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!

ROB BELL, LIVE IN CLEVELAND!

Tonight I had the chance to hear ROB BELL www.marshill.org in person at the Allen Theater with a friend. I was impressed that it was a sell out crowd when I saw no advertising done for this event anywhere in Cleveland. There was nothing in the PLAIN DEALER, no mailer to area churches, nothing on the radio. It was all word of mouth. I stumbled across it on Rob Bell’s web site while downloading a service and checking out the NOOMA videos.

The event was so clean. There was no “opening act”, no announcements, no “preliminaries”. He just came out and started talking and captivated the audience for an hour and 48 minutes. What an excellent communicator. He started in Genesis and progressed through to Hebrews. His presentation was very authentic and inspiring, not religious or churchie or offensive, unless maybe to the churchie at times like when he jokingly said "flannelgraph that!". He wasted no time or words.

My take-away from the night? Hmmmm… I walked away challenged to look at any gods that might have crept into my life; challenged to embrace what God has done to redeem me rather than striving to get in His good favor. Rob shared that his friend kept saying throughout their visit at a restaurant (after he was pastoring a growing church), “you don’t have to live this way anymore”. That was a freeing statement and sometimes, even as Christians, we need to hear that.

One of the best treats was that out of the hundreds of people in the audience I turned to see that the people with tickets to the seats next to me were Bryan and Carolyn Karas (the newlyweds!). Bryan http://www.bryankaras.com/ was our worship leader and ministry intern at Rockside Church in our earlier days. He's now he’s the worship/arts pastor at 707 http://www.sevenoseven.com/ and is presenting the message next Sunday, December 9 at 7:00 PM. Check him out if you’re free. It was so great to see them and sit next them tonight. Love you guys!

The conclusion was so compelling and the presentation of the gospel had been so clearly presented. I only wondered what it would have hurt to turn the direction to the audience for a “what about you?” type of reflection. I know people are on a continuum toward Christ and many decisions are made after people leave. I’m sure Rob Bell has given careful thought to the entire presentation including his decision to NOT guide people toward a decision. No doubt there were people ready to say yes to Christ in one form or another if even privately. I just wonder if the searching listener could be better served one degree further on their journey toward Christ if given some sort of direction toward that end. If you have an opinion about that, I’d love to hear it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

The shining light in the background isn’t anything spiritual. It’s the glare off the jumbo score board at the Quicken Loans Arena at Tuesday’s Cleveland Cavs game. They lost (needlessly) to the Milwaukee Bucks, but the day was a winner for me because I got to spend it with my mom. It was her first pro basketball game. She was a cheerleader in high school so understands the basics of the game and, well, still has quite a bit of “scream” in her I found out!

I’m proud of my mom for her willingness to try new things like getting her ears pierced, using a blue tooth and trying Indian food. When our dad passed away, my sisters and I saw Mom step up with courage to do a lot of things for the first time like writing checks (which she is really good at now), calling a plumber, driving to visit us by herself and so much more. I’m thankful for my mother, for the benevolent way she cares well for people, for her sense of humor, for the ways she has always made the holidays special, for her uncomplicated and growing relationship with Jesus Christ and for being my mom. I love you, Mom!

A DAY WITH DAN SMITH AND DA BAND!

Yesterday our church merged with 6 other churches and 3 organizations to host DAN SMITH and MOMENTUM BAND. They did school assemblies in the day time then a CONCERT and COMEDY event in the evening at the Independence High School with free pizza and pop.

My takeaway from the day?

1) Well, I was reminded how much I love teenagers and love seeing them have a chance to make good choices and know God better.

2) I was so encouraged by the number of adults I met (pastors, principals, public servants, parents) who deeply care about students too and share that same desire.

3) Dan Smith http://whiteboydj.com/home.html is a really funny guy but more than that, he and his wife Shannon, and their team, James and Christine Fruits and the crew, have such great attitudes and humble hearts. I felt like a made a lot of really wonderful friends yesterday. It was an awesome day!

SOAK IT IN LIKE A SPONGE!

This past Sunday was a great day for me because my profession happens to have an “appreciation day” that was recognized. (I hope yours does, too). My leadership team led the way in passing the microphone around and letting people who wanted to say words of personal appreciation. At first, I’ll admit I was a bit uncomfortable with it, maybe a tad embarrassed. But as the first person began to talk, I thought, “no, I’m going to soak this in and enjoy it!” Is that a crazy thought or what? :-) As different ones shared, I felt like a dry sponge just soaking in a needed refreshing. Each person’s words were special because of who was speaking and the relationship I have with that particular person.

Most pain in life happens in the context of relationships. So doesn't it just makes sense that restoration and refreshing also happen in the context of relationship? May we all be more intentional to see the power of words of affirmation, both giving and receiving, work to restore and refresh. Thanks, guys, (you know who you are) for your kind words. I love you and appreciate you too!

Breakaway....

In September, an e-mail invitation came from Rick Duncan, pastor at Cuyahoga Valley Church, to a group of pastors from the area inviting us to gather to pray together for an hour and invite other pastors. I was pleasingly surprised at the good turn-out and the joy that praying together brought. The group decided to meet monthly for an hour of prayer. When I think of the significance of this - unity among ministry leaders calling on the name of the Lord together -- it overwhelms my expectations.

At the most recent gathering, Rick prayed something like this... "Lord, remind us PRAYER is not PREPARATION for ministry. Prayer IS the ministry." I've been chewing on that all week.

This week I listened to the podcasts of Stan Tharp and Dave Thomas, pastors of two of the strongest Assembly of God Churches in Ohio, addressing the topic Lessons I've Learned Along the Journey from the FORUM (available at http://www.ohioag.org/). The over riding theme they both shared is that pastors and ministry leaders must get into the presence of God and hear from God for themselves, resisting the temptation to copy others and compare ourselves among ourselves. This week I've set aside time on my calendar this week to do just that... BE WITH JESUS. (Isaiah 30:18, Isaiah 64:4, Matthew 11:28-30)

MY NEW FRIENDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Deciding to volunteer at an English Second Language class in my apartment complex has turned out to be one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had. Our "class" has become very good friends over the months. We've taken field trips, hosted guest speakers, enjoyed being in one another's homes and had a fun summer picnic together. Believe me when I say that I receive more than I give and learn more than I teach. On my church's 4th anniversary, two families (one Muslim, one Hindu) honored me By attending church with me. Today I look forward to experiencing a first. I've been invited to a Ramadan dinner at sunset at the home of my friend who is a Muslim Turk. I'm so thankful for my new friends.