December 24, 2007 by RevLurch.

The Lord bless you and keep you in these days of busyness and cheer.
The Lord make His face to shine on you and remind you that it’s not about the perfection of the celebration, but the celebrated that makes the difference.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you the peace of knowing Christ as God among us.

Merry Christmas to all.

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December 18, 2007 by RevLurch.

From Brutally Honest quoting Michelle Malkin’s video of the day:

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December 18, 2007 by RevLurch.

Sometimes things just jump up and hit you right between the eyes. It did today when I was taking a break from writing newsletter articles and sermons and I ended up at Firefighter Nation and saw this video:

At first I watched the video and felt pride as a firefighter. And given that I saw that it was performed in New York I figured it was a 9/11 tribute. Then I read this story linked from the YouTube description that I believe is the basis for the painting. And if it is not, it sure hit me right away.The hardest part was listening to the woman’s voice telling the story. I suddenly felt fear, grief, and shame hitting me all at once.

Fear that this could happen to me. One day I could be called as a volunteer firefighter and it would be one of my kids trapped and it would be up to me to save them. Fear that I would not be able to reach them in time.

Grief over the babysitter’s guilt over only grabbing her own daughter. The fear and anguish that must have been going through the mother’s mind as her husband and child were trapped in the flames.

And finally shame. Shame that too often calls both as a firefighter and a pastor become all too routine. That it is just another call, just another hospital visit to go take care of, forgetting the real people affected everyday by what I do.

It’s easy to get jaded about the latest emergency. Not all of them are exciting made for the 6 o’clock news stuff. Sometimes there just simply a hug in the middle of the road for a man who has just lost his father. Sometimes it is simply once again sharing Communion with a shut-in and listening to his or her stories one more time.

But one doesn’t have to be a firefighter or a pastor to feel this way. Everyday, we are presented with opportunities to be present, even a life saver, to people we meet. Life can become routine: get up, get the kids off, go to work, make the meals, cash the paycheck, and not even notice those around us or the blessing we are to them.

It’s something like this painting and story that reminds me that each one of us is a hero to somebody. The Apostle Paul wrote it like this:

1 Corinthians 12:4-12 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

And Jesus said:

Matthew 25:37-40 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

Each of us has the opportunity to be a hero to somebody who just happens to be a brother or sister in Christ. In large and small ways, everyday we use our gifts to serve others, even, I dare say, on those days when we just don’t feel like we’ve done anything good at all. It may have been just a smile at the clerk who took your order at the coffee shop. It may be just the fact that you said “Good Morning” to your coworker with a cheerful face. Or maybe you just listened with an open heart to the story of somebody else. You are somebody’s hero in Christ. Nothing, and no one, is unimportant in the Body of Christ.

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December 14, 2007 by RevLurch.

If you know me personally, you know that I am hyperactive as they come. An online discussion partner shared this with the Desperate Preacher online discussion group and just felt at home listening.

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December 12, 2007 by RevLurch.

I read this from Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press and just shook my head.  When will we ever learn to deal with the important issues and not sweat the little stuff.

Many demanded an apology from Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank over comments he made on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”

When asked if the imprisoned Michael Vick might return to the Falcons upon his release, Blank said it depended on Vick’s personal discipline over the next two years.

If he filled up on “fried chicken and fries” while in prison and packed on weight, it would certainly hurt his chances.

If Blank had mentioned fried catfish and fries or fried pork chops and fries or any other deep-fried and highly fattening Southern culinary combinations, it wouldn’t have registered a blip on the radar.

But it was a white guy innocuously talking about fried chicken, long considered a demeaning stereotype of black culture.

That set off the sirens.

And it became an issue, prompting a statement from the Falcons on Tuesday clarifying the owner’s comments when you would think that plain common sense would have provided ample clarification.

The incident sadly shifted attention away from Vick, an arrogantly selfish man who is solely responsible for the mess he is in, and it gave rise to the misguided notion that Vick’s fall from grace was primarily the result of a racially tinged conspiracy.

He goes on to talk about other situations including a personal experience of his wife.  I just sit here and wonder if we can ever talk about loving our neighbor.  It seems there’s a tendency in US culture to try to make excuses or cloud the issue with extraneous stuff and we just can’t get at the heart of the matter.  I pray that Jesus will show us the way again to mutual understanding and respect.  Not just because it is “politically correct” but because it is the right thing to do.

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