My Fathers' Day Thoughts

It was a moment frozen in time but I didn't really stop. I thought of him this morning when I put my guitar back in the case at the end of the church service. He was meticulous about the gentle care of musical instruments, always positioning the guitar strap in the case in such a way to avoid pressure and fold overs.

I grinned to myself this afternoon when, during my shopping trip looking for hanging flower baskets, I bought a flame broiled burger and roasted ear of corn from an outside vendor at the farmer's market. "Now that's the kind of Fathers' Day 'dinner' my dad would have appreciated,” I thought to myself. Two reasons: It was inexpensive. When we'd take him to an upscale restaurant, he would comment on how we just "bought a whole lot of atmosphere". Secondly, I remember him comparing home grown, fresh corn on the cob to lobster. Not just because they both taste best dripping in butter. He said, "Corn tastes best when it's picked from the stalk and dropped right into the boiling water ... like a live lobster."

Those were some of the simple memories I treasure the most. What a guy! Gone but never forgotten. Happy Father's Day, Dad.

FRIENDS DAY at Rockside Church

After a great concert with the vocal band, Praise-apella (http://www.praise-apella.com/), we spent the afternoon in picnic mode enjoying incredible food, a volleyball tournament, snow cones and games for kids. But by far, my favorite part of the day was what you see pictured here ... visiting with so many special people. Our regular attendees brought their parents and co-workers, neighbors and friends. I loved meeting each one of them. And I was especially honored when several of my neighbors I had invited showed up (pictured here). See their blog at clevelandrumi.org. They also brought some delicious Turkish and Indian food that was a huge hit. It was a good day of meeting one another's guests and making new friends. What a great "FRIENDS DAY!"

A TITLE OR A TOWEL

This morning, I had a front row seat as the Honorable Mayor Gregory P. Kurtz presented the state of the city address to the people of Independence. He talked about his vision for reducing debt, the no place like home plan to assess the felt needs of senior citizens and the conversations taking place with neighboring communities about regionalization as far as sharing resources.

What really impressed me about the morning was that the Mayor and his leadership team, (council members, city employees, elected officials) served breakfast and poured coffee to the several hundred in attendance.

It reminded me of the words of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospel of Luke 22:25-27 where Jesus responded to an argument about who was greatest.

In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called 'friends of the people'. But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be alike a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. (New Living Translation - Luke 22:25-27)

What a great example of men and women who carried the towel of service rather than the title of position. God bless our city leaders in the City of Independence!

PHIL KEAGGY CONCERT

Since we’re doing a study on HEAVEN at my church, it was nearly impossible to put all I’ve been hearing out of my mind as I stepped into the Phil Keaggy “Master and Musician” Concert last Saturday in Youngstown’s Powers Auditorium. philkeaggy.com The truth is, I was emotionally overwhelmed on a few occasions as my present experience interfaced with my newly uncovered reminders, and strong anticipation, for the HEAVEN that awaits those of us who follow Jesus.

We arrived to our 4th row seats early. The stage was exposed, so my nephew, Jimmy and I scurried forward to peer at the 18 guitars and other instruments waiting to be played by the band that would join Phil Keaggy. We leaned forward to point and gawk in amazement. “I think this is what Heaven’s going to be like,” I couldn’t hold back from saying. “Really, dya think so?” Jimmy responded. Just then a man on the other side of me said, to no one to everyone, “Wow, this is like guitar heaven!”. I looked over and smiled at him. “You got that right!”

So where could my God given imagination take me to define HEAVEN? Right up to the stage to sit between Phil and Jonathan (oh, yeah, now they are my good friends) to be IN the band! Of course, God would have to give me a heavenly skill level so I could play better than I do now. We would exchange glances of affirmation and smiles as we played, finishing the song with a big ending followed by hearty laughter because we’re all having so much fun and amazed at the collaboration.

Okay, so I have a big imagination! Let me hear from you. What does your God given imagination do to define heaven for you?

Learn more about HEAVEN at http://www.epm.org/

VOTING FOR A DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT IN OHIO

Last Sunday evening, I attended a banquet in my city attended by several hundred Muslims. It was the 6th annual gathering (report, fund-raiser, inspiration, maybe not too different than our upcoming District Council) of the Council on American Islamic Relations, Cleveland Chapter. One of the guest speakers, Imam Johari Abdul Malik, in his talk entitled Persevering in Difficult Times observed (and I paraphrase and summarize) that as individuals, Muslim people are intelligent, disciplined, moral, financially conservative then generous with the excess. I would agree with him based on the friends and neighbors I know who are Muslim and the gracious people with whom the 3 of us shared a table that evening. The Imam went on to relate that other organizations are stronger only because they have more institutional strength than the sum of their individual members. (He had my attention.) He then encouraged his listeners to unite and bring their individual strength together.

As I often do, I came away saying “search me, O God, and see… in me” (Psalm 129:34 from the Bible). I asked my Lord Christ Jesus what He wanted me to do as a result of what I heard. I was challenged to not only continue praying for our upcoming election of a new District Superintendent in our organization, but to be less concerned about the one man who gets elected, and more concerned about the 428 of us who don’t get elected.

It is good to discuss the qualities we want in our next leader. But what if 100% of ordained ministers in our organization in Ohio committed to these qualities over the next four years:

1) Lovingly care for and mentor our staff members and younger pastors in our circle; foster mentoring relationships for ourselves
2) Participate in a monthly peer group of colleagues for prayer, growth, accountability and personal health
3) Voluntarily stay current on our personal dues/tithe so no resources or resolutions are needed to collect them
4) Be a positive participant in our section and district (whether by elected position, influence, or just seeing the need)
5) Initiate hosting our district’s missionaries and aggressively lead our churches (and by personal example) in supporting missions.
6) Stay current on reports (if required) and quickly ask for help when needed so problems don’t compound
7) Pray regularly for our district leaders and show them grace as people with feet of clay.

After all, isn’t that what we long for from our own congregations? Maybe then, the District Superintendent could focus all of his energy and attention (with all of our help) on the “duties” described for him in our bylaws, Article III, Section 1. Paragraph a. (again I’ll paraphrase) which is to promote and coordinate efforts toward worshipping God, encouraging God’s followers and giving people around the world a chance to personally know The Lord Christ Jesus.

A salute to my dear friend, BOB SCHUH

This morning as I walked toward the door of my apartment to get the Plain Dealer, I began to tear up knowing that today's newspaper would contain the obituary of my dear friend, Bob Schuh.

Bob understood what it meant to live life abundantly (John 10:10). He knew how to have fun whether it was eating pie at Baker Square with a table full of teenagers, celebrating his 80th birthday party in his own backyard, or being the social butterfly at a wedding reception.

Bob would talk openly about his mistakes as a young man and how Christ changed his life when he became a Christian. Maybe that's what helped him to always exemplifying holiness, yet never be judgmental toward others. Bob was a friend to pastors over the years and a fan of women in ministry. It didn’t take much prodding to hear a story about the late Kathryn Kuhlman or his beloved late wife, Vera, who he often bragged about as an excellent youth director for years. (Wouldn’t you love to hear the conversations in heaven today!)

Bob knew what was worth crying over--missionaries, affirming teenagers who were living for Christ, prayer meetings, and being careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit. You could count on Bob to walk away from gossip, small thinking and pettiness yet speak the truth straight when needed. He was gentleman in every way and a great example of a man of God who loved his Lord and loved people generously.

Yesterday, I took down to read again the birthday card Bob sent me this past July. I've been carrying it in the sun visor of my car since July ... just as a reminder of the richness in my life. That card is now priceless. Im so grateful for the mantel of prayer Bob carried for me and for Rockside Church.

Our last visit together, I invited Bob to lunch to celebrate his 84th birthday, yes, at Baker Square, topped off with pie. It was September 13. We had to go early because his daughter, Lenora's family was coming in from Virginia for a visit and he wouldn't be available on his birthday. Bob was coaching me on how to welcome and foster the presence of the Holy Spirit in my church, but first in my life. The conversation lead to Bob singing four lines of an old song and both of us wiping our tears. The words were...

Shut in with God in a secret place
There in the spirit beholding His face
Gaining more power to run in life's race
I long to be shut in with God

I will cherish our times together and pray I can carry forward what Bob has has taught me, both by his words and his example. Bob, thank you for being such a great example of a Christian leader and a great friend to so many of us. We will miss you dearly! Can't you just hear him saying in his typical way, “I’ll miss ya too, love.” Heaven just got a little bit richer this week!

Christmas Caroles through new eyes and ears

Have you ever allowed something very precious to lose its value because of familiarity? I think I had done that with Christmas Carols. In our family, singing and guitar playing are regular parts of our gatherings, but sometimes so regular that we no longer bother. Around the church scene, carols can be a pain to musicians because they are so stinking difficult to play. This year, I was awakened to a fresh appreciation for Christmas carols and their rich content.

We spent time in our "English Second Language" class learning Christmas carols because our international friends wanted to learn American songs. I took my guitar to our Christmas party and you should have heard the singing and felt the joy of this group of singers. What a choir!

Then the Saturday following Christmas, I attended a friend's wedding at St. Stan’s on E. 65th Street in Cleveland. The program called for us to sing all four verses of several carols .... accompanied by a mammoth pipe organ surrounded by the most beautiful decorations I have seen. Majestic is the word that comes to mind.

Thank God for fresh eyes and ears and friends who help me see and hear!