a miracle gel. To be honest, I do not buy into the whole antibacterial deal. Not to long ago I heard a comedy routine with George Carlin. He talked about his childhood and how his mom would let him play in the sewer drains in New York City. He then went on to say that he never gets sick. He credits this to all the strong immunity his body built up over time. On the other end of the spectrum is the way we attempt to keep our kids healthy and ungermed. A squirt of the magic gel, a little rubbing and then they are off to get in line.

We have an appointed line leader--this is a position of mere title. The problem we have is that our line of six, three year-olds is not really a line. It is a part snake and part stampeding bull and it seems useless to get them in the appointed places. We have one little girl with a limp. She always moves to the left. We are supposed to stay hugged against the wall on the right side of the hall. She bounces about to the left--I steer her back to the right. As soon as she gets lined back up, off to the left she pops again.

We find our spots at the table. My little guy is always impatient and wants his food, NOW!!! He does not talk, but he lets me know that he is hungry and does not want to wait on the assistant to warm it up. His mom sends the same thing for him to eat everyday. No, really...everyday. He has chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes. He never eats the potatoes, but inhales the chicken. I make the sign language symbol for chicken--he never makes the sign and I give him the chicken anyway.

The little boy across from me at the table has anger issues. He is super smart, but oh my!! If he does not get his way it is chaotic. He throws himself in the floor and throws whatever he has across the room. He gets so angry he jerks all over and he loves to push people. At lunch, he just sits there, super still and never eats a thing.

We have one little girl that is super messy. Chocolate milk goes everywhere and food is all over the people that sit beside her. She needs to wear a bib, but it would never stay on the entire 30 minutes. I made sure the second day I was there to always have someone sitting between she and I.

This motley crew of three year olds share a table 4 days a week at school. Food is important for them, just as it was for the people in the scripture today. Often times we forget how many stories there are in the bible that are about food.

John 6:30-34

They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

The people wanted a sign. Show us a sign and we will believe. Moses showed us and we followed him. What are you going to do, Jesus?

I just love the hint of sarcasm in the voice of Christ. My loose translation is..."Let me tell you something--Moses did nothing. My Dad did that, and guess what He is still offering you something but this is much better than before.

I am enough to fill you forever. The manna was a daily portion, my portion is for a lifetime and then on into eternity.

They wanted some of what he had to offer then. Give us that bread EVERYDAY!! Reminds me of my little guy with the chicken. It is the same everyday, but it fills him. Are we satisfied with Jesus. Is he enough? Seems like we always want more when what we really need is right here.

This morning we are coming to the Table of Christ. Is His body (bread) enough? Is His blood (the cup) still sufficient for you and me? Maybe we long for something more exotic and dynamic--but the reality is that nothing can take the place of Christ in our lives. We try to fill the "God shaped void" and we find ourselves gorged, but empty.

In this time of silence before coming to the table--ask God to show you what has gotten you off track. Don't fool yourselves. We are all in the same boat here. We have not given God our whole heart and we rarely love our neighbors as ourselves.

Remember--He is enough for whatever you are facing..yesterday, today and tomorrow.

**While serving over 115 people Communion, I said to one gentleman, "The blood of Christ given for You." His reply, "I am so glad to have a place at his table."

Guess what? There is room for another---care to join us?

Clemson win total by Douglas--sponsored by Rooms to Go

Clemson 42


NC State 20

Quote- "But Daddy, what about our good friend Sammy?"

Reply- "It's OK son, He's used to losing to Clemson."

"How bout them Tigers!"

Clemson win total by Douglas--Sponsored by Yamaha Golf Carts

click to enlarge

Clemson 38
Furman 10

"Daddy, I think I need to get more Clemson stuff."--Douglas

Worth Repeating--Sermon Recap

For the past three weeks I have started to become acclimated to my new part time job at Myrtle Beach Primary school. My job is to shadow a three year old autistic child. I am there for half a day on M, Tu, Thu, and Friday. I really enjoy it, but it has presented several challenges.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is the repetition of each day. For primary and elementary school teachers, life is similar to the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day. Every day is the same routine, doing the same things, saying the same things and teaching the same things. For the last week, we have been reading the following book.

Douglas, our five year old and resident children's literature specialist will assist me this morning in the reading of Brown Bear, Brown Bear--What do you see? (This was a non practiced event and I have great fear not knowing what He will do when He has a microphone in his hand. He had the book 90% memorized, he messed up in a few places and sighed and put his head down. He then got the right word and kept on working through the book until he completed the task.)

Now what is the author trying to teach children in this little tale?

(Audience Answers) He is teaching about different animals. He is trying to teach about different colors. He is teaching repetition and basic words. He is also encouraging interaction between teacher and student.

When this book was written there was an intended purpose, and you all have done a great job of picking up on it.

This morning, our scripture passage speaks of purpose as well.

John 20:30-32 states for us:

The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

This certain book of scripture in many ways encapsulated the intended purpose of the entirety of the biblical Canon. We have these stories so that we can come in contact with Jesus. After the contact, then the intent is that we will Believe. After believing, then we will live empowered lives by the Spirit.

At school we spend a lot of time reinforcing positive behavior and keeping of rules. My little guy runs me around that room all morning long. He slides back to the sink and turns on the water. I get him out of that situation and start to clean up, and then in a flash he is up front in a cabinet pulling stuff out and throwing it all on the floor. I toss the water filled paper towel in the trash and run up front, and.....he runs to the back for the sink again. Now I could just make him sit in the chair beside me while I clean up, but he will never learn if I do not give him some freedom.

I have been able to get him to understand that he cannot throw things in class, except for a little cloth baby doll. The flipping and throwing of things is one of the few things that calms him down. My strong hand on his shoulder or chest is the other. Often he only needs to realize that I am there, and then he calms down and settles in to the routine. He is a little dude trapped inside himself, unable to tell others what is going on. Imagine the frustration involved in his daily routine.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to be looking at "Primary School" aspects of scripture. These are things that we know, but often forget. C.S. Lewis even spoke of preaching in this way. He said that our primary task as ministers is to remind people of the timeless truths that they have learned but forgotten.

When I was in 3rd grade, I had to learn my multiplication tables. I did great with them except for 6x4. I know, it was simple memorization--but for some reason I just could not get that one. As hard as I tried to make it that way, 6x4 was not 26.

From a spiritual standpoint, we too know the basics. We have memorized the answers, but when the hard times come and the crisis of belief sets in....often we answer 6x4 is 26. The reality is that 6x4 is 24, and that God has made promises to us that have been, are and always will be true.

What has you agitated today? Have you gotten yourself worked up by believing in your ability to solve your own problems? Are you unable to verbalize the hurt and anger that you have inside? Perhaps this morning, We need to be reminded of the gentle hand of God, on our shoulders reminding us of his presence.

The next few weeks will show us the Basics and then we will look into the more technical. One of the great things about Douglas and his reading was not that he did so well. He did a great job, and as his Father, I am proud of him. But I am most assured of the fact that when he messed up, he kept trying and finished his task.

God has a task for us, and although we often mess it up, I am sure that He is so very proud of us for persevering. I am excited about sitting on the carpet in God's classroom, and invite you to join me. By the way, don't be late...or you will need a hall pass.

Nurturing my Inner Redneck

This morning at 6:15, I hopped in the KIA and took off to find a strong cup of coffee. The waitress handed me my "To-Go" and called me "Sugar", I just love that. I scooted toward the Pavilion Parking Garage for South Carolina's Largest Garage Sale.

Lots of People with Lots of Junk-- I love ebay, but it has killed the Old Time Jockey Lot. Now it has pretty much turned into vendors hawking wares with no real "finds" to be found.

There was a Native American musician playing some kind of blowing flute deal as Rednecks were nudging people with elbows, hips and wagons. Bojangles vendors were selling biscuits while most of Myrtle Beach was still snoozing or just getting in from clubbing. What song was the guy playing? The Sound of Silence--by non Indians, Simon and Garfunkel. I passed on the CD.

Here is the run down:

Coffee-1.25
Tip- .75

Parking Meter 2.00
Chicken Biscuit 3.00

Raffle Ticket for High School 5.00
My Pavilion Final Season T Shirt 2.50

Sarah's Pavilion T Shirt 2.50

Putt Putt Ad shirt for Douglas 4 @ 1.00 each

Grand Total--21.00

Nurturing my Inner redneck---Priceless.

Now, for lunch...an RC Cola and a Moon Pie!

Meet Mercury

Douglas has names for each of our vehicles. The mini-van is "Rocket" from the animated series, Little Einsteins. The black convertible is "Shadow" because it sounds cool. Shadow is being replaced, as overnight I have turned into an old man. Due to our promotion and the need for more driving and schmoozing, the Shadow is being sold.

I did not intend on purchasing this car so fast, but it fell smack into my lap. So, meet Mercury, the Grand Marquis that will be paid off in less than a year. The dealer actually is a member of one of our sponsoring churches, and while there I helped him do his bible study homework. We continue to be amazed how God provides for us.

Now I walk out of the house and see a mini-van and a land yacht, and I do not look like "Mr. Incredible" in either of them. I figured since we eat dinner at 4 every night and play putt-putt it was time to get the badge of old age. Stay outta my way, I make WIDE TURNS!!

Clemson win total by Douglas--Sponsored by Apache Pier

Clemson 49

La. Monroe 26

Quote: "I think La. Monroe could beat Fla. State."-- Tommy Bowden

All quotes from the mind of the photographer.

Look what I found-Sermon Recap

This past week on the news there was an interesting story about a piece of property in the fastest growing area for new house builds in our area. Property prices are through the roof and some couple had bought their piece of Earth. It was time to dig down and lay the foundation and guess what they found? Artillery shells from WWII. Not quite what they expected.

Now you all know how I am, and if you don't, well you will soon. When I hear things like this it gets me thinking about other digging stories and how it all applies to our life in Christ. If we did down deep into our past we often find things far worse than artillery shells. These are the things that often hold us back and keep us from being who were created to be in Christ. I just read this past week that our self image is almost completely formed by the time we are in the second grade. Now I have not done a lot of follow up research on this, but it sure seems about right. Many of our parents and teachers had good intentions but let's face it, they each made mistakes. Sarah and I try to breath and speak confidence into Douglas so he will believe that he is special and important and can do anything he sets his mind toward. Yet we are not perfect and we pray that those mistakes made by us will be covered in grace and he will have a healthy self image. Many of us still hear the voices of an authority figure in our past saying words like,"You are stupid, You are no good, You are not as pretty as ________, you will never amount to anything, I wish I had never had you....etc."

The sad part is in many of these situations, those people are not even alive anymore so that we can clear the air and start over again. The voices from the past can be haunting if we keep listening to them. When you look in that mirror, what is your first thought? Negative? Artillery shells indeed!

I read another story about digging this past March. It made me laugh and smile.

(AP) Matt White, a journeyman pitcher trying to make the Los Angeles Dodgers, could become baseball's first billionaire player. It has nothing to do with his arm. He owns a rock quarry in western Massachusetts. White, who has appeared in seven big league games in nine professional seasons, paid $50,000 three years ago to buy 50 acres of land from an elderly aunt who needed the money to pay for a nursing home. While clearing out a couple acres to build a home, he discovered stone ledges in the ground, prompting him to have the property surveyed. A geologist estimated there were 24 million tons of the stone on his land. The stone is being sold for upward of $100 per ton, meaning there's well over $2 billion worth of material used for sidewalks, patios and the like. Of course, that doesn't factor in the expenses involved in processing the stone and transporting it for sale. "It sounds bogus even saying those numbers," White said. "I'm just a small town guy trying to get to the big leagues. It's beyond comprehension."

So, there is a positive digging story! But the scripture tells us about more ground and raising and identity.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Identity is a fragile thing. Do the voices tell you that you are no good and that God cannot love you, care for you and use you? Do they tell you that you are not worthy of the lavishing love of God? Good!! The gospel is that we are not worthy, we are not deserving. But, if we are buried with him we are raise again to the newness and fullness of life. Christ, in the great exchange on the cross took all our sin and GAVE us his righteousness. We are his children not because we deserve it or merit it, but because he claims us as his own.

For those who accept this gift, this identity, this newness, this fullness we must puss back the voices that tell us to perform, conform and do the dance for acceptance. This is something you and I need to tell ourselves often. Daily may not even be enough!!

There is nothing I can do to make God love me more. There is nothing I can do to make God love me less.

That is the definition of grace that I learned form the Brennan Manning classic, The Ragamuffin Gospel. The church and the world often makes us perform for approval. Jesus has done all the performing that is necessary! Our works should not be approval seeking, but they should be a "thanks" to God for his grace.

This week, dig deeper and find out what the voices are saying. My prayer is that you will know exactly what to tell them when they speak. That is more valuable than billions worth of rock and much more lasting and stable.

A Forwarded Email--Sometimes they are good!!

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Clemson Win Total by Douglas---Sponsored by SONIC

Clemson 24

Florida State 18

Quotes from the Game: "They beat us again, Dadgummit." Bobby Bowden, FSU Legend

"That is 4 out of 5 for us. Who's Daddy now?" Tommy Bowden, Clemson Coach

All quotes are from the mind of the photographer.

On a Pedestal---Sermon Recap

I am usually not a preacher that rants and raves about things. I try to keep my head clear and stay on a fairly even keel. This week, the sermon is a little different. I do however think that it is needed and necessary.

This past week I was listening to the radio and the 20 second news report came over the waves. There was a wreck backing up traffic, a senator who was not gay that was gay, and a blurb about the war on Terror. The nice little radio voice then gave me the best news of the Day, Cameron Diaz is 35 years old today!

I am not sure when our society took such a marked turn to emphasis of celebrity. Now it seems that Ryan Seacrest is everywhere telling us what so and so is wearing, dating or doing. Paris Hilton is everywhere, and she has not really done anything that matters except star in a movie on the internet with bad lighting and be born to rich hotel moguls. She actually makes 75,000 dollars just to make an appearance at clubs for parties. In some cases the price is closer to A QUARTER OF A MILLION! Lindsey Lohan is in and out of rehab, Brit Spears is a train wreck that we cannot help but watch, and the list goes on and on.

I have a few vices, none of which I am proud of, except my coffee addiction. I love good coffee, strong coffee with Espresso and Starbucks does it best. About a month ago, I had a message on the side of my cup as part of their "The Way I see it campaign." Each week the message changes and it is there to spark thought and encourage conversation about issues. The real plan is to get you to hang out and buy more coffee and strudel and music and then get hooked, but the message is on the cup regardless.

This message was spot on and had to be shared:

Many people lack a spiritual belief system and fill that void with obsessions about celebrities. The celebrities are raised to the rank of gods, and these earthly gods will always fail the expectations the masses have set for them. The cycle runs thusly: adoration turns to obsession, obsession turns to disappointment, and from disappointment it is a just a short emotional jump to contempt.-- Donna Phillips, Claremont CA

I do not know who Donna Phillips is, but she is right. The issue is not just about movie stars.

I love sports and the landscape of athletics is littered with idols. If we elevate people to the position of God we will be so disappointed. Poor Mike Vick, Poor O.J. Simpson, sports is a real issue as it comes to idolatry.

What about religion? Now I fear to say this because you all may revolt and toss me off this pier to the sharks, but what about preachers. Do we idolize them too, do we make them celebrities and give more credence to their message of Christ than another? Think about it. Billy Graham, Joel Osteen, Hagee, Fallwell, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer and the list goes on and on. Is the Gospel from their lips of any greater worth? Last week I could not help but chuckle when I saw Mr. T preaching on TBN. No, I do not normally watch TBN, but I was flipping and there it was staring me in the face. I just kept waiting on him to say, "I pity da fool that rejects Jesus," but I must have missed it.

This week I conducted three funerals. I though about titling this message, "You Can't spell funeral without Fun", but decided against it. Last Sunday was my Grandmother, midweek was a middle age campground resident that died in her sleep and yesterday was an 18 year old that died in a car accident on her first day of college. Families torn apart with grief, burdens and raw emotion.

This I know to be true; the hope in each of these situations is not Paris Hilton, Lohan, Spears, Vick, Graham or Hinn. The only Hope for these families is Jesus. The scripture speaks to our hope and it does not talk of celebrity.

The Hope of the Resurrection

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

Jesus is the hope at death and in life. Our hope is not because of our merit, good looks or family. Oh, that is wrong...it is all about family. We are His children, not because we deserve it, but because he loves us enough to die for us. He gave each of these families strength enough to keep pressing on...and believing.

He is the only celebrity worth talking about. He with no implants, no makeovers, and no shameless self promotion. He is our reason for being, he is our hope, he is our peace, he conquered death, hell, and the grave. Where is CNN when you need them?

So, Who are you raising up on the pedestal? It may shock us if we really take the time to analyze and answer.